Sport

Recovering New Zealand captain Kane Williamson returned to the net on Tuesday to face throwdowns keeping alive his faint hopes of playing the 50-overs World Cup in India later this year.The 32-year-old suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the Indian Premier League and underwent surgery in early April that made him doubtful for the World Cup.Williamson posted on Instagram a clip of him batting in the nets with the caption: “Nice to be back in the nets with the bat in hand for a few throws.”New Zealand coach Gary Stead is among those who have not given up hopes of Williamson’s participation in the showpiece event to be held in India in October-November.“Our line around Kane, at the moment, is still it’s unlikely that he will be available, but we certainly don’t want to rule out a person of his class and calibre, and the things he brings to this team, too early in case there is that chance still,” Stead said in April.Media reports in New Zealand said Williamson, who guided the team to the final of the 2019 World Cup, would still travel to India even if in a mentor’s capacity.New Zealand face England in the Oct. 5 tournament opener in Ahmedabad in a rematch of the 2019 final, which they lost on a now-scrapped boundary countback rule.

England coach Brendon McCullum said the team’s fightback to draw a “heavyweight” Ashes series against Australia justified their attacking approach and provided them with a template to regain the urn in 2025/26.McCullum has helped transform England’s red-ball fortunes since joining forces with captain Ben Stokes last year, with the pair taking over a team that had won just one of its 17 previous Tests.England have won 13 out of 18 Tests under the duo, playing a dynamic brand of cricket dubbed “Bazball” in reference to former New Zealand captain McCullum’s nickname.“I guess from our point of view the most pleasing aspect is when we were under the most pressure at 2-0 down we stayed true to that and were able to manufacture some results that allowed us to walk away at 2-2,” said McCullum.“I think for us that is our best chance of winning. The skipper (Stokes) and I firmly believe that and some of the performances we’ve seen from some of the guys right throughout is testament to that.“If you’re weighed down by fear of failure or by external noise, all you’re doing is suffocating that talent.”England were criticised by several former players for being too aggressive early in an Ashes they might have won but for the Manchester weather.However, McCullum said: “We refined it (our approach) slightly as the series wore on.“I think both sides have stayed true to their styles and that’s what makes a great heavyweight fight. It’s two different styles and total conviction in them.”The Oval match saw the retiring England duo of paceman Stuart Broad and spin-bowling all-rounder Moeen Ali bow out of Test cricket on a high.Other places in the attack may have to be filled by the time England travel to Australia, with veteran swing bowler James Anderson now 41 and the likes of Chris Woakes (34) and Mark Wood (33) well into their respective careers.Nevertheless, McCullum was encouraged by what he had seen from among those currently pushing to get into the England side.“We’re starting to build some nice depth in batting and bowling as well, so that’s encouraging and will pose some good conversations moving forward,” he said.England ‘walked the walk’ to level series: StokesEngland captain Ben Stokes said the 2-2 draw in the Ashes series showed his side had “walked the walk” after losing the first two Tests against Australia, which made every test thereafter “a do-or-die situation”.“It was a fair reflection of two good teams playing completely different styles of cricket. But each tried to play the cricket that brought the best out of them as a team,” Stokes told the BBC.It also showed the team’s ability to fight their way back from a huge deficit, he said.“Going 2-0 down, I don’t think many teams would be able to find a way back from that. We knew we had to force it from the second game onwards. Hand on heart, I think 2-2 is a fair reflection of where the two teams are at the moment,” he said.

A spectacular Australia batting collapse at The Oval on Monday ended the world champions’ hopes of a first series win in England since 2001 but Pat Cummins’ men still hold the Ashes after one of the most absorbing and dramatic series ever played between Test cricket’s oldest rivals.Australia, who began the day on 135-0 needing 249 more runs to complete the second highest successful run chase in their history, reached 264-3 on another rain-interrupted day before collapsing to 334 all out as the sun finally shone on an exuberant crowd.Still, after winning the first two Tests they shared the series 2-2, helped by a rain-affected draw in the fourth match, after packing six tests into 55 days starting with a 209-run victory over India in the World Test Championship final.Cummins said his team had never even thought of playing for a draw in the final test against England.“It never entered the conversation at all,” he told reporters. “We said from the start we were over here to win the Ashes. Unfortunately, it was not to be but what a great series.“I think we can be immensely proud of holding the Ashes, England are a very strong team in their own conditions. We are really proud of how we stuck strong.”After defeating India, the Australians faced a revitalised England team who had won 11 of their previous 13 Tests under a new leadership team of captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum who urged their team to embrace a bold attacking style and play without fear of failure.Left-arm quick Mitchell Starc, the leading bowler in the Ashes with 23 wickets despite not playing in the first Test, was named Australia’s man-of-the-series.“It’s been an incredible five tests, exciting ebbs and flows throughout,” Starc said.“It came right down to the last session on day 25. It was a busy eight weeks for both teams but the quality of the cricket has been fantastic. We saw two different brands, both teams stuck to it and ultimately we sit here at 2-2.”

Tiger Woods is joining the PGA Tour’s newly expanded policy board, the tour announced on Tuesday, in a move aimed at cooling player tensions over secrecy surrounding merger talks with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf.The 15-time major champion, a long-time supporter of the PGA Tour in its fight with upstart LIV, will have a direct say in approving any eventual deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF),the framework of which was unveiled in June to the shock of tour players.“I’m honored to represent the players of the PGA Tour,” Woods said in a statement from the tour.“This is a critical point for the tour, and the players will do their best to make certain that any changes that are made in tour operations are in the best interest of all tour stakeholders, including fans, sponsors and players.”PGA commissioner Jay Monahan, under fire from many players over handling of the LIV talks since he made the announcement, said future rule changes will require the involvement and approval of the six player directors from the board, including Woods and Rory McIlroy.That gives player representatives an upper hand on the 11-member board and the power in all decisions regarding any final agreement with the Saudis.The special advisor to the player directors, Colin Neville, will be fully aware of the state of talks on the “framework agreement” with LIV, which the board must approve by the end of the year in order for the controversial merger to occur.“The players thank commissioner Monahan for agreeing to address our concerns and we look forward to being at the table with him to make the right decisions for the future of the game that we all love,” Woods said.“He has my confidence moving forward with these changes.”The Washington Post reported that 41 PGA Tour players - including stars McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler - sent Monahan a letter on Monday asking Woods be added to the policy board and the tour’s governance structure be reviewed immediately.PGA player Charley Hoffman said Woods pushed for a place among the decision makers and Monahan had little choice than to agree.“Tiger has done more for golf than arguably anybody,” Hoffman said. “To have him sit in those meetings now is very powerful and I think his voice will be listened to.”And, he added, it will begin rebuilding the trust between Monahan and players.“It’s a start. This is the best move we’ve made in the past few months,” he said. “It’s Tiger coming up with it and I think he wants to be part of the PGA Tour going forward.”Woods, 47, has been limited in his ability to play in recent years by severe leg injuries suffered in a 2021 car crash.Monahan said having the leadership and voice of Woods is “welcomed and impactful” as he tries to complete the PGA-LIV deal.“I’m committed to taking the necessary steps to restore any lost trust or confidence that occurred as a result of the surprise announcement of our framework agreement,” Monahan said.“Any agreement we reach must be shaped by our members’ input and approval earned through our player directors.”Players at this week’s PGA Tour event in Greensboro, North Carolina, supported the move.That included two-time major winner Justin Thomas, a long-time friend of Woods, who has invoked legends Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer in backing the PGA Tour.“It’s important to him,” Thomas said. “When Arnold and Jack passed the torch to him, that’s not something he takes lightly.“I don’t think there’s anybody else I would want speaking on my behalf and the rest of the guys.”Thomas warned, however, that it would likely take more than Woods to soothe players who felt betrayed by Monahan.“You’re never going to make everybody happy,” Thomas said. “It’s about the majority and what’s best for the entire PGA Tour. I’d like to think and hope the membership understands that’s what Tiger has in mind, especially with him clearly not playing as much.“We’ve got to keep him busy somehow. He can’t just sit on the couch and do nothing.”

Sebastian Coe says this record-laden athletics season has convinced him that next month’s world championships could be the best of all time in terms of performance, and he is confident there will be big crowds in Budapest to witness the action.Because of Covid, the sport is hosting back-to-back editions of the usually biennial world championships, with the Aug 19-27 event following last year’s postponed worlds in Eugene, Oregon.“You have to say that this has been the best start I can remember to any track and field season,” World Athletics president Coe told reporters on Monday.“I was very lucky. I saw the first of Faith Kipyegon’s (three) world records when she won the 1,500m in Florence and then in Paris we had three world records. There have just been some outstanding performances. We keep our fingers crossed for some of the head-to-heads but these have the potential to be the best world championships performance-wise of all time.“You have all the ingredients - 2,000 athletes from over 200 countries. There can’t be too many sports commentating on gold medals for Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. These are a genuine world championships.”The event is being held in a purpose-built stadium in an area of Budapest that Coe hopes will benefit economically just as parts of east London did from the 2012 Olympics.Though Budapest, or just about anywhere else, is never going to match the 50,000 who turned up two weeks ago to watch the Diamond League meeting in the London’s Olympic Stadium, World Athletics says ticket sales have been strong.“In the first few days we have finals, straight away, it’s not a slow burn,” Coe said.“Morning sessions are always tough (for ticket sales) but for a few hours every day people recognise that the morning sessions are when schools and kids can get to see the same heroes who are just navigating their way through to some of those finals.“It’s all part of what I want the world championships to ultimately start heading towards - a tighter, faster rhythm. We also need to make sure that we’ve got events that really matter in some parts of the world that are being shown at times where people are going to consume them within their own lifestyles, rather than asking people to get up at unearthly hours.”It is of course not all sunshine in the sport, with the latest and probably least surprising anti-doping violation seeing Nigerian world record sprint hurdler Tobi Amusan facing a ban after missing three whereabouts appointments.Amusan stunned fans and opponents alike when she broke the world record in the 100m hurdles semi-finals in Eugene - with a time that was the largest improvement for a world record in the event in 42 years. She then ran a faster time in the final 90 minutes later, only for an illegal wind to make it illegible.In recent years a string of high-profile athletes including Brianna McNeal, Christian Coleman, Salwa Eid Naser, Elijah Manangoi, Wilson Kipsang and Raven Saunders have been suspended for falling foul of the system three times within 12 months where they have to notify testers where they will be for an hour of their choice each day.Coe has little sympathy for those who complain the system is flawed or unfair - usually those who have been on the wrong side of it.“The vast majority of athletes who are not cheating have no problem with the whereabouts system,” he said.“The issue is very simple. They’re asked to identify for one hour a day where they’re going to be and I really don’t think that that is brain surgery.“The same athletes who are complaining about whereabouts are posting every hour of the day. I accept that things can change but you have the opportunity to go online and explain where you will be. Every athlete I know takes this seriously. I’m sorry it really isn’t that complicated.“I think that it lends confidence. Our sport has improved its reputation more than any other sport in the last two years by adistance and our reputation has come back because we’ve been prepared to tackle the issues around doping.“Making the Athletics Integrity Unit independent, taking the politics out, has created systems that are doing what they were supposed to do.”

Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina grabbed a second straight victory over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus at the WTA Tour DC Open in Washington on Monday, weeks after the duo’s Wimbledon clash was marred by a handshake controversy.Azarenka was booed off court at Wimbledon earlier this month after her defeat to Svitolina, with fans apparently perceiving she had snubbed her Ukrainian opponent by not advancing to the net for a handshake.In fact, Svitolina did not offer a handshake - something she has declined to do with players from Russia and Belarus ever since the invasion of her homeland. Belarus is a key military ally of Moscow.On Monday, tournament organisers in Washington aimed to pre-empt any possible repeat of the controversy by informing fans before the match there would be no handshakes. “At the conclusion of the match there will be no handshake between the players,” a message on an arena screen said beforehand.“We appreciate your respect for both athletes during and following the match, and for your understanding during these difficult circumstances.”With that issue settled, it was left to the two rivals to serve up a hard-fought if error-strewn battle that saw no fewer than 17 breaks of serve before Svitolina finally prevailed 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.Svitolina clinched victory by breaking Azarenka’s serve in the 10th game of the second set. A wild Azarenka backhand presented Svitolina with a match point which she duly converted on the first attempt after bludgeoning a forehand winner into the corner. Azarenka saluted Svitolina’s victory with a fleeting thumbs up before heading off the court.

A doping investigation into Australian Olympic 800m runner Peter Bol was dropped on Tuesday, with the middle-distance star calling it “a dream come true” as athletics officials questioned the testing process.Bol, who narrowly missed bronze when he finished fourth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, returned a positive result for performance-enhancing Erythropoietin Receptor Agonists (EPO) in January.He was suspended from all competition, but a later analysis of his B-sample returned an “atypical finding”, meaning it did not confirm the original test.The Sudan-born athlete, who always claimed innocence, has now been cleared, with further testing at a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory confirming a negative result“As a result, Sport Integrity Australia has taken the decision not to progress an anti-doping rule violation for this sample,” the anti-doping agency said. “The investigation into this sample is finalised.”Bol said he had been “exonerated” and would now focus on the World Athletics Championships in Hungary later this month.“It was a false positive like I have said all along,” he said.“The news from Sport Integrity Australia today was a dream come true. No one should ever experience what I have gone through this year.”Athletics Australia said the matter raised serious questions about how EPO was analysed.“Above all, Athletics Australia would like to express its full support for Peter and also its dismay that an innocent athlete has had his integrity put into question,” AA chief Peter Bromley said.“This case raises very serious questions about the accuracy and consistency of EPO analysis.“Peter Bol has been trapped in a very difficult and damaging no-man’s land for the last seven months.“He, and every other high-performance athlete, deserves clear and transparent answers to explain what went wrong and what is being done to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”WADA said in a statement it was satisfied that Sport Integrity Australia followed all applicable processes, but would conduct a review nevertheless.“While we have no reason to question the validity of the analytical method used for recombinant EPO, WADA will assess the current review process in light of the particularities of this case,” it said.

Holders the United States squeezed into the last 16 of the Women’s World Cup on Tuesday with a nervy 0-0 draw against Portugal but England and the Netherlands powered through with big wins.The United States came to Australia and New Zealand as favourites – ahead of European champions England – to win an unprecedented third World Cup in a row. But they have been nothing like the team that has dominated international women’s football for so long and they will need to be a lot better if they are to go much further at the tournament.Debutants Portugal came within inches of the win they needed to progress – and dump out the Americans – when substitute Ana Capeta hit the post in injury time in front of almost 41,000 in Auckland. But the US held on and are likely to face a Sweden team in the last 16 who thrashed Italy 5-0 in their last match.US coach Vlatko Andonovski attempted to put a positive spin on what was an alarmingly poor performance by the team ranked number one in the FIFA rankings.“The most important thing was to get the job done,” he said. “This is a fairly new team that have not been together for a long time. The more time they spend together the more chances will go in.”The Netherlands, who drew 1-1 with the US last week in a rerun of the 2019 final, racked up the biggest win of this World Cup with a 7-0 demolition of already eliminated Vietnam.Esmee Brugts and Jill Roord both scored twice for the Dutch, who topped Group E with seven points. The US were second with one win and two draws – they have never before won just one group game.England punish ChinaIn Group D, England overran China 6-1 to sail through as group winners and set up a meeting with Nigeria in the last 16.Denmark join them from the group after defeating Haiti 2-0 and will face co-hosts Australia.Chelsea star Lauren James got a brace for England and was at the centre of everything that was good about Sarina Wiegman’s team.She called it “what dreams are made of”.“I felt free, whether I am on the wing or the middle I am just happy to be on the pitch. I think like last game, I thought, why not hit it and see what happens?” said James, who scored a cracker in the win over Denmark. “Yeah (Nigeria will be) very tough, every team has been tough – teams are catching up with each other.”After stodgy 1-0 wins over Haiti and Denmark, England let loose, albeit against limited opposition in Asian champions China.“I am very delighted. What I said before the game, we are going to do things a bit different. It shows how adaptable this team is. I think today it worked really well, players felt comfortable,” said Wiegman. “I don’t think they expected us to play this way and they didn’t find a solution.”Today, Brazil will need to beat Jamaica to guarantee their place in the knockout rounds. Jamaica only need a point.Football legend Marta was moved to tears as the Brazilian reflected on her career and legacy on the eve of what could be her final World Cup appearance.The 37-year-old Marta – nicknamed “Pele in a skirt” by the late football great – has already said this will be her last World Cup.She is the all-time leading goal-scorer in World Cups, men’s or women’s, and if she adds to her tally of 17 she will be the first footballer in history to score at six World Cups.“You know what’s good? When I started there were no idols in women’s football,” she told reporters on the eve of the match, tears filling her eyes.“How could there be if you didn’t show women’s football? How could I understand that I would reach the national team and become a reference point?”Also on Wednesday in the same Group F, France face Panama with a point enough to go through.In Group G, already qualified Sweden play Argentina and South Africa face Italy. The Italians will qualify – and set up a date with the Dutch – with victory, while a draw could also be enough.

Inter Milan scored twice late in the second half to come from behind and beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in a pre-season friendly in Tokyo on Tuesday.Vitinha gave PSG the lead early in the second half but goals from Sebastiano Esposito and Stefano Sensi in the final 10 minutes gave the Champions League runners-up the win. Neymar was among PSG’s substitutes but did not come off the bench. The Brazilian has not played since injuring his right ankle in February and undergoing surgery the following month.It was the final game of PSG’s visit to Japan, which has been overshadowed by the omission of superstar striker Kylian Mbappe.Mbappe was left out of the squad on the eve of PSG’s departure, casting doubt on his future at the French champions.PSG drew 0-0 with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in their opening game in Japan, before going down 3-2 to J-League side Cerezo Osaka. They will now travel to South Korea to take on K-League side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.PSG begin the new French league campaign at home to Lorient on August 12.They dominated the opening stages and were unlucky when Marco Asensio hit the post and watched the rebound fly straight into the arms of Inter goalkeeper Filip Stankovic. Achraf Hakimi smashed a free-kick over the bar soon after, before Hakan Calhanoglu tested PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with Inter’s first chance of the match. Vitinha went close with a shot early in the second half but he made no mistake five minutes later.The Portuguese midfielder found himself in space on the edge of the box and let fly with a shot that gave Stankovic no chance.Substitute Esposito pulled one back when he drilled the ball past Donnarumma in the 81st minute.Sensi then completed the turnaround two minutes later, calmly slotting home at the back post after another dangerous Inter attack. Vitinha had a chance to equalise with the last action of the match but sent his free-kick high over the bar.PSG’s Lucas Hernandez said yesterday his team are still adapting to Enrique, shaking off their failure to win a single game on their pre-season tour of Japan.The tour has been overshadowed by the omission of superstar striker Kylian Mbappe, who was left out of the squad on the eve of their departure, casting doubt on his PSG future.

Saudi side Al Nassr announced the signing of Bayern Munich striker Sadio Mane on Tuesday.The Senegalese international is the latest high profile player to join the cash-rich Saudi league and will link up with five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.Both clubs announced the transfer involving the former Liverpool star which German media estimated at around 30mn euros with an annual salary for Mane of 40mn plus 10mn in results-based bonuses.Mane, 31, joins the club that pulled off the first coup of a raft of signings by Saudi clubs with the capture of Ronaldo.Mane won the Champions League and Premier League in six seasons with Liverpool and was a key part of Jurgen Klopp’s devastating front three with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino. In 2022, when he won the African Player of the Year, he joined Bayern.After a strong start to the season it soon become clear that Mane was not clicking in Bavaria.In a Bundesliga game against Werder Bremen in November, Mane suffered an injury to his fibula and his season was put on hold. The injury forced him to miss the World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year in a crushing blow to Senegal’s chances.While Mane returned to the Bayern team in 2023, his problems were underlined when he became involved in a physical altercation with teammate Leroy Sane following a Champions League defeat to Manchester City. Bayern reportedly fined Mane around 350,000 euros ($385,000) and gave him a one-match suspension for his part in the incident.He ended the season with an underwhelming 12 goals in 38 games across all competitions.He has quit Bayern with two years left on his contract.On the international stage, Mane helped Senegal to the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022.Apart from Ronaldo Al Nassr have also signed this summer Croatia midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, Brazil full-back Alex Telles and Ivory Coast midfielder Seko Fofana.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on Tuesday urged football authorities to address the late closure of the transfer window in the Saudi Arabia league, fearing it may have a detrimental effect on European clubs.Speaking in Singapore on the eve of his team’s pre-season friendly against German champions Bayern Munich, Klopp voiced his concern while reacting to the news that former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane left Bayern to join Saudi side Al Nassr yesterday.Since the start of the year, clubs in the oil-rich Middle Eastern kingdom have spent generously to sign some of the world’s leading players including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante.Brazilian midfielder Fabinho on Monday became the third Liverpool player to move to a Saudi club in this close season when he joined Al Ittihad in a £40mn ($51mn) deal, hot on the heels of Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino.Klopp appears concerned that the closure of the Saudi transfer window on September 20, three weeks after it shuts in Europe, could impact clubs who would be unable to sign suitable replacements.“The influence of Saudi Arabia? We will see. I don’t know. At the moment it looks like they have quite an influence, it is massive,” said the German.“I think that pretty much the worst thing is that the transfer window in Saudi Arabia is open for three weeks longer. If I am right, I heard something like that. Then, at least in Europe, that’s not helpful. So UEFA and FIFA must find solutions for that.“But in the end, I don’t know at this moment exactly what will happen. It is already influential, for us, for sure. We will have to learn to deal with it, but that’s what we do,” he added.“That’s pretty much all I can say about it, time will show.”Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel was also asked about the rising influence of Saudi football and he likened it to the Chinese Super League where clubs also spent heavily on importing footballing talent in the middle of the last decade.“I’m just observing the situation, which is a very new situation,” said the Bayern boss.“It’s maybe a bit similar to the situation when China started their league. It’s kind of a similar gold rush there and we’re experiencing the next league which tries to become more popular, more famous and tries to build a brand by signing a lot of quality players and coaches,” he added.“It’s a completely new situation and a bit too early for me to have a clear opinion. So I’m an observer, a surprised observer.”

Tristan LAVALETTE It was France versus Brazil and one of the biggest matches so far at the Women's World Cup, but unless you paid, you could not watch it on primetime television in host nation Australia.The rugby union clash between Australia and New Zealand's All Blacks, Ashes cricket, Australian Rules and swimming were all free to watch on Saturday evening.But if you wanted to catch the heavyweight World Cup group match in Brisbane -- which France won 2-1 with a late goal -- you had to subscribe to a streaming sports channel.The majority of World Cup games in co-hosts Australia and New Zealand are behind a paywall.Experts warn this could hurt efforts to grow football in two countries where the sport lags in the popularity stakes compared to the likes of cricket and rugby."Live viewing of sport helps encourage participation and provide a spark for youngsters," Clare Hanlon, of Women in Sport at Victoria University, said."Being on television is also an opportunity to attract sponsors which helps grow the game," added Hanlon, whose role includes advancing women in sport.- 'Disappointing' -Of the 64 matches at the month-long tournament, 15 are free to air on Australian broadcaster Seven Network.As part of government anti-siphoning laws, all of Australia's matches and the final are required to be part of the free-to-air slate. But a paid subscription with main broadcaster Optus Sport is the only way to watch the entire tournament in Australia, costing AUS$24.99 (US$17) a month or $6.99 for existing customers. It is a similar situation in New Zealand.There, all 64 matches can be viewed on subscription service Sky Television.There is free-to-air coverage of 26 games, including all three of New Zealand's group games and both of the semi-finals and the final.The home team were knocked out of the tournament in the group phase on Sunday.Football fan Christine Jones is refusing to pay for another subscription."There are only so many subscriptions you can have these days," she said ahead of attending the Canada versus Ireland game in Perth."It can be hard to follow the tournament properly when you're only watching the odd game." Chris Reilly has been criss-crossing Australia having travelled from Ireland to support his team, whose debut tournament ended on Monday in the group phase.When not in attendance, Reilly has resorted to pubs and bars to watch the tournament. "I was shocked it's not on free to air here because all the games are on in Ireland," he said. "Everything else has been great about the tournament, but that has been disappointing." - Legacy?-All the matches are free to air in France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and Italy -- all already established football countries -- after governing body FIFA struck a last-minute deal with broadcasters there.At the previous Women's World Cup, in France in 2019, all the matches were shown on the paying service Canal Plus.Broadcaster TF1 showed for free all the home team's matches, six of the eight last-16 ties and all games from the quarter-finals onwards.FIFA, the sport's governing body, declined to comment on what the repercussions were for growing football in Australia and New Zealand.But the local governing body, Football Australia, said the money FIFA brought in from selling broadcast rights went back into the game everywhere."As FIFA has stated, broadcast rights form an important revenue stream to support increased player payments and enable FIFA to invest in the women's game across the globe," a Football Australia spokesperson said. "Australian fans have two passionate broadcasters covering this FIFA Women's World Cup, delivering record viewership and streaming numbers, where the local market is accustomed to having to access sporting content via paid platforms."Football Australia hopes the showpiece -- which has played out to generally strong crowds at stadiums, especially in Australia -- can leave a legacy for the sport in the country, especially in the women's game.Females currently represent about a quarter of the almost two million football players in Australia, a figure Football Australia wants to increase to 50 percent by 2027. But Hanlon warned: "To do that soccer needs to be more visible, part of the everyday conversation."World Cup games not being on free to air is a massive opportunity missed."

The Qatar Goodwood Festival 2023 will kick off at the Goodwood Racecourse in UK today and enthral audiences till August 5.Patronised by Qatar and represented by Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) with the participation of various segments and large crowds, the festival provides for a truly ‘Glorious’ race week.The Qatar Goodwood Festival is one of the undisputed highlights of the British flat-racing season.The world famous five-day festival, affectionately known as ‘Glorious Goodwood’, presents spellbinding sport and an occasion like no other, unrivalled style, scintillating racing and hospitality – making for an exquisite week where some of the greatest stars in horse racing are crowned.Providing a fitting curtain raiser in Group 1 will be the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup. First run in 1812, the two-mile contest is worth £500,000 and has housed innumerable champion stayers over the years.Spearheading day two will be the milers in the £1mn Qatar Sussex Stakes, before the fillies strut their stuff on Ladies Day with the Qatar Nassau Stakes providing the feature spectacle.The finale on day five sees the fastest racehorses in the world contest the King George Qatar Stakes before arguably one of the most competitive handicaps in the Coral Stewards’ Cup on Saturday.The organising committee seeks to have a successful festival this year under the Qatari patronage that has been continuing since 2015 and gained a special reputation through the global presence. Ahead of the festival launch, QREC Chairman Issa bin Mohamed al-Mohannadi said that QREC seeks further successes in the festival this year as it has a robust partnership with the Goodwood Festival and which has generated a productive co-operation over the past years, pointing out that the Qatari presence at the festival has always been outstanding and has contributed to further progress of the grand event.Al-Mohannadi praised the co-operation with partners in this event, including Qatar Airways and the embassy of the State of Qatar in UK which contributes to having a successful Qatar Goodwood Festival in expression of the status of Qatari equestrianism at the global level.The festival also gained special fame through the large international presence of the horse racing enthusiasts as well as traditional festivities on all days of the event.There will be Qatari participation, both at the level of officials of Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, who pay great attention to the event and in participation of Qatari owners with their horses in some of the festival’s runs – both purebred Arabian horses and purebred horses.The focus will be on the Qatar International Stakes (the first category for purebred Arabian horses), in which Qatari owners are looking forward to continuing excellence with their horses.On the first day, eight races will take place including the Al Shaqab Goodwood Stakes over a distance of 3,200m. On the second day, the Qatar International Stakes for horses over 4 years will be held over a distance of 1,600m. On the same day, Qatar Sussex Stakes Group 1 will be run over 1,600m.The third day of the festival will also witness eight races including the Qatar Nassau Stakes Group 1 over 2,000m while on the fourth day of the festival, the Markle Magnolia Cup will be run over 1,100m, and the King George Qatar Group 2 will be held over 1,000m for horses three years old and over.On the fifth and final day of the festival will see the Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes Group 2 over a distance of 2,800m for horses three years old and over.

Premier League players have been warned they face harsher punishments for harassing referees as part of a raft of measures aimed at stamping out bad behaviour on the pitch.English football’s authorities aim to “reset” the attitude from players and managers towards officials in the coming season.A series of measures intended to tackle the issue were revealed yesterday ahead of the Premier League campaign kicking off on August 11.The new ‘Participant Charter’ empowers referees to take tougher action against unacceptable behaviour, backed up by stronger disciplinary action from the Football Association.Serious and repeat offenders can expect to face increased financial penalties, while referees will be encouraged to issue at least a yellow card if they are surrounded by two or more players.Managers can also expect to be punished if they leave the technical area on the touchline to “enter the pitch to confront any match official at half-time or full-time”.“We want players, managers and fans to continue showing their passion, but these new measures have been introduced to ensure that the line is not crossed when it comes to on-field and technical area behaviour,” said Premier League chief executive Richard Masters. FA chief executive Mark Bullingham added: “Football has the power to unite and inspire all those that play and watch the game. However, sometimes, this can be negatively impacted by a small minority of players, coaches and fans.“Our collective approach is to reset this behaviour on the pitch and from the sidelines, whilst giving our referees the respect and protection that they deserve.”Off the field, clubs in the Premier League and the Football League will seek stronger sanctions against fans found to be involved in football tragedy abuse, such as chanting about the Hillsborough or Munich disasters.“Incidents such as dangerous conduct, discrimination, and chanting about football-related tragedies have no place in our game - and can lead to football bans and potential criminal action,” Bullingham said.

Dallas, Texas: Nicholas Pooran put up a superlative effort with the bat to help MI New York clinch the first-ever Major League Cricket title on Sunday. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 137 runs off 55 balls as MI New York took down Seattle Orcas by seven wickets at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas. MI New York restricted Seattle Orcas to 183/9 before chasing down their target in just 16 overs.MI New York didn’t get off to the best of starts as Imad Wasim dismissed Steven Taylor in their third delivery of the opening over. However, Pooran made his intentions quite clear for the night when he struck consecutive sixes off Wasim’s bowling in the same over. The West Indian showcased tremendous form as he hit Dwaine Pretorius for three sixes and two boundaries in the third over.Opening batter Shayan Jahangir fell to Wayne Parnell in the fifth over, but Pooran continued to find maximums at the other end. He struck three sixes off Andrew Tye’s bowling to take MI New York’s score to 80/2 in just 6 overs. Pooran kept finding the middle of his bat and smashed a total of 10 fours and 13 sixes during his innings. The Captain remained unbeaten on 137 runs off 55 balls and single-handedly took MI New York over the line with 4 overs to spare.Earlier in the day, MI New York won the toss and put Seattle Orcas into bat. Quinton de Kock looked in prime touch as he struck Jessy Singh for consecutive boundaries in the second over. However, Rashid Khan sent De Kock’s opening partner Nauman Anwar packing for 9 runs off 13 balls in the fifth over. Thereafter, Shehan Jayasuriya provided excellent support to De Kock as he hit David Wiese for a four and six in the seventh over. But Steven Taylor bowled him out for 16 runs off 15 balls in the tenth over. De Kock and Shubham Ranjane put up a fantastic partnership of 51 runs from 24 balls to take Orcas’ score to 142/4 in 16.1 overs. Thereafter, the Orcas kept losing wickets at regular intervals, but Dwaine Pretorius’ cameo of 21 runs from 7 balls helped his team post a formidable total on the board.Brief ScoresMI New York 184/3 (Nicholas Pooran 137*, Dewald Brevis 20, Imad Wasim 1/14) beat Seattle Orcas 183/9 (Quinton de Kock 87, Shubham Ranjane 29, Rashid Khan 3/9) by 7 wicketsTournament Awards - Most Valuable Player of the Tournament: Nicholas Pooran• Leading Run Scorer: Nicholas Pooran• Leading Wicket Taker: Trent Boult• Domestic Player of the Tournament: Cameron Gannon

Qatar U15 table tennis team claimed silver medal in the team competition of the ongoing Arab Table Tennis Championship in Iraq, which will continue until Aug. 4, after 1-3 loss to the Tunisian team in the final match. The Qatari team included Sultan al-Kuwari, Rawad al-Nasser, Yousuf Abdullah, Ahmed Eid and Abbad al-Abdullah. In other competitions, Qatar U-13 team won third place and bronze medal, after losing in the semi-finals to the Egyptian team 0-3. The team included Mohamed al-Sulaiti, Issa al-Haddad and Abdulaziz al-Abbad, and had started their participation with a 1-3 loss against Algeria, but they made up for in the group stage by defeating Jordan 3-0, then Lebanon 3-1. In the U11 category, the Qatari team finished third, winning bronze medal, after losing in the semi-finals to the Egyptian team, the winner of the title.

England beat Australia by 49 runs to win the fifth Test at The Oval on Monday and end the Ashes series all square at 2-2 after the tourists suffered a dramatic collapse.Australia, chasing a mammoth 384 to win, collapsed from 264-3 to 334 all out, with England’s retiring paceman Stuart Broad taking the final wicket.England did the bulk of the damage when, after a rain break of more than two hours, they took four Australia wickets for 11 runs in 19 balls.Off-spinner Moeen Ali (3-76) and all-rounder Chris Woakes (4-50) led the way before Broad, England’s all-time leading Ashes bowler polished off the tail.“It was absolutely wonderful,” Broad told Sky Sports. “I thought Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali set the tone absolutely unbelievably.“Woakesy picked up a couple of wickets, particularly Steve Smith, who has just been a wonderful player to play against all these years. Once we got a couple we really started to believe.“The crowd were unbelievable. It was so loud and we just jumped on the back of that. To contribute to the team with two wickets is very special.“When you make that decision you wonder what your last ball will be so to take a wicket to win an Ashes Test match is pretty cool.”Australia, as the holders, had already retained the Ashes but they remain without an Ashes series win in England since 2001.When play resumed after the rain delay, the tourists were 238-3, needing 146 more runs for victory.Steve Smith, dropped at leg gully by England captain Ben Stokes just before the interval, was 40 not out and left-hander Travis Head 31 not out.The pair had extended their fourth-wicket stand to 95 when off-spinner Moeen, in what could be his last Test appearance, turned a ball out of the rough.Head, on 43, tried to drive, with Joe Root holding a routine catch at first slip.Australia then lost their star batsman when Smith fell for 54, edging an excellent full-length delivery from paceman Woakes to Zak Crawley at second slip.The tourists slipped to 274-6 when Moeen had all-rounder Mitchell Marsh brilliantly caught by diving wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow before Woakes and Crawley combined to dismiss Mitchell Starc for a duck.Captain Pat Cummins was next to go, caught by Stokes off Moeen for nine.But with Australia needing 55 to win, Broad, who on Saturday made a shock announcement that he would retire after the match, produced a brilliant delivery to take tailender Todd Murphy’s outside edge, with Bairstow holding another fine diving catch to leave Australia on the brink of defeat at 329-9.Broad then had Carey edging behind only for Crawley to drop a tough low chance at second slip before the 37-year-old ended his career in fairytale fashion by having the wicketkeeper caught behind.Earlier, all-rounder Woakes, often one of England’s unsung heroes, reduced Australia to 141-2 by removing openers David Warner (60) and Usman Khawaja (72) in a stunning burst of two wickets for one run in seven balls. Express quick Mark Wood then had Marnus Labuschagne caught in the slips for 13 to leave Australia 169-3.SCOREBOARDEngland 1st Innings 283Australia 1st Innings 295England 2nd Innings 395Australia 2nd Innings D. Warner c Bairstow b Woakes 60U. Khawaja lbw b Woakes 72M. Labuschagne c Crawley b Wood 13S. Smith c Crawley b Woakes 54T. Head c Root b Ali 43M. Marsh c Bairstow b Ali 6A. Carey c Bairstow b Broad 28M. Starc c Crawley b Woakes 0P. Cummins c Stokes b Ali 9T. Murphy c Bairstow b Broad 18J. Hazlewood not out 4Extras (b10, lb10, nb2, w5) 27Total (all out, 94.4 overs, 425 mins) 334Fall of wickets: 1-140 (Warner), 2-141 (Khawaja), 3-169 (Labuschagne), 4-264 (Head), 5-274 (Smith), 6-274 (Marsh), 7-275 (Starc), 8-294 (Cummins), 9-329 (Murphy), 10-334 (Carey)Bowling: Broad 20.4-4-62-2; Anderson 14-4-53-0 (1nb); Woakes 19-4-50-4 (1nb); Ali 23-2-76-3; Root 9-0-39-0; Wood 9-0-34-1 (1w)England: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jonny Bairstow (wkt), Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, James AndersonResult: England won by 49 runsSeries: Five-match series ends level at 2-2Player of the match: Chris Woakes (ENG)Overall player of the series: Chris WoakesEngland player of the series: Chris WoakesAustralia player of the series: Mitchell StarcPrevious ResultsJune 16-20: First Test, Edgbaston: Australia won by two wicketsJune 28-July 2: Second Test, Lord’s: Australia won by 43 runsJuly 6-9: Third Test, Headingley: England won by three wicketsJuly 19-23: Fourth Test, Old Trafford: Match drawn

Taylor Fritz of the US capped a perfect return to North American hard courts on Sunday by winning the Atlanta Open for his second tour-level title of the season.In his first tournament on home soil since March, the top seed Fritz downed Australian Aleksandar Vukic 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4 in the final to lift the ATP 250 trophy.Despite letting slip two championship points on return at 6-5 in the second set, Fritz held his nerve to close the two-hour, 16-minute clash in a deciding set.“I’ve played this tournament five times before and (made) the semis (in 2021) and final (in 2019). I feel like I’ve always been close so it’s nice, I don’t think I could’ve handled another loss in the final,” Fritz said. “It feels really good to get the job done.”World No 9 Fritz relied on his hefty serve and first-strike to tennis to be crowned champion at the hard-court event, where he was broken just once all tournament.The 25-year-old won 84 per cent of his first-serve points on Sunday and struck his groundstrokes with conviction and consistency to seal victory.A pivotal moment came when Fritz earned triple break point at 3-3 in the decider by showing great defence to win a 27-shot rally.“I felt like today it was like, ‘I’m here to win it and I’d be absolutely devastated with a final result’. Even though a lot of times, being in the final, I’m happy with that,” Fritz said.Fritz, who also triumphed in Delray Beach earlier this year, has won six tour-level titles, three of which have came in his home country.“I just felt so at home and welcomed in Atlanta this week,” Fritz said.“I’ve been coming back here for so many years, so I’m happy to finally get the title. All week, the support was amazing. I’m not from Atlanta, but it felt like I was because the support was just crazy all week long and it felt great.”Fritz rose to ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as a result of his standout week in Atlanta.The American No. 1 is aiming to return to the Nitto ATP Finals, where he was a semi-finalist last year as an alternate.Vukic, 27, was competing in his maiden tour-level final. The former University of Illinois standout ousted three seeded players in Atlanta and will rise 20 spots to a new career-high No 62 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.“Overall, if someone would have told me that I would make the final here, I would have signed it 1,000 times,” Vukic said.“It’s always bittersweet losing, but you have to take the positives from it, learn from it and keep going.”

Lee Hodges fired two eagles in a four-under-par 67 on Sunday to claim his first US PGA Tour title with a wire-to-wire, seven-stroke triumph in the 3M Open in Blaine, Minnesota.Hodges finished with a 24-under par total of 260 at TPC Twin Cities, where he’d pushed his lead to as many as seven and seen it shrink to three over playing partner J.T. Poston before Poston’s disastrous triple-bogey at the final hole.That left Poston, who carded a two-under 69, tied for second with Kevin Streelman and Scotland’s Martin Laird. Streelman carded a 66 while Laird produced a seven-under-par 64 that featured five birdies and a 20-foot eagle at 18.None of them ever really looked like catching Hodges, who started the day with a five-shot lead.He pushed that to seven after a birdie at the second and an eagle at the sixth, where his 255-yard approach with a three-wood left him an 11-foot putt.After a bogey at the ninth he eagled the par-five 12th in spectacular style, again using a three-wood and landing his 257-yard second shot within three feet.‘Two of the greatest shots’“Those were two of the greatest shots I ever hit,” said Hodges, who has secured his berth in the FedEx Cup playoffs as well as an invitation to next year’s Masters.“Anytime you win, you really set yourself up for some special stuff,” he said.“My caddie was telling me on 18, I honestly didn’t even think about it, we get to play Augusta next year. That’s something else. That was probably the coolest thing I heard all day.”Hodges responded to a three-putt bogey at 15 with another birdie at 16, and answered a bogey at 17 - that saw his lead reduced to three shots - with a final birdie at the 72nd hole.He could enjoy the congratulations of the crowd as he walked to the 18th green having stuck his third shot from the fairway a foot from the cup. “It’s just a dream week, the whole thing,” said the 28-year-old ranked 110th in the world, who won for the first time in his 65th tour start. “Honestly, From Monday to Sunday I played really good golf, even in practice rounds.”Not playing for secondPoston had looked a sure bet for solo second, arriving at the tough par-five 18th three strokes behind Hodges but three clear of Laird and Streelman.His tee shot landed in the right rough, narrowly avoiding the water hazard. From an awkward stance on the bank he opted to go for the green rather than laying up but his ball ended up in the lake.“I had to try and give it a shot and see if there was some way I could make three there at the end and put some pressure on Lee,” Poston said. “It was a shot that was going to be hard to pull off, but we weren’t playing for second place.”Dylan Wu and Keith Mitchell shared fifth on 268. Defending champion Tony Finau was a further shot back alongside Sam Ryder and Aaron Baddeley.Beau Hossler matched the TPC Twin Cities course record with a career-low 62 that featured eight straight birdies from the ninth through the 16th.That had put Hossler in a tie for fourth as Hodges and Poston teed off.“Usually, you shoot that kind of number on Sunday and you ideally have a chance to win,” said Hossler, who ended up tied for 13th.

Alex Cejka of Germany probably didn’t go to bed on Saturday night thinking he could shoot a 76 on Sunday and win The Senior Open Championship. But Cejka, the 54-hole leader, playing with rain falling and the winds gusting up to 40 mph, did just that to win the championship at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Bridgend, Wales - his third career major title on the Champions Tour. As if five bogeys and a double bogey mixed among two birdies weren’t enough drama for Cejka, he had to survive a two-hole, sudden death playoff against Padraig Harrington of Ireland to win.Cejka’s tournament total of 5-over par 289 matched the highest of any PGA Tour Champions winner since Arnold Palmer at the 1981 US Senior Open.Despite the dreadful conditions that deteriorated as the day wore on, two-time Open champion Harrington missed a putt for eagle and birdied the par-5 18th hole to finish with a 75 and force the playoff.Cejka birdied the second playoff hole while Harrington had to settle for par after leaving his chip shot from off the green well short of the hole.“I still can’t believe it,” Cejka said. “It’s been a really tough week. It’s been a really tough two days. I can’t believe I’m standing with the trophy here. Seeing all those great names on the trophy, coming in here with all the pictures and everything, all the guys who won it before me, and now holding it myself, it’s surreal.” This is the second Champions major Harrington has lost in a playoff this season, with Steve Stricker beating him to win the Senior PGA Championship in May in Frisco, Texas.But Royal Porthcawl was even more unforgiving on Sunday than it was on Saturday, and nobody broke par for the second straight day.That marked the first time since the 1999 Open Championship that a PGA Tour or Champions Tour event saw multiple rounds where the lowest score was par.