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Five-time champions Australia edged out gallant New Zealand by just five runs in the highest-scoring World Cup game in history on Saturday. Australia piled up 388 all out as Travis Head top scored with 109 and fellow opener David Warner made 81.New Zealand battled hard with Rachin Ravindra making 116, Daryl Mitchell adding 54 and Jimmy Neesham supplying late fireworks with a 33-ball fifty before they finished on 383-9 in 50 overs.With a total of 771 runs, it was the highest scoring game at a World Cup, beating the 754 scored in South Africa’s win against Sri Lanka earlier in the tournament.“That was awesome. Sometimes I have to remember I’m out in the field, not a spectator. A fantastic game, they kept coming at us,” said Australia skipper Pat Cummins.In a dramatic final over played out in the shadow of the Himalayas, New Zealand needed 19 to win.Trent Boult scampered for a single before Mitchell Starc donated five wides.Neesham, one of the stars of the 2019 final which New Zealand lost to England, then took six runs off the next three balls.However, attempting another two, he was run out from a fine throw by Marnus Labuschagne from the fence.That left Lockie Ferguson, who had injured his Achilles in the field, needing to perform the heroics off the last ball.Starc fired the ball in on a full length and Ferguson could only push it to the covers, leaving the Kiwis heartbroken.“It was a fantastic game of cricket. There were ebbs and flows throughout the 100 overs,” said New Zealand captain Tom Latham. “To get so close hurts. It was a fantastic game.”The result left both sides with four wins and two defeats each and well-placed for the semi-finals.Earlier, Head, playing his first match of the tournament after being sidelined with a broken hand, reached his fourth one-day international hundred off 59 balls with 10 fours and six sixes. The 29-year-old had brought up his 50 off 28 balls and then made the most of being dropped on 70 and 75.He was eventually clean-bowled by off-spinner Glenn Phillips with Australia reaching 206-2 at the halfway stage.With Warner, Head had put on 175 in the first 20 overs before his veteran partner was dismissed.Warner, who turned 37 on Friday, had been looking for a third successive century but eventually fell for 81 when he chipped a catch back to Phillips.Phillips then accounted for Steve Smith (18) as he claimed career-best figures of 3-37 before fellow spinner Mitchell Santner got in on the act.Santner beat the defences of Mitchell Marsh (36) and the left-armer then dismissed Labuschagne (18) after the batsman had been dropped on one.Neesham had middle-order dangerman Glenn Maxwell caught at long-off by Trent Boult for a 24-ball 41. Maxwell had come into the match fresh from a World Cup record 40-ball hundred against the Netherlands.Josh Inglis raced to a 28-ball 38, putting on 62 for the seventh wicket with skipper Pat Cummins (37).In reply, New Zealand, runners-up in the last two World Cups, saw Will Young (32) and Devon Conway (28) put on 61 for the first wicket before both fell to Josh Hazlewood.Mitchell hit his third fifty of the tournament to follow his 130 last time out against India but fell on 54 when leg-spinner Adam Zampa had him holing out to long-on with his team on 168-3 after 24 overs.Mitchell put on 96 for the third wicket with Ravindra.The 23-year-old Ravindra, who scored 123 in the opening win over England, reached three figures from 77 balls with seven fours and five sixes.But with New Zealand needing 97 to win off 60 balls, Ravindra was caught in the deep off Australian skipper Pat Cummins for a fine 116.That left the Kiwis on 293-6 but they battled hard to take the game to the final over thriller.Pakistan fined for slow over ratePakistan were fined 20 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against South Africa in their World Cup clash in Chennai, the International Cricket Council said on Saturday. Pakistan narrowly lost by one wicket on Friday, their fourth straight defeat after two wins in six matches.“The ICC match referee Richie Richardson imposed the sanction after the Pakistan team was ruled to be four overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration,” the ICC said in a release. As per the ICC code, players are fined five per cent of their match fee for every over short.Pakistan next face Bangladesh in Kolkata on Tuesday.SCOREBOARDAustraliaD. Warner c & b Phillips 81T. Head b Phillips 109M. Marsh b Santner 36S. Smith c Boult b Phillips 18M. Labuschagne c Ravindra b Santner 18G. Maxwell c Boult b Neesham 14J. Inglis c Phillips b Boult 38P. Cummins lbw b Boult 37M. Starc c Neesham b Henry 1A. Zampa b Boult 0J. Hazlewood not out 0Extras (b1, nb2, w6) 9Total (all out; 49.2 overs) 388Fall of wickets: 1-175 (Warner), 2-200 (Head), 3-228 (Smith), 4-264 (Marsh), 5-274 (Labuschagne), 6-325 (Maxwell), 7-387 (Inglis), 8-388 (Cummins), 9-388 (Zampa), 10-388 (Starc)Bowling: Henry 6.2-0-67-1 (2w, 2nb), Boult 10-0-77-3 (3w), Ferguson 3-0-38-0, Santner 10-0-80-2 (1w), Phillips 10-0-37-3, Ravindra 8-0-56-0, Neesham 2-0-32-1)New ZealandD. Conway c Starc b Hazlewood 28W. Young c Starc b Hazlewood 32R. Ravindra c Labuschagne b Cummins 116D. Mitchell c Starc b Zampa 54T. Latham c Hazlewood b Zampa 21G. Phillips c Labuschagne b Maxwell 12J. Neesham run out (Labuschagne/Inglis) 58M. Santner c Maxwell b Zampa 17M. Henry c Hazlewood b Cummins 9T. Boult not out 10L. Ferguson not out 0Extras: (lb4, w22) 26Total (9 wkts; 50 overs) 383Fall of wickets: 11-61 (Conway), 2-72 (Young), 3-168 (Mitchell), 4-222 (Latham), 5-265 (Phillips), 6-293 (Ravindra), 7-320 (Santner), 8-346 (Henry), 9-383 (Neesham)Bowling: Starc 9-0-89-0 (9w), Hazlewood 9-0-70-2 (1w), Cummins 10-0-66-2 (3w), Maxwell 10-0-62-1, Zampa 10-0-74-3, Marsh 2-0-18-0 (1w)Result: Australia won by five runs.

Spain’s Jorge Martin led from pole to chequered flag to win the Thailand MotoGP sprint race on Saturday and reduce the deficit behind championship leader Francesco Bagnaia to 18 points.Pramac-Ducati rider Martin took his fifth consecutive sprint victory, 0.933 seconds ahead of South Africa’s Brad Binder in second on a KTM, with Italian Luca Marini’s Ducati-VR46 third. Bagnaia was seventh.Short-format king Martin reached the first corner in the lead and was never headed as Bagnaia suffered a poor start from the second row, dropping back to ninth by the end of the opening lap.Bagnaia, on the factory Ducati, finally found some pace four laps into the 13-lap dash and although he clawed his way back to seventh he could not make any inroads on Marco Bezzecchi, who finished sixth on his Ducati-VR46.Honda’s Marc Marquez crossed the line fourth with Aleix Espargaro’s Aprilia in fifth. “It pretty much went to plan,” said Martin, who realised he had to be wary once the flying Binder, who swept through the field from fifth on the grid, overtook Marini on the seventh lap to move up to second.“I tried to save tyres at the beginning,” said Martin. “Then I saw Brad overtook Luca so I said: ‘OK, maybe now it’s time to go’.“I pushed the lead out to 1.9 (seconds) then I tried to manage the tyres until the end.”Binder started best of all and overtook Bezzecchi and Espargaro to move up to third by the end of the second lap.The South African thought he might have challenged for the win had he managed to get past Marini quicker.“The plan today was obviously not to come second but to win of course but, second place, we’ll take it,” said Binder. The result leaves Bagnaia on 369 points going into today’s 26-lap grand prix where he will again start sixth on the grid with pole-sitter Martin now on 351 after picking up 12 for the sprint victory.“I missed a little bit the start,” admitted Bagnaia.“But we managed to close the gap and my feeling was so good on my bike and so finishing seventh when you are so fast and so strong is not good for us.“So we have to consider that for tomorrow and I have to adjust to improve my pace in the first laps.”Martin began the weekend 27 points behind with four legs of the 20-race season to go, but he also started from pole a week ago in Australia before his gamble on a soft rear tyre backfired as he slumped to fifth.With 25 points available for the winners of Sunday’s MotoGP main race the title battle could tighten further before the riders head to Malaysia’s Sepang circuit in two weeks’ time as the championship duel looks likely to go to the wire.“I think it will be a different race,” said Martin of Sunday’s 26-lap grand prix around the 4.554km Buriram International Circuit. “I expect Pecco (Bagnaia) to improve.”The final two race weekends of the season are in Qatar and Valencia next month.

Defending champions England are feeling the heat of a lacklustre World Cup campaign but assistant coach Marcus Trescothick insisted on Saturday that they haven’t “lost faith” in the under-pressure 50-over format.England face unbeaten hosts India in Lucknow on Sunday, coming into the contest with four defeats from five matches to languish ninth in the 10-team table and with their hopes of making the semi-finals almost over.“We’re all feeling the heat. But what can you do? We prepared the same, we’ve done things very similar to what you’d expect,” Trescothick told reporters.“Every practice we go through we’re coming out the other side thinking we’re in a good place and feeling quite right. It’s just not quite worked then when we go into the games.”Critics have targeted England’s approach to the 50-over format after they won the crown in 2019.They played just 13 ODI matches in the build-up to their title defence.“Forgive me, I don’t want to be blunt here, but we haven’t lost faith in what it is,” said Trescothick.“We love playing any form of cricket, any form of the game that we play. And we were desperate to come here and try and win back-to-back 50 over competitions. So, we’re still very much focused on all formats.”He added: “I think nowadays the cricket structure is so busy, right? It’s really busy. You’ve got to plan in Test matches, T20s, 50s. And we’re always trying to get the balance right – sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t.”Trescothick, a former left-hand batsman who played 76 Tests and 123 ODIs for England between 2000-2006, said the team is looking forward to playing India and make the occasion their own.“I think playing against India in a World Cup in their own country is a special part of the game, you get these opportunities that come around – you know there’ll be a big crowd, there’ll be a wonderful occasion,” he said.“We’re looking forward to that chance. I think there’s nothing more that we can offer apart from going out and playing that performance. And then hopefully you come out on top at the end of it. So, really excited for it.”England’s latest loss was to Sri Lanka by eight wickets in a match their batting folded for 156 to leave their semi-final hopes in tatters.Trescothick said for now it’s about getting their act together than pursuing a place in the final-four.“I think we’re more focused on getting our performance right, getting the better levels of performance than what we’ve shown in the last few weeks,” he said.“So, that sits over there and it will just look after itself. If it happens, it happens. We know it will be very challenging. Mathematically, it’s still possible. But, it’s very tough.”Head-to-head recordLast 10 meetings(DATE, VENUE, RESULT)12/07/2018: Nottingham - India won by 8 wickets14/07/2018: Lord’s - England won by 86 runs17/07/2018: Leeds - England won by 8 wickets30/06/2019: Birmingham - England won by 31 runs23/03/2021: Pune - India won by 66 runs26/03/2021: Pune - England won by 6 wickets28/03/2021: Pune - India won by 7 runs12/07/2022: The Oval, London - India won by 10 wickets14/07/2022: Lord’s - England won by 100 runs17/07/2022: Manchester - India won by 5 wicketsOverallIndia wins: 57England wins: 44Tied: 2No result: 3

India’s KL Rahul hopes to have “happier memories” of Lucknow in the World Cup clash against holders England today after he suffered a serious injury at the venue on his last visit.Unbeaten India take on a struggling England team in this northern Indian city, the home base of an Indian Premier League franchise captained by Rahul.But he carries some painful memories of Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium after he injured his thigh while fielding in this year’s IPL T20 tournament and was helped off the ground in visible discomfort.The injury kept him out for five months before he returned to the team during the Asia Cup tournament won by India in Sri Lanka last month and made the squad for the World Cup.“I am a little sad about the injury that I had, it kept me out of the game for 4-5 months. That was a tough time,” Rahul told reporters on Saturday.“Whoever has an injury, if you ask anyone – they undergo surgery and to come back, it takes a lot of hard work, a lot of patience and you have to go through that which is not very easy.”Rahul made a strong comeback post-injury with a match-winning century against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup and smashed 97 not out in a win over Australia in the World Cup.But coming back to the scene of his injury, Rahul wants to put to rest the pain of the past with a good performance.“In cricket, whatever ups and downs happen, sometimes you score 100, sometimes you don’t, that success or failure you can handle but this painful time was there, doing physio and coming back into cricket,” said Rahul.“I can’t say that it is not in my mind. Yesterday when I came to the ground, last memory of this ground is falling down and injuring myself. Hopefully I can put that aside and I can make some better and happier memories to forget all of that.”Meanwhile all-rounder Hardik Pandya will miss his second match of the World Cup as he is still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered in the Bangladesh match last week.Suryakumar Yadav played his first match of the World Cup in India’s previous win over New Zealand and Rahul backs the explosive batsman to grab his chance.“He (Pandya) does a very important role for the team, so not having him is a bit of a miss for the team and it’s unfortunate what happened,” said Rahul.“The present is that he is not available for this game, so Surya will probably get his chance. We know what Surya can do, so our confidence is in Surya.”Suryakumar was run out for two in the last game after a mix-up with Virat Kohli, who went on to score a match-winning 95. India have five wins from as many matches and Rahul attributes the team’s success to being “aggressive” and getting confidence from their “spot on” preparations.England, led by Jos Buttler, on the other hand have struggled to get their title defence in place and languish at ninth spot with four defeats in five matches.But Rahul insists England remain a “dangerous” team despite their form in the tournament.

Netherlands captain Scott Edwards led from the front as his side enjoyed another World Cup success with an 87-run hammering of Bangladesh.Yesterday’s victory in Kolkata followed the non-Test side’s shock defeat of South Africa earlier in the tournament.The Netherlands, as was the case against South Africa, were indebted to wicketkeeper-batsman Edwards, whose innings top-score of 68 led a recovery from 63-4 and 107-5 to 229 all out.The Tigers, chasing a seemingly modest target of 230, collapsed to 70-6 and were eventually dismissed for 142 at Eden Gardens, despite their opponents being without ill spinner Roelof van der Merwe. This latest reverse meant Bangladesh had suffered five defeats in six World Cup games.The Netherlands’ win was all the more creditable as it followed their World Cup record 309-run defeat by Australia.Edwards, however, was dropped twice on nought in the same Mustafizur Rahman over, Liton Das flooring him in the gully before wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim grassed a tougher, diving chance.Netherlands paceman Paul van Meekeren followed up with fine figures 4-23 as the Tigers were bowled out with more than seven overs remaining.Bangladesh lost both their openers on 19. Edwards held a simple chance after Liton miscued a reverse sweep off spinner Aryan Dutt before taking another catch when Tanzid Hasan edged Logan van Beek.Bangladesh were 63-4 when van Meekeren had Tigers captain Shakib Al Hasan caught behind for just five, the star all-rounder trying to cut a lifting ball that was too close to him.The Tigers were all but beaten at 70-6 when Mushfiqur was bowled for one by a fine van Meekeren delivery that jagged back.Fellow veteran Mahmudullah, fresh from a hundred against South Africa, only managed 20 before he was well caught by Dutt off Bas de Leede – an example of the Netherlands’ superior fielding. Van Meekeren ended the match when he had Taskin Ahmed caught in the deep.Earlier, the 27-year-old Edwards shared partnerships of 44 with de Leede and 78 with Sybrand Engelbrecht, who made a useful 35. They were struggling at 4-2 following the loss of openers Vikramkjit Singh and Max O’Dowd after Edwards won the toss.But Wesley Barresi, 39, in his first match of the tournament, made a run-a-ball 41 before he was caught off a mistimed drive.Edwards, who made 78 not out against South Africa, then overcame a faltering start to post a 78-ball fifty before he spooned Mustafizur to backward point.After starting the tournament with a win against Afghanistan, Bangladesh slumped to a fifth successive defeat against the Dutch.“I don’t have an answer,” said a visibly upset Shakib.“You can say that this is our worst, without any doubt. I don’t have an answer to why we played this way.”Bangladesh are ninth in the 10-team table with games remaining against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia.ScoreboardNetherlandsV. Singh c Shakib b Taskin 3M. O’Dowd c Tanzid b Shoriful 0W. Barresi c Shakib b Mustafizur 41C. Ackermann c Mustafizur b Shakib 15S. Edwards c Mehidy b Mustafizur 68B. de Leede c Mushfiqur b Taskin 17S. Engelbrecht lbw b Mahedi 35L. van Beek not out 23S. Ahmad run out (Mahmudullah/Mushfiqur) 6A. Dutt c Mehidy b Shoriful 9P. van Meekeren lbw b Mahedi 0Extras (b4, lb1, w7) 12Total (all out, 50 overs) 229Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Singh), 2-4 (O’Dowd), 3-63 (Barresi), 4-63 (Ackermann), 5-107 (De Leede), 6-185 (Edwards), 7-185 (Engelbrecht), 8-194 (Ahmad), 9-212 (Dutt), 10-229 (Van Meekeren)Bowling: Shoriful 10-0-51-2 (3w); Taskin 9-1-43-2 (1w); Shakib 10-1-37-1; Mehidy 4-0-17-0; Mustafizur 10-1-36-2 (1w); Mahedi 7-0-40-2 (1w)BangladeshL. Das c Edwards b Dutt 3T. Hasan c Edwards b van Beek 15M. Hasan Miraz c Edwards b de Leede 35N. Shanto c van Beek b van Meekeren 9S. Hasan c Edwards b van Meekeren 5M. Rahim b van Meekeren 1Mahmudullah c Dutt b de Leede 20M. Hasan run out (de Leede) 17T. Ahmed c de Leede b van Meekeren 11M. Rahman b Ackermann 20S. Islam not out 0Extras (w6) 6Total (all out, 42.2 overs) 142Fall of wickets: 1-19 (Das), 2-19 (Tanzid), 3-45 (Najmul), 4-63 (Shakib), 5-68 (Mehidy), 6-70 (Mushfiqur), 7-108 (Mahedi), 8-113 (Mahmudullah), 9-142 (Mustafizur), 10-142 (Taskin)Bowling: Dutt 10-3-26-1; Van Beek 9-1-30-1 (4w); Ackermann 7-1-25-1; Van Meekeren 7.2-0-23-4 (2w); De Leede 7-0-25-2; Ahmad 2-0-13-0Result: Netherlands won by 87 runs.

Jude Bellingham’s stunning double snatched Real Madrid a 2-1 comeback victory at Barcelona in his first La Liga Clasico on Saturday. The England international, who has started his Madrid career in remarkable goalscoring form, unleashed a rocket into the top corner from distance after Ilkay Gundogan had sent hosts Barcelona ahead at the Olympic Stadium.Bellingham then fired home a second in stoppage time to silence Barcelona fans and reach 10 goals in the top flight this season. Barcelona hit the woodwork twice and had the better of the game but Bellingham, La Liga’s top goalscorer, is in unstoppable form and inevitably made his mark in his first Clasico.Bellingham’s brace sent Madrid to the top of La Liga, ahead of Girona on goal difference, with both teams four points ahead of Barcelona in third. “He seems like a veteran...the goal to level it totally changed the game,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said of his 20-year-old match-winner. “What was surprising today was his shot, he’s always arriving in the box, today he scored a stupendous goal from in front of the area.”Bellingham has now scored 13 goals in 13 games for Real Madrid across all competitions. “He can get to 20 or 25 goals, because he has started very well,” added Ancelotti. “We don’t have it in our heads that he’s a goalscoring striker, we have in our heads that he’s a very important player for us.”Barcelona could not believe the points had slipped out of their hands after a strong performance. “The summary is simple, we had 60 very good minutes where we scored a goal, they had 20-25 minutes and they scored two,” said coach Xavi. “I think Madrid’s victory today is unjust... they were much more efficient than us, that is the big difference.”Barcelona were boosted by the returns of Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha from injury, with Xavi naming them on the bench. His counterpart Ancelotti once again deployed Bellingham in the number 10 role as he got his first taste of arguably the world’s biggest club football match. However it was another midfielder playing for the first time in the Clasico who broke the deadlock – Barcelona’s summer arrival Gundogan.The former Manchester City man was sharpest when Aurelien Tchouameni intercepted Ferran Torres’ pass, diverting it back into his own area. David Alaba tried to clear but was thoroughly unconvincing and Gundogan read his intentions, hopped onto the ball and swept past Kepa Arrizabalaga in the sixth minute.Fermin Lopez, one of the emerging young Barcelona La Masia academy products who has broken into the first team, slapped a shot against the post after the intense Gavi pressed high to win the ball back. Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger hammered wide from nearly 40 yards out as Madrid were held off by the hosts, with winger Vinicius Junior getting into tangles with Gavi and Ronald Araujo, deployed at right-back to try and shackle him.After Araujo barged the Brazilian, he protested, with Xavi telling him it was just a shoulder charge, although the Barcelona coach could not defend Torres’ rugby tackle on Vinicius just before half-time, which earned him a yellow card. Gavi, Gundogan and Lopez controlled the midfield, with Joao Cancelo’s more advanced position allowing Barcelona additional defensive security.Barcelona struck the woodwork again when Inigo Martinez headed Lopez’s inch-perfect cross against the post. Madrid were reduced to long-range efforts but eventually one ripped into the net to level the score, with just over 20 minutes remaining. Marc-Andre ter Stegen could not keep out Bellingham’s blast, pulling Madrid level in a game they had struggled to find a foothold in.With the game heading towards a draw, Bellingham intervened decisively - in the right place at the right time to shoot through Ter Stegen’s legs after Luka Modric diverted Dani Carvajal’s cross into his path.Results Almeria 1 (Ramazani 73) Las Palmas 2 (Munir 23, Kaba 90+4); Barcelona 1 (Gundogan 6) Real Madrid 2 (Bellingham 68, 90+2)Playing today (all times GMT): Real Betis v Osasuna (1300), Rayo Vallecano v Real Sociedad (1515), Athletic Bilbao v Valencia (1730), Atletico Madrid v Alaves (2000)Tomorrow: Granada v Villarreal (2000)

Chelsea slumped to another damaging home defeat against Brentford on Saturday as Eddie Nketiah hit a first Premier League hat-trick in a 5-0 win for Arsenal against struggling Sheffield United.Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea appeared to have turned a corner in recent weeks, taking seven points from their three previous fixtures, but their 2-0 loss means they have just one home win from their past 13 games in the league. Ethan Pinnock took advantage of non-existent marking to head the visitors in front shortly before the hour mark at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea had failed to capitalise on their first-half dominance.Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was embarrassed in added time after joining his team’s attack for a corner, failing to catch Neal Maupay in a race as he broke with the ball, allowing Bryan Mbeumo to score in an empty net to compound home fans’ woes.The result means Brentford leapfrog Chelsea into 10th place in the table, pushing Pochettino’s men into the bottom half.Pochettino said on Friday that Christopher Nkunku is nearing a comeback from the knee injury that has prevented the £52mn signing making a competitive appearance yet for his new club. On this evidence, the French international’s return cannot come soon enough as Chelsea’s other new striker, Nicolas Jackson, again failed to fire.It was a different story for London rivals Arsenal, who roared back from 2-0 down to draw against Chelsea last week to preserve their unbeaten league record. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta shuffled his pack – including dropping captain Martin Odegaard to the bench – for the visit of bottom club Sheffield United and Nketiah celebrated his recall to the starting line-up in style.Replacing the injured Gabriel Jesus as Arsenal’s target man at the Emirates Stadium, Nketiah proved he was up to the task as a swivelled finish gave the home side a 28th-minute lead. The England forward arrowed a shot into the top corner early in the second half and completed his treble with a stunning strike from distance just before the hour mark.Substitutes Fabio Vieira and Takehiro Tomiyasu added gloss to the scoreline with a penalty and a close-range finish as Arsenal moved up to second, two points behind Tottenham, who beat Crystal Palace on Friday.Newcastle missed the chance to close in on the top four after twice letting the lead slip in a 2-2 draw at Wolves. Callum Wilson took advantage of a blunder from Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa to open the scoring before Mario Lemina headed home from a corner to equalise. Wilson restored the Magpies’ lead in first-half stoppage time in controversial fashion.Fabian Schar went down under the most minimal of contact from Hwang Hee-Chan and referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot. Wilson converted the penalty, but Wolves were not to be denied a deserved point as Hwang’s quick feet and classy finish levelled the scores again 19 minutes from time. A share of the spoils leaves Newcastle three points off the top four and nine adrift of Tottenham.ResultsChelsea 0 Brentford 2 (Pinnock 58, Mbeumo 90+6); Arsenal 5 (Nketiah 28, 50, 58, Vieira 88-pen, Tomiyasu 90+6) Sheffield United 0; Bournemouth 2 (Semenyo 22, Billing 76) Burnley 1 (Taylor 11); Wolves 2 (Lemina 36, Hwang 71) Newcastle 2 (Wilson 22, 45+4-pen)Playing today (all times GMT): West Ham v Everton (1300), Aston Villa v Luton, Brighton v Fulham, Liverpool v Nottingham Forest (all 1400), Manchester United v Manchester City (1530)Played Friday: Crystal Palace 1 (Ayew 90+4) Tottenham 2 (Ward 53-og, Son 66)

Ahmed Elbourdainy of Team Doha Cycling won the men’s open category (Group A) race of the Al Thakira Road Race held on Saturday. Former Qatar team rider Elbourdainy completed the 96.3km race in an impressive 2:20m with an average speed of 41.21kph. Team Aladam Cycling’s Iranian rider Abdullah Motreq and Kuwaiti rider Mansour Alsubaiei finished second and third respectively. In the men’s amateur (Group B) category, which saw over 120 riders competing, Qatari rider Saoud Alkhalaqi of Team Aladam Cycling won the race in a thrilling bunch sprint. Filipino riders Christian dela Cruz and Gerald Mendoza finished second and third respectively. Other notable winners in various categories included Marwan Elsaid (Junior Category), Kemuel Paz (Masters Category) and Elmer Oropieza (Men Veterans Category). The Women’s category (Group C) was clinched by Filipina rider Chelsea Sophia. Qatari rider Lolwa Almarri and Filipina rider Miriam Castro came second and third. Hafiz Sali of the Qatar National Cadet Team won the 15-16 category title, while Aria Rayyan Pesurnay secured victory in the 13-14 category.

Thomas Aiken gave his chances of keeping his DP World Tour card a huge boost after making 13 birdies and two bogeys in 31 holes on Friday to grab a share of the lead at the 2023 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.Three-time DP World Tour winner Aiken came into the week 161st on the Race to Dubai Rankings, knowing a huge week was needed to retain his playing privileges. And the 40-year-old rose to the challenge on Friday, giving himself a brilliant opportunity to secure the strong finish he requires over the weekend after following up a 69 with a 65 at Doha Golf Club (DGC).Starting the day on one over par after only completing five holes of his first round on Thursday, the South African carded five birdies and one bogey in the morning to sign for an opening 69.He then returned to the course to begin round two, adding eight birdies and one bogey in a stunning 65 to reach ten under par. Joining him on that mark overnight were Daniel Hillier and Santiago Tarrio, who must return to complete their second rounds on today morning.New Zealand’s Hillier made three birdies in the first 11 holes of his round before play was suspended due to fading light at 4.58pm, and will have a birdie putt – and the chance to take the outright lead – when he resumes at the 12th early today.Spaniard Tarrio, who made four birdies and no bogeys before having to leave the course, has six holes left to play. Scots Robert MacIntyre and Ewen Ferguson – the defending champion – were a shot further back after nine holes of their second rounds, alongside Edoardo Molinari, who has seven holes remaining.After opening his second round with back-to-back birdies, Aiken made another from 15 feet on the fifth before dropping a shot at the short eighth. He then enjoyed a flawless back nine, birdieing the tenth, 13th, 14th, 16th and 18th to reach double figures. Aiken said: “I played really solid today. We had 31 holes to play, so it was a long day. Early wake-up call. It’s a course that I like, I’ve always played well here in the past. Unfortunately with the rain on Friday it got a little wet, normally it plays firm and fast, which is what I like.“Hopefully it dries up over the weekend and starts playing more like that. But I played really solid. It’s tough competing against these youngsters these days - they hit it so far. It’s getting a little tougher to play in your forties, but I still feel like I can win out here. I just need the right golf course.“Unfortunately I haven’t been able to pick and choose my courses this year. I’ve played a lot of courses I would normally not play, but this is definitely one where I’ve always done well in the past. It’s proving evident, so hopefully the form continues over the next two rounds.”The best round of the day — and the week so far — came from John Catlin, whose flawless 63 was an incredible 14-shot improvement on his opening 77.“It was one of those days where I found a little something before I went out and played, I was just sitting in the lounge thinking about stuff,” the American said. “Haven’t really played my best this year and it was like ‘You know what? Let’s try a little something.’“I tried a little something on the putting green and all of a sudden putts started going in, and because they started going in I started feeling more confident with my irons. Weird how golf is.”

The cream of the crop in Asia are set to be feted in a star-studded ceremony at the Al Mayassa Theatre, nestled within the impressive Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), on Tuesday evening.Making its highly-anticipated return to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) calendar after four years, the AFC Annual Awards Doha 2022, to be presented by the AFC’s Global Partner NEOM, will celebrate the momentous achievements of a groundbreaking year in Asian football.These encompass the spectacular success of the biggest ever AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India, alongside memorable campaigns in the AFC Champions League and various age-group competitions, while the Continent’s national teams showcased their prowess with impressive displays at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.The gala event will culminate in the prestigious AFC Player of the Year accolades, where the trio of Mathew Leckie, Almoez Ali and Salem al-Dawsari have been nominated in the men’s category, while Samantha Kerr, Zhang Linyan and Saki Kumagai are the three frontrunners for the women’s equivalent.Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifah, the AFC president, said of the 27th edition: “The AFC Annual Awards Doha 2022 has added significance, as we gather in solidarity for the first time in nearly four years. While the pandemic forced us to pause our celebrations, it did little to impact the resolve and commitment of the Asian football family in strengthening the beautiful game across all levels.“We will honour the outstanding efforts of our players and officials, who have continued to dominate global headlines across the world of football, as well as our Member Associations and our Regional Associations, who deserve immense praise for ensuring the continued growth of our sport under the most challenging of circumstances. “These accomplishments have left a legacy of brilliance that will inspire our future generations, and we look forward to a memorable night of celebrating the best of Asia.”A total of 18 accolades will be handed out on the evening, including the newly introduced AFC Regional Association of the Year award, and the revamped AFC Member Association of the Year award, and the AFC President’s Recognition Award for Grassroots Football. A commemorative plaque will also be presented to the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at the ceremony, in acknowledgement of Qatar’s world-class staging of the global football showpiece.Qatar will host the AFC Annual Awards for the first time and the AFC President added: “The AFC is delighted to be able to bring the Asian football family together in the stunning city of Doha and I would like to convey our heartfelt appreciation to the Qatar Football Association for their impeccable organisational capabilities and hospitality, to set the stage for what is certain to be a memorable occasion for all the nominees and guests.”The following award categories will be announced at the AFC Annual Awards Doha 2022 and presented at another special event: AFC Youth Player of the Year (Women)AFC Youth Player of the Year (Men); AFC Asian International Player of the Year; AFC Referees’ Special Awards.

Max Verstappen on Thursday called for more respectful behaviour by Formula One’s new generation of fans as he prepared for the home Grand Prix of Red Bull teammate Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez. Verstappen was booed and fans chanted ‘Checo!’ at the last race in Texas.While Verstappen has soared to a third straight title, his teammate has been left behind. The Mexican driver’s future with Red Bull appears under threat following a run of lacklustre form as he prepares to race before his home fans. Red Bull said on Thursday that Verstappen, team boss Christian Horner and motorsport advisor Helmut Marko would be given bodyguards after concerns about their safety.Perez is expected to also have a security guard among his entourage. But Verstappen said he had received a warm welcome since arriving in Mexico and he wanted it to stay that way. “I hope it does not only here, but in general in sport, not just our sport,” he said. “We have gained a lot of new fans in the last few years and maybe they don’t respond and react the same way, but a bit differently.”The sport has gained exposure in North America with a Netflix series ‘Drive To Survive’, which has exposed tensions between the two Red Bull drivers. “I think it’s good to show support for your favourite driver but you should always show respect for the others and especially on the podium and during the anthems because then it is very disrespectful in those moments. In general, I think we need to raise awareness not just here but in other sport too.”Speaking at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the 26-year-old Dutchman said he had arrived on Tuesday afternoon and had a full day’s appearance work on Wednesday. “It’s been great,” he said. “I am here to do my job and the welcome has been amazing as always.”Last Sunday, sections of the big crowd at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin booed and jeered while when Verstappen was introduced on the podium and during the Dutch anthem, when the chants of ‘Checo, Checo’ resonated.Perez also appealed to his Mexican fans to set an example with good behaviour and played down his perceived rivalry with Verstappen. “It is very important we give this message, the right message,” he said. “I know the media likes to create rivalry, but we are here in a great sport and we must show an example to younger generations. What happens on the track should stay on the track so that we can show an example here to the rest of the world.”Posters encouraging race fans to be respectful line many of the streets close to the circuit declaring ‘Racespect’, a message Perez said he supported. Local organisers also said they were strictly controlling the number of guests in the paddock during the weekend following alarming reports last year when drivers and team members were mobbed and jostled.

Bayern Munich captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will make his comeback in today’s home Bundesliga match with Darmstadt, having missed almost a year with a broken leg, coach Thomas Tuchel said on Friday.The 37-year-old, a World Cup winner with Germany in 2014, has not played since suffering the injury in a skiing accident last December, days after returning from featuring for his country at the World Cup in Qatar. “As long as nothing happens in training, he will play tomorrow,” Tuchel told reporters at a press conference. “He is delighted, we are delighted, and others will probably be delighted too,” Tuchel said with a smile.Neuer has not played for Bayern since a victory away to his old club Schalke on November 12 last year, just before the World Cup. The goalkeeper travelled to Qatar as Germany’s captain, but the four-time winners were eliminated in the group stage.Neuer then broke his leg on a skiing trip after returning to Germany and the injury required surgery in December. Bayern then recruited Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer from Borussia Moenchengladbach to replace Neuer, but he left for Inter Milan in the close season.Tuchel said earlier this month that Bayern would not rush their captain’s rehabilitation. But defender Matthijs de Ligt said on Monday the team was eagerly awaiting Neuer’s return. He told reporters Bayern were “very happy that Manu will be back soon” while describing him as “a world-class goalkeeper, one of the best in the history of football”.Neuer, who has made almost 500 appearances for Bayern since signing from Schalke in 2011, has been replaced as Germany skipper during his absence by Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan. However, he has signalled his intention to return to the national set-up and his major goal is to stand between the posts at Euro 2024, which Germany will host.Bayern go into this weekend fresh from a 3-1 win over Galatasaray in Istanbul in the Champions League but lie in third place in the Bundesliga after eight games, two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Newly-promoted Darmstadt had recorded back-to-back victories before going down 3-1 at home to RB Leipzig in their last outing.

Jorge Martin thrilled and later spilled as he topped the timesheet at Friday’s second practice in Thailand’s MotoGP, while championship leader Francesco Bagnaia secured 7th spot.In hot and dry conditions at the Buriram International Circuit, the Spanish Pramac rider clocked a best lap time of one minute 29.826 seconds ahead of his fellow countrymen Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro. Martin crashed in the final minutes of the afternoon practice but appeared uninjured after his bike skidded and flipped multiple times. “I thought we were going to be a bit faster actually,” Martin told reporters. “I feel more ready for the sprints than for Sunday. I think Sunday will be a really long race.”In the overall world standings, Italian Ducati ace Bagnaia is 27 points clear of Martin in second place in what is shaping up to be a two-horse race for the title. “I’m very happy about today,” Bagnaia said.Asked if he would be vying for pole position today, Bagnaia responded: “I think for us a good result would be top three, front row. I have the feeling that we are very strong.”Martin is keen to put a disastrous fortnight behind him after a nightmare performance crashing out in Indonesia to throw away his championship lead, as well as a bad final lap that cost him a win in Australia last weekend. The top 10 times from Friday’s afternoon practice automatically qualified for Q2 and will be joined by the fastest two riders from Q1 to determine the first five rows of the grid both for sprint race and main event.Rounding out Q2 are France’s Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo, Italians Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi, South Africa’s Brad Binder and Spain’s Augusto Fernandez. Bagnaia – who is seeking to defend his title – finished third in Thailand in treacherous wet conditions last year, while Martin came home ninth.Rain could again play a part, with a chance of thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon when the 13-lap sprint will take place, and again on Sunday for the 26-lap grand prix around the 4.554km Buriram International Circuit.Up to 37 points are at stake this weekend, with four races of the 20-leg season to go. In a change of format since the mid-season break, the first practice on Friday had no bearing on qualifying order, leaving riders and teams to try out different bike and tyre set-ups without consequence. In the morning session, Martin also blitzed the field ahead of Vinales and Pol Espargaro.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said Manchester United are always a “tough opponent” despite their struggles as he prepares his team for tomorrow’s derby clash.United have steadied the ship with unconvincing wins over Brentford, Sheffield United and FC Copenhagen in their past three games after losing six of their first 10 matches in all competitions this season.Scoring goals has been a particular problem, with new striker Rasmus Hojlund yet to find the net in the Premier League and Marcus Rashford looking a shadow of the player who scored 30 times last season. However, Guardiola is still wary of the individual quality United possess.“United always have been – it doesn’t matter the manager – always they are a tough opponent,” he said at his pre-match press conference. “The qualities of the individuals they have, the stadium, the character they have, the momentum. They can score goals, we know the quality they have. Always that has been and always it will be.”City returned to winning ways by beating Brighton 2-1 last weekend after losing consecutive Premier League games for the first time since 2018. Guardiola’s men are looking to become the first side to win four consecutive English top-flight titles and remain well-placed, just two points behind surprise early leaders Tottenham.The last time the two teams met, in June, City beat United to lift the FA Cup, completing the second leg of a treble. Guardiola acknowledged there is far less on the line this weekend, but is keen to see how his side respond to the challenge posed by travelling to Old Trafford.“It is a game not like an FA Cup final or last games of the season that defines winning or not the Premier League. Still we have only played nine fixtures and there are 87 points to play. We have to be focused,” he said.“It’s too early. All the teams are there and the teams behind can be there. When you play just nine games many things will happen. We have been behind by a few points in February and March and then we were able to win. I want to see how is our mentality on Sunday in Old Trafford. We have won a lot. It’s not about if we win now what is going to happen (in the future). I want to see the right mentality to play for these points.”United players behind Garnacho over gorilla emoji post: Ten HagMeanwhile, Erik ten Hag said on Friday that the Manchester United squad are behind Alejandro Garnacho as the Argentina winger faces a potential ban for a social media post in which he used gorilla emojis. The 19-year-old uploaded a photo on X, formerly known as Twitter, of United players celebrating with Cameroon international Andre Onana after their 1-0 Champions League win against Copenhagen in midweek, using the emojis.The post was quickly deleted and Onana, who had saved a late penalty at Old Trafford, subsequently defended his teammate, whom he said was trying to express “power and strength”, adding “this matter should go no further”.But the Football Association has punished players in the past for making racial references on social media and is understood to have sought Garnacho’s observations. Former United striker Edinson Cavani was banned for three games and fined £100,000 in 2020 for using the Spanish term “negrito” (small black person) below an Instagram post.The previous year Bernardo Silva was given a one-match ban and fined by the FA for a tweet he posted comparing teammate Benjamin Mendy with a black cartoon character. Ten Hag appeared to be relaxed about the situation on Friday “Not (concerned about a ban) in this moment,” he said. “We are talking with the FA. But what you see and I can confirm that and I want to emphasise, we are together, we are United and we have seen that in the post of Andre Onana.”On the derby against City, the Dutch manager said: “It’s so huge because it’s Manchester, internal. But I think it’s also about world football and all the eyes will be on this game global-wide. In this moment they’re six points ahead, we’re six points back, so we have to catch up. We know we have to progress the team.”The midfield battle looks key and Ten Hag said his side could be missing Casemiro for a third straight game, with an ankle injury sustained on Brazil duty putting his place in jeopardy. “Aaron (Wan-Bissaka is back) in training today and Case is a race against the clock,” Ten Hag said. “No, not 100 percent.”FixturesToday: Chelsea v Brentford (1130), Arsenal v Sheffield United, Bournemouth v Burnley (both 1400), Wolves v Newcastle (1630)Tomorrow: West Ham v Everton (1300), Aston Villa v Luton, Brighton v Fulham, Liverpool v Nottingham Forest (all 1400), Manchester United v Manchester City (1530)

Australia skipper Pat Cummins believes today’s World Cup clash with New Zealand will be a battle between “mates” as the push for semi-final places enters a critical phase.Five-time champions Australia are back on track for a last-four spot having won three matches on the trot after an unimpressive start which saw them lose their first two games.New Zealand, runners-up in the last two World Cups, have the better record so far with four wins from five games.Australia, however, have the upper hand when it comes to clashes at World Cups over the years, winning eight of the 11 match-ups.“I think most of the Kiwis are pretty placid and we’re pretty similar,” said Cummins on Friday on the eve of the game taking place in the Himalayan venue of Dharamsala.“We’ve played a lot of cricket with these guys and some of them are really good mates. If anything, it makes you want to beat your mates even more. It will be intense out there.”In 2015, New Zealand edged a low-scoring group game by one wicket in Auckland before Australia gained revenge with a seven-wicket stroll in the final.Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith and Josh Hazlewood are all survivors from the 2015 final. Cummins played in the group game.Current New Zealand squad members Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Tim Southee also played that final.“It always seems like there’s great contests. And on a personal note, as well, we know a lot of the New Zealand guys, we have played a lot against them and with them. So, it’s always good fun,” added Cummins.Cummins said he was delighted by Australia over-coming early losses at this World Cup to India and South Africa.They have since seen off Sri Lanka, Pakistan and then the Netherlands by a huge 309 runs.“I think in the first two games not only did we not win, but I think we didn’t really nail the style that we wanted to play,” said the captain. “I think in the last few games you’ve seen us be a bit more aggressive - batting and bowling.”Most of the aggression in the rout of the Dutch came from Glenn Maxwell who hit the fastest World Cup century off just 40 balls in New Delhi on Wednesday.Cummins shared a 103-run partnership with Maxwell, contributing only eight runs. “Yeah, that was just insane the other night,” said Cummins. “I was lucky to be down at the other end, see it first-hand, the creativity that he seems to have, to find boundaries in just different spots, just incredible. He’s a superstar.”Third-placed New Zealand’s only loss in the competition so far came against India, having defeated reigning champions England, the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.Australia back to their best, says New Zealand’s LathamNew Zealand vice-captain Tom Latham expects Australia to be at their best when the old rivals meet today, despite the record five-times champions making a stuttering start to their campaign.“They’re obviously playing some fantastic cricket at the moment,” Latham told reporters on Friday. “They didn’t probably start as well as they would have liked, but I think the form they’ve shown in probably the last three games is obviously the Australia that we know.“They fight till the end pretty much every time and I guess every time we play each other it’s always a challenge. They’re a quality side, one of the best sides in the world for a reason and you certainly can’t take them lightly.”Runners-up in 2019, New Zealand, third in the standings, have only lost to hosts India at the tournament.“I think we’ve shown throughout this tournament that we’ve seen plenty of teams that on their given day can beat anyone,” Latham said. “And Australia are no different. So, we’re expecting them to be at their best and hopefully we can play well as well and hopefully be a great game.”Head-to-head recordLast 10 meetings06/12/2016: Canberra - Australia won by 116 runs09/12/2016: Melbourne - Australia won by 117 runs30/01/2017: Auckland - New Zealand won by 6 runs05/02/2017: Hamilton - New Zealand won by 24 runs02/06/2017: Birmingham - No Result29/06/2019: Lord’s - Australia won by 86 runs13/03/2020: Sydney - Australia won by 71 runs06/09/2022: Cairns - Australia won by 2 wickets08/09/2022: Cairns - Australia won by 113 runs11/09/2022: Cairns - Australia won by 25 runsOverallAustralia wins: 95New Zealand wins: 39Tied: 0No result: 7

Dutch skipper Scott Edwards hopes the Netherlands can benefit from coach Ryan Cook’s inside knowledge of Bangladesh to help rescue their fading World Cup dreams.The two sides meet at Eden Gardens today with identical records of one win and four losses each. One more defeat will signal the end of any lingering hopes of making the semi-finals.Cook worked as fielding coach with Bangladesh during the 2019 World Cup and Edwards hopes that could work in the team’s favour.“It’s definitely a help for us, especially in terms of that sort of analyst side,” said Edwards on Friday.“He worked for a long time with the Bangladesh team and knows a lot of these guys individually.”However, he added: “There’s some new players (in the Bangladesh squad), but we’ll take what information we can from him and try to apply that into the game. Execution will be the key.”Bangladesh and the Netherlands have only met twice before in one-day internationals.The Dutch won by six wickets in Glasgow in 2010 while Bangladesh came out on top by the same margin at the 2011 World Cup on home ground in Chittagong.Whatever happens today, Edwards insists that his team’s shock victory over South Africa gave them self-belief.Now, if they get the opportunities, they want to use that breakthrough for greater consistency.“When we beat South Africa, our goal was always to come and win four of our first eight games and push for a semi-final spot,” said Edwards of the 38-run win in Dharamsala.“We had big expectations coming through and obviously winning against South Africa was one step forward and we probably just haven’t hit the mark fully in a lot of the other games we’ve played,” he said.They suffered a reality check last time out, losing by 309 runs to Australia.Edwards insists he is not concerned by playing in Kolkata where Bangladesh are guaranteed huge support from the local Bengali-speaking population.Shakib’s trip to Dhaka didn’t affect Bangladesh squad, says TaskinThe Bangladesh squad were not affected by skipper Shakib Al Hasan’s unplanned trip to Dhaka in the middle of their World Cup campaign and they appreciate the fact that he went to hone his technique, Taskin Ahmed said on Friday.Shakib travelled to Dhaka this week and local media reported he had a three-hour net session with his childhood mentor, before returning to Kolkata where Bangladesh play the Netherlands today.When asked if team morale had taken a hit when Shakib left the squad, Taskin told reporters: “No, actually it’s not affected (us) much. I think after he came back, we had a really good time. But actually, he went for some improvements, he has not batted as well as he expected.”Kolkata will host its first World Cup game today and Taskin said he expects a very good wicket. “Normally when I played here before, it’s a very good batting track. The outfield is pretty fast. But I think both bowlers and batsman are going to get some help,” he said.Taskin said Bangladesh’s fielding has come good in the tournament, partly thanks to their former fielding coach Ryan Cook.

Who said what at the Cricket World Cup on Friday, the 23rd day of the 2023 tournament:“They’re probably the first four runs I’ve scored this year!”- South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi on his key role as the Proteas edged Pakistan by one wicket.“To be honest, it is part of the game. If they give out then it would go in our favour but in DRS, there is umpire’s call and that is part of it.”- Pakistan skipper Babar Azam after Shamsi survived a leg-before appeal that went to umpire’s call off fast bowler Haris Rauf with eight runs needed.“No, certainly not field placements.”- New Zealand’s Tom Latham on what was discussed when the squad met with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala.“I don’t need to focus on that mate. 100 run partnership.”- Australia skipper Pat Cummins on his modest eight runs in the 103-partnership with record-breaking Glenn Maxwell in the win over the Netherlands.“It was just insane. He’s a superstar.”- Cummins on Maxwell setting a new World Cup record with a 40-ball century in the game against the Dutch.“It’s sad to see.”- Tongue-in-cheek Cummins on bitter rivals England’s miserable form at the World Cup.

An unassuming cricketer like most of his New Zealand teammates, Mitchell Santner has been the team’s go-to bowler at the World Cup and will play his 100th ODI against Australia today with high expectations.The 31-year-old left-arm spinner has claimed 12 wickets in five matches so far to be one behind Adam Zampa of Australia.Santner’s ability to choke the runs and get regular wickets makes him a key asset on India’s slow, turning pitches.His economy-rate of 4.25 is second only to India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah (3.80).“We certainly haven’t been surprised at all and we’ve seen the work that he’s put in day in day out,” New Zealand’s stand-in-skipper Tom Latham said.“I think the performances that he’s had in the one-day game but also in the T20 game he’s had many experiences over here and the IPL (Indian Premier League) for a few years now.”Santner has been a key player for IPL side Chennai Super Kings who won a record-equalling fifth title this year.His role in the Kiwi team remains invaluable as he leads an otherwise less experienced spin attack including Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra.“He’s been a valued member of the side for a long time and I guess he’s able to bowl in every situation, whether that be at the top in the first 10, through the middle and obviously at the back end,” said Latham.“So, he’s very adaptable for us, which is great. And I guess someone that can spin the ball on pretty much any surface is vital...another great opportunity for him tomorrow and hopefully he can stand up again.”Santner has bagged 103 wickets including two five-wicket hauls in 99 ODI matches since his debut in 2015 against England in Birmingham.He has been part of the last three World Cups for New Zealand, witnessing his team go down to England in the 2019 ODI final, to Australia in the 2021 T20 final and then to Pakistan in the semi-finals of last year’s T20 showpiece.Bishan Bedi, who died aged 77 on Monday, likened Santner to New Zealand spin great Daniel Vettori, who interestingly will be with the Aussie team today as their spin bowling coach.Santner bats in the lower order but his grit and determined approach make him a tough challenge with the bat. He has a Test hundred but averages over 28 including three half tons.Santner’s best outing in this World Cup was against the Netherlands when he hit an unbeaten 36 off 17 balls and then returned figures of 5-59.

South Africa survived a late charge from Pakistan to pull off a thrilling one-wicket win and move closer to the semi-finals of the World Cup on Friday.Aiden Markram hit a solid 91 and at 206-4 South Africa were well on course to comfortably chase down a 271-run target.However, it was left to the last pair of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi to score 11 runs while surviving 11 balls.Shamsi survived a leg-before appeal that went to umpire’s call off fast bowler Haris Rauf with eight needed before Maharaj hit spinner Mohamed Nawaz to the square-leg boundary to pull off the win in 47.2 overs, sparking wild celebrations in his team’s dressing room.Maharaj (seven not out) also added 10 runs for the ninth wicket with Lungi Ngidi (four) but Rauf took a stunning catch off his own bowling to send Ngidi back.The win took South Africa top of the table with 10 points from five wins in six matches.Pakistan, however, have lost four in succession after opening the tournament with back-to-back wins.They have four points and will need results to fall in their favour if they are to sneak into the semi-finals.This was only the seventh one-wicket by a team in all World Cups and second by South Africa.Left-arm spinner Shamsi took 4-60 in Pakistan’s 270 all out in 46.4 overs with 52 from Saud Shakeel, 50 from skipper Babar Azam and 43 from Shadab Khan.Markram shone and with a 70-run stand for the fifth wicket with David Miller who scored a 33-ball 29 with two sixes and as many boundaries.At that moment the Proteas seemed on course for a straightforward win. But late drama unfolded at Chidambaram Stadium as Pakistan fought back as South Africa slipped to 250-8 from 206-4. Shaheen Shah Afridi removed Miller in the 34th over while Rauf had Marco Jansen for 20 three overs later.Markram hit three sixes and seven boundaries off 93 balls, his fourth fifty in the World Cup, also completing 2,000 ODI runs in his 61st match.Earlier, it was Shamsi and Jansen who derailed Pakistan’s innings.The 33-year-old leg-spinner finished with figures of 4-60 while pace bowler Jansen took 3-43 after Pakistan won the toss and batted, looking for a win to revive their World Cup hopes.Pakistan would have scored fewer runs had Shakeel and Shadab not lifted them with an 84-run stand for the sixth wicket off 71 balls following Azam’s dismissal at 141.Shadab hit two sixes and three boundaries while Shakeel’s second fifty in the tournament had seven hits to the rope.It was Jansen who hit Pakistan early with the wickets of openers Abdullah Shafique (nine) and Imam-ul-Haq (12) in the first seven overs.Azam added 48 runs for the third wicket with Mohamed Rizwan who made 31 with a six and four boundaries.The skipper added another 43 for the next wicket with Iftikhar Ahmed who scored 21 with a six and a boundary.Shamsi dismissed Iftikhar caught at long-on and Azam behind the wicket sweeping to derail the innings until Shakeel and Shadab rebuilt.Fast bowler Gerald Cotzee broke the stand by dismissing all-rounder Shadab in the 40th over while Shamsi sent back Shakeel and Shaheen (two).Arthur warns against Pakistan ‘witch-hunt’ after WC flopPakistan team director Mickey Arthur warned against a “witch-hunt” of his team after their World Cup dream suffered a likely fatal blow on Friday.They will have to win their remaining three matches and hope other results go their way if they are to sneak into the semi-finals.“They’re going to be blaming everybody, don’t worry. It’s just the way of the world,” said Arthur.“It’s really unfair to start a witch-hunt, certainly on (captain) Babar Azam, on ‘Inzi’ (chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq), on our coaches, on the management team.“What I do know is the boys have tried and the effort of the coaching staff, the effort of the players has been first-class. If they would see that the amount of effort that the players and staff put in, they would be amazed.”Pakistan, who were ranked as the world’s number top ODI team last month, won their first two games of the tournament.However, they then slumped to defeats against arch-rivals India, Australia and Afghanistan before going down to the Proteas on Friday.SCOREBOARDPakistanAbdullah Shafique c Ngidi b Jansen 9Imam-ul-Haq c Klaasen b Jansen 12Babar Azam c de Kock b Shamsi 50Mohamed Rizwan c de Kock b Coetzee 31Iftikhar Ahmed c Klaasen b Shamsi 21Saud Shakeel c de Kock b Shamsi 52Shadab Khan c Maharaj b Coetzee 43Mohamed Nawaz c Miller b Jansen 24Shaheen Shah Afridi c Maharaj b Shamsi 2Mohamed Wasim c de Kock b Ngidi 7Haris Rauf not out 0Extras: (b4, nb4, w11) 19Total: (all out; 46.4 overs) 270Did not bat: Usama Mir (used as concussion substitute for Shadab Khan in South Africa innings)Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Shafique), 2-38 (Haq), 3-86 (Rizwan), 4-129 (Iftikhar), 5-141 (Azam), 6-225 (Shadab), 7-240(Shakeel), 8-259 (Shaheen), 9-268 (Nawaz), 10-270 (Wasim)Bowling: Marco Jansen 9-1-43-3 (2nb, 6w), Ngidi 7.4-0-45-1 (3w), Markram 4-0-20-0, Maharaj 9-0-56-0, Coetzee 7-0-42-2 (1w), Shamsi 10-0-60-4 (2nb, 1w)South AfricaT. Bavuma c Shakeel b Wasim 28Q. de Kock c Wasim b Shaheen 24R. van der Dussen lbw b Mir 21A. Markram c Azam b Mir 91H. Klaasen c Mir b Wasim 12D. Miller c Rizwan b Shaheen 29M. Jansen c Babar Azam b Haris Rauf 20G. Coetzee c Rizwan b Shaheen 10K. Maharaj not out 7L. Ngidi c and b Rauf 4T. Shamsi not out 4Extras: (b1, lb5, w15) 21Total: (for nine wkts; 47.2 overs) 271Fall of wickets: 1-34 (De Kock), 2-67 (Bavuma), 3-121 (van der Dussen), 4-136 (Klaasen), 5-206 (Miller), 6-235 (Jansen), 7-250 (Markram), 8-250 (Cotzee), 9-260 (Ngidi)Bowling: Iftikhar 3-0-23-0 (1w), Shaheen 10-0-45-3 (3w), Nawaz 6.2-0-40-0, Rauf 10-0-62-2 (1w) Wasim 10-1-50-2 (3w), Mir 8-0-45-2 (1w)Note: Usama Mir used as concussion substitute for Shadab KhanResult: South Africa won by one wicketToss: Pakistan

Scott Jamieson and British Masters winner Daniel Hillier shared the lead in the first round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters before play was halted by the weather at Doha Golf Club (DGC) on Thursday.The leaders were out in the first group of the day on the back nine, shooting 7-under 65s before first a sandstorm, and then lightning forced play to be suspended.After two missed cuts at the Open de Espana and Andalucia Masters, Florida-based Jamieson started positively in the final regular event of the season and took advantage of ideal conditions to card a flawless round set the clubhouse target as he bids to retain his DP World Tour Card.“Delighted with that start. It was pretty solid tee to green and I managed to hole some putts today, which has probably let me down in the last few weeks – certainly been hitting the ball well enough to do better than I have done – but today was a different story,” 346th-ranked Jamieson, who of picked up four shots going out then adding three further gains in the first five holes on his back nine in near-perfect morning conditions.Jamieson, who has held full playing privileges on the main tour since 2011, sits 119th in the Race to Dubai and requires a minimum finish of 53rd to finish the season in the all-important top 116.“It was lovely (being out first). The only problem is it is so humid but you obviously get less wind as you always know you are going to get wind here in the afternoon and the course is a little softer as well so, thankfully, I was able to take advantage of that,” Jamieson, who won the Nelson Mandela Championship in 2012 and is close to clocking up 350 appearances on the circuit, said.Jamieson’s fellow Scots Stephen Gallacher, Robert MacIntyre and defending champion Ewen Ferguson completed rounds of 66 to share second place with Spain’s Santiago Tarrio.New Zealander Hillier was slower to hit his stride but opened with six pars before bursting into life with birdies at the 16th and 18th, an eagle at the par-five first and another birdie at the second. Further gains at the seventh and ninth took him alongside Jamieson.“It’ll be interesting to see how it goes this afternoon but I’ll be at the hotel kicking up my feet, so happy days,” Hillier, speaking before the weather disruption, said.“You have to battle with the heat this week. A little bit of wind out there made it bearable. I just didn’t do much wrong, had a good stretch through the middle that put me in a good position and kept my foot down from there.”Tarrio also finished off his own bogey-free round in style with an approach to two feet at the ninth to set up his sixth birdie. The Spaniard is secure in the top 116 of the Race to Dubai Rankings in partnership with Rolex, ensuring his presence on tour for another year.“I never keep calm with myself. Never. Even with a card safe for next year. My problem is in my head, there’s a lot of wind inside there, never mind the golf course. I didn’t play my best golf this year, but I’m happy to stay one year more here with the big guys,” he said.A six-under-par on a weather-affected first day left defending champion Ferguson one shot off the lead. Ferguson’s title defence got off to a tricky start with a three-putt but he responded well and made four birdies in five holes from the 17th.“I three-putted my first hole for a par and thought ‘here we go’,” admitted Ferguson.“But I managed to keep my head and rolled in a few nice putts. I was playing with Pablo and the fact we were both playing quite well helped as we fed off each other.“I love this golf course and, when it got quite windy towards the end, I enjoyed that and it was good fun. I think the course here suits a bit of wind.”Gallacher, the only one of the leading sextet to start on the front nine, birdied three of the first four holes and turned in 31 before adding a sixth and final birdie at the 16th.MacIntyre finished with back-to-back birdies, helped by an approach to six feet at the ninth, while Ferguson turned in 34 before making his move with a hat-trick of birdies from the first.Finnish pair Kalle Samooja and Sami Valimaki, Sean Crocker, Thriston Lawrence, Andy Sullivan, Pablo Larrazabal and Joshua Grenville-Wood shared seventh place on five under par.Among those still to complete their rounds, Spain’s former champion Alvaro Quiros and England’s Jordan Smith were highest on the leaderboard at three under through nine holes.Following the earlier suspension of just over an hour as a wind blew in, play was eventually abandoned due to lightning and will restart at 6.30am local time today morning.LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES Note play suspended due to a sandstorm and then threat of lightning. First round to be completed today:65 - Scott Jamieson (Scot), Daniel Hillier (NZL)66 - Ewen Ferguson (Scot), Stephen Gallacher (Scot), Robert MacIntyre (Scot), Santiago Tarrio (ESP)67 - Andy Sullivan (Eng) , Pablo Larrazabal (ESP), Kalle Samooja (FIN), Sean Crocker (USA), Thriston Lawrence (RSA), Sami Valimaki (FIN), Joshua Grenville-Wood (UAE)68 - Aaron Rai (UK), Nacho Elvira (ESP), Edoardo Molinari (ITA), Alejandro Del Rey (ESP), Ryo Hisatsune (JPN)69 - Jordan Smith (UK), Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA), Jorge Campillo (ESP), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR), Alexander Knappe (GER), Alvaro Quiros (ESP)