Category: Top Picks

WELLINGTON: New Zealand fought back to claim first day honours in the second Test against the West Indies, but the home side were rocked when seam bowler Blair Tickner was taken to hospital with a nasty injury.

New Zealand were 24-0 at the close of play after bowling the West Indies out for 205 in 75 overs.

Tickner was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers, taking 4-32 from 16 overs, but his day ended prematurely when he was injured fielding and left on a stretcher.

Tickner attempted to dive for a ball on the boundary and failed to get up after falling heavily. New Zealand Cricket said he had suffered a left shoulder injury.

Medical staff rushed to Tickner’s aid, and after some worrying moments, he eventually sat up before being taken away to an ambulance.

Captain Tom Latham was seven not out and Devon Conway on 16 after the opening pair made it safely through to stumps against nine overs from the new ball.

Latham earlier won the toss and chose to bowl, only to see the West Indies reach 66-0 before the breakthrough came.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Tickner then took two wickets in two overs to get New Zealand underway, causing headaches with his accurate line and length.

The West Indies lost opener John Campbell three balls after lunch for 44, including six fours, but consolidated to be 175-4 at tea before losing six wickets for just 30 runs in the final session.

Tickner had support from debutant Michael Rae, who snared 3-67 from 18 overs in his maiden Test.

Shai Hope was the best of the visiting batsmen, scoring 48 from 80 deliveries with eight fours, supported by Campbell and 33 from Brandon King.

Injury-depleted New Zealand named two debutants in their side, with wicketkeeper Mitchell Hay and seamer Rae replacing regular gloveman Tom Blundell and Matt Henry.

The West Indies were also forced into changes after Tagenarine Chanderpaul was injured in training the day before the match, replaced by King at the top of the order.

Kavem Hodge came in for Alick Athanaze, and fast-bowler Anderson Phillip replaced Johann Layne.

READ: Late penalty drama helps Liverpool edge past Inter Milan

Liverpool bounced back from a damaging row with Mohamed Salah by beating Inter Milan 1-0 on Tuesday and kicking their Champions League campaign back into life thanks to a late penalty which left the Italians baffled and livid.

Dominik Szoboszlai’s spot-kick in the 88th minute gave the Reds a huge win at the San Siro in the absence of Egypt star Salah, who was left in England after publicly criticising manager Arne Slot at the weekend.

Liverpool fans loudly chanted Slot’s name at the end of a largely drab match which was decided by Felix Zwayer’s decision to give the English champions a perfect chance to snatch the points which Szoboszlai gobbled up.

“The penalty did look soft but that’s given anywhere else on the pitch,” said Andy Robertson to Amazon Prime.

“We all needed it. We know the results and performances aren’t good enough. It’s important this club is in the Champions League. It was a huge result for all of us.”

Inter’s players were enraged at the awarding of the penalty for a light shirt tug by Alessandro Bastoni on Florian Wirtz, but it gave Slot a happy end to a troubled few days.

The closest either team came to scoring before then was when Ibrahima Konate had his close-range header ruled out, after a lengthy VAR check, for a Hugo Ekitike handball in the 37th minute.

“We are disappointed, angry, a bit of everything,” said Inter midfielder Piotr Zielinski to Sky Sport in Italy.

“It was a good performance, we lacked a little something in the final third to put it into the net, but the refereeing decisions… If they give penalties for this, then everything will be a penalty.”

Tuesday’s win puts Liverpool on 12 points from six games and inside the top eight positions which offer direct qualification for the last 16, ahead of Wednesday’s fixtures.

Inter, meanwhile, are fifth on the same tally but have lost their last two European fixtures and created nearly nothing against an injury-hit Liverpool who were missing not just rebel star Salah but also unfit Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Last season 16 points was enough to skip the play-offs and Cristian Chivu’s team are by no means guaranteed that as they host Arsenal before travelling to Borussia Dortmund in their final two league phase fixtures.

And another defeat in a big game means dropping out of the top eight is a real prospect.

Liverpool’s trip to Milan has been dominated by Salah’s extraordinary criticism of Slot, who on Monday admitted that he had “no clue” as to whether the rebel attacker had played his last game for the Reds.

Salah sparked a firestorm when he said he felt like he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club and no longer had a relationship with Slot after being left on the bench for Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds, the third match in a row for which he has been relegated to the role of substitute.

His outburst led to Saudi Arabian sources saying on Tuesday they wanted to recruit the 33-year-old in January, even though he signed a new contract in April.

“It’s difficult but it’s a collective difficult situation that we’re all in,” said Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.

“Between Mo and the club, things are going on and he’s not here today, that’s the reality. I don’t think anything has changed in terms of our focus and determination.”

Liverpool had won just four times in 15 matches in all competitions coming into Tuesday’s match but Inter failed to pile any early pressure on their opponents.

Inter didn’t have their first shot of any description until the 37th minute while Liverpool, who were nowhere near their best, had good attempts from Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch before Konate’s header was eventually ruled out.

That woke up both Inter and a strangely flat home crowd of nearly 74,000 and Lautaro Martinez ended up wasting the best chance of the first half when he headed Bastoni’s cross too close to Alisson Becker.

But the second half was a total flop and as the minutes passed, it became clear that a stalemate was fine for both teams until Szoboszlai rifled home his controversial winning penalty.

READ: Kounde double helps Barcelona claim Frankfurt comeback win

Jules Kounde bagged two headers to help Barcelona beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 on Tuesday in the Champions League and bolster the club’s chances of a top-eight league phase finish.

Ansgar Knauff sent the visitors into a surprise lead, but French defender Kounde’s brace early in the second half put last season’s semi-finalists in control.

In the club’s first Champions League match back at Camp Nou since 2022, they gained revenge against a Frankfurt side who humiliated them in the Europa League in that same year.

The Bundesliga team packed the Camp Nou with their own fans and knocked Barca out of that competition at one of their lowest ebbs under Xavi Hernandez.

With a domestic treble and a run to the final four of the Champions League, Xavi’s successor, Hansi Flick, has changed the mood around Barca, but this season the team have struggled at times.

Defeats by Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain left Barca in a difficult position in Europe, but by beating Frankfurt, they are still hopeful of avoiding the play-off round.

“I wasn’t surprised (it was hard), the Champions League is different… I am very proud,” Flick told reporters.

The coach said making the comeback “shows a lot about our attitude”, but accepted it would be “a better situation” to take the lead in games.

Barcelona made tickets harder for Frankfurt fans to obtain this time around by delaying their sale, and beyond a small number of visiting supporters who appeared to be ejected from home areas, there was little trouble.

Barcelona controlled the opening period, pinning the visitors, who lost 6-0 against RB Leipzig on Saturday in the Bundesliga, back in their own territory.

Veteran striker Robert Lewandowski put the ball in the net, but it was ruled out for an offside earlier in the move.

Despite their dominant start, the Catalans fell behind after 21 minutes, caught out by a rapid Frankfurt counter-attack.

Lamine Yamal dribbled into trouble, and Nathaniel Brown surged forward from the back before dropping a ball in behind Barca’s high defensive line for Knauff to charge on to.

Gerard Martin tried and failed to intercept it with a flick of the leg, and the German striker held off Alejandro Balde before finishing neatly.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Frankfurt defenders scrambled to block a Fermin Lopez effort, as Barca struggled to create clear openings.

Teenage star Yamal could not find a way past Brown in one of his more erratic outings for Barca.

Ellyes Skhiri slammed a shot just over the bar as Frankfurt missed a good chance to extend their lead before half-time, and it came to cost them.

Barcelona came out all guns blazing in the second half and were helped by the introduction of on-loan Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford.

The England international teed up Raphinha, who blazed over, before whipping in a cross for Kounde to head home in the 50th minute.

“It was important Marcus was on the pitch, he gave us the width,” explained Flick.

Kounde, who has particularly struggled this season, was Barcelona’s hero against Frankfurt as he grabbed his second of the night three minutes later.

Yamal slung in a high, looping cross, which Kounde nodded back across the goal, and it dropped in at the far post.

“Kounde is a guy who works a lot; he deserves these goals,” said Pedri.

“I think he wasn’t trying to score with the second goal, but I’ll ask him.”

Kounde admitted he was a bit surprised when the ball made it into the net.

“I tried to put it back into that zone (at the far post),” he said. “So I was surprised, sometimes you need to have a bit of luck.”

Unable to procure a third goal to kill off the game, Barcelona had to sweat through the final stages, but Frankfurt did not come close to finding an equaliser.

The win left Barcelona 14th in the table, two points behind Liverpool in eighth, while Frankfurt are down in 30th.

READ: Pat Cummins back in Australia squad for third Ashes Test

Australia captain Pat Cummins is in line to return for the third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide after being named in a 15-man squad on Wednesday.

Cummins is the only addition to an otherwise unchanged squad from Brisbane, where Australia won by eight wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

The 32-year-old Cummins has been sidelined since the tour to the West Indies in July with a lower back injury.

“We feel as though he’ll be as best prepared as can be,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said.

Under-pressure veteran opener Usman Khawaja, who did not play in the second Test because of a back injury, kept his place in the squad for the match, which begins at the Adelaide Oval on December 17.

Josh Inglis replaced the injured left-hander in the team for the second Test, but batted in the middle order with Travis Head moving up to open alongside Jake Weatherald.

McDonald did not rule out a fit-again Khawaja moving down the order if the dynamic Head opens again on his home Adelaide Oval wicket.

Khawaja batted at five in the fourth Test of the 2021-22 Ashes, making a century in each innings, 137 and 101 not out, in a drawn match at Sydney.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“Uzzie should be fit and available, and then we will work out our batting order based on the surface,” McDonald said.

“The assumption is that (Khawaja) can only open as well. He does have flexibility.

“We like to think that all our batters have the flexibility to be able to perform anywhere in that order.”

Veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who has 562 Test wickets, is likely to return after being dropped at the Gabba for the first time in 12 years at home when Australia opted for an all-seam attack.

If Cummins also plays it means that only one of Scott Boland, Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett will keep their place alongside Mitchell Starc in the pace attack.

Starc, who is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 18, was reported fit by McDonald after suffering what the coach termed a “left side niggle” while making 77 with the bat in Australia’s first innings in Brisbane.

After Adelaide, the series moves on to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test, with the fifth and final match in Sydney starting on January 4.

Australia squad for third Test

Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

READ: Lionel Messi makes history with consecutive MLS MVP awards

Lionel Messi won his second consecutive Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player award on Tuesday after propelling Inter Miami to the MLS title and leading the league in goals.

Messi became the first player to win back-to-back MLS MVP awards and only the second player in the league to capture two MVP awards after Preki in 1997 and 2003.

“I’m happy to receive this award and be the first in the history of this league to win it in two consecutive years,” Messi said. “I’m very thankful.”

The 38-year-old forward, who led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup crown, scored 29 goals in the regular season — the fourth-most in any MLS campaign — and set up 19 others to claim the MLS Golden Boot.

“I’m thankful for this recognition,” Messi said. “It’s always nice to receive individual awards, but I want to share it with my teammates. I was also fortunate to win the MLS Golden Boot thanks to the help of my teammates.”

Messi, who signed a three-year contract extension with Miami in October, also became only the second player to lead the league in regular-season goals and assists, joining Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco in 2015.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Messi also netted six goals and created nine others in this year’s MLS playoffs, which concluded last weekend with Inter Miami beating Vancouver 3-1 for its first MLS Cup title, Messi delivering two key assists in the triumph to claim MLS Cup MVP honors.

It’s the latest award in a trophy haul for the South American maestro that includes a record eight Ballon d’Or titles, three FIFA Men’s Best Player awards and two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls.

Messi was a runaway season MVP award winner with 70.43 per cent of total voting compared to 11.15 per cent for runner-up Anders Dreyer of San Diego FC. Messi took 83.05 per cent of media votes, 73.08 per cent of club votes and 55.17 per cent of player votes.

He became the first MLS player with 10 multi-goal games in a season, breaking the old mark of eight shared by Stern John in 1998, Mamadou Diallo in 2000, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2019.

In 2024, Messi won the MLS MVP award with 20 goals and 16 assists over 19 matches.

Messi joined Inter Miami in July 2023 and helped the Herons hoist the Leagues Cup, a tournament for MLS and Mexican League clubs, that year and take the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield with a league-best 74 points in the regular season.

READ: John Cena set for new role after retirement

The 17-time WWE world champion John Cena on Tuesday announced a new five-year deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

The star wrestler who made his debut in 2002 will bid farewell to in-ring competition on December 13, at Saturday Night’s Main Event, where he will take on Gunther.

Gunther booked his place in Cena’s retirement bout by defeating LA Knight in the final of “The Last Time is Now” tournament on the December 5 episode of SmackDown.

In the tournament final, Gunther and LA Knight delivered a contest worthy of its high stakes, fighting with the urgency of a championship bout.

Now, Cena has revealed his post-retirement plans during a recent interview, stating that he will serve as an ambassador for WWE.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“I will be an ambassador [for] the WWE. I’m already signed on for another five years,” he revealed.

“I was like, ‘Please, as long as you can do it.’ I would like to be in this family as an employee, as a contributing part for as long as I can,” he added,

The 48-year-old also talked about the nature of his upcoming assignment, noting that the role will attract more people to watch wrestling.

“I’m looking forward to the second mountain of being an ambassador because maybe ambassadorship comes with letting more people know to watch this, which was my goal in the first place,” Cena explained.

For the unversed, John Cena’s fight this Saturday will mark the final chapter of a storied two-decade career, one filled with championships, era-defining rivalries, and unmatched longevity at the top.

Whether he chooses to go out with a classic victory or puts Gunther over on his way out, the match is set to be an emotional farewell.

READ: Jasprit Bumrah joins Shaheen Afridi in elite century list

CUTTACK: India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah on Tuesday achieved a unique milestone during the first T20I against South Africa as he joined Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi in the 100-wickets club across all formats in international cricket.

Ahead of the first T20I, Bumrah stood at 99 T20I wickets in 80 matches.

The right-hander hit the landmark after scalping Dewald Brevis in the 10th over of the innings.

With this, the 30-year-old joined Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi, Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga, New Zealand’s Tim Southee, and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Notably, he is the first Indian to take 100 wickets in all formats— T20I, ODI, and Tests.

India’s highest wicket-takers in T20Is:

Arshdeep Singh – 107 wickets
Jasprit Bumrah – 101 wickets
Hardik Pandya – 99 wickets
Yuzvendra Chahal – 96 wickets
Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 90 wickets

Overall, Bumrah has taken 234 wickets in 52 Tests, 149 in 89 ODIs, and 101 in 81 T20Is. Currently, Arshdeep Singh is leading the wickets chart for India in T20Is with 107 wickets to his name.

Bowlers To Take 100 Wickets in Each Format

Tim Southee: 391 Tests, 221 ODIs, 164 T20Is

Lasith Malinga: 101 Tests, 338 ODIs, 107 T20Is

Shaheen Afridi: 121 Tests, 135 ODIs, 126 T20Is

Shakib Al Hasan: 246 Tests, 317 ODIs, 149 T20Is

Jasprit Bumrah: 234 Tests, 149 ODIs, 101 T20Is

Nonetheless, India crushed South Africa by 101 runs in the T20I series opener played here at the Barabati Stadium.

Set 176 under lights, South Africa’s explosive batting line was skittled for 74 in only 12.3 overs, thanks to a clinical bowling display from the Men in Blue.

Hardik Pandya delivered an all-round performance on his return to the side. The ace all-rounder first propelled his side to a winning score with an unbeaten 58* from 29 balls.

Later on, he also chipped in the ball and picked up a wicket, completing the rout of the visitors, which also slumped them to their record lowest total in the limited overs format.

READ: Pandya stars as India rout South Africa in T20I series opener

CUTTACK: Hardik Pandya dazzled on his T20I return with an all-round display, leading India to a commanding 101-run victory over South Africa in the first match of the T20I series here on Tuesday.

Set 176 under lights at Barabati Stadium, South Africa’s explosive batting line was skittled for 74 in only 12.3 overs, thanks to a clinical bowling display from the Men in Blue.

Arshdeep Singh provided India a top start with the prized wicket of Quinton de Kock, caught out on the second ball of the innings.

It was Arshdeep again who sent back Tristan Stubbs in the third over, reducing the Proteas to 16-2.

Stubbs was caught behind after hitting two boundaries in his 14 off nine.

India continued to pile on pressure with wickets at regular intervals as South Africa lost half of their side in the seventh over.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The experienced middle-order comprising Aiden Markram and David Miller could not arrest the slide, as all of the Indian bowlers chipped in with wickets on their own.

Eventually, the visitor’s whole side was bowled out for a mere score.

For India, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel scalped two wickets apiece. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube also managed to take one each.

Earlier, India racked up 175 for six in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to Hardik Pandya’s 59* from 28, which included four sixes and half a dozen boundaries.

South Africa put India on the ropes in the first 13 overs as the home side was reduced to 104-5.

However, Pandya, on his return after injury, turned the tide in India’s favor with a blistering knock, which not only lifted them out of trouble but propelled them to a winning total.

For South Africa, Lungi Ngidi starred with the ball and picked up three wickets in four overs. Lutho Sipamla remained the other notable contributor with two wickets to his name.

READ: Australia coach clarifies Khawaja’s role in flexible batting order

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has addressed the uncertainty around Usman Khawaja batting position upon his return for the third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide.

Australia are 2-0 ahead in the series, with the third Test set to commence on December 17 in Adelaide.

McDonald answered questions about Australia’s batting order, with Usman Khan returning after being ruled out of the second Test due to injury.

In Khawaja’s absence, Jake Weatherald and Travis Head opened the batting for Australia.

The 38-year-old was battling discomfort throughout the series opener in Perth and was sidelined with a back injury.

“It worked at this point in time. Pink-ball Test at the Gabba, we felt like that combination was right for those conditions and the opposition,” McDonald said about Australia’s current opening pair.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“We will always ask ourselves the question that the selection table as we move in. At our strategy meetings, we’ll continue to ask questions on what the best line-up is for that point in time. And we’re taking this Test by Test,” he maintained.

The head coach emphasized a flexible batting order, noting that all of their batters can play any position, regardless of their number.

“The assumption is that Uzzie can only open as well. So I think that he does have the flexibility. And we like to think that all our batters have the flexibility to be able to perform anywhere in that order,” McDonald explained.

“So we’ve got a collective sort of group of batters there that, as a series wears on, the opposition may create some different challenges for us. We’re open to what it will look like for us moving forward,” he concluded while expressing confidence.

Nonetheless, Australia is likely to name a squad for the third Test with skipper Pat Cummins also returning to the fold after an injury.

READ: Can Virat Kohli reach 100 international centuries?

Mohamed Salah reported for Liverpool training on Tuesday as doubts continued to grow about the star striker’s future at the Premier League champions.

The Egypt forward was left out of Liverpool’s squad for their Champions League tie at Inter Milan on Tuesday following his extraordinary public criticism of Reds manager Arne Slot after he was left on the bench for the third consecutive game.

Salah drove himself to Liverpool’s training base in Kirkby on Tuesday and posted an Instagram picture of himself in the facility’s gym.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mohamed Salah (@mosalah)

The 33-year-old said after the 3-3 draw with Leeds on Sunday that he felt like he had been “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool and no longer had a relationship with Slot, sparking reports the Egyptian could be on his way out of Anfield in January despite signing a new contract in April.

Saudi clubs are reportedly preparing to make offers for Salah.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Asked at a pre-match press conference in Milan on Monday, whether Salah, who has scored 250 times for Liverpool since signing from Roma in 2017, had played his last game for the Reds, Slot replied: “I have no clue.

“I cannot answer that question at this point in time.

“He has every right to feel what he feels, but he doesn’t have the right to share it with the media.”

Salah, who was not even used as a substitute at Elland Road, is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations after next weekend’s home match against Brighton in the Premier League.

He said he was “very, very disappointed” to have again been named among the substitutes at Leeds, adding: “I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am on the bench for three games, so I can’t say they keep the promise.

“I said many times before that, I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship.

“I don’t know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.”

Salah made his explosive comments in the midst of a dismal season for both him and Liverpool.

The Reds have won just four times in 15 matches in all competitions and sit 13th in the Champions League with nine points after being thumped 4-1 at home by PSV Eindhoven in their most recent European outing.

Salah has played a key role in Liverpool’s two Premier League titles and one Champions League triumph during his iconic spell on Merseyside.

But he has been a shadow of his former self during Liverpool’s struggles this season — the title-holders are 10th in the table — with just four goals in 13 top-flight appearances.

READ: Wrestler Inam Butt clinches gold for WAPDA at National Games