South Africa crushed England by seven wickets, while injury-ravaged New Zealand eased past Ireland by 83 runs in the World Twenty20 Super Eights on Thursday.
Teenage left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell grabbed three wickets as England were shot out for 111 after Paul Collingwood elected to take first strike in good batting conditions at Trent Bridge.
The Proteas strolled their way toward surpassing the modest target, winning the game in the 19th over in front of a sell-out crowd of 18,000 to earn their first points in the second round.
PHOTO: AFP
“We performed well with the ball and everyone in the field played their role with intensity,” South Africa captain Graeme Smith said.
Collingwood said his team, who were defeated by minnows the Netherlands in the tournament opener, will have to regroup in time for Sunday’s clash with defending champions India at Lord’s.
“It’s been a real roller-coaster ride so far. Tonight we were beaten by a side who set an example in the field, there were diving catches and they put pressure on the batsmen,” Collingwood said.
England claimed Smith in the fourth over, caught behind off Stuart Broad, before Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs dug in to put on 74 for the second wicket.
Gibbs made run-a-ball 30 before he was bowled by off-spinner Graeme Smith, leaving Kallis to complete the formalities with 57 not out.
Owais Shah was the lone Englishman to withstand the Proteas’ onslaught with 38 off 33 balls after four of the top seven batsmen managed only four runs between them.
South African-born Kevin Pietersen was reduced to a brief cameo of 19 of the first 25 runs, before he was caught at mid-on by Roelof van der Merwe off Albie Morkel.
Late entrant Aaron Redmond proved his credentials as New Zealand thrashed hapless Ireland.
Redmond, drafted into the Black Caps squad on Wednesday night to replace the sick Jesse Ryder, made an immediate impact with a hurricane 63 off 30 balls.
New Zealand, sent in to bat on an even-paced wicket, rode on Redmond’s belligerence to pile up 198-5 before bowling the minnows out for 115 in 16.4 overs.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and