CRICKET
Hendricks ton leads S Africa
Reeza Hendricks smashed a century on his one-day international debut to guide South Africa to a 78-run victory over Sri Lanka in the third match in Pallekele yesterday. Hendricks, whose 89-ball 102 gave the visitors strength after being put into bat first, became only the third South African to register a ton in his first ODI. Colin Ingram and Temba Bavuma are the other two. Jean-Paul Duminy’s 92 off 70 deliveries helped South Africa to 363-7. Sri Lanka made 285 all out in reply, with Dhananjaya de Silva’s 84 the only substantial contribution.
CRICKET
Bangladesh level series
A fine all-round performance by Shakib al Hasan lifted Bangladesh to a series-leveling 12-run win over the West Indies in the second fixture of a three-match T20 International series at the Central Broward Stadium in Florida on Saturday. Shakib belted 60 and senior opener Tamim Iqbal topscored with 74 as Bangladesh posted a 171-5 after they were put in to bat. The captain then claimed the important wickets of Marlon Samuels and opposing skipper Carlos Brathwaite as the Caribbean side were restricted to 159-9 in reply.
GOLF
Bhullar wins in Fiji
A late chip-in eagle saw India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar hold off a charging Anthony Quayle to claim the Fiji International by one stroke yesterday. Bhullar began the final day at the Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course with a one-shot lead, but found himself trailing late in the day as the Australian Quayle came home in 29 and set the target at 13-under. However, the eagle on the 17th moved Bhullar back into the lead and he held his nerve to par the last and sign in for a 66 and a one-shot victory over Quayle, who finished with a final-round 63. Taiwan’s Hung Chien-yao finished in a share of 60th.
GOLF
Justin Thomas zooms ahead
Justin Thomas turned on the jets midway through the third round and opened a three-stroke lead at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, on Saturday. A week before defending his title at the PGA Championship, Thomas carded a 3-under 67 after starting the day tied for the lead with Englishmen Ian Poulter and Tommy Fleetwood. The American gathered five birdies in nine holes from the sixth en route to a 14-under 196 total with one round left at the Firestone Country Club.
GOLF
Phatlum maintains lead
Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum recorded her first bogey of the championship at the Women’s British Open on Saturday and ended the third round as she started it, with a one-stroke lead in Lancashire. Apart from her lone hiccup, Phatlum continued her relentless accuracy off the tee and into the green, carding a composed three-under-par 69 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. However, she could not break clear of England’s Georgia Hall, who sank a 10-foot birdie at the last hole to also shoot 69 and keep the heat firmly on the leader. Taiwan’s Phoebe Yao was in a share of ninth after a 67, five shots off the lead, as was Teresa Lu (73). Farther back, Hsu Wei-ling was in a share of 47th, having begun her fourth round just before press time last night.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two