England snatched an unlikely tie against New Zealand after earlier staring down the barrel of defeat in a thrilling -- and historic -- fourth one-day cricket international in Napier yesterday.
England made 340-for-six, and when it looked as if New Zealand had paced themselves to pull off a high-scoring victory, bolstered by a century by Jamie How, they were denied victory with the final delivery.
The hero for the tourists was Luke Wright, called on to bowl his first over of the game and the last of the match when all other options were gone and New Zealand requiring just seven to win.
With New Zealand needing two to win off the last ball, Wright pitched up to Daniel Vettori and restricted him to a single.
On a day tailor-made for batters, the 340 by each side was the highest-scoring tie in the history of one-day cricket internationals and was also the highest ODI score overseas by an England side.
In the process they ensured the series stays alive going into the fifth and final match on Saturday.
England captain Paul Collingwood said he never felt overly confident with 340.
"We knew it was a good total but at the same time we knew how good the pitch was and pretty much up until six overs to go we were dead and buried," Collingwood said.
He said he decided to use Wright at the end when he saw New Zealand start to falter six overs from the end.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
RSS