Australia yesterday edged India by four runs in a nerve-wracking finish to their opening Twenty20 international, despite a gallant 76 from Shikhar Dhawan, giving them a huge confidence boost after a run of poor results.
With the rain-marred match in Brisbane reduced to 17 overs, the visitors were set 174 to win under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system after the hosts made 158-4, with Glenn Maxwell top-scoring with 46.
India needed 13 off the last over from Marcus Stoinis, but, in a desperate bid to get the runs, two wickets fell and they missed the target.
It eased the pressure on Australia, who have been struggling to find their feet after a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March.
They have endured a dire run of results since and had lost fours T20s before this one.
“The boys played really well, especially through the middle overs with the bat. They showed a lot of courage,” skipper Aaron Finch said.
“The bowling was outstanding under a lot of pressure. I was confident. Stoinis was the one I penciled in to do that job at the end. He had clear plans and executed his plans really well,” he said.
Indian captain Virat Kohli called it an “exciting seesaw battle.”
“A lot of Indians came to support us. It was a great atmosphere to play in,” he said. “We bowled well and then they came back into the game with Stoinis and Maxy batting well. And a really good knock from Shikhar.”
Dhawan opened the innings in the run chase and immediately began plundering the Australia attack, smashing two boundaries off Jason Behrendorff’s opening over.
Behrendorff got the scalp of danger man Rohit Sharma for 7, but there was no stopping Dhawan, who hit 16 off one over to bring up his ninth T20 50 off just 28 balls.
Lokesh Rahul made 13 before he was cleverly stumped by Alex Carey, bringing Kohli to the crease to huge roars from the big Indian contingent.
However, he did not last long, gone for 4 with Chris Lynn taking a catch at third-man off Adam Zampa.
Dhawan was not far behind, caught on the boundary ropes attempting an upper cut off Billy Stanlake’s bowling.
It left Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik needing to score 78 runs off 36 balls. They whittled it down to set up a nail-biting finish before succumbing to the pressure.
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
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
RSS