David Warner yesterday battled through searing heat to hit an epic unbeaten 200 in his 100th Test before retiring in pain as Australia consolidated their advantage against South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
On a scorching day, the hosts were 386-3 at stumps on day two of the second Test, leading by 197 after the Proteas were dismissed in their first innings for 189.
Travis Head was not out 48 with Alex Carey on nine. Steve Smith (85) and Marnus Labuschagne (14) were the only wickets to fall.
Photo: AFP
Yet worryingly for Australia, Cameron Green, who took 5-27 in South Africa’s first innings, also retired hurt after a nasty rap on the finger from Anrich Nortje.
Smith and Warner’s 239-run partnership took the game further away from South Africa, whose bowlers toiled in temperatures touching 37°C. Opener Warner, 36, snapped a near-three-year century drought in typically aggressive and gritty fashion, reaching three figures for a 25th time after coming into the game under pressure on a lean run.
It was his first Test hundred since January 2020, and as the opposition bowlers tired, he battled the elements and converted it to 200 for only the third time.
“You’d think by now people would know writing David Warner off is the wrong thing to do,” his wife, Candice Warner, told host broadcaster Fox.
However, it was an exhausting effort, as he passed 8,000 Test runs en route.
Chairs had to be brought out for David Warner and Smith to rest on in the drinks breaks, with towels draped over their heads and ice-packs on their shoulders.
David Warner needed treatment several times for cramps and retired in pain after reaching 200 and dropping to his knees, eventually helped from the field by support staff.
“The boys were cramping left, right and center,” Smith told reporters. “So, difficult [conditions], but nice to get us to the position where we are now.”
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but