Jordan, Buttler star as England thrash USA to reach T20 World Cup semifinals

England’s captain Jos Buttler plays a shot during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup cricket match between the United States and England at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (AP)
England’s captain Jos Buttler plays a shot during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup cricket match between the United States and England at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 23 June 2024
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Jordan, Buttler star as England thrash USA to reach T20 World Cup semifinals

Jordan, Buttler star as England thrash USA to reach T20 World Cup semifinals
  • By winning so quickly, England secured a place in the last four, regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s final Group Two Super Eights match

BRIDGETOWN: Chris Jordan took four wickets in five balls, including the third hat-trick of the T20 World Cup, as defending champions England qualified for the semifinals with a 10-wicket thrashing of the United States in his native Barbados on Sunday.
The 35-year-old all-rounder, born and educated on the Caribbean island, justified his recall for this match in spectacular fashion with the remarkable figures of 4-10 in 2.5 overs as the United States were dismissed for 115.
England captain Jos Buttler then led from the front in a blistering chase with an unbeaten 83, featuring five sixes in an over from Harmeet Singh, as his side raced to their target in a mere 9.4 overs.
By winning so quickly, England secured a place in the last four, regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s final Group Two Super Eights match between co-hosts the West Indies and South Africa in Antigua and any associated net run-rate calculations.
Buttler faced just 38 balls, including six fours and seven sixes, but the day belonged to Jordan, whose hat-trick was the third of this tournament, with Australia’s Pat Cummins achieving the feat against both Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and the first by an England bowler in any men’s T20 international.
“Unbelievable feeling, more importantly to restrict USA and to do it in a special place like this is always nice,” said Jordan.
“Been on a hat-trick a few times, nice to get it on target this time.”
Buttler added: “I wanted to bring CJ back in to add a little bit of depth to the batting and we know what he is capable of with the ball. He executed it fantastically well, and a World Cup hat-trick is a great effort.”
As for his own form, Buttler said: “Personally it’s really important I continue this into the semifinals. I have been feeling good all year, I feel I am hitting the ball well and it is nice to get that confidence.”
The United States, one of the surprise packages of the event after defeating Pakistan on their way to the second round, were 115-6 when Jordan came onto bowl the 19th over.
His first ball of the over saw Corey Anderson hit a fast and low full toss to Harry Brook at long-on as the former New Zealand all-rounder fell for 29.
Two balls later, paceman Jordan clean bowled Ali Khan for a duck, the off-stump knocked out of the ground.
Next ball Nosthush Kenjige was plumb lbw and Jordan then completed his hat-trick — and ended the innings — by bowling Saurabh Netravalkar between bat and pad to remove the last man’s middle stump.
The United States were relatively well-placed at 48-2 at the end of the six-over powerplay.
But leg-spinner Adil Rashid then bowled two excellent googlies to dismiss Aaron Jones and Nitish Kumar, whose 30 was the highest score of the innings, in a miserly haul of 2-13.
England started their reply knowing victory in 17.4 overs would see them advance to the semifinals regardless of events elsewhere.
Buttler signalled his intentions early on with an extraordinary 104-meter six before Mumbai-born left-arm spinner Singh then felt the full force of his bat.
England must now wait another 24 hours to discover the identity of their semifinal opponents.


Inter hand Arsenal first defeat in Champions League

Inter hand Arsenal first defeat in Champions League
Updated 07 November 2024
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Inter hand Arsenal first defeat in Champions League

Inter hand Arsenal first defeat in Champions League

MILAN, Italy: Inter Milan maintained their unbeaten start in the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Arsenal on Wednesday as the Gunners suffered their first defeat in the competition this season.
Hakan Calhanoglu scored a penalty in first-half stoppage time after a handball from Mikel Merino, leaving the Italian champions with 10 points from four matches and Arsenal on seven points.


Tickets for Fury-Usyk rematch go on sale

Tickets for Fury-Usyk rematch go on sale
Updated 07 November 2024
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Tickets for Fury-Usyk rematch go on sale

Tickets for Fury-Usyk rematch go on sale

RIYADH: Tickets for the much anticipated rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are now on sale, organizers announced on Wednesday.
The heavyweight boxing contest will take place on December 21 at the Kingdom Arena.
Tickets for “Fury vs Usyk Reignited” can be purchased through Webook App.
The main event will see Ukrainian heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk face off against British powerhouse Tyson Fury in a highly anticipated rematch of their previous fight held last May as part of Riyadh Season. Known for his speed and agility, Usyk holds all major belts in the heavyweight division, marking a historic achievement as the first boxer in 25 years to claim unified heavyweight titles. Fury, on the other hand, brings a wealth of experience and raw strength, celebrated for his knockout power and tactical prowess.
Alongside the main event, Ukrainian boxer Serhii Bohachuk will take on Uzbek opponent Israil Madrimov. Bohachuk enters the ring with an impressive record of 24 wins, including 23 knockouts, while Madrimov showcases his strength with 10 wins, 7 by knockout.
Other fights include an electrifying bout between unbeaten Johnny Fisher, with 12 wins and 11 knockouts, facing British veteran David Allen, who has amassed experience in 31 bouts. Dennis McCann will battle Peter McGrail as McCann aims to maintain his flawless 16-win record, while McGrail looks to claim his 11th victory.
Isaac Lowe and Lee McGregor will also go head-to-head in what promises to be an intense fight. Lowe brings 30 fights of experience, while McGregor boasts a strong record of 14 wins, including 11 knockouts, making this one of the most anticipated fights of the night.


Bizarre penalty sends Aston Villa to first Champions League loss at Brugge

Bizarre penalty sends Aston Villa to first Champions League loss at Brugge
Updated 06 November 2024
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Bizarre penalty sends Aston Villa to first Champions League loss at Brugge

Bizarre penalty sends Aston Villa to first Champions League loss at Brugge
  • Villa had led the 36-team Champions League standings after three straight wins without conceding a goal
  • The loss leaves Villa in fifth place in the standings now led by Liverpool

BRUGES, Belgium: A strange penalty for handball ended Aston Villa’s winning run in the Champions League on Wednesday as the English team lost 1-0 at Club Brugge.
In the other early game, Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Heorhiy Sudakov had a fine assist and an even better goal in a 2-1 win for the Ukrainian champion against Young Boys.
Villa had led the 36-team Champions League standings after three straight wins without conceding a goal — and they took a bizarre incident before goalkeeper Emi Martínez was eventually beaten.
Villa defender Tyrone Mings was punished for picking up the ball when Martínez seemed to restart play with a goal kick passed short to his teammate.
Mings walked forward a couple steps to gather the ball with his left hand and returned to place it at the corner of the six-yard box.
The penalty kick was awarded and Brugge captain Hans Vanaken scored in the 52nd minute, placing the ball to Martínez’s left as the World Cup-winning Argentina goalkeeper dived to his right.
Martínez tried to persuade German referee Tobias Stieler after the game that he had made a mistake.
The loss leaves Villa in fifth place in the standings now led by Liverpool, with Inter Milan, Arsenal and Brest all able to rise above coach Unai Emery’s team with a win later Wednesday. Inter were hosting Arsenal at San Siro.
Club Brugge have six points, from two wins and two losses and were provisionally in 20th place, which after all eight rounds in January would earn a place in the knockout playoffs round.
Shakhtar’s Sudakov showed against Young Boys why he is expected to be the club’s next big-money sale.
Both teams came into the game without scoring a goal in the first three rounds of the new league phase format.
Swiss champion Young Boys are struggling in 10th place in their domestic title defense and took an unexpected lead in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, where Shakhtar are playing their Champions League home games during the military invasion by Russia.
After the Shakhtar defense was caught in the 27th minute playing short passes deep in their own half, Kastriot Imeri struck with a low shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Shakhtar was level four minutes later when Sudakov’s precise pass into the goalmouth eluded a circle of five Young Boys players to find Oleksandr Zubkov for a tap-in.
Sudakov cleverly created space in the 41st to stride forward and fire a low shot from 20 yards (meters) into the far corner of the net past diving goalkeeper Marvin Keller.
Shakhtar are outside the playoff places in 26th, with four points, and Young Boys is 35th and among six teams with zero points.


Zheng advances to semis of WTA Finals in Riyadh with victory over Paolini

Zheng advances to semis of WTA Finals in Riyadh with victory over Paolini
Updated 06 November 2024
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Zheng advances to semis of WTA Finals in Riyadh with victory over Paolini

Zheng advances to semis of WTA Finals in Riyadh with victory over Paolini
  • The Olympic gold medalist, seeded 7th, sweeps aside 4th seed Paolini 6-1, 6-1 in just 67 minutes, her 30th win in 35 matches
  • Already eliminated Rybakina claims consolation 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over world No. 1 Sabalenka, who secured semi-final spot on Monday

RIYADH: Zheng Qinwen continues to deliver in her breakthrough season, as she advanced to last four of the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Wednesday with a victory over Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini.

The Chinese Olympic gold medalist swept past fourth seed Paolini 6-1, 6-1 in a mere 67 minutes. It was her 30th victory in 35 matches.

Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina claimed a consolation 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who had already secured her semi-final spot as group winner on Monday.

Rybakina, who was already out of the competition after losing her first two matches, finally found form against Sabalenka. It was a much-needed confidence boost for the world No. 5, who missed most of the second half of the season with allergies, insomnia and a back injury.

“It was a tough match and I’m really happy that I managed to win,” said Rybakina, who shared a warm embrace with Sabalenka at the net. “I think it’s nice to finish the year at least with one win against the world No. 1.”

The loss was only Sabalenka’s second in 24 matches. She was yet to learn who she will face in Friday’s semi-final but whatever happens, she has reason to celebrate as she clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking when Iga Swiatek was defeated by Coco Gauff on Tuesday.

However, the Belarusian does not intend to let that achievement distract her from the task at hand, which is to lift the WTA Finals trophy for the first time in her career.

“It’s a really great feeling but I figured that last night and it didn’t work really well tonight for me, so I just want to focus on the current tournament, to stay hungry and stay motivated, because it’s a big tournament and it’s also one of my goals, so I’ll focus on this goal,” Sabalenka said on Wednesday.

In the last day of round-robin action in the Purple Group, Zheng and Paolini were fighting it out for the second qualification spot behind Sabalenka.

Zheng, seeded seventh, locked down her place in the last four with a dominating performance as she became the first Chinese player to make it out of the group stage at the event since Li Na in 2013.

“That was 11 years ago; I’m really proud I could make it,” said the 22-year-old. “I didn’t know what to expect coming to these WTA Finals for the first time. I was in a very difficult group.

“It’s one of the best performances I’ve had during this year. Really good percentage of first serves. I felt really good on my groundstrokes and I made a couple of good volleys. I really enjoyed it.”

An aggressive return earned Zheng her first break of the match in game three and then she broke again and held her serves to go 5-1 up. Paolini, a two-time Grand Slam finalist this season, saved one set point on her own serve in game seven but Zheng kept her foot on the gas to close out the 32-minute set on the second opportunity.

Zheng was just as impressive in the second set, and after saving a break point while serving for the match at 5-1 she closed out the win with her 12th ace of the match.

“I finally feel that my serve has started to be a bit more consistent,” said Zheng, who leads the tour in aces and first-serve points won this season.

This was her fourth victory in as many meetings with Paolini, who will remain in Riyadh to battle for a semi-final spot in the doubles competition alongside fellow Italian Sara Errani.

Since Wimbledon in July, Zheng has recorded the most wins of any woman on the tour. Besides taking gold in the singles at the Olympics, she defended her Palermo title, reached the quarter-finals of the US Open, the semi-finals in Beijing, the final in Wuhan, and lifted the trophy in Tokyo. Three of her five defeats during that run were at the hands of Sabalenka and she said she has been impressed by the Belarusian’s form this season. Zheng’s record against Sabalenka is 0-5, and she said this is a big source of motivation for her.

“She won two slams,” Zheng said. “This is really big achievement for her. And I remember last year, she won her first Grand Slam in the Australian Open. And then she kept going, kept working.

“But you know, both slams that she won this year, I lost against her on the way. Which means if I want to win a slam, I have to be able to beat her. And I’m quite excited for that day.”


Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with knee injury

Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with knee injury
Updated 06 November 2024
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Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with knee injury

Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with knee injury
  • Pegula lost her opening two matches in Saudi Arabia in straight sets and had no chance of advancing to the semifinals
  • US Open finalist was due to face defending champion Iga Swiatek and will now be replaced by alternate Daria Kasatkina

RIYADH: American sixth seed Jessica Pegula has withdrawn from the WTA Finals in Riyadh with a left knee injury, the tournament announced on Wednesday.

A runner-up at the WTA Finals last year, Pegula lost her opening two matches in Saudi Arabia in straight sets and had no chance of advancing to the semifinals.

The US Open finalist was due to face defending champion Iga Swiatek in the last day of round-robin action on Thursday and will now be replaced by alternate Daria Kasatkina on the schedule.

“I’ve just been struggling with a little bit of an injury and for whatever reason, it really flared up this week. Not really sure why,” Pegula, 30, said.

“In the few days before practice, it felt really, really good, but it started creeping up right before my first match, and just feel like I’m not feeling comfortable moving on court, so I just wanted to make the decision to unfortunately pull out.”

Kasatkina is ranked No. 9 in the world and recently clinched the WTA 500 title in Ningbo.

She is 1-5 head-to-head against Swiatek, losing her last five consecutive clashes with the Pole. 

Coco Gauff is the only player in the Orange Group in Riyadh to have secured passage to the semifinals.