Verstappen resists Norris attack to win Austrian GP sprint race

Verstappen resists Norris attack to win Austrian GP sprint race
The series leader and three-time world champion delivered a home win at the Red Bull Ring with a fighting response after being passed by McLaren’s Norris in the opening laps. (AFP)
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Updated 29 June 2024
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Verstappen resists Norris attack to win Austrian GP sprint race

Verstappen resists Norris attack to win Austrian GP sprint race

SPIELBERG: Max Verstappen resisted a spirited attack from Lando Norris on Saturday to claim victory for Red Bull in a feisty sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The series leader and three-time world champion delivered a home win at the Red Bull Ring with a fighting response after being passed by McLaren’s Norris in the opening laps.
His win was his third sprint triumph this year, his fifth in succession and his 10th in 15 contests as he came home 4.616 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and 5.348 clear of Norris, who was unable to maintain his early speed.
“I had a good first lap,” said Verstappen. “But once the DRS opened it took a few laps for me to get away and then I drove my own race. I had to work for it in that race and we have a few things to think about for tomorrow.”
George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes. Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari was seventh.
Sergio Perez came home eighth in the second Red Bull ahead of Haas’s Kevin Magnussen and Lance Stroll of Aston Martin.
Verstappen was given a rousing reception by the massed ranks of his ‘orange army’ in the grandstands, notably roaring with delight when he responded to snatch back his lead from Norris.


ICC nominates Pakistan’s Babar Azam for T20I Cricketer of the Year award

ICC nominates Pakistan’s Babar Azam for T20I Cricketer of the Year award
Updated 57 sec ago
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ICC nominates Pakistan’s Babar Azam for T20I Cricketer of the Year award

ICC nominates Pakistan’s Babar Azam for T20I Cricketer of the Year award
  • Azam played 24 matches and collectively scored 738 runs at an average 33.54 run in last 12 months
  • Others nominated for award include Sikandar Raza, Australian Travis Head and India’s Arshdeep Singh

ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has nominated Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam for its Twenty20 International (T20I) Cricketer of the Year award, saying no other Pakistan batter scored as many T20I runs as Azam in the last 12 months.
Other players nominated in the category include Sikandar Raza from Zimbabwe, Australian Travis Head and India’s Arshdeep Singh, according to the ICC.
Azam played 24 matches and collectively scored 738 runs at an average 33.54 run. His highest score was 75 against Ireland.
“With six fifties and close to a hundred boundaries, Babar was Pakistan’s mainstay and the year saw an improvement in his strike rate, with the batter clocking 133.21 runs every 100 deliveries,” the ICC said on its website.
“Still only 30, Babar is primed to break Rohit Sharma’s record as the highest run-getter in T20I cricket soon, sitting just eight behind the Indian’s mark of 4231 runs.”
The winners of the awards are likely to be announced in late January, 2025.
Pakistani Saim Ayub has also been nominated in the category of Emerging Cricketer of the Year along with Sri Lankan Kamindu Mendis, Shamar Joseph of West Indies and England’s Gus Atkinson.
Ayub scored 515 runs from nine one-day internationals (ODIs), averaging at 64.37.
“In Ayub, Pakistan found a new flamboyant southpaw at the top of their batting order. While Ayub was a consistent feature across all three formats, many of his best performances in 2024 came in ODIs,” the ICC said.
“As Pakistan won multiple away series in Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa to prime themselves for the ICC Champions Trophy defense, Ayub went big as an opener.”
In South Africa, the left-hander sizzled with two tons from the three games and finished as the Player of the Series in a 3-0 clean sweep — South Africa’s first at home. Ayub was also impressive in a low-scoring affair in Australia that saw Pakistan edge past the hosts to clinch their first ODI series triumph Down Under in 22 years.
The 22-year-old also provided Pakistan a handy option with the ball, claiming five wickets and boasting an economy rate of 4.63.


South Africa seal place in World Test Championship final with a tense 2-wicket win against Pakistan

South Africa seal place in World Test Championship final with a tense 2-wicket win against Pakistan
Updated 54 min 56 sec ago
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South Africa seal place in World Test Championship final with a tense 2-wicket win against Pakistan

South Africa seal place in World Test Championship final with a tense 2-wicket win against Pakistan
  • Needing 148 runs to win, South Africa crashed to 99 for eight owing to superb bowling by Mohammad Abbas
  • But Kagiso Rabada went on the attack, hitting 31 not out, before Marco Jansen hit the winning 16 runs

CENTURION: South Africa tailenders Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen hung in against relentless fast bowler Mohammad Abbas for a tense two-wicket win in the first test on Sunday and sealed the Proteas’ place in next year’s World Test Championship final.
Jansen (16 not out) overshadowed Abbas’ brilliant figures of 6-54 with a square driven boundary against the fast bowler as South Africa reached 150-8 just after lunch on Day 4 and escaped with a close win in the two-match series.
Abbas, making a comeback after more than three years in the test wilderness, had knocked back South Africa’s tricky chase of 148 runs in a marathon 13-over spell before lunch on Day 4 as the home team limped to 99-8, losing four wickets for three runs.
However, Rabada changed gears in an unbroken 51-run stand with Jansen and made an unbeaten 31 off 26 balls with five fours to seal a memorable victory and denied Pakistan its first test win in South Africa in almost 18 years.
South Africa had started this WTC cycle with a loss against New Zealand, but since then the Proteas drew 1-1 in India and then went on to beat West Indies, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to stay on top of the table.
India, Australia and Sri Lanka are the other teams still in contention for next June’s WTC final against South Africa at Lord’s.
Captain Temba Bavuma (40) and Aiden Markram (37) had thwarted Abbas for an hour after South Africa resumed at a wobbly 27-3, still needing 121 for victory.
Bavuma’s controversial dismissal punctuated a South Africa collapse in the latter half of first session with Abbas grabbing three off his six balls in a sensational home team collapse.
Bavuma, who made 40, surprisingly didn’t request a television review when replays suggested that Abbas’ ball had brushed the batter’s pocket and didn’t make contact with the inside edge of the bat but the South African skipper walked back to the dressing room.
Abbas bowled an unchanged marathon spell of 13 overs, but had to wait as Markram and Bavuma saw off eight overs from the fast bowlers.
Resuming at 27-3, Bavuma and Markram showed plenty of patience against Abbas’ probing line and length before the fast bowler finally got the breakthrough after the first drinks break.
Abbas was rewarded for his brilliant seam bowling when he beat the outside edge of Markram’s bat and knocked back the off stump.
Bavuma survived a couple of close chances when he successfully overturned an on-field lbw decision against him early in the day and Naseem Shah couldn’t hold onto a sharp catch at fine leg as he overstepped the boundary cushion while grabbing the ball over his head.
South Africa had controlled the game at 96-4 before Bavuma’s dismissal saw Abbas finding the outside edges of David Bedingham (14) and Corbin Bosch’s (0) bat off successive deliveries and in between Kyle Verreynne dragged Naseem Shah’s delivery back onto his stumps.
Abbas found the outside edge of Rabada’s bat in his first over after lunch that fell just short of wicketkeeper Rizwan before both tailenders took the team home.


ICC shortlists Pakistani batter Saim Ayub for Emerging Cricketer of the Year award

ICC shortlists Pakistani batter Saim Ayub for Emerging Cricketer of the Year award
Updated 29 December 2024
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ICC shortlists Pakistani batter Saim Ayub for Emerging Cricketer of the Year award

ICC shortlists Pakistani batter Saim Ayub for Emerging Cricketer of the Year award
  • Saim Ayub scored two centuries in recently concluded ODI series against South Africa
  • He has been nominated alongside Kamindu Mendis, Shamar Joseph and Gus Atkinson

ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) this week shortlisted Pakistan’s new batting sensation Saim Ayub for the Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year award for his match-winning performances against South Africa and Zimbabwe this month. 

Ayub has played six Test matches for Pakistan, scoring 323 runs at an average of 26.91 and scored three half-centuries. He has played nine ODIs, scoring 515 runs at an average of 64.37 with three centuries and a fifty already under his belt. 

The aggressive opening batter’s two centuries against South Africa in the recently concluded ODI series has earned him critical acclaim and comparisons with former Pakistan batting legend Saeed Anwar. 

“With nine categories in total, cricket fans around the world have the opportunity to cast their votes and help decide the winners of the ICC Awards 2024,” the ICC wrote on Saturday. 

Ayub has been nominated for the award with Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis, West Indies’ bowler Shamar Joseph and England’s Gus Atkinson. 

Pakistan are currently playing the first of their two-Test match series against South Africa in Centurion. The hosts have handed the Proteas a 148-run target, as South Africa struggle at 27/3 to chase the target.


Gilgit-Baltistan defeats Chitral in ice hockey match at Shandur Lake

Gilgit-Baltistan defeats Chitral in ice hockey match at Shandur Lake
Updated 29 December 2024
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Gilgit-Baltistan defeats Chitral in ice hockey match at Shandur Lake

Gilgit-Baltistan defeats Chitral in ice hockey match at Shandur Lake
  • The match was part of Shandur Ice Sports Challenge held from December 24 to 28
  • The ice hockey match was tied 2-2 before Gilgit-Baltistan won on penalty shootouts

PESHAWAR: Shandur Lake in Pakistan’s northern region hosted an ice hockey match on Saturday, with Gilgit-Baltistan defeating Chitral 4-3 in a penalty shootout, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Authority said.
The match concluded the Shandur Ice Sports Challenge, organized by the tourism authority, which was held from December 24 to 28 and featured competitions in ice hockey and speed skating.
While ice hockey remains a developing sport in Pakistan, it has gained traction in the northern regions, where freezing temperatures and frozen lakes create natural rinks.
“A large number of locals participated in the ice hockey event,” said Tashfeen Haider, Director General of the tourism authority. “The match at Shandur Lake demonstrates the region’s potential to host winter sports.”
Shandur is widely known for its annual polo festival, a tradition dating back to 1936, when British officials set up a polo ground at the Shandur Pass, located at approximately 3,700 meters above sea level.
The festival attracts teams from Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan and has become a significant cultural and sporting event.
The tourism authority informed that the ice hockey match at Shandur was tied 2-2 in regular time before being decided on penalty shootouts.
The match highlighted the growing interest in winter sports in Pakistan’s northern regions, which can help boost local tourism and community engagement.


Djokovic plans to keep playing for ‘years to come’

Djokovic plans to keep playing for ‘years to come’
Updated 29 December 2024
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Djokovic plans to keep playing for ‘years to come’

Djokovic plans to keep playing for ‘years to come’
  • The 24-time Grand Slam champion is beginning a season for the first time without any of the other so-called “Big Four”

Brisbane: Novak Djokovic said Sunday he planned to keep playing for “years to come” — with more tournaments on his schedule in 2025 — as he looks to take down the new guard led by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alzaraz.
The 37-year-old had a disappointing campaign last year by his standards, failing to win a Grand Slam and claiming just one title — Olympic gold in Paris.
He has slipped to number seven in the world and said he wanted to get his ranking back to “where it should be.”
“I’m looking for a good start to the season, I’m looking for more consistency across all the tournaments,” he said as he prepared to play at the Brisbane International this week.
“I’m looking to play more tournaments this year than I played last season, so hopefully also my level is going to go up.
“Hopefully I will win a few more tournaments and my ranking will go up to where it should be.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is beginning a season for the first time without any of the other so-called “Big Four” on the other side of the net following the retirements this year of Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
Roger Federer called it quits in 2022.
As they faded, Sinner and Alcaraz stepped up to become the new Grand Slam kings.
Djokovic, who is targeting an 11th Australian Open title next month and a record 25th Grand Slam crown, said he had no thoughts of retirement despite turning 38 in May.
“The way I’m feeling today, I still think that I can go strong for years to come,” he said.
“But how long I’m going to feel motivated to keep going is unpredictable.
“I still love this sport and I still love competing.”
The Serb, the top seed, starts his campaign against Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata in what will be his first official tournament since losing to Sinner in the final of the 2024 Shanghai Masters in October.
Djokovic will also play doubles alongside Nick Kyrgios, who is making a competitive return after playing just one ATP Tour singles match in two years following knee, foot and wrist injuries.