Alick Athanaze played a vital innings of 92 to help the West Indies secure a hard-fought draw against South Africa in the rain-affected first Test at Queen's Park Oval on Sunday. Chasing an imposing target of 298 runs for victory, the West Indies were in early trouble but managed to salvage the match thanks to Athanaze's resilience and key contributions from his teammates.
South Africa, resuming their second innings at 30 without loss, quickly raced to 173 for 3 in just 29 overs before declaring, setting the West Indies a challenging target. Tony de Zorzi and Aiden Markram gave the visitors a solid start, scoring 45 and 38, respectively, before Tristan Stubbs injected urgency into the innings with a blistering 68 off 50 balls. His dismissal by Kemar Roach in the 29th over prompted South African captain Temba Bavuma to declare, leaving himself unbeaten on 15.
The West Indies' chase got off to a disastrous start, losing captain Kraigg Brathwaite for a duck in the first over. Mikyle Louis followed for nine, leaving the hosts reeling at 18 for 2. However, Alick Athanaze and Kaecy Carty began the process of rebuilding, putting together a valuable 46-run partnership before Carty was dismissed for 31 by Maharaj.
Athanaze continued to anchor the innings, forging another crucial stand of 63 runs with Kavem Hodge, who was also dismissed by Maharaj for 29. Athanaze's innings was a masterclass in patience and shot selection, as he found another steady partner in Jason Holder. The duo added 65 runs for the fourth wicket, with Athanaze inching closer to a well-deserved century.
Hodge made 29
Unfortunately, he fell just eight runs short of his maiden Test century, sweeping Maharaj to fine leg where he was caught. His innings, however, ensured that the West Indies could stave off defeat, with Jason Holder remaining unbeaten on 31 and Joshua da Silva not out on two when Bavuma decided to end proceedings, declaring the match a draw.
Maharaj was the pick of the South African bowlers once again, adding another four-wicket haul to his match tally, finishing with figures of 4 for 88 in the West Indies' second innings. His performance followed an equally impressive first-innings effort of 4 for 76.
Speaking after the match, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite expressed satisfaction with his team's batting display in the second innings. "I'm happy with our batting group. The guys were quite positive, and I'm so proud of the batting unit. We believed we could get those runs, and although it wasn't going to be easy, the fight and resilience shown were commendable," Brathwaite said.
He continued, "The pitch here in the Caribbean can be a bit slower, so it's about adjusting when to go slow and when to accelerate. Alick showed us that today with his approach. His plan was to sweep, and even though he got out to a sweep, he stuck to it and nearly got his century. Hodge was also good in England, and it's about continuing to build on these performances."
The first Test ended in a draw, but it was a match that saw both teams show their strengths. The West Indies will take confidence from their batting performance as they prepare for the second Test, knowing that they have the ability to challenge South Africa in the upcoming encounters.
The second Test gets underway at Providence in Guyana on August 15.
After 16 days of enthralling action, the Paris Olympics has finally come to an end.
Records were broken and history was made in the French capital, with the baton officially passed on to Los Angeles, who will host the Games in four years' time.
Before athletes and fans gathered at the nation's largest stadium, the Olympic flame, carried by swimmer Leon Marchand, traveled once again through the City of Light.
During the four-hour long ceremony, spectators were treated to performances by Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre live from Venice Beach.
Having been rumoured to play a starring role in the proceedings in Paris, actor Tom Cruise abseiled off the roof of Stade de France before leaving on a motorbike.
Over 10,500 athletes from 205 delegations packed into the stadium, with Team GB's trampoline gold medallist Bryony Page and Alex Yee, who won triathlon gold, the flagbearers.
Thomas Bach declared the Games officially over, with a stunning firework display bringing the curtain down on a memorable 16 days in Paris.
Nicholas Pooran delivered a masterclass in power-hitting as he hammered an unbeaten 66 off just 33 balls to lead Northern Superchargers to a thrilling seven-wicket victory over Manchester Originals in The Hundred on Sunday.
Pooran's explosive innings, highlighted by eight towering sixes, turned the tide in a match that seemed to be slipping away from the Superchargers at various points.
The Superchargers, chasing 153 for victory, found themselves in a precarious position at 29 for 2, needing over 100 runs with more than half the innings gone. The situation was made even more daunting by a suspected hamstring injury to Ben Stokes which forced him to leave the field.
Despite the early setbacks, Pooran, who has been in scintillating form throughout the tournament, stepped up to the challenge. He walked in with everything to do and proceeded to unleash a brutal assault on the Originals' bowlers. Alongside Harry Brook, who contributed a crucial 43, and Adam Hose, Pooran methodically dismantled the opposition's attack, ensuring that the Superchargers stayed alive in the competition.
The Originals, led by Phil Salt's blistering 61, had earlier posted 152 for 7, riding on the momentum of the highest-ever Powerplay score in the competition. However, the Superchargers' spinners, led by Mitchell Santner with figures of 3 for 24, pulled things back, restricting the Originals to a manageable total.
The chase, though steep, was made to look routine by Pooran's brilliance. The West Indian powerhouse demonstrated his ability to take the game away from the opposition with clean hitting and smart rotation of strike. Brook and Hose provided valuable support, ensuring that the Superchargers crossed the line with 62 balls to spare.
Reflecting on his match-winning knock, Pooran said, "It's definitely one of my better innings, knowing the situation of the game. Walking into bat with 100+ runs to get, and in this format, it creeps up on you very fast, but I was really happy that I could contribute and be there to the end."
He added, "You don't win tournaments with just one person contributing. It's really good when your teammates can contribute, and hopefully, we can go to our game on Tuesday and fight. If we lost the game today, we'd be out of the tournament. I'm happy that I could be there to the end, contribute, get the win for the team, and hopefully, the result will be the same again on Tuesday."
The victory keeps the Superchargers' hopes alive as they prepare to face London Spirit in a must-win game at Headingley on Tuesday.
Robin van Persie’s coaching debut ended in defeat as Heerenveen lost 1-0 in their opening game of the new Eredivisie season to 36-time champions Ajax.
Van Persie, who had previously managed at Feyenoord's academy, saw his side unable to recover from Kristian Hlynsson's goal on the stroke of half-time.
The former Manchester United striker saw his side manage an expected goals (xG) of 0.39 from their seven shots on target, but believed his side deserved something from the encounter.
“Based on the entire match, there might have been more in it,” Van Persie said shortly after the full-time whistle.
“We had a few chances in the first half. We had hoped that one of them would have gone in and created a bit more belief.
"In the second half, you could see our intentions but we didn't really create any chances.
With a week to prepare for their first home against Utrecht on August 17, Van Persie knows what he must work on with his players to get their first win on the board.
“We are going to face FC Utrecht next week in high spirits," Van Persie added.
“With this way of playing, I cannot promise that we will win every match, but in terms of intensity and sometimes also quality, this is football as I think you should play it. We will show that every week."
Sebastian Korda booked his place in the semi-finals of the Canadian Open after knocking out number two seed Alexander Zverev in three sets.
The American egded the entertaining clash in a third-set decider, eventually emerging a 7-6 (7-5) 1-6 6-4 victor in two hours and 19 minutes on Court Central.
Zverev started the encounter in Toronto on the front foot, earning a break of serve in the second game as he raced into a 3-0 lead early on.
However, his American opponent would fight back, winning three games in row to level the scores, maintaining his momentum to triumph in a first-set tiebreak.
But Zverev would respond emphatically, however, cruising through the second set without breaking a sweat to take the pairs first ever encounter the distance.
Korda and Zverev would hold their respective serve, but the German would be the first to blink, losing the ninth game on serve to hand his opponent the advantage.
And the American would grasp the opportunity with both hands, ending the encounter with a fierce serve as Zverev sent the ball high and and long.
Korda will face the winner of Hubert Hurkacz and Alexei Popyrin for a place in Monday's final.
Data Debrief: Korda continues impressive run
Korda can't stop winning at the moment, with his success in Toronto making it the fouth consecutive semi-final he has reached in as many events.
The world number 18 won 11 of his 15 service games, also saving five of the nine break points he faced in Toronto.
Mikel Arteta is confident new signing Riccardo Calafiori will improve Arsenal this season to end their 10-year wait for a Premier League title.
Calafiori, who joined the Gunners from Bologna in a reported £42million move, made his Arsenal debut in their 2-0 win over Lyon at the Emirates on Sunday.
The 22-year-old impressed on his first outing for his new club, replacing Oleksandr Zinchenko just after the hour mark for his first minutes since Euro 2024.
Arsenal have improved defensively during Arteta's tenure, boasting the best record for goals conceded in the Premier League last season (29).
And while Calafiori offers another solid option at the back for Arteta to call upon, the Spaniard is confident he will also improve his side going forward.
"He brings a lot of versatility because he can play in two or three different positions and especially in attack, he can occupy different spaces because he’s a real defender," Arteta said.
"When you see his presence, his physicality, how he goes to the duels, he’s unbelievable. Obviously, he’s done a lot last year and I think he’s a player that can improve us."
"We are managing them, it’s a lot of new things for him. It’s a big step up, but he’s so willing as you could see, for the 20 minutes that he played, he’s so energetic, so passionate, a really intelligent player. He’s going to give us a lot."
Both Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber were notable absentees from their Emirates Cup success, but Arteta is confident the pair are nearing a return to action.
"It's fine," Arteta said on Timber. "He's been doing some individual work, that's clear now.
"So we expect him to be ready to train with the group in the next week, because he has no reaction. So quite positive.
"I think it will take weeks on that one unfortunately," Arteta added on Tomiyasu's fitness. "He's going to have to be patient and work through it because I think it's going to take a few weeks."
The Gunners kickstart their quest for the Premier League title next Saturday when they welcome Wolves, a side they have not lost to at the Emirates since 2020, to North London.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games has further demonstrated the global reach of athletics, with a record for the most countries winning gold in a single Games having been set.
A total of 27 countries won athletics gold medals, two more than the previous record figure. Dominica, Pakistan and Saint Lucia all featured on the athletics medal table for the first time, with Thea LaFond (women’s triple jump), Arshad Nadeem (men’s javelin) and Julien Alfred (women’s 100m) all gaining historic gold for their respective nations.
Joining Dominica, Pakistan and Saint Lucia, Botswana also got a maiden athletics title through Letsile Tebogo in the men’s 200m – the nation’s first Olympic title in any sport – taking the total number of countries who have ever won an Olympic athletics medal to 105.
The tally of 43 countries on the medal table in Paris matches Tokyo as the biggest in athletics for more than 20 years, while 75 countries finished in the top eight – showcasing the depth of talent in the sport.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe thanked the Paris 2024 organising committee for providing the stage on which the sport and its stars could shine.
“Paris 2024 has been an absolutely spectacular Olympic Games for athletics,” said Coe.
“We are a sport where numbers matter on and off the field of play. Over the course of the last 11 days, our athletes have dazzled audiences in Paris and across the globe with some performances for the ages. We had three world records, 13 Olympic records and countless national and area records – the performances were nothing short of outstanding.
“Our sport is the gift that keeps on giving. This is not a one off,” added Coe. “We saw similar scenes at the World Championships in Budapest last year – and we are already seeing tickets fly off the shelves for Tokyo (2025 World Championships).”
A total of 26 athletes won multiple medals in Paris, including Femke Bol (mixed 4x400m gold, women’s 4x400m silver, women’s 400m hurdles bronze), her Dutch teammate Sifan Hassan (women’s marathon gold, 5000m and 10,000m bronze) and USA’s Gabby Thomas (women’s 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m gold).
Following his run for the US men’s 4x400m team in the heats, 16-year-old Quincy Wilson became the youngest ever men’s Olympic gold medallist in athletics.
Paris 2024 was also the highest quality Olympic Games in history, according to competition performance rankings:
Edition Score
Paris 2024 198,320
Tokyo 2020 197,115
Rio 2016 195,953
London 2012 192,456
Beijing 2008 191,749
Athens 2004 190,871
Records set
3 world records: Mondo Duplantis (SWE), 6.25m in the pole vault; Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA), 50.37 in the 400m hurdles; USA, 3:07.41 in the mixed 4x400m.
13 Olympic records, 2 Olympic decathlon best performances, 21 area records, 99 national records, 311 personal bests.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot insists he is keen to strengthen his squad following their two pre-season friendlies at Anfield on Sunday.
The Reds are the only Premier League side yet to make a signing in the transfer window so far, and have been linked with a move for Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi.
Slot's reign as Jurgen Klopp's successor has proved to be a seamless transition, winning three of his five games in charge (two draws).
The latest of which came on his Anfield debut, securing a 4-1 win over Sevilla, followed by a goalless draw against Las Palmas in a behind-closed doors match.
And while the Dutchman is confident signings will arrive on Merseyside, he was quick to acknowledge the strong Liverpool squad he has inherited.
"I think as a club like we are, we are always looking if we can strengthen the squad. But it’s not so easy to strengthen the squad if you see both games today," said Slot.
"I’ve said many times before that I’ve inherited a really strong team and if we can and if we think it’s possible, we will strengthen the squad. But only if we think we can and if it’s possible.
Both matches at Anfield saw several first-team players in action, with all of Liverpool's representatives at the Copa America and Euro 2024 all back with the squad.
The likes of Virgil Van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Darwin Nunez all featured on Sunday, but Slot said his players are not quite where he would like them to be in regards to their fitness.
"No, ideally we would have had them from the start, all of them," Slot started. "Then, players like Virgil [van Dijk] and all the others that went off after 60, 70 minutes could have played the whole game. But I am pleased, if you look at the situation.
"These players had to go to a holiday, a lot of them came back really strong. And the ones I had from the start stayed fit for all the time.
"Yeah, pleased with the fitness level the team has, and also without injuries at the moment, and that is an important thing in pre-season."
Emily Campbell claimed Great Britain's 65th and final medal at the Paris Olympics after winning bronze in the women's +81kg weightlifting on Sunday.
Campbell, who won silver in Tokyo three years ago, finished with a total of 288kg, lifting 126kg in the snatch and 162kg in the clean and jerk.
The 30-year-old has now won two of Great Britain's nine Olympic weightlifting medals, and is the only woman to finish on the podium at the Games.
Campbell set a new personal best in the snatch and clean and jerk, acknowledging the quality of her opponents in the French capital.
"The standard was so high and I had to pull it out of the bag," Campbell said. "In Tokyo I was new to the sport and enjoying things, it was a bonus medal.
"This one has come from the heart."
Defending champion Li Wenwen of China successfully defended her crown, winning gold ahead of South Korea's Park Hye-jeong.
Britain end the Games with 14 golds, 22 silvers and 29 bronze medals, beating their tally of 64 in Tokyo three years ago, with their efforts the joint-third best they have managed at the Olympics.
Since their first appearance in Athens in 1896, they have only managed more medals in Rio (67 in 2016) and London (146 in 1908).
Tammy Abraham is relishing his return to Serie A action with Roma, labelling the upcoming campaign as his season to shine under Daniele De Rossi.
Abraham, who scored 27 goals in his debut season with the Italian side, spent much of last year on the sidelines after sustaining an ACL injury against Spezia in June.
Despite his absence, the Giallorossi were among the top scorers in Italy's top flight, with only Inter (89), Milan (76) and Atalanta (72) scoring more than Roma's 65 league goals.
Abraham has netted 37 goals in his 119 appearances since his move from Chelsea back in 2021, becoming the first English player in thirty years to score more than 10 goals in a Serie A season.
The Englishman is keen to hit the ground running when Roma start their league campaign against Cagliari next week.
"Since the first day here in Rome I have wanted to demonstrate my passion for football and my desire to help the club", Abraham said.
"I am a smiling and always positive person. This is my first post-injury preparation, it is my season and I want to show that I am back.
"The rumours, obviously, are nice, it means you are doing well, but I am here with Roma and I am available to do my best."
Wayne Rooney's reign as Plymouth Argyle boss got off to a miserable start as they were thrashed 4-0 by Sheffield Wednesday in their first Championship game of the season.
Sunday's trip to Hillsborough represented Rooney's first match back in management since he was sacked by Birmingham City in January.
Any hopes of a flying start to his time on the south coast were quickly dashed as Danny Rohl's team dominated from the off, eventually racking up 4.85 expected goals (xG) from 30 shots at goal.
Jamal Lowe converted Svante Ingelsson's cross on the slide to hand the Owls a 35th-minute lead, then the new striker saw a header deflect in off the unfortunate Brendan Galloway for 2-0 shortly after the break.
Wednesday added further gloss to the scoreline late on, Josh Windass stabbing home an 82nd-minute third before Michael Smith came off the bench to finish from close range in stoppage time.
While the resounding victory takes Wednesday top of the early-season standings, Plymouth prop up the second-tier table ahead of Monday's match between Luton Town and Burnley.
Data Debrief: Plenty for Rooney to ponder
Plymouth were thoroughly outclassed by a Wednesday team they finished just two points behind last season, leaving their new boss with plenty to think about.
They only managed five shots to the hosts' 30, facing a huge 24 efforts from inside their own area.
Since returning from a spell in MLS with D.C. United, Rooney now has a record of two wins from 16 Championship matches with Birmingham and Plymouth (four draws, 10 losses).
Team USA claimed a record-extending eighth straight Olympic gold medal in women's basketball, seeing off France in a dramatic repeat of Saturday's men's final.
After watching LeBron James and company scoop gold by beating the hosts 98-87 in Saturday's gold-medal match, Cheryl Reeve's team took on the hosts in a rematch for the final gold available at the Paris Games.
It looked like they might be on the end of a monumental upset when they trailed by 10 points midway through the third quarter, with the hosts capitalising on a series of sloppy turnovers from the USA.
The USA rallied from there and had inched ahead by the start of the fourth quarter, only for two free throws from Marine Fauthoux to put France 53-51 up with five minutes to play.
It was American-born Gabby Williams who led France's charge in front of a buoyant home crowd, with the former WNBA first-round draft pick tallying 19 points and seven rebounds.
However, Team USA would find a second wind in an end-to-end finish, inching ahead for good when Kahleah Copper made two free throws with just five seconds on the clock.
France thought they had forced overtime at the death when Williams sank a terrific would-be 3-pointer, only for replays to show her foot was inside the arc, condemning the hosts to a 67-66 defeat in front of watching president Emmanuel Macron.
The United States' victory also ensured they topped the overall medal table for Paris 2024 – they matched China's haul of 40 golds but won 126 overall medals to China's 91, topping the tree for a fourth edition of the Games in a row.
Earlier on Sunday, Australia overcame Belgium 85-81 in the women's bronze-medal match, securing their first podium finish in the event since London 2012, when they beat Russia to finish third.
Lesley Ugochukwu struck late on for Chelsea as they claimed a 1-1 draw against Inter in their final pre-season fixture.
Marcus Thuram's first-half strike against the run of play gave the Serie A champions the lead, only for Ugochukwu to level in the 90th minute for the Blues.
Despite Chelsea dominating proceedings in the opening exchanges with Marc Guiu going close, Robert Sanchez was picking the ball out of his net in the 26th minute.
Joaquin Correa was given time to run at the Chelsea defence, picking out Thuram, who took the ball in his stride before firing a left-footed effort into the roof of the net.
Despite the hosts registering nine shots in the opening 45 minutes, they were unable to test Yann Sommer in the Inter goal as the Serie A champions led at the break.
Maresca rung the changes at the interval, with last season's top scorer Cole Palmer making his return to first-team action after his Euro 2024 campaign with England.
Levi Colwill struck the post early in the second period, before Christopher Nkunku's attempted bicycle kick produced a smart save from Sommer low to his right.
But the Blues' pressure would pay off in the closing stages, as Palmer's free-kick was headed kindly into the path of substitute Ugochukwu, who fired the ball home.
Data Debrief: Blues leave it late
Chelsea conclude their preparations for the new Premier League season having won just one of their six pre-season fixtures (two draws, three defeats), but there were plenty of positives to take from their showing in SW6.
The return of Palmer is a timely boost ahead of their fixture against Manchester City next week, but Maresca will want to see an improvement in front of goal.
Chelsea registered an expected goals (xG) total of 2.27 but could only net once, an underperformance of 1.27, with only seven of their 21 shots on target.
Alexis Sanchez has signed a two-year deal to return to Udinese after leaving Inter as a free agent.
Sanchez's contract with the Serie A champions expired in July, and he has chosen to return to Udinese 13 years after leaving.
He initially joined I Bianconeri in 2006 but spent two seasons on loan back in South America before establishing himself in the first team.
The 35-year-old made 112 appearances in his first spell at Udinese, netting 21 goals and registering 20 assists.
He has since played for Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United, winning nine trophies along the way, including LaLiga, Serie A and the Club World Cup.
Sanchez could make his first start in their Serie A opener against Bologna next Sunday.
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