There was no play on the second day of the second Test between West Indies and Pakistan, with the weather frustrating the sides after Friday's gripping action.
Repeated inspections of a wet outfield did not yield suitable conditions, as rain continued to fall throughout Saturday.
It meant Pakistan remained on 212-4, as they were at stumps the previous day having staged a recovery from a rocky start.
West Indies had the tourists on the ropes in Kingston when they were put in to bat and remarkably reduced to 2-3.
Yet a huge partnership between Fawad Alam and Babar Azam lasted for 298 balls and 158 runs and was only ended when the former retired hurt with cramps.
That stand brought Pakistan firmly back into contention, and they would have hoped to set a big total on day two, only for the rain to intervene.
West Indies won the first match of the two-Test series.
San Jose Earthquakes trumped LA Galaxy 2-1 to extend their unbeaten streak away from home to six matches and 10 in total in MLS.
The Earthquakes carried a five-match unbeaten away run (W1 D4) into Friday's contest – their longest streak since going six straight games (W4 D2, including play-offs) without a road loss from September 2012 to March 2013.
San Jose matched that run thanks to Nicholas Hamalainen's 71st-minute own goal against rivals the Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Jeremy Ebobisse put the Earthquakes ahead seven minutes into the second half before the Galaxy's Victor Vazquez restored parity with 25 minutes remaining, having scored from a corner.
Only three of the last 41 MLS matches the Galaxy had played at Dignity Health Sports Park dating back to September 2018 ended in a draw (W24 L14).
That theme continued after the ball took a wicked deflection off Hamalainen and into the back of the net 19 minutes from the end.
The Earthquakes – unbeaten home or away since losing 3-1 to the Galaxy on June 26 – are seventh in the Eastern Conference, 13 points behind leaders Seattle Sounders.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy are third in the east and nine points better off than the Earthquakes after 21 games.
Half-centuries from Babar Azam and Fawad Alam wrested the early initiative from the West Indies and put Pakistan in a position of strength at the end of the first day of the second Betway Test at Sabina Park on Friday.
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite has hailed the contribution of allrounder and former captain Jason Holder as the team looks to secure its first Test series win over Pakistan in almost two decades.
Holder crafted a crucial second-innings knock of 58 and took 4 wickets as the team held on for a nail-biting one-wicket win to take the lead.
However, the top allrounder has also gained plenty of attention for his actions off the field, particularly for the mentorship shown to young fast-bowler Jayden Seales. Seales was one of the highlights of the first match for the Windies after claiming an impressive five-wicket second innings haul.
“Obviously, Jason is the number one all-rounder in the world. He is very crucial, and he has done a fantastic job, obviously with Jayden. I see them having a lot of chats,” Brathwaite told members of the media via an online press conference on Thursday.
“All the guys are doing a good job, they all came together but obviously Jason is the number one all-rounder in the world so obviously he brings a lot of value.”
Brathwaite replaced Holder as captain of the team in February, following a successful tour of Bangladesh, the team has since drawn with Sri Lanka and lost to South Africa.
West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood is confident the team is on the way to providing more consistent performances at the crease, despite recent displays of inconsistent form.
The Windies scored a dramatic win over Pakistan to take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing two-Test series. The match featured typically robust performances from the team’s bowlers with Jayden Seales ending with 125 for 8 and Kemar Roach 5 for 77.
With the bat, there were solid performances from captain Kraigg Brathwaite, Jason Holder, and Blackwood but elsewhere in the batting order, the concentration and execution on display from the line-up sparked cause for concern. For Blackwood, however, it remains a work in progress and a hurdle that the unit will get over sooner or later.
“We are making improvements, baby steps. It’s just the process, we are working hard as a batting unit, even though we did not get the scores we wanted,” Blackwood told members of the media on Wednesday.
"I see this unit is in a good place and on pace to do well for all the people of the West Indies, themselves and their families, and every day that we go to train we put in 150 percent,” he added.
Since the start of the year, Blackwood has himself struggled with the bat, averaging 22.92 in 7 Test matches played. So far, he has a high score of 68.
Despite a poor run of form with the bat struggling batsmen Kyle Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner are full of confidence and are raring to go ahead of Friday’s second Test against Pakistan at Sabina Park in Kingston.
While defending his aggressive approach to batting, West Indies vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood believes the team’s batsmen need to spend more time at the crease if they are to win the second Test against Pakistan set to bowl off at Sabina Park in Kingston on Friday.
Seattle Sounders leapfrogged Sporting Kansas City atop the Western Conference thanks to Raul Ruidiaz's moment of brilliance, while the resurgence of Atlanta United continued.
Super sub Ruidiaz came off the bench and scored a delightful game-winning goal just past the hour-mark as the Sounders downed Dallas 1-0 in MLS on Wednesday.
The Sounders were winless in 10 consecutive visits to Dallas (D3 L7, including play-offs) dating back to 2014 – their second-longest winless away run against a single opponent in MLS (11 straight at LA Galaxy from 2010 to 2015).
But Seattle snapped that skid thanks to Ruidiaz as Sporting KC's 1-1 draw with Portland Timbers allowed the Sounders to move top of the west by one point.
Atlanta extended their winning streak to three matches after Ezequiel Barco's first-half goal secured a 1-0 win at home to Toronto.
Since the sacking of head coach Gabriel Heinze following a falling out with star Josef Martinez, Atlanta – who had won successive matches for the first time since the opening two games of the 2020 season entering the fixture – have steadily climbed the table.
Atlanta are three points outside of the play-off positions in the Eastern Conference, which is topped by New England Revolution – 3-2 victors against DC United despite ending the contest with 10 men.
Elsewhere, Rodolfo Pizarro's stoppage-time winner guided Inter Miami to a dramatic 3-2 win against Chicago Fire midweek.
Pizarro struck in the 93rd minute to clinch a third straight home triumph for David Beckham's Inter Miami, who have now lost just once in their last six games.
Philadelphia Union and New York Red Bulls were 1-0 winners over New York City and Columbus Crew respectively, Vancouver Whitecaps topped Austin 2-1, Real Salt Lake defeated Houston Dynamo by the same scoreline, 10-man Montreal drew 0-0 with Cincinnati, while Nashville and Orlando City played out a 1-1 draw.
The final squads for the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) have been confirmed. There have been alternations to the teams as a result of changes to player availability.
The teams feature the best cricketing talent from across the Caribbean and from around the world with Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite, Shoaib Malik, Sunil Narine, Faf du Plessis, Ravi Bopara, Glenn Phillips and Kieron Pollard all set to take part.
The tournament gets underway on 26 August with the first match seeing current champions Trinbago Knight Riders taking on Guyana Amazon Warriors.
The final squads are as follows:
Jamaica Tallawahs: Andre Russell, Rovman Powell, Chris Green, Carlos Brathwaite, Haider Ali, Chadwick Walton, Fidel Edwards, Qais Ahmad, Jason Mohhamed, Migael Pretorious, Kennar Lewis, Shamarh Brooks, Veerasammy Permaul, Abijhai Mansingh, Joshua James, Kirk McKenzie, Ryan Persaud.
St Lucia Kings: Faf Du Plessis, Keemo Paul, Wahab Riaz, Timothy David, Andre Fletcher, Kesrick Williams, Usman Qadir, Samit Patel, Obed McCoy, Rahkeem Cornwall, Mark Deyal, Roston Chase, Javelle Glen, Keron Cottoy, Jeavor Royal, Kadeem Alleyne, Alzarri Joseph.
Trinbago Knight Riders: Kieron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine, Colin Munro, Yasir Shah, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Khary Pierre, Isuru Udana, Tim Siefert, Anderson Phillip, Denesh Ramdin, Tion Webster, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, Leonardo Julien, Ali Khan.
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots: Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Fabian Allen, Ravi Bopara, Paul van Meekeren, Sherfane Rutherford, Sheldon Cottrell, Fawad Ahmed, Devon Thomas, Rayad Emrit, Asif Ali, Colin Archibald, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Dominic Drakes, Joshua Da Silva, Mykile Louis.
Barbados Royals: Glen Phillips, Jason Holder, Thisara Perrera, Mohammad Amir, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Oshane Thomas, Kyle Mayers, Hayden Walsh Jr, Azam Khan, Justin Greaves, Ashley Nurse, Jake Lintott, Nyeem Young, Joshua Bishop, Samit Patel.
Guyana Amazon Warriors: Nicholas Pooran, Shoaib Malik, Imran Tahir, Shimron Hetmyer, Mohammad Hafeez, Brandon King, Naveen Ul Haq, Romario Shepherd, Waqar Salamkhiel, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Odean Smith, Gudakesh Motie, Anthony Bramble, Kevin Sinclair, Ashmead Nedd.
Hampered by a hamstring injury that prevented him from facing the starter in the 100m at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics, Tyquendo Tracey has hailed the performances of his fellow Jamaican athletes.
LA Galaxy missed the chance to go top in the MLS Western Conference after suffering a 2-1 home defeat to Colorado Rapids on Tuesday.
Galaxy had been on a four-game unbeaten run leading into Tuesday's game but found themselves behind early from Jonathan Lewis' 13th-minute penalty.
The hosts equalised from emerging Madagascar international Rayan Raveloson, who scored his fifth goal in nine games in the 34th minute. Raveloson fired in a rocket volley from the edge of the box.
Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough made a spectacular save to deny Derrick Williams' header early in the second half.
Andre Shinyashiki came up with a winner for Colorado in the 73rd minute, nodding home at the back post from a corner.
The result means Galaxy remain third on 35 points from 20 games while the Rapids are up to fourth, one point behind LA with two games in hand in the west.
San Jose Earthquakes were reduced to 10 men as they held on for a 1-1 home draw with Minnesota United.
Bakaye Dibassy's own goal from Cristian Espinoza's cutback had put the Earthquakes ahead in the 12th minute before Brazilian defender Nathan was sent off in the 21st minute after video review for a studs-up challenge.
Minnesota leveled from Wil Trapp's low shot in the 22nd minute, marking his first MLS goal for United.
Chris Wondolowski was a late substitute for San Jose, notching up his 400th MLS appearance.
Talented up and coming West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales has vowed to continue focusing on development as he does not believe himself to be the finished product.
Seales played a leading role in the team’s one wicket over Pakistan earlier this week, in the process of securing his first-ever five-wicket haul. In the process, he also made history by becoming the youngest West Indies bowler to achieve the feat at 19 years and 336 days.
With many already predicting a big future for the young player, however, Seales himself believes it is important to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground. Over the last few years, several young fast bowlers have threatened to make the breakthrough for the Caribbean team but have seen their development stalled at various points.
“It’s just for me to stay in the moment. I will ride the fame and everything, but for me, it’s about continuing to work on my game. I’m not where I want it to be. I’m not the finished product. I know I can be better,” Seales told members of the media on Tuesday.
“It’s just for me to work on my game a little more, build on the things I want to improve on, build from there and eventually become better.”
In three matches so far Seales has claimed a total of 13 wickets.
The second match of the two-Test series will begin on Friday at Jamaica’s Sabina Park.
Three-time Tokyo Olympics medallist Shericka Jackson impressed plenty of onlookers with her speed at the recently concluded Games, but many were left even more astonished by the superb conditioning that saw her take part in four events.
Jackson claimed a bronze medal in the 100m, competed in the first round of the 200m, and claimed gold in the 4x100m, before being part of a bronze medal-winning team in the grueling 4x400m relays.
A remarkable achievement, particularly considering that only a year ago a troublesome injury threatened to seriously curtail her participation in the Tokyo Games. Jackson suffered from severe shin splints a condition that affects the tibia and produces sharp and razor-like pain along the bone.
With the heavy demand placed on the legs by track athletes, the condition can, at worst, be debilitating enough to require surgery or at the other end of the spectrum certainly prevent the runner from delivering their full potential on the track.
When the athlete showed up at the offices of physiotherapist and performance enhancement specialist Yael Jagbir, in September of last year, her condition was much closer to needing surgery.
“It was pretty severe because if I even touched the area it was painful and she was unable to continue her season because of the pain she was in. She would have trouble warming up and things like that, so it was very severe initially,” Jagbir told SportsMax.TV.
“I’ve seen stress fractures that you definitely need surgery. If hers wasn’t treated properly it could have led to her needing to do surgery on her shins. It was right on the cusp of that point that she would have needed surgery,” she added.
After months of highly specialized treatment from Jagbir, however, the athlete slowly began to see improvement and the painstaking work really paid off in April, with the Olympic qualifiers just a few months away.
“Three months between September to November we were doing some very intense work, some pool therapy, land-based therapy. I was also doing treatment modalities to promote healing for the stress fractures,” Jagbir explained.
“When November came, she went back to training, we continued working with some modifications. In December, she did an x-ray and the x-ray showed that they were seeing signs of healing and that was the first time she was seeing healing in the shin from when it first started in 2019.”
“We just kept working, her work ethic is impeccable, so it was a good team effort. In April, when she did another x-ray, by that time the pain in the shin had really started to subside, she was able to train and able to sprint. When she went for the repeat x-ray, in April, it showed no signs of fractures. That was amazing, that was a miracle, for those fractures to heal while she was actually training is really amazing.”
Typically, a 400m runner, Jackson dropped down to the sprints for Jamaica’s national championships, where she surprised many by placing second in both the 100m and 200m sprints. The rest, as they say, is history.
Atapharoy Bygrave scored arguably the goal of the season that earned Dunbeholden FC a fortunate 1-1 draw with Tivoli Gardens in the feature match of the Jamaica Premier League at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on Tuesday.
Romaine Bowers had given Tivoli Gardens a 9th-minute lead, slotting home from close range after William Benjamin parried Devroy Grey’s fierce shot into his path in the ninth minute.
But Bygrave picked up a ball just below halfline and unleashed a ferocious shot that sailed past the outstretched hands of goalkeeper Davin Watkins on the stroke of halftime in the 45+2 minute.
It was a wonder strike by Bygrave and it was just as impressive as his celebration where he
would have been given a 10 out of 10 for his somersault and perfect landing.
Bygrave’s goal was worthy of a share of the points although, in truth, Tivoli Gardens should
have won comfortably as they wasted a number of chances.
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