New Zealand vow to ‘find little ways’ to beat India in final

New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell plays a shot during the ICC Champions Trophy one-day international (ODI) semi-final cricket match between New Zealand and South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 5, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 06 March 2025
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New Zealand vow to ‘find little ways’ to beat India in final

  • New Zealand posted Champions Trophy record 362-6 to beat South Africa to qualify for final
  •  India beat New Zealand by 44 runs in the group stage of the tournament earlier this month 

LAHORE: New Zealand have vowed to “find little ways to win moments” against India after making Champions Trophy history to power into Sunday’s final.
The Black Caps posted a Champions Trophy record 362-6 before restricting South Africa to 312-9 in Wednesday’s semifinal in Lahore.
They now face India in Dubai to decide the winners of the eight-nation 50-over tournament.
Rohit Sharma’s India are playing all their games in Dubai after they refused to tour hosts Pakistan because of political tensions.
India beat New Zealand by 44 runs in the group stage but batting all-rounder Daryl Mitchell said that would have no bearing on Sunday’s result.
“Final is a new day,” Mitchell said after scoring 49 against South Africa.
“Really excited to be stuck into that challenge and will adapt to whatever surface and conditions we get on the day, and will find little ways to win moments throughout that game.”
The tournament’s tangled schedule, with teams flying in and out of the United Arab Emirates from Pakistan while India have stayed put, has been hugely controversial.
The pitches have been vastly different in the two countries.
Pakistan tracks produced big totals, in contrast to the slow and turning decks of Dubai’s international cricket stadium.
“We don’t quite know how the Dubai pitch is like,” said Rachin Ravindra, one of the heroes of New Zealand’s semifinal win with a 101-ball 108.
“We know our game against India it did turn and Aussie v India (semifinal) didn’t turn so much, so I think we pride ourselves in adapting and playing the situation in front of us.”
India unleashed four spinners against New Zealand in the group phase and Varun Chakravarthy returned figures of 5-42 to bowl the Black Caps out for 205 in their chase of 250.
Rohit’s side were unchanged in their four-wicket win over Australia as the spin-heavy selection came up trumps again, albeit on a pitch that turned a little less this time around.
“They are all pretty good,” Mitchell said of India’s slow bowlers.
“But we have got some pretty good spinners ourselves.”


Abrahamsen wins Tour de France stage as Pogacar survives scare

Updated 9 sec ago
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Abrahamsen wins Tour de France stage as Pogacar survives scare

  • Pogacar fell after hitting the back wheel of another rider but his rivals Vingegaard and Evenepoel sportingly waited for him to catch up 
  • Healy retained the overall lead on his first day in the fabled yellow jersey, while Pogacar remains second at 29sec and Evenepoel third

 

TOULOUSE, France: Norway’s Jonas Abrahamsen won stage 11 of the Tour de France in Toulouse on Wednesday while defending champion Tadej Pogacar emerged largely unscathed despite crashing 4km from the line.

Pogacar fell after hitting the back wheel of another rider but his rivals Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel sportingly waited for the Slovenian to catch up after he got back on his bike. Ireland’s Ben Healy retained the leader’s jersey.

Pogacar sheepishly laughed off the tumble.

“I’m a bit beaten up, I’ve been through worse days, but yeah that was unexpected,” he said.

He was also swift to thank his rivals.

“Big respect,” he said of the gesture. “The race was nearly over but I doubt I would have been able to catch up.”

Pogacar said he had feared the worst when another rider rode across the front of him.

“He completely cut me off. I saw my head going toward the sidewalk and I was worried I’d get hurt. Luckily I’ve just lost some skin,” said the three-time champion.

Norway’s Tobias Johannessen was the rider in question and apologized for the incident.

“I am terribly sorry for what happened,” he wrote on X.

“I was trying to follow a move and I can see that I was too close,” he added. “I made a mistake... I hope he is as good as he can be after a crash like that.”

Pogacar said he felt the fall would hurt him on Thursday’s mountain stage.

“We are ready as a team for Hautacam,” he said of the main obstacle on stage 12. “But a day after a fall like that you are never at your best.”

Healy was next to Pogacar when he fell and narrowly missed coming down with him.

“I didn’t see him fall. I’ll be honest I was looking somewhere else. That’s possibly what happened to him,” said the 24-year-old Healy, who took the lead at the end of stage 10 in the Massif Central.

Healy retained the overall lead on his first day in the fabled yellow jersey, while Pogacar remains second at 29sec and Evenepoel third, another minute off the pace.

The peloton next heads into the Pyrenees where the first real mountains will test their legs on the legendary Hautacam climb.

“I’m not sure I’ll still have the lead tomorrow night,” said Healy. “It’s a large task but I’ll fight all the way. Either way this has been a real whirlwind for me.”

Anyone who expected a quiet day was instead treated to a thrilling stage over 156.8km from Toulouse and back, which was unexpectedly won by Abrahamsen.

Abrahamsen also won the combativity award as he was at the origin of the long-range breakaway that foiled the ambitions of the sprinters.

Abrahamsen then contested a cat-and-mouse duel down the home straight with Swiss Mauro Schmid as the cunning Mathieu van der Poel crept up on them and finished third at 7sec.

The Norwegian fractured a collarbone two weeks before the Tour.

“Thanks to the team who did everything to get me ready in time,” said the Uno-X rider. “They are very good people and I’ve been here since 2017.

“I like to have pain in my legs, I’ve been like this since I was 15,” said Abrahamsen.

Following Tuesday’s rest day, Wednesday’s run was billed as a likely sprint finish with 70 points at stake in the sprint standings in Toulouse.

The stage did however feature five small climbs along the route making sure it was constantly fast and nerve-wracking.

When Pogacar fell late on he struggled to put his chain on after sliding across several meters of tarmac, and it looked initially as if he would lose 30 to 40 seconds.

Diminutive French climber Lenny Martinez is in the king of the mountains polka dot jersey as the race heads into the Pyrenees and will be the focus for home fans all weekend with further blockbuster crowds expected.
 


Girelli fires Italy past Norway and into Euro 2025 semifinals

Updated 17 July 2025
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Girelli fires Italy past Norway and into Euro 2025 semifinals

  • Italy will play either holders England or Sweden in the last four next Tuesday after Girelli headed home the decisive goal in the final minute in Geneva from Sofia Cantore’s cross
  • The Italians will be a tough nut to crack after seeing off Norway, who have two of the women’s game’s biggest stars in Ada Hegerberg and Caroline Graham Hansen

GENEVA: Cristiana Girelli shot Italy into the semifinals of Women’s Euro 2025 on Wednesday with a brace, including a last-gasp winner, in the Azzurre’s historic 2-1 triumph over Norway.

Italy will play either holders England or Sweden in the last four next Tuesday after Girelli headed home the decisive goal in the final minute in Geneva from Sofia Cantore’s cross.

The Italians hadn’t reached last four of a Euros since losing the final to Germany in 1997 and will be a tough nut to crack after seeing off Norway, who have two of the women’s game’s biggest stars in Ada Hegerberg and Caroline Graham Hansen.

“Cantore gave me an incredible ball for the second goal. She looked up, saw where I was and just put it on my head, so it was easy for me to put it in the goal,” said Girelli.

“I didn’t realize how close we were to the end of the match... I still can’t believe it, to tell you the truth, I can’t believe it, it’s just magnificent.”

Hegerberg, who also missed a penalty, netted for the Norwegians in the 66th minute after Girelli opened the scoring five minutes after half-time.

Juventus forward Girelli has now scored 61 times for her country, with Wednesday’s double probably the most important goals of her career.

She is also the oldest woman to score more than once in a women’s Euros at the age 35 years and 84 days.

The Norwegians were pioneers of modern women’s football and the first country to win the World Cup, European Championship and Olympics but have fallen behind since triumphing at the Sydney Games.

Now managed by Gemma Grainger, Norway haven’t reached the semifinals of a major tournament since losing the final of the 2013 Euros.

Italy were the better side for large chunks of the match but continued to squander chances just as they did while qualifying from Group B behind Spain.

Arianna Caruso was the the first to fluff her lines in the ninth minute when after bundling her way into the penalty area she scuffed a great opportunity wide.

Girelli then stopped Emma Severini from heading home Barbara Bonansea’s inviting cross in the 20th minute by challenging for the same ball even though she had little chance of getting an effort on target.

And moments later Severini hit a weak shot at Norway goalkeeper Cecilie Fiskerstrand after being sent clean through by Caruso’s superb first-time pass.

Hegerberg almost made Italy pay in the 37th minute when Thea Bjelde’s deflected low cross struck her thigh and dribbled wide in front of an open goal.

Girelli finally gave Italy their deserved lead by prodding home Cantore’s mishit shot, but going behind seemed to wake Norway up and as she did in their first Group A match against Switzerland, Hegerberg both won and then shot wide a penalty.

The former Ballon d’Or winner made up for her horrendous mistake six minutes later when she pounced on hesitant goalkeeping from Laura Giuliani to poke home the leveller.

Both teams traded blows from that point but it looked like extra time was nailed on until Girelli struck at the last, perfectly guiding home Cantore’s searching cross and giving Italy a date with one of the tournament favorites in the next round.


Rose fired up for 23rd tilt at winning the Claret Jug

Updated 16 July 2025
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Rose fired up for 23rd tilt at winning the Claret Jug

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland: Justin Rose will make his 23rd bid to win the British Open when he tees off at Royal Portrush on Thursday and he firmly believes he can fulfill his dream of lifting the Claret Jug at the age of 44.
The Englishman has twice been joint runner-up, last year and in 2018, after finishing fourth as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998.
“As a kid, on the putting green since I’ve been playing the game since probably age eight; I’ve been dreaming about winning The Open of course,” Rose told reporters on Wednesday.
“1998 obviously was a fairytale story and ending to my amateur career. I’ve been close a couple of times. As a British player, it’s been the one that I’ve dreamed about winning and holed the putt many times in my mind.”
Twelve months ago at Troon, Rose ended two shots behind American Xander Schauffele.
“If I look back at Troon, I think I played as good a golf as anybody for the whole entire week,” he said.
“I went out and I shot the second lowest score of the day on Sunday, but I got beaten by Xander who played an amazing round of golf.”
Rose, the 2013 US Open champion, endured another near miss in April when he lost the Masters in a playoff against his Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy, seven years after losing the Green Jacket in the same way to Sergio Garcia.
“Obviously, when Rory was there over his three-footer to win and the tap-in, I was definitely, oh, man, I’ve kind of been here before watching the same story, being in a playoff against Sergio, so there was definitely a little bit of deja vu.
“I was able to still be happy for Rory in that moment, and it had been a long time coming for him. It was always going to be a matter of time,” Rose said.
Northern Irishman McIlroy, the world No. 2, will start as one of the favorites to land his second British Open title, roared on by the home fans.
“Rory is obviously a local hero around here, and rightly so. The legend around him in these parts has been growing for a long, long time,” Rose said.
“I feel like the pressure is off him almost from that point of view. This would just be like cherries on top of everything for him.”
Rose acknowledged he was probably too old to improve his game much.
“I would say it’s going to be hard to get a ton better and transform my game to suddenly add new dimensions. But in situations and certain environments, I can still bring my best, and if I do that I still feel very competitive,” he added. 


Lamine Yamal to wear Barcelona’s iconic No. 10 jersey next season

Updated 16 July 2025
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Lamine Yamal to wear Barcelona’s iconic No. 10 jersey next season

  • Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi wore the No. 10 jersey for the Catalan club

BARCELONA: Lamine Yamal will switch to the No. 10 jersey at Barcelona, the same number Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi wore for the Catalan club.
“I’ll try to build my own path, but all kids would like to be like them,” Yamal said Wednesday at the club’s announcement. “All three have been incredible players, they’re legends, and I’ll try to follow in their footsteps.”
Having turned 18, Yamal was able to sign the contract extension that he had agreed with Barcelona in May, keeping him in place until 2031.
“My goal is to keep winning and growing,” Yamal said. “It’s the club of my life. It’s my home, I’ve been here since I was 7 years old.”
Yamal wore the No. 19 jersey last season. The No. 10 most recently was with Ansu Fati, who will play on loan with Monaco.
Yamal, accompanied by his family, received the No. 10 jersey from club president Joan Laporta.
The announcement comes after Yamal was criticized for reportedly hiring people with dwarfism as entertainers during his lavish 18th birthday party last weekend.
Yamal sidestepped the controversy on Wednesday.
“In the end I work for Barça, but when I’m away from the club’s training center, I enjoy my life and that’s it,” Yamal said. “I’m indifferent to both criticism and praise if they don’t come from my family or people close to me.”


‘Unstoppable’ Dubois says he’s ready to cause chaos and beat Usyk

Updated 16 July 2025
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‘Unstoppable’ Dubois says he’s ready to cause chaos and beat Usyk

  • Dubois fights Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight world title at Wembley Stadium on Saturday
  • Dubois, 27, is the IBF champion while Usyk, 38, holds the WBA, WBC and WBO belts

LONDON: Daniel Dubois said he felt unstoppable and ready to cause chaos when he fights unbeaten Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight world title at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Dubois, 27, is the IBF champion while Usyk, 38, holds the WBA, WBC and WBO belts.
The unification fight is a rematch of one that the Londoner lost by a controversial ninth-round knockout in Wroclaw, Poland, in 2023 after Usyk was given time to recover from what the referee ruled was a low blow.
Dubois can become Britain’s first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999 while Usyk is bidding to be a four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time after relinquishing the IBF title last year.
“I’ve resurrected myself, resurrected my career and now we’re on a roll,” Dubois told the BBC.
“Unstoppable, I feel like I can’t be beat right now. I’m in the prime of my life and I’m going to go through whatever I have to do. We’re here now, no more excuses.
“I’ve got to beat him this time and I am going to win. I am going to cause chaos, knockouts, by any means necessary... I am ready. Man, I’m 100 percent ready.
“As soon as the bell rings my whole approach is just to seek and destroy, bring chaos and get the victory, seize the moment,” he added.
The two fighters were due to hold open workouts at a venue near the stadium on Wednesday before the final face-to-face press conference on Thursday.
Promoter Frank Warren, who represents Dubois, has said Usyk would find the Briton a very different opponent to the one he beat before.
“Last time they fought Daniel the boy. This time they’re fighting Daniel the man and that’s the difference and he’ll find that out on Saturday,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“He (Usyk) is the best heavyweight of his generation, but everybody’s the best until they get beaten and I think it’s his time now.”