‘Class of 1992 will never be replicated,’ says Ronnie O’Sullivan ahead of Saudi Masters opener

Ronnie O’Sullivan opens his Saudi Arabia Masters account against Ben Woollaston on Tuesday and spoke to SportsBoom.com ahead of the match about the trio’s longevity in the game. (AFP/File Photo)
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Updated 02 September 2024
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‘Class of 1992 will never be replicated,’ says Ronnie O’Sullivan ahead of Saudi Masters opener

  • ‘The Rocket’ opens his account in Saudi Arabia against Ben Woollaston on Tuesday

LONDON: Snooker icon Ronnie O’Sullivan has said it is unlikely the sport will again see the likes of the “Class of 1992,” the name given to the trio which includes himself, Mark Williams and John Higgins, once they eventually hang up their cues.

O’Sullivan opens his Saudi Arabia Masters account against Lei Peifan on Tuesday and spoke to SportsBoom.com ahead of the match about the trio’s longevity in the game.

“The Rocket,” Higgins and Williams, who have pocketed 14 world championships between them, have taken the sport to new heights during their three-decade-plus reign in the game and, despite fast approaching their 50s, the status quo remains in place as they fight it out for the £500,000 ($656,879) top prize at this week’s event in Riyadh.

O’Sullivan said: “I don’t think you will see three (players) have that sort of longevity again, certainly not in snooker anyway.

“I think we've pushed each other on in a way. One from Scotland, one from England, one from Wales, so there’s always been that rivalry there; there’s been a three-way rivalry going on.” 

O’Sullivan said he and his rivals looked up to the likes of Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and Jimmy White as inspiration for their ascent to the top of the game.

“I think obviously Stephen (Hendry) helped us as well because he was a really good yardstick. We grew up watching him, we came to tournaments and saw just how good he was and where we needed to get to,” he said.

“He was the man to beat. It took us a while and then he started declining. But we were already on that treadmill, that hard school of knocks if you like, where we were competing with guys like him, (Steve) Davis, John Parrott and Jimmy (White).

“We started getting in and amongst it when we were like 21 and from that age onwards, we’ve sort of kept that momentum and kept that professionalism and that hunger and desire to win.”

The seven-time world champion said Williams and Higgins were among the best to have ever played snooker and paid tribute to their ability to remain at a high standard for so long.

He said: “I played the best player ever in Hendry. I played Higgins and Williams. For me they’re the three best players I’ve ever played against. For me, I’ve never played against anyone who can play to their level consistently.

“Everyone has good matches or good seasons, but to do it over a 30-year period or even a 10-year period is not easy to do. They’re obviously in a league of their own.”

The top 16 in the world rankings, including O’Sullivan, Higgins and Williams, enter the Saudi event — which boasts a hefty prize pot of £2.3 million — in the last 32 on Tuesday. 

The Englishman has regularly reinvented himself during his illustrious career. His record-breaking CV is a roll call of the game’s biggest records, including most Triple Crown majors (23), most ranking titles (41), and most maximum 147 breaks (15). He is the only man to surpass 1,000 century breaks.

“Any one of us could be No. 1 still; there’s not a lot between us,” he said.

“I’m not surprised in many ways because I know how good those guys are; I grew up with them. You can’t just be good at potting or break building, you need more than that to survive; you need an all-round game.

“Even if things aren’t going great, we have this ability to stay in the game and keep relevant.”


Tennis Coach Murray and Djokovic part ways ahead of French Open

Updated 13 May 2025
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Tennis Coach Murray and Djokovic part ways ahead of French Open

BENGALURU: Andy Murray will no longer coach 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, with the pair’s high-profile partnership coming to an end after only six months, the Briton’s team announced on Tuesday.
Djokovic appointed fellow former world number one Murray ahead of this year’s Australian Open and the Serb said at the Qatar Open in February that he would continue working with Murray for an indefinite period.
However, the partnership will now end as Djokovic looks to arrest a dip in form during the clay season by competing in the Geneva Open next week, ahead of his quest for a fourth French Open title when Roland Garros gets underway on May 25.
“Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months,” Murray said in a statement.
“I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”
Djokovic, who won 25 of his 36 matches against Murray, said he was grateful for his former rival’s hard work and support in their short spell together.
“I really enjoyed deepening our friendship together,” Djokovic added.

Djokovic reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January before injury ended his campaign. He made the Miami Open final in March but his bid for a 100th tour-level title ended in a defeat by Jakub Mensik.
The Serb, who turns 38 three days before the year's second Grand Slam begins, has been woefully out of form since that Miami defeat and was beaten in his opening matches at Masters tournaments in Monte Carlo and Madrid last month.
He was expected to jumpstart his clay campaign in Rome before returning to Paris, where he won Olympic gold last year, but skipped the ongoing Italian Open without giving a reason.
Djokovic accepted a wildcard for the May 18-24 Geneva Open.


Cummins and Green set to return for Australia in cricket's World Test Championship final

Updated 13 May 2025
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Cummins and Green set to return for Australia in cricket's World Test Championship final

BRISBANE: Pace bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood and allrounder Cameron Green have been recalled from injury and young batter Sam Konstas has been retained in Australia’s squad for the World Test Championship final against South Africa next month.
Australia is the defending WTC champion and finished the league stage with an away win over Sri Lanka after a home series victory against India.
“Those series capped a consistent performance across the two-year cycle and now presents us with the incredibly exciting opportunity to defend the World Test Championship,” Australia’s chief selector George Bailey said in a statement Tuesday. “It means a lot to the group to reach the final and they are very much looking forward to the challenge South Africa will present at Lord’s.”
The same squad will head to the Caribbean for a three-test series against the West Indies following the June 11-15 WTC final.
Green hasn't played international cricket since September because of back surgery, but the 25-year-old allrounder is making a graduated return and currently batting at county level in England.
Skipper Cummins missed the two-test series in Sri Lanka with an injured ankle and Hazlewood hasn't played a test since developing a side strain in November, early in the series against India.
Both veteran pacemen have been playing in the Indian Premier League, which was suspended last week because of the border tension between India and Pakistan but is set to resume this weekend.
“We are fortunate and looking forward to having Pat, Josh and Cam back in the squad,” Bailey said.
Opening batter Konstas made an impressive debut against India with a half-century in the Boxing Day test in Melbourne but was dropped ahead of the subsequent tour to Sri Lanka.


Knicks take a 3-1 lead over the Celtics with a 121-113 victory as Tatum is injured in final minutes

Updated 13 May 2025
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Knicks take a 3-1 lead over the Celtics with a 121-113 victory as Tatum is injured in final minutes

NEW YORK: Jalen Brunson had 39 points and 12 assists, and the New York Knicks moved a win away from their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 25 years and pushed the defending champion Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination with a 121-113 victory Monday night in Game 4.
The Celtics will have to make the NBA’s 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit to extend their title reign and may have to do it without All-Star Jayson Tatum, who was carried off the court with a right leg injury with 2:58 left.
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each added 23 points and OG Anunoby bounced back from two poor performances by scoring 20 for the Knicks, who can win the series Wednesday night at Boston. If not, they would come back to Madison Square Garden to try to do it Friday night.
Tatum scored 42 points, his high in these playoffs, before he was hurt when the Celtics turned the ball over and his leg gave out as he tried to lunge forward toward the loose ball.
The Knicks had taken control just before that in front of a delirious crowd of fans who haven’t seen them play in the conference finals since they lost to Indiana in 2000.
Nobody has come from 3-1 down since Denver did it twice in 2020 at the Walt Disney World resort. It hasn’t happened when a team had to win a true road game since Cleveland rallied past Golden State in the 2016 NBA Finals.


Al-Hilal keep slim Saudi Pro League title hopes alive with comfortable win

Updated 12 May 2025
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Al-Hilal keep slim Saudi Pro League title hopes alive with comfortable win

  • 4-0 home victory over relegation battlers Al-Orobah leaves the reigning champions 6 points adrift of leaders Al-Ittihad, with just 3 games remaining

Al-Hilal defeated Al-Orobah 4-0 on Monday to keep their slim Saudi Pro League title hopes alive. The reigning champions are six points behind leaders Al-Ittihad with just three games remaining.

After the Jeddah giants enjoyed a comfortable win on Sunday, defeating Al-Fayha 3-0 at home, the pressure was on their Riyadh rivals, also playing at home. Interim coach Mohammed Al-Shalhoub, who took over this month after the departure of Jorge Jesus, knew that only a win would do against the relegation battlers.

As expected, the Blues attacked from the start but the visitors defended deeply and in numbers. Hamad Al-Yami almost put the home side ahead at the midway point of the first half. After making a run on the right side, he was picked out by a fine floated pass from Ruben Neves but the full-back, stretching at close range, could not get enough power on his shot.

The home fans, who failed to turn up in large numbers, did not have to wait for much longer before the deadlock was broken, however. Salem Al-Dawsari has been in fine goal-scoring form of late, but just before the half-hour mark he turned provider with a perfect cross from the left side of the penalty area for Aleksandar Mitrovic, unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box, to steer home. Just before half-time, the goalscorer went down in the box under a challenge but the referee waved play on.

The attacks continued after the restart and the task Al-Orobah faced became more difficult within two minutes when Ibrahim Al-Zubaidi was shown a straight red for a reckless challenge on Malcom.

On the hour, Mohammed Kanno’s fierce effort from outside the area stung the palms of Gaetan Coucke and, despite the lead and the extra-man advantage, there was always a chance that the visitors might grab a goal that could all but hand the trophy to Al-Ittihad.

However, Al-Hilal effectively sealed the win in the 65th minute, thanks to that man Al-Dawsari, who scored a typically classy goal. Cutting in from the left, he exchanged swift passes with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as he moved into the area and then lifted a perfect chip over the advancing goalkeeper.

Two late goals added to the ultimately emphatic nature of the victory: Kaio Cesar scored from the spot in the 90th minute and then grabbed another two minutes later.

The title still seems likely to be heading to Jeddah but Al-Hilal are at least showing they will not be just handing it over without a fight.


IPL to resume on May 17 after India-Pakistan ceasefire

Updated 12 May 2025
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IPL to resume on May 17 after India-Pakistan ceasefire

  • The Pakistan Super League has yet to announce a date for resumption
  • Pakistan initially decided to move the last eight PSL games to the UAE

The Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament, suspended for a week amid fighting between India and Pakistan, will resume on May 17 following the announcement of a ceasefire between the nuclear-armed neighbors, organizers said on Monday.
The IPL governing council took the decision to suspend the tournament last Friday after consulting franchises and players as India and Pakistan extended their worst fighting in nearly three decades.
The IPL still has 12 group matches left, which will be played in the cities of Bengaluru, Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
“After extensive consultations with government and security agencies, and with all the key stakeholders, the Board has decided to proceed with the remainder of the season,” India’s cricket board, BCCI, said in a statement.
“A total of 17 matches will be played across 6 venues, starting May 17, 2025, and culminating in the final on June 3, 2025. The revised schedule includes two double-headers, which will be played on two Sundays.
“Venue details for the playoff matches will be announced at a later stage.”
An IPL match in Dharamsala on May 8 was abandoned midway through, with organizers citing a power outage, while another game at the same north Indian city was shifted to Ahmedabad because of the border tensions before being postponed.
A number of non-Indian players left the country after the league’s suspension.
The Pakistan Super League has yet to announce a date for its resumption.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) initially decided to move the last eight PSL games to the United Arab Emirates, but last week said it had postponed the matches on the advice of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
India and Pakistan have clashed since India struck multiple locations in Pakistan that it said were “terrorist camps” in retaliation for the deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month, in which it said Islamabad was involved.
Pakistan denied the accusation but both countries exchanged cross-border firing and shelling, sent drones and missiles into each other’s airspace and left dozens of people dead.
A fragile ceasefire was holding between the neighbors after the agreement was reached on Saturday, following diplomacy and pressure from the United States.