LAWRENCE BOOTH: As Australia and South Africa wage war in Friday's first Test at Durban, no one will be tampering with the ball. And yet you can be sure everyone is thinking about ball-tampering.
Former India captain Anjum Chopra believes Smriti Mandhana does not have to measure herself in stepping up to succeed Harmanpreet Kaur as the side's new captain and should instead carve out her own leadership path after being handed the charge across formats.
China's Zheng Qinwen pulled out some of her best tennis to beat Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) at the China Open on Friday and storm into the semi-finals. Zheng, a wildcard entry in Beijing, finally notched her first straight-sets win of this year's tournament, having needed more than 10 hours on court to get to the quarter-final. The world number 54 sent the crowd roaring as she punched winners down the line, though the seventh-ranked Svitolina came back fighting to force a second set tie-break. Zheng double-faulted on the first point but crawled her way out from a 0-2 deficit and fell on her back victorious after winning her second match point. "Truthfully, because I really wanted to grab this win, I was really nervous," the 24-year-old told the crowd. "I played really aggressive in important moments," she said, adding that her opponent "raised her level" in a tight second set. Svitolina made just 13 unforced errors over the one-hour-and-47-minute match, but was outgunned by 48 winners from the 2024 Olympic champion. Later on Friday, Poland's Iga Swiatek, the 2023 title winner in Beijing, was due to play Belgium's Elise Mertens for the last semi-final spot. (AFP) Edited by Aaron Tam
Australia fast bowler Megan Schutt achieved a significant milestone as she completed 150 wickets in ODI cricket during the first ODI against Bangladesh women at the Allan Border Field on Friday.
U.S. Open runner-up Ben Shelton celebrated his 24th birthday Friday by advancing to the third round of the Shanghai Masters with a 6-3, 7-6 (6) win over Daniel Altmaier in the ATP 1000-level tournament.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford's wife, Kelly, has admitted to feeling the pressure of certain beauty standards as an NFL WAG in the City of Angels.
Pep Guardiola is set to return to the Etihad next week to watch Manchester City's Champions League tie with PSG
Man United fans plan to mock Manchester City by bringing a banner back to Old Trafford after the Blues were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges against them.
JJ Gabriel is reportedly being valued at £8.5million by his representatives as they continue to push for a transfer away from Manchester United
It was a nightmare return to Test cricket for Australia's Nic Maddinson as the southpaw was dismissed for a 33-ball duck on Day 1 of the 1st Test against South Africa in Durban.