Napheesa Collier scores 26 and Lynx overcome Caitlin Clark’s 25-point night for 99-88 win over Fever

Napheesa Collier scores 26 and Lynx overcome Caitlin Clark’s 25-point night for 99-88 win over Fever
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Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier shoots over Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull in the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis on Sept. 6, 2024. (AP)
Napheesa Collier scores 26 and Lynx overcome Caitlin Clark’s 25-point night for 99-88 win over Fever
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Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever drives to the basket against Bridget Carleton of the Minnesota Lynx during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sept. 06, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Getty Images/AFP)
Napheesa Collier scores 26 and Lynx overcome Caitlin Clark’s 25-point night for 99-88 win over Fever
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Minnesota Lynx forward Myisha Hines-Allen grabs a rebound against the Indiana Fever in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis on Sept. 6, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 07 September 2024
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Napheesa Collier scores 26 and Lynx overcome Caitlin Clark’s 25-point night for 99-88 win over Fever

Napheesa Collier scores 26 and Lynx overcome Caitlin Clark’s 25-point night for 99-88 win over Fever
  • After trailing 50-45 at halftime, the Lynx bounced back to snap the Fever’s five-game winning streak

INDIANAPOLIS: Napheesa Collier scored nine of her 26 points in the third quarter, Bridget Carleton made three 3-pointers in the final four minutes and the Minnesota Lynx overcame a 25-point night by Caitlin Clark to snap Indiana’s five-game winning streak with a 99-88 win over the Fever on Friday night.
The Lynx trailed 50-45 at halftime before Collier scored nine of their opening 20 points of the third quarter for a 65-57 lead.
Collier blocked Clark’s shot in the paint and Courtney Williams made a jumper from the free-throw line at the other end to extend Minnesota’s lead to 70-60. Clark went to the bench and Myisha Hines-Allen scored the next three points to give Minnesota a 13-point lead.
Indiana made just three field goals in the third quarter before making three in the opening two minutes of the fourth to get back in it.
The Fever were within 81-80 before Carleton sank a 3-pointer from the corner. She added a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 87-80 and she grabbed an offensive rebound on the Lynx’s next possession, leading to Williams’ 3-pointer.
Carleton’s third 3-pointer of the frame gave Minnesota a 96-85 lead.
Clark, coming off her second career triple-double on Wednesday, continued her record-breaking season for Indiana (18-17). She made one 3-pointer in the first quarter to become the franchise leader for made 3-pointers in a single season, passing Kelsey Mitchell (102). Clark was 5 of 10 from 3-point range for 107 this season.
Mitchell added 23 and Aliyah Boston scored 20 for Indiana. Mitchell has scored 20-plus points for the eighth time in her last nine games.
Carleton scored 16 points for Minnesota (25-9). Williams added 15 points, to go with seven rebounds to go over 1,500 for her career. Collier also grabbed 10 rebounds.
Carleton closed the first half on a 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds left off a nice pass from Hines-Allen. Then the Lynx scored the opening nine points of the third quarter for a 52-50 lead, their first since 7-6.
 


Cummins back, Marsh and Head out of Pakistan ODI series

Cummins back, Marsh and Head out of Pakistan ODI series
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Cummins back, Marsh and Head out of Pakistan ODI series

Cummins back, Marsh and Head out of Pakistan ODI series
  • Marsh and Head have been granted paternity leave, leaving Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short to open together 
  • Cummins will captain Australian cricket team in ODIs for first time since winning 2023 World Cup in India 

SYDNEY: Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head were Monday ruled out of Australia’s home one-day series against Pakistan next month, but Pat Cummins returns as captain after missing their recent England tour.

Marsh and Head have both been granted paternity leave, opening the door for Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short to open the batting together.

Cameron Green was also absent from the 14-man squad, with the all-rounder to undergo back surgery this week that will sideline him for six months.

Cummins missed the white-ball tour of England and Scotland to rest, but is back to captain the ODI team for the first time since winning the 2023 World Cup.

Marcus Stoinis returns after being overlooked for England, while rising stars Cooper Connolly and Aaron Hardie also make the grade.

“This is our last ODI series before the Champions Trophy (in Pakistan) and the balance of the squad was focused on that as well as continuing to focus on preparation of individuals for the upcoming Test summer,” said chief selector George Bailey.

“The one-day side had a great result in the UK particularly given illness and injury challenges.

“We view this is an opportunity to expand on that achievement in preparation for next February in Pakistan.”

Australia play three ODIs against Pakistan next month in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth followed by three Twenty20s, with that squad to be announced at a later date.

Australia one-day squad: Pat Cummins (capt), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa


Australia edge India to reach Women’s T20 World Cup semis

Australia edge India to reach Women’s T20 World Cup semis
Updated 13 October 2024
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Australia edge India to reach Women’s T20 World Cup semis

Australia edge India to reach Women’s T20 World Cup semis
  • If New Zealand win, they will take second place in Group A and reach the semifinal of the tournament
  • Pakistan’s win will leave them, India and Kiwis all on four points and run-rate will decide who advances

SHARJAH: Holders Australia overcame the absence of skipper Alyssa Healy to edge India in a tense nine-run win on Sunday that locked up a semifinal spot in the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Tahila McGrath led six-time winners Australia in Sharjah after Healy dropped out with a foot injury suffered batting in a victory over Pakistan on Friday.
Healy’s replacement Grace Harris top-scored with 40 and McGrath hit 32 as Australia posted 151-8 after electing to bat first.
In reply, India finished on 142-9 with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur hitting an unbeaten 54 as she put on a fourth-wicket stand of 63 with Deepti Sharma, who made 29, and took the fight to the final over.
India needed 14 off the last six balls, but lost four wickets as Australian bowler Annabel Sutherland gave away four runs.
The victory extended Australia’s winning streak to 15 in the tournament.
They officially qualified for their ninth straight semifinal of the tournament when India were 74-3 in 10.4 overs of their chase.
India need arch-rivals Pakistan to win their final group match against New Zealand.
If New Zealand win, they will take second place in Group A and reach the semis. A Pakistan win would leave them, India and the Kiwis all on four points and net run-rate would decide who advances.
Medium-pace bowler Renuka Singh rocked Australia early with two wickets on succesive balls to send back Beth Mooney, for two, and Georgia Wareham, for a duck.
Harris steadied the innings in a 62-run stand with McGrath, who led from the front with a 26-ball 32 including four fours.
Ellyze Perry smashed 32 off 23 deliveries to drive the innings. She put on a brisk stand of 33 for the sixth wicket with Phoebe Litchfield, who hit an unbeaten 15 and finished the innings with a six.
Off-spinner Deepti took two wickets, including Harris and Perry, and nearly had Litchfield lbw.
The left-handed Litchfield went for a switch hit and the ball hit her pads from outside the leg-stump for a southpaw, but India protested the call to be considered for a right-hander after the change of stance.
The batter was walking off but came back smiling after the third official ruled her not out.
Australia fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck was earlier ruled out of the rest of the tournament after she dislocated her shoulder against Pakistan.


Sinner wins Shanghai Masters to deny Djokovic 100th career title

Sinner wins Shanghai Masters to deny Djokovic 100th career title
Updated 13 October 2024
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Sinner wins Shanghai Masters to deny Djokovic 100th career title

Sinner wins Shanghai Masters to deny Djokovic 100th career title

SHANGHAI: World number one Jannik Sinner defeated 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 on Sunday to win the Shanghai Masters.
Sinner took a crucial break in the fourth game of the second set to defeat the Serb in 1hr 37min and deny him a 100th career singles title.
“He was just too good today, too strong, too fast,” Djokovic said after the match.
Sinner said it was a “very special day,” saluting his opponent as a “legend” who kept playing “incredible tennis... year after year.”
In a nod to former Djokovic rival Roger Federer, who was watching from the stands, the 23-year-old joked: “There are legends everywhere, I just try to keep up a little bit.”
Facing off before an impassioned crowd, neither player blinked in the first set, unable to break the other’s serve.
Sinner quickly took control in the tiebreak, breaking Djokovic’s serve on the first point and going 5-1 up.
The Serb steadied himself but then netted a volley to bring up set point at 6-3.
Sinner failed to convert initially but didn’t miss the second time behind serve.
The next key moment came in the fourth game of the second set when Sinner was up 40-15 on Djokovic’s serve.
Djokovic saved one break point with a fiery ace but couldn’t stop a superb forehand down the line from Sinner that saw him pull ahead.
All that remained was for the Italian to hold his nerve, hitting an ace to finish the match and claim the title.
Sinner’s victory is the latest triumph in a formidable season, in which he has won two Grand Slams and retained the top spot in the rankings since June.
But it is also a year that has seen him embroiled in controversy after he twice tested positive for a banned steroid in March.
In August, the International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted Sinner’s explanation that the drug entered his system unintentionally when his physiotherapist used a spray containing it to treat a cut, then provided massage and sports therapy to the player.
However, the World Anti-Doping Agency said last month it would appeal against the decision to clear him of wrongdoing and was seeking a ban of up to two years.
That news came as Sinner was contesting the China Open, where he lost in the final to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who was also watching from the stands on Sunday.
“This year has been very, very tough for me... At points I lost a little bit of smile,” Sinner said on Sunday.
“It’s never easy to play in these kind of circumstances,” he added.
“I feel like I’m strong when I go on the court trying to not think about it... When I wake up I try to focus on every single (match or practice) I do, but then of course I have moments when I think about it which is not comfortable.”
Djokovic said Sinner played “the big points better” and “deserved to win.”
The 37-year-old said that getting a 100th title was “not a live-or-die type of goal,” but he would keep trying.
Djokovic became the last man standing from tennis’ golden era after Rafael Nadal announced his retirement this week and said that, despite the loss, he was pleased with his performance in Shanghai.
“I played pretty good, which gives me, I guess, a reason to believe that I can still play with these guys that are the best in the world at this level,” he said.
“As long as that’s the case, I guess I’ll still feel the need to keep on competing and the motivation to be out there.”


Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam

Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
Updated 13 October 2024
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Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam

Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
  • Pakistan on Sunday left out Azam from the second England Test squad after he failed to pass 50 in his last 18 Test innings
  • It is the first time Azam has been dropped from the Pakistan team since his white-ball debut against Zimbabwe in Lahore in 2015

MULTAN: Babar Azam was on top of the world two years ago — Pakistan captain and top-rated batsman in all three formats — but he will celebrate his 30th birthday at home on Tuesday when the second Test against England begins in Multan.
Pakistan on Sunday left out Azam from the second Test squad after a poor run of form where he has failed to pass fifty in his last 18 Test innings.
It is the first time Azam has been dropped from the Pakistan team since his white-ball debut against Zimbabwe in Lahore in 2015 and Test baptism against the West Indies a year later.
Azam shot to prominence with three successive hundreds in an ODI series against the West Indies in 2016.
He replaced India great Virat Kohli as world number one ODI batsman five years later, a place he still occupies having been briefly deposed in between.
He is still ranked fourth among Twenty20 batsmen but it is the long format where his form has suffered the most and his slump has seen him fall outside the world’s top 10.
A 13-year-old Azam was a ball boy in Pakistan’s Test against South Africa in Lahore in 2007, where he could watch his childhood idol AB de Villiers.
From the streets of Lahore he rose to play in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, topping the batting charts for Pakistan with 298 runs in six games.
Two years in at the U19 World Cup in Australia he was captain and again leading run-scorer, with 287.
In 2015 he was picked for the senior side and after thrilling in the white-ball game developed into a modern-day great in all three formats, often drawing comparison with Kohli.
His opening partnership with Mohammad Rizwan in Twenty20s has realized 3,268 runs in 70 innings — the most by a pair in the format.
He anchored Pakistan’s only T20 World Cup win over arch-rivals India in 2021 in Dubai.
He hit an epic 196 against the famed Australian pace attack of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon to draw a Test in Karachi in 2022 — hailed as one of the greatest innings in Pakistan.
But the pressure of captaining a struggling Pakistan took its toll and began to affect Azam’s form with the bat.
Following Pakistan’s first round exit from the 50-over World Cup in India last November, where his side lost to Afghanistan for the first time, Azam stepped down from the captaincy in all three formats.
When the Pakistan Cricket Board hierarchy changed in April this year he was reinstated as white-ball skipper.
But it proved to be a short-lived tenure as Pakistan lost a T20 to Ireland before crashing out of the T20 World Cup in June after being stunned by the USA and losing to India.
He resigned as white ball captain for a second time earlier this month.
But it was in Tests where his form deserted him the most and a poor run in the series defeat against Bangladesh last month saw him score just 64 in four innings.
His 30 and five on a faultless Multan batting wicket in the first Test defeat against England, coupled with the formation of a new selection panel straight after, saw him left out for the second Test despite a vote of confidence from captain Shan Masood and his coach Jason Gillespie
He was seen in an emotional discussion with Gillespie on Sunday at Multan stadium before leaving the squad for the journey home to Lahore.
The break from cricket will give a tired Azam time to rest, reflect and recuperate, after two years of mental, emotional and physical toil on the front line of a struggling side.
“We are confident that this break from international cricket will help these players, especially Azam, regain their confidence,” said selector Aaqib Javed.


Saudi footballing legend Khalid Musaad honored with testimonial match

Saudi footballing legend Khalid Musaad honored with testimonial match
Updated 13 October 2024
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Saudi footballing legend Khalid Musaad honored with testimonial match

Saudi footballing legend Khalid Musaad honored with testimonial match
  • Special game set to take place in Jeddah

JEDDAH: Saudi footballing legend Khalid Musaad will be honored with a testimonial match on Nov. 12, celebrating 15 years of service with Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, and the Saudi Arabian national team.

The match will feature Al-Ahly of Egypt and is set to take place in Jeddah.

The Charitable Association for Athletes’ Welfare announced the event on Sunday during a press conference at King Abdullah Sports Stadium.

Nassar Al-Dhaheri, the chairman of the board of directors for the association in the Makkah region, said: “The match is a tribute to one of Saudi Arabia’s greatest football legends, Khalid Musaad, whose retirement in 2004 has long awaited this recognition.”

He acknowledged challenges had delayed the testimonial but expressed pride in organizing the event.

Al-Dhaheri also highlighted the importance of recognizing athletes who had represented their country on the international stage.

He thanked both Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia and Al-Ahly of Egypt for their cooperation in making the event possible. Proceeds from the match will go toward supporting charitable programs for athletes, reflecting the association’s commitment to its goals.

The press conference included a documentary showcasing Musaad’s illustrious career and achievements, both locally and internationally.

The Charitable Association for Athletes’ Welfare announced the event on Sunday during a press conference at King Abdullah Sports Stadium. (Supplied)

In addition to the match between Al-Ahli and Al-Ahly, there is an exhibition game featuring Saudi legends and Musaad’s friends scheduled for the same day.

Musaad expressed gratitude for the efforts that had gone into making the event happen.

He said: “The support I’ve received over the years has been incredible, and I’m deeply thankful to the fans. I’m thrilled that my retirement match will finally happen and I hope everyone enjoys the event on Nov. 12.”

His former teammate Khalid Al-Khawaji said: “I’m delighted that Musaad is receiving this well-deserved honor. He is a phenomenal person and a true professional.”

Musaad featured at Al-Ahli before moving to Al-Ittihad and finally retiring in 2004.

He earned 115 caps for the Saudi national team, participating in the World Cup in 1994 and 1998. His honors include helping to win the Asian Youth Cup in 1985 and 1986; the 1986 Gulf Cup; and playing in the Confederations Cup in 1992, 1995, and 1997.