SOUTHAMPTON: Jos Buttler’s well-judged 69 helped leave India facing a record run-chase if they are to win the fourth Test against England at Southampton and so level the series.
England were 260 for eight in their second innings, a lead of 233 runs, at stumps on Saturday’s third day.
The most India have made to win in the fourth innings of a Test in England is 174 at The Oval in 1971. That match also marked their first Test-match win on English soil.
Sam Curran, fresh from his Test-best 78 in the first innings, was 37 not out after adding 55 for the seventh wicket with Buttler.
Adil Rashid (11) was caught behind off a Mohammed Shami leg-cutter off what became the last ball of the day.
The paceman led India’s attack with three wickets for 53 runs from 13.5 overs.
Last week saw Buttler display a well-judged mixture of aggression and defense during his maiden Test century, albeit one made with India well on the way to a 203-run win in Nottingham that left them 2-1 down in this five-match series.
Those same qualities were on show in Southampton, where Buttler made 85 on his Test debut, also against India, four years ago.
They were needed after England slumped to 92 for four — the 33rd time in 64 Test innings they had been four wickets down for 100 or fewer runs.
Shami took two wickets in two balls separated by the lunch break before running out England captain Joe Root for 48 with a direct hit.
England, however, have not lost successive home Tests since suffering back-to-back defeats by South Africa in Leeds and Birmingham in 2008.
“We’ve plenty to work with,” Buttler told Sky Sports.
“Anything above (a lead of) 250 would be a good number. It can be challenging out there.”
He added: “I think all of our bowlers will be a threat tomorrow (Sunday).We feel like we’ve got lots of bases covered.”
But Cheteshwar Pujara, who made a superb maiden Test century in England on Friday, said an India side led by Virat Kohli had the batting firepower needed to chase down a stiff target.
“Looking at the pitch it has slowed down a bit,” Pujara said after Saturday’s close.
“It looks like it is slightly easier to bat. And we have got lot of experience playing in such conditions back home.”
England resumed Saturday on six without loss.
They were then 21 runs behind, after Pujara’s 132 not out had guided India to a first-innings total of 273.
Alastair Cook, England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer, and fellow left-handed opener Keaton Jennings both needed runs.
But Cook fell for 12 when, drawn into a loose drive off fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, he got an edge that second slip KL Rahul clung onto at the third attempt.
England were soon 33 for two.
Moeen Ali, promoted to number three instead of Root, became the latest left-handed batsman to fall victim to Ishant Sharma from around the wicket when a low edged drive saw him caught superbly by Rahul for nine.
It had looked as if Jennings, under pressure for his England place after a first-innings nought, would bat through the morning until Shami had him lbw for 36 with what became the last ball before lunch.
England had decided to play Jonny Bairstow as a specialist batsman even though he was nursing a broken finger suffered in the field at Trent Bridge last week that meant he could not keep wicket.
It was a move that did not pay off, with Bairstow suffering a second nought in three innings when he optimistically tried to drive a Shami inswinger off the first ball after lunch.
Root was settling in when, called for a needless single by Ben Stokes, he failed to beat Shami’s direct hit from mid-on.
Stokes, as he’d done at Nottingham, showed plenty of grit in a 30 off 110 balls that ended when he edged off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to Ajinkya Rahane at slip.
Buttler achieved a better tempo, going to fifty by cover-driving an Ashwin full-toss for his fifth four in 96 balls.
India took the new ball at a sun-drenched Ageas Bowl with England 223 for six off 82 overs.
It had the effect they wanted when Buttler, aiming across the line, was lbw to Sharma.
But 20-year-old left-hander Curran struck Bumrah for two fours in as many balls, including an elegant cover-drive.
Jos Buttler’s fifty leaves India with tough run chase against England
Jos Buttler’s fifty leaves India with tough run chase against England
FIA President Ben Sulayem welcomes Trump to Miami Grand Prix
- The former US president witnessed maiden Formula 1 win for McLaren’s Lando Norris
MIAMI: Former US president Donald Trump was welcomed to the Miami Grand Prix by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, where he saw McLaren’s Lando Norris notch up his first Formula 1 victory.
Sunday’s race saw British driver Norris take the checkered flag from three-time world champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull Racing car. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc came third.
Trump, along with a number of famous athletes and other celebrities, delighted the audience by engaging with fans and attendees. He was also invited behind the scenes to tour the McLaren pit garage accompanied by the team’s CEO, American Zak Brown.
A spokesman for the Miami Grand Prix said the race weekend had sold out, with more than 275,000 fans in attendance to witness the high-octane atmosphere and exciting result.
Sandhagen to face Nurmagomedov at UFC fight night in Abu Dhabi
- The event will take place at the Etihad Arena on Aug 3
ABU DHABI: UFC has announced that its return to Abu Dhabi will see No. 2 ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen face No. 9 ranked Umar Nurmagomedov on Saturday, Aug. 3 at Etihad Arena.
Tickets for the event, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi go on sale from on Tuesday, May 7
Sandhagen, with a record of 17-4 and fighting out of Aurora, Colorado, returns to the UAE capital to cement his status as top contender in the bantamweight division. The Colorado native boasts wins over Rob Font, Chito Vera, and soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar. He now hopes for a convincing win over rising star Nurmagomedov to make his case for a title shot.
Nurmagomedov, 17-0, fighting out of Chelyabinsk, Russia, looks to put the division on notice by taking out a top-ranked opponent and making his first Octagon appearance in Abu Dhabi. He made his mark in the division after delivering dominant performances over Raoni Barcelos, Brian Kelleher and Sergey Morozov.
Now, he sets his sights on securing the biggest win of his career by getting his hand raised against Sandhagen.
Al-Itttihad fined $37,000 for King’s Cup misconduct
- The reigning Saudi Pro League champions lost 2-1 to Al-Hilal last week in the semifinals of the Kingdom’s renowned competition
RIYADH: Al-Ittihad Football Club have been fined $37,000 (SR140,000) for misconduct by players and fans in its recent 2-1 defeat by Al-Hilal in the semi-final of the King’s Cup.
A statement issued by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s disciplinary and ethics committee said Abderrazak Hamdallah and Saad Al-Mousa were each fined around $5,300 for not fulfilling their post-match media duties.
The committee also imposed a fine of $27,000 on the Jeddah club after fans threw bottles at opposition players from the stands. Nobody was harmed as a result of the incidents.
The authorities stressed that the three decisions are not subject to appeal.
Mitchell rallies Cavs for series-clinching Game 7 win over Magic
- Cavs move on to second round a year after a stinging first-round loss to the New York Knicks
- The Celtics will host Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday
LOS ANGELES: Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers silenced the young guns of Orlando, beating the Magic 106-94 in Game 7 of their NBA playoffs first-round series Sunday to book a meeting with Eastern Conference top seeds Boston.
It was another magisterial performance from Mitchell, who scored 39 points two days after pouring in 50 in the Cavs’ Game 6 defeat.
This time he had plenty of scoring support from teammates as the Cavs erased an 18-point second-quarter deficit to clinch a series in which the home team won every game.
Caris LeVert scored 15 points off the bench and Max Strus scored 11 of his 13 points in the third quarter, when the Cavs outscored the Magic 33-15 to take charge.
Evan Mobley scored 11 points with 16 rebounds and five blocked shots and Darius Garland chipped in 12 points to help Cleveland withstand a 38-point performance from Paolo Banchero.
The Cavs, with starting center Jarrett Allen sidelined a third straight game with bruised ribs, moved on to the second round a year after a stinging first-round loss to the New York Knicks.
“I didn’t want to go home,” Mitchell said of the mindset that saw him score 17 points in the third quarter as he virtually willed Cleveland to the lead.
The Magic delivered a strong first punch, Banchero scoring 10 points in the first period as Orlando grabbed a 24-18.
In the face of Orlando’s suffocating defense the Cavs connected on just six of 22 shots in the first quarter and didn’t make a three-pointer until Sam Merrill drilled one midway through the second quarter.
The Magic pushed their lead to as many as 18 points in the second quarter before the Cavs clawed back to cut the lead to single digits.
Banchero’s layup in the closing seconds of the first half saw Orlando take a 10-point lead into the break, but momentum was on Cleveland’s side and they overwhelmed the Magic in the third.
“I didn’t feel our confidence waver much, even when we had 18 points in the first quarter,” Mitchell said.
“They came out and jumped on us,” he added, saying the key was for the Cavs “to respond the way we did, keep plugging, just keep chipping away.”
Mitchell, again relentless in the paint, tied it at 64-64 with a floater and LeVert drained a pair of free throws to give the Cavs their first lead since the first quarter.
Strus hit back-to-back three-pointers as Cleveland built a 76-68 lead going into the final period.
The Cavs pushed their advantage to 14 points in the final frame, fans chanting “We want Boston” as the final minutes ticked off.
The Celtics will host Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday, and Mitchell vowed the Cavaliers will be ready for the team that posted the best record in the regular season.
“We didn’t make the group we made just to win the first round,” he said. “We accomplished one goal. Now we have to do it again.”
It was a crushing end to a strong season for the Magic, collectively the second-youngest team in the playoffs behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 13 points and Jalen Suggs added 10 for the Magic, but Franz Wagner was held to just six as Orlando remained in search of a first playoff series victory since 2010.
Mitchell heaped praise 21-year-old Banchero, the top pick in the 2022 draft.
Banchero himself said the Magic’s fight back from 0-2 down in the series to force game seven “just shows where we’re headed.”
Sporting Lisbon win Portuguese league after Benfica stumble
- Last season’s victors stumbled 2-0 at Famalicao to complete Sporting’s triumph after Ruben Amorim’s triumphant side thrashed Portimonense 3-0 on Saturday
- Sporting will face Porto in the Portuguese Cup final on May 26, aiming to secure a double
LISBON: Sporting Lisbon were crowned champions of Portugal for only the second time in 21 years on Sunday after second-placed Benfica lost.
Last season’s victors stumbled 2-0 at Famalicao to complete Sporting’s triumph after Ruben Amorim’s triumphant side thrashed Portimonense 3-0 on Saturday.
Sporting, the division’s top scorers by far with 92 goals in 32 matches, are eight points clear of Benfica with just two games remaining.
Amorim’s side have lost just two times this season on the way to securing the club’s 20th league title, trailing Porto on 30 and record winners Benfica on 38.
Swedish forward Viktor Gyokeres’ goals have powered Sporting’s title success and he netted his 27th of the campaign on Saturday to wrap up their victory.
The striker signed from Coventry City last summer for a club record fee of 20 million euros ($21.5 million) plus add-ons.
It is the second league trophy brought to the club by former Benfica player Amorim, who led Sporting to glory in the 2020/21 season.
Sporting will face Porto in the Portuguese Cup final on May 26, aiming to secure a double.
