HYDERABAD: Openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma smoked half-centuries as Sunrisers Hyderabad crushed Lucknow Super Giants by 10 wickets on Wednesday to boost their play-off hopes in the IPL.
Chasing a modest 166 for victory, Head, who smashed 89, and fellow left-hander Abhishek, who hit 75, tore into the opposition attack to romp home with 10.2 overs to spare at their home in Uppal.
“I’m lost for words. We’ve watched that batting on TV but that was unreal,” Lucknow skipper KL Rahul said of the bludgeoning by the Hyderabad openers.
“Everything was hitting the middle of the bat, kudos to their skill, they’ve worked very hard on their six-hitting.”
Australia’s Head attacked with a flurry of fours and sixes as he reached his fifty in 16 balls and went past 500 runs this season.
Head is now third in the batting chart behind Virat Kohli (542) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (541) with his fourth half-century — he also has a ton — in this edition.
He took on the spinners with aplomb and said the skill will be invaluable on the slow pitches in the West Indies during the T20 World Cup in June.
“Something I have been working on with spin, something I have been working hard on. It will be a big part in the Caribbean,” said man of the match Head.
“Nice to get 360 (degrees) and get to the parts of the ground I have not been to. We want to maximize the powerplay. It is not going to work every time but we want to go for it.”
The 30-year-old Head lauded his younger partner Abhishek, 23, and said: “His spin game is something else. We complement each other so well.”
Abhishek joined the charge as he got to his fifty in 19 balls after the pair took Hyderabad to 107 in the first six overs of powerplay, when only two fielders are allowed outside the inner circle.
Hyderabad, who won the IPL in 2016 under David Warner, registered their seventh win in 12 matches to hand a perfect gift to birthday boy and captain Pat Cummins, who turned 31 on Wednesday.
Abhishek hit the winning six as Hyderabad moved to third in the 10-team table with 14 points. Lucknow stay sixth after the bruising loss.
Top four teams will make the play-offs with the final on May 26 in Chennai.
Cummins said Head’s unconventional hitting does not “surprise” him anymore and praised Abhishek for being “an incredible player of spin” and pace.
Seam bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar set up victory with impressive bowling figures of 2-12 in his four overs to restrict Lucknow to 165-4 after they elected to bat first.
Lucknow lost regular wickets until Nicholas Pooran, who hit 48, and Ayush Badoni, who smashed 55, put on an unbeaten stand of 99 in 52 balls to boost the team total.
But the score proved too little against a team which posted record totals of 277 and 287 in this high-scoring edition of the T20 tournament.
Head, Abhishek star as ‘unreal’ Hyderabad crush Lucknow by 10 wickets
https://arab.news/2vmxg
Head, Abhishek star as ‘unreal’ Hyderabad crush Lucknow by 10 wickets
- Chasing a modest 166 for victory, Head, who smashed 89, and fellow left-hander Abhishek, who hit 75, tore into the opposition attack to romp home with 10.2 overs to spare
- Head is now third in the batting chart behind Virat Kohli (542) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (541) with his fourth half-century — he also has a ton — in this edition
Saudi boxer Ziyad Al-Maayouf: Pioneering a new era in the sport
- In Ziyad Al-Maayouf, boxing has found not just a competitor, but a pioneer
- “Hopefully very soon we’ll be bringing a belt back to Saudi.”
Riyadh: In the heart of the boxing world, where legends are made and dreams are realized, a new figure is emerging, one that embodies the fusion of tradition and innovation, heritage and progress. Ziyad Al-Maayouf, a Saudi boxer with a vision as expansive as the desert horizon, is not just stepping into the ring; he is stepping into history.
“I’m honestly just looking at it right now. And I’m looking forward to being ringside and just, you know, living the dreams of a Saudi boxer, first. But, you know, just someone who loves the sport, second,” Al-Maayouf said.
His ascent is not merely about personal glory; it is also about rewriting the narrative of boxing itself. “Hopefully very soon we’ll be bringing a belt back to Saudi,” he added, his determination palpable. “I’m not going to stop until I do that.”
For Al-Maayouf, every fight is a testament to the golden era of boxing he finds himself in. “Like I always say, this is what I would like to call the golden era of boxing,” he said, adding that the spirit of the age continues to “inspire young fighters like me to take risks, fight the best.
“The records don’t matter. You know, bring out the real fighter in you and bring out the good fights.”
As Al-Maayouf prepares for his next bout, he carries with him the hopes and dreams of a nation, the aspirations of a global audience, and the unwavering belief that in the squared circle, anything is possible. “We want to see the sport of boxing go back to the top five and maybe even the top one sport of the world.”
In Ziyad Al-Maayouf, boxing has found not just a competitor, but a pioneer — a man whose journey transcends borders, whose dreams inspire generations and whose fists carry the weight of history. As he steps into the ring, he does so not just as a fighter, but as a symbol of what boxing was, what it is, and what it can become.
Maradona’s heirs lose court battle to block auction of World Cup Golden Ball trophy
- Maradona’s heirs tried to stop the auction of the Golden Ball trophy he received for being the best player of the 1986 World Cup
- Lawyer Gilles Moreu told The AP the court’s ruling “was not favorable to the heirs of Diego Maradona” and said he would lodge an appeal
PARIS: A French court ruled the auction of a trophy awarded to the late Diego Maradona after the 1986 World Cup can go ahead as planned despite opposition from his heirs, their lawyer told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Maradona’s heirs tried to stop the auction of the Golden Ball trophy he received for being the best player of the 1986 World Cup by starting an urgent judicial procedure. Lawyer Gilles Moreu told The AP the court’s ruling “was not favorable to the heirs of Diego Maradona” and said he would lodge an appeal.
The trophy is set to be auctioned next Thursday in Paris by the Aguttes auction house, which did not immediately comment on the ruling.
The Golden Ball was missing for decades after it disappeared in uncertain circumstances and only recently resurfaced. Maradona’s heirs say the trophy was stolen and claimed the current owner wasn’t entitled to sell it. Aguttes said the trophy reappeared in 2016 among other lots that were acquired from a private collection at auction in Paris.
Moreu said the president of the Nanterre court outside Paris considered the current owner of the trophy, identified as Mr. Benchaieb, “should be considered as acting in good faith.”
Benchaieb and Aguttes claimed that when he bought the trophy years ago he was not aware it had been stolen.
“The Ballon d’Or is a unique piece of property, which Diego Maradona’s children want back,” Moreu said. “My clients are extremely saddened by the court’s decision.”
Maradona received the award in 1986 at a ceremony at the Lido cabaret on the Champs-Élysées. It subsequently disappeared, giving rise to rumors. Some say it was lost during a poker game or sold to pay off debts. Others say Maradona stored it in a safe in a Naples bank that was robbed by local gangsters in 1989 when he played in the Italian league. Maradona’s heirs believe it was stolen from the bank.
French judicial officials last week opened an investigation after they received a complaint relating to the resale of allegedly stolen goods. The Nanterre prosecutor’s office did not say whether the court’s decision would have an impact on the probe, and if it was still ongoing.
Maradona, who died in 2020 at age 60, captained Argentina in its 3-2 win over West Germany in the 1986 final in Mexico City. In a quarterfinal win over England he scored the “Hand of God” goal and the “Goal of the Century.”
Aguttes said it expects the trophy “to fetch millions due to its uniqueness.”
Bidders will be asked to make a deposit of 150,000 euros ($161,000) to participate in the auction.
The Hand of God goal came when Maradona punched the ball into England’s net. Four minutes later, he weaved through England’s midfield and defense and past goalkeeper Peter Shilton for what FIFA later declared the greatest goal in World Cup history.
Kompany to stick with same footballing principles after swapping Burnley for Bayern Muncih
- “At this club and this journey, I have no intention of being a different person,” Kompany said
- Kompany said the fact that next season’s Champions League final is being staged at Munich’s Allianz Arena will be used as some motivation
MUNICH: Vincent Kompany insists his footballing principles will not change after swapping the Championship for the Champions League by making the unlikely move from Burnley to Bayern Munich.
Kompany led Burnley to promotion to the Premier League in his first season at the northwest English club, only to get a reality check when his bold and attacking style of play was exposed in the top division.
Burnley’s relegation led to accusations by some that Kompany’s tactics were naïve, but the former Manchester City and Belgium defender said he was proud to have stayed consistent “in the very highs and the very lows” and will be working the same way at Bayern.
“At this club and this journey, I have no intention of being a different person,” Kompany said on Thursday at a news conference where he was presented as the replacement for Thomas Tuchel. “I don’t think that’s what they want.”
Kompany will, therefore, ask the same things from Bayern’s higher-quality players as he did from those at Burnley.
“I want the players of Bayern Munich to be brave, really brave on the ball, to have personality on the ball,” he said. “But also my nature is, I’m also someone that is aggressive, so I want the team to be aggressive.
“I want the team to represent those two things that would make my character — absolutely brave when they have the ball, when they’re making decisions, and absolutely aggressive, something that they carry throughout every minute of the game always.”
Kompany said the fact that next season’s Champions League final is being staged at Munich’s Allianz Arena will be used as some motivation.
“The goal is for me quite simple: I always try to win every match. It doesn’t matter where you are, it is always most, most important that we want to win every match,” he said. “That the Champions League final is here in Munich might make it a bit more important than the others, if I am honest. But I know we will not reach it by just expressing it.”
New York boosts T20 Cricket World Cup security after reported threats
- World Cup received Daesh-Khorasan threat over India-Pakistan match on June 9
- T20 World Cup will be held from June 1-29 in the United States and West Indies
WASHINGTON: New York will boost security for the upcoming T20 Cricket World Cup in June, the governor said on Wednesday, after reports of threats especially related to the India-Pakistan match.
“In preparation for the @cricketworldcup, my team has been working with federal & local law enforcement to keep attendees safe,” Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X, adding there was “no credible threat at this time.”
ABC News cited a New York City Police Department bulletin saying the tournament and its related events in New York City could be viewed by extremists as an opportunity to commit acts of violence or disruption.
“Recent pro-ISIS propaganda which specifically referenced the upcoming India-Pakistan match at this major event ... raises concerns and reinforces the need for heightened vigilance” among security partners, the bulletin is quoted as saying by ABC News.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the World Cup received a Daesh Khorasan-linked threat in April and more specific threats over the India versus Pakistan match.
World Cup matches between India and Pakistan, which have not played a bilateral series in several years due to tense political relations, are among the most viewed sporting events in the world.
Hochul said in a statement New York State Police had been directed to increase enforcement presence, surveillance and screening processes for the tournament.
Cricket has three formats — Tests, One Day Internationals and T20s, with T20s being the newest. The ninth T20 World Cup will run from June 1-29, with matches at nine stadiums — six in the West Indies and three in the United States.
The India-Pakistan June 9 contest will take place in at the Eisenhower Park stadium in Nassau County, New York.
Motorsport’s first United Against Online Abuse campaign garners support
- Sporting, political, business and civil society organizations are backing the initiative
PARIS: Members of sporting, political, business and civil society organizations have pledged their support for the new United Against Online Abuse coalition, which was launched at a conference organized by motorsport’s world governing body, or FIA, in Paris this week.
Those in attendance at the UAOA event included representatives from FIFA, UNESCO, Peace and Sport, and TikTok.
Amelie Oudea-Castera, France’s minister of sport, said: “Performance (in sport) cannot be at any price. The well-being of the athletes, their development, and their serenity as human beings … must be a priority. That is why my ministry has signed the United Against Online Abuse charter.”
Participants heard firsthand the experiences of top athletes, including Olympian and taekwondo champion Pascal Gentil, and rally driver Burcu Cetinkaya.
Cetinkaya, who is also the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission chair, shared her experiences as a survivor of online abuse.
Arwen.AI, a company using artificial intelligence to automatically detect and remove hate messages from social media platforms, presented data regarding the extent of online abuse and the impact of their tools.
The company found that 67 percent of social media users are less likely to engage with online content if they feel unsafe. Removing hateful comments saw a 56 percent rise in engagement on posts.
This data follows the UAOA’s findings from its barometer survey launched earlier this year. The study found that 75 percent of athletes have experienced physical threats, whilst over 90 percent agreed that if online abuse is not addressed, it will drive them away from their sports.
Throughout the conference, education was highlighted as a key factor to help eradicate online abuse.
The coalition has launched the United Against Online Abuse Educational Module, a free, open-access program, which explains the role of policymakers, international federations, and social media platforms in preventing and countering abuse.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA’s president and founder of the UAOA campaign, said: “This conference was an opportunity for leaders and experts to come together and collaborate on our united mission to combat online abuse.
“I thank all who have pledged their support for this coalition and urge the wider global community to come together and join us in this important fight.”
The UAOA campaign includes national governments, regulatory institutions and sporting bodies.
Support for the campaign has come from the governments of Albania, Australia, Belgium, Costa Rica, France, Greece, Malaysia, Slovenia and Spain. There have also been endorsements from Peace and Sport, the International Esports Federation, and ASETEK SimSports.
Those expected to record their support are FIFA, the International Olympic Committee, the International Tennis Federation, World Athletics, World Netball and World Squash.
