Latest news with #Bridgetown
Washington Post
a day ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Australia drops Labuschagne, Smith out injured for cricket test series opener in the West Indies
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped and injured Steve Smith has been ruled out of the Australia lineup for next week's series-opening cricket test against the West Indies. Cricket Australia on Friday said Smith would miss the opening match of the three-test seies because of a finger injury sustained in the World Test Championship final loss to South Africa last weekend at Lord's. He is expected to be fit for the second test against the West Indies.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Australia drops Labuschagne, Smith out injured for cricket test series opener in the West Indies
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) — Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped and injured Steve Smith has been ruled out of the Australia lineup for next week's series-opening cricket test against the West Indies. Cricket Australia on Friday said Smith would miss the opening match of the three-test seies because of a finger injury sustained in the World Test Championship final loss to South Africa last weekend at Lord's. He is expected to be fit for the second test against the West Indies. Chief selector George Bailey said teenage opener Sam Konstas and wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis would replace Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. He said Smith needed more time for a wound to heal and he'd be reassessed after an another week. 'We have made the decision to give Josh and Sam the opportunity to replace Steve and Marnus,' Bailey said. 'We are excited to see them get the chance to further their fledgling test careers.' The 19-year-old Konstas has only played two tests, bursting onto the scene with an almost run-a-ball 60 against India in the Boxing Day test in Melbourne last December. The 30-year-old Inglis has played mostly short-form cricket for Australia, playing his only two test matches to date in the series win in Sri Lanka in February, where he scored a century on debut. 'In his only opportunity in test cricket to date, Josh was outstanding in Sri Lanka, showing great intent and ability to put pressure on the opposition,' Bailey said. Labuschange averages 46.19 in 104 test innings, including 11 centuries and 23 half-centuries, but has struggled for form in recent series. He hasn't scored a test hundred since the 2023 Ashes series in Manchester and hasn't scored above 26 in his most recent four test matches. Moved up to open in the WTC final against South Africa, he got starts but was out for 17 and 22. 'Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team. He understands his output hasn't been at the level we, or he, expects,' Bailey said. 'We will continue working with him on the areas of his game we feel he needs to rediscover.' The batting order and starting XI will be determined closer to the start of the test next Wednedsay. The second test is scheduled to start July 3. ___ AP cricket:
Associated Press
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Can South Africa finally break its ICC curse in the WTC final? Conrad confident
LONDON (AP) — South Africa is at the business end of another world cricket championship and is haunted by the ghosts of losses past. An infamous failure to win any cricket World Cup, often in heart-breaking fashion, weighs on the Proteas who are preparing for the World Test Championship final against titleholder Australia on Wednesday at Lord's. South Africa's only global title was the Champions Trophy 27 years ago. It has never reached the ODI World Cup final, falling in the semifinals five times. When it got to the climax of the 2024 T20 World Cup in Bridgetown — its first world final since 1998 — it needed 30 runs off 30 balls with six wickets in hand against India. And lost by seven runs. Five of that 11 are in the WTC squad. 'It doesn't weigh heavy on us,' South Africa coach Shukri Conrad said on Monday before practice. 'It's unfair to burden this group with anything that's gone before. But you can't wish things away. We want to and we need to win another ICC event. But whatever tags come along, we don't wear that. 'It's another occasion to set the record straight, to get that first title. And you can only win it if you play in finals, and the more finals you play in you obviously improve your chances of winning. So we've got another chance. We had a chance not so long ago in the West Indies, in the T20 World Cup. Hopefully, this time, we break that duck.' Conrad brought up the choker tag to the team last December in the dressing room at Centurion, where South Africa could clinch a spot in the WTC final with a win against Pakistan. In a chase of 148 to win, South Africa was 27-3 at stumps on day three. 'I thought it was the opportune time to lay down the challenge,' Conrad said. 'If it didn't go our way, we had another chance in Cape Town. It didn't go down ... kindly, but at some stage that conversation needs to be had. It's all about choosing when to have that. So we had it the evening before, and the result worked out okay. 'We touched on it briefly the other day. Around, what were the learnings from that? What sort of response we can expect, and we're looking for.' Proteas batters look overmatched South Africa starts against Australia as the underdog. A lot is riding on seamers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen restricting the Australian batters. On the batting side, the entire Proteas squad has totaled 22 centuries. Australia star Steve Smith has 36. Conrad was unfazed. 'There's a quiet confidence amongst the batting group,' he said. 'It comes with having gotten hundreds from different players at different stages. Whilst they might not have the superstar names amongst them, as a collective we are pretty confident. 'Guys really go out there and fight for every run, every little contribution. You look at a guy like Tristan Stubbs. He doesn't bowl but you look at his celebrations when wickets get taken. That, for me, is the essence of what this team is about. But hopefully we'll see a few more names on those honors boards around the world. And those batting averages start nudging toward 40 and above, where you know you're on to something really good.' Half of the Proteas squad has never played at Lord's, but Conrad was enlightened and encouraged by advice from Stuart Broad, the England bowling great who retired less than two years ago. Broad was a former Nottinghamshire teammate of South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince. The Proteas staff dined with him on Sunday night and he joined them for practice on Monday. 'If I didn't call time at 10:50 (p.m.), I think he'd probably still be sitting there chatting to us,' Conrad said. 'Everybody walked away, like, 'Yeah, that was great.' Broady included.' Broad advised about the Lord's slope, the Dukes ball, how to bowl to the Australians, and embracing the occasion. 'We get a chance to walk away as the world test champions. Playing Australia, doesn't get any bigger than that,' Conrad said. 'What's gone before counts for absolutely nothing at the minute. We are quietly confident going into this game that we can pull one over them. We're a confident bunch. We play well as a unit. If there's any vulnerabilities amongst them, I'm sure we'd be able to exploit that.' ___ AP cricket:
Times
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Times
The real Jacob Bethell: Sobers' golfing buddy who batted with Lara aged 12
J acob Bethell may appear to be a once-in-a-generation talent who has long been destined to play Test cricket, but England supporters would be deluding themselves if they thought it was always going to be for their side. As Bethell's father, Graham, says: 'Jacob wanted to be a professional cricketer, but not necessarily for England.' Bethell was born in Bridgetown, Barbados into a family steeped in the island's culture. Asked if he regrets that his son does not play for West Indies, Bethell Sr adds: 'I'm a Barbadian. My father was born in Barbados. His parents were born in Barbados and their parents were born in Barbados. We go back generations here. I would have loved Jacob to play for West Indies. But you know what, it would have been very difficult.'
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rihanna's father Ron Fenty dead at 70
Rihanna's father, Ronald Fenty, has died. He was 70. According to Starcom Network, Fenty died in Los Angeles following "a brief illness". His official cause of death has yet to be revealed. Sources told the Barbadian news outlet that Fenty's family was with him around the time of his death. Rihanna - who is currently pregnant with her third baby - was born to Fenty and mother Monica Braithwaite in February 1988. Along with brothers Rajad and Rorrey, Rihanna also has three half-siblings from her father's previous relationships - sisters Samantha and Kandy, and brother Jamie. The family grew up in Bridgetown in Barbados, where Rihanna lived until she was 16. The pair divorced in 2002, when the Umbrella singer was 14. Rihanna's relationship with her father has had its ups and downs over the years. After the star was assaulted by her then-boyfriend Chris Brown in 2009, Fenty reportedly spoke to the press about the incident without his daughter's consent. A year later, Rihanna revealed to Oprah that she had "repaired" her relationship with Fenty, but then in 2019 she sued him for allegedly exploiting her name for financial gain. She filed to dismiss the lawsuit three weeks before it went to court, according to the BBC.
