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Daily Telegraph
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
Australia v South Africa: Aiden Markram century powers Proteas towards victory
Australia is on the verge of experiencing what it's like to blow a World Cup final, as South Africa turned the tables of history when a sickening compound finger dislocation for Steve Smith proved decisive. South Africa is on track to not only win, but trample Australia, anchored by one of the great centuries in a final by opener Aiden Markram. That is provided they aren't overwhelmed by nerves when they wake up needing 69 runs to finally shake the biggest gorilla in world cricket off their backs. Markram (102 not out off 158 balls) raised his arms in triumph when he brought up triple figures with a boundary in the penultimate over of the day and embraced captain courageous Temba Bavuma (65 not out) with the pair demoralising Australia with a stunning unbeaten stand of 143. Pat Cummins and Australia are on the verge of being trampled by South Africa. Picture: Getty Images After being set an imposing 282 to reach the holy grail, South Africa is beautifully poised at 2-213, with eight wickets still in the shed with a battling Australia completely devoid of answers on day three. 'The hope for us is we need to get a wicket or two in the morning and see what that looks like,' Australian coach Daniel Vettori said as he praised the execution under pressure of Markram and Bavuma. 'But (needing) 8-69 is a real challenge for the group. 'There was some optimism (after Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood half century stand set up the 282 target) but it's obviously going to be a real challenge tomorrow.' MORE: Steve Smith hospitalised after sickening finger injury South Africa's Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma embrace. Picture: AP Photo Smith's nasty finger injury has exacerbated the alarm bells ringing over the future of Australia's top order batting, and although conditions played into South Africa's hands on day three, Pat Cummins' team of career winners could blame no one but themselves for leaving the door ajar and then watching as the Proteas rode roughshod over them. Over the past 10 years, Australia has won two ODI World Cups a T20 World Cup and the 2023 World Test Championship Final, but their WTC title defence at Lord's looks set to go down as the one that got away unless a minor miracle unfolds on day four. Australia lost World Cup ODI Finals in 1975 and 1996, but the pain of failing to stand up on the biggest international stage – especially after leading healthily against a weaker opponent – is foreign territory for this team. When Smith dropped a crucial slip's catch and bone went through skin in the process, it ultimately proved the turning point as South African captain Bavuma took the life handed to him on 2 and turned it into one of the great skipper's knocks as he battled through a torn hamstring. For Australia the ramifications extend past it putting South Africa into prime position to break one of world sport's great hoodoos, with their No.1 batsman now in doubt for this month's three Test tour of the West Indies after being sent to hospital for x-rays although surgery was avoided. Aiden Markram celebrates his century. Picture: Getty Images Smith was standing in an advanced position just 14 metres behind the bat and under a helmet in an attempt to negate the lack of carry in the pitch, but when Mitchell Starc took a zinging edge from Bavuma it cannoned into Smith and popped out the little finger on his right hand before he could get in position. It would have been a regulation catch had Smith been standing back in a conventional position and South Africa would have been 3-74 with captain courageous Bavuma back in the sheds and Markram having to do the rest alongside one of the greenest middle-orders in cricket. Steve Smith reacts after being injured. Picture: AP Photo Instead Bavuma dug in and soldiered through in a colossal partnership with opener Markram who was simply outstanding and set the tone from the get go even though South Africa lost an early wicket in pursuit of the target of 282 to win, which would have been much lower if not for the half century final wicket stand of Mitchell Starc (58 not out) and Josh Hazlewood. Since 1999 when Steve Waugh's team clinched that extraordinary run-out to break South African hearts on the last ball of the World Cup semi-final, Australia has had a suffocating hold on the hapless Proteas in major international events. But the tables of history turned spectacularly on day three of the WTC Final, and it was Australia staring down the barrel of squandering a match against a weaker opponent which at various stages looked in their keeping. Without Starc and Josh Hazlewood (17) adding 59 off 135 balls – the highest 10th wicket partnership in ICC Finals' history – Australia would have been sliced and diced even sooner. Rather than crush the South Africans, the ease in which Australia's tail went about their business seem to fill Markram with confidence that batting had suddenly become easy in a match where 28 wickets had fallen across the first two days. The Australian target blowing out 63 runs on the morning of day three made little impact on the mindset of the superb Markram and the tenacious 162cm Bavuma, in fact it may have even emboldened them, as they shook off the stigma of choking they've carried for 35 years with a partnership of unwavering intent. What they have done has been truly extraordinary given only once before at Lord's has a team had to chase the biggest score of the match in the final innings to win the game. South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma celebrates his half-century. Picture: AP Photo So damaging in the first innings, Australia's quicks didn't look like taking a wicket for large portions of day three and perhaps they tired from having no red ball cricket under their belts. The post-mortem for Australia should be searing because this was quite simply a Final they should never have lost. Questions will be asked about the non-selection of Sam Konstas at the top of the order, and serious decisions now must be made over the future of Marnus Labuschagne and possibly even Usman Khawaja, if Australia is looking ahead to the Ashes as it must do. Mitchell Starc salutes the crowd after reaching his half century. Picture: Getty Images Smith's injury complicates matters because if he can't play the first Test in Barbados there is another place to fill and perhaps Labuschagne earns a reprieve. Australia is an ageing side and they were made to look old by South Africa who came to play with the kind of self-belief that's evaded them throughout its World Cup history. Starc struck with an early wicket but South Africa were not perturbed from their mission, and even when the Australian left-armer returned to send Wiaan Mulder packing, the Proteas remained resolute. The sight of Bavuma pinging his hamstring and yet hobbling on was an inspiring feat. Relive the action from day three of the WTC final below Originally published as Australia on verge of blowing World Test Championship final as Aiden Markram century powers South Africa
Irish Daily Mirror
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Real story behind URC final attendance figures at Croke Park will surprise you
There are a variety of people who claim to have coined the phrase 'What if they gave a war and nobody came' and, indeed Pat Boone of Ain't That a Shame fame, had an absolutely awful single of the same it's the URC who are laughing all the to the bank and predicting a 42,000-plus attendance at Croke Park for a match without 'away' fans and for which the tickets only went on sale last a minor victory for that idea that 'destination' finals are not good for sport, that is picking a city at the start of season and which was used by the URC advantage is the event is on sale for eight months, the disadvantage is you could pick a northern hemisphere venue and get two South African teams and league's current MO is to allow the side with the highest league position once the finalists are known - and they were not known until last Saturday. Leinster had nominated Croke Park at the beginning of the season as the RDS is being rebuilt and, at the time, the FAI had reserved this weekend at The estimates that the URC Grand final would attract as little as 12,000 were a long way wide of the mark and as evidence that the lower bowl was not enough to cater for the demand emerged on Wednesday, a section of the Upper Cusack was URC did not have a Grand Final between 2004 and 2009. The next phase, merit-based finals from 2010-14, saw just one passing 20,000, namely Munster vs Leinster in 2011 at Thomond 2015-19 destination finals, at a time when there were no South African club involved in the league, got past 40,000 on three ocassions on the back of getting it 'right'. The Aviva hosted Munster vs Scarlets (47,556) in 2017 and Leinster vs Scarlets (46,092) in 2018 before Glasgow hosted Glasgow vs Leinster (47,128) in 2020 and 2021 finals were played behind closed doors because of Covid restrictions while, more recently, there was 31,000 in Cape Town for all the all-South African Stormers vs Bulls, a record 53,244 in Cape Town for the All-South African Bulls vs Stormers, and 50,388 in Pretoria for Bulls vs average URC attendance is 12,000, while their average for the season which included an 80,000 Munster Croke Park sell-out and the Champions Cup games, is 32, disappointing semi-final attendance of 15,762 was taken in the light of Ireland playing a soccer match against Senegal the previous Thursday and attracting 32,478. The URC, who are only expecting a small number of UK-based Bulls fans and very few foreign-based neutrals, are privately delighted to be pushing 43, lessons are being learned and there is an announcement in the offing that the gap between the semi-finals and the final will be stretched to two week to allow fans more time to plan trips. It's not too late to go to today's match either and tickets are as cheap as €20 for Hill 16.
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Cricket's world showdown finally lives up to its billing on thrilling first day
Over the week of lead-up to its third staging, the World Test Championship final has felt increasingly like something that counts. After two abandoned attempts to host it at Lord's, having been diverted first to the Hampshire Bowl and then to The Oval, it is finally being held at cricket's original headquarters. On the first day of the match, with a surge of people up St John's Wood Road, whether for a sensible start time of 10:30am or spilling over into an occasionally sunny afternoon, forming an eventual crowd of over 26,000, this at last felt like vindication of concept. Of course, cricket being cricket, this also means that the game's biggest interests are right now lining to sabotage it. The Indian board plans to take the next final to their cavern in Ahmedabad, where about 13 people will show up to watch, especially if it's a neutral fixture. Even India Tests when Virat Kohli was playing drew paltry crowds there. Partly their move will be motivated by a thirst for prestige, partly by India having already lost two finals in England. It is comically being framed as a 'bid', while everyone in cricket knows that that the BCCI does not do any bidding, but only has its bidding done. England, meanwhile, the only team that could credibly provoke complaints about home ground advantage, have spent the last cycle disparaging the tournament. Home advantage is only a factor if you qualify for the final, which England have conspicuously failed to do at every opportunity, so their manner has more than a touch of fox and grapes about it. The attitude has filtered through to a decent portion of England's cricket media, who criticise the format, but of course the structure is janky – international cricket's unequal relations between participants make some level of jank inevitable. Disgruntled English voices may be cheerier if the ECB's millions of pounds of annual expenditure could produce players able to count how many overs they had bowled in a session. And yet, and yet, there would have been plenty of English cricketing hearts gladdened by the second hour of the match, as South Africa's fast bowlers came to play. It had to be the premier quicks, Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, if they were to really challenge Australia, and both did the job perfectly: keen to bowl after winning the toss, bringing aggression and accuracy, four down for 67 on the stroke of lunch. For the biggest Test in the calendar, Australia's batting configuration has a makeshift current composition, with Marnus Labuschagne opening and Cameron Green at three, and the collective failed to fire. Usman Khawaja spent the last Australian summer on the hop, repeatedly jumping and fending at pace to be caught behind the wicket. Swap Jasprit Bumrah for Rabada and the same mode occurred. Green pushed across the ball in being caught the same over. Labuschagne was kept dry before finally being drawn into a push and an edge, while Travis Head fell into an long-held habit of nicking down the leg-side. And so the urge from an English view, or any neutral perspective really, to see Australia knocked over by a team with fewer resources, was well fed by lunch, only for that excitement to be gradually sapped as it has so many times before by Steven Smith. Three months without a bat in hand seems a good recipe for the former batting obsessive on this evidence, as he moved perfectly into line with the outswinging ball, waiting with patience to punch it through the off-side, before stepping to the slightly straighter line to turn it fine down the leg. In a country where he has eight centuries, and on a ground where he has two, a bigger innings looked a lock for Smith once he had Beau Webster locked in for support. That didn't happen in the end, Smith having what for him is a modest stay of just under two hours. But as the scoring patterns of this match emerged, his score of 66 is beginning to look as effective as a hundred elsewhere. Australia were all out 212 and still reach stumps as favourites, with South Africa 43 for 4. This was always likely to be the biggest disparity: South Africa's often fragile batting, featuring solid domestic types and white-ball bashers, against Australia's quicks. Ryan Rickelton has a fine domestic record but won't have faced an attack of this pedigree. Wiaan Mulder wants to believe, but is an all-rounder and a makeshift number three. Tristan Stubbs is a white-ball smasher yet to credibly make the transition. Aiden Markram has high class but a record that doesn't sufficiently reflect it. All were out cheaply, among sharp bounce and smashed stumps. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Overnight, then, the match awaits another test. Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham need to mimic the rescue job of Smith and Webster. If they don't, and South Africa fall over, the scrutiny on their path to qualification will intensity. That shouldn't be the case, because lopsided Tests occur between all strengths of nations all the time, but it will. If instead they can take it up to Australia again, as they did in the first session, they will solidify fondness in the hearts of neutrals, for the match as much as the team. Beyond parochial views, this is what a global final should be about. The concept is right, but there is more vindication to achieve.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Win tickets to the Club World Cup final, return flights, a hotel and £5k spending money with talkSPORT
OUR friends at talkSPORT are giving readers a chance to win an incredible Club World Cup prize! You could win a pair of tickets to the final in New York, return flights, a hotel room and £5k spending money. To enter the draw simply text the word FINAL to 8333888 before 11pm June 13. 18+, UK excluding Northern Ireland. Texts cost £2 plus one standard network rate message. You must have the bill payer's permission. Or send your name and number by post to Club World Cup Final Prize Draw, PO Box 3190, Colchester CO2 8GP to arrive by 5pm on 18th June.
RNZ News
09-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Alcaraz and Sinner French Open final scaled new heights, former champions agree
Carlos Alcaraz ( Spain ) during the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros, 2025. Photo: Dante Badano / PsnewZ / Photosport Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner took tennis to a level above that reached by even the sport's golden generation during their spellbinding French Open final on Sunday (French time), according to a host of former Roland Garros champions. Spaniard Alcaraz, 22, saved three successive match points as he hit back from two sets down to win 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(10-2) in front of a mesmerised Paris crowd. At five hours and 29 minutes it was the longest final at Roland Garros, smashing the previous record set by Sweden's Mats Wilander when he beat Guillermo Vilas in 1982. "The level at the end was absolutely ridiculous," Wilander, analysing the final for broadcaster TNT, said. "I cannot believe we will have this rivalry. They have taken our sport to another level. I never thought I'd say that after the big three - Roger (Federer), Rafa (Nadal) and Novak (Djokovic) - but it's actually faster than ever and a level that is hard to believe." Between them the players struck 123 winners and the quality was unrelenting as the final swayed one way and then another as they went toe-to-toe. The final points tally was 193-192 in Sinner's favour but he fell agonisingly short of becoming the first Italian man to win the claycourt title since Adriano Panatta in 1976. "I've seen Federer and Nadal and they played a couple of good finals but nothing comes close to this," Wilander said. "I thought 'this is not possible' they're playing at a pace that is not human. These are two of the best athletes the human race can put forward and they happen to be tennis players. I'm not speechless often but what a wonderful day." Jannik Sinner ( Italy ) during the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros. Photo: © Dante Badano / PsnewZ 2025 It was the first Grand Slam final meeting between the two trailblazers who have now scooped seven out of the last eight Grand Slam titles and with Sinner only 23, they look set to create a rivalry as compelling as those between Nadal, Federer and Djokovic. "The first final between these two. Celestial tennis from Alcaraz in that final tie breaker," said another former French Open champion Jim Courier, who commentated on the match for TNT. "There are days that tennis players don't forget." Seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe said both would have beaten record 14-time French Open champion and claycourt king Nadal at his peak. "You would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favoured to beat Nadal, at his best," the American said. "These two guys right now, it's like when you watch the NBA and you say nobody could be better than Michael Jordan. The tennis level right now is higher than I've ever seen." Former Roland Garros winner Andre Agassi also sounded an ominous warning for anyone hoping to dethrone Alcaraz at Wimbledon where this year he will seek a hat-trick of titles. "Alcaraz's best surface to me, shockingly would be between here and Wimbledon. I'd actually say grass might be his best surface," the American, who presented the trophy, said. "I mean, you gotta remember this guy has defence and speed like Novak, if not more. He has feel like Federer, you could argue at times if not more. He has RPMs in pace like Rafa. You could argue maybe even more." -Reuters
