A new era has begun in cricket with the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), which has revolutionized the game, especially for batsmen. There has been an unprecedented upsurge in aggressive batting displays in the Twenty20 format, with batsmen destroying opponents with remarkable frequency and dominating matches. Abhishek Sharma, Sunil Narine, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, and Jake Fraser-McGurk are just a few of the players whose power hitting has propelled the art of six-hitting to new heights. Batsmen have been absolutely devastating in the
Setting a new World Record in the process. O'Callaghan's electrifying swim of 1:52.98 not only secured her victory in a tightly-contested race but also surpassed the previous record set by Federica Pellegrini during the 'shiny suit' era at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome. This former record had stood unbroken for an impressive 5110 days. The race was a thrilling spectacle with O'Callaghan facing strong challenges from her fellow countrywoman Ariarne Titmus and Canada's Summer McIntosh. In an exhilarating finish, O'Callaghan managed
Akshay Bhatia birdied the closing hole in regulation, then capitalized in sudden death when Patrick Rodgers found a divot in the fairway to win his first PGA Tour title at the Barracuda Championship on Sunday. The 21-year-old Bhatia, who turned pro at 17, earned full status on tour and a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He had been playing under special temporary membership since his runner-up finish at the Puerto Rico Open in March. “It’s obviously been a really tough road. I’ve
Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes has been named as the new captain of Manchester United, the Premier League club said on Thursday. The 28-year-old will replace defender Harry Maguire, who was stripped of the team captaincy by manager Erik ten Hag after the England international failed to secure a place in the first team. Fernandes, who has 64 goals and 54 assists in 185 games for the club in all competitions, captained in the absence of Maguire, who spent much of last season on
Lionel Messi has already proved to be a team player at his new club Inter Miami as the Argentine forward surprised a team mate in the players’ group chat by providing a timely assist with tickets to his presentation on Sunday. Not even the pouring rain could spoil Messi’s welcome party last weekend in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where the new face of Major League Soccer (MLS) was introduced to a packed stadium of adoring fans. The new team mates of the seven-time Ballon
Manchester United have signed Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan on a five-year contract with the option of a further year, the Premier League club announced on Thursday. Sky Sports said United will pay 51 million euros ($56.70 million) for the 27-year-old plus four million in add-ons. “Manchester United has a long history of incredible goalkeepers, and I will now give everything to create my own legacy in the coming years,” Onana said in a statement. He has said goodbye to Inter
“Deep in the Heart of Texas” blared from the speakers during a timeout a few days into the debut of a U.S. professional cricket league near Dallas. Fans waved the flags of the Texas Super Kings and the LA Knight Riders, with some wearing the jerseys of their favorite countries or clubs overseas. A couple had ballcaps of two of the biggest brands in the United States — the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees. This unusual confluence comes
“Satisfied” with how the opening day went, hosts West Indies hope to utilise the new ball and get early breakthroughs on Friday, said assistant coach Kenny Benjamin. Opting to bowl, the hosts had an under-par morning session but staged a fightback. They struck four times, limiting India to 288/4 on Thursday. “We were a little bit disappointed that we didn’t pick up a wicket or two till lunch but then we did well to get four wickets,” Benjamin said after the end of
Newly acquired midfield star Declan Rice came on as a second-half substitute and helped Arsenal finish off a 5-0 victory over the MLS All-Stars on Wednesday night. Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Jorginho, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz all scored — and those weren’t the only highlights for the many red-clad Arsenal supporters in the crowd at Audi Field. Rice moved from West Ham to the Gunners for a British-record transfer fee last weekend, reported to be 105 million pounds ($138 million). The crowd
Major League Cricket (MLC) finally got underway in the United States last week after several false starts, fuelling hopes that the sport is poised to break new ground in a huge new market on the back of the popular Twenty20 format. Five years after USA Cricket shared its plans to launch a domestic T20 tournament, the inaugural edition of the MLC kicked off having assembled an impressive array of investors. Four of its six franchises are owned by business entities which also own
Leo Messi's arrival at Inter Miami has shaken up the MLS scene and every move the Argentinian makes in his new jersey in the United States is causing a furore. This was evident at his presentation and first training session under Tata Martino, which was attended by more than 200 media outlets from all over the world. But there is one statistic that could propel Lionel Messi even further into stardom in 2023: he has three chances in the remainder of the season
Joao Felix, who wants to leave the Wanda Metropolitano, has declared his intention to sign with Barcelona. At this point, Felix’s future at Atletico Madrid appears to be quite hazy. Although Los Colchoneros intend to sell him this summer, the Portuguese is not now in high demand. “I’d love to play for Barça,” he told Fabrizio Romano. “Barcelona has always been my first choice and I’d love to join Barça.“ Felix signed a costly loan agreement with Chelsea for the second half of
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said women's football has experienced incredible growth over the last 10 years and is confident that the World Cup will win over anyone who remains sceptical about the merits of the women's game. The sport's governing body expects 2 billion people to tune in for the 64-game tournament being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, with the event set to kick off in Auckland on Thursday. "Many people who believe that women's football is still not a great game,
China's Zhang Shuai retired from her Hungarian Grand Prix match in tears on Tuesday after her local opponent Amarissa Toth erased a ball mark on the clay court following a disputed line call. Second seed Zhang hit a crosscourt forehand that appeared to land on the line but was called out by the line judge. The chair umpire then stepped down to take a look at the mark and confirmed the ball had landed outside the line. Zhang was incensed by the call
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been stripped of the team captaincy by manager Erik ten Hag, the 30-year-old said on Sunday. Maguire was named captain by former coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer six months after his arrival at United in 2019, but made only 16 league appearances last season with midfielder Bruno Fernandes wearing the armband in his absence. “After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain,” the England international wrote on Twitter. “He outlined his reasons
It’s done. Lionel Messi is officially an Inter Miami player, a deal extending until December 2025 that will see him earn around $60m annually for the Major League Soccer (MLS) club. It will only be a third football club for the Argentine World Cup winning captain, who made a move from Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain in summer 2021. For former PSG midfielder and Inter Miami co-owner, Messi moving to his club is a dream come true. The former England captain took to
Lionel Messi arrived in Major League Soccer (MLS) and Inter Miami’s wait was finally over during the ‘unveil’ on Monday morning. Messi, who walked out from behind a curtain, took a few steps along a rain-slicked runaway set up over the field at Inter Miami’s stadium, and then met David Beckham for a big hug. “I’m very much moved to be here in Miami, to be with you,” said Messi before adding, “I want to thank you, all of you, on behalf of
Rafael Nadal was among the first ones to congratulate compatriot Carlos Alcaraz after he made history by defeating Novak Djokovic and claiming his first Wimbledon crown on Sunday. “Congratulations @carlosalcaraz. You have given us immense joy today and I am sure that our pioneer in Spanish tennis, Manolo Santana, has also been cheering wherever he is. A very strong hug and enjoy the moment, Champion!!!,” Nadal posted on Twitter. Alcaraz heralded the changing of the guard in men’s tennis as he ended Djokovic’s
The Indian women’s hockey team made a disappointing start to its tour of Germany as it went down 2-3 against China. While Navneet Kaur scored in the 24th and 45th minute, Chen Jiali (9), Zhong Jiaqi (45) and Xu Yanan (51′) were the goal scorers for China on Sunday night. Both teams got off the blocks swiftly in the first quarter. It was India who attacked aggressively and earned a PC in the third minute but it was saved by a strong Chinese
Real Madrid said on Thursday it signed 18-year-old midfielder Arda Guler from Turkish team Fenerbahçe. Guler, who also plays for Turkey's national squad, signed with the Spanish club for six years, Real Madrid said on its website.