
Who is Riley Norton? — South Africa U19 cricketer leads U20 Rugby team into World Cup final
The 19-year-old is quickly becoming one of South Africa's most compelling young sporting talents, making headlines for his exceptional achievements across two major sports: cricket and rugby.
In the 2024 U19 Cricket World Cup, he showcased his all-round abilities as a fast-bowling all-rounder, picking up 11 wickets at an average of 18.36 and maintaining a batting average of 50, being dismissed only once in three innings, helping South Africa reach the semifinals.
Despite his promising cricket career, Norton has recently pivoted to focus more on rugby, a sport where he has also excelled significantly. Following in the footsteps of his father, Chris Norton, who played for Maties Rugby from 1991 to 2003, Riley joined Maties Rugby this year while pursuing a B. Com Investment Management degree at Stellenbosch University.
His leadership prowess has been particularly evident in the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship. As captain of the Junior Springboks, Norton has guided his team through dominant performances, securing victories against Australia (73-17), defending champion England (32-22), and Scotland (73-14) in the group stage. They then triumphed over Argentina 48-24 in the semifinal, earning their spot in the final against New Zealand on July 20.
The youngster represents a rare breed of dual-sport athletes, drawing comparisons to figures like Namibia's Rudie van Vuuren, who notably played in both the Cricket and Rugby World Cups. Norton's story is an inspiring testament to elite talent knowing no boundaries, and his future in South African sport looks incredibly bright.
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First Post
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Morkel defends under-fire Indian bowlers, says playing five Tests right after IPL a challenge: 'It's a real test'
India bowling coach Morne Morkel also felt the Jasprit Bumrah-led attack performed much better on Day 3 of the fourth Test against England in Manchester, and came to the defence of debutant Anshul Kamboj, who has been criticised for his underwhelming pace. read more India bowling coach Morke Morkel defended the performance of the Jasprit Bumrah-led bowling unit after the third day's play in the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford. AP India bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted his bowlers are struggling to make an impact in the crucial fourth Test against England in Manchester, but felt playing a five-match Test series in England right after two months of the Indian Premier League was always going to be a challenge. Morkel reacted to India's dismal bowling performance on Day 3 at Old Trafford, which allowed England to end the day on a commanding 544/7. Joe Root headlined their dominant batting performance with a majestic 150 while four others, including captain Ben Stokes (77 not out), scored fifties. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For India, spin-bowling all-rounders Washington Sundar (2/57) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/117) lead the way with a couple of wickets each while the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah (1/95), Mohammed Siraj (1/113) and debutant Anshul Kamboj (1/89) collected a wicket each. 'It's a real test. We play three Test match series a lot and this is now our first time in a while we've done this with five. It shouldn't be excused, but in terms of conditioning, getting our guys conditioned and getting them ready for five Test series coming straight up after IPL, is sometimes an issue,' Morkel told reporters during the press conference after stumps. 'Much better today with the ball' The former South African pacer, however, added that the Indians bowled a lot better on the 'Moving Day' than they did on Thursday, when England had raced to 225/2 at stumps after following a 166-run opening stand between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. 'Much better today with the ball. I thought yesterday was a tough day for us in the office. We missed our lines, putting us slightly on the back foot, but I thought the way the boys responded this morning, especially Siraj and Bumrah with the ball, was good to see. 'And yeah, from there, you know, we tried our best with trying to create opportunities on a wicket played better than the first couple of days. Discipline and holding those lines were key. And that was something I think we missed on day one,' he added. Morkel also confirmed Bumrah and Siraj did suffer injury scares on Day 3, but were ultimately fine. 'Yeah, unfortunately, when we took the second new ball, Booms rolled his ankles going down the stairs. And then Siraj also, I think, rolled his foot in one of the footholds. But they seemed to be okay,' he continued. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Morkel extends support to debutant Kamboj As for Kamboj, who replaced the injured Akash Deep in the XI, clocking underwhelming speeds under 125kmph at Old Trafford on international debut, Morkel felt it was a learning curve for the 24-year-old Haryana pacer. 'Unfortunately, there's no place to hide. And, you know, we support him as best as we can, through conversations. But it's also for him, it's good learning. 'And I think everybody in the dressing room is constantly telling him to keep going and supporting him. That's part of international cricket, it's good to get a taste for it and know, moving forward, what he needs to do to play at this level. 'So, you know, it's through good conversations and just keep on supporting him. He can definitely bowl quicker,' Morkel added.


News18
5 hours ago
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Suresh Raina IGNORES MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli & Jasprit Bumrah In His World XI
Raina included four Indian players—Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and Anil Kumble. But surprisingly there was no mention of Kohli, Dhoni, and Bumrah. Suresh Raina is in England these days, where he is playing for India Champions in the World Championship of Legends 2025. The left-handed batter was last seen in action on Tuesday (July 22) against South Africa Champions at County Ground in Northampton but could only manage to score 16 runs from 11 balls as the No. 3 batter. On the sidelines of the ongoing cricket event in England, Raina picked his world playing XI and included as many as four Indian players in that, but surprisingly there was no mention of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, or Jasprit Bumrah in that list. Lara included Sachin Tendulkar in his list and paired him up with Brian Lara at the top. They were followed by Viv Richards, Garry Sobers, Yuvraj Singh, Ian Botham, and Andrew Flintoff. Raina included four spinners in his World XI, and those were Shane Warne, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, and Saqlain Mushtaq of Pakistan. He also gave a special mention to former South African spinner Paul Adams by including him as an impact player. 'Brian Lara, Sachin paaji open. No. 3 Viv Richards sir, No. 4 Garry Sobers, No. 5 Yuvraj Singh, No. 6 Ian Botham, No. 7 Andrew Flintoff. I will include four spinners. Shane Warne, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble and Saqlain Mushtaq," Raina said. ' Agar impact player rule hoga toh mujhe… usme hoga impact player Paul Adams from South Africa, chinaman," he added. Suresh Raina's world XI: Brian Lara (West Indies), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Viv Richards (West Indies), Garry Sobers (West Indies), Yuvraj Singh (India), Ian Botham (England), Andrew Flintoff (England), Shane Warne (Australia), Harbhajan Singh (India), Anil Kumble (India), Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan). Impact player: Paul Adams (South Africa) South African great AB de Villiers is also playing in WCL 2025, and he also recently picked his world XI. In ABD's list, Kohli and Dhoni managed to find a place, but he didn't include Tendulkar. AB De Villiers' world XI of legends: Graeme Smith (South Africa), Matthew Hayden (Australia), Ricky Ponting (Australia), Virat Kohli (India), Steve Smith (Australia), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), MS Dhoni (India), Mitchell Johnson (Australia), Mohammad Asif (Pakistan), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka), Shane Warne (Australia). 12th man: Glenn McGrath (Australia) view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


NDTV
5 hours ago
- NDTV
Joe Root Scripts World Record Surpassing Don Bradman, Becomes Batter With Most...
England's star batter Joe Root continues his terrific form in Test cricket. The right-handed batter smashed a sensational century on Day 3 of the ongoing fourth Test against India at Old Trafford, Manchester. The ton helped Root script a new world record, surpassing Australia great Don Bradman. Root became the player with most Test centuries against an opponent in home Tests. He now has 9 Test hundreds against India at home. Root has broken the record of Bradman, who had eight against England. Root on Friday surpassed Australian legend Ricky Ponting's tally to become the second highest run-getter in the history of Test cricket and next in sight of the England batter is Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar who continues to head the list. On the third day of the fourth Test against India here, Root first leapfrogged legendary Indian Rahul Dravid and South African great Jacques Kallis' aggregate of runs in a space of eight balls and then went past Ponting by steering the ball behind point for a single as the Old Trafford crowd gave him a standing ovation. Ponting had scored 13378 runs in 168 matches at an average of 51.85, while Tendulkar continues to top the list with 15921 runs. It was apt that Ponting was in the commentary box when Root went past him. The 34-year-old Root began his Test career with a 73-run knock on debut during England's tour of India back in 2012 at Nagpur. "Congrats, Joe Root. Magnificent," a delighted Ponting, doing commentary alongside Ravi Shastri, hailed the Yorkshire man. Root is playing in his 157th Test. It was some sight as England skipper Ben Stokes, who was also in the middle, raised his bat even before Root could take off his helmet and acknowledged the cheers and applause from the crowd and the players Earlier, Root entered the history books by breaking the record of most Test centuries against India with his 12th hundred against the Asian giants, against whom he has played in 34 Tests so far. Root had equalled Australian Steve Smith's record (11 centuries) in the third India-England Test at Lord's last week by scoring a hundred (104 runs from 199 balls) in the first innings. Overall, the ton at Old Trafford was his 38th in red ball format as he joined former Sri Lanka star Kumar Sangakkara at fourth place in the list of centurions in the game's longest format. Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45) and Ponting (41) are ahead of him in the hundred's list.