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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Morkel defends under-fire Indian bowlers, says playing five Tests right after IPL a challenge: 'It's a real test'
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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
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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.
