Short-ball ploy and close catchers: how England wrapped up India's tail
Had England scored even another 30 runs in their second innings, a second new ball would have come into play, and they might have had a surer route to the win. As it was, that new ball remained tantalisingly out of reach.
Even so, by the lunch break, England must have thought the job was almost done. But with India still needing 81, Ravindra Jadeja, the last recognised batsman, opted to play carefully and control the strike, and nudge his side towards their target. His partners — first Jasprit Bumrah, then Mohammed Siraj — focused on surviving what few balls they faced.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Jake Paul is boxing's newest power broker. Taylor v Serrano was his proof of concept
On Friday night, 11 July, Katie Taylor earned the clear-cut win that had eluded her in two previous victories by controversial decision over Amanda Serrano. Fighting before a sold-out crowd of 19,721 on the first all-women's boxing card ever at Madison Square Garden, Taylor outboxed her longtime rival and solidified her status as one of the greatest women boxers of all time. The evening was a celebration of women's boxing and also marked a significant step forward for Most Valuable Promotions (Jake Paul's promotional company), which orchestrated, produced and marketed the event. Paul is a highly visible social media influencer with 28.4m followers on Instagram and 20.9m subscribers to his YouTube channel. He and Nakisa Bidarian (who was once the UFC's chief strategy and chief financial officer) met in 2019 when Bidarian began planning the 2020 exhibition between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones for Triller. Paul had only one fight on his resume at the time – a victory over social media personality Ali Eson Gib. But Bidarian signed him for the primary support bout beneath Tyson-Jones, and Jake knocked out former NBA basketball player Nate Robinson in the second round. The following year, he and Bidarian founded MVP. Bidarian has a reputation for being hard-working, abrasive and smart. One person who has worked with him says, 'Nakisa always thinks he's the smartest person in the room, and very often that's true. But he has the personality of a porcupine and can be difficult to deal with.' That said; another person who has worked with Bidarian opines, 'Nakisa is a hard negotiator but he's always professional. He thinks creatively outside the box. And once he makes a deal, he lives up to it. He doesn't look at a contract as the starting point for a new round of negotiations, which distinguishes him from a lot of people in boxing.' MVP calls itself a managerial company. But like Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions (another 'managerial' company), it functions as a promoter. In recent years, MVP has promoted numerous small fight cards on DAZN. But its greatest success has come with Jake Paul's fights. Now it's trying to build on Paul's social media presence and ring exploits to establish a promotional company that isn't reliant on Jake fighting to turn a profit. Paul's ring career has blurred the line between social media influencers and traditional boxers. After knocking out Gib and Robinson, he won four more fights against a string of aging former MMA combatants before losing a decision to Tommy Fury. That was followed by five more wins, the most notable of which was an eight-round decision over 58-year-old Mike Tyson last November. Two weeks ago, he decisioned an unmotivated, out-of-shape, long-past-his-prime Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Paul has the ring skills of a club fighter. That merits respect. But now that the novelty of his fighting has worn off, he needs a dance partner to attract a large audience willing to pay big money to watch him fight. Tyson-Paul fit that profile to perfection. The fight was marred by a lack of serious PED testing and questionable medical-clearance standards for Tyson. But it drew 72,300 fans to AT&T Stadium in Texas. The live gate surpassed $18m, making it the largest on-site gate ever in the United States for a fight card held outside of Las Vegas. It was also the first live professional sports event ever on Netflix and the most-streamed sports event of all time. More than 60m households around the world watched it. That made Taylor-Serrano II (which was on the undercard of Tyson-Paul) the most-watched women's sporting event in US history. Building on that success, Netflix purchased rights to stream Taylor-Serrano III as well as the upcoming 13 September Saudi-backed encounter between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford. Paul has mastered the art of making money through social media. 'We've been fortunate to have Jake as the head of our spear,' Bidarian acknowledges. 'Social media is the most important currency in the world today because the vast majority of Gen Z and younger get their news, get their content, get their updates from social media.' But once Paul stops boxing, MVP's biggest money-making vehicle will be gone. Jake simply showing up for someone else's fight that he's promoting won't create much wealth. 'They're trying to develop other stars to fill the void,' says a manager who has done business with MVP. 'But most of their young fighters aren't very good. Other than Amanda Serrano, they haven't signed a fighter who can generate big money. And Amanda has to be paired with someone like Katie Taylor to sell.' Bidarian is believed to be trying to raise capital from outside sources to expand MVP. Meanwhile, the company is working to establish a reputation as the place for elite women boxers to be and build what Bidarian calls 'a cohesive unfragmented women's boxing program'. In recent months, it has announced a series of high-profile signings and hopes to launch an all-women's boxing series. 'Women's boxing might not become as popular as men's boxing,' Bidarian acknowledges. 'But it can carry its own weight.' Meanwhile, there's a huge plus to what MVP is doing. It's generating the cash through live gate receipts, pay-per-view buys, license fees, sponsorships and other income streams to cover what Paul and the company are paid. No big loser is keeping MVP afloat, which is an all-too-common formula in the boxing business today. That brings us to Taylor-Serrano III. Most boxing trilogies result from the first two fights between the combatants being split. Here the trilogy came about because, even though Taylor emerged victorious on the judges' scorecards in Taylor-Serrano I and II, they were exceptionally good fights. And many knowledgeable observers thought that Serrano deserved the decision in one or both of them. Taylor-Serrano I was a watershed moment for women's boxing. Promoted by Eddie Hearn, it was contested at Madison Square Garden on 30 April 2022, before a sellout crowd of 19,187 and engendered a live gate of $1,450,180. The atmosphere was electric. The action was heated. Taylor won a 97-93, 96-93, 94-96 verdict. Taylor-Serrano II (on the undercard of Tyson-Paul) was just as enthralling. Once again, Taylor prevailed; this time by a slender 95-94, 95-94, 95-94 margin. On both occasions, Serrano was remarkably gracious in defeat and accepted her loss without public complaint. But her resentment showed at the 9 April kick-off press conference for her third encounter with Taylor. Not one to shy away from hype, host Ariel Helwani began the press conference by calling it 'one of the most important press conferences in combat sports history'. Eventually the fighters had their say. Serrano called Taylor a great champion and said she respected her in and out of the ring. Katie responded, 'There's no animosity on my side. I'm just here to fight.' But things got testy when Serrano said that she'd wanted 12 three-minute rounds for their upcoming fight rather than the 10 two-minute rounds that are traditional for women's championship bouts and claimed that Taylor had reneged on a promise to accept that format. Taylor countered that she'd declined the request because the WBC wouldn't sanction the fight on those terms and added, 'The challenger shouldn't be dictating the terms of the fight. Amanda's not in a position to dictate and Amanda's not in a position to change the format of women's boxing.' That pushed Serrano's buttons and she turned to the judging of the first two fights, declaring, 'The world has eyes. They saw what they saw. It sucks that three judges see something completely different. But millions of people saw it another way.' 'I'm not interested in what Amanda says about the fight,' Taylor countered. 'I'm only interested in what the judges say about the fight. I am 2-and-0 here. I was the deserved winner. Here we are again, having a silly conversation because you're trying to create a narrative that you were robbed in that fight. That's not OK, Amanda.' 'A lot of times I let those comments go,' Taylor said afterward. 'But enough is enough of all the silly comments and the complaints over the decision and stuff. I'm 2-and-0 against her. She actually feels like she won that fight, which is not correct. She wants to walk to the ring second. She wants to be announced second. It's absolutely ridiculous. After I beat her a third time, I don't want any more complaints.' Fight week offered the usual mix of media workouts, photo ops and other promotional activities. Serrano gave the impression of enjoying it. Taylor is on the shy side and would rather train and fight than talk. MVP announced that the event would 'break the official Guinness World Records title for the most world championship belts ever contested on a single fight card, male or female, with 17 world titles on the line across five bouts'. But while fighters and networks care about the belts, most fight fans don't. Championships were devalued in boxing long ago. And that's particularly true of women's boxing. Meanwhile, Ariel Helwani upped the ante at the final pre-fight press conference, calling the event 'the greatest fight card of all time'. Some of the undercard bouts that preceded Taylor-Serrano III were competitive and spirited. Others weren't. Of particular note, Shadasia Green won a 96-93, 95-94, 93-96 split-decision over Savannah Marshall in an action fight that saw both women dig deep and could have gone either way on the judges' scorecards. Finally it was time for the main event. Taylor-Serrano III was for all four of Taylor's 140lb belts. But as a concession to Serrano, there was a 136lb contract weight. The high stakes and enthusiastic crowd (which leaned toward Serrano) gave the bout high drama. But the action was far more muted than in their first two encounters. This time around, Taylor put on a defensive boxing clinic. The first three rounds were tactically fought with both women probing for openings and finding little to exploit. A judge could have scored them either way. Taylor's game plan was clear. She had no intention of engaging in firefight exchanges. She would move, box and pick up points when and where she could. She fought a smart, measured, disciplined fight with side-to-side movement that exposed Serrano's limitations as a boxer. And Amanda had no Plan B to break through Katie's defensive shield. Serrano clearly won round six. But other than that, her stalking was largely ineffective aggression. Two of the judges scored the fight 97-93 for Taylor, which was on the mark. The third tally (95-95) was bad judging. 'The whole game plan,' Taylor said afterward, 'was to not let her feet set. I knew I was capable of a performance like that in the other two fights as well. But the two fights previously ended up as complete wars, and I came out of the ring battered and bruised and I'm thinking, 'Why am I just standing there, fighting?'' Putting that comment in perspective; Serrano landed 173 punches to Taylor's 147 in their first encounter. In Taylor-Serrano II, those numbers increased to 324 to 217 in Amanda's favor. This time around, each fighter landed a meager 70 punches. Both women were gracious in the aftermath of the fight. 'I'm so grateful for Amanda Serrano,' Taylor said. 'What an amazing champion. And we created history together three times. My name will be embedded with hers forever. I'm very very happy about that.' Serrano responded in kind, saying, 'Thank you Katie Taylor for an incredible three fights and 30 rounds. It has truly been an honor to face you.' As for the future; Taylor's voice is starting to sound softer and a bit less crisp and clear than it once did. Serrano is showing the wear and tear of 52 professional fights. Each woman has earned life-changing money. Their health shouldn't be trifled with. It would be nice if they both retired now. Thomas Hauser's email address is thomashauserwriter@ His next book – The Most Honest Sport: Two More Years Inside Boxing – will be published this month and is available for preorder. In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing's highest honor - induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Brutal Mitchell Starc spell one to remember amid Australia batters' tour to forget
Modern sport reporting casually reaches for words like 'brutality' and 'carnage' where their usage even as metaphor is overblown. The end of the third Test in Kingston, though, warranted both. Australia's fast bowlers destroyed West Indies for 27, a single run higher than the lowest innings score in Test history. The batting lasted 14.3 overs, the third-shortest innings on record. Mitchell Starc, curling the pink Dukes ball, took 6 for 9. Scott Boland's 3 for 2 came in the form of a hat-trick. It was a sporting annihilation, the lowest West Indies total ever by 20 runs, worse than any time during the struggles of their earliest years or their recent decades. Australia swept the series 3-0. No Test innings has started so badly. Starc didn't need floodlights to make the ball move – Jamaica's afternoon heat was enough. Three wickets in his first over, not quite completing his hat-trick in his second, but taking two more in his third. The 35-year-old's haul from his first 15 balls of the innings is the earliest in an innings that any bowler has completed a five-for. The Test had started quietly for Starc: a duck with the bat, one early wicket, then 11 not out. At the last, his milestones came together: his 100th Test, his 400th wicket, and at one point figures of 5 for 2, equalling Ernie Toshack for the cheapest five-wicket haul. Swing away from John Campbell had the left-hander nick – the fourth wicket in Starc's career from the first ball of an innings – then swing into the right-handers trapped Kevlon Anderson fourth ball and bowled Brandon King right afterwards. The target of 204 was challenging in the conditions, but for a proper side should have been within reach. For West Indies, it might as well have been circling the planet in high-Earth orbit. Minds were not in attendance. Anderson not only left a ball that hit him on the ankle, but allowed himself to be talked into a review that showed a bullseye, the middle of middle stump. King saw that inswing and decided that the best response would be to leave open the gate and punch through cover on the up. It wasn't. Mikyle Louis kept out the hat-trick ball, barely, but an over later he and Shai Hope were both beaten by swing while defending, struck in front. After Louis, Starc raised the ball for his 400th, and after Hope, for his fifth of the innings. Louis to that point was the only runscorer on the card, while being fourth to fall, before Josh Hazlewood nicked off West Indies captain Roston Chase as the sixth. Justin Greaves and Alzarri Joseph somehow defended their way through eight overs, helped by Sam Konstas at third slip twice dropping what would have been Starc's sixth wicket. But that opened the stage door for Boland to have his moment, with his signature seam movement and length hitting the top of off stump. From the first ball of his second over, Boland had Greaves edge to the cordon. Second ball, the left-handed Shamar Joseph got one cutting in to strike his pad, not given but showing three reds on review. And from the third, the right-handed Jomel Warrican was beaten by movement the opposite way, losing off stump. Slip catch, lbw, bowled: a hat-trick via a fast bowling trinity. Konstas ushered West Indies past the lowest Test score, misfielding a stolen single, but Starc cleaned up Jayden Seales next ball, ending a supposed day-night Test hours before the lights had the chance to come on for a third time. It was the full stop on a series where batting has been woeful, even when bowling has deserved commendation. West Indies averaged 14.95 runs per wicket: only six times has a team over three Tests or more done worse. In national terms, 22.75 was the 14th worst Australian series average. It was the second time in Test history that a series with at least 12 innings failed to produce a century on either side. 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 Conditions were tough, but better players have managed worse. After falling to 99 for 6 by stumps on the second night, Australia resumed to have overnight stayer Cameron Green bowled leaving the first ball of the day. The innings was wrapped up for 121, a loss of 22 for 4 on the third day, after 225 all out in the first. When Alzarri Joseph bowled Hazlewood to complete 5 for 27, it was a moment of home team celebration, though he wouldn't have been expecting to be batting 32 balls later: the earliest entrance for a No 8 in Test history. It summed up the contradiction of the series, that even an Australian team batting so badly could win three matches so comfortably: by 159, 133, and finally 176 runs. After the burst of hope when West Indies knocked over Australia in Brisbane to start 2024, a loss so humiliating is even more crushing. The home team's bowling deserves praise, their fielding had highs alongside some lows. But a team that can't bat can't win, and this team can't do either. The Australian batters will be keen to scrub the trip as an aberration, though the question marks won't fade so easily. At least it ended with a day that the Australian bowlers will always be happy to remember.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
World's oldest marathon runner dead at 114... after being hit by a car: London club confirms Fauja Singh killed while crossing the road
The world's oldest marathon runner Fauja Singh has died in a road accident in India, aged 114. The British athlete - believed to be the oldest runner to complete a marathon - was hit by a car and suffered fatal injuries while trying to cross a road in his birth village Beas Pind, in Punjab, on Monday. His London-based running club and charity, Sikhs In The City, confirmed his death and said their upcoming events in Ilford, east London, will be a celebration of his life and achievements. Harmander Singh, Singh's coach at Sikhs In The City, said in a statement posted to the running club: 'Dearest runners. It is with great sadness that we can confirm our icon of humanity and powerhouse of positivity Fauja Singh has passed away in India. Aged 114 years old. 'He succumbed to injuries caused by a vehicle accident while crossing the road close to his home. 'His running club and charity Sikhs In The City will be devoting all of its events until the Fauja Singh Birthday Challenge on Sunday March 29, 2026 to celebrate his life of success and achievements. 'We will be doubling the efforts to raise funds to building the Fauja Singh Clubhouse on the route in Ilford where he used to train. 'In lieu of flowers please donate to his Clubhouse Appeal so we can carry on his legacy to encourage the world to keep fit and stay positive.' Singh - who lived in Ilford from 1992 - made his name by beating a number of records for marathon times in multiple age brackets. The centenarian became an inspiration for countless athletes by running marathons past the age of 100. A profile on the Olympics website said Singh was born in Punjab, then under British rule, on April 1 1911 and was the youngest of four children in a farming family. He was said to have suffered from thin and weak legs, and was unable to walk until he was five years old. The Sikh man moved to England and settled in east London with his son after the death of his wife Gian Kaur in Jalandhar. It was not until 2000, aged 89, that he took up running, quickly rising to fame by completing his maiden marathon in London in six hours and 54 minutes. This time knocked 58 minutes off the previous world's best in the 90-plus age bracket. Singh ran numerous marathons, completing the 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon in five hours and 40 minutes, his personal best. On October 16 2011, in Toronto, the runner is thought to have become the first centenarian to run a marathon. Guinness World Records described it as an 'inspirational achievement' but said it was unable to recognise the feat without the necessary proof of his date of birth. Singh did not have a birth certificate, as official birth records were not kept in India in 1911, although the date of birth on his passport was April 1 1911, and he received a personal letter from Queen Elizabeth II on his 100th birthday. He was a torchbearer for the London 2012 Olympics and retired at the age of 101. Following his death, Preet Kaur Gill MP said on X: 'Saddened to hear about the passing of Fauja Singh. 'I had the honour of meeting him. A truly inspiring man. His discipline, simple living, and deep humility left a lasting mark on me. 'A reminder that age is just a number, but attitude is everything. Rest in power, legend.' Jas Athwal MP said on X: 'Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Sardar Fauja Singh Ji. 'He was legendary - a man who continued running until he was 101. He was a global Sikh icon, that inspired millions across the world.
