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England's top order toppled as India's bowlers turn up the heat at Lord's

England's top order toppled as India's bowlers turn up the heat at Lord's

Independent7 hours ago
England's top order was toppled as India's bowlers turned up the heat at Lord's, taking control on the fourth morning of the third Rothesay Test.
With tensions still high following the ill-tempered time-wasting row that erupted late on Saturday evening, the tourists produced a scintillating session to leave England 98 for four at lunch following a tied first innings.
Mohammed Siraj was perhaps guilty of taking things a step too far, bellowing in Ben Duckett's face after dismissing the left-hander before the pair bumped shoulders as they passed.
That is one of several incidents that will surely draw the attention of the match referee but India used the heightened emotions to their advantage in a torrid morning for batting.
Duckett fell to a ghastly shot as he tried to hit his way out of trouble, Ollie Pope came and went for four and Zak Crawley received a torturous working over before finally departing.
Harry Brook was bowled attempting to sweep seam bowler Akash Deep, getting carried away on the counter-attack, leaving Joe Root (17 not out) and Ben Stokes to try and muster a fightback.
Jasprit Bumrah set the tone with an outstanding opening burst from the Nursery End, an inexplicably wicketless five-over spell of constant threat.
His sixth ball of the morning exploded violently, knocking the bat out of Crawley's hand as he jerked back in self-preservation.
Having put a target on his own back with his exaggerated delaying tactics on day three, Crawley was in India's sights.
Duckett was first to go, guilty of an ugly hack across the line at Siraj that looped to mid-on.
Siraj marked the moment with an eye-popping celebration that ended a yard in front of the batter. Neither took a backward step, nudging shoulders as Duckett walked off.
Pope never settled, scoring his only runs from a thick edge over the slips and beaten a couple more times before Siraj ripped one back to pin him lbw.
Crawley's travails continued, slashing wildly at Siraj's outswingers, dragging Bumrah past his stumps and hitting fresh air more regularly than leather.
Having somehow seen off the world's number one bowler, he gifted his wicket to the medium pace of Nitish Kumar Reddy.
With two gullies waiting for an errant drive, he walked headlong into the trap. Brook came out firing, twice dropping to the floor to scoop Deep for four then lashing him for a steepling six into the members' seating.
But his exuberance came with a cost. In Deep's next over, Brook tried to manufacture another boundary, bowled round his legs in calamitous fashion aiming a pre-meditated sweep.
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Jannik Sinner breaks his Carlos Alcaraz curse with stunning Wimbledon title
Jannik Sinner breaks his Carlos Alcaraz curse with stunning Wimbledon title

The Independent

time41 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Jannik Sinner breaks his Carlos Alcaraz curse with stunning Wimbledon title

At the end, Jannik Sinner lofted his arms aloft after a victory which must have felt like some time coming. The 23-year-old, in his typical unostentatious manner, crouched down in reflection before heading to his euphoric team in the east stand. Unlike the most devastating of defeats five weeks ago on the red brick of Roland Garros, when three championship points passed in a flash, the Italian had his crowning moment of the season this Sunday evening in south-west London. No longer bewitched by his adversary, Sinner claimed his first win over Carlos Alcaraz in six attempts and 20 months. The world No 1 had finally triumphed against his biggest foe. Despite dropping the first set here, the Italian kept his composure, stopped Alcaraz's three-peat quest and 24-win streak in its tracks and prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Of course, for some, it is a result with a bitter taste. It would be remiss not to mention Sinner's three-month doping ban earlier this year, suspiciously timed so he did not miss a major. Some argue, therefore, that Sinner should not even be playing this fortnight in SW19. And they may well be right. But the 'inadvertent contamination' of an anabolic steroid was seen by most as purely accidental. A costly mistake, but one in which Sinner's integrity was rightly not questioned. And so, scalpel-gate or not, Italy has its first Wimbledon champion, male of female. Sinner has his first non-hard court Grand Slam. And tennis has its next generation rivalry, thrust into the present-day, with 23-year-old Sinner the victor in their latest spellbinding duel. 'It's so special, seeing my parents here, my brother, my whole team, it's amazing,' Sinner said, on court, after the presentation ceremony. 'I had a very tough loss in Paris. 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Sainz leaves Norwich to join Porto on five-year deal
Sainz leaves Norwich to join Porto on five-year deal

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

Sainz leaves Norwich to join Porto on five-year deal

Winger Borja Sainz has left Norwich City and joined Porto for £ 24-year-old has signed a five-year deal with the 30-time Portuguese champions following a two-year spell at Carrow was the club's top scorer last season with 18 Championship goals despite missing six games through suspension as a result of a spitting Spaniard joined the Canaries from Turkish side Giresunspor in June 2023. Norwich sporting director Ben Knapper told the club website: "During his time with us, his performances and impact have been brilliant. He gave us all many memorable moments, scored some spectacular goals and was often the deciding factor in many of our games."This is a fantastic move for all parties, with Borja now progressing onto the next stage of his career with a top European club in FC Porto."It also demonstrates once again our ability to identify and develop players for the highest levels of the game, and everyone involved deserves huge credit for their work."The Canaries were bracing themselves for Sainz's departure and have brought in Denmark international Mathias Kvistgaarden who can operate as a striker and remains to be seen if forward Josh Sargent will follow Sainz out of club - the United States international has been linked with a move to Premier League new boys Burnley but has three years left on his contract. In his first season at Norwich, Sainz scored on his debut in an EFL Cup tie against Fulham and went on to add another seven goals in all competitions, including a memorable FA Cup goal against Liverpool at began the 2024-25 season in blistering fashion scoring 16 goals from 20 appearances in all competitions, a run including two hat-tricks against Derby County and Plymouth his form dipped in the second half of the campaign and he only added two more to his tally, finishing second in the Championship top scorer list behind Leeds United's Joel dip in form was compounded by Sainz receiving a six-match ban for spitting at Sunderland defender Chris Mepham in the game at the Stadium of Light in December made a full apology for the incident, saying in a statement: "Spitting at an opponent is completely out of character for me, and my reaction in that moment was unacceptable....I am deeply disappointed in myself and for letting all of you down through my conduct."Speaking following Norwich's 3-1 pre-season win over Northampton Town on Saturday, new head coach Liam Manning told BBC Radio Norfolk that Sainz's move was a "terrific deal" for the added: "It allows us to improve the team, and that's part and parcel of football now. "My job is to concentrate on what we've got here and how we get the group ready for next week and beyond. We're working hard behind the scenes to add. "There are still a few faces we need to add and will add so we'll keep pushing on that and make the squad as strong as we can."

England vs Wales live score: Lionesses Euro 2025 updates
England vs Wales live score: Lionesses Euro 2025 updates

Times

timean hour ago

  • Times

England vs Wales live score: Lionesses Euro 2025 updates

Kit Shepard: White shirts in one end, red shirts and bucket hats in the other, Abba blaring out from the loudspeakers. This is very much 'Brits abroad' night in St Gallen. The Lionesses have never lost in ten meetings to Wales, winning nine of them. Tonight would be a really, really bad time for that streak to end. Kit Shepard: The England team are greeted with loud cheers as they emerge for their warm-up in St Gallen. Lauren James is sporting a black eye, having picked up the knock while challenging for a header against the Netherlands. However, she and the rest of the squad appear in good spirits as they begin to limber up. While you are assembling the snacks trolley and pouring drinks, may we run a little bit of pre-match reading under your nose — it's our guide to the Wales team, how you might go about beating them and how (if you're not careful) they could beat you. Read it and impress your friends and family. Kit Shepard: Wales make three changes from the team that started the 4-1 defeat by France. Olivia Clark replaces Safia Middleton-Patel in goal, Rhiannon Roberts comes into the back line for Josie Green, and the midfielder Carrie Jones is in for Kayleigh Barton. The 38-year-old Jess Fishlock, Wales's record goalscorer and most capped player, starts what could well be her final international. Wales (4-2-3-1): O Clark — E Morgan, R Roberts, G Evans, L Woodham — J Fishlock, A James — C Holland, C Jones, R Rowe — F Morgan. Subs: Middleton-Patel, Kelly, Ingle, Green, Barton, Cain, Ladd, Hughes, Estcourt, Joel, Powell, Griffiths. Kit Shepard: England are unchanged from Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Netherlands. That means Lauren James stays on the right wing after struggling in the No 10 role against France, while Ella Toone retains her place. Presumably, Jess Carter will start at left centre back and Alex Greenwood at left back, as they did against the Dutch. The pair started the other way around in the France game and both played poorly, before swapping positions for the Netherlands match and delivering much-improved performances. England (4-2-1-3): H Hampton — L Bronze, L Williamson, J Carter, A Greenwood — K Walsh, G Stanway — E Toone — L James, A Russo, L Hemp. Subs: N Charles, B Mead, M Le Tissier, A Moorhouse, G Clinton, E Morgan, M Agyemang, C Kelly, A Beever-Jones, J Park, K Keating, L Wubben-Moy. Kit Shepard, women's football reporter The picturesque university town of St Gallen has been full of England and Wales fans today. The city's cathedral and Abbey Library proved popular landmarks for supporters with plenty of wiggle room for sightseeing before the 9pm kick-off (local time). Arena St Gallen is about three miles out of the city, and the trains and buses were packed by 6pm. There's a lot of people to shift from city to stadium, but Switzerland's immaculate public transport appears more than ready for the challenge. Fans of each nation have mingled harmoniously, be it in the city, on the train or at the ground. There has been plenty of light-hearted banter, of course. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. First things first — let's remind ourselves how the Group D table looks. France are home and hosed, obviously — but need a point against the Netherlands to secure top spot. As for everyone else, England are through if they equal or better the Netherlands' result against France, unless both sides lose and Wales win by four or more goals against the Lionesses. The Dutch qualify if they better England's result — if they were tied on points then England go through as it then comes down to the result between the teams. Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the final two games of the Euro 2025 group stage as we discover which of Netherlands, England and Wales will join France in the last eight. Admittedly Wales's chances are such a long shot that they make the David Beckham goal against Wimbledon seem like a tap-in, but we'll get to that if they suddenly find themselves 4-0 up against England, who have given themselves a great chance by thrashing the Dutch 4-0 in midweek. Kit Shepard is our man watching the Lionesses in St Gallen so will be your eyes and ears for analysis and the bits you might not have noticed from TV. On we go.

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