Sports
Women’s World Cup: South Africa storm past Sri Lanka in rain-hit encounter
South Africa’s juggernaut rolled on in the Women’s World Cup as they crushed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in a rain-marred contest in Colombo on Friday.
In a game reduced to 20 overs, the Proteas first tied down Sri Lanka to 105-7 and then chased a revised target of 121 in 14.5 overs, tightening their grip on second place in the points table.
The win pushed South Africa to eight points, just one behind defending champions Australia, who have nine. England, the four-time winners, are third on seven points but with a game in hand over South Africa.
Colombo’s fickle weather, which has already drowned out three fixtures, again played spoilsport. Having opted to bat, Sri Lanka were 46-2 when the heavens opened. Once the skies cleared, umpires chopped the contest to 20 overs per side.
“We just took it like a T20 game and didn’t want to leave it till the end,” skipper Laura Wolvaardt said. “Pretty tricky with all the rain delays, but in the end it worked well for us.”
Wolvaardt led from the front with a sparkling unbeaten 60 off 47 deliveries, while left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba’s tidy spell of 3-30 applied the brakes after the rain break.
The South African bowlers tightened the screws, conceding just 59 runs in the last eight overs while picking up five wickets.
Vishmi Gunaratne’s breezy 34 with six boundaries was the lone bright spark for Sri Lanka.
Chasing at six an over, South Africa’s openers made light work of the target, batting with the composure of a side high on confidence.
Wolvaardt’s half-century was her second of the tournament, while Tazmin Brits rediscovered her touch with an unbeaten 55 from 42 balls, peppered with four fours and two towering sixes, the last of which over mid-wicket sealed the game in style.
Their unbroken 125-run stand came off just 89 deliveries.
For a side bowled out for 69 in their opening game by England, South Africa’s turnaround has been remarkable with four wins on the trot, including a gritty one over India.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, remain winless after five outings in a campaign plagued by rain and inconsistency.
Returning to the global stage after missing the 2022 edition, Chamari Athapaththu’s side have had little luck, with two of their games washed away.
“It’s been a frustrating campaign with so much rain,” Athapaththu lamented. “Our spinners struggled to grip the ball today, but we have two games left and want to finish on a high.”
Sports
Clase, Ortiz face May trial in pitch-rigging scandal
NEW YORK — Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz are facing a May trial on federal charges that they took bribes to help gamblers betting on their pitches.
U.S. District Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto on Tuesday said jury selection would tentatively begin May 4 in Brooklyn federal court, with the trial opening the following week or sooner.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Sherman told the judge at the brief hearing that prosecutors anticipate the trial could last two weeks.
He said that both sides have been in discussions since the pitchers were arrested last month but that they have not yet talked about a possible plea deal in the case to avoid trial.
Matsumoto initially proposed a February trial date, but prosecutors and defense lawyers pushed for a spring start.
Sherman said prosecutors began providing defense lawyers with evidence and other materials this week in anticipation of a trial, including hundreds of gigabytes of files pulled from a number of electronic devices.
Clase, Ortiz and their lawyers declined to comment outside the courtroom. They’re due back in court Jan. 15.
The two have been out on bail since pleading not guilty last month to wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery.
According to prosecutors, the two accepted thousands of dollars in bribes to help two unnamed gamblers in their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on bets placed on the speed and outcome of their pitches.
The prosecutors allege that Clase, the Guardians’ star closer, began providing the bettors with information about his pitches in 2023 and then recruited Ortiz into the scheme earlier this year.
Lawyers for the men have denied the charges. Ortiz’s lawyer has maintained that payments between his client and individuals in the Dominican Republic were for legal activities, not payoffs.
Clase, 27, is a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year who is on the fourth season of a $20 million, five-year contract.
Ortiz, 26, earned a $782,600 salary this year as a starting pitcher for Cleveland.
The two pitchers have been on nondisciplinary paid leave since July, when MLB began investigating what it said was unusually high in-game betting activity when they pitched.
The Guardians open spring training in February. The team’s home opener is April 3.
Sports
Barcelona confirm Bonmatí out for five months after surgery
Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí will be out for five months after undergoing surgery on a broken leg on Tuesday, the Catalan club have confirmed.
Bonmatí, 27, fractured her fibula in Spain training over the weekend and returned to Barcelona immediately to begin her recovery.
“Bonmatí has undergone successful surgery on a fractured fibula in her left leg,” Barça announced in a short statement on Tuesday.
“The procedure was performed by Dr. Antoni Dalmau at Hospital Barcelona under the supervision of the club’s medical services. The expected recovery time is around five months.”
The three-time Ballon d’Or winner picked up the injury on Sunday as Spain prepared for Tuesday’s UEFA Women’s Nations League final second leg against Germany.
– UWCL talking points: Chelsea’s title chances, PSG’s struggles
– Barcelona in Women’s Champions League: Fixtures, results, news
– Germany’s missed chances open up Nations League final vs. Spain
She had initially wanted to stay with the Spain camp to support the team in their quest to retain the trophy, but was advised to return to Barcelona for treatment.
On Friday, she had played in the first leg in Germany, which ended in a goalless draw.
Bonmatí will now miss the majority of what remains of the club season, although there is a chance she could return for the run in.
The Champions League final, should Barça get there, is scheduled to take place in Oslo on May 22, with the final round of Liga F matches not set to take place until a week later.
The loss of Bonmatí complicates Barça’s options in the middle park, especially in the short-term, with both Patri Guijarro and Kika Nazareth also unlikely to feature again this calendar year due to injuries.
In the meantime, Laia Aleixandri will continue to push up from defence alongside Alexia Putellas, with youngsters Vicky López, Sydney Schertenleib and Clara Serrajordi set to compete for the final place in the middle of the park.
Sports
BYU’s Davis scores 18 in return from 2-game ban
BYU men’s basketball star Kennard Davis returned from a two-game suspension Thursday after a DUI arrest earlier this month, scoring 18 points and adding five rebounds in the Cougars’ 72-62 win over Miami.
The forward played 32 minutes as BYU improved to 5-1 after winning in the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events invitational in Florida. Davis, who is averaging 9.0 points and connecting on 50% of his 3-point attempts, hadn’t played since Nov. 8.
Miami fell to 5-2.
He was arrested earlier this month after an accident that preceded his arrest on suspicion of DUI and possession of marijuana. He was treated for minor injuries. In his first court appearance, Davis pleaded not guilty.
The arrest threatened to complicate his career at BYU because the school’s honor code bans the abuse of alcohol and narcotics. A violation of that honor code can result in expulsion.
But Davis, whom BYU coach Kevin Young has called one of the top defenders he has ever coached, was back on the court for a Cougars team that has national title aspirations.
-
Sports1 week agoWATCH: Ronaldo scores spectacular bicycle kick
-
Entertainment1 week agoWelcome to Derry’ episode 5 delivers shocking twist
-
Politics1 week agoWashington and Kyiv Stress Any Peace Deal Must Fully Respect Ukraine’s Sovereignty
-
Business1 week agoKey economic data and trends that will shape Rachel Reeves’ Budget
-
Tech2 days agoGet Your Steps In From Your Home Office With This Walking Pad—On Sale This Week
-
Politics1 week ago53,000 Sikhs vote in Ottawa Khalistan Referendum amid Carney-Modi trade talks scrutiny
-
Tech1 week agoWake Up—the Best Black Friday Mattress Sales Are Here
-
Entertainment2 days agoSadie Sink talks about the future of Max in ‘Stranger Things’
