Top stories

Boxing

Itauma blows away Whyte

News Desk: Moses Itauma needed less than two minutes to emphatically stop Dillian Whyte and further strengthen his credentials as the next heavyweight star. Headlining a card for the first time, the 20-year-old Briton rose to the occasion in what was billed as the biggest test of his career to date. After some precise and powerful combinations, Itauma sent Whyte, 37, down with a thundering right. With 119 seconds on the clock, referee Mikael Hook waved off the fight after Whyte had climbed back to his feet.

UFC

Murphy stakes title claim

NEWS DESK: Britain’s Lerone Murphy thrust his name into the featherweight title picture by knocking Aaron Pico out in sensational fashion at UFC 319 in Chicago, Illinois. The 34-year-old, who took the fight on three week’s notice, ended the bout with a stunning spinning back elbow in the first round. Victory extended Murphy’s winning start to his career to 17 as he called for a title bout with Australian champion Alexander Volkanovski. “This sport’s all about moments and I just created one,” said Murphy.

Iconic

In 1992, South Africa great Jonty Rhodes completed the most iconic run out in the history of ODI World Cup

Record Corner

264

is the highest individual score in the One-day International cricket held by former India captain Rohit Sharma

Trivia

How many times Pakistan lifted the Asia Cup trophy?

A. Two

Side Stories

Barcelona beat Mallorca

News Desk: Marcus Rashford made his competitive debut as Barcelona started their La Liga title defence with a controversial victory at nine-man Mallorca. Raphinha nodded in the opener following a fine right-wing cross from Lamine Yamal. Ferran Torres smashed in their second goal, while Mallorca captain Antonio Raillo was lying on the ground in the box with a head injury after blocking a Yamal shot. Manu Morlanes, who was booked for dissent in the aftermath of that incident, was shown a second yellow card soon after for a foul on Yamal.And Vedat Muriqi was sent off for a high boot on debutant Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia, a decision upgraded from a yellow card after a video assistant referee (VAR) review.

Australia beat South Africa

NEWS DESK: Australia came from 22-0 down to beat world champions South Africa 38-22 in Johannesburg in the opening match of the Rugby Championship. Joe Schmidt’s side appeared to be on their way towards a chastening defeat a quarter of the way through the game but rallied in remarkable fashion to claim their first victory at Ellis Park since 1963. The Springboks dominated the opening 20 minutes and estabished a commanding lead courtesy of tries from Kurt-Lee Arendse, Andre Esterhuizen and captain Siya Kolisi. However, the Wallabies began to take control at the breakdown, with captain Harry Wilson hugely influential and capping a fine display with two tries.

All Blacks beat Pumas

NEWS DESK: New Zealand held off a second-half fightback to beat Argentina 41-24 in their Rugby Championship opener and return to the top of the world rankings for the first time in four years. Winger Sevu Reece and substitute hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho each scored two tries for the All Blacks who replace world champions South Africa, who were beaten 38-22 by Australia in Johannesburg, as the number one team in the world. The visitors were 10-0 ahead inside the opening 10 minutes in Cordoba thanks to Beauden Barrett’s penalty and Reece’s first try. Pumas winger Rodrigo Isgro went over to reduce the deficit to three points, but quickfire tries from Ardie Savea, Cortez Ratima and Reece again put New Zealand 31-10 ahead at the break.

Invincibles hit record score

NEWS DESK: Jordan Cox lit up The Hundred as Oval Invincibles smashed the record for the competition’s highest total by piling up 226-4 in an 83-run victory over Welsh Fire. Cox crashed 86 not out from just 29 balls in a thrilling display of six hitting at The Oval and the Invincibles comfortably passed the previous record score – Manchester Originals’ 208-5 against Northern Superchargers in 2022. England right-hander Cox hit 10 of the innings’ 17 sixes in front of a jubilant home crowd. Openers Tawanda Muyeye and Will Jacks laid a platform of 76 in 39 balls before Cox, after a steady start, exploded into life by hitting four sixes in one set of five balls from Hundred debutant Ajeet Singh Dale.

Robertson edges out O’Sullivan

News Desk: Neil Robertson beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-9 in a classic encounter to claim the Saudi Arabia Masters title in Jeddah. The Australian takes home £500,000 for the 26th ranking title of his career and climbs to third in the world rankings  It represents another huge step forward in Robertson’s return towards the top of the game. The 2010 world champion started last season outside the top 16 with his career seemingly spiralling, before he enjoyed success at the English Open and World Grand Prix. “Can’t explain what this means in words,” said Robertson.

Brentford seal Ouattara deal

NEWS DESK: Brentford have completed a club record deal of up to £42.5m to sign Dango Ouattara from Bournemouth. The Burkina Faso forward joins the Bees on a five-year contract with the option of a further year. The 23-year-old, who scored nine goals in 37 games in all competitions last season, is viewed as a replacement for Bryan Mbeumo, who moved to Manchester United in July. “We’re really happy to get Dango in,” said Brentford boss Keith Andrews. “He’s someone that we were aware and surprised could be available and, once we knew that signing him might be a possibility, we really focused on trying to get him.

MacIntyre retains BMW Champ lead

NEWS DESK: Robert MacIntyre will take a four-shot lead into the final day of the BMW Championship in Maryland after keeping world number one Scottie Scheffler at bay at Caves Valley. While the Scot’s putting and imperious iron play helped him construct a five-stroke advantage over the first two days, he maintained a healthy advantage on Saturday with some par saves before dropping in a 41-foot birdie on the 18th to sign for a two-under 68. MacIntyre, who appeared to relish the pressure of playing alongside American Scheffler, who carded a 67 and at one stage was within three, made a scrambling par after playing out of trees and bushes near the fifth green.

Rangers seal last-eight spot

NEWS DESK: Much-changed Rangers delivered an unconvincing performance as they beat League 1 Alloa Athletic to reach the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup, where they will face either Livingston or Hibernian at Ibrox. Head coach Russell Martin made 10 changes from the side beaten 2-1 by Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday, with only centre-back Nasser Djiga keeping his place. They started brightly in front of their own fans, with debutant Mikey Moore lively down the left flank, and took the lead through a superb strike from Nedim Bajrami that found the top corner via the crossbar. However, Rangers’ defensive frailties shone through again as Alloa found a shock equaliser.

Top Quote

Amorim: I want to apologise for this season…Today after this disaster season I want to tell you: The good days are coming

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is optimistic to make it up in the new Premier League season

Side Quote

Du Plessis: It wasn’t a matter of strength; it wasn’t physical; it was almost like he knew what your next move was.

Former UFC Champion Dricus Du Plessis praises Khamzat Chimaev after a gutsy performance at UFC 319