Boxing Day Tests, Gunners down but not out, and more!5 min read
Reading Time: 4 minutesAdithya G
Here is the round-up of all the action from the world of sports last week.
Cricket:
Sublime Williamson scores back-to-back tons.
Kane Williamson followed his mammoth knock of 251 against West Indies earlier this month with yet another Test century in the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan.
After a streaker interrupted proceedings and delayed the game on the opening day, Williamson had to remain unbeaten on 94 overnight before reaching three figures the next day.
With as many as 55 fifty-plus scores, the elegant right-hand batsman also equaled Stephen Fleming’s all-time record of most fifty-plus Test scores for New Zealand! He has also joined Steve Smith, Ken Barrington, Greg Chappell, Gary Kirsten, Graham Thorpe, Virender Sehwag, and Michael Clarke, in the all-time list, standing in the 37th position.
Boxing Day Bonanza:
As many as three Tests got underway in various parts of the world, a day after Christmas. The three Asian giants – India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka were the visiting teams in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
India bowled admirably and bowled the Aussies out for 195. They went to grab a 131-run lead and look in control of the game.
Sri Lanka batted exceedingly well to post 396 – their highest first innings score in South Africa but were dealt a bad hand through unfortunate injuries to batsman Dhananjeya de Silva and seamer Kasun Rajitha.
Pakistan struggled against the Kiwis after opting to bowl first. They face an uphill battle of saving the Test after their bowlers were blunted by the batsmen led by skipper Kane Williamson.
Football:
Chelsea gunned down in London:
Arsenal shocked Frank Lampard’s Chelsea with a sensational performance at the Emirates and beat the Blues 3-1. This much-needed win gives under-pressure Gunners manager, Mikel Arteta some breathing space after an abysmal run of losses and draws in their previous 10 league games.
MacAskill Brothers corner triumph!
Two brothers, Craig MacAskill & Andy MacAskill, scored directly from corners, for different teams, in different games, in the 1st round of the 2020/2021 Scottish Cup on the same day – 27 December, 2020.
CR7 named player of the century
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was named the ‘Player of the Century’ at the Globe Soccer Awards. Earlier this month, he scored his 750th career goal for club and country with a strike against Dynamo Kyiv in the UEFA Champions League group stages.
COVID strikes!
Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus and defender Kyle Walker tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. Despite their superstars missing out, Pep Guardiola’s men put in a strong performance to register victory over Newcastle United at home this weekend.
Tennis
No return yet for Fedex!
Roger Federer will miss the season’s first Grand Slam due to a knee injury. He intends to work hard to return to competitive Tennis as soon as possible.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion has not played competitive tennis since the Australian Open this year, where he lost in the semi-final against Novak Djokovic.
Australian Open 2021 qualifiers will be held in Dubai and Doha from January 10 to 13, after which the players will head to Melbourne for quarantine.
NBA:
Dallas Mavericks create NBA history
Croatian star Luka Doncic scored 24 points to help Dallas Mavericks to earn their first win of the season. The Mavs led by a NBA-record 50 points at halftime in their 124-73 rout
The Clippers trailed 77-27 at halftime, with their 50-point deficit being the largest at the break in the shot-clock era, which began in 1954-55.
3-point record for Steph Curry
Golden State Warriors’ point guard Stephen Curry became the third player and the fastest in the history of the NBA to reach 2,500 3-pointers after enjoying a 36-point game in the victory over the Chicago Bulls.
During the game, With his 6th successful free throw, Curry has now made 61 straight free throws dating back to March 27, 2019 against the Grizzlies.
That record passed Rick Barry/s (60 straight in 1976) for the longest streak in Warriors history.
Author’s Note: Adithya G is a freelance writer who is passionate about sports.
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