Pakistan make short work of South Africa, Denmark win the world cup 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
Vince ‘Tyed’ down!
The Australian Big Bash League is winding to a close after yet another season of fun T20 cricket action.
During the knockout stage of the tournament, one incident left a bitter taste.
In the first qualifier, the Perth Scorchers took on defending champions Sydney Sixers. Opening batsman James Vince’s unbeaten knock of 98 helped the Sixers chase down a target of 168 and secure a home final in style.
Scores were tied with three overs to go and Vince was one strike away from a well deserved T20 century. However, medium pacer Andrew Tye bowled a bouncer way down the legside to deny the English batsman.
The crowd at the Manuka Oval immediately booed the bowler to signal their displeasure at the lack of sportsmanship.
James Vince, reacted with a blank stare at the bowler and after the game said that only Tye would know if that was deliberate.
This wasn’t the first occasion, when a batsman was denied by a bowler under similar circumstances. Famously, Sri Lankan spinner, Suraj Randiv overstepped the bowling crease deliberately to prevent Virender Sehwag from scoring a century. Sri Lankan Cricket reacted strongly by handing the spinner a suspension and a fine.
Spinners set up easy win for Pakistan
In the first of the two-match series against South Africa, Pakistan eased to a seven-wicket win at Karachi. The hosts took a first innings lead of 157 runs thanks to a superb century by Fawad Alam. The Proteas were bowled out for 245 in the second innings with debutant Nauman Ali picking up five wickets. Pakistan chased down the target of 88 to take a one-nil lead in the series. The second Test will be held in Rawalpindi from February 4-8.
Football
Man City take a significant lead in title race
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are on a hot streak, winning 8 league games in a row to take a 3-point lead over Manchester United, with a game to spare. They beat relegation battlers, West Brom and Sheffield United last week to maintain their 100 per cent win record in January.
Meanwhile, Man United slipped up with a home loss against Sheffield United and a goalless draw against a resurgent Arsenal team. Leicester City too suffered a similar fate by losing at home to Leeds United and drawing away to Everton.
Liverpool was back in form with back to back away victories in London, at Spurs and West Ham.
Messi’s bumper contract leaked!
Lionel Messi’s most recent contract with Barcelona is reportedly worth up to a jaw-dropping 555 million euros ($673 million) over four seasons. This is quite possibly the most expensive contract ever paid to an athlete. However, the club has now filed a lawsuit against the newspaper, El Mundo, for publishing the details of the contract.
NBA
Jimmy Butler announced his return with a splendid performance for Miami Heat in a victory against the Sacramento Kings. Butler scored 30 points while teammate Bam Adebayo picked 18 points and 13 rebounds.
The LA Lakers won a thriller against the Boston Celtics, edging past them at 96-95.LeBron James top scored for the Champions with 21 points while Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had great games for the Celtics, scoring 30 and 28 points respectively.
The Golden State Warriors beat the Detroit Pistons 118-91 showcasing a dominant offense and defense.
Stephen Curry had 28 points and 7 assists and Andrew Wiggins contributed an efficient 20 points.
Handball
Denmark retains men’s handball world title
Denmark have won back-to-back world titles and will enter Tokyo Olympics as world men’s handball champion after beating Sweden 26-24 in the final, this past week.
Mikkel Hansen scored seven goals and goalkeeper Niklas Landin Jacobsen had 15 saves as Denmark defended their title with aplomb. The Danes are also the reigning Olympic champions after beating France in the Rio Olympics.
Spain beat France 35-29 to claim the bronze medal.
