The fourth Test between India and Australia will kick off on December 26 at MCG.
–IANS
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F1: Isack Hadjar joins RB for the 2025 season
Milton Keynes (UK), Dec 20 (IANS) Isack Hadjar will make his Formula 1 debut in 2025 after signing a deal with RB, Red Bull Racing’s sister team, to become Yuki Tsunoda’s teammate.
Red Bull junior Hadjar impressed in his second season in feeder series F2, finishing runner-up to Kick Sauber-bound Gabriel Bortoleto with Campos Racing.
After Sergio Perez parted ways with Red Bull ahead of 2025 and Liam Lawson stepped up from RB in his place, there was a vacancy at RB.
The 20-year-old Isack has been driving for the prestigious Campos Racing team in F2 where he quickly established himself as one of the most promising young prospects. Isack’s trajectory has continued on the sharp upward curve in recent years, with big wins coming at classic Grand Prix venues including Imola, Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone.
Isack will be following the footsteps of Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo as he becomes the 19th driver to be promoted to Formula One from the Red Bull Junior Program, which started back in 2001.
“I’m very excited to step into my new role at VCARB, this is huge for myself, my family and all the people who have believed in me from the beginning. The journey from karting through the ranks in single-seaters, to now being in Formula One is the moment I’ve been working towards my whole life, it is the dream. I feel like I’m stepping into a whole new universe, driving a much faster car and racing with the best drivers in the world. It’ll be a huge learning curve, but I’m ready to work hard and do the best I can for the team,” Isack said in a statement.
“I look forward to working with and learning from Yuki, I’ve always looked up to him, he went through the Red Bull Junior Program, like myself, and we’ve shared a similar path to F1. He’s very experienced and will be good to learn from,” he added.
Laurent Mekies, Team Principal of Racing Bulls said “We’re excited to have Isack with us next year, bringing a new and fresh dynamic to the team alongside Yuki in 2025. His journey to Formula One has been nothing short of outstanding, he has shown remarkable growth, with a series of impressive results in the junior single-seater ranks. He has the talent and drive necessary to compete at the highest level, and we have every confidence that he will adapt quickly and make a significant impact. I believe Isack and Yuki will make a great team. Yuki brings invaluable experience to the team, he’s shown incredible resilience and maturity, which will be crucial for the team as we strive to hit all our aims and objectives in 2025.”
–IANS
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Women’s T20 WC: Bangladesh opt to bat against unchanged South Africa in final group clash
London, June 28 (IANS) Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat against South Africa in the penultimate group-stage game of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at the Lord’s Cricket Ground on Sunday.
The Proteas enter this must-win clash with their semifinal hopes hanging by a thread. After opening their campaign with a heavy 65-run defeat to Australia, a result that badly dented their net run rate, Laura Wolvaardt’s side have responded admirably with three successive victories to climb back into contention. Their NRR has improved to +0.734, but it still trails India’s commanding +2.268, leaving the Proteas with very little margin for error.
While there remains a mathematical possibility of overtaking India on net run rate, it would require an extraordinary victory margin that appears highly unlikely. The simpler route is clear: beat Bangladesh and hope Australia defeat India later in the day. If the defending champions do their part, South Africa’s place in the semifinals will be secured without any need for complicated calculations.
The Proteas will also take confidence from their impressive record against Bangladesh, having won 12 of their 14 completed T20Is. Bangladesh, meanwhile, are staring at an early exit themselves and will also be playing at Lord’s for the first time, adding another challenge to an already difficult assignment.
Bangladesh currently have four points from four matches and probably won’t advance to the semi-final. Their best chance is to beat South Africa by over 100 runs and then hope Australia beat India by an even bigger margin.
For South Africa, the equation is straightforward but unforgiving. Win first, then wait for the result from the second game of the double-header. Anything less, and their World Cup campaign could come to an end despite a spirited comeback after a difficult start.
Winning the toss, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty said, “Looking at the conditions, we felt it would be good to put runs on the board. We have one change from the last game – Taj Nehar comes in for Dilara Akter. It’s another opportunity for us. There have been a lot of positives to take from this tournament, but we really want to finish with a win. It’s a great chance for the team to end the tournament on a high.”
Meanwhile, South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt said, “Probably would’ve had a bowl anyway. Unchanged today. We’ve had a couple of close games along the way. We’re finding ways to win. Hopefully we can do that again. Numbers are pretty massive that we need to get (the NRR equations). Will take one ball at a time. Winning is the priority.”
Playing XIs:
Bangladesh: Juairiya Ferdous, Taj Nehar, Most Sharmin Akter Supta, Nigar Sultana Joty (c & wk), Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Mst Ritu Moni, Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, Marufa Akter, Sanjida Akter
South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Annerie Dercksen, Dane Van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine De Klerk, Chloe Tryon, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba
–IANS
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Jr Men’s Hockey Nationals: Kerala, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh win in Div ‘C’; Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Delhi rule in Div ‘B’
Jalandhar, Aug 13 (IANS) Kerala Hockey, Le Puducherry Hockey, Chhattisgarh Hockey, and Goans Hockey win in Division ‘C’ while Hockey Chandigarh, Hockey Uttarakhand, and Delhi emerge victorious in their Division ‘B’ league matches on Day 2 of the 15th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship here on Wednesday.
The day began with a Division ‘C’, Pool A match in which Kerala Hockey built on their form with a dominant 8-3 win over Telangana Hockey. Captain Muhammed Kaif (14′, 57′) and Adity Kumar (17′, 28′) scored braces while Akshay Anil (14′), Shalik K.S. (21′), Rohit Kushwaha (22′), and Arjun Krishna M L (53′) also contributed with goals for Kerala Hockey. Pradeep Kodapa (3′, 29′) and Aggu Manoj (30′) scored goals for Telangana Hockey.
The second match saw Le Puducherry Hockey defeat Tripura Hockey 4-0 in their Pool A fixture. Captain Keerthivasan (28′, 59′) scored a brace for the winning team, and Illamaran (24′) and Madhavan (34′) also struck the net for Le Puducherry Hockey.
In Pool B of Division ‘C’, Chhattisgarh Hockey outperformed Hockey Gujarat with a commanding scoreline of 13-0. Mohit Nayak (6′, 10′, 28′, 30′, 31′, 33′) was in brilliant form as he registered six goals to his name. Om Kumar Yadav (36′, 55′, 57′), Karan Kumar Sahu (13′, 38′), Captain Anand Kumar Suryavanshi (18′), and Avinash Ekka (58′) were the other goal scorers for Chhattisgarh Hockey.
In the final match of Division ‘C’, Goans Hockey defeated Hockey Raj 4-2 in Pool B. Krish Shyam Gaunkar (3′, 47′) and Tushar Sharma (23′, 57′) scored braces for Goans Hockey while Manvendra Gurjar (31′) and Mohammad Ubaid Raza (41′) scored the two goals for Hockey Raj.
In Division ‘B’, Hockey Chandigarh beat Hockey Jammu & Kashmir 7-2 in their Pool A match. Satnam Singh (22′, 26′, 28′, 36′, 47′) showcased brilliant skill, scoring five goals for the winning side. Dheeraj (10′) and Moohamed Jaeed (15′) also scored for Hockey Chandigarh. Captain Rajveer Singh (49′, 58′) was the lone scorer for Hockey Jammu & Kashmir.
In the next fixture, Hockey Uttarakhand defeated Hockey Association of Bihar 3-1 in Division ‘B’. Mahendra Singh Bisht (32′, 36′, 40′) scored a match-winning hat-trick for the winners. Nandlal Shah (9′) scored the one goal for the Hockey Association of Bihar.
In the last fixture, Delhi continued their winning form with a slim 1-0 win over Hockey Bengal in Pool B of Division ‘B’. Yuvraj Singh (40′) converted a penalty corner in the third quarter to win the match for Delhi.
–IANS
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