Sports World, January 6, 2024: Grand Farewell For David Warner As Australia Clean Sweep Pakistan In Tests; FA Cup Action; IND U-19 Vs RSA U-19 - As It Happened

The Pakistan national cricket team were well and truly beaten on Day 4 of the third Test by Australia in Australia. Riding on David Warner's 57 and Marnus Labuschagne's unbeaten 62, the home side eased to an eight-wicket win to sweep the three-match series 3-0. The FA Cup Third Round is already underway with Premier League teams now in the mix. To that end, Newcastle United beat rivals Sunderland, while Leicester City defeated Millwall. In the coming days, other big-ticket events will commence, such as the Australian Open, the AFC Asian Cup, the Africa Cup of Nations, and the U-19 World Cup. The build-up to those continues in the early days of the new year. Here's all that happened on January 6, 2024. (Cricket News | AUS vs PAK Scorecard)

11:15 PM: FA Cup Action 

Newcastle United punched their ticket into the FA Cup fourth round with a win over rivals Sunderland. The two eternal adversaries met after ages, given their respective league statuses, with the Magpies emerging three-nil winners on the night. Elsewhere, Leicester City edged Milwall in a five-goal thriller. 

Read more here. 

9:30 PM: Abhishek Soni, Sheilah Jepkorir Emerge Winners In Chennai Marathon

Madhya Pradesh's Abhishek Soni won the men's full marathon and Sheilah Jepkorir of Kenya won the women's race in the 12th edition of the Freshworks Chennai Marathon 2024 here on Saturday, according to PTI. Abhishek Soni finished the event in a time of  2 hrs, 34:11 and was followed by D Sakthivel (02:36:23) and Vinoth  (02:38:44).

9:00 PM: India Under-19 Win By 6 Wickets Against South Africa

Musheer Khan's 5-wicket haul bundled out South Africa for 256 runs. Naman Tiwari also took three wickets as opener batter Steve Stolk hit a fabulous 69-run knock. India Under-19 achieved the target with ease sparing eight balls and six wickets. Captain Uday Saharan hit 112 runs in 153 balls to take India to the target. Priyanshu Moliya also played a crucial 76-run knock.

8:30 PM: Sri Lanka Vs Zimbabwe 1st ODI - No Result

The weather had the ultimate say in this first ODI, but we still got to see a fantastic century from Charith Asalanka, who guided his team out of a hole after Zimbabwe applied some strong pressure with the ball. With two early blows from Madushanka in the run chase, Sri Lanka seemed to be in a terrific position. However, it began to rain after only four overs. The second ODI is scheduled for Monday. 

7:30 PM: Separate Sports Department To Be Created Soon: Bihar CM

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday announced that the state government would soon create a 'sports department' to boost infrastructure and provide support to athletes, according to reports from PTI. He distributed appointment letters to 71 sportspersons of the state, who won medals in national and international events.

7:00 PM: Australia Take Top Spot On WTC Table, India Drop to Second

Australia are on 56.25 percentage points and have pushed India to the second spot in the latest World Test Championship (WTC) standings issued by ICC on Saturday, according to reports from PTI. Pat Cummins' side is 2.09 percentage points ahead of Rohit Sharma's India, who have 54.16 points. India, though, have played just four Tests during the current WTC cycle, while Australia have played eight.

6:30 PM: Yuki Bhambri-Robin Haase Pair Loses In Brisbane International Semifinals

India's Yuki Bhambri and his Dutch partner Robin Haase on Saturday lost their semifinal match against the duo of Lloyd Glasspool of England and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands in the Brisbane International ATP Tour tournament, according to reports from PTI.

5:45 PM: Afghanistan Announces Squad For T20I Series Against India

5:40 PM: IOA Cannot Exercise Control Over WFI; UWW Should Lift Ban: Sanjay Singh

The WFI has reminded United World Wrestling that as per the international body's rules and the IOC charter, the Indian Olympic Association "cannot exercise any control" on the newly-elected body, and asked the UWW to immediately lift the provisional suspension it imposed in August last year, according to reports from PTI. 

5:33 PM: MS Dhoni Filed Case Against Ex-Partner Over Fraud Of 15 Crore - Reports

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former Indian captain, has filed a criminal case in Ranchi against Aarka Sports Management and two of its directors for illegally abusing his name, according to reports. Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Raj Kumar Pandey recorded the testimony of one of the witnesses in the case on Friday and set the next hearing date for January 20.

According to court documents, Dhoni filed a complaint on October 17 through one Seemant Lohani, demanding an investigation under IPC sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating).

5:00 PM: Abhimanyu Easwaran To Lead India A Against England Lions At Home

Bengal veteran Abhimanyu Easwaran was on Saturday named captain of a 13-member India A squad for the upcoming four-day match against visiting England Lions which will be preceded by a warm-up fixture, according to reports from PTI. The two teams will engage in a two-day warm-up match in Ahmedabad on January 12-13, followed by the four-day match at the Narendra Modi Stadium from January 17-20. Among others, the Indian team comprises Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, KS Bharat and Navdeep Saini.

India A squad versus England Lions: Abhimanyu Easwaran (c), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, KS Bharat (wk), Manav Suthar, Pulkit Narang, Navdeep Saini, Tushar Deshpande, Vidwath Kaverappa, Dhruv Jurel (wk) and Akash Deep.

4:30 PM: Factionalism Rears Ugly Head Again To Hurt Bihar Cricket

Many cricket players from Bihar had to leave their homeland to pursue a cricketing career in a much more sustainable environment. The latest episode in this unpleasant sequence panned on Friday at Patna when two teams turned up to play the Ranji Trophy Elite B group match against Mumbai at the Moin-ul-Haq stadium.

One team was selected by Bihar Cricket Association Secretary Amit Kumar and another outfit came with the blessings of BCA President Rakesh Tiwary. Eventually, the side that had the backing of Tiwary and was captained by veteran left-arm spinner Ashutosh Aman played the match against the 41-time champions.

3:40 PM: England To Bring Their Personal Chef For India Tour

The much-anticipated 'Bazball' will be landing on the Indian shores later this month as Ben Stokes-led England cricket team are all set to tour India for a five-match Test series. However, the pre-mind games have already begun from the English camp as reportedly, they will be bringing their own chef to the sub-continent nation for their players to avoid falling sick. Read more here

3:15 PM: Christ The Redeemer Statue Illuminated To Tribute Football Legend Pele

Brazilians paid tribute to football hero Pele on Friday, one year after the three-time World Cup champion died at the age of 82 from colon cancer.

A ceremony at Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer, one of the South American country's most iconic postcard destinations, featured a projection of a Brazil shirt with Pelé's name and number 10 on the statue, as well as a message from Pope Francis. Pelé was a fervent Catholic his entire life.

1:52 PM: IND U-19 Vs RSA U-19

India Under-19 won the toss, opted to bowl first

Teams:

South Africa U19 (Playing XI): Dewan Marais, Romashan Pillay, David Teeger(c), Oliver Whitehead, Riley Norton, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kwena Maphaka, Ntando Zuma(w), Steve Stolk, Sipho Potsane, Martin Khumalo

India U19 (Playing XI): Rudra Patel, Innesh Mahajan, Musheer Khan, Priyanshu Moliya, Uday Saharan(c), Sachin Dhas, Aravelly Avanish(w), Murugan Abhishek, Naman Tiwari, Raj Limbani, Aaradhya Shukla

1:17 PM: Former India Cricketer Ambati Rayudu Quits Ruling YSRCP In Andhra Pradesh

12:36 PM: VAR In Indian Football?

The AIFF has written to the International Football Association Board, the body that determines the laws of the game, to explore the possibility of India participating in the trial of the ‘Additional Video Review System’ (AVRS)

Read more about it here

12:01 PM: Indian Physically Disabled Men’s Cricket Team To Participate In India - England Bilateral Cricket Series

Differently Abled Cricket Council of India (DCCI) announced the 20 Member probables to select the final 16 member squad that will represent the country to participate in the India - England Bilateral Cricket Series for the Physically Disabled in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The Matches are scheduled to be held from 25th January to 6th February 2024.

11:15 AM: Brazil's World Cup Winning Player, Mario Zagallo Passes Away

 Mario Zagallo, who won two World Cups as a player, one as a coach and another as an assistant coach for Brazil, has died. He was 92. The first person to win the World Cup both as a player and a manager, Zagallo is for many Brazilian football fans synonymous with patriotism, grit and glory. Zagallo played a role in nearly every major chapter in Brazilian football history, from its first World Cup title in 1958 to the tournament it hosted in 2014. Former Brazil coach Tite visited him to hear his advice before taking the team to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He was Brazil's forward when it won the World Cup in 1958 in Sweden and 1962 in Chile, and one of the first players to act as a false winger, playing between midfielders and strikers.

10:18 AM: Formula E Hyderabad Leg Race Cancelled

Formula E has announced the cancellation of the Hyderabad E-Prix, alleging a contract breach by the new Telangana government. The second Formula E race in India was slated to be held on February 10. "The cancellation comes following a decision by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department (MAUD), under the control of the Government of Telangana, not to fulfil the Host City Agreement signed on 30 October 2023," Formula E said in statement on Friday.

Read more about it here

10:00 AM: Brazil Fire Their Head Coach Of Football

Brazil coach Fernando Diniz was fired by the confederation president, a day after the latter got his job back. The Brazilian Football Confederation said in a statement that president Ednaldo Rodrigues informed Diniz that he wanted to “advance the process of choice of a permanent coach.”

9:16 AM: SA20 All Set To Commence In The Coming Days

South Africa's premier T20 Franchise League, SA20 will commence from January 10. With a host of Proteas and international stars expected to line-up in the league, here is all you need to know about the famous league from the Rainbow Nation right here.

9:00 AM: Happy Birthday To India's World Cup Winning Skipper, Kapil Dev

8:54 AM: Aussie Skipper Pat Cummins On Warner's Retirement And Much More

Pat Cummins: Really happy with how I performed. Don’t think I have to take too much credit for that. It has been fantastic, I love the way the boys performed. It has been a great start to the summer for us. The boys found us to get us back into the contest whenever we were on the back foot. Having them 4 down in the first session on Day 1 was big. The pitch played a bit different on the next day and the boys adjusted really well when they needed to. You can’t survive there, you have to put pressure back on the bowlers, the way Davey and Marnus went today was great. You felt like the whole stadium was erupting, was a great moment. Josh has bowled really well without much success in this series. Huge contribution from Mitchy, he is thriving, just showing how good he is. I heard it’s Davey’s last Test match apparently, it will be hard to replace him the way he plays, a tough personality. A week at home before we go to Adelaide. A good time to reflect on the series and obviously on David Warner’s career.

8:23 AM: AUS Beat PAK At The SCG

Australia have beaten Pakistan by eight wickets in the third and final Test match to clean sweep the series. In what was his final appearance in the Test whites, David Warner scored a brilliant 57 as him along with Marnus Labuschagne's unbeated 62 handed the Aussies a brilliant win at the SCG. For Pakistan, there were some missed chances and appeals here and there but the visitors never looked to be in the game.

8:11 AM: FA Cup Update

As the FA Cup round three ties got underway, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Burnley 1-0 to progress to the fourth round. Elsewhere, Fulham beat Rotheram 1-0 and Brentford drew 1-1 against Wolves despite the latter going a man down early in the first-half.

8:00 AM: AUS Vs PAK Update

Australia are inching towards a clean sweep against Pakistan in the Sydney Test as David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne put up a 100-plus stand to take them closer to the 130 run target. Despite the early wicket of Usman Khawaja for zero, the home side did not dither as they attacked the Pakistani bowlers especially Warner.