22/09/2025

SPORTS MONDAY | SEPT 22, 2025

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Duo steer Bangladesh past Sri Lanka at Asia Cup HALF-CENTURIES by Towhid Hridoy (58) and Saif Hassan (61) powered Bangladesh to an exciting four-wicket win in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup against former champions Sri Lanka in Dubai yesterday.

Duplantis, McLaughlin-Levrone lit up world c’ships THE world championships in Tokyo produced two standout performances from pole vaulter Armand Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin Levrone. Other stars dazzled too in Japan’s National Stadium as the USA and Kenya asserted their

studded with two fours and four sixes. Hridoy ensured they didn’t waste the opportunity, posting 58 off 37 with four fours and two sixes. Sri Lanka rued being a bowler short as part-timers filled in four overs and Bangladesh cashed in gleefully. All-rounder Dunith Wellalage featured after landing in Dubai the morning of the game, having returned home to Colombo to pay his last respects to his father who passed away on Thursday. Former captain Shanaka had earlier top scored for Sri Lanka with 64 off 37, his first half-century since January 2023. – AFP

over to keep the contest alive. In the end, tail-ender Nasum Ahmed scampered a cheeky single to cover off the penultimate ball to see Bangladesh home. Their bowlers had set it up by limiting Sri Lanka to 168 for seven on a belter of a track and thanks to Hridoy and Saif, Bangladesh crossed the line with one delivery to spare. Sri Lanka could have been bundled out for much less but three spilled catches let them off the hook. In the end, the drops didn’t hurt as the chase looked comfortable. Saif provided an electric start, making the most of the powerplay with 61 off 45 balls

Having been rolled over by Sri Lanka in the first round, Bangladesh got their act together after winning the toss and choosing to bowl first. Bangladesh required 10 runs off 10 balls with seven wickets in hand but the dismissal of Hridoy spiced things up. He was trapped leg before by Dushmantha Chameera in the 19th over and Dasun Shanaka then struck twice in the last

authority on the track. ARMAND DUPLANTIS (Sweden, men’s pole vault)

Deep into the Tokyo night, Duplantis electrified a packed crowd by setting the 14th world record of his career in an event he has re defined. The US-born Swede, one of athletics’ genuine superstars, seems to be able to summon up world records at will – his latest is 6.30m. “I felt the only way to leave Japan was to

Rory raring to go ‘Volatile’ McIlroy ready to win Ryder Cup for Europe, says McGinley R ORY MCILROY may have completed golf’s grand slam, with a green jacket in his wardrobe at long last after April’s Masters triumph, but Team Ű BY LAWRENCE OSTLERE

set the world record,” Duplantis said. SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE (USA, women’s 400m)

She came, she saw and she duly conquered a new event, nearly breaking a 40-year-old world record in a remarkable women’s 400m final. McLaughlin-Levrone already dominates the one-lap hurdles event, so when the American fully turned her attention to the flat race, it was an exciting prospect. She did not disappoint, blasting to a time of 47.78sec, the second fastest in history and just behind the 47.60sec set by Marita Koch of the former East Germany in 1985. McLaughlin-Levrone was running on a wet Tokyo track. The American glided to a 200m gold to complete the first women’s sprint double at a world championships since Jamaican legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013. Jefferson Wooden left Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred for dead in the short sprint, becoming the fourth fastest performer in history with a time of 10.61sec. She was even more comfortable in the longer sprint, crossing the line metres ahead of Britain’s surprise silver medallist Amy Hunt and former world champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica. OBLIQUE SEVILLE (Jamaica, men’s 100m) The 24-year-old Jamaican has long promised great things but in Tokyo he emphatically delivered, leaving teammate Kishane Thompson and Olympic champion Noah Lyles with the minor medals as he blasted to the men’s 100m gold in 9.77sec. In doing so, he ushered in a new era of men’s Jamaican sprinting, following in the footsteps of his now-retired mentor Usain Bolt, a delighted spectator in Tokyo. JIMMY GRESSIER (France, men’s 10,000m) Gressier was an unlikely winner of an event normally dominated by athletes from east Africa or of African origin. In lively post-race interviews, the Frenchman thanked the sport’s anti-doping authorities for “creating a level playing field”, and promised to buy his girlfriend a car with his prize money. BEATRICE CHEBET (Kenya, women’s 5,000m and 10,000m) Chebet turned on a blistering burst of speed to win the women’s 5,000m and deny her fellow Kenyan Faith Kipyegon, the 1,500m winner, a double gold. In the process, Chebet earned a memorable double herself, having also won the 10,000m. GEORDIE BEAMISH (New Zealand, men’s 3,000m steeplechase) Beamish took a tumble in the heats of the 3,000m steeplechase but jumped to his feet and still qualified. Perhaps then it was written in the stars that he would produce a last-gasp spurt to edge defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali for gold in a thrilling final. His surprise win was followed a day later by Olympic champion Hamish Kerr’s high jump victory, making it a rare two golds for New Zealand. – AFP MELISSA JEFFERSON-WOODEN (USA, women’s 100m and 200m)

no media to do, he was just one of the guys. “He was the first guy down for dinner, down for breakfast. He was in the middle of all the laughter, in the middle of the stories. And you could see how much he loved being around that environment. “I’ve no doubt that his performance at the K Club (winning the Irish Open via a dramatic playoff) was related to stepping up again and getting mentally engaged, getting ready for what he has put down.

Europe’s talisman is still as hungry as ever ahead of the Ryder Cup in New York, insists Paul McGinley. McGinley, who captained Europe to victory at Gleneagles in 2014, was hired last year as a strategic adviser to current captain Luke Donald, and spent the past week among the players on their scouting mission around Bethpage Black, the course on Long Island which will stage this year’s showpiece. The players, caddies, their captain, his vice captains and around 10 backroom staff, including McGinley, joined the two day trip earlier this week, playing

“At the start of the year, he said one of the biggest goals in golf is to win an away Ryder Cup. So he’s mentally engaged for that. There is absolutely no doubt, no concerns whatsoever about that.”

McIlroy has dubbed winning an away Ryder Cup won of the hardest feats in sport, but McGinley says a European team has never been so prepared as Donald’s for the challenge, having drafted in motivational speakers to deliver messages about how to deal with the crowd.

27 holes around Bethpage before enjoying a night in Manhattan. They will reunite today ahead of the event’s start on Friday, as Europe look to win away from home for the first time since Medinah in 2012.

“You can have all the vibe, you can have all of the nutrition, you can have all the gym work, the preparation, you can go wherever you want with all the detail,” said McGinley. “The bottom line is, can the players perform in a hostile environment? That’s the question. “When there’s going to be a lot of shouting, a lot of roaring, maybe some personal insults thrown at you – walking from green to tee, can you reset yourself? “Can you drown out that noise and reset yourself and deliver and perform in that hostile environment?” – The Independent

McIlroy has a positive Ryder Cup record with 16 wins, 13 losses and four halved matches across his seven events. Europe will need him to be the totemic figure who hauled four points in Rome, rather than the player who lost three of his four matches in their thrashing at Whistling Straits in 2021. And McGinley has no doubts that a fire still burns inside McIlroy, despite his mixed form since that dramatic Masters win. “Rory revelled in the (scouting trip),” McGinley said. “He was on a high those two and-a-half days, being around the guys, having banter, being one of the guys, not being Rory McIlroy, the mega superstar that everybody draws on his time. “Nobody was drawing on his time those two-and-a-half days, he’d no press to do, he’d TEAM World’s Taylor Fritz jolted Team Europe’s campaign at the Laver Cup yesterday, stunning world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2 before his doubles colleagues extended their commanding lead to 9-3 heading into the final day. The big-hitting Fritz mixed up his game and broke for a 3-1 lead in the opening set after some delicate play at the net, wrapping it up comfortably to take a step towards his maiden win over Spaniard Alcaraz in their fourth meeting. He then surged ahead 3-2 with another break in the second set, leaving US Open champion Alcaraz screaming in frustration in the following game.

Rory McIlroy. – REUTERSPIC

Alcaraz beaten as Team World take big lead

claim 13 points from a total of 24 on offer across three days. Teams get one point for each win on the opening day, and two points for victories on the second day, with the stakes getting higher with three points for wins on the final day of action. Australian De Minaur earlier beat Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-4 at the Chase Center for his third victory over the German in 11 career meetings, erasing the deficit from the opening day. Argentine Francisco Cerundolo downed Dane Rune 6-3, 7-6(5) to put Team World ahead 5-3 before Fritz elevated them further with a seismic upset. – Reuters

Then Fritz cranked up his huge serve in the final game to seal the deal. “The three times that I’ve played Carlos, he’s broken me in the first game… so getting out of that first game was huge,” said Fritz. “I was playing a lot of the big points with conviction, I didn’t second guess myself and I didn’t play too safe. I played with no fear.” Alex De Minaur and Alex Michelsen gave Team World a big boost, stretching their lead by beating Casper Ruud and Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4 in the final match of the day. The annual men’s team tournament, regarded as tennis’answer to golf’s Ryder Cup played between Europe and the United States, is won by the side that is the first to