22/05/2026

SPORTS FRIDAY | MAY 22, 2026

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Scheffler eyes Texas repeat

Kolkata keep IPL playoff hopes alive with Mumbai win A clinical bowling display, followed by a decisive stand between Manish Pandey and Rovman Powell, kept Kolkata Knight Riders in the hunt for a place in the IPL playoffs after a comfort able four-wicket win over already eliminated Mumbai Indians on Wednesday. Put in by Ajinkya Rahane on a tricky, two-paced surface of uneven bounce, five-time former champions Mumbai were blown away by pacers Saurabh Dubey and Cameron Green, who took two wickets apiece in their respective first spells, and limped to 147-8 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. West Indian spinner Sunil Narine choked the middle order, conceding just 13 runs in four overs, and it wasn’t until Corbin Bosch lashed two sixes in the final over from Kartik Tyagi did Mumbai flirt with respectability. Mumbai lost at least three wickets in the powerplay for the fifth time this season, slumping to 46-4 after six overs, and even though skipper Hardik Pandya, back in action after missing the last three games with back spasms, and Tilak Varma put on 43, they took 49 deliveries in doing so. Pandey, the first Indian to make an IPL century in 2009, was batting for the first time this season but showed no signs of rust, playing with characteristic cheekiness through the off-side, while Powell rode his luck with Chahar failing to go for a catch when the ball was tan talisingly within reach. “This is the only time I’ve batted (this season), I’ve been padded up and waiting to bat, this is a special one for me,”said Pandey after scoring a vital 45. “If I am not getting to play, I still want to be a part of the team. Hope we finish well and squeeze into the top four.” Assistant coach Shane Watson says the performance underlined the 36 year-old’s value to the side. “This is the best I’ve seen him bat over the last few years,” Watson told reporters. “He adds so much value. He’s obviously a super experienced guy. He’s an amazing fielder. He adds so much energy to our group, whether it’s off the field, on the field, around the group. “Those types of people, you give anything to be able to have them in your squad, let alone then out in the middle when we’re chasing a challeng ing total on that pitch. “I’m not sure how he’s doing it,” the former Australia all-rounder added. “I know when I was at his age, I cer tainly was moving nothing like he’s moving in the field. He’s still incredibly fit. It seems the way he’s looking after himself, his preparation coming into this tournament as well, shows that he’s still got a number of years of really good cricket in front of him.” – AFP/Reuters FORMER England fast bowler Darren Gough believes England coach Brendon McCullum was“very lucky”to remain in post after England’s Ashes flop as he expressed his“hurt”at being overlooked for the role of national selector. Gough, who took 467 international wickets, previously worked as

AS Scottie Scheffler’s life continues to evolve on and off the course the world No. 1 was happy to be home this week to defend his title at the PGA Tour CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Mckinney, Texas. Scheffler tied the lowest PGA Tour 72-hole score to win by a whopping eight strokes last year at TPC Craig Ranch – the course in the Dallas suburbs that is a comfortable commute from his home. “It was nice to have a home week, especially coming off a major championship,” said Scheffler, who struggled on the demanding greens at Aronimink last week to finish seven strokes behind winner Aaron Rai at the PGA Championship. Some rest on Monday, practice at another local course and Wednesday’s pro-am made for a relaxed build-up to his title defense, Scheffler told reporters yesterday.

much Sunday magic at Aronimink, his 14th place finish marked his 10th top-25 of a 2026 campaign that included a win at La Quinta in the California desert and a trio of runner-up finishes, including at the Masters. He’ll try to get back to the winner’s circle at a course significantly changed since his win last year. Scheffler says it plays“fairly similar tee-to-green”but the greens are “definitely much more interesting.” Scheffler said it offers a chance to “reset” his put ting after Aronimink. “Overall I feel like I’m in a good spot,”he said.“I’ve actually putted the best that I have in my career so far this year, and (I can) just kind of get a reset, get on some new greens, work on my reads, make sure I’m checking all my fundamentals.” – AFP

“I think so far this year, when you add a second child to the mix, I think that’s a whole different ball game in terms of home life,” said Scheffler. “There’s a lot more activity for me at golf tourna ments than there was early in my career. I think you just adjust. I can’t spend as much time at the golf course as I did when I was younger, early in my career, and that’s for a variety of reasons. “It’s more important for me to get home in a timely manner now. A lot of it is just schedule adjustments. You just adjust your day and pri oritize the things I need to prioritize.”

Scheffler seems to keep firing on all cylinders whatever adjustments he has to make. Although he couldn’t conjure

It’s the kind of week he finds espe cially valuable since the arrival of his second child, son Remy, in March.

Mercedes driver Luca Antonelli (inset) prepares for the Canadian GP on May 25. – REUTERSPIC

Teen titan rising Antonelli seeks to extend sensational start with fourth win

I TALIAN teenager Kimi Antonelli seeks a sensational fourth consecutive victory to boost his F1 drivers’ title bid this weekend, but expects a robust response from Mercedes team-mate George Russell at the Canadian Grand Prix. The 19-year-old rising star of Italian sport leads the Briton, nine years his senior and the pre-season favourite for the title, by 20 points after four rounds of the 22-race championship as Mercedes unveil a major upgrade package. For Russell, it is important to re establish his authority in the team after two fourth-place finishes allowed his teammate to revel in being the sole Silver Arrows man, astride the top of the podium. “I am expecting George, for sure, to be super-strong again in Canada,” said Antonelli, whose precocious talent, wide smile and curly hair

be strong contenders despite team boss Fred Vasseur grumbling about rule changes, notably to the starting procedures, that have negated an advantage they enjoyed. “It was a bit harsh for us,” he said of the introduction of a blue light five-second warning to ensure teams spooled up their turbos. “I understand what they did, for safety grounds, but the other option would have been to ask the others to start from the pit-lane if they think it’s not safe.” Lance Stroll will be the only Canadian in the race, but like team mate Fernando Alonso has little optimism as Aston Martin have struggled for performance with an uncompetitive Honda engine. Alonso has hinted he is likely to retire from F1 and will decide his future during the summer months of the European leg of the season. – AFP

“Performance is only perform ance when it is delivered on track,” he stressed. “We are just four races into the season and there is a long year ahead. It is an important race for us, but it does not decide anything. So, we stay balanced, keep learning and execute as well as we can.” The championship-leading Silver Arrows men are likely to be challenged by Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull, with four-time champion Max Verstappen, who took part at the Nurburgring 24-Hours race last weekend, aiming to add to his three previous wins for Red Bull. World champion Lando Norris won the sprint last year ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, but the pair collided in the Grand Prix which ended up finishing behind a safety car. Lewis Hamilton and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc will also

have become an image Italian sport ing optimism following their football team’s failure to qualifying for the World Cup. “He’s always been strong in Montreal and he won last year so I have to be ready and be fully focused. I will do my best.” In addition to his hattrick of pole, victory and fastest lap last year, Russell took pole at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2024 and will fancy his chances of winning both Saturday’s sprint race and Sunday’s Grand Prix. Last year, Antonelli was fourth on the grid and finished third, his first podium finish. This time, he hopes to be the first Italian since Alberto Ascari in 1952 to claim four straight wins, when he reeled off six. Mercedes’ team chief Toto Wolff has side-stepped frenzied talk of Antonelli’s prospects to concentrate on keeping balanced and cool.

McCullum ‘very lucky’ to keep England job: Gough

needs toning down a bit. “We need a bit of steel and I’d like to think we’ll see that this summer.” Gough, asked if New Zealander McCullum would face increased scru tiny this season, added: “Absolutely. They’re under pressure and they should be, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.” – AFP

job is going to come under scrutiny. It’s a four-year cycle, so if you go to Australia on the fourth year of it and you win, or you get really close, you can say there’s been a big change and let’s give it another couple of years. “It didn’t happen but I wish them the best of luck. “I like the way they play but it

McCullum and red-ball captain Ben Stokes have retained their posi tions ahead of an upcoming three Test series at home to New Zealand. “I think Baz McCullum is realisti cally very lucky to carry on as England’s head coach,” he told The Overlap’s Stick to Cricket show . “If you’re not winning games your

Yorkshire’s managing director of cricket but lost out to Marcus North in the race to become the new national selector. Gough, 55, believes a key aspect of the role is to challenge the current England management, all of whom were retained despite a 4-1 Ashes series loss in Australia in 2025/26.