31/05/2026

theSun on Sunday MAY 31, 2026

SPORTS 11

SUNDAY | MAY 31, 2026

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Shubman leads from the front

SHORTS LATHAM PLEASED AS NZ DOWN IRELAND

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New Zealand captain Tom Latham praised batter Tom Blundell and bowler Nathan Smith as the Black Caps warmed up for their first Test against England at Lord’s next week with a one-sided victory over Ireland in Belfast yesterday. The tourists won by an innings and 79 runs after putting aside their early struggles with the bat to secure a sizeable victory in the one-off test, with Blundell top-scoring with 186 runs during a 217-run partnership with Rachin Ravindra. “We were put under pressure on that first day – to be four down reasonably early with not many on the board,” said Latham after seeing his side fall to 86 for 4 inside the opening 23 overs. “The introduction of Tom absorbed quite a lot of pressure, and be able to put it back on them and form a really good partnership, over 200.” New Zealand finished their first innings on 490 for 8 declared before bowling Ireland out for 179, with Smith claiming six wickets for 40 runs as the visitors enforced the fol low-on. The Irish could amass only a further 232 runs in their second innings to leave the New Zealanders comfortable winners before the first of their three Tests against the English throughout June. The most expensive player of the Indian Premier League, Rishabh Pant, has quit as captain of Lucknow Super Giants after it finished last in the T20 tournament, the team said yesterday. The India Test match star has had a woeful season after being bought for US$3.21 million (RM13m) at the 2025 IPL auction, making him the most expensive player in the lucrative league’s history. “Rishabh approached the franchisee with his request and we have respectfully accepted it,” Tom Moody, Lucknow’s director of cricket, said in a statement. “These decisions are never easy,“ the former Australia all rounder added. “We are grateful for everything Rishabh has brought to this dressing room as captain. Our focus now is on the collective – rebuilding and restructuring to reach the best standards.” MCCULLUM URGES ENGLAND TO ‘BOX SMART’ England coach Brendon McCullum said his side can learn from a New Zealand side who “box smart” when they face his native country in an upcoming three-Test series. Next week’s opener against the Black Caps at Lord’s will be England’s first Test since January, when a woeful tour of Australia ended in a 4-1 Ashes series loss. “They are proba bly a great example of where we’re in scenarios where we can improve, where we can finesse and sharpen what we’re trying to achieve,” McCullum, a former New Zealand captain, told a press conference in London yesterday. “They’re very resourceful and they hang in games for a long period of time. They may not necessarily have as much knockout power as some teams around the world but they box smarter than most teams in the world and hence why they’ve been as successful as they have for a long period of time.” RISHABH QUITS AS LUCKNOW CAPTAIN

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Skipper’s ton steers Gujarat past Rajasthan into IPL final

SHUBMAN GILL (pic) struck a sublime century as Gujarat Titans surged into the Indian Premier League final with a seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the second qualifier yesterday. Chasing 215, Gujarat made a flying start through Sai Sudharsan and Shubman, rac ing to 69 without loss in the powerplay before accelerating further to seal victory in 18.4 overs at a packed New ߑ PCA Stadium. Rajasthan, who opted to bat, stumbled early after los ing two wickets inside the first two overs before teenage sen sation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ravindra Jadeja rebuilt the innings to post 214-6. Rajasthan’s bowlers strug gled to make early inroads with Gujarat absorbing any pressure with ease as local favourite Shubman and Sudharsan put on a decisive 167-run opening partnership, rotating the strike effectively and punishing loose deliver ies. “We complement and understand each other’s game very well, and when we are ߑ batting out there, our commu nication is very good,” Shubman said after being named player of the match. “We know one of us has to take down one of the bowlers, and I think we are very good at deciding who’s going to take down what bowler.” Captain Shubman led from the front with 104 off 53 balls, including 15 fours and three sixes, while Sudharsan made 58 off 32 before falling in an

unusual fashion. He was out after his bat slipped onto the wickets – remarkably, the same mode of dismissal that had ߑ befallen him in the previous match. “I don’t think anyone has seen that happen in two games. I saw some video on social media about taping his hands, and I think I’ll have to do that,” Shubman chuckled. Sooryavanshi was once again the standout performer for Rajasthan as he smashed 96 off 47 laced with eight fours and seven sixes that drew strong support from the crowd. The 15-year-old ߑ was handed a reprieve on 46 when Sudharsan dropped a diving catch, and he made the most of it but fell just short of another century. “The way Sooryavanshi’s batted, it’s not just slogging, he calculates, he assesses con ditions. He does literally eve rything well,” Rajasthan cap tain Riyan Parag said. “I still can’t figure out how, but hopefully he keeps doing that. Hopefully he represents our country and brings more laurels to the country.” Jadeja combined with Donovan Ferreira to provide late impetus as Rajasthan built a competitive total, though not enough to challenge Gujarat. Gujarat will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final today at their home ground in Ahmedabad, where they will look to avenge their heavy defeat in the first quali fier and lift their second IPL title. – Reuters

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