NZ’s Chad Bowes smashes fastest double ton in List A cricket
WELLINGTON, Oct 23: New Zealand’s big-hitting opener Chad Bowes smashed the fastest double hundred in List A cricket on Wednesday, reaching the mark in just 103 balls to shatter the record held by India’s Narayan Jagadeesan and Australian Travis Head.The South African-born New Zealand batter achieved the feat while playing for Canterbury against Otago in the Ford Trophy, thus breaking the record for the fastest double century in the 50-over format.Eventually, Bowes was dismissed for 205 off 110 deliveries.Jagadeesan and Head had reached their respective double hundreds in 114 balls.Head achieved the feat for South Australia against Queensland in the 2021-22 Marsh Cup, while Tamil Nadu’s Jagadeesan did it during his record-breaking 277 against Arunachal Pradesh in the 2022 Vijay Hazare Trophy.Bowes, who created the record right after missing out on making it to New Zealand’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, raced to his century in 53 balls and fell short by four balls to match Ross Taylor’s record (off 49 balls) for fastest hundred in the competition.Bowes got to his half-century in 26 balls.Playing his 100th List A match, Bowes smashed 27 fours and seven sixes as he powered Canterbury to 343 for 9 after they were put in to bat at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Canterbury then bowled out Otago for 103 to register a massive 240-run win.The 32-year-old Bowes, who was born in Benoni, South Africa also became the first player since Jamie How to score a double century in the tournament’s history. How scored 222 for Central Stags in the 2012/13 edition of the tournament.This was Bowes’ highest List A score, easily going past his previous best of 126. Known for his swashbuckling batting at the top of the order, he has also appeared in a few ODIs and T20 Internationals for New Zealand in the past. (PTI)
Dominic Thiem ends career with first-round loss in Vienna
VIENNA, Oct 23: Dominic Thiem played his last professional match on Tuesday, losing 7-6 (6), 6-2 to Luciano Darderi in the first round at the Erste Bank Open.The 2020 U.S. Open champion had earlier announced he would retire after struggling to return to his top form following a wrist injury.The 31-year-old Austrian played in front of a home crowd but the former world No. 3 lost steam after having built a 4-2 lead. He received a huge applause as he left center court.Thiem also was runner-up at three Grand Slams: the 2018 and 2019 French Opens and the 2020 Australian Open.Darderi will next play either Jack Draper or Kei Nishikori.Marcos Giron beat Alex Michelsen 7-6 (4), 6-3 to set up a round-of-16 match against top-seeded Alex Zverev.Frances Tiafoe, Lorenzo Musetti, Gael Monfils and second-seeded Alex de Minaur were among the other winners Tuesday. (PTI)
Bridge: Indian teams start off with good victories in Olympiad
BUENOS AIRES, Oct 23: The Indian teams were off to a good start at the 16th World Bridge Games, also known as the Bridge Olympiad, which got underway in Buenos Aires, Argentina.At the end of day one, the Indian team was placed 12th in the open category.The Indian women were placed 15th out of 24 teams and the mixed team was fifth out of 29 sides.India seniors were leading the pack of 24 teams. It’s a all-play-all-round-robin format at this elimination stage.Each member nation can send one team in each of the four categories – open, women, mixed and seniors.Open section has 34 teams divided into two groups of 17 sides each. (PTI)
NRAI announces shooting league
NEW DELHI, Oct 23: The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) on Wednesday announced the sport’s first ever franchise-based league in the country christened “Shooting League of India”.The proposal, mooted by NRAI president Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, has received approval from the national federation’s governing body.A window for the same is being chalked out, post receiving approvals from the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), the sport’s global governing body.The first edition of the league will be held in March.Deo said, “Shooting, particularly after the performance in the recent Paris Olympics has received a huge fillip in its popularity and we thought that this was the right moment to launch a league.“We have seen how well organised franchise leagues have not only helped in popularising the sport even further, but most importantly have brought in new audiences and revenue for them and their athletes. We owe it to our athletes to make the sport self-sustainable.” At Paris Olympics, Indian shooters won three medals in a single sport for the first time. (PTI)
Mehidy Hasan rescues Bangladesh from innings defeat
MIRPUR, Oct 23: Mehidy Hasan’s 87 not out helped Bangladesh take an 81-run lead on Wednesday, ending fears of an innings defeat in the opening Test against South Africa.The battling Mehidy led his side to 283-7 at stumps, a comeback from 112-6 during a third day interrupted by rain and bad light. Mehidy shared a record 138-run stand with debutant Jaker Ali, who made 58 as the hosts wiped out a first-innings deficit of 202.Bangladesh was bowled out for 106 in its first innings before South Africa replied with 308, thanks to Kyle Verreynne’s 114.Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada (4-35) and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj (3-105) then shared seven wickets as South Africa put Bangladesh under even more pressure.Mehidy and Jaker survived a probing spell from Maharaj and Rabada.Mehidy hit Dane Piedt for a six over his head and drove Maharaj to deep mid-off for a single to raise his ninth Test half-century from 94 balls.Maharaj finally broke through by trapping Jaker lbw to end their partnership, which was Bangladesh’s highest against South Africa for any wicket.Mehidy, who hit nine fours and one six in 171 balls, continued to frustrate South Africa with support from Nayeem before bad light brought a premature end to the day’s play. (PTI)