Super giants vs Capitals
In a game that had fans on the edge of their seats until the very last ball, Durban's Super Giants pulled off a dramatic 2-run win over the Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 2025 season opener at Kingsmead. This wasn't just a match—it was a reminder of why T20 cricket is such an unpredictable rollercoaster.
Batting first, the Super Giants put up a strong total of 209/4. Kane Williamson was classic Kane—calm, calculated, and unbeaten with 60 off 40 deliveries. Bryce Parsons chipped in with a fiery 47 from 28 balls, making sure the scoreboard kept ticking. Pretoria's Senuran Muthusamy did his best to rein things in with a solid 3/21, but the damage was done.
The Capitals came out swinging. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Will Jacks lit up the Kingsmead with an explosive opening stand of 154 runs. Gurbaz smashed 89 off just 43 balls, while Jacks added a quick 64 off 35. At that point, the chase looked like a formality.
But cricket has a funny way of flipping scripts.
Once Gurbaz and Jacks fell, the momentum shifted. The Super Giants' bowlers tightened the screws, the fielding stepped up, and suddenly, the Capitals were scrambling. Despite a late push from Kyle Verreynne, who remained unbeaten on 10, and a tense last over, they finished just short at 207/6.
Needing 11 off the last six balls, it all came down to Naveen-ul-Haq. Under pressure, he kept his nerve and gave away just 8 runs, sealing a heart-pounding win for Durban. That final over had everything—pressure, panic, and a whole lot of drama.
Even in defeat, Rahmanullah Gurbaz walked away with the Player of the Match title. His explosive innings was the backbone of Pretoria's chase and made the contest unforgettable.
Durban captain Keshav Maharaj was full of praise for his team's grit. 'Kingsmead is never dull. Wickets can fall in clumps, and I'm proud of the way the boys held their nerve,' he said.
On the other side, Pretoria's skipper Rilee Rossouw was understandably gutted. 'We had the game in our hands… just couldn't finish it off,' he admitted.
If this game is anything to go by, the SA20 season is going to be one wild ride. The Super Giants may have walked away with the points, but both teams gave fans a match to remember. And that's what it's all about.
TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Germany exits Euro 2025 after sheer doggedness nearly gets team to the final
German chancellor Friedrich Merz never got to see Germany play at the Women's European Championship. 'If it goes well we'll see each other Sunday evening in Basel for the final,' Merz posted on social media before the German team faced World Cup champion Spain in the semifinal match on Wednesday. It didn't go quite that well. Aitana Bonmatí scored late in extra time for Spain to win 1-0 and avoid a penalty shootout that the Germany team had been holding out for. Germany's Euro 2025 campaign had been full of promise, but not matched in substance. Merz was filmed watching Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger's amazing save in the quarterfinal win over France as if he'd never seen it before. He he was never so excited during a soccer game than he'd been watching Germany win on penalties the previous weekend. A commitment to meet France's president, Emmanuel Macron, meant Merz couldn't attend the semifinals in Zurich. Anyone watching Germany during the tournament was left wondering what the team is really capable of. A highlight reel would feature a string of fine saves from Berger, committed defending from Franziska Kett, Giovanna Hoffmann and Jule Brand – who are all forwards – and only occasional flashes of brilliance in attack, such as Brand's opening strike in the team's first game against Poland . Germany, the eight-time European champion, only nearly reached the final through sheer dogged determination. Captain Giulia Gwinn was injured against Poland and ruled out for the remainder of the tournament . A 2-1 come-from-behind win over Denmark ensured early progress from the group, before a chastening 4-1 loss to Sweden in the last group game. Germany had defender Gwinn's replacement, Carlotta Wamser, sent off early against Sweden for swatting the ball away from goal with her hand, then Kathrin Hendrich sent off early in the quarterfinal match against France for pulling French captain Griedge Mbock back by her hair . It meant Germany reverted to defensive tactics in both games, protecting Berger's goal while hoping the likes of Brand and star forward Klara Bühl might score on counterattacks. Bühl's corner allowed Sjoeke Nüsken to score the equalizer against France and the team held on despite French dominance to win 6-5 on penalties after Berger's heroics. The Germany goalkeeper was feted afterward for her amazing save to stop stand-in captain Janina Minge's backward header from going into her own net when she leaped backwards and somehow clawed the ball away from the line. Berger also saved two penalties and scored her own spot kick in the shootout. The win filled the German players and supporters with confidence ahead of the game against Spain, despite the overall performance against France. 'We dominated them from start to finish. Now they're through. I'm sorry, but they don't deserve it,' France winger Selma Bacha said. Germany was short on defenders against Spain with Sarai Linder joining Gwinn on the injury list and Hendrichs and Nüsken both suspended. But it didn't stop the team defending, with forwards helping out at the back, producing timely blocks and committed challenges to frustrate Spain's star forwards. Berger again made a host of saves until she left space at her near post and Bonmatí squeezed the ball through. It ended Germany's hopes of a rematch with defending champion England in the final, and left Merz with an opening in his schedule. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Little League Bat-Flip Suspension Sparks New Jersey Dad's Lawsuit
The father of a boy suspended from participating in Thursday's New Jersey Little League State Tournament because he flipped his bat after hitting a home run has sued Little League Baseball. The suit filed Tuesday in a New Jersey superior court seeks a restraining order that would allow his son to play in the 12-and-under game. Represented by attorneys Brian A. Berkley and Michael Fitzgerald of Fox Rothschild, Joseph Rocco says his son, Marco, was feeling a 'rush of excitement, pride and joy' when he homered last Wednesday in the 2025 Little League Baseball Tournament Section 4 New Jersey Championship. Rocco acknowledged Marco, who plays for the Haddonfield Little League 12U All-Star district team, did a 'bat flip' before he began his home run trot around the bases. More from Riverside Faces Sex-Abuse Trial as Judge Denies Summary Judgment Rare Honus Wagner Card Hits Auction, Early Bids Pass $3.2 Million Riverside's Defense Rebuked in Youth Basketball Sex Abuse Case Rocco's case will face hurdles, as judges are usually reluctant to Monday morning quarterback umpires' judgment calls. Sports associations are also typically accorded broad deference in how they apply their own rules, especially when safety is a factor. Whether a bat flip is an appropriate gesture for a baseball player, let alone a child in Little League, has long sparked debates in baseball. Some regard it as showy and distasteful, including to the pitcher who gave up the homer, while others see it more—as Rocco put it—'a brief moment of celebration to admire an athletic accomplishment that some would call the most difficult task in all of sports.' It seems the home plate umpire was in the former group. Rocco says the umpire intended to call Marco out and void the home run, but after conferring with other umpires and allegedly a tournament director and regional headquarters in Connecticut (but not, Rocco claims, the Tournament Committee in Williamsport), the home run was deemed to count. But the good news quickly turned bad for Marco: He was ejected from the game, which under the rules renders him ineligible for Thursday's state tournament. Rocco says the umpires neither explained the decision nor gave warning 'prior to this more egregious and arbitrary decision.' Sportico has obtained Rocco's complaint and an accompanying brief for showing cause. They raise a breach of contract claim on the theory that Rocco paid dues for Marco to play Little League, and now his son can't play. Negligence is also alleged, with Little League portrayed as breaching a duty of care to Marco by suspending him 'without warning, justification, explanation, or reasoning.' There's also a claim for promissory estoppel, which refers to Rocco detrimentally relying on the promise that his son could play Little League if Rocco paid dues. Rocco asserts there are many examples of Little League players performing bat flips without being tossed from their games and that there is no specific rule outlawing the practice. In fact, Rocco claims, Marco performed two bat flips in recent games and wasn't warned by the umpires, let alone thrown out of the game. The brief also repeatedly mentions that in recent years, Little League social media platforms have, in a positive light, shown players flipping bats. Major League Baseball itself launched a marketing campaign in 2019 titled, 'Let the Kids Play,' featuring star players celebrating with bat flips and more in an attempt to distance itself from the game's staid emotional reputation while catering to a younger generation of fans. But not all bat flips are equal—which could become a key point in Rocco v. Little League. The brief references what it says were communications between Rocco's attorneys and Little League 'in an effort to settle this matter' without a lawsuit. As the brief tells it, Little League says Marco's bat flip was 'extreme' and not only 'far exceeded a celebratory bat flip that players on occasion indulge in' but 'actually endangered the safety of the catcher, the plate umpire and [Marco's] own team, and was a clear violation of the standards of sportsmanship and safety required by [Little League's] rules.' The response also allegedly referenced rules prohibiting 'horse play' and 'intentional throwing of equipment' that could endanger others. Rocco disputes this depiction of his son's bat flip. He says the flip 'was nowhere near the umpire or catcher' and that Marco's 'teammates did not enter the field until the bat was on the ground.' Rocco insists an injunction is warranted since his son would suffer irreparable harm—meaning a harm that can't be remedied by money. Marco, the brief argues, 'will suffer substantial, immediate and irreparable harm in the absence of injunctive relief.' To that end, Rocco asserts, Marco 'will not be able to participate in game one of the New Jersey Little League State Tournament. This game will never occur again and [Marco] will never have the opportunity to play in this game ever again.' The brief also contends that 'Little League will not be injured whatsoever if [Marco] is allowed to participate in this game.' When Little League responds to the court filing, it will disagree that Marco playing would cause the association no injury. Little League has an interest in applying its rules and not having judges second-guess game decisions. Little League will argue those decisions are non-reviewable. This is not a new topic in sports law. Judges have generally steered clear of reversing or altering officiating calls, because once they do so, other athletes, teams and parents could feel incentivized to sue. In 2014, Oklahoma District Court Judge Bernard Jones presided over a lawsuit, Independent School District No. 1-89 v. Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, involving a clearly bad call in a high school playoff football game—the referee negated a touchdown due to misunderstanding a rule, and the team that had been wronged lost by one point. Jones sympathized with the defeated team but said judges 'ought not to meddle' in games. The judge also stressed that athletic associations have the right to interpret their own rules without judicial interference. Referee interpretations are upheld unless they are arbitrary and capricious—an extremely deferential standard of review. A similar outcome occurred last year in New Jersey. A referee's bad call on a game-winning 3-pointer in the Group 2 boys basketball semifinal between Manasquan High School and Camden High School led to a challenge that came up short. The reason: The call, even if wrong, was final, conclusive and unrevivable. But sometimes legal challenges involving youth athletes prevail in New Jersey. Earlier this year, a New Jersey judge ruled that St. John Vianney wrestler Anthony Knox Jr. could compete for a state championship after he faced a New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) suspension for violating the organization's sportsmanship policy. During a tournament, Knox had left the bench area and allegedly partook in an altercation in the stands. A judge reasoned Knox had been denied due process. Knox's case is different from the one involving Marco Rocco, including because the NJSIAA is a state actor, meaning it is a public entity and can be sued on constitutional grounds. Still, Knox's win might provide hope to Joseph Rocco and his son. Rocco insists his case is a winner. What happened to Marco, as the elder Rocco sees it, wasn't about a called strike or ball, whether a line drive stayed fair or veered foul or some other judgment call. It was instead about process and reflects a wrong that the law ought to remedy. Whether a judge agrees remains to be seen. A judge might regard what happened as a reasonable umpire decision about safety and appropriate behavior in a youth sports event and not one that warrants a court's time and attention. Said another way, not all harms are legal ones. Expect a swift decision with the game set for Thursday. Best of College Athletes as Employees: Answering 25 Key Questions
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Pay us what you owe us.' Amid CBA talks, WNBA All-Stars send message during warmups with shirts
INDIANAPOLIS — Ongoing negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and the players' union served as the backdrop for this weekend's WNBA All-Star Game festivities, and the players made it known what their main priority is: Salaries. "This is where the money's at, so both sides are going to fight really hard for it,' Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, a WNBPA vice president, said Friday. 'So we just have to make them know that we're not backing down on this point.' The players reinforced that priority ahead of Saturday's WNBA All-Star game, wearing black shirts with "Pay Us What You Owe Us" written across the front. In response to a question about how her individual sponsorship deals compare to her salary, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark highlighted the importance of improving player pay. "Honestly, I feel like that's where we're really fortunate is that we have those other deals. And I think that's one of the things we're in the room fighting for," Clark said Saturday. "Like Phee said, we should be paid more and hopefully that's the case moving forward as the league continues to grow. That's probably the most important thing that we're in the room advocating for." Under the CBA, players on a WNBA roster will receive 25% of the revenue sharing profits if — and only if — the league hits its "cumulative revenue target" for the season. The other 255 will be added to the pool the WNBA pays players in the offseason for marketing agreements. Conversely, the NBA has a 50-50 revenue split with the players, who receive 50% of all revenue generated, regardless. Captains speak: Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier on CBA negotiations, trash talk and WNBA All-Star Weekend In terms of player salary, the WNBA super-maximum is around $250,000 — and that is only available to cored players (one per team). The regular max is $216,000 and the rookie scale contract starts around $72,000. Get IndyStar's Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our . This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2025 WNBA All-Star Game: Players shirts send message to league amid CBA talks
