Australian Olympian Slammed For Horse Whipping Video: Heath Ryan Suspended
A storm of outrage erupted across the internet after a video showed Australian Olympian Heath Ryan striking a horse multiple times with a whip. The 66-year-old dressage rider, who competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, defended the act by calling it a 'rescue mission,' claiming the six-year-old horse, Nico, was bound for the knackery after injuring a previous rider. In a lengthy Facebook post, Ryan described the moment as a desperate attempt to rehabilitate the horse, insisting it came from compassion, not cruelty. But the internet wasn't buying it. Users flooded social media, calling the footage 'disturbing' and 'unforgivable,' with many demanding a lifetime ban. The backlash led to Equestrian Australia suspending Ryan after a formal complaint, followed swiftly by an international suspension.
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The Hindu
29 minutes ago
- The Hindu
South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince hails Aiden Markram, says ‘He is someone for the big occasion'
Ashwell Prince, South Africa batting coach, labelled Aiden Markram the "man for the big occasion" after the opener steered Proteas towards a famous run chase in the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025, against Australia on Friday, according to the ICC website. Chasing 282 to win, South Africa are 213 for two at the end of day three thanks to a majestic century from Markram and a gutsy 65 not out from captain Temba Bavuma. South Africa need just 69 more runs to become champions, and while Australia will refuse to give up hope of a remarkable comeback, the Proteas are firmly in the driving seat as they bid for a first ICC trophy in 27 years. Markram struck 11 fours in an unbeaten 102, bringing up his eighth Test ton with a gorgeous flick through mid-wicket in the penultimate over of the day. He struggled to contain his emotions, wiping tears away from his eyes, and batting coach Prince said a small technical adjustment was the secret to his success." We certainly know he is someone for the big occasion, of that there is no doubt," Ashwell Prince said. "He has done some technical work, but not a lot. In the last little while, he has had a tendency to push his hands away from his body and cut across the ball, but it was not a big fix, and as soon as he saw a few videos, it was simple." "I think [coach] Shukri Conrad deserves credit for staying calm; it is one of his strengths." "As soon as Aiden and Temba came up the stairs, he said we need to do the same tonight as we always do, and tomorrow we do the same warm-up. It's the same processes. We understand the magnitude and what's at stake, but now we stay calm. "They started Friday morning seeking two quick Australian wickets to leave the target as low as possible, but - despite Kagiso Rabada trapping Nathan Lyon lbw early - Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood dug in. They put on 59 for the 10th wicket and batted for the entire morning session, with Hazlewood finally out to the last ball before lunch to leave the target at there, it was all South Africa. While Australia benefited from benign conditions on a flat pitch to convert 144 for eight into 207 all out under the morning sun, it was the Proteas' turn for the rest of the removed Ryan Rickelton for six, but a 63-run partnership between Markram and Wiaan Mulder settled the nerves, with runs flowing amid regular boundaries.A sharp Marnus Labuschagne catch sent Mulder back to the pavilion for 27, while Steve Smith dropped Bavuma on two and dislocated his finger in the process, earning him a trip to the hospital for the rest of the day. However, after that scare, Bavuma oozed class despite damaging his hamstring in the afternoon session. Prince admitted they considered retiring him during the tea interval but the captain insisted he could carry on and he hit five boundaries in a 121-ball knock. "It is not done yet, but he has had to fight throughout his career, and this could be a defining moment for his career," Prince added. "It is the biggest stage in Test cricket. He is tough, Aiden has great respect for Temba, and I think this team's greatest asset is the unity." "You only have to look at how they celebrate a wicket to understand that. They are all aware that South Africa have had greater individual players, but they have something special going on in the dressing room, and it helps them drag each other along." While 69 runs is not an intimidating number of runs to score, keeping South Africa's batters level-headed is now the has been made of their record in ICC tournaments - they have come close to adding to their ICC Men's Champions Trophy 1998 success on many occasions, but always fallen short - but this is their greatest opportunity of breaking the duck.
NDTV
33 minutes ago
- NDTV
Virat Kohli's 7-Year Old Prophecy On Aiden Markram Proven True As South Africa Near WTC Triumph
Aiden Markram is currently playing the most important innings of his career. In the World Test Championship (WTC) final, chasing 282 to win, South Africa were 213 for two at the end of day three thanks to a majestic century from Markram and a gutsy 65 not out from captain Temba Bavuma. South Africa need just 69 more runs to become champions, and while Australia will refuse to give up hope of a remarkable comeback, the Proteas are firmly in the driving seat as they bid for a first ICC trophy in 27 years. Markram struck 11 fours in an unbeaten 102, bringing up his eighth Test ton with a gorgeous flick through mid-wicket in the penultimate over of the day. In the midst of this, an old post from Kohli is going viral. "Aiden Markram is a delight to watch!" kohli had posted on X on March 24, 2018 during the South Africa batter's 84-run knock in the second innings of a Test match at Cape Town against Australia. Aiden Markram is a delight to watch! — Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 24, 2018 Aiden Markram — Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 30, 2018 Virat Kohli was so right about Aiden Markram — Nidhi Shree (@NidhiShreeJha) June 13, 2025 South Africa batting coach, labelled Aiden Markram the "man for the big occasion" after the opener steered Proteas towards a famous run chase in the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025, against Australia on Friday, according to the ICC website. He struggled to contain his emotions, wiping tears away from his eyes, and batting coach Prince said a small technical adjustment was the secret to his success. "We certainly know he is someone for the big occasion, of that there is no doubt," Ashwell Prince said. "He has done some technical work, but not a lot. In the last little while, he has had a tendency to push his hands away from his body and cut across the ball, but it was not a big fix, and as soon as he saw a few videos, it was simple." "I think [coach] Shukri Conrad deserves credit for staying calm; it is one of his strengths." "As soon as Aiden and Temba came up the stairs, he said we need to do the same tonight as we always do, and tomorrow we do the same warm-up. It's the same processes. We understand the magnitude and what's at stake, but now we stay calm." They started Friday morning seeking two quick Australian wickets to leave the target as low as possible, but - despite Kagiso Rabada trapping Nathan Lyon lbw early - Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood dug in. They put on 59 for the 10th wicket and batted for the entire morning session, with Hazlewood finally out to the last ball before lunch to leave the target at 282. From there, it was all South Africa. While Australia benefited from benign conditions on a flat pitch to convert 144 for eight into 207 all out under the morning sun, it was the Proteas' turn for the rest of the day. Starc removed Ryan Rickelton for six, but a 63-run partnership between Markram and Wiaan Mulder settled the nerves, with runs flowing amid regular boundaries. A sharp Marnus Labuschagne catch sent Mulder back to the pavilion for 27, while Steve Smith dropped Bavuma on two and dislocated his finger in the process, earning him a trip to the hospital for the rest of the day. However, after that scare, Bavuma oozed class despite damaging his hamstring in the afternoon session. Prince admitted they considered retiring him during the tea interval but the captain insisted he could carry on and he hit five boundaries in a 121-ball knock. "It is not done yet, but he has had to fight throughout his career, and this could be a defining moment for his career," Prince added. "It is the biggest stage in Test cricket. He is tough, Aiden has great respect for Temba, and I think this team's greatest asset is the unity." "You only have to look at how they celebrate a wicket to understand that. They are all aware that South Africa have had greater individual players, but they have something special going on in the dressing room, and it helps them drag each other along." While 69 runs is not an intimidating number of runs to score, keeping South Africa's batters level-headed is now the challenge. Much has been made of their record in ICC tournaments - they have come close to adding to their ICC Men's Champions Trophy 1998 success on many occasions, but always fallen short - but this is their greatest opportunity of breaking the duck.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
WTC Final: Australia assistant coach hails 'exceptional' Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma as South Africa near historic win
Australian assistant coach Daniel Vettori acknowledged South Africa's strong position in the ICC World Test Championship final at Lord's after day three, with the Proteas requiring just 69 runs with eight wickets remaining. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Aiden Markram's historic century and his unbeaten 143-run partnership with captain have brought South Africa closer to their first world title in cricket. South Africa reached 213/2 in 56 overs, with Markram scoring an unbeaten 102 and Bavuma fighting through a hamstring injury to reach 65 not out. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "I think there was optimism in the way we started with Starc and Hazlewood. There was a really good partnership to put together a total that obviously, considering the rest of the how the match had played out, was a challenging one. But under those conditions, Markram and Bavuma were exceptional and were able just to, I suppose, navigate their way through any tricky situations and then be able to put pressure back on us when it was opportune time. So it was a pretty benign wicket and obviously conditions were not assisting the ball, but that partnership was exceptional," Vettori said during the press conference. Bold prediction! Astrologer Greenstone Lobo picks winner of Australia vs South Africa WTC Final 2025 The Australian coach expressed concern about the difficult task ahead while praising the South African batsmen's performance. "But I think with the nature of where the ball is at and the surface, it is a difficult task, but it is a task that the group has probably done at times throughout the last three, four, some of them five, six, even longer years. But I think there is an appreciation of how well Bavuma and Markram batted to put all that pressure back on us. So, to get one of them tonight may have given that optimism. So it is going to be a real challenge tomorrow," he added. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Regarding Steve Smith's finger injury after dropping Bavuma's catch in the slips, Vettori said they would wait for the hospital results before providing any updates. Quiz: When asked about bowling variations, Vettori praised Mitchell Starc's natural ability to adapt. "He does that naturally and his ability to change his length and potentially swing the ball both ways. I think the success that has come from the surface has been that six to eight meter length. That is what South Africa did so well. That is what we did in the first innings. So there is sometimes an appetite for that, but there is also a concern around the score running away from us," he explained. "And sometimes when you go to that short ball stuff, it is hard to control the scoreboard. And that was probably our fear today, that if we could hang in those areas long enough, something would happen, like it has in the rest of the test match, but it was not to be," Vettori added. Earlier in the day, South Africa made steady progress with Markram and Wiaan Mulder putting together a solid partnership in the second session. Yashasvi Jaiswal's Coach on England Prep, Opening Partner, & Playing Under Gill Mitchell Starc's impressive innings of 58 not out had helped Australia reach 207 all out from a precarious position of 152/9, setting South Africa a target of 282 runs. Australia's first innings score was 212, while South Africa managed 138 in their first attempt. The current match situation shows Australia at 207 in their second innings, with Starc's unbeaten 58 and Alex Carey's 43 being the notable contributions. Kagiso Rabada took four wickets for 59 runs. South Africa's second innings stands at 213/2, with Markram's unbeaten century and Bavuma's half-century putting them in a strong position to achieve their first ICC title.
