South Africa wins the World Test Championship, its first major cricket title in 27 years
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — South Africa wins the World Test Championship, its first major cricket title in 27 years.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bavuma's brave team make giant leap for South African Test cricket
South Africa lost their shot at winning this World Test Championship in 2022, when their board announced the team were going to play 28 games in the next four years. They lost it for a second time during the spring of last year, when they packed their reserve team off to play a series against New Zealand because their centrally contracted players had to stay back and play in a franchise tournament. They lost it a third time when the team were bowled out for 138 on Thursday morning and they lost it a fourth when they let Australia's tail put on 134 runs for the last four wickets, leaving them needing 282 to win. Finally, after they had just about run out of ways to lose, they won. Advertisement Related: Markram steers South Africa to historic World Test Championship final triumph The last runs came hard and the winning ones seemed to be the most difficult of all. It was chaos on the outside of the old brick walls that surround Lord's on Saturday morning. It seemed every South African in the city seemed to be piling in to see their team win the World Test Championship and five minutes before the start of play the queues ran down and around Wellington Road, where the rush of latecomers forced the traffic wide to the other side of the street. But inside, the scoreboard moved like a stopped clock. 'We were trying to get it over and done with,' said Aiden Markram, 'but it just wasn't easy.' 'Even when we got it down to 10 runs,' Temba Bavuma said. 'You were on the edge, thinking anything can happen. I mean the belief was there, but it was pretty hard to accept that we were so close to winning something.' South Africa have blown too many big games to feel sure of scoring even the bare handful they needed here. Kyle Verreynne got himself in a hell of mess trying to pick off the very last they needed after the scores were tied. He ought to have been given out caught behind after he gloved the ball while he was trying to hit a ramp for four, but Australia had used up all their reviews. Besides, by that point even they seemed to have decided they ought to just let South Africa have it. After everything they have been through across the years, even Australians were not going to begrudge them this victory. Advertisement South Africa are not a great team, but they have just beaten one. Markram is not a great batter, but he played like one. Bavuma is not a great captain, but he has won a great victory, one which may turn out to be the most consequential in the team's history. After all those defeats in other International Cricket Council tournaments across the years, the consequences of losing this final were unthinkable. Now, the implications of winning could be incalculable. Bavuma drew an explicit comparison with the success of the Springboks, whose back-to-back World Cup wins under Siya Kolisi have done so much. Related: 'Chokers? This win squashes that': Bavuma hopes WTC victory can unite South Africa Bavuma is the first Black man to captain the cricket team and if previous generations fought against one strain of discrimination, he has had to confront another form of it by dealing with the lingering stigma attached to Black players in an era when so many white players have quit because they feel racial quotas are discriminatory. Advertisement 'For me to be recognised more than just as a Black African cricketer, but to be seen as somebody who has achieved something that the country wanted so much, that's something which will make me walk around with my chest out, and I just hope that it will inspire the country,' Bavuma said. And beyond. Bavuma spoke about how it was a victory for all the 'small' teams in Test cricket, which, these days, includes all nine Test playing nations apart from India, Australia and England. South African Test cricket is the canary in the mine and 18 months ago it had just about keeled over. Since then, they have found a way to win eight games in a row, a run that culminated in this famous victory. Bavuma and Markram both said they want to play more Test cricket. South Africa do not have a home series scheduled for another 15 months, when they will play Australia, again. 'What's important is to keep Test cricket as No 1 in South Africa,' said Markram. 'We understand all the dynamics in the cricket world, but for young players coming through, it has to be about wearing this baggy Test cap for South Africa.'
New York Post
3 hours ago
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The ‘ridiculous' Korn Ferry Tour rule that left New Jersey native Ryan McCormick annoyed at US Open
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You have to hit quality shots. You've got to think about where you're going. You've got to do everything on your own. It's you against yourself and the course, and I love the challenge.'' Advertisement His fellow Korn Ferry Tour local, James Nicholas, from Scarsdale, is 12-over after shooting 75 on Saturday. Among the three other players from the Metro Area, Westchester's Cameron Young is not out of contention at 3-over par, seven shots back, after shooting 69 Saturday. Chris Gotterup, from Fair Haven, N.J., is 4-over par and eight shots back after shooting his second consecutive 69. Advertisement And Max Greyserman, from Short Hills, N.J., is also 4-over par after shooting 71 on Saturday. Keegan Bradley, the current U.S. Ryder Cup captain, sounded very bullish on Sam Burns, who had the 36-hole lead and has the 54-hole lead with a 65 on Friday and 67 Saturday. 5 Keegan Bradley reacts during the third round of the U.S. Open. Imagn Images Advertisement Burns' 65 was the third-lowest round played in the 10 U.S. Opens held at Oakmont, behind only Johnny Miller's 63 in 1973 and Loren Roberts' 64 in 1994. 'He's such a great player, and he's been trending,'' Bradley said. 'He seems to have a U.S. Open mentality. I was watching him [Friday] and I just kept saying it looks like he's up for the challenge today, and he was.'' Bradley wasn't a fan of the USGA boasting before the tournament that it wanted the players to use all 15 clubs — the 14 in their bag and the one between their ears (the mind) — to win a U.S. Open. 'The USGA can say all they want, but we're professional golfers,'' Bradley said. 'This is what we do for a living. I don't agree with that. We go out here every day and try to be professionals, and we know when it comes to a major, whether it's a U.S. Open, British Open, Masters, PGA, that we have to be on top of our game mentally. 'The USGA is not doing that, we're doing that.'' Advertisement Cool U.S. Open story. Philip Barbaree Jr., who got into the field through qualifying, was one of the 13 players who had to come out to Oakmont early Saturday morning to complete the second round thanks to Friday's weather suspension. He had to make a five-foot par putt to make the cut at 7-over par and he made it, fist-pumping and giving his wife and caddie, Chloe, a big hug. 5 Philip Barbaree Jr. is pictured during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 14. Getty Images He's previously qualified for the 2018 U.S. Open, but missed the cut. Advertisement A short time later, Barbaree, who grew up with Burns in Shreveport, La., was the first to tee off for the third round, and played with a club-member marker because of the odd number of players to make the cut. 'A lot of pent-up emotion and stress from sleeping last night — or not sleeping last night — knowing that I pretty much had to come out and make par on one of the hardest holes on the course,'' Barbaree said after shooting 75 on Saturday. 'And then to actually do it, that's what you practice for. To be able to pull off a shot like that when it matters, and then with her on the bag, it's special.'' Among the 15 amateurs in the field, Justin Hastings was the only one among them to make the cut, finishing 6-over par through 36 holes. Advertisement 5 Justin Hastings, pictured during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 14, was the only amateur to make the cut. Getty Images He shot 73 on Saturday and is 9-over. The 21-year-old Hastings, from the Cayman Islands, said he plans to turn pro after the British Open next month. Advertisement Early Saturday as the third round was getting underway, the USGA had Jack Nicklaus, the 1962 U.S. Open winner at Oakmont, and Miller, the 1973 winner at Oakmont, into the interview room for some reminiscence. Nicklaus was asked what the 'key'' was to his win as a 22-year-old that year. 'The key was to beat Arnold Palmer,'' Nicklaus said. 'Arnie was the top player in the game at the time. He had won the Masters earlier in the year. He was the guy you had to beat if you wanted to win, and particularly here. 5 Jack Nicklaus (l.) and Johnny Miller (r.) are pictured during a press conference at the U.S. Open on June 14. Imagn Images 'I didn't know anything about Oakmont. I didn't realize, as a 22-year-old, that I was in Arnold Palmer's backyard.'' Palmer, of course, was from nearby Latrobe, Pa., which remains a shrine to his greatness. Both former players were asked about the $21.5 million prize purse this week, with $4.3 million going to the winner. 'Would I have loved to have had what's going on here when we played? Yeah,'' Nicklaus said. 'Obviously, all of us would. But I know Johnny and myself both trail-blazed the way for what's happening today. I think if you look back at [Ben] Hogan and [Sam] Snead and those guys, they trail blazed it for us. 'Would [the money] have changed our lives? I would hope not.''
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Nationals' bat-retrieving dog Bruce laps up pregame attention, makes MLB debut: ‘Look at this dog and try not to smile'
The dog days of summer arrived Saturday at Nationals Park. Bruce, a 21-month-old Golden Retriever, fetched a bat during a ceremony before the Washington Nationals' game against the Miami Marlins as part of a Pups in the Park promotion. He retrieved bats the last two seasons with the Rochester Red Wings, Washington's Triple-A affiliate. Advertisement 5 Washington Nationals' bat dog, Bruce, retrieves a bat before a game against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on June 14, 2025. AP Bruce, wearing a bandana with an 'MLB debut' patch he received when he arrived at the stadium, was presented a commemorative bat. He then took a circuitous route from the dugout toward first base after Nationals reliever Zach Brzykcy dropped the bat in foul territory before the bat dog collected his quarry to the delight of a crowd wowed by his work and enthusiasm. Advertisement 'Look at this dog and try not to smile,' said Josh Snyder, Bruce's owner. 'He's great. He's goofy. I think he's the perfect candidate for Rochester, the Red Wings and now the Nationals.' Snyder, who wore a No. 25 Nationals jersey with 'Bruce' on the nameplate, said he drove through the night with Bruce and arrived in Washington around 3 a.m. Saturday. But it was anything but a rough morning and early afternoon for Bruce, who casually lapped up attention as he walked through the tunnel in the stadium. 5 Bruce retrieved bats the last two seasons with the Rochester Red Wings, Washington's Triple-A affiliate. AP Advertisement 5 Nationals relief pitcher Cole Henry pets Bruce in front of the dugout before the game. AP Bruce spent about 50 minutes on the field before the ceremony, where he was hounded by well-wishers. He also did a couple practice bat retrievals with Snyder's assistance before Nationals catcher Riley Adams stopped to pet him on his way out for pregame work. He won't work during the actual game, however, and will return to Triple-A duties afterward. Advertisement Bruce is Snyder's second dog work to with the Red Wings, following the late Milo, and both participated in campaigns to raise money for Rochester's Veterans Outreach Center and Honor Flight of Rochester. 5 Bruce runs around the foul territory grass with a bat in his mouth. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect 5 Miami Marlins left fielder Kyle Stowers greets Bruce on the field during batting practice. AP This week — which included an announcement from the Nationals on Tuesday that Bruce had worked his tail off to earn a promotion — generated plenty of buzz even before Saturday's debut. 'Social media, everything like that seems like it's seriously blown up, and we love it,' Snyder said. 'Really good publicity with our goal and our mission of bringing people together. It shows it's just doing that.'
