Daily Sports Headlines December 27, 2022
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Double Century Celebration Costs David Warner, Opener Returns Retired Hurt
An emotional and exhausted David Warner retired hurt after a majestic 200 as Australia dominated day two of the second Test on Tuesday and South Africa wilted in a Melbourne furnace. Australia were 386/3, in reply to the visitors’ first innings 189, with a lead of 197 runs and the series at their mercy after the six-wicket win in the Brisbane opener.
Short of runs and without a century in nearly three years, a tiring Warner slogged his way to his third double-hundred from 254 balls before succumbing to cramps and limping off the Melbourne Cricket Ground field with the aid of a trainer.
On the way to his 25th hundred, the 36-year-old opener became the eighth Australian to reach 8,000 Test runs, while ending the debate about his place in the side.
Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta says it was ‘right moment’ for Arsene Wenger’s return
Mikel Arteta believes Arsene Wenger chose the “right moment” to return to Arsenal and that his players put on a show worthy of the occasion in Monday’s 3-1 win over West Ham United.
The Gunners recovered from a goal down as Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah all struck in the second half to secure a win which extends their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points.
Wenger managed Arsenal for almost 22 years before departing in 2018, later becoming FIFA’s head of global football development.
Although the 72-year-old divided the Gunners’ fanbase over his latter-day management of the club, Wenger was serenaded as he sat in the directors’ box near owner Stan Kroenke and his son Josh.
MLB players from Cuba allowed to represent home country in WBC
The United States will permit Major League Baseball players from Cuba to represent their home country in the World Baseball Classic next year.
The decision announced Saturday in a news release by the Baseball Federation of Cuba (FCB) could be a big step in once again turning Cuba’s national team into heavy hitters on an international stage.
Major League Baseball confirmed Monday that the U.S. granted the license to FCB. It clears the way for MLB stars such as Jose Abreu, Yordan Alvarez, Randy Arozarena, Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert to play for Cuba in the WBC in March if they choose to accept a potential invitation.
Czechs stun defending champion Canada in world juniors opener
Jaroslav Chmelar and Matous Mensik scored 33 seconds apart during a five-minute power play as the Czech Republic stunned Canada 5-2 in the opener for both countries at the world junior hockey championship on Monday.
Stanislav Svozil and David Spacek had a goal and an assist each, and David Moravec provided the rest of the offense for the underdog Czechs.
Goaltender Tomas Suchanek was stellar in making 36 saves and an assist behind a structured, determined group.
Shane Wright, with a goal and an assist, and Connor Bedard scored for Canada. Benjamin Gaudreau allowed five goals on 17 shots before being replaced by Thomas Milic in the second period. Milic finished with 10 saves for the suddenly wobbly tournament favorites.
Why Barcelona without Lewandowski might be a good thing for Xavi & Co.
Given that he has scored 18 times in 19 matches throughout his debut season, it would be nonsensical to argue that Barcelona will be better off without Robert Lewandowski while he’s suspended for their next three LaLiga matches. The Catalans, despite opening the campaign with a scoreless draw at home to Rayo Vallecano and getting a bit of a thumping from Real Madrid in the Clasico, while regularly exhibiting the same flaws that saw them knocked out of the Champions League, somehow sit top of the table as domestic football returns in Spain this week.
That “somehow” can be defined in three ways: Madrid’s profligacy in dropping seven points against Girona, Osasuna and Rayo, plus Barca’s remarkable ‘goals-against’ tally of just five… and having Lewandowski in the team.
Why was Ramiz Raja removed from Pakistan Cricket Board’s chairmanship?
Ramiz Raja was sacked as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday (December 22). Raja’s sacking came after the team’s humiliating whitewash against England in the recently concluded test series held in Pakistan, though the reasons go far deeper than that.
In a YouTube live stream on his channel on December 26, Raja interacted with fans and commented on the matter. He said, “When your tenure is of three years, and you are sidelined after a year for a political appointment, due to political interference, the cricket will suffer. When there is no continuity and people are brought in through a backdoor entry, what kind of level will remain?”
He claimed the cricket board office was attacked by a few men and felt “as if the FIA (the Federal Investigation Agency of Pakistan) has raided the office”.
According to The Dawn, Najam Sethi will now head a new 14-member committee that includes former Pakistan cricketers Shahid Afridi and Sana Mir for the next four months until PCB elections are held. Raja, who played over 250 games for Pakistan between 1984 and 1997, had taken over from Ehsan Mani in 2021.
Jesse Lingard hits out at Man United for ‘false promises’ ahead of Old Trafford return
Nottingham Forest midfielder Jesse Lingard said he was given “false promises” about playing time during his final year at Manchester United and is still in the dark over why he was used so sparingly.
Lingard, who joined United at the age of seven, had returned to Old Trafford last year after a successful loan spell at West Ham, where he revived his career with nine goals and five assists in the second half of the 2020-21 campaign.
The 30-year-old played 232 times for his boyhood club but started only two Premier League games last season under former managers Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick before he joined Forest on a free transfer earlier this year.
“I don’t know what the problem was, whether it was politics or whatever. I still haven’t got an answer to this day,” Lingard told The Telegraph ahead of Forest’s trip to United on Tuesday.
Liverpool beat Man United to agreement for Cody Gakpo with PSV
Liverpool have beaten Manchester United in the race to sign winger Cody Gakpo after agreeing a deal with PSV, the Dutch side announced on Monday.
Sources have told ESPN that the fee of the deal is around £37 million ($45 million) and that the sides are close to finalising his arrival in the January transfer window. PSV did not disclose the value of the deal, but general manager Marcel Brands said it will be a “record transfer” for the club.
The Dutch club said in a statement: “PSV and Liverpool FC have reached an agreement on the proposed transfer of Cody Gakpo. The 23-year-old attacker will leave for England imminently where he will be subjected to the necessary formalities ahead of the completion of the transfer.”
Gakpo, 23, emerged as a star of the World Cup in Qatar by scoring three goals for the Netherlands before their quarterfinal elimination at the hands of eventual champions Argentina.
Nets push winning streak to 9 with 125-117 win over Cavs
The only drama surrounding the Brooklyn Nets right now is when they’re going to lose again.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant scored 32 points apiece and the Nets extended their longest winning streak since moving to Brooklyn to nine games with a 125-117 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.
The Nets withstood a sensational 46-point performance by Darius Garland, who single-handedly brought the Cavs back in the fourth.
Brooklyn has won 13 of 14 and is beginning to look like an NBA title contender after months of distractions — mainly revolving around Irving and his off-court antics.
He is unstoppable’ – Liverpool star Nunez had an ‘exceptional game’ against Aston Villa despite missed chances, insists Klopp
Jurgen Klopp has insisted that Darwin Nunez is “unstoppable” despite his struggles in front of goal during Liverpool’s Boxing Day win at Aston Villa.
Nunez forgot his scoring boots in Liverpool’s 3-1 away win against Aston Villa but played a crucial role in setting up Stefan Bajcetic’s first goal for the Reds. Despite being unable to convert a few gilt-edged opportunities of his own, the Uruguayan also impacted the game with his intelligent runs in behind the Villa defence. Klopp is aware of the criticism being aimed at Nunez due to his wastefulness in front of goal, but is not worried about his progress at Anfield and insists he had an “exceptional game” at Villa Park.
WWE Rumor Roundup
Discussing the legends WWE hopes to have at WrestleMania 39 on Wrestling Observer Radio last week, Dave Meltzer said he’s heard “[John] Cena is a ‘probable’, and Dwayne [Johnson] is a ‘possible’,” while “[Steve] Austin is probably the surest of the three… it’s just a question of how he feels, and he’s gonna do what he feels like doing.”
Which is probably why WrestlingNews.co‘s sources tell them the current plans for WrestleMania’s main events depend on The Rock.
Night one is pencilled in as a WWE championship match pitting Seth Rollins against either Cody Rhodes or Drew McIntyre. Night two would then be Roman Reigns against The Rock, or Rhodes if Johnson can’t free up his schedule.
WWE wants to get back to Raw and SmackDown each having their own top title in 2023, but the site says, “It’s not clear yet how the company will split the WWE Championship and Universal Championship”.
WWE‘s next Saudi Arabia show will take place in May 2023, per Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
On the Grapsody podcast, Tony Khan claimed Ring of Honor’s Honor Club streaming service has reached its highest number of subscribers ever since the announcement a weekly ROH show will stream there in the new year, even though right now the only content on the service is archival.
Tony Khan also confirmed he never shopped ROH TV to anyone other than Warner Bros Discovery. The Observer Newsletter reported that last week, with Meltzer speculating Khan wanted to remain loyal to AEW’s television partners ahead of upcoming negotiations over Dynamite & Rampage rights.
That’s all for now. Thank you for your attention.
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