Daily Sports Headlines December 29, 2022
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“The start of the IPL changed our lives” -said AB de Villiers
Former South African batter AB de Villiers recalled how the Indian Premier League (IPL) was a game-changing moment in the lives of cricketers. The former Proteas captain expects SA20 to have a similar impact on South African cricket as the IPL has for India.
De Villiers is one of the leading overseas run-getters in IPL history and started his career in the cash-rich league with the Delhi Daredevils in 2008, fetching INR 11 crore in that year’s auction. However, the right-handed batter managed only 95 runs in six games that year averaging 19.
The 38-year-old conceded that players in the IPL are highly passionate and felt that sharing the dressing room with Glenn McGrath was his standout moment. He said (via South Africa Cricket Magazine):
The Pretoria-born player called time on his IPL career after the 2021 edition, scoring 5162 runs in 184 matches at 39.70, striking at 151.68. He formed a fearsome batting partnership with Virat Kohli for the Royal Challengers Bangalore as the pair’s 229 runs is the highest for any wicket.
Germany superstar says Lionel Messi is definitely the best player in history
Barcelona goalkeeper and German star Marc-Andre ter Stegen firmly believes Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer in history. The German shot-stopper insists there was never any speculation as to the Argentine superstar’s status as the ‘GOAT’.
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Ter Stegen was asked whether the debate about the best footballer ever is over now that Lionel Messi won the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The goalkeeper replied:
Lionel Messi achieved his boyhood dream of winning the FIFA World Cup in this year’s edition of the tournament in Qatar. The Argentina captain led his team to triumph after a truly stellar campaign on football’s biggest international stage.
Relax those shoulders champ, they’ve carried weights for so long” – Tennis fans flock to support Serena Williams amidst post-retirement struggles
Tennis fans came out in support of Serena Williams after the American veteran shared her post-retirement struggles.
Williams called time on her illustrious career earlier this year and was last seen in action at the US Open, where she lost 7-5. 6-7(4), 6-1 to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the women’s singles event. She also took part in the women’s doubles tournament, partnering with her sister Venus Williams. The pair lost 7-6(5), 6-4 to the Czech duo of Linda Niskova and Lucie Hradecka.
The 41-year-old took to social media to share her post-retirement struggles, claiming that she allowed herself to relax or be tired, something she had never done before. Serena Williams also stated that doing so was a lot harder than she imagined.Fans were quick to extend their support to the seven-time Australian Open winner, with one fan suggesting her “to relax her shoulders” as they carried the weight of expectations for a long time.
Ranking the batting attacks of all 10 teams after IPL 2023 auction
The IPL 2023 mini auction is officially in the history books. The highly anticipated event took place in Kochi on Friday, December 23, where the ten IPL franchises shelled out a combined total of ₹167 crores to sign as many as 80 players of their choice for the upcoming IPL season.
The all-rounders received massive pay contracts, which was quite unsurprising. The acquisition of Sam Curran by his former team, the Punjab Kings (PBKS), for ₹18.50 crore made him the most expensive player in IPL history.
While the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) paid a record sum of ₹16.25 crore for England all-rounder Ben Stokes, the Mumbai Indians (MI) paid a staggering ₹17.50 crore for Australian batting all-rounder Cameron Green.
“Congrats my bro” – Liverpool linked attacker sends message to Cody Gakpo after Anfield switch
Swiss striker Noah Okafor, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool, has congratulated Cody Gakpo following his Anfield switch.
On Boxing Day (December 26), PSV Eindhoven announced that they had reached an agreement with Liverpool over Gakpo’s transfer. Two days later, the Anfield outfit unveiled Gakpo as a Liverpool player, dropping a post on Instagram.
RB Salzburg ace Okafor was one of the many notable names to congratulate Gakpo. The 22-year-old wrote: “Congrats my bro”
A loving heart and handshake emoji accompanied Okafor’s comment.
Before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg had credited the Merseysiders with an interest in Okafor. As per the Guardian, Jurgen Klopp’s side will initially pay a €40 million fee to PSV for Gakpo’s services. The transfer fee could rise up to €50 million if all add-ons are activated. Gakpo, who scored thrice in five games at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with the 19-time English champions.
WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long picks surprise name as the greatest of all time
WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long has named the late great Bobby Eaton as his pick for the greatest wrestler of all time. Many consider Eaton as a pioneer of tag team wrestling, especially due to his run as part of The Midnight Express, working alongside Dennis Condrey and later with Stan Lane.
Though he has achieved immense success in WCW and NWA, Bobby Eaton is one of the greats of the time who never worked with WWE.
However, this doesn’t take away the fact that his work gives a tough fight to anyone who has succeeded at the top of the chain in WWE.
On the latest episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling’s One on One, Teddy Long said that Eaton was the greatest technicians in the business. The Hall of Famer particularly praised Bobby Eaton’s “mat” work inside the squared circle.
Daniil Medvedev picks his epic Australian Open final against Rafael Nadal as the craziest match of his life
Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev picked his match against Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open 2022 final as the craziest match of his life.
The Spaniard defeated Medvedev after coming back from two sets down and taking the championship in five epic sets 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 to win his record-breaking 21st Grand Slam to surpass Roger Federer’s tally of 20.
While speaking to Julie Marie on his YouTube channel, the Russian picked the epic Australian Open final in 2022 when asked which match of his he considered the craziest.
The World No. 7 also gave a shout-out to his two semifinals at the Australian Open in 2021 and 2022 and mentioned that the atmosphere made the matches “crazy”.
Lando Norris could be challenging for a maiden race win in 2023, predicts former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer
Lando Norris will be “knocking on the door” for his maiden race win in the 2023 season if McLaren can keep up with the best teams in the circuit, according to former Renault driver Jolyon Palmer. The 23-year-old Briton had a splendid 2022 — finishing seventh in the driver’s standings — with his ablility to compete any higher up the grid only limited by his car.
With McLaren having another season to process and understand the new regulations, Norris should be in a much better position to challenge for a win next season. Especially since these new set of regulations are supposed to converge the F1 field and close the gaps between teams.
Dejounte Murray’s contract details for 2022-2023 NBA season
Dejounte Murray is having a strong season in his first year as a member of the Atlanta Hawks. The sixth-year point guard is averaging 20.5 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, 6.2 assists per game, 1.7 steals per game, and 0.4 blocks per game. Murray is shooting 44.6% from the field, 34.7% from three-point range, and 83.3% from the free-throw line.
The one-time All-Star is in the third year of a four-year, $64 million contract he signed with the San Antonio Spurs. Murray is set to make $16.6 million this season and $17.7 million next season. Over his six seasons with the Spurs, one of which he missed due to a torn ACL, Murray made $36.1 million.
Is WWE’s newest signee Dragon Lee related to Rey Mysterio?
In the latest news, Dragon Lee has signed with WWE and is keen on becoming the next Rey Mysterio. The reigning AAA World Tag Team Champion will join the WWE Performance Center next month, as per reports by ESPN.Like other unmasked luchadors, Dragon Lee’s real name is yet to be known. He is the son of Arturo Muñoz (aka La Bestia del Ring). His older brothers are Carlos Muñoz (aka Dralistico in Lucha Libre) and Arturo Muñoz (aka Rush in AEW).
Lee has vast experience in wrestling. Apart from AAA, he has performed in Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and All Elite Wrestling. The 27-year-old has held several championships across different promotions, including a historic 1,197-day run with the CMLL World Lightweight Championship.
Newcastle eye potential move to sign Arsenal and Liverpool targets
Newcastle United are keeping tabs on Arsenal and Liverpool midfield targets Youri Tielemans and Moises Caceido. The Magpies have made a phenomenal start to the season, sitting third in the Premier League with 11 wins, two defeats, and as many draws in 16 games. Securing qualification for the UEFA Champions League next season is becoming a real possibility.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe appears to want to bolster his midfield options as he looks to continue the club’s pursuit of a top-four finish. According to the Telegraph, they have earmarked Leicester City’s Tielemans and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Caceido as potential midfield options.
Tracing the discussion around Luka Doncic’s weight as critics around his fitness remain
Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Luka Doncic has had an incredible start to his NBA career.
Over his first five seasons, Doncic has averaged 27.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.8 3-pointers per game on 46.3% shooting. However, that hasn’t stopped critics from nitpicking at the young star’s greatness.
One of the biggest gripes that critics have had is in regards to Luka Doncic’s weight. Doncic reportedly came into the NBA as a rookie in 2018 weighing 230 pounds. He then appeared to put on weight in 2020, which led to criticism from fans and the media that his conditioning was holding him back.
Max Verstappen voted best driver of 2022 F1 season by peers as Lewis Hamilton gives it a miss
Max Verstappen has been voted the best driver of the 2022 Formula 1 season by fellow drivers.
The two-time world champion dominated the year and barely put a foot wrong, breaking quite a few records along the way. Noticeably, the Red Bull Racing driver broke the record for the most wins in a season, winning 15 out of 22 races in 2022. This was a record previously held jointly (13 wins) by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.
Charles Leclerc finished second, behind Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were tied for third. Lando Norris completed the top 5 in the rankings, followed by Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Sebastian Vettel, and Sergio Perez. In terms of criteria, drivers were given scores based on the current F1 points system – 25 for the top driver, down to one for 10th. Those scores were then combined to create a ranking.
Dillon Danis tells his side of the build-up to UFC 229 melee
Dillon Danis recently revisited his infamous brawl with Khabib Nurmagomedov after the former lightweight champion’s historic contest against Conor McGregor at UFC 229. The aftermath of Nurmagomedov’s victory over McGregor in the headlining bout of the event was ugly, to say the least.
After enduring numerous personal attacks from McGregor during the build-up to the fight, Nurmagomedov let his emotions get the better of him in the octagon once the bout was over. After submitting McGregor in the fourth round, ‘The Eagle’ turned his attention to Dillon Danis in the Irishman’s corner and jumped at him over the octagon. This led to a short but vicious altercation between the two teams.
Pakistan vs New Zealand 1st Test, Day 4 Highlights:
Pakistan vs New Zealand 1st Test, Day 4 Highlights: Pakistan ended Day 4 of the ongoing first Test against New Zealand at 77/2 with Imam Ul Haq (45*) and Nauman Ali (4*) standing unbeaten at the crease. At stumps, the hosts trail by 97 runs. So far, Pakistan have lost two wickets after Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood were dismissed by Michael Bracewell and Ish Sodhi respectively. Earlier, Kane Williamson brought up his fifth double century in Tests as New Zealand declared their innings at 612/9 against Pakistan on Day 4 of the ongoing first Test match at National Stadium in Karachi. The visitors have taken a lead by 174 runs. For Pakistan, Abrar Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers with a five-wicket haul.
Premier League: Two-Goal Erling Haaland Returns To Haunt Leeds United In Manchester City Win
Erling Haaland lamented not scoring five times in the city of his birth as the Norwegian struck twice in Manchester City’s 3-1 win at Leeds to lift them back up to second in the Premier League. Haaland spent his early years in Yorkshire as his father Alfe Inge played for Leeds, but showed no mercy as City got their title challenge back on track. Pep Guardiola’s men moved to within five points of Arsenal at the top of the table as they bounced back from a shock defeat to Brentford before the World Cup.
Haaland now has 20 Premier League goals in just 14 appearances since joining City, but was still left unsatisfied after failing to beat Illan Meslier with three one-on-ones.
South Africa captain calls for more Tests against tough opponents so that the players can improve
In the aftermath of South Africa’s first series loss in Australia since 2005-06, Test captain Dean Elgar said he had to “bite his tongue” about the structure and schedule of South African cricket and the impact it is having on the Test team.
The defeat is their second successive series loss, after a 1-2 result in England in August-September, and they have now lost four Tests in a row.
Since South Africa’s domestic system was restructured in the 2021-22 season, their provincial teams play seven matches a season instead of the ten they played before.
With the launch of the SA20 this season, those matches are pushed to the margins of the summer. The SA20 was also cited as one of the main reasons for South Africa’s lean Test schedule in the next Future Tours Programme. They will play 28 Tests in the next four-year cycle, no three-Test series until at least 2026, and only four Tests in 2023.
That’s all for now. Thank you for your attention.
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