Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 16 January 12:30 pm

Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:

# We start off with Cricket: Proteas fast bowler, Anrich Nortjé, has been ruled out of the remainder of the SA20 tournament and the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy due to a back injury. The 31-year-old has not played any international cricket since the T20 World Cup in June last year. Nortjé’s likely replacement in the Proteas’ squad for the Champions Trophy is Gerald Coetzee, who has returned to action for the Joburg Super Kings after sustaining a groin injury in November last year.

Meanwhile, the rising star Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ batting performance helped Paarl Royals beat MI Cape Town by six wickets in Paarl, to move up to third in the SA20 standings. Rassie van der Dussen’s unbeaten 91 saw MI Cape Town post a competitive score of 158 for four in their 20 overs. In reply, 18-year-old Pretorius scored 83 from 52 balls, smashing three sixes and eight boundaries, as the home team reached the target in 19 overs. Pretorius says the conditions were perfect:

# Tennis: Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek has set up a mouthwatering third-round clash with Briton Emma Raducanu at the Australian Open. The Polish thrashed Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova, 6-0, 6-1 in the second round, while Raducanu recorded a, 6-3, 7-5, win over American Amanda Anisimova. Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur overcame breathing difficulties as she defeated Colombian Camila Osorio, 7-5, 6-3. In the men’s draw, American Taylor Fritz eased passed Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin, 6-2, 6-1, 6-0, while Australian Alex de Minaur defeated American qualifier Tristan Boyer, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3.

# Roadrunning: One of South Africa’s most versatile road runners, Gerda Steyn, says she still has ambitions to reclaim the national standard marathon record. She was unveiled as a member of the Hollywood Athletics Club in Durban on Wednesday. Steyn says however her main goal this year would be to retain her titles at Comrades and Two Oceans, races in which she already holds the women’s records:

# And finally, Soccer: Arsenal have kept their Premier League title hopes alive after beating Tottenham Hotspur two-one to climb up to second in the standings, four points behind leaders Liverpool. Captain Heung-Min Son gave Spurs the lead against the run of play, but Dominic Solanke’s own goal and Leandro Trossard’s strike turned it around for the Gunners. Meanwhile, Newcastle United defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers three-nil for their sixth straight league victory, while Crystal Palace saw off Leicester City two-nil. Aston Villa recorded a hard-fought one-nil victory against Everton.

Stay tuned for more news………….