Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 22 July 12:30 pm

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

# We start with soccer: Defending champions Banyana Banyana play Nigeria in the semifinal of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco tonight. South Africa earlier defeated Ghana, Tanzania and Mali before beating Senegal on penalties in the quarterfinal to book their place in the penultimate round. Head coach Desiree Ellis describes her team as resilient and courageous, with a never-say-die attitude. The hostesses and Ghana face off in the other semifinal, with the final taking place on Saturday.

# Cricket: South Africa and New Zealand are meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, today before playing in the final of the tri-nations T20 series at the same venue on Saturday. The hosts were already eliminated after losing their first three matches – twice against the Proteas and once against the Black Caps. New Zealand beat South Africa by 21-runs earlier in the tournament. The last round-robin match will take place between Zimbabwe and New Zealand on Thursday.  

England has meanwhile called up spin bowler Liam Dawson for the fourth Test against India as replacement for the injured Shoaib Bashir. This will be the 35-year-old’s first Test since July 2017. Jofra Archer will continue in the side, having made a successful return to the team during the victory at Lord’s, while Brydon Carse, Chris Woakes and captain Ben Stokes will provide further seam options. England are 2-1 up and will look to win the series in the fourth Test starting at Old Trafford in Manchester tomorrow.

# Rugby: A huge challenge awaits Steve Tandy after his appointment as new head coach of Wales. The team just ended an 18-match losing streak when they beat Japan and the former Welsh player will have a mammoth task to get his charges ready for the next World Cup in two years’ time. Tandy succeeds Warren Gatland as permanent head coach after the New Zealander was forced out during this year’s Six Nations. Tandy’s first match in charge will be against Argentina in Cardiff on 9 November.

# And tennis: The Canadian Open in Toronto will be without some big names as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic have all withdrawn from the tournament. World number one Sinner, who won Wimbledon earlier this month, says he needs to prioritise his health. Alcaraz, who owns a 48-6 win-loss record this season, says he has some muscle issues, and needs to recover physically and mentally for what comes next. Four-time champion Djokovic has always maintained that his focus is on Grand Slams.

Stay tuned for more news………….