Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 7 January 12:30 pm

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

# We begin with cricket: Jacob Bethell has given England hope in the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia after scoring his maiden century on the fourth day in Sydney. The 22-year-old was unbeaten on 142 as the visitors ended the day on 302 for eight in their second innings, leading Australia by 119 runs. The hosts were bowled out for 567 in their first innings, earning an 183-run lead, and Bethell’s knock helped England overturn the deficit with meaningful partnerships of 81 and 102 with Ben Duckett and Harry Brook, respectively.

Meanwhile, Travis Head believes he will remain as Australia’s opening batter following his sensational Ashes Series. He scored his third century in Sydney yesterday after moving into the role in the first match in Perth when now-retired Usman Khawaja was injured. Head helped clinch that Test with 123 in the second innings and followed it up with 170 in Adelaide before scoring 163 at the SCG for his 12th Test century.

# Soccer: The lineup for the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals has been confirmed, with defending champions Ivory Coast set to face record seven-time winners Egypt in a mouthwatering clash on Saturday. Hosts Morocco, buoyed by home support, will face a stern test against five-time champions Cameroon on Friday, while an all–West African showdown will see Senegal take on a resilient Mali side. Nigeria will meet Algeria in a clash between the two continental heavyweights on Saturday.

# Tennis: The Australian Open will see an increase of 16-percent in prize money this year. The singles champions will take home 46.5-million-rand each out of the total of 1.227-billion-rand, while the increase also include the qualifying rounds. Tennis Australia’s CEO, Craig Tiley, says this shows the tournament’s commitment to support the game at every level. The year’s first Grand Slam tournament starts in Melbourne on the 18th, with Italian Jannik Sinner and American Madison Keys the defending singles champions.

# And finally, Olympics: The Milano Cortina Winter Games in Italy is back on track after earlier concerns over the amount of snow. This follows colder weather in the northeastern parts of the country. The president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, Johan Eliasch, says this had helped address earlier concerns over snow-farming and snow-making at key sites. He also believes future Winter Games should be hosted at snow-secure venues at higher altitudes. The Games will take place from the sixth to the 22nd of next month.   

Stay tuned for more news………….