Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 13 May 12:30 pm

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

# We start off with cricket: Proteas Women’s head coach Mandla Mashimbuyi says veteran Shabnim Ismail was brought back because they need her X-factor for the T20 World Cup, starting in England and Wales next month. The 37-year-old was included in the 15-player squad after reversing her retirement. Mashimbuyi says he had been in talks with Ismail after last year’s 50-over World Cup in India because he wanted to boost South Africa’s lacklustre bowling attack. Her return is described as the Proteas’ best chance to clinch an elusive World Cup title.

# Soccer: Local governing body SAFA has confirmed Video Assistant Referee technology will be introduced next season after receiving 20-million-rand in government funding. Finance committee chairperson Mxolisi Sibam says preparations have already been underway for seven months. The system will be implemented in partnership with the Premier Soccer League and is also expected to benefit women’s soccer and national competitions.

# Rugby: The Stormers’ Springbok hooker, André-Hugo Venter, says any place below second on the United Rugby Championship log won’t be good enough. The Cape Town team plays Cardiff in Wales this weekend in their last group match. The Stormers are currently second on the log and already secured a home quarterfinal. Venter says they realise the seventh-placed home team will be desperate to reach the play-offs, but they are equally desperate to finish among the top-two to secure a home semifinal should they reach that round.

More rugby news, the game was plunged in controversy in Georgia when former captain Merab Sharikadze was banned for 11 years for helping teammates cheat in anti-doping tests. World Rugby also banned another five players and team doctor Nutsa Shamatava for up to nine years. A parallel investigation was launched alongside the World Anti-doping Agency after irregularities were found in urine samples. It was found Sharikadze provided clean urine samples to three teammates for a period before the 2023 World Cup. Shamatava informed players of upcoming doping tests in advance.

# And tennis: World number one Jannik Sinner earned his 31st consecutive Masters One-thousand victory to reach the Italian Open quarterfinals, equalling Novak Djokovic’s record of consecutive wins. The Italian defeated compatriot Andrea Pellegrino, while German Alexander Zverev suffered a shock exit at the hands of another Italian, Luciano Darderi. In the women’s draw, American Coco Gauff defeated Russia’s Mirra Andreeva to make the semifinals. She will face Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, who beat Latvian Jelena Ostapenko.

Stay tuned for more news………….