Sport News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 16 January 12:30 pm

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

# We kick off with soccer: South Africa plays its first group match in the Africa Cup of Nations today when the country takes on Mali in Ivory Coast at ten o’clock this evening. Earlier, neighbours Namibia will play Tunisia, with kick-off at seven o’clock. The day’s first encounter between Burkina Faso and Mauritania starts at four. Bafana Bafana’s other group matches are against Namibia on Sunday and Tunisia next Wednesday.  

# Cricket: Durban’s Super Giants are top of the SA20 log after maintaining their perfect start to the season with a third consecutive victory. The team beat the Joburg Super Kings by 37-runs at Kingsmead in Durban. Heinrich Klaasen scored 64 as the home side posted 145 for eight, before Reece Topley took three wickets as the visitors were restricted to 108 for nine. England’s Topley was happy with his performance:

Meanwhile, South Africa’s women’s team will visit Australia for a historic multi-format tour later this month. The visit will consist of three T20s, three one-day games and a single Test in Perth. Laura Wolvaardt will captain the Proteas, with Cricket South Africa naming a touring group of 15 players for the white-ball part of the tour. The T20 series starts in Canberra on the 27th of this month, and the ODIs will be played from the third to the tenth of next month. The Test will start on the 15th.

# Tennis: World number one Iga Swiatek is through to the second round of the Australian Open. The Pole defeated 2020 champion Sofia Kenin of America, 7-6, 6-2. Swiatek has now won her last 17 matches, the longest winning streak on the WTA Tour since she posted a 37-match winning streak in 2022. She will face another American, Danielle Collins, who beat 2016 champion Angelique Kerber. In the men’s draw, Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov overcame an early test against Hungarian Márton Fucsovics, winning in four sets to reach the second round.

# And motorsport: Formula One team Mercedes’ team principal, Toto Wolff, has signed a new deal, extending his contract for three years until the end of 2026. The 52-year-old, who owns a third of Mercedes F1, has been with the team since January 2013 and has led them to a record eight successive Constructors’ Championships from 2014 to 2021. The Silver Arrows have won just one race since F1’s regulations were overhauled two years ago and went winless last year. Wolff says he remains hopeful they can challenge Red Bull’s dominance this season.

Stay tuned for more news………….