Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 17 August 12:30 pm

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

# We start off with rugby: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has decided to keep the All Blacks guessing for as long as possible by only naming his squad for Saturday’s first Test on Thursday afternoon. He normally announces the team much earlier, but has done this for a clash against New Zealand in the past. Erasmus is reportedly still waiting on news of the fitness of players such as captain Siya Kolisi and loosehead prop Ox Nché. Experts predict he will choose his most experienced team for Ellis Park.

Meanwhile, All Blacks prop Ollie Norris is returning to New Zealand after suffering a cartilage injury and is set to be sidelined for six weeks. He is the fourth player to be ruled out of the remainder of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour in South Africa following injuries to George Bell, Billy Proctor and Caleb Clarke. Cortez Ratima may also be in doubt for the first Test against the Springboks after sustaining a knee injury, with Noah Hotham called up to the squad as his cover.

# Soccer: Cameroon defeated debutants Malawi 3-0 to claim their first-ever Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in Rabat, Morocco. A superb first-half performance saw Marie Ngah score a brace, while Naomi Ndjoah Eto added the third goal just before half-time. Cameroon is the fourth different nation to win WAFCON, joining South Africa, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea. Cameroon’s goalkeeper, Michaely Kyria Bihia, says the team gave everything to win:

# Cricket: Australian captain Pat Cummins has backed his team’s ability to bounce back from their shock nine-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the first Test in Darwin. This was Bangladesh’s first victory on Australian soil and just their second Test victory over the world’s top-ranked side. Cummins’ decision to bat first has come under scrutiny as conditions eased later during the opening day. He admitts they were outplayed in all facets of the game and refused to rule out making changes for the second Test, which starts in Mackay on Saturday.

# And tennis: Poland’s Iga Swiatek got her Cincinnati Open title defence off to a winning start, beating Colombia’s Emiliana Arango to make the third round. World number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus defeated Australian Talia Gibson, while American Coco Gauff saw off Russian Liudmila Samsonova. In the men’s draw, Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria stunned American Ben Shelton to secure the first top-ten victory of his career. Fourth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev, Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime and American Taylor Fritz are also through to the third round.

Stay tuned for more news………….