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 start with Cricket: Proteas captain Temba Bavuma says there is something special brewing in the Test team. South Africa defeated Pakistan by ten wickets to win the second Test at Newlands in Cape Town and seal a two-nil series victory. This is the Proteas’ seventh straight Test win. South Africa’s victory ensures they head into June’s World Test Championship final against Australia having topped the table for the two-year cycle. Bavuma says despite the success they are not a well-oiled machine yet:

# Soccer: Nottingham Forest registered their sixth consecutive victory following a three-nil win over Wolves at Molineux, to move level on points with second-placed Arsenal in the Premier League. Goals from Morgan Gibbs-White, Chris Wood, and Taiwo Awoniyi secured victory for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, who are now six points behind leaders Liverpool. This is the first time Forest has won six successive top-flight matches in the same season in 58 years. Espirito Santo says it was a tough match:

# Tennis: Defending champion Jelena Ostapenko needed a set to get going but kicked up the intensity in a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 defeat of Magdalena Frech at the Adelaide International. The 17th-ranked Latvian, who won Roland Garros in 2017, will meet Madison Keys in the last 16 at the warm-up tournament leading into the Australian Open. American Keys crushed Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, ranked four places above her, 6-2, 6-1.

And in more tennis news, world number one Jannik Sinner says his “amazing” 2024 was history as he warmed up for the defence of his Australian Open title with a tough exhibition match victory on Melbourne’s centre court. The Italian is coming off a breakthrough year in which he backed up his maiden Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park by winning the US Open and ATP Finals. He faced a testing battle against Australian world number 25 Alexei Popyrin, eventually prevailing 6-4, 7-6.

# And finally, rugby: American social media sensation Ilona Maher says she loves being a rugby superstar but hopes to raise the profile of fellow players in the women’s game. The versatile American back, who won Olympic rugby sevens bronze at the 2024 Paris Games, has more than eight million followers across Instagram and TikTok, making her the world’s most followed rugby player. The 28-year-old, who has signed a three-month contract with English women’s Premiership side Bristol, was also a runner-up in the most recent series of US television show Dancing With The Stars.

Stay tuned for more news………….