Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 27 February 12:30 pm

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

# We start with cricket: Jos Buttler says he will consider all possibilities about his future as England’s white-ball captain. His side crashed out of the Champions Trophy after suffering an eight-run defeat to Afghanistan in Lahore, Pakistan. This was England’s third successive disappointment in limited-overs tournaments under Buttler’s captaincy after the 50-over World Cup in 2023 and the T20 version last year. Buttler says he will take some time to decide on the way forward:

Meanwhile, former players and commentators believe India has an undeniable advantage in being allowed to play all its Champions Trophy matches in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. This happens while the other seven participants have to move between three cities in Pakistan as well as the UAE. India refuses to play in Pakistan because of the age-old political tension between the neighbouring countries. Former England player and broadcaster Jonathan Agnew says the situation makes a farce of tournaments.

# Rugby: The Springbok Sevens Women play Hong Kong China and Czechia in their group matches of the World Rugby Challenger tournament in Cape Town this weekend. This follows after they lost their place in the World Series to China last season. Team member Shiniqwa Lamprecht says dropping out of the circuit was a shock, but the journey to return to the summit starts in Athlone on Saturday. She promised the home crowd can expect some real urgency from the team.

# Golf: LIV Golf trio Dean Burmester, Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace are part of a strong field for the SA Open Championship, which gets underway at the Durban Country Club today. A field of 147 players will vie for the 27.6-million-rand grand prize fund. South Africans have won the last six editions of the competition. The field also includes England’s Chris Paisley and Andy Sullivan. Defending champion Burmester is excited to test his game against world-class players:

# And finally, tennis: Top-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev is through to the quarterfinals of the Dubai Champions for the third consecutive year. The 2023 champion defeated big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard. Medvedev will next face Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, who rallied past defending champion Ugo Humbert of France to reach his 18th tour-level quarterfinal. Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Russian Karen Khachanov to earn his 350th tour-level victory, while Italian Matteo Berrettini saw off Australian Christopher O’Connell.

Stay tuned for more news………….