India inch closer as South Africa struggle to 182/7 at lunch
Centurion(PTI): A relentless pace attack led by peerless Jasprit Bumrah put India on cusp of a deserving victory as South Africa were left in the dumps at 182 for 7 going into the lunch on the final day of the first Test.
India now need three wickets in the remaining 73 overs while South Africa need 123 runs more which looks improbable at the moment.
Bumrah (3/50) set the tone for the final morning removing the dogged Proteas skipper Dean Elgar (77 off 156 balls) while Mohammed Siraj (2/47) and Mohammed Shami (2/55) also got into the act knowing that there is forecast for some rain in the late afternoon session.
Temba Bavuma (34 batting) is fighting it out with Marco Jansen (5 batting) for company but if he can pull off a heist from the current match situation, it would certainly be one of the biggest in the history of South African cricket.
Having gauged the variable bounce of the track, skipper Elgar knew that survival isn't an option and he needed to counter attack right at the onset.
With the stodgy Bavuma for company, 36 runs were added in the first 45 minutes but the best part was that there was no let up in the intensity of the Indian attack as skipper Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant were constantly heard cheering the bowlers on.
Shami dropped Elgar off his own bowling but it was Bumrah, who kept on asking probing questions to the Proteas skipper.
One such delivery was angled into the left-hander as he shuffled way too much and leg before was one of the easiest of decisions that umpire Adrian Holdstock had to make in this match.
Hoping against hope, Elgar appealed for DRS but he already knew that he was gone for good.
Quinton de Kock (21) came in and hit couple of delicious shots off Bumrah, trying to knock off as many runs possible off the target.
The hardworking Siraj bowled one with the scrambled seam and just like first innings, tried to cut with very little room for execution with the ball coming into him.
Wiaan Mulder (1), who has had a forgettable match with no wickets to show for his efforts, got a delivery from Shami that was way above negotiable skill-set.
The ball pitched on length while landing on seam. Mulder shaped for one that would come back but it straightened enough to kiss the outside edge off his bat into Rishabh Pant's gloves.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
