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Red-hot Australia defend 253 to win fourth Under-19 World Cup
Australia 253 for 7 (Harjas 55, Weibgen 48, Peake 46*, Limbani 3-68) beat India 174 (Adarsh 47, Abishek 42, Beardman 3-15, MacMillan 3-43) by 79 runs
The pace pack snuffed out seven Indian wickets to bring their unbeaten campaign to a juddering halt after the top order had no answer to Australia's heat and hostility. Beardman inflicted maximum damage, finishing with 3 for 15 off seven overs.
Most admirable was the manner in which he overcame a slow start and made up for it with his superb takedown of India's excellent spinners that powered them to 253 for 7, which was 79 too many for India.
India's chase hardly got out of second gear. Adarsh Singh, the opener, painstakingly made 47 and hung around till the 31st over in the hope of trying to pull off a late heist after the top order that brushed past attacks in the lead up to the knockouts folded cheaply.
A miscued pull to a sharp Beardman bouncer, just an over after he had hooked a short ball for six, had Adarsh gloving to wicketkeeper Ryan Hicks all but sealed it for Australia as India slumped to 115 for 7.
The final stamp of victory was achieved in the 44rd over when Tom Straker, their semi-final hero over Pakistan, packed off Tiwari to trigger massive celebrations in the Australian camp as they lifted their fourth title overall.
India's downfall began in the third over itself when Vidler had Arshin Kulkarni nicking behind with a perfect outswinger. Musheer Khan, India's highest run-scorer, should've been out for zero in the very next over by Charlie Anderson but was put down at slip by Harry Dixon.
Musheer hung around to duck and weave his way out of trouble, and had just begun to open up having played a rasping on-drive to get going, but played back to a full delivery and was out bowled to Beardman.
Uday Saharan, the captain, came into the game without being dismissed for single figures. His calmness helped India prevail in the semi-final, but he was out gliding one to backward point for 9. When Sachin Dhas, the in-form batter, fell nicking behind to offspinner Raf MacMillan in his very first over, India were truly on the ropes.
With the ball, however, things were slightly different. Raj Limbani got the ball talking with his big inswing and clean bowled Sam Konstas for an eight-ball duck in the third over. Weibgen and Dixon then repaired the innings with a steady 78-run stand for the second wicket.
Dixon took the attack early on to Naman Tiwari, pulling him seriously for a six in his very first over, but then knuckled down as India brought on spin in just the fourth over. Weibgen, who eventually made 48, displayed excellent footwork against spin.
Off the pacers, especially Limbani, he profited from making a quick adjustment by taking a middle-and-off stump guard and getting outside the line of the stumps to eliminate lbw shouts. Australia seemed to be slowly consolidating until Saharan's stroke of genius that brought back Tiwari for only his 2nd over in the 21st over delivered a double-strike.
Tiwari first had Weibgen hit one straight to Musheer at point and then followed that up with Dixon looping one to cover with a spongy bouncer that stopped on him. From 94 for 1, Australia were 99 for 3 and in need of a serious repair job.
Harjas came in to bat under pressure of the scoreboard as well as his own poor form leading into this game. He pottered around to make 5 off 21 before flicking a switch. Harjas broke the shackles in the 28th over when he launched part-timer Priyanshu Moliya down the ground and then quickly enough bludgeoned a slog sweep off Murugan for six to get going.
His 43-ball 46 helped add more fuel to Harjas' surge that eventually helped them post 253, which on this surface with plenty of zip and bounce proved way more than they needed, especially given the fire power Australia had with the ball.
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
Saharan bemoans 'rash shots' from India: 'We didn't spend enough time in the middle'
"It was fine. We played a few shots and couldn't spend some time on the surface," Saharan said after India went down by 79 runs to hand Australia their fourth title. "We were prepared for it but we couldn't execute well. That is where we went wrong."
They lost opener Arshin Kulkarni in the third over of the chase before Mahli Beardman cut a swathe through the middle order as India slipped to 68 for 4 in the 20th. Opener Adarsh Singh (47) and lower-order batter Murugan Abhishek (42) showed fight but the Australians never let the Indians get back in the chase.
India came into the final with an unblemished record in the tournament and despite the result, Saharan said that he was extremely proud of how his team went about all through.
"It was great, I am very proud of the boys, they played very well. The entire team, from the start to the end showed fighting spirit. They played very well and I am proud of them," Saharan said.
"There have been a lot of learnings, right from the start to now," he said. "I have learnt a lot from the staff and even during the match, have learnt so much. I just want to take all the learnings from this tournament and move forward in my career."
Beardman: 'Our strong suit has been how close we are as a group'
"With a pace attack like ours there's a fair bit of confidence when we get 250 on the board," Weibgen said at the presentation. "That was our plan [at the toss] to get a few runs and back ourselves to defend it. As a unit, they worked so good together. They know their roles and are happy to bowl either ends. They are all for the team. I would be surprised if all of them don't go a very long way in their careers."
"He [Harjas] is a quality player," Weibgen said. "Class is permanent, form is temporary. Full credit to the coaches for sticking with him, putting the faith in. All the boys knew he could get the runs. It was awesome to see him score runs today."
How Dennis Lille helped Beardman with mental prep
"[It feels] pretty surreal to be honest and hasn't fully set in yet," Beardman said after he was named the Player of the Match. "It has been something we have been working on for a long, long time. All that hard work has paid off. India have been incredible this tournament, so we knew there was always going to be a good battle."
Beardman, who has been coached by Lillee, was brought on as second change in the match and struck immediately, removing the prolific Musheer Khan. He then went on to dismiss Uday Saharan, India's captain and leading run-getter of the competition, and then bounced out the set Adarsh Singh, who had scored 47, to kill the chase.
"From DK [Lillee] I learnt a lot of mental stuff and tried to implement that as much as I can this tournament. He got me thinking about my bowling instead of just bowling, thinking about my field setting and then from there working on mental things - little cues like going head, and then going toes next ball. Stupid stuff like that.
"[The win] means so much. The amount of work we have put in over the last year and a bit, prior to the England series as well, this has been on the forefront of our minds. Standing alongside Cal [Vidler] and the rest of the cartel is a dream come true. Our strong suit has been how close we are as a group, and it is not just performance-based but off the field as well. We get along really well as mates and that chemistry helps."
Beardman lauded his team-mate Vilder, who has led the pack for Australia with 14 wickets - joint third-most in this Under-19 World Cup - with Straker close on his heels with 12.
"[Vidler] has been incredible," Beardman said. "It was a pleasure to bowl alongside him. He was awesome in England, he's been crazy here as well. He is super talented. It was a pleasure to bowl alongside him and the rest of the cartel. Future goals will be Big Bash [League] and play for my state."
Straker, who picked up the final wicket to kick off the celebrations, said, "[It is a] great feeling. We have worked all year for this. We have been to Brisbane and England, all for this moment and it has finally come. We are all good mates. We all love to play with each other and we love four quicks playing."
S Sudarshanan is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @Sudarshanan7
Huskers stun No. 2 Iowa, hold Clark to 0 in 4th
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Iowa senior guard Caitlin Clark hit one milestone Sunday -- 1,000 assists -- but not the one that everyone has been counting down toward.
Clark had 31 points as the No. 2 Hawkeyes fell 82-79 to host Nebraska before a sellout crowd of 15,042 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. She is now eight points away from breaking the NCAA women's basketball scoring record (3,527 points by Washington's Kelsey Plum).
It was the Hawkeyes' third loss of the season, and it was the first time that Clark has lost to the Huskers in her Iowa career.
She entered the fourth quarter with 31 points and Iowa leading by 14, but she didn't score again as the Huskers outscored the Hawkeyes 27-10 to get the victory. That tied for Iowa's worst fourth-quarter margin in any game since quarters were implemented in 2015-16.
"We just didn't execute down the stretch," Clark said, "and that stinks."
It was the first time in Clark's career she has played the entire fourth quarter without scoring. She was 0-of-6 from the field, tying her worst shooting in a fourth quarter. She previously went 0-of-6 in the final period of an NCAA tournament second-round loss to Creighton in 2022.
That loss had much higher stakes than Sunday's, as it ended her sophomore season.
"Knowing our goals are still intact, there's no reason to freak out," Clark said after Sunday's loss. "There's no reason to get down on yourselves. We can we still control our destiny; that's all that matters. Maybe it's a good reset for our team to be able to look in the mirror and find ways to get better."
Clark finished with 10 assists and eight rebounds. She now has 1,005 assists and is the only Division I women's player to have reached the 3,000-point, 1,000-assist mark. No men's player on record has hit those milestones, but that comes with a caveat that assists weren't officially compiled as an NCAA statistic until the 1982-83 season. Women's basketball came under NCAA governance in 1981-82.
"That's what I take a lot of pride in," Clark said of her combination of scoring and playmaking. "I want to be able to set my teammates up and hopefully in return that makes my life a little easier, too, of getting my spots. An assist doesn't come without my teammate finishing the ball and obviously I played with a lot of really good players over the past four years."
Still, the biggest thing on her mind, of course, was the loss. The Hawkeyes, which entered the day tied with Ohio State in first place in the Big Ten, fell to 11-2 in conference play. They were also a projected No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and the NCAA women's selection committee will reveal its first projected top 16 seeds Thursday.
That is also the next time Clark will get a shot at breaking the NCAA scoring record. Considering she has been held to single digits in scoring just once in her Iowa career, it seems likely the milestone will come Thursday against Michigan at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder had said earlier in the week that it would be great if Clark could break the mark at home, but not at the expense of losing Sunday on the road.
Bluder was visibly and audibly angry after Sunday's game.
Three of the Huskers players -- including Nebraska's leading scorer, Jaz Shelley (23 points) -- were brought into the media room before Iowa, and Bluder could be heard outside the media room saying that wasn't Big Ten protocol and that the Hawkeyes had a plane to catch. She also was heard complaining about music being played in the arena at times when the Hawkeyes were shooting free throws.
Iowa went 9-of-15 from the foul line; Clark was 6-of-9.
Asked whether the music bothered her, Clark said no.
"I honestly didn't even notice," Clark said. "Whether it's music or fans yelling at you, it doesn't really matter. You have to be able to make the free throw."
Nebraska moved to 16-8 overall and 8-5 in the Big Ten. Clark credited Nebraska's defensive changes for helping stymie the Hawkeyes in the fourth quarter. After the outburst outside the media room, Bluder didn't come in to address the media but then did speak to reporters in the hallway briefly afterward.
Bluder agreed with Clark's assessment.
"They changed defenses. I'm really surprised, against the box-and-one, that we didn't score better," Bluder said. "We kind of got stagnant in that situation. It's easy to [defend] when you're just standing there. That's my fault. I've got to make them [move]."
Clark said she has not been bothered by the scoring record chase. She is much more concerned that the Hawkeyes have let double-digit leads get away in the second half of multiple games, including their Big Ten losses to Ohio State and Nebraska.
"It's not been a distraction at all," Clark said of the record. "... When it happens, it happens. It's really not going to affect my life that much. I'm just going to keep going about my business as I have the last four years. Pointing to my teammates and hopefully leading this team to reach our goals.
"You can't get too caught up in one loss. All everybody needs right now is a boost of confidence, and I know I can give it to them."
Unruly fan behavior draws golfers' ire in Phoenix
Temperatures are only in the 50s, but tempers continue to run hot at the Phoenix Open due to unruly fan behavior.
The PGA Tour event, known for its huge crowds and party atmosphere at TPC Scottsdale, continued to get out of hand Sunday after organizers had attempted to slow down the festivities Saturday.
Zach Johnson was caught on social media laying into a heckler after a tee shot.
"Don't 'sir' me," a clearly agitated Johnson told a group of fans before storming off. "Somebody said it. I'm just sick of it. Just shut up!"
Elsewhere on the course, Billy Horschel took exception to fans making noise during a swing by fellow competitor Nicolo Galletti on the 11th hole.
"Buddy, when he's over the shot, shut the hell up, man," Horschel yelled at a fan. "Come on, he's trying to hit a damn golf shot here. It's our f---ing job."
On another hole, Jordan Spieth was agitated when a fan yelled during his backswing. Spieth still hit his approach shot to 15 feet, but he dropped his club and pointed to somebody in the gallery after the fan yelled.
"What the f---?" Spieth could be seen saying as he glared at the gallery.
There were other incidents shown on social media, including fights among spectators and other alcohol-fueled incidents.
On Saturday, tournament officials briefly stopped alcohol sales at several locations around the course, hoping to slow down the party. They also briefly turned away ticket holders around 2 p.m. Saturday because it was too crowded.
The Phoenix Open, dubbed the "Greatest Show on Grass," is unlike anything in golf. Masses of up to 200,000 fans pack TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course with cheers, boos and the occasional beer shower.
The eye of the rowdy hurricane is the 16th hole, a multitiered party of a par-3 where "Quiet please" signs are met with disdain.
On Friday, a woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries after falling at the 16th. It was unknown whether the woman had been drinking before the incident.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Super Bowl live updates: Travis Kelce dons shimmering outfit
The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs are set to go head-to-head in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The two teams have had opposing journeys in their hunt to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Perhaps that is best exemplified by their playcallers under center. Kansas City is led by 2017's No. 10 overall pick in Patrick Mahomes, while San Francisco is led by the last selection of the 2022 draft, Brock Purdy.
Despite their differences, both teams are looking to make history.
With a victory, the Chiefs would become the first repeat champions since the New England Patriots in 2005. Meanwhile, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and running back Christian McCaffrey look to win the franchise's first Super Bowl since their fathers won in 1994.
Here are the biggest plays and top moments from Super Bowl LVIII:
Trail Blazers say Brogdon out at least 2 weeks
The Portland Trail Blazers said Sunday that guard Malcolm Brogdon will be out at least two weeks after receiving treatment to address right elbow tendinitis.
Brogdon last played Feb. 2 for Portland.
Acquired as part of a trade with the Boston Celtics this past offseason, Brogdon is averaging 15.7 points, 5.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds for Portland. He was named the league's Sixth Man of the Year with Boston in 2022-23.
The Trail Blazers have lost four straight and are dealing with several notable injuries. Shaedon Sharpe had a core muscle injury Friday and will be reevaluated in six weeks. Anfernee Simons hurt an ankle Thursday and sat out Portland's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
Heat's Butler out Sunday after death in his family
Miami Heat star forward Jimmy Butler was ruled out of Sunday's 110-106 loss to the visiting Boston Celtics because of personal reasons.
"Jimmy Butler has been granted a leave of absence as he deals with the death of a family member," said a statement the Heat provided via Butler's agent, Bernie Lee. "Jimmy and his family ask for privacy at this point in time as they navigate this loss. Updates will be given when appropriate."
Butler missed team practices on Friday and Saturday, both with excused absences.
"We're here for him," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said on Sunday, per the Miami Herald. "We had two practices without him. We're grateful we were able to have two practices at this time of the year. We needed to work through some things. Obviously, we're playing a quality opponent today and we're looking forward to that."
Butler, 34, boasts team-best averages in points (21.4), assists (4.6) and steals (1.3) in 37 games (all starts) this season. He is shooting 50% from the floor and 44% from 3-point range.
The Heat next play Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks, the first game of a season-long six-game road trip that will last the rest of February.
Field Level Media contributed to this report.
Twins trade Gordon following arbitration decision
MINNEAPOLIS -- A day after losing to Minnesota in salary arbitration, utilityman Nick Gordon was traded from the Twins to the Miami Marlins on Sunday for left-handed reliever Steven Okert.
Gordon, a 28-year-old outfielder, second baseman and shortstop, hit .185 last season with two homers and seven RBIs in 34 games, down from .272 with nine homers and 50 RBIs over 136 games in 2022.
He fractured his right shin when he fouled off a pitch from the Los Angeles Dodgers' Dylan Covey on May 17. Gordon was sidelined until Sept. 15, when he started a six-game rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A St. Paul.
He had a .250 batting average with 15 homers and 80 RBIs in three seasons with the Twins.
Gordon was awarded a $900,000 salary on Saturday rather than his request for $1.25 million. He is the brother of former Marlin Dee Strange-Gordon and the son of former All-Star pitcher Tom Gordon.
Okert was 3-2 with a 4.45 ERA in 64 relief appearances last year for the Marlins, striking out 73 and walking 24 in 58 2/3 innings while allowing nine home runs. The 32-year-old is 12-9 with a 3.70 ERA in six seasons with San Francisco (2016-2018) and Miami (2021-2023).
Okert agreed last month to a one-year contract for $1,062,500. He is eligible for free agency after the 2026 season, and Gordon is eligible after the 2027 season.
Spring training 2024: Schedule, highlights, updates and more
The calendar has turned to February, and you know what that means -- baseball is back!
Spring training is finally here (despite several big-name free agents still being available), and MLB teams will start reporting to their camps in Arizona and Florida as soon as Friday, with the Los Angeles Dodgers' pitchers and catchers the first and the San Diego Padres' pitchers and catchers soon after.
The two division rivals will face off in the first spring training matchup, a Cactus League showdown Feb. 22 on ESPN. After a few other teams open spring training the following day, all 30 MLB clubs will play will play in Cactus and Grapefruit League games on Feb. 24
In addition to the two spring training matchups between the Dodgers and the Padres, ESPN will broadcast the highly anticipated two-game series between the pair in Seoul, South Korea, that will kick off the regular season on March 20-21. Shohei Ohtani, making his Dodgers debut, and Mookie Betts will take on Manny Machado's Padres in the first regular-season MLB games ever played in South Korea.
The 2024 regular season will then commence with all 30 clubs on Opening Day -- Thursday, March 28 -- featuring six divisional matchups among 15 games.
We have everything you need to know to watch ESPN's spring training games and the Seoul Series, catch up on your team's offseason and be ready for Opening Day.
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Thursday, Feb. 22: Padres vs. Dodgers at 3:10 p.m. ET
Friday, Feb. 23: Dodgers vs. Padres at 3:05 p.m. ET
Seoul Series on ESPN
Wednesday, March 20: Padres vs. Dodgers at 6 a.m. ET
Thursday, March 21: Dodgers vs. Padres at 6 a.m. ET
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