The courtside temperature climbed to 40 degrees. The heat was tangible, almost opaque, rising like a wall at Melbourne Park. Sinner, whose struggles in heat and humidity are well documented, wobbled. The Australian Open’s two-time champion was cramping, first in his legs, then in his hands. World No. 85 Eliot Spizzirri, who had earlier persuaded chair umpire Fergus Murphy to rescind a time violation issued to the two-time defending champion in the second set by arguing he was not ready to receive serve, broke in the third set to take a 3-1 lead. The Italian was in all sorts of trouble. The 24-year-old admitted as much to his coaching crew at courtside. “I don’t know what to do,” he said. Darren Cahill, the Aussie, who Sinner described as the ‘dad’ of the team, was on his feet. “Come on, dig deep, mate,” Cahill urged. “You just have to get through the end of the set, even if you walk around.” That’s when the AO Heat Stress Scale hit a 5, leading to a suspension of play and signalling officials to close the roof. After a seven-minute break, play resumed. The Italian, who took his time settling into the pace of things, bounced back and clawed his way to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win in three hours and 45 minutes to move into the fourth round, where he will take on compatriot Luciano Darderi. “I got lucky today,” Sinner admitted. The second seed, who left the court as the roof closed over Rod Laver Arena, tried to get his thoughts together. “You cannot have treatment at that time. I was stretching. I laid down for five minutes, trying to loosen up the muscles,” he said. “It worked really well, trying to get the body temperature a bit more down. There are not many things you can do. Time passed quite fast, but it helped me, for sure.” Sinner has spent his last two off-seasons in Dubai, preparing to play in warm conditions in Australia, where the tennis year kicks off in peak summer. “This year was not as warm as it was last year,” Sinner said of the conditions he trained in. “I feel like sometimes there are no real explanations. For example, last night I didn’t sleep the way I wanted to. The quality of sleep was not perfect. Maybe it was this that caused the cramps, maybe not. Regardless, I try to be in the best possible shape every day. Recovery, everything going in the right direction. It can happen.” Spizzirri, who played well above his ranking for much of the four-set clash, winning as many points as the second seed in the match, smiled when the heat rule came into play. “It was just funny that right when I broke, it happened. But at the same time, that’s the rules of the game,” the American said. “But yeah, if I had won that third set, we were going to have a ten-minute break anyway because of how hot it was, even if the roof didn’t close. So who knows? I wouldn’t say he got saved by it. He’s too good of a player to say that. At the same time, it was challenging timing, and that’s just the nature of the sport.” Wawrinka bows out: Three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka bid adieu to Melbourne Park, eliminated by American ninth seed Taylor Fritz on Saturday. Having already become the first 40-year-old man to reach the third round of an Australian Open since 1978, Wawrinka did all he could to extend his fairy-tale run. After taking the second set, the Swiss was overpowered by Fritz 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 46 minutes. Having already announced he will retire at the end of the season, the 2014 Australian Open champion had the John Cain Arena crowd behind him, but the 45 winners he muscled on the day were not enough for a match win. The crowd he had long won.

India vs New Zealand Live Score, U19 World Cup 2026: Ayush Mhatre-led India registered a thrilling 18-run win over Bangladesh after the second innings was reduced to 29 overs due to rain in the seventh match of the ongoing ICC U19 World Cup 2026 on Saturday.

With this victory, India notched up their second consecutive win in the tournament. Earlier, the Mhatre-led side had defeated the USA in their opening fixture.

For his superb bowling performance, India’s Vihaan Malhotra was named Player of the Match.

Bangladesh began their chase on a poor note, losing opener Zawad Abrar for just five runs in the very first over. Abrar was dismissed by Deepesh Devendran.

MD Rifat Beg and Md Azizul Hakim Tamim then stabilised the innings as Bangladesh reached 30/1 in four overs. At the end of 10 overs, the score read 54/1.

On the fifth ball of the 12th over, Kanishk Chouhan removed Rifat Beg for a run-a-ball 37, which included four boundaries and a six. Rain interrupted play during the 18th over, and the match was reduced to a 29-over contest, with Bangladesh set a revised target of 165 via the DLS method.

After the resumption, Bangladesh crossed the 100-run mark in the 20th over. Vihaan Malhotra struck again, dismissing Kalam Siddiki Aleen for 15 on the second ball of the 22nd over.

Azizul Hakim Tamim brought up his fifty off 70 deliveries on the first ball of the 24th over. However, Malhotra removed Sheikh Paevez Jibon for seven on the fifth delivery of the same over, leaving Bangladesh at 125/4.

Khilan Patel then claimed the key wicket of Tamim for 51 in the very next over. Following his dismissal, Bangladesh collapsed, losing Samiun Basir Ratul (2), Farid Hasan Faysal (1), Al Fahad (0) and Md Rizan Hossan (15) in quick succession to slump to 146/9 in 28 overs.

Henil Patel dismissed the final batter, Iqbal Hossain Emon (2), as India sealed a thrilling 18-run victory in the rain-affected encounter.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 146 in 28.3 overs. For India, Vihaan Malhotra produced magical figures of 4/14 in four overs. Khilan Patel picked up two wickets, while Kanishk Chouhan, Henil Patel and Deepesh Devendran claimed one wicket each.

Earlier, half-centuries from opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Abhinav Kundu helped India post a competitive total of 238 against Bangladesh.

After Bangladesh won the toss and opted to field, a controversial moment unfolded when Indian captain Ayush Mhatre and Bangladesh vice-captain Zawad Abrar avoided the customary handshake, drawing attention amid the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026 issues between the BCCI and BCB.

India suffered early setbacks, losing captain Mhatre for six and Vedant Trivedi for a golden duck in the third over bowled by Al Fahad. In the eighth over, Suryavanshi smashed 15 runs off Iqbal Hossain Emon as India reached 42/2.

The 14-year-old Suryavanshi brought up his fifty in just 30 deliveries during the 13th over. At 14 years and 296 days, he also became the youngest player to score a fifty-plus total at a Men’s U19 World Cup.

India reached 94/3 at the end of 20 overs. On the second ball of the 27th over, Iqbal Hossain Emon broke the crucial 62-run stand between Suryavanshi and Abhinav Kundu.

Iqbal dismissed Suryavanshi for 72 off 67 deliveries, an innings that included six fours and three sixes. The knock also made him the seventh Indian batter to score 1,000 or more runs in Youth ODIs.

India continued to lose wickets as Iqbal removed Harvansh Pangalia for two in the 29th over, leaving India struggling at 123/5.

Kundu and Kanishk Chouhan then steadied the innings, taking India to 152/5 by the end of the 33rd over. However, Azizul Hakim Tamim broke their 54-run partnership by dismissing Chouhan for 28 off 26 balls, including four boundaries, in the 36th over.

Kundu brought up his fifty in 82 deliveries as India reached 184/6 in 37 overs. Rain again interrupted play after the 39th over, eventually reducing the match to 49 overs per side.

Following the resumption, Sheikh Paevez Jibon dismissed RS Ambrish for five as India crawled to 194/7 in 40 overs.

Al Fahad ended Kundu’s resistance on the final ball of the 47th over. The batter played a fighting knock of 80 off 112 deliveries, which included four boundaries and three sixes.

India were eventually bowled out for 238 in 48.4 overs, with Al Fahad claiming a superb five-wicket haul. He finished with figures of 5/38 in 9.2 overs.

Tanzania U19 Squad:

Acrey Pascal Hugo(w), Darpan Jobanputra, Ayaan Ashik Shariff, Rehaan Ahtif, Agustino Meya Mwamele, Laksh Bakrania(c), Simba Mbaki, Ally Hafidhi, Hamza Ally Onai, Raymond Francis, Khalidy Juma, Alfred Daniel, Karim Rashidi Kiseto, Omary Ramadhani, Abdulazak Mohamedi, Dylan Thakrar

MELBOURNE: Extreme heat triggered a suspension of play on outside courts at the Australian Open on Saturday and briefly held up the match involving champion Jannik Sinner before his encounter resumed under a closed roof. Players, spectators and officials roasted on day seven at Melbourne Park, where temperatures were forecast to hit 40C in the late afternoon.The tournament has a Heat Stress Scale of 1-5, with five the highest.

It hit five in the early afternoon, when it was about 36C, prompting the suspension.The third-round clash between Sinner and the American Eliot Spizzirri at Rod Laver Arena stopped for about 10 minutes, allowing time for the roof to shut.“Play is suspended for all matches and practice on outside courts,” the tournament said on X.Roofs on the courts that have them “will close and remain closed for the remainder of the match”.Earlier, women’s defending champion Madison Keys revelled in the scorching temperatures to set up a last-16 showdown with fellow American Jessica Pegula.Matches started an hour earlier than usual because of the heatwave, and Keys had no intention of hanging about.She dismissed former world number one Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena in a statement victory that took just 75 minutes.After admitting to being nervous and timid in embarking on her title defence, this was more like the Keys that stunned Aryna Sabalenka in the final a year ago.The 30-year-old Keys said that being based in Florida meant she was well used to baking temperatures.“I am feeling really good and I was excited for the heat today, and ready for it,” she said.The ninth seed faces good friend and compatriot Pegula for a place in the quarter-finals.The sixth-seeded Pegula powered past unseeded Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-3, 6-2 in 66 minutes.“Nice to be first out on court and not a super long match and didn’t need to kill myself in the heat today,” she said.Another title contender, Amanda Anisimova, made light work of fellow American Peyton Stearns in winning 6-1, 6-4.Anisimova has emerged as a major force in the past year, reaching the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.Multiple major winners Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka also both feature on day seven at Melbourne Park.– Djokovic history bid –Serbian great Novak Djokovic faces 75th-ranked Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp for a place in the last 16.The 38-year-old former world number one Djokovic is in the evening prime time slot on Rod Laver Arena.Djokovic has looked in imperious form in his two matches so far, yet to drop a set and striking a confident tone.Djokovic, who has been scaling back the number of matches he plays to wring the most out of his ageing body, said: “It’s all been positive so far, positive signs.”Last up on centre court is two-time Melbourne Park champion Osaka, who wowed the crowds earlier this week when she emerged for her opening match in a jellyfish-themed outfit.On court she has not been so dazzling and faces home hope Maddison Inglis, a qualifier.The winner goes up against either six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek or 31st-seeded Russian Anna Kalinskaya.Swiatek is aiming to complete the career Grand Slam of all four majors, with Australia the only one missing from her CV.Other top seeds in action include number five Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, who clashes with Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic.The winner goes up against either American ninth seed Taylor Fritz or the Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka.The 40-year-old Wawrinka must try and rouse himself on his Australian Open farewell after a gruelling five-set win in round two.

New Delhi: On Jan 1, 2026, the National Anti-Doping Agency (Nada) issued an updated list of athletes who were provisionally suspended for returning positive for banned substances, adding eight new names including professional polo player Siddhant Sharma, who was sanctioned after his urine sample collected during an in-competition test revealed traces of cocaine. Sharma, in an inexplicable turn of events, was later let off without any punishment, and his provisional suspension was withdrawn by the country’s anti-doping watchdog, allowing him to return as a player and represent Jindal Panthers, owned and captained by industrialist and Member of Parliament (MP) Naveen Jindal, in competitions ahead. An anti-doping disciplinary panel (ADDP) was immediately formed, and its meeting was convened to hear Sharma’s case and the charges of ingesting cocaine brought against him. It was learnt that Sharma waived his rights for ‘B’ sample testing. Within one hearing, Sharma’s case was decided in his favour and his provisional suspension was lifted, relying solely on the ‘sworn-in affidavit’ submitted by the player that he took the contraband substance on Oct 14, 2025, during a Diwali party. Sharma was granted ‘conditional exoneration’ by the panel, pending a final hearing into the matter, which has not yet been scheduled. Sharma was allowed to compete in the 2025-2026 polo season, and he immediately joined back his team. Nada issued his exoneration order on Jan 14, 2026, within a fortnight of the revelation of his doping offence. On Friday in Jaipur, Sharma, who is recognised for his “+4” handicap and plays as a back, appeared for the Jindal Bedla team against RPC/Thunderbolt in the Rajmata Gayatri Devi Memorial Cup, scoring five goals to take his side into the semifinals. In doping cases in India, it sometimes takes months for a disciplinary panel to convene, depending upon the availability of members and, in some cases, years to decide an athlete’s case, whether he or she is guilty or not of prohibited substances. As per the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (Wada) list, cocaine is classified as a prohibited stimulant, banned specifically “in-competition” due to its ability to enhance performance, increase heart rate, and blood flow. The ban period typically ranges from one to four years. A three-month ban applies if the athlete proves the use was out-of-competition and unrelated to performance. This could be reduced to one month if a substance abuse treatment plan is completed. Even if Sharma successfully argued during the panel hearing that the cocaine ingested during the Diwali celebrations should be considered an ‘out-of-competition’ offence and not an ‘in-competition’ testing violation, when his urine sample was collected by dope officers after the match during the Baroda Cup on Oct 19, 2025, at the Jaipur Polo Grounds, Sharma should have, by Wada’s rules, at least faced a punishment period of three months before being allowed to play again. When South Africa’s leading cricketer Kagiso Rabada was tested during the SA20 tournament on Jan 21, 2025, and was later provisionally suspended, it was revealed that the pace spearhead had consumed a metabolite of cocaine, benzoylecgonine. Rabada was subsequently banned for one month in June from all cricket competitions. TOI tried to reach out to Nada Director General (DG) Anant Kumar and the agency’s dope-control officers for their comments, but none was available to speak on the issue. Earlier this week, the Indian Polo Association (IPA) formed a three-member inquiry committee, headed by its executive committee member for the Delhi zone, Jai Shergill, to investigate the issue and submit its findings. On Friday, the committee held its first meeting here and offered its suggestions. “This is our (IPA’s) internal matter. We will investigate it internally. This is not something for public or media scrutiny,” Shergill told TOI. Later, another member, on condition of anonymity, said that action has been recommended in this case. “The committee met today and had a detailed discussion. We have forwarded our recommendations to one of our vice presidents and our IPA’s eminent sportsperson Naveen Jindal for consideration. They will take the final action on this matter,” the member said.

NEW DELHI: India moved 2-0 ahead in the five-match T20 series after beating New Zealand by seven wickets in the second match on Friday in Raipur. Ishan Kishan marked his return to the national side with 76 off 32 balls, after failing in the first T20I, while captain Suryakumar Yadav scored 82 not out off 37 balls, his first fifty after 23 innings.Chasing 209, India reached the target in 15.2 overs despite losing both openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson inside the first two overs. Kishan counter-attacked from the start and put the pressure back on the New Zealand bowlers. Shivam Dube supported Suryakumar at the end with 36 not out off 18 balls as India finished the chase comfortably.

Kishan hit 11 fours and four sixes. His innings included shots square of the wicket and down the ground. Such was the timing and impact of the innings that Kishan got a hug from his skipper after mistiming a slog sweep off Ish Sodhi’s bowling.Earlier, New Zealand posted 208 for six after being asked to bat. Devon Conway scored 19 off nine balls and Tim Seifert made 24 off 13 as the visitors made a quick start. Rachin Ravindra added 44 off 26 balls, while Glenn Phillips fell to Kuldeep Yadav in the middle overs.Kuldeep picked up two wickets, helping India control the scoring after the powerplay. Shivam Dube removed Daryl Mitchell in the 12th over, slowing New Zealand’s momentum. Mitchell Santner then scored 47 not out off 27 balls to ensure his team crossed 200, with 57 runs coming from the last five overs.India opted to bowl first, keeping in mind the possibility of dew. Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav came into the side, with Jasprit Bumrah rested and Axar Patel unavailable due to injury.With this win, India now lead the T20I series 2-0.

The ICC is considering action against Bangladesh after the country refused to tour India for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, news agency ANI reported on Friday, quoting sources. ICC chairman Jay Shah is currently in Dubai, where a final decision on the matter is expected.The development comes a day after Bangladesh declined to send its national team to India for next month’s T20 World Cup after the ICC rejected its request to shift matches out of the country. The refusal has opened the possibility of Scotland replacing Bangladesh in the tournament.

The ICC had earlier issued an ultimatum to Bangladesh on Wednesday, asking it to either agree to travel to India or risk being replaced. The world body said there was no credible threat to the safety of Bangladesh players, officials or fans. Bangladesh was given time until Thursday to respond. Scotland is next in line based on rankings for the tournament, which begins on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.After a meeting with national team players, Bangladesh sports adviser Asif Nazrul said Thursday that the ICC’s security assessment was not acceptable to them.“While our cricketers have worked hard to qualify for the World Cup, the security risk regarding playing in India remains unchanged. This concern is not based on abstract analysis…,” Nazrul said at a press conference while announcing that Bangladesh would not play in India.“…we are not convinced that they can ensure the safety of our entire team, journalists, and spectators.”“We are not giving up hope yet; our team is ready. We expect the ICC to provide justice by considering our genuine security risks and allowing us to play in Sri Lanka,” he added.The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has also approached the ICC’s independent Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) seeking relocation of Bangladesh’s matches outside India for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, according to The Daily Star.The ICC Dispute Resolution Committee is an independent arbitration body that deals with disputes involving the ICC, its member boards, players and officials.If Bangladesh withdraws from the tournament, Scotland is likely to replace them based on current rankings.The issue began after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from Kolkata Knight Riders’ squad for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season on the BCCI’s instructions, citing unspecified “developments all around”.Following Rahman’s removal, the BCB said its team would not travel to India for its T20 World Cup group matches scheduled in Kolkata and Mumbai, citing security concerns.The BCB has sought permission to play all four of its group-stage matches in Sri Lanka, where the India-Pakistan match will also be played under the agreed hybrid arrangement for ICC events until 2027.

Sri Lanka vs Australia Live Score, U19 World Cup 2026: Australia Under-19 won the toss and elected to field first against Sri Lanka at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek on Friday. Sri Lanka openers Dimantha Mahavithana and Viran Chamuditha are at the crease, with Mahavithana on strike. Charles Lachmund will take the new ball.

Teams:

Sri Lanka U19 (Playing XI): Dimantha Mahavithana, Viran Chamuditha, Dulnith Sigera, Vimath Dinsara(c), Kavija Gamage, Chamika Heenatigala, Aadham Hilmy(w), Sethmika Seneviratne, Rasith Nimsara, Kugathas Mathulan, Vigneshwaran Akash

Australia U19 (Playing XI): Will Malajczuk, Nitesh Samuel, Steven Hogan, Oliver Peake(c), Alex Lee Young(w), Jayden Draper, Aryan Sharma, Hayden Schiller, Kasey Barton, Will Byrom, Charles Lachmund

RAIPUR: Cricket tragics, whatsapp uncles, millennials and zoomers often dissect India’s batting into a pre-Tendulkar and post-Tendulkar phase. And when one mentions Jasprit Bumrah, one suspects they will break down India’s pace bowling into a pre and post-Bumrah era.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!When the Gujarat pacer was first spotted taking the wicket of Virat Kohli in the IPL in 2013 on his debut despite being hit for three boundaries, everyone was amazed at his unorthodox action and the ability to deliver accurate yorkers at will. The doubting Thomases also questioned whether his action will be sustainable over a long period and whether he can play the longer format. But at every stage of his life, Bumrah kept defying the odds and continued to chase excellence and write his own destiny to slot himself among the all-time greats.

On Friday, the right-arm pacer will complete a decade in international cricket when he takes the field during the second T20I against New Zealand.His international debut in the fifth ODI against Australia in Sydney on Jan 23, 2016 was full of drama.Bumrah was actually part of the T20I team on that tour and was supposed to fly to Adelaide three days prior to the last ODI, but as the Indian board could not find him a flight seat, he stayed back in Sydney. Bumrah thought he would get to spend some time in the company of the seniors and sharpen his skills, but never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he would be handed an ODI debut. But he was drafted in, in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who fractured his thumb. The spot could have gone to left-arm seamer Barinder Sran, who was in the original ODI squad, but skipper MS Dhoni decided to go with his hunch and hand the Gujarat pacer ODI Cap No. 210.

The chosen one did not disappoint and finished with figures of 2/40 from 10 overs, which included the dismissal of Aussie skipper Steve Smith, and since then he has never looked back. By the end of the T20 games, Dhoni called him the find of the tour.After the Sydney ODI, Smith admitted that because of Bumrah’s nippy action, the deliveries came quicker onto the bat than one thought. That unusual action, with the release much closer to the batter than traditional bowlers, gives the batter no trigger to react and has bamboozled modern-day greats like Smith, AB de Villiers and Joe Root.Bumrah has made an impact across formats, but it was the T20s that first brought him into the limelight during the IPL with Mumbai Indians with captain Rohit Sharma often using Bumrah’s four overs like a pensioner used his retirement corpus.He did the same during the T20 World Cup in 2024 too, especially in the game vs Pakistan in New York where his 3/14 across four overs enabled India to pull off a heist and defend 119.The defence of 30 off 30 balls vs South Africa with six wickets left in the final too became possible only because Rohit still had two overs of Bumrah up his sleeve and the GOAT bowled one of the balls of the tournament to castle Marco Jansen.

India will hope that he has an ace up his sleeve again when they set about defending their T20 World Cup title on home turf, starting with a group clash against USA at the Wankhede Stadium on Feb 7.During the 2024 edition, he had an economy rate of 4.17, which was best among the bowlers who played five or more matches in the tournament. His career economy rate after 84 T20Is is 6.42, which is obscene for a bowler who bowls during all three phases—Powerplay, middle overs and the death.The most important aspect of Bumrah is his presence in the playing XI and his ability to land telling blows. It has a calming influence on the bowling attack and settles the nerves of a skipper, which was missing during the recent ODI series defeat against New Zealand.It’s hardly a wonder then that be it Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit or Surya, all looked in Bumrah’s direction when they needed a piece of magic. Rest assured, India will need his magic again as dew, not a factor in West Indies and USA in 2024, will be a huge one, come Feb and March and if Bumrah is on, rival teams often end up playing a 16-over match, instead of a T20 game.