England’s Joe Root celebrates after scoring a century in Sydney. (AP Photo)

Joe Root‘s love affair with Test cricket scaled yet another peak on Monday as England’s master batter produced a monumental century in the fifth Ashes Test at Sydney, nudging himself to the very doorstep of two of the game’s most sacred milestones — Don Bradman‘s tally of 150-plus scores and Sachin Tendulkar‘s towering records.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Root’s second century of the series, and 41st overall in Tests, drew him level with Australian great Ricky Ponting for third on the all-time list of hundreds, behind only Tendulkar (51) and Jacques Kallis (45). The landmark knock came in his 163rd Test, underlining his extraordinary longevity and consistency in the longest format.

The 35-year-old brought up his hundred in assured fashion, clipping Michael Neser for two to reach three figures before going on to craft a majestic 160 off 242 balls. His innings, studded with 15 fours, was the backbone of England’s 384.It was Root’s second hundred of the ongoing Ashes series in Australia, following his unbeaten 138 in the Brisbane day-night Test — an innings that snapped a long-standing three-figure drought Down Under after three previous tours.Most 150-plus scores in Tests

Beyond the century count, the innings carried even deeper historical significance. It was Root’s 17th score of 150 or more in Tests, moving him to fifth on the all-time list. That leaves him just one such innings shy of Don Bradman (18) and within touching distance of Brian Lara and Kumar Sangakkara, who share second place with 19 apiece. Only Tendulkar, with 20, stands clearly ahead.Root’s modern-era dominance is equally stark. Since 2021, he has amassed 24 Test centuries — more than double any of his contemporaries. Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Harry Brook and Shubman Gill are next best, each with 10 over the same period.Most Test hundreds since 2021

Among England batters, Root has now joined Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook as one of only three to score multiple hundreds in an away Ashes series since 1994/95.

Sikandar Raza of Paarl Royals celebrates getting the wicket of MI Cape Town captain Rashid Khan (SA20)

Paarl Royals scripted history at Newlands on Sunday, defeating coastal rivals MI Cape Town at the venue for the first time with a commanding seven-wicket bonus-point win in SA20 Season 4.After suffering three previous defeats under the shadow of Table Mountain, the Royals completed a Western Cape derby double to move into second place on the points table with 13 points, just two adrift of leaders Joburg Super Kings.Zimbabwe allrounder Sikandar Raza continued his stunning start for the Royals, delivering a decisive spell of 4/13 from four overs. The off-spinner followed up his debut figures of 3/27 with another match-winning performance, dismantling MI Cape Town’s batting line-up.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Raza was well supported by teenage rookie Nqobani Mokoena, who impressed with 2/10, and the experienced Ottneil Baartman, whose 2/8 ensured MI Cape Town were bundled out for just 88 — their lowest total in the history of the competition.In the chase, the Royals lost Lhuan-dre Pretorius early to Trent Boult, but a steady 54-run second-wicket partnership between Asa Tribe and Rubin Hermann quickly put the visitors in control. Tribe top-scored with a composed 34, striking three fours and two sixes, while Hermann chipped in with 18.Though both batters fell before the target was reached, Kyle Verreynne and captain David Miller calmly guided the Royals home without further damage, sealing the bonus point and local bragging rights.Raza was adjudged player of the match for his four-wicket haul. “It’s nice to win the game and know your contribution in a win feels more special. I’ve heard great things about this tournament but due to clashes I couldn’t come in year 2 or 3. When I talk to the SA boys in the circuit, they’ve all said good things about it. Can’t ask for more with this POTM award,” said Raza.

“Miller, as a captain, he’s always there when you’re bowling and he’s always calm. It rubs off on the bowlers too. He doesn’t speak much but lets his bat and captaincy do the talking. I’ve played a lot against him. Wonderful to play with him.”Brief Scores MI Cape Town: 88 all out in 18.4 overs (Reeza Hendricks 18; Sikandar Raza 4/13, Ottneil Baartman 2/8, Nqobani Mokoena 2/10)Paarl Royals: 90 for 3 in 13 overs (Asa Tribe 34, David Miller 19 not out; Corbin Bosch 1/9)

Representative image (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: The country’s top boxers were left cooling their heels for hours as chaos and confusion marked the opening day of the Elite Men and Women National Boxing Championships in Greater Noida on Sunday, with the start of competition delayed by more than four hours due to what officials described as “logistical” issues.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The tournament, slated to be a landmark event with the men’s and women’s national championships being staged together for the first time, was scheduled to get underway at 2 pm at Gautam Buddha University. Instead, prolonged uncertainty and poor preparedness defined the day.

Even basic infrastructure was missing. Three competition rings were meant to be operational on the opening day, but only one was assembled by around 4 pm. That too had to be dismantled and reassembled after a technical fault was detected. As a result, the first of the 80 scheduled bouts — 38 in the women’s section and 42 in the men’s — finally began only at 6.30 pm. Women boxers were left waiting even longer. As of 8 pm, there was still no clarity on when their bouts would begin, with the third ring yet to be assembled and no official communication forthcoming.Sources said that the organisers could not set up the rings and other equipment overnight as the gate of the venue, Gautam Budh University in Greater Noida, was locked.

“There were some communication issues, and the organisers did not know that the University gates would be closed for the night. So, they had to wait till the next day to set up everything,” a source said. A source, familiar with the matter, also said that the delay “actually” stemmed from payment-related issues. “Work only began after payment was made to the vendor,” the source added.However, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) secretary general Pramod Kumar told PTI, “The delay was because of certain logistical issues.”The prolonged wait took a visible toll on athletes. Several boxers attempted to pass the time inside the arena — some plugged into headphones, others paced the hall — as the hours ticked by without announcements.The national championships are already delayed as it was to be held in late December last year.Top Indian pugilists, including world champion Jaismine Lamboria, Olympian Nikhat Zareen and several other World Boxing Cup medallists, are in the fray. The competition, which will conclude on Jan 10, will see the men’s and women’s events being held simultaneously at the same venue, with nearly 600 boxers from across the country set to participate in 10 weight categories each in both men and women sections.Other prominent boxers, in action in the women’s section, are reigning world champion Minakshi Hooda, Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain and Asian Games bronze medallist Preeti Pawar. Among men, World Boxing Cup Finals gold medallists Hitesh Gulia and Sachin Siwach, silver medallist Abhinash Jamwal and World Championships silver medallist Amit Panghal are fighting for top honours.

A frustrated Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg on Monday vowed to raise concerns over what he described as “archaic” bad light rules with the sport’s governing body after nearly a third of the opening day at the fifth Ashes Test was washed out. Play was halted 15 minutes before the scheduled tea break on Sunday at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with almost 50,000 fans in attendance, due to fading light, light rain and lightning protocols.No further action was possible, with stumps called an hour earlier than scheduled at 5:00 pm and the entire third session abandoned.

“There’s a lot of things that I get frustrated with in cricket but bad light’s one of them,” Greenberg told SEN radio.“Yesterday, maybe more so than ever with a full house and millions watching on TV.“We’ve got to find a better way in cricket … where we try not to come off the field when it’s bad light and show a greater willingness and intent to get back on.”Under ICC regulations, play cannot resume if on-field umpires agree that light conditions are deemed “dangerous or unreasonable”. The rules also stipulate that play cannot restart until at least 30 minutes after lightning strikes in the area, a provision that left fans puzzled as action remained suspended despite improving conditions.Greenberg admitted he did not have an immediate solution but said advancements such as light towers and modern technology suggested there had to be a better approach.“What you can take from my comments is a desire to push at the global level of how we get better at these things because it felt like it wasn’t good enough,” he said.“I have talked about this a bit over the years, the nuance of cricket and some of the strange and archaic rules that sit within the sport.“I’m sure there’s conversations that can be had about how we can be slightly more progressive.“I sound like a broken record, but we’re in the entertainment business, and so I can’t think of another business that continues to walk off in front of its fans.”Former England captain Michael Vaughan also called for a change in “mindset” from match officials and administrators.“In T20 cricket you play in this. Test cricket is the one format that we do everything we possibly can to get off the pitch,” Vaughan told the BBC.“The other two formats we do everything we possibly can to get on the pitch. I just don’t understand why we don’t have that same mindset in Test match cricket.”

Across the first four Tests of the series, spinners claimed just nine wickets, accounting for only a fraction of the total overs bowled. (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: Australia created an unwanted slice of history by naming a Test XI without a specialist spinner for a match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with skipper Steve Smith admitting he had been backed into a corner. Not since 1888 have the hosts gone into a Sydney Test without a frontline slow bowler at a venue once considered Australia’s spin haven.The 138-year run was broken for the fifth and final Ashes Test against England, with all-rounder Beau Webster included and off-spinner Todd Murphy overlooked.

“Hate doing it,” said Smith.“But if we keep producing wickets that we don’t think are going to spin and seam is going to play a big part and cracks are going to play a big part, you kind of get pushed into a corner.”The decision reflects a growing trend in Australian cricket. The hosts had earlier left out veteran Nathan Lyon for the pink-ball second Test in Brisbane, before Murphy — brought in as Lyon’s injury replacement — was also omitted in Melbourne and Sydney.England, too, continued without their frontline spinner Shoaib Bashir for a fifth straight Test in Sydney, meaning he will return home without bowling a single ball in a Test match in Australia.Across the first four Tests of the series, spinners claimed just nine wickets, accounting for only a fraction of the total overs bowled.Speaking in Melbourne after the seam-friendly fourth Test ended inside two days, Smith elaborated on the thinking behind the absence of spinners.“With a lot of the wickets we’re playing on now, I think spin … is the easiest thing to face,” he said.“On some of these wickets that are offering a lot of seam, it’s almost got to the point where (you ask): ‘Why would you bowl it when you know you could leak 30 or 40 runs quickly if they decide to play positively and the game shifts immediately?’“I love seeing spinners play a part in the game, but right now, why would you?”

Mohammed Shami (AFP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has come out in support of seasoned fast bowler Mohammed Shami following his omission from the ODI squad, despite the pacer’s impressive performances in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.Shami’s international future has once again come under the spotlight after the 35-year-old was left out of India’s squad for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, announced on Saturday.

The snub marks another setback for Shami, who has not represented India since being part of the Champions Trophy-winning squad in 2025. Despite returning to competitive cricket after recovering from injury, he has missed selection for the Test series against England, West Indies and South Africa, as well as the recent ODI series against Australia.“The biggest talking point is Mohammed Shami. What is his future? He’s not someone who came yesterday, played a few matches and left. He has taken 450-500 international wickets, which is a huge number. If you have taken more than 400 wickets and then you get dropped, and questions are raised about your fitness, that happens with everyone. As long as you play cricket, you have to keep proving yourself,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.Irfan also questioned the concerns surrounding Shami’s fitness, pointing to the workload the pacer has already handled since his return to action.“Shami has already bowled 200 overs. After bowling 200 overs, if fitness is the question, it has already been demonstrated. What more improvement is needed? Only the selection committee knows what they are thinking. If I were him, I would go and play the IPL and create havoc. I would take the new ball and perform at such a level.“Domestic cricket performances are discussed, but when the IPL comes, and you show your old rhythm and fitness, then no one can ignore you. The whole world watches the IPL. If you perform there, you make your place in the squad again. I believe his doors should not be closed,” he added.India will host New Zealand in a three-match ODI series starting January 11, followed by a five-match T20I series.

Mustafizur Rahman (IPL Photo)

NEW DELHI: Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman has found himself in the spotlight again. On Saturday, the left-arm pacer was released by the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), following a directive from the BCCI.The decision triggered a strong reaction back home, with the Bangladesh Cricket Board on Sunday announcing that the national team would not travel to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup due to security concerns.

While the episode has added a political layer to the story, Mustafizur’s IPL journey extends far beyond the current controversy. Before his brief association with KKR, five IPL franchises had shown faith in the Bangladeshi pacer over the years.Mustafizur made his IPL debut in 2016 with Sunrisers Hyderabad. It turned out to be a breakthrough season. He picked up 17 wickets in 16 matches, conceding runs at an impressive economy of 6.90. His cutters and change of pace made him a key weapon, especially at the death.He returned to SRH in 2017 but featured in just one match due to fitness issues, team balance, and national team commitments. In 2018, Mumbai Indians brought him in, where he played seven games and took seven wickets.Rajasthan Royals signed him in 2021, and Mustafizur delivered another steady season. He claimed 14 wickets in 14 matches, proving his value as a reliable overseas bowler. Delhi Capitals then picked him for multiple seasons. Between 2022 and 2025, he played for DC in three different editions, having taken 13 wickets across 13 matches. His best season with Delhi came in 2025, where he picked up four wickets in just three matches at an economy of 7.90.In 2024, Chennai Super Kings trusted him with a bigger role. Mustafizur responded by taking 14 wickets in nine matches, including a four-wicket haul.Mustafizur has played 60 IPL matches across five teams, taking 65 wickets at an average of 28.44 and a strike rate of 20.9. His best figures remain 4 for 29.KKR had bought him for Rs 9.20 crore after a bidding war at the Abu Dhabi auction. However, following the BCCI’s diktat, the Shah Rukh Khan co-owned franchise released him. While the BCCI did not directly link the move to political tensions, it stated that the decision was driven by “what’s been happening all around”.

NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor and Northeast United FC co-owner John Abraham spoke about the situation in Indian football and called it a “shame”.Sharing a recent video in which senior footballers appealed to FIFA to intervene as the Indian Super League (ISL) remains suspended, Abraham wrote, “Shame on us… this is what we have come to.“On Friday, India’s leading footballers, including Sunil Chhetri, along with several foreign players playing in the ISL, made a joint appeal to FIFA, asking the world governing body to step in as the country’s top-tier league continues to remain on hold.With the 2025-26 ISL season yet to begin, senior national team players such as Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan spoke about the uncertainty, warning that Indian football is moving towards what they described as “permanent paralysis”.“It’s January and we should be on your screens as apart of a competitive football game in the Indian Super League,” Gurpreet said in a joint video message shared on social media.“Instead, here we are driven by fear and desperation to say aloud something which we all know,” Jhingan added.The players said the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is no longer able to fulfil its responsibilities and asked FIFA to intervene to protect the future of football in the country.“But more importantly, we are here to make a plea. Indian football governance is no longer able to fulfil its responsibilities.We are now staring at a permanent paralysis. This is the last-ditch effort to save what we can. So we are calling the FIFA to step in and do what it takes to save Indian football,” other players said.They also stressed that the appeal was not political.“We hope this message gets to the power that are in Zurich. This call is not political, it is not driven by confrontation but by necessity. It might sound like a big word but the truth is that we are facing a humanitarian, sporting and economic crisis. And of course, we need rescuing at the earliest. We just want to play football, please help us do it,” the players said.“Players, staff, owners and the fans deserve clarity, protection and more importantly, a future,” Chhetri said.The 2025-26 ISL season was put on hold in July due to uncertainty over the renewal of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the AIFF and the league’s former organisers, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL).The agreement expired on December 8, leading to a contractual deadlock that required intervention from the Supreme Court. Under the supervision of a court-appointed committee, a tender was issued for the ISL’s commercial rights, but it did not attract any bidders.On Thursday, 13 of the 14 ISL clubs informed the AIFF that they “may be ready and willing” to participate in the delayed season if there is no participation fee and if the federation takes responsibility for organisational and operational costs of a shortened tournament.Meanwhile, the AIFF said on Saturday that the start date of the delayed ISL season will be announced next week after the Coordination Committee submitted its report.Following a meeting of its Emergency Committee, the AIFF said it will conduct the league, though clubs had raised concerns earlier.News agency PTI reported that that the AIFF may propose February 15 as the start date for the 2025-26 ISL season.“The AIFF Emergency Committee met today (January 3, 2025) to consider and acknowledge the report submitted by the AIFF-ISL Coordination Committee. The Coordination Committee was requested to submit its report to the AIFF Secretariat by January 2, 2025, which was duly complied with,” the AIFF said in a statement.“The report was formally acknowledged by the AIFF Emergency Committee, which recommended that the league be conducted by the AIFF. Accordingly, the AIFF will conduct the league, and the date of commencement will be announced next week.”