Category: 6. Sports

Lhuan-dre Pretorius continued to shine for the South Africa cricket team as the young Protea scored a rapid 78 on the opening day of the second ZIM vs SA 2025 Test match in Bulawayo on Sunday.

Walking into bat with South Africa in a commanding position with the score reading 208/3 at the time, Lhuan-dre Pretorius joined stand-in skipper Wiaan Mulder at the crease and put on a 217-run stand off just 185 balls for the fourth wicket.

Picking up from where he left off in the last match, the 19-year-old went on to score an 87-ball 78 for the Proteas.

Pretorius scored his runs at a quick pace, going at a strike rate of 89.65 and smashed seven fours and three sixes along the way. The left-hander was eventually dismissed by Kundai Matigimu at the start of the 82nd over.

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Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ fifty comes after he became the youngest South African to score a Test century in the series opener last week. It was also his red-ball debut.

At 19 years and 93 days, Pretorius reached his maiden Test hundred in 113 balls before being dismissed for 153 off 160 deliveries. His knock included 11 fours and four sixes, struck at an impressive strike rate of 95.62.

A part of the Rajasthan Royals squad during IPL 2025, Pretorius broke the record of Graeme Pollock, who was 19 years and 317 days old when he scored 122 against Australia in 1964 in Sydney.

Overall, he was the seventh South African to make a Test hundred on debut and the first since Stephen Cook in 2016.

Pretorius also became the youngest player in Test history to score 150 on debut, breaking a record previously held by Pakistan’s Javed Miandad, who was 19 years and 119 days old when he scored 163 against New Zealand in 1976.

South Africa were batting on 425/3 when Pretorius was dismissed.

Following the conclusion of Sunday’s FIA Formula 3 Silverstone Feature Race, several drivers have been penalised.

Firstly, Tasanapol Inthraphyvasak has been given a 10-second time penalty for not engaging the start set-up procedure.

After receiving a report from the Technical Delegate, the Stewards spoke to the driver, a team representative and a Technical Delegate.

A defined set-up procedure activation must be used during all formation starts and Car 11’s data shows that the driver did not engage the start set-up procedure.

The driver of Car 11 admitted he forgot to engage the start set-up procedure for the formation lap, and did not realise his error until he released the clutch.

As a result, the Stewards awarded Inthraphuvasak a 10-second time penalty, dropping the Campos driver from 10th to 13th in the final classification.

Noah Stromsted has also been given a 10-second time penalty for an unsafe release on Tim Tramnitz.

The Stewards examined video evidence, and spoke to both drivers and their representatives.

It was then determined that Car 4 had been released from its pit stall into the path of Car 17. The pair collided and Car 17 suffered damage from the collision.

The Stewards determined that Car 4 had been released unsafely, and due to the subsequent collision with Car 17, elected to apply a 10-second time penalty.

This drops Stromsted from P26 to P28 in the final classification.

Nicola Lacorte has been handed a post-race time penalty for a starting infringement.

The Stewards heard from the driver and a team representative, while also examining video and GPS evidence.

It was then determined that the driver of Car 29 passed Cars 15 and 23 on the formation lap in violation of Article 37.8 of the FIA Formula 3 Sporting Regulations.

Car 23 regained its position, but Car 29 was still ahead of Car 15 at the Safety Car Line 1.

The driver of Car 29, noting the wet conditions, explained that he was on wet tyres and Car 15 and 23 were on dry tyres, and he passed them to prepare his tyres for the race start.

However, the Stewards determined that the driver of Car 29 should have re-established the grid order before reaching Safety Car Line 1.

As a result, Lacorte has been handed a 30-second time penalty. This drops him from P11 to P15 in the final classification.

Lastly, Gerrard Xie has also been given a 10-second time penalty after a Hitech TGR mechanic left equipment (bag of dry ice) on the grid after the 15-second signal, in contravention of Article 37.5 of the FIA F3 Sporting Regulations.

As such, a 10 second stop-and-go penalty has been converted to a 30-second time penalty, which has been added to his final race time.

This drops Xie from P23 to P25 in the final classification.

English amateur Lottie Woad carded a four-under final-round 69 to claim her first Ladies European Tour title in dominant fashion with a six-shot victory at the Women’s Irish Open.

But because Woad is an amateur, she will not receive any prize money, with the 67,500 euro (£58,000) winner’s cheque going to Sweden’s four-time Solheim Cup player Madelene Sagstrom, who finished second.

Woad, the world number one amateur, hit the front in windy conditions on Friday, extended her lead to seven strokes in Saturday’s third round and made six birdies and two bogeys on Sunday to cruise home at Carton House.

The 21-year-old – who broke 70 in all four rounds – becomes the first non-professional to win on the Ladies European Tour since Czech player Jana Melichova at the 2022 Czech Ladies Open.

Woad, who won the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur title and finished tied 10th in last year’s Women’s Open, carded just three bogeys all week in a hugely impressive performance in County Kildare.

“It felt pretty comfortable overall,” said Woad.

“There were a few moments at the start of the back nine that could’ve gone wrong but I hung in there and finished with some nice birdies.

“As soon as I birdied the second hole, holed a nice 12-footer there, it settled me in. I hit some good shots today, maybe didn’t hole as many putts as the other days, but it was pretty stress free in the end.”

Sagstrom, with a final round of 68, finished second with England’s world number 19 Charley Hull (69) in fourth.

CNN
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Lando Norris won a chaotic British Grand Prix on Sunday, safely navigating a rain-hit race punctuated by several safety cars and taking advantage of his teammate Oscar Piastri incurring a 10-second penalty when one of those safety cars pulled off the track.

Norris only led for the last few laps at Silverstone, having remained largely anonymous for much of the race.

It was Piastri who set the pace almost all afternoon until his challenge was undone when he slammed on the brakes too forcefully as the safety car peeled off and picked up a 10-second penalty from the stewards.

That left Norris as the winner-elect, providing he could complete the race cleanly – a difficult task in the inclement weather conditions that caused several drivers to lose control and spin off the track.

Piastri held on for second while Kick Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg claimed his first ever F1 podium in his 239th race, despite starting in 19th on the grid.

“Nico, Nico, Nico,” his team shouted as they mobbed him afterwards, finally celebrating a podium for the German driver who holds the record for the most races completed without ever finishing in the top three.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

MUNICH — English golfer Daniel Brown captured his second European tour title by winning the BMW International Open by two strokes on Sunday after shooting a bogey-free 6-under 66 in the final round.

The No. 170-ranked Brown started the day with a one-shot lead over countryman Jordan Smith, birdied four of his first six holes, and picked up two more birdies coming in.

The last was on the par-5 18th, when Brown reached the green in two and two-putted to finish at 22-under par for the week. He was in tears as he walked off the green.

The 30-year-old Brown’s other win came at the ISPS Handa World Invitational last year. He hadn’t had a top-10 finish since February at the Qatar Masters.

Smith shot 67 and was alone in second place.

Published:
Sunday, 06 July 2025

At the Père Jégo Stadium, this Sunday at 8 p.m. (local time), Algeria begin their sixth participation in the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON against Botswana, the emerging nation in continental Women’s Football. For les Vertes it is a much-anticipated return to a tournament they are yet to conquer. For the Mares, it is confirmation that they belong to this level after a notable first appearance in 2022.

Algeria Faces Old Demons

Algeria have always had a tough relationship with the WAFCON. Qualifying for the first time in 2004, the team has always blown hot and cold. Since 2006, they have participated in every other edition (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and now 2024).

This is the first time Algeria have competed in a WAFCON in North Africa. A concern? Not really. “We feel like we are not far from home. It is motivating,” sighs Imane Chebel, a key member of the team. Along with her two teammates, Morgane Belkhiter and Inès Boutaleb, she is part of the trio that took part in the 2018 edition. A tournament where Algeria showed some intent, notably in their 3-2 defeat to Mali after leading even though they were undone by inconsistency.

 

But since 2014 when they recorded a 1-0 victory against Ghana in the opening fixture, Algeria have not won in the finals (5 consecutive defeats). Their record is significant: 15 matches, only two wins, only once by more than two goals scored. Worse, les Fennecs have never reached the quarterfinals. A milestone they hope to finally reach, after eliminating Uganda (3-2) and then sweeping Burundi (6-1) in qualifying. 

 

Botswana, small in size, big in will

The Mares surprised everyone in 2022. In their first-ever participation in the WAFCON, they reached the quarterfinals, where they only narrowly lost to Morocco (2-1). Their strength? A closely-knit team, a rare continuity in African Football. Of the 23 players present in Morocco, 17 were part of the 2022 adventure. Seven of them started all five matches played that year. This loyalty reflects confidence in a long-term project. “We want to prove it was not a fluke. We are coming back to do better,” explained Refilwe Tholakele, a powerful striker and co-top scorer for the Mares in the last edition with two goals.

A tactical and mental battle

Algeria will have to contend with an opponent who plays without complexes. More experienced in continental competitions, les Fennecs have a little more experience. But Botswana is a difficult team to maneuver – compact and capable of rapid transitions. If Algeria scores first, they will have to learn to manage their lead – something they failed to do against Mali in 2018.

Farid Benstiti, the new Algerian coach, has long emphasized “defensive organization and seriousness in weak moments.” Alongside him, Chebel, Belkhiter and Boutaleb will have to guide an ambitious but still inexperienced youthful team at the highest level.

At the Père Jégo stadium, the atmosphere promises to be subdued, but the intensity on the pitch could be fiery.