CHESTER-LE-STREET, England - A superb maiden ODI century by new captain Harry Brook led England to a dominant, rain-shortened DLS victory over Australia on Tuesday to keep the five-match series alive with two to play. Australia, seeking a 15th successive ODI win, overcame difficult early conditions to post 304, with Steve Smith hitting a patient 60 and Aaron Hardie (44) and Alex Carey (77 not out) cutting loose in the final 10 overs. After losing both openers early, Brook and Will Jacks then built an excellent partnership of 156 to swing the game England's way. After Jacks went for 84, Liam Livingstone smashed a quick unbeaten 33 as Brook moved serenely on to 110 but, on 254-4 with 51 needed from 74 balls, the rain began and England were eventually awarded a 46-run victory under a DLS calculation that had produced a revised target of 209 after their 37.4 overs.
It was a day of ebb and flow under changing conditions in the air and on the pitch. In the absence of the in-form but unfit opener Travis Head and on a damp afternoon and a sticky pitch, Australia took a relatively cautious approach to their innings. Smith started particularly patiently but was just starting to accelerate when he was brilliantly caught in the deep by a running, diving Brydon Carse off Jofra Archer for 60 to leave his team on 172-5 after 35 overs Cameron Green hit 42 and the ever-dangerous Glenn Maxwell fell for a rapid 30 just as he was warming up, after Marnus Labuschagne was out for a duck trying to ramp spinner Jacks off his third ball
. The tourists were 200-5 after 40 overs but Carey batted nicely and then put on a rapid 68 with Hardie in 7.1 overs before the latter was run out for 44 off 26 balls. Carey finished unbeaten on 77 - three more than his top-score innings in last week's second match. It looked a challenging total for an England team whose batting has been patchy to say the least and all the more so when they lost both openers cheaply in the same Mitchell Starc over to slip to 11 for two. Brook, however, played a true captain's innings, ably supported by Jacks, steadying the ship but also keeping the rate high with boundaries all over the pitch as Australia badly missed the control of ill absentee spinner Adam Zampa. Livingstone's fireworks made sure England were well ahead of the DLS rate and they now head to Lord's on Friday in a far more positive state of mind after two previous limp defeats. "Myself and Will just tried to build a partnership and create that platform," Brook said. I thought the pitch got better towards the end of Australia's innings. It was then a simple message of go out there and play your own game."
"We just have to keep doing what we said we are going to do (at Lord's) and keep being positive, take the game to them and put them under pressure. That should stand us in good stead." Australia captain Mitch Marsh said: "After our start I thought 250 would be awesome so I thought we did extremely well to get the 300 with the conditions early on - it was hard work. "They got a really partnership going, and in one-day cricket with a big partnership you can set the game up for yourself, so fair play to them."
NEW YORK--One year ago Tuesday, the New York Yankees were eliminated from the postseason on a dreary day in front of their home fans. Following a one-year absence, the Yankees are returning to the playoffs and get their first chance at clinching a second American League East title in three seasons Tuesday night when they host the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles can clinch the AL's top wild-card spot with a win and a loss by either the Kansas City Royals or Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.
The Yankees (92-64) enter their final homestand with a magic number of one and a season-high six-game lead over the Orioles (86-70), who won the division last season with a 101-61 record while New York finished 82-80. New York has held the division lead since Sept. 7 and for all but four days since Aug. 20. The Yankees are returning home with 12 wins in 16 games since dropping two of three at Texas from Sept. 2-4. "We're focused," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "I think everyone in that room knows what's at stake and what the mission is, where we're at in the calendar and the opportunity in front of us.
I think guys are just ready to do what we've got to do to win ballgames and give ourselves a chance come October." New York is attempting to clinch after going 5-1 on a six-game trip against the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics. The Yankees clinched a playoff spot for the seventh time in eight seasons on Wednesday and scored 17 runs in their last two games of a three-game sweep at Oakland. Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 55th homer in Sunday's 7-4 win and is hitting .349 (15-for-43) over his past 13 games. Jasson Dominguez and Gleyber Torres also homered for the Yankees, who hold a 2 1/2-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians for the AL's top record. "It's going to be rocking," Judge said. "It's been rocking all summer long, and I don't expect that to change, especially with what we have coming down to the wire here." On the verge of a playoff berth, the O's certainly had higher aspirations earlier this season. Baltimore held or was tied for the AL East lead from June 27-Aug. 12 and held the lead earlier this month, including after a 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 6.
Since then, the Orioles are 4-10 and have been held to three runs or fewer nine times, including Sunday when they were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and struck out 10 times in a 4-3 loss to the visiting Detroit Tigers. While Gunnar Henderson is hitting .308 in his past six games, Anthony Santander is hitting .173 in his past 14 games and Adley Rutschman is hitting .190 in his past six contests. "We just have to focus on what is going on in here, in this clubhouse," said Baltimore All-Star infielder Jordan Westburg after returning from a fractured right hand on Sunday. "And nothing about what is going outside, what people are saying. What could or couldn't happen. We just have to stay tight in here."
Clarke Schmidt (5-4, 2.37 ERA) will make his fourth start since missing over three months with a lat strain. He took the loss Thursday in Seattle when he allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits in five innings. Schmidt is 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 10 career outings (five starts) against the Orioles and held them to one run in 5 2/3 innings April 29 at Baltimore. Dean Kremer (7-10, 4.19) starts for the Orioles after allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits in six innings of a 5-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday. Kremer is 3-3 with a 4.63 ERA in 11 career starts against the Yankees.
AS Monaco's Vanderson in action with FC Barcelona's Lamine Yamal during their Champions League match at Stade Louis II, Monaco.
MONACO-- Barcelona made a disappointing start to their Champions League campaign by losing 2-1 to AS Monaco on Thursday after suffering an early blow from defender Eric Garcia's dismissal. Barcelona had a dreadful start at the Stade Louis II stadium when Garcia was shown a straight red card 11 minutes in for a foul on Monaco's Takumi Minamino, who was clear in front of goal after a misplaced pass from goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
VILLARREAL, Spain-- Barcelona maintained their perfect start in LaLiga as forwards Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha both scored twice to help them thrash hosts Villarreal 5-1 in a highly entertaining clash on Sunday. Lewandowski found the net twice inside 35 minutes before Villarreal pulled a quick one back through Ayoze Perez but Pablo Torre made it 3-1 after the break and Raphinha completed the rout for Barca with two goals late in the second half.
MANCHESTER, England-- Inter Milan escaped Etihad Stadium with a surprise 0-0 draw against Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, exacting a small measure of revenge for their narrow loss to Pep Guardiola's side in the 2023 final.
Both teams squandered numerous chances in a breathless back-and-forth affair. City were largely stalled by Inter's impressive discipline in defence, while Simone Inzaghi's Inter, who were dangerous on the break on a nervy night for both sides, were wayward with their finishing. "We faced a really difficult team," Guardiola said. "I'm still really, really satisfied for the game we played, especially with how (Inter) defended, they are masters of that, so big, they help each other unbelievably. So you cannot expect to create a lot of chances." Inzaghi was similarly pleased with his squad's night.
"I said 'well done guys', they put in a giant performance," the manager said. "I asked them to play exactly as they did. We all know Manchester City, what they are capable of, we knew we had to pull out all the stops, play a great game and we did it." City's goal machine Erling Haaland, who would have become the fastest player in history to record 100 goals for a European club had he scored, will have to wait to achieve that milestone.
The Norwegian, who has nine goals in four Premier League games this season, narrowly missed a couple of first-half chances including a header that keeper Yann Sommer jumped up to grab on the line, and a hard, low shot that rolled just wide of the post. Henrikh Mkhitaryan had City fans breathing a huge sigh of relief when he missed a late chance, launching a rocket just over the bar from about eight metres out, then holding his head in disbelief. At the other end, Ilkay Gundogan elicited huge groans from City fans after twice failing to convert with close-range headers in the dying seconds.
He launched the first one straight at the keeper, with the second one glancing just over the bar right before the final whistle. City fired 22 shots to Inter's 13, but only had one more shot on target than their visitors with five. "A very intense game against a very strong opponent," City defender Ruben Dias told TNT. "We knew what was coming, they're a top team as well, they're used to winning, and we knew we're not going to have an easy job. In the end, I think the team had a great performance, we were very close to scoring." Under the new Champions League format, teams play eight matches against eight different opponents, with the top eight sides in the 36-team league automatically advancing to the last 16, and the next 16 playing a further knockout round. "We prefer to win, but we have seven games (left to advance), we'll see what happens," Guardiola said.
It was a lacklustre performance for four-time defending English champions City, who are in a familiar spot sitting atop the Premier League table after four games with a 100% record. Inter are third in the Serie A table. One negative on the night was a potential injury to City captain Kevin De Bruyne, who appeared to pick up a knock late in the first half and did not play in the second. "I haven't spoken to the doctors yet," Guardiola said. His team face another intense contest on Sunday when they host Arsenal, who sit two points behind them in the table.
City, who edged Inter 1-0 to hoist the 2023 Champions League trophy in Istanbul as part of their treble, were eliminated by eventual winners Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of Europe's top competition last season, while Inter were ousted by Atletico Madrid in the round of 16.
