‘Half chance’ Australia captain Cummins will return for second Ashes Test

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Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia, claims he might be ready for the second Ashes Test in the coming weeks.

The 32-year-old injured his back in the first Test in Perth, but Australia still managed to defeat England for just 172 and 164 in their two innings.

Australia won by eight wickets in two days with the help of Mitchell Starc, who took ten wickets.

Cummins suggested he might be ready to return for the day-night Test at the Gabba in Brisbane, which begins on December 4th, after Steve Smith replaced him with Steve Smith and Scott Boland with the Perth Test.

Cummins stated on Fox Sports TV, “It’s feeling good.”

“I had a couple of good sessions in Perth this week, so I had a big day with around 10 overs, a few quieter days, and then another one.”

It’s “on track” and does a good job of moving. There is only a slim chance of me getting to the next game.

“I’ll have a few more bowls,” according to the plan, and it could take about two weeks before the next one, like this one is going.

It’s probably better than it was a few weeks ago, and I’m pretty hopeful.

Top order batsman Usman Khawaja is a doubt for the second Test after hurting his back and failing to fill either of his opening innings in Perth, despite Cummins returning for Brisbane.

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    • August 16
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Seven years on the run to fighting in the UFC – Rock’s remarkable journey

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Shem Rock did not anticipate that he would survive a day when he made the decision to flee from the police.

He was mistaken: for seven years he had eluded them. But remarkably, it would unexpectedly help him escape a challenging life.

Liverpool’s Rock fled on the run aged 20 because he was accused of a violent burglary and assault in 2014 and was concerned he would face jail time for a crime he did not commit.

He packed his belongings, set his alarm for 5 a.m., and left his Toxteth home the following day.

Rock told BBC Sport, “I waited for them to put a block on this passport, but they didn’t,” Rock said.

“Then I feared that when I get to the French border, they will ask for my passports and arrest me.” My passport was not even examined by them.

“Wow,” I said when I stepped off the Eurostar train in France. I was certain that they would not intervene in my situation.

Rock, who goes by the name Shaqueme Rock, moved to Malaysia, where he spent six months in jail and was kept in custody on remand.

He was found not guilty in court in 2022, removing the charge that had sullied his life.

After accumulating four victories in four matches for European promotion Oktagon, Rock is 32 years old and ready to make his UFC debut.

Nurullo Aliev of Tajikistan will face Rock in a lightweight fight on Saturday in Qatar, where he trains alongside Paddy Pimblett.

Luke Riley, a Liverpool-based boxer, will also make his UFC debut against Bogdan Grad, an Austrian featherweight.

The sky is the limit, remarked Rock, “That was my old life, this is my new life, and now that is that,”

    • a day ago
    • two days ago

I’m not going to jail for a crime I’ve already committed.

Molly McCann, Shem Rock and Paddy Pimblett at Next Generation Gym in LiverpoolOktagon MMA

Rock said as a teen that he mixed with “the wrong crowd” and was frequently detained before being let go without any charges.

When he was detained and questioned by the police over an alleged burglary, his life changed.

He panicked when his attorney informed him that the police had mistakenly bailed him.

As a young lad, Rock said, “I knew the rigorole of being arrested, but I didn’t know the rigorole of going to jail.”

“I thought, I’m not going to jail for a crime I’ve already committed., so I fled.”

Rock flew to Thailand for several months before relocating to Malaysia after arriving in France.

He took his first Brazilian jiu-jitsu class there.

“I immediately discovered the bug.” I needed it at that time in my life. I went off the rails and was a little reckless. On and off the mats, my professor taught me discipline, Rock said.

Rock enrolled in two martial arts-based reality television programs in Asia as a way to make money, but when TV producers discovered he was wanted by British police, they kicked him out.

A 27-year-old Rock made the decision to relocate to Ireland to advance his career as opportunities arose.

However, he was detained in Belfast and spent six months incarcerated while awaiting trial after visiting Northern Ireland in 2021 for a fight.

Not for a second did I believe my MMA career was over, Rock remarked.

Every day in my cell, I shadowboxed, and I lifted weights. I exerted every effort.

“I was aware that I had already discovered my passion and what I was supposed to do on this planet.” I couldn’t have stopped myself.

When he was found guilty in April 2022, Rock describes his emotions. The trial was less than 20 minutes long after being on the run for seven years.

“My family and I haven’t seen each other in years in Liverpool.” However, he said, “It was the fact that I was wanted for a burglary” that most piqued my interest.

The best thing for me was to have my name cleared of being a house robber, because they had tarnished my name.

Rock was able to concentrate entirely on MMA now that he had been free of the accusations he had endured for almost ten years.

On Thursday or Friday, I was out of jail, and on Monday, I spent the day working out in the gym. Straight into the depths: “It was boss,” Rock asserted.

He claims joining Next Generation was a “no-brainer,” and he hasn’t looked back since.

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Norris eyes Vegas prize but weighs question of risk v reward

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  • 12 Comments

Lando Norris’ mind was at ease as he neared his first world title after taking the lead in the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

With his fastest lap of the day, Norris masterfully navigated the choppy wet conditions on a track that was almost gripless, taking pole position from Max Verstappen. This gap could have been much wider had the Briton not experienced a significant wobble through the chicane at the end of the Strip.

Norris leads McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by 49 points going into the race over Verstappen’s fifth-place finish. He has argued all year that he should continue to compete in the same race one at a time and doesn’t alter his style as the championship progresses.

However, it appeared that Verstappen, who is renowned for his aggressive approach to starts, was already considering the issue of risk versus reward in the post-qualifying news conference, leaving him with little to lose.

Norris remarked, “I’m here to win.” I’m not here to take any chances. I’m still hoping to win. I’ll make sure I’m able to accomplish everything.

“But it’s still one step at a time: start well, have a good opening lap, and similar things,” and then just move on.

Even for someone who tries not to think about it, the prize on offer for Norris in the grand prix on Saturday night in Sin City is obvious.

If he wins the race, he could almost take the title.

The Briton is already nearly certain to win the championship ahead of Piastri. With just one race left, he could travel to Qatar the following weekend in a position to claim the title.

Given how large his deficit is, Verstappen is already largely out of the mix. However, the Red Bull driver will no longer be able to mathematically claim the title if Norris can score nine points on the Dutchman, which is not easy, with seven in between first place and second place.

Norris is only thinking about the immediate task ahead, Verstappen’s threat of victory, and more immediately, the threat Verstappen poses for victory, while more importantly, he is trying to think about the race to the corner.

The four-time champion is in the lead, and if he continues to run well, he might as well try to push Norris wide on the entry to take the lead like he did with Charles Leclerc in the first race here in 2023.

    • two hours ago
    • two hours ago

“Exceptional” pole lap in “slipsy” conditions

McLaren's Lando Norris with his front right tyre in the air during wet conditions in Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifyingImages courtesy of Getty

One of Norris’ pole’s highlights was his pole. The circumstances were incredibly challenging.

The track loses grip in the dry, run like it does on regular roads, where millions of cars are driven by them year-round.

The first two sessions of this race were done using extreme tyres because the track had never previously been wet and the water had never been used.

Norris had looked quick all weekend, but he never looked particularly bright when the track was wet. Never once did look particularly promising when the track was in danger of failing.

Norris set the pace, however, once the track was dry enough for intermediates in the final session.

His final lap was stunning up until his brief but unexpectedly unexpected lap, which McLaren team principal Andrea Stella described as “exceptional.”

These were “some of the worst” things Norris has ever gone through, he claimed.

He claimed that “it’s been wetter.” Simply put, it feels like you could as well have taken a ride on slicks because it was so challenging and slippery.

The “white lines, the yellow lines, the amount of wheelspin you have in places,” the author writes, “everything was pretty difficult.”

A challenging task becomes even more challenging.

Oscar Piastri after qualifying at the Las Vegas Grand PrixImages courtesy of Getty

Regarding his team-mate, things are just not going his way right now.

Piastri has had a championship lead for too long, leading only to lose in just two races in Mexico and Brazil. One race involved a crash in the sprint and a controversial penalty in the grand prix, and the other involved a controversial penalty in the grand prix.

He had a chance to advance to the final session because Lance Stroll’s aggressiveness had hindered him because he might have otherwise defeated Piastri had he been competitive.

However, the Australian had to back off in his final run in Las Vegas after encountering a yellow flag on the way home. With his team-mate on pole, Fifth was a letdown.

He was hardly ever willing to admit that the difficulty of regaining points and trying to keep the title alive increased as a result.

” Yes, “Piastri said”. Yes, it does. However, there are many things going on since Las Vegas is after all.

Stella hoped for a “clean first lap and race.”

With Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Kimi Raikkonen, and Michael Schumacher, Stella has won both title fights at Ferrari, winning and losing. And he has long since learned to respect other people’s opinions.

His wisdom will guide Norris as he navigates the race, and it is his wisdom that has helped McLaren get where they are right now.

“We do take one race at a time, one session at a time, one start at a time,” Stella said, “and I think Lando has been doing this very well recently, starting from pole position.

So, all he needs to do is carry on doing what he’s been doing with confidence, good preparation, and the smoothest possible execution.

“We are aware that the grip will be very low once the cold tires are introduced in corners one and three.”

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Noakes goes from railways and roofing to Riyadh title shot

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Sam Noakes vs. Abdullah Mason

Date: Saturday, November 22nd, 2018 at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Sam Noakes has since resurrected his career to win the world title. He used to work on the railroads and do marathons on whim.

And it is all at the hands of mother Sharon, who sent him to the gym when he was a young adult with too much energy.

This weekend in Saudi Arabia, Maidstone’s Noakes, 28, takes on unbeaten American Abdullah Mason for the vacant WBO lightweight title.

Noakes hopes that Mason’s mother won’t be able to contact the Ohio southpaw if he extends his own unbeaten run and suffers his first defeat in the match-up with the Kent boxer, but it’s his chance to fulfill his ambition to become a world champion.

Noakes’s mother, who is also a professional fighter, has a few more fans than his older brother Sean, who also watches his opponents.

Sharon searched for the Plymouth journeyman on Facebook after he defeated Chris Adaway in his professional debut.

Noakes tells BBC Sport that she and Chris bumped into him again around the middle of their fight and he responded, “Your mum messaged me.”

I called my mother and said, “You can’t be doing this, but I didn’t know what he was talking about.” She witnessed his most recent conflict.

She is undoubtedly a Chris Adaway fan because they have become close friends. possibly more powerful than she is a fan of me.

She has, thankfully, stopped doing it. I don’t want her messaging Mason, even if I win the world title against him.

    • a day ago

Running, railroads, and roofing

Sharon encouraged her sons to box, and she will be at the ringside in Riyadh alongside Noakes’ father John. Soon after graduating from Westree Boxing Club in Maidstone, Noakes won the ABAs in April 2019.

He was invited to Billy Joe Saunders’ WBO super-middleweight title match with Shefat Isufi in Stevenage a month later when Francis Warren, the son of hall of fame promoter Frank, told him he wanted to manage his career.

Noakes turned his attention away from his workdays, working as a roofer, and in fast-food restaurants, to become a professional.

Noakes remarked, “Thinking about those jobs is what keeps me working hard in the gym.” I’m not interested in returning to that.

“It was hard graft, but I did it in fair weather.” You wouldn’t see me if it rained.

When it rains on a roof, you can get back in the van, but you can’t when it’s tough.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Noakes had three professional fights and had to temporarily return to work, helping out his brother as a “strapper’s assistant” on the railroad when power was cut to allow electrical line maintenance.

Noakes claimed that the van spent a lot of time.

He would consume snacks and devised a plan to run a marathon the following day to burn them off after one night with a few too many treats.

He said, “I was going to run 20 miles because I felt bad after consuming a lot of garbage.”

Then someone said, “Why don’t you run if you’re going to go that far?”

So I set out for the 26.2 miles with a friend. “I completed it in three and a half hours.

What data are gathered from this quiz?

Elite sparring gives people more confidence.

Abdullah Mason faces off with Sam Noakes at a news conferenceImages courtesy of Getty

Noakes has won the British, Commonwealth, and European titles after climbing the ladder using the traditional route. He is unbeaten in 17 fights.

He now takes on the highly regarded Mason, who has a remarkable record of 17 stoppage victories in his 19 victories, while Noakes has stopped 15 of his 17 opponents at the international level.

When the pair sparred earlier this year in London, Noakes and WBC champion Shakur Stevenson have already shared the ring.

Noakes now has the assurance that he belongs with the elite before his chance to win the world title on Saturday night in Riyadh, which will feature David Benavidez’s WBC light-heavyweight showdown with Anthony Yarde.

Noakes remarked, “It was brilliant to get the feedback we received from Stevenson [a person who knows what they’re talking about.”

They were also good, lively rounds. Really, it couldn’t have come at a better time for me. It gave me the assurance that I could combine it with the very best.

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Scotland fans caused ‘small earthquake’ in World Cup qualifier win

SNS Dozens of Scotland fans celebrating at the final whistle at Hampden. They have scarves and banners.SNS

As Scotland’s men celebrated their first World Cup appearance in 28 years, the Tartan Army shook the world.

After Kenny McLean lobbed Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel 4-2, the British Geological Survey (BGS) recorded an “extremely small earthquake.”

Moments later, on Wednesday night, the final whistle blew, and there was still a lot of seismic activity.

Three minutes into the third minute of Kieran Tierney’s third goal, a small surge was also discovered just before the final whistle.

British Geological Survey A BGS graph showing seismic activity at HampdenBritish Geological Survey

The game had a formal attendance of 49 and 587.

According to the BGS, the activity produced 200kW of power, enough to power between 25 and 40 car batteries, at a range between magnitude -1 and zero on the Richter scale.

It’s comparable to blasting a football at 900 m/s (2 013 mph) twice.

SNS Scotland players wearing dark blue shirts celebrating with Kenny McLean during Scotland's win over Denmark.SNS
Fans of Taylor Swift were also spotted moving during the Murrayfield Stadium trio’s Edinburgh performances last summer.

The BGS claimed that “different site conditions” prevented it from directly comparing the two events.

According to the BGS, there are about 300 natural earthquakes in the UK each year, but only 30 of those have a significant impact on people.