George Russell bounced back from the disappointments of the past few races to take pole position for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

Russell edged out Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari by just 0.064 seconds as runaway championship leader Kimi Antonelli could manage only third place in the other Mercedes.

McLaren’s Lando Norris took fourth from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, while Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc crashed on his first lap in the final session and will start 10th.

Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri was seventh, from Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg.

More to follow

Shubman Gill takes one-handed blinder

NEW DELHI: Indian captain Shubman Gill produced a stunning moment in the rain-shortened first ODI between India and Afghanistan at Dharamshala, pulling off a one-handed screamer that lit up the match as India tightened their grip in a 25-over contest. The catch came at a crucial stage as Afghanistan were trying to recover after a chaotic middle phase, but Gill’s sharp reflexes ended another key breakthrough attempt in style.The dismissal happened in the 21.4 over when Harsh Dubey tossed one up just outside off. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar attempted a big shot, only to get a thick top edge that ballooned towards slip. Gill reacted instantly, diving to his left and sticking out one hand to complete a sensational grab, ensuring control as he rolled over on the ground. The batter was out for 0 off 2 balls, and India continued to chip away at the Afghan lower order.Watch:At the end, India bundled out the visitors for 194 in 24.5 overs.Gill reacted instantly, diving full stretch to his left and grabbing a one-handed stunner.Afghanistan had earlier been powered by a brilliant 102 off 51 balls from Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who dominated the powerplay and middle overs with 8 fours and 8 sixes. However, once he fell at 142, the innings unravelled quickly. India’s bowlers kept striking at regular intervals. Arshdeep Singh picked up two early wickets, while debutant Gurnoor Brar impressed with three scalps, including Rashid Khan and the final wicket of Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi. Harsh Dubey also claimed three wickets, removing key batters Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Ghazanfar.Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed two wickets, while Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar supported the attack in a disciplined effort. Despite Gurbaz’s explosive century, Afghanistan collapsed from 142 for 3 to 194 all out, losing their last seven wickets for just 52 runs.

Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz (AP Photo)

Rahmanullah Gurbaz rewrote the record books with a breathtaking 48-ball century against India in the rain-shortened first ODI at Dharamsala. The hundred was the fastest ever by an Afghanistan batter in ODI cricket, surpassing all previous Afghan records. It was also the quickest century of Gurbaz’s ODI career, his ninth overall in the format, and the fastest ODI hundred ever recorded in an India-Afghanistan encounter.Gurbaz eventually departed for a sensational 102 off 51 balls, an innings packed with power and aggression. He struck eight fours and eight sixes before Nitish Kumar Reddy ended his remarkable stay at the crease. The right-hander had already made headlines earlier in the innings when he raced to a half-century in just 25 balls. That effort became the second-fastest ODI fifty by an Afghanistan batter, behind only Mohammad Nabi’s 24-ball fifty against Sri Lanka in Lahore in 2023. Mujeeb Ur Rahman‘s 26-ball fifty against Pakistan in Colombo completes the top three.Best conversion rate from 50s to 100s in ODIs56.25 – Rahmanullah Gurbaz (9 hundreds)43.48 – Calum MacLeod (10 hundreds)42.86 – Daryl Mitchell (9 hundreds)41.82 – Quinton de Kock (23 hundreds)41.22 – Virat Kohli (54 hundreds)(min. 7 hundreds)Fastest ODI fifties for Afghanistan (by balls faced):24 balls – Mohammad Nabi vs Sri Lanka, Lahore, 202325 balls – Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs India, Dharamsala, 202626 balls – Mujeeb Ur Rahman vs Pakistan, Colombo, 2023Gurbaz’s fireworks also helped Afghanistan register only their second century partnership against India in ODI cricket. The previous three-figure stand came during the 2023 ODI World Cup in Delhi, when Azmatullah Omarzai and Hashmatullah Shahidi added 121 runs.His stunning innings came in a match that had already seen India hand ODI debuts to left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey and fast bowler Gurnoor Brar. With rain reducing the contest to 25 overs per side, Gurbaz made full use of the shortened format, taking the attack to the Indian bowlers from the outset and producing one of the most destructive innings by an Afghanistan batter against India.

Uncapped Sussex pace bowler Henry Crocombe has been called into England’s squad for the second Test against New Zealand as cover for Ollie Robinson.

Robinson, who took seven wickets on a brilliant return to Test cricket in the first-Test win at Lord’s, experienced knee soreness after a training session on Saturday and will have a “precautionary” scan on Sunday.

The second match of the three-Test series starts on Wednesday at Trent Bridge.

Crocombe, 24, has taken 21 wickets at an average of 28.61 in seven County Championship matches for Sussex this season and claimed 4-65 for England Lions against South Africa A last month.

England are without seamer Gus Atkinson and captain and all-rounder Ben Stokes for the Test, which begins on Wednesday, after they were involved in an incident in a nightclub.

Crocombe has never been included in an England squad but has been namechecked by England coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key in recent weeks.

Josh Tongue, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker and Matt Fisher are the other seamers in the squad.

Jorge Posada’s wife, Laura Posada, formerly née Mendez, racked up significant attention online when she posted a carousel of photos on her social media while soaking up the sun in a black bikini during a tropical getaway in Montenegro.

Laura posed in a halter-neck bikini set from Maxine Yachtwear, known for its luxury women’s yachtwear. She styled her look with an elegant bandana and classy shades. Her toned physique, including her sculpted abs, was on full display in the pictures. The 54-year-old also shared a sneak peek of the stunning waterfront area featuring Tapasake, which is One&Only Portonovi’s signature beach club and restaurant area where the shots were taken.

“Montenegro, you’re GORGEOUS 🖤💫” – Jorge Posada’s wife, Laura Posada captioned the IG post.

In 2000, when Jorge Posada and his wife got married, Yankees HOF Derek Jeter was his best man. Their first child, Jorge Jr., was born with a health complication called craniosynostosis, where it fuses skull-bones prematurely, not leaving any space for the brain to grow. Jorge Jr. survived nine operations where the doctors peeled off his skin, took the bones out, and restructured them. Posada recounted not remembering what happened on the field during this time. Currently, Jorge Jr. is a 15-year-old who leads a healthy life and even plays baseball.

When Jorge Posada opened up about why Alex Rodriguez doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame

Yankees catcher Jorge Posada was part of one of the most successful eras of the franchise’s history, which was also the time when steroid usage heavily influenced the game. In a candid interview, Posada revealed that even while people around him were shooting up performance-enhancing drugs, he never got tempted, although he revealed there were a lot of times he thought about it, but he had bigger reasons to stay away from it.

On being asked about his teammate Alex Rodriguez, who was suspended for using PEDs and lying about it, Posada said any player who is linked to steroids doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame.

“I don’t think it’s fair for the guys that have been in the Hall of Fame that were that played the game clean. I think the guys that need to be in the Hall of Fame need to be players that played with no controversy.” – Jorge Posada claimed.

The former MLB icon belonged to the Yankees’ “Core Four” who went on to win four World Series titles. The 5x All-Star had an illustrious career of 17 seasons from 1995 to 2011. Currently, he is the assistant hitting coach for the Italian team for international games and holds an advisory role in MLB.