Sports
PH’ Baseball World Cup Finals bid ends after loss to Venezuela
The Philippine women’s baseball team in action during the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup. –WSBC PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–The Philippine women’s baseball team’s campaign in the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup came to an end on Thursday after being routed by Venezuela, 10-0, at Aspac Secondary Field in Tainan, Taiwan.
Giving up five runs in the second after failing to tie things up at 1-all in the bottom half of the first inning put the Filipina batters in a huge hole that eventually paved the way for their exit from the tournament with a 2-3 win-loss record.
With the loss, coach Saki Bacarisas’ squad wrapped up the country’s maiden stint in the tournament highlighted by back-to-back victories on Wednesday at the expense of Cuba and Great Britain.
But hopes of advancing to next year’s Finals in Rockford, Illinois in the United States as one of the three best teams in Group B were dashed on the final day, starting with an 8-2 loss to host Chinese-Taipei.
Its early chance at keeping it close with Venezuela came in the bottom half of the first inning and trailing 1-0.
Veronica Velasco singled to right with one out, before advancing to second when Venezuela starter Abril Amaro was called for a balk, putting her in scoring position.
But Mae Langga popped out to shortstop despite being ahead in the count, before Martine Francisco, who keyed the early runs for the Philippines the other day, struck out swinging for the last out.
It was then that Venezuela took command and rocked starter Maria Christine Bautista, who was eventually relieved after 1 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs, five earned, on seven hits.
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Former Liverpool and England player turned pundit Jamie Carragher faces being declared bankrupt over an unpaid tax bill, said to be in the region of £700,000 and £800,000.
Documents seen by the BBC show that a case was filed against James Lee Duncan Carragher on Wednesday.
Carragher and his representatives have been approached for comment.
The ‘bankruptcy petition’ filed by lawyers representing HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) was first reported by City AM.
A spokesperson for HMRC told BBC Sport that it did not comment on individual cases, but a spokesperson added: “We take a supportive approach to dealing with customers who have tax debts and do everything we can to help those who engage with us to get out of debt, such as offering instalment plans.
“We only petition for bankruptcy as a last resort.”
Carragher, who played for Liverpool between 1996 and 2013, regularly appears on Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage, the Stick To Football show and CBS Sports’ Champions League programming.
A spokesperson for Carragher told BBC Sport: “This is a private tax matter that should have been resolved sooner, and the appropriate steps are being taken today to settle it. It is understood that the matter will not proceed any further and will be resolved imminently.”
The 2026 William Troost-Ekong Foundation Secondary Schools Football Tournament begins today, Thursday, August 27, with the boys’ semi-finals taking place at the Uyo Township Stadium.
The tournament is organised by the William Troost-Ekong Foundation in partnership with the Akwa Ibom State Football Association (AKSFA) to provide young footballers with an opportunity to showcase their talents while continuing their education.
Eight secondary schools are taking part across the boys’ and girls’ categories, with six matches scheduled throughout the competition.
The boys’ semi-finals will take place today, with Etinan Institute, Etinan facing Community Secondary School, Ikot Oku Ubo at 2pm.
In the second semi-final, St. Brian College, Uyo, will meet Apostolic Secondary School, Ikot Oku Nsit at 4pm.
The winners of both matches will meet in the boys’ final on September 1 at 3pm.
The girls’ competition will begin on Friday, August 28, with Community Secondary School, Aka Offot facing Secondary School, Adadia at 2pm, while Methodist Secondary School, Ibiaku Ishiet will take on Community Secondary School, Ikot Oku Ikono at 4pm.
The girls’ final will be played on September 1 at 1pm.
Venus Williams hasn’t won a singles tennis match since July 2025. The seven-time Grand Slam champion and former women’s No. 1 is currently 611th in the WTA rankings and 46 year’s old, but she is in the main draw of the 2026 US Open, thanks to a wild card.
“I get a lot of joy out of being different or unexpected or bucking the system,” she told Vogue earlier this year. “I find that thrilling.”
Nevertheless, her invitation to play in the women’s singles of the US Open raises a fundamental question: How do wild cards work?
The power of the organizers
A wild card allows a player to participate in a tournament even if their current ranking doesn’t warrant it. Organizers can use wild cards to promote young players, facilitate comebacks—or bring in big names.
Williams’ case is supported by her extraordinary career. She won two of her seven Grand Slam titles at the US Open and her name alone still sells tickets.
‘The most effective tool for developing young talent’
In a statement to DW, the German Tennis Federation (DTB) described wild cards as “one of the most effective tools for developing young talent.”
It was something that offered youngsters with “experience at the highest international level—experience that cannot be fully replicated through training or competing at lower-tier tournaments.”
However, the DTB also noted: “In our view, there is no automatic priority given to either ‘big names’ or up-and-coming players. The deciding factors are the specific situation and the tournament’s objectives.”
In addition to sporting criteria, factors such as “a tournament’s appeal or marketing potential could also play a role,” the DTB explained. However, there must “always be clearly added value for the tournament and the sport.”
Mixed reactions from the tennis world
After Venus received a wild card for the Miami Open in March despite being on a losing streak, former world No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov was critical.
“I have incredible respect for Venus Williams’ achievements. Multiple Grand Slam singles champion, world No.1, but it’s time,” he told the Hard Court podcast. He also argued that wild cards would be better used to help younger players in their development.
Andy Roddick, former US Open winner and world No. 1, disagreed.
“You can save all of your ‘she shouldn’t get a wild card.’ If you won five Wimbledons, seven majors, you’re part of the most iconic tennis family in history, this is a win for the tournament at Washington DC, the city of Washington DC,” Roddick said on his Served podcast ahead of last year’s DC Open.
Andy Murray also pushed back against criticism regarding his wild cards back in 2021. After everything he had been through and contributed to the sport, he “shouldn’t have to justify why I should get wild cards,” said the three-time Grand Slam winner.
Venus’ sister, Serena, received a wild card for Wimbledon this year at the age of 44. The 23-time Grand Slam champion had not played a singles match in nearly four years prior to that. She lost in the first round. (Both Venus and Serena have also been granted a wild card to compete in the US Open women’s doubles.)
Wawrinka’ frown turned upside down
Stanislas Wawrinka, who is retiring after this season had hoped for one final appearance at the US Open – but was initially denied a wild card. It was bitterly disappointing for the now 41-year-old Swiss, who is ranked 127th in the men’s rankings but won the tournament in 2016 – one of his three career Grand Slam titles. However, after the slightly higher ranked American, Patrick Kypson, withdrew due to injury, the organizers extended an invitation to a delighted Wawrinka.
“I’m incredibly excited to accept the wild card for the 2026 US Open and look forward to competing in front of the fans in New York once again,” he said in a statement.
Tatjana Maria has also experienced just how unpredictable wild card decisions can be. The German won the WTA 500 tournament at London’s Queen’s Club in 2025, defeating four top-20 players along the way. A year later, the defending champion didn’t receive a wild card, with all four invitations going to British players.
“I was pretty sure I’d get a wild card—or at least I hoped so, since I won here last year,” Maria said.
She wound up having to go through the qualifying rounds—and won both of her matches to make it into the main draw.
Two bagels and 20 double faults
There was also a bizarre case in Kenya earlier this year. At the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour W35 tournament in Nairobi, 21-year-old Egyptian player Hajar Abdelkader received a wild card. The World Tennis Tour is a developmental series for the WTA Tour.
Abdelkader lost to Germany’s Lorena Schaedel 0–6, 0–6 in a match that lasted just 37 minutes. She won just three points and committed 20 double faults.
The ITF described her performance level as “unacceptable.” Tennis Kenya admitted that she shouldn’t have been granted a wild card. The ITF announced plans to review its procedures and consider establishing a minimum sporting standard for wild cards.
A better solution?
The US Open itself has found a way to tie wild cards more directly to sporting criteria. In the US Tennis Association’s “Wild Card Challenge,” players accumulate world ranking points over several weeks; the leader at the end secures a spot in the main draw. Carol Young Suh Lee clinched a main-draw women’s singles wild card for this year’s tournament, while J.J. Wolf did the same on the men’s side.
This article was adapted from German.
Edited by: Jonathan Harding
The summer transfer window is coming to a close for Premier League clubs and there is going to be an almighty scramble right up until the deadline.
MORE — All Premier League ins and outs during the summer window
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Buckle up, this wild summer of spending will have a frantic finale.
Below are all of the details you need on how to watch the Sky Sports News Transfer Deadline Day show in the USA.
When is the summer transfer deadline in the Premier League?
The transfer window shuts at 6pm ET on Tuesday, September 1.
All 20 Premier League clubs have until then to complete transfers to buy and sell players.
How can you watch Transfer Deadline Day live?
You can watch Sky Sports’ Transfer Deadline Day show live on Peaccock here on Tuesday, September 1 from 5pm ET to 8pm ET.
Aug 26, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (26) reacts after his two run home run during the eighth inning against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The runs are coming more frequently for the New York Yankees, and they hope it bodes well for a crucial four-game series against the Boston Red Sox this weekend.
First, the Yankees will seek a continuation of their recent production when they host the Houston Astros on Thursday night in the finale of a three-game series.
New York is 11-6 over its past 17 games. Since being held without a hit for 6 2/3 innings by Toronto’s Dylan Cease in Saturday’s 4-3 loss, the Yankees have 24 runs in their past three games and are batting .333 (35-for-105) while hitting .367 (11-for-30) with runners in scoring position.
In Wednesday’s 9-3 win over Houston, New York had 13 hits, equaling its highest total since the All-Star break.
The Yankees will seek a fourth straight game with 10-plus hits for the second time this season after accomplishing the feat from May 1-4, when they scored 39 runs in a four-game sweep of the Orioles.
“This is more in line with what I believe we’re capable of offensively,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Hopefully, we continue to ascend.”
New York’s production at the plate coincides with Cody Bellinger returning from missing 25 games with a strained left hamstring. He hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the seventh inning Wednesday and is batting .333 (19-for-57) in his past 15 games. And Jazz Chisholm Jr. is hitting .435 (10-for-23) in his past seven games after getting three hits Wednesday.
Luis Garcia Jr. homered for the third time in four games Wednesday and is batting .462 (12-for-26) over his past seven games.
Houston, meanwhile, has lost 10 of its last 16 games and will attempt to avoid its fourth straight series loss.
Yordan Alvarez enters Thursday’s games with an MLB-leading .322 batting average and is hitting .543 (19-for-35) in an eight-game hitting streak against the Yankees.
Despite Alvarez’s prowess at the plate, the Astros are struggling out of the bullpen of late. Houston relievers have allowed six runs and have an 8.76 ERA in the past six games.
“I expect our starters to start getting us deep in the game, but right now taking your starter out in the fourth inning could wear down on you,” Houston manager Joe Espada said. “We’re trying to navigate those waters, but we’ll find a way.”
Right-hander Gerrit Cole (7-6, 3.11 ERA), who has yielded three runs or less in nine straight starts, will start on Thursday for the Yankees. Cole last pitched a week ago in Baltimore and allowed one run on four hits in six innings in a 6-1 victory.
Cole is 1-2 with a 2.57 ERA in four career regular-season starts against the Astros.
Fellow right-hander Hayden Wesneski (3-1, 4.23 ERA), who was traded by the Yankees in a 2022 deadline deal to the Chicago Cubs, will start for Houston on Thursday. He is coming off his best outing so far.
After getting tagged for five runs against the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 15, Wesneski allowed one hit in five innings during a 4-0 win over the Athletics on Friday.
He will face the Yankees for the first time in his career.
–Field Level Media
Stuart Broad insists there is a “real lack of leadership” in England’s dressing room after another off-field drunken controversy in the last week.
Brydon Carse is being investigated over an incident in Derby on Saturday night, after videos circulating on social media showed the Durham bowler in handcuffs being led away from a nightclub by police officers. He was later “de-arrested”, police said, after agreeing to leave the area. Derbyshire Police said on Wednesday they are “investigating allegations of assault.”
Carse has been dropped from England’s squad for the second Test against Pakistan and he was not on England duty at the time of the alleged incident, after being an unused member of the squad for the first Test, which England won comfortably at Headingley, but is one of 30 players centrally contracted by the ECB.
The investigation by the Cricket Regulator comes five days after England’s returning captain Joe Root spoke of the players being “really good role models and human beings”, after a series of incidents over the past 12 months and accusations of a drinking culture.
Now, ex-England bowler Broad has had his say. “Throughout the summer, throughout the Ashes, there’s a real lack of leadership in this team,” he said on Sky Sports, ahead of the Test against Pakistan at Lord’s.
“Even with the captaincy talk… Joe Root was the only option. That’s a real stark view of what leaders are in that changing room at the moment. You’d expect the players to really look after each other.
“This England group can’t be held responsible for the situation Brydon Carse found himself in on Sunday morning [given he had just played for Durham], but it’s very much a team-led thing. What you’ve got to be careful of is tarring everyone with the same brush: ‘this England team are behaving badly’.
“Well, it’s a bit of a fresh slate. They’ve got a new captain and a new coach coming in. Let’s see how they go in the next few months because really, we’re at the stage where we can’t have any more misdemeanours like this.
“I read it on Sunday afternoon and even I was like ‘for goodness sake, what are you doing?!’ Start getting it right, get your heads down for a period of time, you’re England cricketers. And if I’m feeling that, the fans are feeling that.”
Controversy has followed England around in recent times with off-field issues during last winter’s tours, including Harry Brook being fined £30,000 following an altercation with a bouncer in Wellington the night before captaining the team in a white-ball fixture, as well as drinking during a mid-Ashes trip to Noosa.
This summer Ben Stokes broke a team curfew along with Gus Atkinson, with the pair dropped from the second Test against New Zealand at the Oval, after an incident in which a member of England security was punched at a club in London.
“If I’m being brutally honest, I’m really hacked off, really disappointed,” Root said, speaking at Lord’s on Tuesday. “I’m really disappointed that after last week’s performance, we’re sat here and we’re talking about something not related to it at all.
”In terms of the incident itself, it’s obviously with the regulator. There’s not a lot I can say on it. It’s in their hands now. I’ve spoken to Brydon – when I first found out, my first concern was him as a person, as someone I’ve spent a lot of time with in this dressing room.
“You obviously develop personal relationships with players, and I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn by saying he’s very upset, he’s been very apologetic, and understands his actions. I’m sure when he gets his chance, he will say that himself. It’s not the isolated incident itself. It’s the fact that we continually keep making stupid mistakes away from the game, and it’s detracting from what we’re doing on the field.”
Sports
Updated WTC Points Table After India vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test Ends In A Draw And How It Affects Shubman Gill And Co.
It was a frustrating day for the Shubman Gill-led Indian cricket team in the second Test against Sri Lanka on Thursday. Coming into Day 5, nobody predicted the fight that Sonal Dinusha and Co. would conjure to keep India at bay. At stumps on Day 4 on Wednesday, India had put itself in a winning position in the second Test by restricting Sri Lanka in its second innings after enforcing the follow-on. India batted first after winning the toss at the Sinhalese Sports Club and scored a massive 503/9 declared, then bowled Sri Lanka out for 290. Having been forced to follow on, Sri Lanka reached 229/6 to lead by only 16 runs on Day 4.
On Day 5, Sonal Dinusha was once again India’s tormentor-in-chief as he scored 133* off 264 balls. That innings ruined India’s hopes of a win. Sri Lanka’s second innings score read 429/9 when the two teams decided to shake hands.
With the draw, India remained in fifth spot in the World Test Championship points table. India now have five wins and two draws in 11 Tests. They have a win percentage of 51.52 (before the match India had a win-percentage of 53.33). Australia (80), South Africa (75), New Zealand (72.22) and Bangladesh (55.56) are above India. Sri Lanka (33.33) are sixth.
India have seven Tests remaining (two against New Zealand and five against Australia) after the Sri Lanka series. In those seven, India have to win at least five matches and hope other results go their way.
A cramping Sonal Dinusha’s bloody-mindedness blunted the Indian bowlers on Day 5 of the second Test as a defiant Sri Lanka frustrated India.
It was an unimaginable situation once the hosts resumed the day from 229/6, a mere 16 runs ahead. India were expected to walk through the remaining Sri Lankan batters, but first they hit a roadblock in the form of the Dinusha-Keshara Nuwantha (46, 150b) partnership.
The seventh-wicket alliance produced 112 runs but, more importantly, consumed 174 minutes and 246 balls.
Their effort ensured that the Indian bowlers added one more chapter to their age-old struggles against lower-order batters. The pacers did try some short-ball and leg-side bowling tactics, but they appeared largely flat throughout the session.
Spinners Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain and Ravindra Jadeja managed to get some turn and bounce on occasions, but the ball eluded the bat to the tourists’ dismay.
In Sri Lanka’s first innings of 290, the last three wickets had batted 45 overs between them while adding 117 runs.
But the numbers tell only half the tale, as Dinusha continued to be a thorn in India’s flesh, a term used by spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule at the end of the fourth day here.
The little left-hander produced his fourth 50-plus score in as many innings in this series as the Indians might just seriously consider writing a calypso for him: ‘We Couldn’t Out Dinusha.’
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Hamilton West Side is gearing up for its fourth game in four days, and this time on short rest.
Ohio has advanced to face Iowa in the Little League World Series elimination-bracket finals. With inclement weather on the horizon the first pitch was moved up to 9 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27. That gives West Side just under 12 hours to recover after defeating Alabama in a game that ended around 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 26.
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This morning’s game will be aired live on ESPN at 9 a.m. and will also be re-aired at its originally scheduled time of 7 p.m.
Ohio has won four straight elimination games and looked dominant doing it. West Side blew out Massachusetts 10-0 in four innings, took down Texas 6-1, and eliminated New Jersey 5-2. Last night, West Side’s offense ran wild to race past Alabama 11-2.
West Side will likely turn to Leo Feltner to start on the mound. Feltner’s only thrown 1.1 innings this tournament, but it was a no-hitter showing to close out Massachusetts. Ohio will hope to repeat its small-ball success once again on offense. The Great Lakes representative has only hit two extra-base hits in the World Series but is the highest-scoring team in the field.
Iowa’s lethal pitchers won’t be available today, as ace pitchers Cooper Thissen and Anthony Johnson Jr. are both out. Thissen leads the World Series with 25 strikeouts in his nine no-hitter innings; Johnson Jr. is second with 17 strikeouts in 6.1 shutout innings. Though Iowa will have to turn to less proven arms on the mound, its offense is still a threat with both Thissen and Johnson hitting home runs this tournament. Caleb Erwin is also batting 5-7 with two RBIs.
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Follow along for live updates as Ohio faces Iowa for a trip to the Little League World Series U.S. finals.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Hamilton West Side plays Iowa in Little League World Series | Live
SEATTLE — Flau’jae Johnson scored 20 points, Dominique Malonga added 18 and the Seattle Storm beat the short-handed Toronto Tempo 90-78 on Wednesday night.
Jade Melbourne had 16 points and seven assists for Seattle (8-31), which had lost 14 of its last 15 games. Awa Fam and Zia Cooke each scored 10 points.
Toronto was without its top three scorers in Marina Mabrey (adductor), Brittney Sykes (foot) and Nyara Sabally (calf).
Rookie Kiki Rice scored a season-high 24 points for Toronto (11-27). Isabelle Harrison had 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Seattle closed the third quarter on an 11-4 run to take a 64-61 lead and opened the fourth with a 9-2 spurt for a 10-point advantage.
Tempo: At Las Vegas on Friday night.
Storm: Host Los Angeles on Sunday.
Swansea City have signed Porto midfielder Stephen Eustaquio for an undisclosed fee, which is understood to be about £3.4m.
The Canada international, 29, has agreed a two-year deal with the option for a further 12 months at the Championship club.
Eustaquio’s arrival looks like something of a coup for Swansea given his experience at club and international level.
“Stephen is an experienced leader who possesses great technical quality and game understanding,” said Swansea head coach Vitor Matos.
“His qualities will complement the options we already have available to us in midfield, and he is an incredible professional.
“He is going to be an important player for us, on and off the pitch, and I am sure our fans are going to enjoy watching him play for Swansea City.”
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