Marquez has title in sights
MARC MARQUEZ made home advantage count at Aragon in Spain with a victory that puts him on course to take the MotoGP crown for a fourth time as he opened up a 16-point lead over Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso, who was seventh.
The Repsol Honda rider had crashed twice the previous day but bounced back to snatch the lead from Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo with eight laps left and then dictated terms from the front. “Every race now is important but this was a really difficult one because from the beginning the feeling was not there,” said Marquez. “But we try to manage our instincts and to fight.” The Spaniard’s team-mate Dani Pedrosa was second, 0.879secs down. Former champion Lorenzo finished third, comfortably clear of Movistar Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales. JACKSONVILLE Jaguars have now won as many games in London as they have in their home city since October 2015 after thrashing Baltimore Ravens 44-7 at Wembley.
It was their third successive victory at a venue they have been playing in annually for five straight years. Tight end Marcedes Lewis scored three of their four touchdowns. NOT even Chris Gayle in full flow could deny Moeen Ali yet another golden moment in what is turning out to be a memorable summer for the England all-rounder.
When Gayle was passed fit for this third ODI after recovering from a hamstring strain, the sell-out Bristol crowd were anticipating batting fireworks from the West Indies’ self-styled ‘Universe Boss’.
On that note, they were not disappointed as Gayle smashed 15 boundaries before he was run out on 94.
But even Gayle at his bighitting best could not upstage a truly phenomenal innings from Moeen that left West Indies chasing a mammoth target of 370 for a victory that always appeared unlikely.
And so it proved, the tourists dismissed for 245 with 65 balls remaining as they slumped to a 124-run defeat that gives England an unassailable 2-0 lead with two matches to play.
Despite Gayle’s brutal assault after England posted a record ODI total on this ground, West Indies were never likely to recover from the damage wrought by Moeen’s 53-ball century.
It was the second fastest by an England player in 50-over cricket behind Jos Buttler’s 43-ball hundred against Pakistan in Dubai in 2015.
However, the rapidity from which Moeen moved through the gears makes this innings one of the most remarkable in England’s one-day history.
In all, he hit eight sixes from just 14 balls as he brought up his second 50 in just 12 deliveries – a world record in ODI cricket. Moeen was, though, aided by Gayle during that breathtaking passage of play, the West Indian dropping a simple chance at backward THE ECB admit they are open to staging four-day Tests from 2020 but have yet to commit to the proposal.
Responding to reports they are actively lobbying for change, the ECB said they have “no firm position” on shorter Tests before adding: “We can see benefits more compact scheduling might deliver but are sensitive to the potential effects of any change to the traditional format.
“We would welcome more insight on the effects for players and fans in order to help the game make a fully informed decision on any proposal.”