I Dig Sports
Jones hat-trick gives Scotland nervy win over Italy
It was soon to become 19-9 when Allan's unerring boot lashed over another penalty, and then another early in the second half to make it a just a seven-point game.
Allan's boot kept Italy in the game and their confidence started to soar as a consequence. The game began to take on shades of Rome a year ago, when Scotland raced into a lead and then got pegged back slowly but surely.
That sense only hardened when Russell, in two minds around kicking or passing, threw a weak ball in Jones' direction which was picked off by Brex.
The centre ran away to the posts. Allan converted and the game was level. History repeating?
It was a scrap now, a disjointed, nervy slugfest, but when you have a little genius like Graham in your ranks then you always have hope. The try that put Scotland back in the lead, and gave them a bonus point, was startling.
From a scrum on the edge of their own 22, they went right, eventually to Graham, who cut back inside, evading two defenders, put on the turbo boost to skip away from another and then found Jones who scampered away.
Boy, did Scotland need something to happen at that time. They had become stodgy and error-prone until the wee man did his thing and electrified Murrayfield. A try from nothing that settled home nerves.
Russell made it a 26-19 with the conversion. Graham's brilliance sparked something and Scotland scored again five minutes later.
This time, it was Jones at his outstanding best. He had three Italians to get by near the visitors' line and he did them all. A treble for the centre and precious breathing space for the Scots.
Italy came again, piled on the heat, came close to another comeback but the belligerence in the home defence kept them out amid some hairy moments.
BARBERVILLE, Fla. Cole Falloway drove like a seasoned veteran to score his win at Volusia Speedway Park on Friday night.
However, it was only his second start there.
Finishing first in every event he competed in, the Owensboro, Ky., driver set the quick time in qualifying, led every lap of his heat race and then led all 20 laps for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds at Volusia Speedway Park.
Mitch Thomas and Falloway led to the green flag, with Falloway taking the top spot with a stronger start than Thomas on the high line.
Seeing Thomas falter early, Trevor Neville took over second place as Thomas No.97 machine struggled to gain momentum on his side.
Things immediately went wrong for Thomas and Neville on the sixth lap. Their cars collided in Turn 4, causing heavy damage and eliminating the two from competing for the duration of the feature.
Falloway had a new lineup of modifieds to defend, as Will Krup and Thursdays podium finishers David Stremme and Kyle Strickler attempted their hunt towards taking the win away from the No. 66 modified.
Strickler and Stremme battled for the final podium position, culminating in the High Side Tickler taking his No.8 Elite Chassis up to the high side of the track and swinging by Stremme for the spot.
With the laps ticking down, Falloway played it safe with a comfortable three-second lead over Krup as he crossed under the twin checkered flags for his first DIRTcar Nationals Golden Gator trophy and a $1,200 check.
Last night was mostly me getting comfortable, Falloway said. I think we had a better car than what we showed last night, and tonight I was able to set Quick Time and won my Heat so I could get out front and make laps in the Feature. I cant thank everybody enough who helps me out.
Krup drove toward a feel-good second-place finish after a mechanical issue in Thursday nights qualifying session took the driver out of the nights program.
I mean, Ill take this over last night all day, Krup said. We had a good piece, we just obviously need to get a little better. I couldnt quite get turned into (Turn 3), but well take this over last night for sure.
Strickler snagged third place to build his lead in the UMP Modified Speedweeks points, and sits in prime position for a front-row starting spot in Saturdays opening week finale after starting the feature in 10th place.
Im actually happier about a third tonight than I was for a second last night, Strickler said. I thought we had the best car last night and didnt win, and I felt like we had a decent car tonight but we started so far back. We were able to maneuver through the field and got the Elite Chassis one, two, three, so I know thats important for Nick (Hoffman) and everybody involved.
Stremme finished the night in fourth and Thursdays winner Curt Spalding was fifth.
The finish:
Feature (20 Laps): 1. 66-Cole Falloway[2]; 2. K9-Will Krup[4]; 3. 8S-Kyle Strickler[10]; 4. 35-David Stremme[5]; 5. 5CS-Curt Spalding[7]; 6. 19-Dustin Sorensen[6]; 7. 5-Jonathan Taylor[14]; 8. 13-Charlie Mefford[15]; 9. 77D-George Dixon[12]; 10. 36-Kenny Wallace[8]; 11. 21CZ-Cole Czarneski[11]; 12. 7D-Brad Deyoung[17]; 13. 35A-Michael Altobelli[22]; 14. 77-Ray Bollinger[20]; 15. 12L-Lucas Lee[16]; 16. 56-Colton Profitt[18]; 17. 91-Chris Beaulieu[13]; 18. 27G-Jason Garver[23]; 19. 7-Evan Taylor[21]; 20. 27-Michael Turner[9]; 21. 31G-Stephen Pedulla[19]; 22. 2K-Taylor Kuehl[24]; 23. 777-Trevor Neville[3]; 24. 97-Mitch Thomas[1]
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. Andy Jankowiak wrestled the lead from Tanner VanDoren early on before fending off Tommy Catalano in the late stages to win Friday nights BlackJack 21, as part of the NAPA Auto Parts Atlantic City Indoor Races at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
The victory was the Tonawanda, N.Y., natives ninth with the Indoor Auto Racing Championship Series, putting him in a tie at the top of the series all-time wins list with Ryan Flores and Erick Rudolph.
We were kind of the benefit of other peoples bad luck there, Jankowiak said. I think Tanner (VanDoren) was a little tight there, and I have to give a lot of credit to Tommy Catalano. He probably couldve roughed me up. We have some work to do for Saturday if we want to sweep the weekend because I felt like we were almost spinning in every corner.
Jankowiak started the 21-lap feature in fourth, but was quickly propelled into the runner-up spot after Ryan Flores and Anthony Sesely got together ahead of him. Seselys car flipped and slid down the frontstretch before slamming violently into the turn 1 wall. Sesely was alert and transported for further observation.
When the race restarted, Jankowiak began beating down VanDorens rear bumper for the top spot. Jankowiak saw his opportunity to pounce on lap three, when he crossed his No. 57 under VanDoren off turn four to take command.
From there, Jankowiaks performance was sensational as he left the field in the dust and looked to be on his way to victory. However, the yellow flew with two laps to go, giving Catalano, who was hungry for his first Indoor race, a chance to take a stab at Jankowiak.
Catalano tried to muster a run at the lead, but Jankowiak kept his cool under pressure and took off into the NJ night on the last lap for the $2,100 top prize. Catalano had to settle for second while Briggs Danner, Tanner VanDoren and Matt Swanson completed the top five.
Saturdays Gamblers Classic will serve as the finale for the 2025 Indoor Auto Racing Series Concrete Series championship. Andy Jankowiak, with 304 points, brings a 29-point lead into the race over Ryan Flores 275 markers.
The Dr. William Lowe sponsored the TQ Fast Time Award Friday was earned four-time Gamblers Classic winner Andy Jankowiak during a blistering session in which each driver went out once, but had the opportunity to go a second time if they were willing to sacrifice their lap from the first go around. The Tonawanda, NY drivers sizzling lap of 7.980 seconds was good enough to narrowly top Anthony Seselys 7.983 second lap. Briggs Danner (7.902), Tanner VanDoren (7.943) and Matt Janisch (7.988) completed the top five.
Jared Silfee paced the 40-car Slingshot field in time trials with a lap of 9.244 seconds. Don Boonstra sponsored the three division qualifiers, which were claimed by Louden Reimert, Cody Kline and Alex Lizotte.
Mike Perry bested the field of 39 Champ Karts in time trials by rocketing around the speedway in 8.586 seconds. Champ Kart qualifiers were won by Brandon Tiezzi, Logan Crisafulli and Steve Adams.
Kyle Lick breezed his way to the top of the leaderboard in Dirt 600 Micro time trials by turning a lap of 8.200 seconds. Lick and Scott Kreutter won both qualifiers.
Watch Saturday nights Gamblers Classic on SPEED SPORT affiliate DirtTrackDigest.tv.
The finish:
Blackjack 21 TQ Midget A-Main (21 Laps) 1. Andy Jankowiak 2. Tommy Catalano 3. Briggs Danner 4. Tanner VanDoren 5. Matt Swanson 6. Shawn Nye 7. Tyler Catalano 8. Ryan Flores 9. Matt Janisch 10. Trevor Catalano 11. Cory DiMatteo 12. Nick Ladyga 13. Scott Kreutter 14. Joey Bailey 15. Kyle Lick 16. Billy Pauch Jr 17. Jeremy Haudricourt 18. Ryan Smith 19. Cole Mullen 20. John Barnett 21. Tim Buckwalter 22. Anthony Sesely
BARBERVILLE, Fla. Two races, two wins for Justin Peck and Rudeen Racing.
Peck, 27, of Monrovia, Ind., dominated the American Sprint Car Series National Tour main event Friday night at Volusia Speedway Park, leading all 25 laps around the half-mile oval for the second consecutive night.
After joining the Washington-based team in October 2024, Peck knew he and the team were going to mesh well and expressed his high confidence going into their first year together. The team, more known for their presence in the national 410 sprint car ranks, brought their 360 engines with them to Florida with purpose, and its being fulfilled with their second checkered flag in two races.
That was the goal, Peck said. I knew after yesterday we had a really strong package, and if we could just keep it rolling and be consistent, we were gonna be tough to beat.
Though he was never legitimately challenged for the lead throughout the feature, Peck said he did not feel as comfortable as he would have liked with his choices late in the race.
Two nights in-a-row, Im dialing myself out come the end of the race and getting myself too tight, Peck said. Our stuff is really fast, but I think Tyler (Tessemaker, crew chief) and I kinda found a little something there in that Feature that we need to work on. We were trying to make some tweaks, and I think we tweaked the wrong way at some point in that feature.
Throughout the week, Peck has faced stiff competition from several fellow 410 sprint car regulars, which continued on Friday. TwoC Racings newest pilot, Cole Macedo, chased Peck in the closing laps and was ready to make a bid for the lead, but the opportunity never came.
I felt like my car was better a little bit lower on the track, Macedo, 24, of Lemoore, Calif., said. I was hoping that Peck would kinda get up in the dirty stuff and spin a little bit, and hopefully I was close enough to pounce, and I just never really was.
I saw him jump the cushion there in (Turns) 3 and 4 with three (laps) to go, and I smelled blood in the water, but I just never got close enough to be able to pounce.
On the restarts, Peck remained strong but still had his concerns.
I knew that my takeoff was really good, like I could grip-up and I could take off really well, Peck said. I knew I was gonna be fine in clean air; my worry was in traffic.
Last night, I said that I got my wing too far back late in that race and it hurt me in traffic. Well, I did a good job and thought about it today and didnt do that. And then we had another restart with six or seven-to-go, and I overthought it and pulled it back too far again, got way too tight and really ruined my last six or seven lap run there.
While Macedo was unable to get close enough to Peck to make a serious challenge for the lead, he was able to score a runner-up finish a big confidence boost as he, like Peck, is still in the early stages of meshing with a new team.
Its super good to be hot out of the box with TwoC Racing and Wayne (Johnson) and all the guys here, Macedo said. For me and Wayne to be meshing this quick is really good, and well have some good momentum going into the whole journey were about to start here with the World of Outlaws. Im excited for it.
Missouri veteran Brian Brown completed the podium with a drive from 10th to a third-place finish his best of the weekend thus far. However, his advancement in position fell short of the races Hard Charger honoree Emerson Axsom.
Axsom, 20, of Franklin, Ind., drove from 21st on the grid up to fourth by the checkered flag, completing a 17-car charge up through the field from out of the Smith Titanium Last Chance Showdown. Axsom Thursday nights runner-up blew a right-rear tire in his heat race and did not finish. This forced him to come from out the last chance race, which he won, setting the stage for a head-turning drive to the front.
I honestly think weve got one of the fastest cars, Axsom said. I think weve got something for Peck. Last night, we lined up beside him and kinda had a dyno session racetrack. Tonight, we lined up 21st and came to fourth, which is a good run a really great run, actually, at this place.
In combined points from both nights, Axsom sits second only to Peck, and the two will likely see each other in the $12,000-to-win finale Saturday night.
Our stuffs really good, but we havent gotten to line up next to Justin on a technical racetrack, Axsom said. Which is where a guy like him thrives, racing all the time. But I like my odds just as much.
Id like to line up next to the 26 car when it gets slick and technical. We gave ourselves a chance to do that tomorrow for 12 grand.
The finish:
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 26-Justin Peck[1]; 2. 2C-Cole Macedo[3]; 3. 21-Brian Brown[10]; 4. 27A-Emerson Axsom[21]; 5. 48-Danny Dietrich[2]; 6. 13P-Daison Pursley[4]; 7. 51T-Scotty Thiel[7]; 8. 44-Chris Martin[8]; 9. 20-Brady Bacon[11]; 10. 4-Cameron Martin[12]; 11. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[5]; 12. 6S-Tyler Clem[18]; 13. 52-Blake Hahn[9]; 14. 88M-Austin McCarl[6]; 15. 2J-Zach Blurton[14]; 16. 95-Matt Covington[22]; 17. 24M-Danny Martin Jr[17]; 18. 34-Sterling Cling[16]; 19. 28F-Davie Franek[20]; 20. 71-Brady Baker[19]; 21. 6G-Bryan Gossel[24]; 22. 77T-Tyeller Powless[23]; 23. 16TH-Kevin Newton[15]; 24. 20D-Danny Sams III[13]
LAKE CITY, Fla. Ricky Thornton Jr. took the lead on the 29th lap of the 50-lap Wieland Winter Nationals event Friday night at All-Tech Raceway and dominated the rest of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event.
The $12,000 triumph marked his second consecutive win and his fourth at the Florida speedplant, bringing his total to 44 career victories in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
Daulton Wilson continued his strong start to the season, finishing as the runner-up after a hard-fought battle with Spencer Hughes in the final laps. Hughes completed the podium in third, having led a race-high 28 laps.
Completing the top five drivers were Hudson ONeal and Devin Moran, who regained the points lead after three completed events.
Thornton, who won by over 8 seconds, led the final 22 laps.
My crew was telling me to slow down, but the problem was I was so tight on entry that I really couldnt slow down, Thornton said. I dont know if we had 900 cautions, but I felt like we did, and with the rain coming, I was hoping to make it to halfway. I was terrible on the one restart. I felt like a ping-pong ball for a little bit there. I thought it was an awesome racetrack; you could run around the bottom, the middle, or even Hail Mary around the top. You could do whatever you wanted.
Wilson, who ran third on Thursday night, came back to finish second after getting past Hughes with six laps to go, having been in the mix the entire race.
Coming to the white there, the motor cut off. I flipped the ignition box, and it ran around there until coming to the checker, and then it died again, Wilson said. I was lucky it wasnt 51 laps, I guess. We could run on the bottom and the top; it had a little bit of character, but you could race all over it. I tried to give it to Ricky tonight, but I think I just made him mad; he just said, see you later, so good job to him.
Hughes, who started outside the front row, led the first 28 circuits while seeking his first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory.
It means a lot to be up here on the podium, Hughes said. We havent had the best go at Speedweeks so far. We finally felt like we had something working for us, and we qualified well, won a heat race, and led a little more than half of the race. Anytime you can get up front and race with these guys, it feels good, and its a big confidence booster. Hopefully, we can keep tuning on this thing and get a little better.
The finish:
Ricky Thornton Jr., Daulton Wilson, Spencer Hughes, Hudson ONeal, Devin Moran, Tyler Erb, Brandon Sheppard, Brandon Overton, Garrett Alberson, Clay Harris, Daniel Hilsabeck, Max Blair, Jackson Hise, Blair Nothdurft, Cory Lawler, Tyler Bruening, Ryan Gustin, Mike Marlar, Kyle Bronson, Ethan Dotson, Jonathan Davenport, Joseph Joiner, Tim McCreadie, Drake Troutman, Carson Ferguson, Shane Clanton, Jimmy Owens.
NASCAR Notes: Clash Winner Receives Bobby Allison Trophy
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. NASCAR and Bowman Gray Stadium announced today that the winners trophy for the Cook Out Clash will be named the Bobby Allison Memorial Trophy.
Its in honor of the late NASCAR Hall of Famer and multi-time winner at The Madhouse.
Few drivers are as engrained in the history of Bowman Gray Stadium than the legendary Bobby Allison, said Justin Swilling, NASCARs Project Manager for the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. We reached out to Wood Brothers Racing, who shared photos of previous NASCAR Cup Series trophies awarded to Bowman Gray Stadium winners, and Jostens designed a trophy that lived up to that legacy. And when the Wood Brothers suggested we name the trophy after such a legendary figure in Bowman Gray Stadium history as Bobby Allison, it made perfect sense.
One of NASCARs 75 Greatest Drivers, Bobby Allison carries an extensive list of accomplishments that includes his 1983 NASCAR Cup Series championship season, three Daytona 500 victories in 1978, 1982 and 1988, two NASCAR Modified Division championships in 1964 and 1965, two NASCAR Modified Special Division titles in 1962 and 1963, and a fantastic 1972 season when he won 10 races, had 12 second-place efforts, and 11 poles while finishing second to Richard Petty in the Cup Series championship standings.
The 1971 Myers Brothers Memorial 250, the 29th and most recent Cup Series race at Bowman Gray Stadium, was won by Bobby Allison in a disputed finish due to the circumstances of the race and the size of the car he drove.
It was not until Oct. 23, 2024, when NASCAR officially recognized Allisons victory and awarded him the 85th win of his career, placing him fourth on the all-time Cup Series wins list. Allison passed away the following month.
The trophy itself is a marvelous Jostens design standing 31 inches tall. It is made of handcrafted wood with a rich, black finish and black powder-coated metal cup.
The custom gold metal columns accent a 24-karat gold, hand-polished car and Cook Out Clash logo cut by a 600w laser. Jostens also designed the Cook Out Madhouse Classic Trophy, which is an exquisite 25-inch tall masterpiece of handcrafted wood and laser-cut aluminum.
C.J. McLaughlin will drive DGM Racings No. 92 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series opener at Daytona Intl Speedway on Feb. 15. McLaughlin will drive the teams third entry as a teammate to Ryan Ellis and Josh Bilicki.
23XI Racing announced a multi-year sponsorship with Virtual Gaming Worlds, an interactive entertainment company, harnessing technology and creativity to deliver world-class, free-to-play games.
Beginning with the upcoming NASCAR season, the partnership will feature VGWs Chumba Casino brand as the primary paint scheme for several races across all three 23XI cars.
The collaboration expands the brands global reach in motorsports, complementing its existing partnership with Scuderia Ferrari in Formula 1.
Kaden Honeycutts No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado RST will continue to adorn familiar branding associated with Precision Vehicle Logistics, AutoVentive, and DQS Solutions & Staffing as the team announces a sponsorship renewal for the upcoming race season.
Honeycutt, who enters his first full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign, is scheduled to race with the partners primary support for the majority of the 25-race calendar, including the season opener at Daytona Intl Speedway.
DGM Racing and Ryan Ellis announce the return of Ellis key partner, Classic Collision. Classic Collision will adorn DGM Racings No. 71 Chevrolet throughout the NASCAR Xfinity Series season and serve as the primary sponsor for at least 10 races.
NASCAR and Bowman Gray Stadium announced today that AdventHealth Hendersonville will serve as the Official Health Care Provider of Bowman Gray Stadium for Cook Out Clash Weekend
Michigan Intl Speedway announced that DQS Solutions & Staffing has been named the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race entitlement sponsor. The DQS Solutions & Staffing 200 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics is June 7.
Salah moves clear of Lampard in PL scoring charts
Mohamed Salah has risen to sixth in the Premier League's all-time goalscoring charts after scoring a brace during Liverpool's 2-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Egypt forward put Arne Slot's table-topping team in front with a 30th-minute penalty before curling a glorious effort past Kepa Arrizabalaga with 15 minutes to go at the Vitality Stadium.
Salah's 177th and 178th goals in the Premier League saw him leapfrog Chelsea legend Frank Lampard, one week after he moved past eighth-placed Thierry Henry with his strike against Ipswich Town.
His second goal on Saturday was the 300th of his career. (Liverpool: 235, Roma: 34, Basel: 20, Fiorentina: 9, Chelsea: 2)
The 32-year-old is three goals clear of Manchester City's Erling Haaland and four from Newcastle United's Alexander Isak in the race for the golden boot this season. The forward has also contributed 13 assists.
Salah is the second highest scoring overseas player in the competition's history, behind only Sergio Agüero (184). Alan Shearer is the Premier League's all-time top scorer with 260 goals.
Salah is in the final six months of his contract on Merseyside and is free to negotiate with non-English clubs with the view of signing a pre-contract agreement that would see him join a new team one day after the expiry of his deal.
His Liverpool teammates Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are in an identical situation.
Information from ESPN's Global Sports Research contributed to this report
Sources: Rashford nears Utd exit with Villa loan
Aston Villa are close to agreeing on a loan deal for Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, sources told ESPN.
ESPN reported on Friday that Unai Emery's team had expressed an interest in signing the England international, and it now looks likely that Rashford could join them.
Rashford is set to move to Villa Park until the end of the season. Villa have agreed to cover a substantial part of Rashford's wage, and other performance-related bonuses have been built into the deal.
Villa have been looking at options to bolster their attacking line after agreeing to let striker Jhon Durán leave for Al Nassr.
There is also an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.
If Villa do not take up their option, Rashford will be expected back at Old Trafford in the summer.
Rashford, 27, is available after being frozen out by United head coach Ruben Amorim.
A source told ESPN that his preference was to move to Barcelona. However, the LaLiga side's financial constraints made a deal complicated.
Borussia Dortmund have also expressed interest in Rashford, but his weekly wage of around 350,000-a-week ($434,000) is proving to be a major stumbling block.
Liverpool opened up a nine-point lead in the Premier League title race as Mohamed Salah continued his sensational season with both goals in a 2-0 win at Bournemouth on Saturday.
Arne Slot's side rode their luck at times against a side unbeaten in 11 league games but Salah once again proved the difference as he took his league tally to 21 this season.
Salah rifled home a penalty after half an hour and then curled home an exquisite second in the 75th minute.
Bournemouth, who remain seventh, hit the woodwork twice -- through Antoine Semenyo when it was 0-0 and then Marcus Tavernier shortly before Salah wrapped up the points.
Liverpool have 56 points from 23 games, with second-placed Arsenal and Nottingham Forest on 47. Arsenal host Manchester City, who are fourth with 41, on Sunday.
Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth had beaten the other three members of the top four at home this season and there was huge expectation that they might slow Liverpool's march.
But Slot's side showed the clinical edge that allows them to keep accumulating points even when not in top gear and with 15 games remaining, they look indestructible.
Salah's second goal, a nonchalant left-footed curler from the right side of the penalty area, lifted the Egypt international into sixth place on the all-time Premier League scoring list with 178 goals, ahead of former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard.
Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images
It was a cruel blow for Bournemouth who moments earlier had seen substitute Tavernier's left-footed thud against the post with Justin Kluivert firing the rebound wide of a gaping goal.
Bournemouth had begun full of energy and visiting goalkeeper Alisson was called into action after 15 seconds to save a shot by the dangerous Semenyo.
Semenyo then thumped an effort from tight-angle against the frame of the goal with Alisson beaten for pace.
But Liverpool, with captain Virgil van Dijk his usual calming influence in defence, gradually began to exert some authority and went ahead when Bournemouth's Lewis Cook inadvertently clipped Cody Gakpo in a sprint inside the area and Salah dispatched his penalty in ruthless fashion.
Bournemouth thought they had levelled in the 37th minute as Semenyo played in the over-lapping Milos Kerkez down the left and his cross found David Brooks to fire home.
However, VAR confirmed that Kerkez had been fractionally offside before his assist.
Bournemouth were always a danger while it was 1-0, but Salah condemned them to a first league loss since late November.
Spirited South Africa look to end mighty India's dominance in final clash
Big Picture: Unbeaten sides, solid bowling units
It might only be edition number two, but India have asserted themselves as the team to beat in this competition. They have outclassed every team in their path to the finals, and have looked stronger than the title-winning squad in 2023 with two capped internationals under Shafali Verma.
That South Africa's story in World Cups has moved from falling short of finals to falling short in finals might be considered progress in itself.
After two consecutive senior women's T20 World Cup final appearances in as many years, and just as many heartbreaks, South Africa have set their sights on the Under-19 women's team to bring home a first women's title, just as India did in 2023.
Form guide
India WWWWW (last five completed games, most recent first)
South Africa WWWWW
In the spotlight: G Trisha and Jemma Botha
Botha might have been competing for similar honours had South Africa's batters batted more than the 26.5 overs they did in the entire tournament leading up to the semi-final. Her 37 off 24 with five fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 154 in the semi-final against Australia gave South Africa a crucial head start that proved to be decisive in what could have been a tricky chase.
Team news
Both teams are likely to stick with the same XIs from their respective semi-finals.
India (probable): 1 G Trisha, 2 G Kamalini (wk), 3 Sanika Chalke, 4 Nikki Prasad (capt), 5 Ishwari Awasare, 6 Mithila Vinod, 7 Aayushi Shukla, 8 VJ Joshitha, 9 Shabnam Shakil, 10 Parunika Sisodia, 11 Vaishnavi Sharma
South Africa (probable): 1 Jemma Botha, 2 Simone Lourens, 3 Kayla Reyneke (capt), 4 Karabo Meso (wk), 5 Fay Cowling, 6 Mieke van Voorst, 7 Seshnie Naidu, 8 Luyanda Nzuza, 9 Ashleigh van Wyk, 10 Monalisa Legodi, 11 Nthabiseng Nini
Pitch and conditions: Spin to win
The Bayumeas Oval in Kuala Lumpur has two surfaces prepared with soil imported from Darwin, Australia, and another two with local red soil. Matches have been played on both pitches in the tournament, with the red-soil pitches offering more turn, like the game between India and Sri Lanka. The Australian soil pitches (numbers 2 and 3) have been conducive for run-scoring and yet sporting, like pitch No. 2 was for Friday's semi-final. Pitch No. 3 will be used for the final, and should play similarly.
Regardless of the pitch, India's three left-arm spinners have been outstanding, having taken 35 wickets between them, including all eight in the semi-final. South Africa will need to find a way to score down the ground against them, given the success that Aayushi Shukla, Parunika Sisodia and Vaishnavi Sharma have had against batters sweeping. South Africa's batters are the second-best team after India against spin, averaging 20.3.
South Africa's spinners also accounted for six of the eight Australian wickets in the first semi-final, with Reyneke (10) leading their wicket-takers list at an average of 5.50.
While rain has been around all tournament, more so in Johor and Kuching than in Kuala Lumpur, the forecast for Sunday's final is clear with temperatures reaching a high of 32 degreesCelsius and humidity around 60%. There is a reserve day for the final.
Stats and trivia
- Together, G Trisha and G Kamalini have scored approximately 75% of India's total runs. Sanika Chalke is the only other batter to have faced more than 20 balls, leaving the middle order largely untested.
Raunak Kapoor is deputy editor (video) and lead presenter for ESPNcricinfo. @RaunakRK
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