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Gardner makes early statement but wary of England fightback
Confidence can go a long way, but it can be quickly over-run and Australia are well aware of both dimensions as they carry the first points of the Women's Ashes into Tuesday's second ODI in Melbourne.
Gardner and King had also combined with the ball, taking 3 for 19 and 2 for 35 respectively after seamers Kim Garth and Megan Schutt had kept a lid on a nervy England start.
For Gardner, it was a continuation of her fine form against India and New Zealand last month after a lean run by her standards with the bat. Against India, she scored fifty and took five wickets in the third ODI, her first international half-century in white-ball cricket since July 2023, her 49 for the Sixers against crosstown rivals Thunder her only innings of note in the most recent WBBL season, where she was more damaging with the ball. She went on to score 74 in the third ODI against New Zealand immediately before this series.
"I've taken a lot of confidence out of what I was able to do in the New Zealand series," Gardner said. "To contribute with both bat and ball was something that I wanted to do to start the series off well and take some confidence into the back end of this series. We know that there's a long way to go in this Ashes series.
"We realised that pretty quickly in England last time we were six-nil up and then that got chased down pretty quickly. We could be playing amazing cricket, but England is such a good team and they always find a way.
"They certainly fought really hard in that series and we know that they're going to look at this game today and look at the things that they didn't do too well and the things that they did do well. We know that they're going to come back firing next game."
Gardner revealed that she has been nursing an elbow problem for a couple of months but insisted it wasn't an issue.
Healy, meanwhile, completed her comeback from a knee injury, scoring 78-ball 70 after returning to wicketkeeping duties for the first time since mid-November in England's innings.
"She's going to take a lot of confidence out of today," Gardner said. "Even just watching the way that she was batting through that New Zealand series, she was striking the ball really well and got some starts, but then I think today scoring 70-odd in front of her home crowd as well probably spurs you on as captain, she's leading from the front.
"But I know just from a body point of view that she's going to take a lot of confidence out of keeping for as long as she did and then being able to back that up at the top of the order, so really pleasing for her and hopefully it's some signs to come that she can score heaps more runs.
"Sometimes you can get caught in chasing a low total, just chasing the total rather than actually just trying to bat properly, and we always speak about if you're chasing small total, sometimes they're the hardest to actually chase. Today it will just give our team a lot of confidence. People stood up in different moments, whether that was with bat or the ball, and going forward we can take a lot out of today."
In fact, it was Australia's bowling combined with a rash of soft dismissals that restricted England to a below-par score and left them with things to work on.
A record crowd for a women's international at North Sydney Oval of 6236 was a fine start to a series with lofty ambitions for attendance, particularly at the day-night Test at the MCG which closes the contest from January 30.
"This is my home ground, I'm from Sydney, I've played a lot of cricket here and I've played a lot of successful games of cricket here for either the Sixers or Australia," Gardner said. "So I guess to start the series off in front of what that crowd was, hopefully it leads to more crowds like that throughout the rest of the series.
"We are playing at some really cool venues, so to hopefully play some entertaining cricket throughout the series will, fingers crossed, draw people in to come and watch us and hopefully lead to some more success."
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor, women's cricket, at ESPNcricinfo
Sears and O'Rourke included in New Zealand's Champions Trophy squad
Sears, who was a travelling reserve for the T20 World Cup last year, recently played his first game since April having returned in the Super Smash following injury and is in line for his ODI debut having played one Test and 17 T20Is. O'Rourke has impressed across formats early in his international career and has been especially eye-catching in Tests.
Smith, meanwhile, will bring lower-order power with the bat and bustling seam bowling.
"We've been a little conservative in Ben's return to play, but we always had an eye that we thought he would be part of this Champions Trophy squad," Stead said. "He's one of those guys, when you look at places like Pakistan, that pure speed is something that you're looking for, and he certainly has that. A young tearaway is always nice to see, and very excited to have him in the squad."
Stead was confident Sears would hold up fine, match-fitness-wise, after his return from injury.
"Ben's been bowling a lot over the winter still," he said. "He's been in and around our Test squads before he had that injury, so we're very confident that he will be where he needs to be."
Ferguson, Williamson and Conway face T20 league logjam
The same squad will take part in the ODI tri-series in Pakistan ahead of the Champions Trophy, which will also feature South Africa. Duffy has been named on standby for that series, if Ferguson is not available for those games due to the ILT20. There will also be a tight turnaround for Kane Williamson and Devon Conway who are at the SA20.
The final of the SA20 will be played on February 8, with the ILT20 decider the following day. New Zealand will play Pakistan on February 8 in their first game of the tri-series followed by South Africa on February 10. They then have a warm-up match against Afghanistan on February 16.
Stead said New Zealand were looking to have Ferguson, Williamson and Conway play at least two matches - including the warm-up - to ready themselves for the Champions Trophy. "Those three guys, they're world-class players for us. So Kane, Devon and Lockie will join our squad - they could be there at the very start of the tri-series, [or] it might be a couple of days later."
Mark Chapman and Will Young have earned spots while spin-bowling allrounder Michael Bracewell has also been included.
New Zealand will play the tournament opener against Pakistan in Karachi. Their second match is against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi before they travel to Dubai to face India.
"We like to stick to the same team once we've picked it but it will probably be very conditions-dependent," Santner said. "Karachi could play a lot different to Rawalpindi, and again in Dubai. With the short nature of the tournament, if you're happy with your XI, you want them to be out there and perform for the full three games. But we're open to changes depending on conditions. You need to play your best team on what's in front of you, and conditions will probably dictate it."
New Zealand squad for Champions Trophy and Pakistan tri-series
Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young
0700 GMT The story was updated with Stead and Santner quotes.
Fourteen-year-old Ira Jadhav smashes 346* for Mumbai U-19 in a 50-over game
Steelers see season end with fifth straight loss
BALTIMORE -- Safety DeShon Elliott didn't mince words after the Pittsburgh Steelers' 28-14 AFC wild-card loss Saturday night.
Despite being with the organization for only one season, Elliott was clear in his frustration with the Steelers' cycle of futility: a regular-season record above .500 followed by a one-and-done playoff stint.
"I know that in the past we've played well in the beginning of the season, and then we just s--- the bed at the end, and same s--- happened this year," Elliott said after the Steelers' sixth playoff loss in eight seasons. "Closed the season out on a five-game losing streak, including the playoffs. So we got to figure out what's the problem. We got to figure out how to get better. We got to figure out how to get past that point. We got to figure out how to finish strong in seasons to go into the playoffs."
The Steelers have taken different routes to get to this point each year, but the destination is the same. In their two most recent playoff appearances prior to the 2024 season, the Steelers rallied from slow starts to clinch a playoff berth in the last week of the season. In 2020, they started 11-0 before losing four of their final five. And in 2017, they won the AFC North and hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars after a first-round bye. Yet, each of those appearances ended the same way as the Steelers' season concluded Saturday night in Baltimore: a loss in their lone playoff game.
"I'm just assessing what transpired tonight," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said when asked about their pattern of one-and-dones in the playoffs. "As I told you guys earlier in the week, those are my bags, not this collective's bags. And so my energy is on that group in there and what they were willing to give and the journey that we've been on this year and certainly it came to a disappointing end tonight."
Saturday night was a rerun of the same nightmare that played out in each of those postseason losses. The Steelers fell behind early and trailed 21-0 at halftime, marking their second-largest halftime playoff deficit behind the 25-point hole to the Browns in 2020.
"Losing sucks," said edge rusher T.J. Watt, who didn't record a tackle or sack and had five quarterback pressures. "Losing five in a row to finish the season out sucks. Felt like we had a good week of prep. Felt like we were ready for this one. We weren't. We weren't able to stop the run. Haven't been able to stop the run. We weren't able to get it fixed. So, it's been rough last month of football."
Dating back to the 2016 AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots, the Steelers have been outscored by a combined 96 points and outgained by 641 yards in their past six playoff losses. "It's tough in a game, but can't whine about it," said defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, who has been on the team for the past six playoff losses. "They're going to make plays, but we have to make our own plays, and we did not do that."
The Ravens began making those plays in their opening possession when MVP candidate Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry combined for 71 rushing yards during a drive that ended with a 15-yard Rashod Bateman touchdown catch. The Ravens had even more success running the ball on their second scoring drive when they exclusively rushed the ball during the 98-yard series, which was capped by Henry's 8-yard touchdown. By the end of the night, the Ravens put up 299 rushing yards on a once-stout Steelers run defense.
"Having 300 yards rushing on you is worse than having 300 yards passing," Elliott said. "It was like a will. They definitely put belt to butt today."
As has been the case during the Steelers' four-game losing streak to end the regular season, the defensive players struggled to verbalize what needed to change, not only in Saturday night's loss, but also in a season-ending slide and the recent stretch of playoff losses.
"It's too fresh," Watt said. "I don't know. I don't have the answers. Clearly, if I had the answers, I would've done something differently this week. I felt like we had a good week, good week of prep. Felt like we had a relatively healthy set of guys, especially defensively, put the pads on. I felt like we had a physical practice week and didn't correlate."
Watt later added: "If I had the answer, we wouldn't be here right now. I'm going to have to take a look in the mirror and have some conversations, but I don't have the answers."
Though they couldn't put a finger on the necessary fixes, players who spoke after the game unanimously said the problem isn't Tomlin.
"I don't worry about Mike's message," Heyward said. "I worry about our technique and our execution. That's what I'm really worried about. I just wish we had played a lot better. It's not a message thing, it's not that's groundbreaking, but there was opportunities to be had, and we didn't seize anything."
The 23-year-old has had a disrupted build-up to the Australian Open, with a hip problem causing him to miss the United Cup and cancel a training camp with four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Draper said he had been trying to adapt to the heat by using saunas and "bikes in hot bubbles", alongside arriving in Australia two-and-a-half weeks before the Grand Slam tournament began.
"It's not just the tennis, it's a big mental game as well and it's how we recover after points and deal with stress in general, whether that be the tennis or the conditions," Draper said.
"I think my prep for the heat this year has been a lot better than previous years."
Draper, who is seeded 15th at Melbourne Park, has been practising alongside world number one Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic before his first-round match against Argentina's Mariano Navone on Monday.
"They just bring such a high quality to the practice court It's really great to be able to spar with that kind of level of intensity and work ethic," Draper added.
'I didn't know how much fight I had' - why GB's Burrage almost quit tennis
Burrage was at a career-high of 84th in the world rankings in February when she needed surgery on a snapped tendon in her wrist.
But she suffered another blow in April as she prepared to return to competitive action.
Burrage ruptured an ankle ligament in a practice session with British number one Katie Boulter and, although she did not require surgery, she missed another 10 weeks.
She finally returned to court in September at a WTA event in Monastir before the emotional moment in November where she questioned her future during practice at the National Tennis Centre.
It was a sliding doors moment. Burrage fought on. A week later she reached the final of a Futures event in Slovakia, then lifted the trophy in Dubai straight afterwards.
"That's the funny thing about tennis," said Burrage, who is playing in Melbourne under a protected ranking and faces French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean in the first round.
"Literally five days later, I started in Slovakia, made the final and then I win the biggest title of my career in Dubai.
"It was very up and down. Those six months were really, really hard."
Asked what stopped her quitting, she said: "For some reason, I love this crazy sport. That's what kept me going.
"The fight, being here [in Melbourne], working hard, working towards something.
"I feel like I've got so much more to give."
Since her 'fairytale of New York', Emma Raducanu has needed to show a great deal of patience.
Coping with the intense scrutiny that followed her stunning 2021 US Open triumph was tough, as was the physicality of going full-time on the WTA Tour.
There were signs of progress last year as she made her comeback from wrist and ankle surgeries in 2023.
Signing up a full-time fitness trainer has signalled Raducanu's intention to become the athlete she "knows she can be" but there was familiar blow when she pulled out of the season-opening WTA event in Auckland with a back injury.
The 22-year-old has been practising in Melbourne but will go into the major having not played competitively since November's Billie Jean King Cup.
Raducanu has drawn criticism for the way she has approached her career, either for not being robust enough, chopping and changing coaches or her lucrative sponsorship deals.
It does feel, however, that 2025 is the year where Raducanu needs to kick on. A strong run in Melbourne would be a fantastic platform to build from.
Zheng through despite 'stupid mistake' in wet Melbourne
Zheng Qinwen recovered from a "stupid mistake" to begin her Australian Open bid with a straight-set win on a rain-disrupted first day in Melbourne.
Chinese fifth seed Zheng, beaten by Aryna Sabalenka in last year's final, won 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 against Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni under the roof on Rod Laver Arena.
The Olympic gold medallist served for the opening set at 5-4 40-0, but could not take any of her three set points.
Todoni, 20, had never beaten a top-50 opponent and had the chance to move halfway to a shock win after creating three set points on Zheng's serve at 6-5.
But she could not convert and Zheng, 22, held before stepping up a gear in the tie-break.
The second set was more straightforward as Zheng, backed as usual by a huge number of Chinese fans, broke early before cruising through to victory.
"The first set is always not easy, especially because I was doing stupid mistakes - I don't know what happened there," she said.
"But I am happy to get through."
On expectations rising after winning the Olympic title, she added: "Of course there starts to be more pressure but [the fans] are pushing me to become a better person and better athlete.
"I like to play with pressure. Like what Billie Jean King says - pressure is a privilege. I love this sentence.
"Let's keep going and playing with pressure."
While Zheng was able to complete her match indoors, a heavy thunderstorm caused play on the outdoor courts to be suspended until 17:00 local time (06:00 GMT).
The first day of the Australian Open has been disrupted by heavy rain and thunderstorms in Melbourne.
Matches at the season-opening Grand Slam tournament started as scheduled at 11:00 local time (00:00 GMT) on Sunday.
But players on the outer courts were forced off about an hour later.
Play will not resume at Melbourne Park until at least 17:00 (06:00 GMT).
The wet weather meant only the matches scheduled on Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena - all of which have a roof - could be played.
Three matches had been completed by 15:00 (04:00 GMT).
Chinese fifth seed Zheng Qinwen, last year's beaten finalist, and teenage Russian 14th seed Mirra Andreeva won in the women's singles.
French 20th seed Arthur Fils secured victory in the men's first round.
Sonay Kartal, who is the only Briton in action on Sunday, was among the players whose matches were delayed.
The British number three was due to start her match against Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro at 14:00 (03:00).
Stormers: Gelant; Hartzenberg, Simelane, Roche, Loader; Libbok, Ungerer; Sithole, Kotze, Malherbe, Moerat (capt), Schickerling, Fourie, Ewers, Theunissen.
Replacements: Venter, Vermaak, Fouche, Van Heerden, Roos, De Villiers, De Wet, Du Plessis.
Sale Sharks: Carpenter; Roebuck, James, Bedlow, Reed; R du Preez (co-capt), Warr; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, John, Van Rhyn, Andrews, JL du Preez, 7. T Curry (co-capt), 8. D du Preez.
Replacements: McElroy, McIntyre, Harper, Beaumont, Bamber, Thomas, Ma'asi-White, B Curry.
Referee: Ludovic Cayre (Fra)
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