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Anuj Dal's unbeaten century puts Derbyshire in control
Worcestershire 368 and 59 for 1 (Libby 17*, Lakmal 1-19) trail Derbyshire 565 for 8 dec (Dal 114*, Masood 113, Guest 77, du Plooy 62, Thomson 54) by 138 runs
The all-rounder made 114 from 177 balls before Derbyshire declared on 565 for 8, their highest ever score against Worcestershire, and a lead of 197.
Worcestershire were left with 16 overs to negotiate and they lost Ed Pollock to Suranga Lakmal before closing on 59 for 1, some 138 runs behind.
They had reeled Derbyshire back in the previous evening so it was vital they kept up the pressure from the start of play but a dropped catch in the third over of the morning handed the home side the initiative.
Luis Reece was on 22 when he skied Josh Baker into the covers where Pollock circled under the ball and then dropped a simple catch.
It was a big moment as Reece and du Plooy proceeded to bat for another nine overs, adding 41 more runs, before the second new ball broke the stand.
Worcestershire had delayed taking it for six overs, a decision which looked even more puzzling when the first delivery from Charlie Morris lifted and moved away to have Reece caught behind.
By the time Ed Barnard trapped du Plooy lbw with a full-length delivery, Derbyshire were only two runs behind and Dal and Thomson turned that into a healthy lead with a seventh-wicket stand of 78 in 26 overs.
Worcestershire's attack got little out of the pitch although Baker bowled with control in only his 10th first-class game and deserved better figures.
It was an impressive performance from a young bowler who eight days ago was being dispatched to various parts of New Road by Ben Stokes.
Before this game, he had never bowled more than 30 overs in an innings so he can look back on this day with some satisfaction when he celebrates his 19th birthday on Monday.
It was Baker who broke the stand, having Thomson lbw as he played back but Dal and the tail put Derbyshire firmly in the box seat.
Sam Conners stayed with Dal for 15 overs before he was stumped charging Baker in the last over before tea and Derbyshire piled on the runs in the final session.
When Dal pulled Ben Gibbon for four, it was the first time in Derbyshire's history they had posted two scores of 500 or more in a season at Derby.
Dal cut Gibbon for his ninth four to reach his second first-class century and with Ryan Sidebottom, batting with a runner because of a calf injury, added 72 before the declaration came
Although Derbyshire were a bowler down and the pitch remains a good one for batting, Worcestershire have to overcome scoreboard pressure to save the game
Pollock took three fours from the first over by Conners but was comprehensively bowled when Lakmal cut one back in the sixth over.
Derbyshire were unable to make further inroads and with Sidebottom out of action, will need a big effort from Lakmal and the rest of the attack to force victory on day four.
Russell's 49* and three wickets keep Knight Riders' hopes alive
Kolkata Knight Riders 177 for 6 (Russell 49*, Billings 34, Malik 3-33) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 123 for 8 (Abhishek 43, Markram 32, Russell 3-22, Southee 2-23) by 54 runs
Kolkata Knight Riders kept their campaign alive and pushed Sunrisers Hyderabad's to the brink with a 54-run win, which gave them a decent net-run-rate boost.
This is now the tenth match out of 13 in Pune that the side batting first has won. And yet this was only the second time a team chose to bat first. Even Sunrisers would have done the same, which suggests they expected the pitch to slow down. Before that came a slow start in which Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Marco Jansen gave the Knight Riders openers nothing. Just two boundaries came in the first four overs, which brought 20 runs for the loss of Venkatesh Iyer.
The transformation
All of a sudden, a slow innings went into overdrive. Runs came quickly, wickets fell too. Before the wickets fell, though, Nitish Rana transformed the slow start with 26 off 16. He took 17 out of the 18 conceded in the fifth over by T Natarajan, who was returning from an injury layoff, and then ramped Jansen for a six to end the powerplay.
Keeping an offspinner back for the death overs is not the smartest idea on paper but Knight Riders were five down and Williamson perhaps hoped to get Russell out before needing to bring Washington back. His quicks were nearly at their best against Russell. Malik, Bhuvneshwar and Natarajan collectively kept Russell and Sam Billings quiet. Russell was 10 off 11 and 30 off 23 at two points in his innings, which is usually a win for the bowling side. Billings eventually went past a run a ball but couldn't manage major damage before falling to a slower ball from Bhuvneshwar in the 19th over.
In the process of looking for Russell's wicket, though, Sunrisers pushed their spinner's over right to the end. To his credit, Russell played percentage cricket, not taking extravagant risks when he didn't get the boundary balls from the quicks.
Washington began the last over well with a yorker and then conceded just a single to the new batter Sunil Narine, but a whole over is too long a time for a spinner against these two hitters. Washington missed the blockhole three times out of four in the rest of the over, and Russell hit all three for sixes.
Abhishek the lone warrior
In an interview at half time, Russell said 170 would have been a good score, and that Knight Riders had bonus runs. That would suggest Sunrisers would need everything to go their way in the chase. However, Williamson's wretched run continued with yet another innings under a run a ball. When he finally attempted a ramp, Russell bowled him in the fifth over.
At the other end, though, Abhishek took down a second legend this IPL season. After scoring 47 off 23 Rashid Khan balls, he consigned Narine to his costliest over this IPL, costing him 17 runs.
Hardly anyone has taken Narine on in this IPL, choosing instead to play him out, which showed in just the eight wickets for him coming into this match but also an economy rate of well under six. He went for 30 in his first three but made up for it with his ninth wicket of the season, of Nicholas Pooran, in the fourth.
With Sunrisers now needing 102 off 45, Markram had to go for everything. He managed to hit three sixes before playing Umesh Yadav on.
The net run-rate boost
It was now all about the margin of defeat because net run-rate can come in handy in the final equation. Shashank Singh and Washington batted normally until the end of the 17th but then Russell and Southee took quick wickets to restrict Sunrisers to 123 for 8.
Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
Archie Lenham adds Championship memory to his teenage dream
Leicestershire 210 and 195 for 5 (Patel 67*, Azad 54, Lenham 3-47) trail Sussex 450 (Clark, 138, Carter 72, Haines 50) by 45 runs
As he is a year older now, a young shaver no longer, it is probably wise to intimate that no more do spectators come over all protective if anybody hits him a long way. He looks slightly less vulnerable now, more game-hardened. He will doubtless be mightily relieved about that and, anyway, by the time his third over had finished with three wickets for eight runs to his name he had underlined the point for himself.
A coltish legspinner in T20 has the advantage of time pressure on the batting side and can take wickets by hanging in there. And by looking particularly young which can lead to batters muttering "play the ball not the bowler" in a desperate attempt not to be psyched out by the experience. In the Championship, especially when the opposition are faced with a deficit of 240 and can pick him off at will, the challenge is much harder.
The pitch is turning (it is a fine sight as many surfaces have refused to wear this summer) and Leicestershire have a decent spinner in the slow left-armer, Callum Parkinson. They will be desperate to give him something to bowl at, and woe betide them if they don't because judging by his exasperation if people misfield off his own bowling, he is a hard taskmaster, his standards not undermined by the county's position at the foot of the Second Division.
Leicestershire had fielding follies of their own as Sussex added 64 to their overnight score. Robinson reached 26 thanks to drops off consecutive balls from Ben Mike, by Patel at second slip and Hill at third man, but it is luck with the ball that Robinson needs if he is to attract the England selectors and today at least it was Lenham who was attracting attention. Spinners bowled 36 overs in all, limiting Robinson to 11 wicketless overs, solid enough, but no clear message to England's selectors in only his second match of the season about his form or stamina levels.
Lenham also added a personal-best 48 with the bat before he was dismissed trying to pull Chris Wright. "Two PBs, so a good day for me," he said. "I was a bit annoyed to get out on 48, but never mind, I had a dream start with the ball and those three wickets got us right back in the game. I just feel lucky to be playing first-class cricket early in my career, and I'm loving it. That said, it feels like a long day and I'm pretty tired right now."
Chances slim, but Knight Riders and Sunrisers are not out of the playoffs' race yet
Kolkata Knight Riders: M 13, Pts 12, NRR 0.160
Remaining match/es: vs Lucknow Super Giants
Knight Riders have kept their chances of qualifying for the playoffs alive, but just about. Their qualification is not entirely in their own hands.
Apart from Super Giants, three out of four teams - Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challenger Bangalore, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings - can still get to 16 points. If that happens, with Gujarat Titans having already qualified, Knight Riders are out of the race since they can get to a maximum of 14 points.
However, qualification with 14 points cannot be ruled out yet given a maximum of five teams, apart from Titans and Super Giants (who would then qualify as the first- and the second-placed teams, respectively) can still tie on 14 points. The NRR boost Knight Riders got from beating Sunrisers by 54 runs could come in handy should such a tie on 14 points take place. Knight Riders' NRR of 0.160 is currently the fifth best of the lot.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: M 12, Pts 10, NRR -0.270
Remaining match/es: vs Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings
The big loss against Knight Riders has severely dented the chances of Sunrisers making it to the playoffs. Because of the margin of defeat, Sunrisers' NRR is at present the second-poorest of the teams still in contention. Like Knight Riders, Sunrisers could also sneak through with 14 points. However, for Sunrisers it is more of an uphill task given their poor NRR and their current losing streak, which has now extended to five matches.
'Why change something that's working' - Moody on Sunrisers not using Tripathi, Markram as openers
"Rahul Tripathi has batted exceptionally well at No. 3 and Markram has been one of the leading batters in the tournament at No. 4," Moody said at the post-match press conference. "So, we felt why change something that's working for something that's not working.
"We have trusted Kane with his quality, there's no question of his world-class quality. So, that's why we haven't made that move because as we have seen throughout the tournament where the batting has been functioning really well. That is Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order, Tripathi at 3, Markram 4 and Pooran 5."
In a chase of 178 on a Pune pitch where some balls pitched on back of a length held up, Williamson kept finding the infielders, soaking up as many as 11 dots in the powerplay. He was ultimately bowled in the final over of the powerplay, trying to manufacture a scoop.
"There's some consistency to it [my struggles]," Williamson told host broadcaster Star Sports at the post-match presentation. "Hit four or five [balls to] fielders and then try a bit harder and end up walking off. So, you know it's one of those things. The game just forever teaches us lessons. So, there's a bit of learning for me there."
"I've been singing this song for maybe four-five games now," Bishop said on T20 Time:Out. "I'm a Tripathi man because Tripathi has been [good] at No. 3 but when he comes in under pressure, he has gone slow and then a wicket falls. So, that's neither here nor there but you can't go with Kane at the top again for the next game or two because it's not giving the team any impetus."
"I think the time has come now," Manjrekar said. "One more innings and we see nothing happening with Kane Williamson. One wicket down, you might think it's Kane Williamson, it's not a big setback. But one wicket down, you see Brian Lara [Sunrisers' batting coach] as well put his head down. That sort of deflates a team and Tripathi comes in and he's slightly worried.
"Instead of that, have young players coming in. Washington Sundar could be a nice opener to have. Try somebody else and make Kane Williamson the captain because you want to put trust in him as captain but as a batsman, I keep saying make him a bit redundant because of his form."
Moody: 'We've struggled for rhythm since injuries to Washington, Natarajan'
While Washington and T Natarajan returned from injury layoffs on Saturday, Moody said that their absence coincided with Sunrisers enduring a long losing streak. After winning five games on the bounce, Sunrisers have now lost five in a row and are on the brink of falling out of the race for the playoffs.
"We did get on a nice winning roll, started to play some good cricket and had everyone available for selection and then we missed a game that we should've won to make it six in a row," Moody said. "Then we had injuries to Washington and Natarajan. Every team has their injuries, but they play pretty key roles for us in the side and that's where I think we lost a little bit of confidence and also as a bowling unit a bit of rhythm to our game and method to our defence of 120 balls.
"We've struggled to recapture our rhythm since. I thought we were a lot better with the ball [today]. Apart from the back end, there were a few that got away but when you got a world-class hitter like Andre Russell at the crease, he's always going to be a threat. He has done it year in and year out. So, I thought generally any total around the 170 mark was a pretty good bowling performance."
Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
Icing on the cake: Djokovic gets win No. 1,000
ROME -- This is just what Novak Djokovic needed a week before the French Open.
The top-ranked Serb beat Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-3 at the Italian Open on Saturday to reach his biggest final of the year.
Having missed a big portion of the season because he wasn't vaccinated against the coronavirus, Djokovic will attempt to extend his five-match winning streak over Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's final.
Tsitsipas reached his first Rome final by rallying past Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Djokovic, seeking his sixth Rome title, recorded the 1,000th win of his career, making him only the fifth man to reach that mark after Jimmy Connors (1,274 wins), Roger Federer (1,251), Ivan Lendl (1,068) and Rafael Nadal (1,051).
After the match, Djokovic was presented with a cake with "1,000" written on it.
"I was seeing Roger and Rafa celebrating those milestones and I was looking forward to get to 1,000 myself," Djokovic said.
Djokovic is playing only his fifth tournament of the year, with his best previous result the final of the smaller Serbia Open, his home tournament, last month. Last week, he was beaten by 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals of the Madrid Open.
Against Ruud, the first Norwegian to break into the top 10, Djokovic jumped out to 5-1 in the opening set with an array of shot-making that negated his opponent's power.
On one point early on when Ruud pushed Djokovic wide of the doubles alley, the Serb practically did a split as he responded with a backhand winner up the line with his racket just a few inches above the red clay court.
Djokovic's most recent match against Tsitsipas came in last year's French Open final, when he rallied from two sets down to take the trophy.
Djokovic also needed five sets to beat Tsitsipas in the Roland Garros semifinals two years ago, and they went the full three sets when Djokovic won in the Rome quarterfinals last year.
"I've looked back to those matches. I've analyzed them," Tsitsipas said. "There are things that didn't work for me after two sets to love up in Roland Garros. I guess I was always pretty stubborn, didn't want to change (tactics). ... There's always one more match where I can perhaps maybe do something different."
Tsitsipas has been pushed to three sets in three of his four matches this week, having also overcome local favorite Jannik Sinner in straight sets in the quarterfinals.
Sidney Crosby, who did not play in a Game 6 loss to the New York Rangers, skated with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, coach Mike Sullivan said.
Sources told ESPN on Friday that Crosby was held out of the 5-3 loss with a concussion. The Penguins have said only that he suffered an upper-body injury after taking a high hit from Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Crosby participated in the optional practice and did not wear a non-contact jersey, but Sullivan would not say if his star has been cleared for contact. Crosby also skated individually on Friday with skills coach Ty Hennes.
Crosby had nine points in the first five games against the Rangers.
Also returning to the ice Saturday was starting goaltender Tristan Jarry, who has yet to play in this playoff series due to injury, and winger Rickard Rakell, who hasn't played since Game 1 after taking a hard hit.
Sullivan did tell reporters that all players would be traveling to New York for Game 7 on Sunday.
Liverpool kept their hopes of winning the quadruple alive with a 6-5 penalty shootout victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Cesar Azpilicueta missed and Mason Mount saw his spot kick saved for Chelsea as Kostas Tsimikas scored the crucial penalty.
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The sides, meeting in a second domestic cup final this season, played an entertaining, scoreless draw over 120 minutes before deciding it on penalties.
It was a carbon copy of the League Cup final in February, which Liverpool won 11-10 on penalties after that game also finished goalless.
Saturday's win means Liverpool remain on course for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies.
They are three points behind Manchester City in the Premier League race with two games to go and meet Real Madrid in the Champions League final on May 28.
"I'm really proud of my boys," Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp told the BBC. "Chelsea were outstanding, but in the end there can only be one winner and today it was us."
For Chelsea, it meant an unwelcome record of becoming the first side to lose three FA Cup finals in a row, after losing to Arsenal in 2020 and Leicester City last year.
Liverpool were on top early with Luis Diaz a particular threat. A through-ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold put Diaz through on goal in the eighth minute, but Edouard Mendy denied him before Naby Keita put the rebound wide.
Chelsea responded well to Liverpool's pressure, with Christian Pulisic going close on 23 minutes after excellent play between Mount and Reece James on the right wing. Shortly after, Pulisic's pass gave Marcos Alonso a sight of goal, but Alisson was off his line quickly to deny the Chelsea defender.
On 33 minutes, Liverpool suffered a blow when Mohamed Salah was forced off because of injury. Diogo Jota came on in his place and put a good chance just over moments before half-time.
Chelsea made the faster start after the break with Pulisic drawing a save from Alisson and Alonso striking the crossbar from a free kick, but both sides toiled and could create only half-chances for much of the second period.
Liverpool had a golden chance to win when substitute James Milner's cross found Andy Robertson, but he struck the post from close range.
Liverpool were dealt another blow ahead of extra time as Virgil van Dijk went off, seemingly injured, and was replaced by Joel Matip.
Neither side were able to find a breakthrough in the additional 30 minutes, meaning spot kicks for the second time this season.
Mendy had kept Chelsea alive when he saved Sadio Mane's penalty, but it proved to no avail, as Liverpool won the trophy for the first time since 2006.
Sadly for Chelsea, as in February, it was a case of so near yet so far, although manager Thomas Tuchel had no regrets.
"Like in the last final, the League Cup, no regrets. I told the team I was proud," he told reporters. "We played 240 minutes in two finals against maybe the most dangerous attacking team in the world and it's 0-0.
"I was sure during the match the momentum was on our side, but unfortunately I was not right."
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was handed the cup by Prince William to roars from the Liverpool fans, while the Chelsea end was largely empty.
"It's a big moment for us -- we haven't been in this final for some time, so to win it was special," Henderson said.
The win was Liverpool's eighth in the 150-year history of the FA Cup, drawing them level with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal have won the most with 14.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
MILWAUKEE -- The Bucks have canceled a watch party for Sunday's Game 7 against the Boston Celtics after 21 people were injured in three separate shootings near an entertainment district in downtown Milwaukee at the end of the team's Game 6 Eastern Conference semifinals loss Friday night.
A spokesman for Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said in a text that the team decided to cancel the event "after consultation with the city and public safety agencies.''
In a separate statement, the Bucks said: "The shootings that happened in downtown Milwaukee last night were horrific and we condemn this devastating violence," adding the watch party was canceled "to allow law enforcement to devote needed resources to the continued investigation of last night's events." The team did note that Deer District businesses will remain open.
The watch party likely would have drawn well over 10,000 people. The Bucks said 11,000 attended a Game 6 watch party there, even as more than 19,000 others were inside Fiserv Forum.
Three people were shot near the district outside Fiserv Forum toward the end of Friday night's game, sending fans fleeing through the streets. One person was injured in a second shooting before a third shooting less than a mile from the arena left 17 people with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
A man and a 16-year-old girl who were injured in the first shooting were transported to a local hospital Friday night, while a third person drove there, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department. All three have non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said a 19-year-old man was in custody from the first shooting and that charges were pending a review by the Milwaukee County district attorney's office. No arrest has been made in the second shooting, Assistant Police Chief Nicole Waldner said.
Ten people were taken into custody and nine firearms were recovered from the third shooting, according to police, which described the incident as an exchange of gunfire between two groups of people.
"What makes people think they can just have a shootout on a public street or in an entertainment district, whether police are there or not?" Waldner said at a noon news conference.
Five of the injured in the third shooting were armed and among the 10 people taken into custody, Waldner said.
Johnson said the city imposed a curfew for the downtown area requiring everyone age 20 or younger to be off the street by 11 p.m. for Saturday and Sunday. Extra police patrols also are planned.
"We cannot have that in this city, nor anywhere else in this state, nor anywhere else in this country," Johnson said.
Milwaukee Police have not said whether the shootings were connected, and investigations are ongoing.
Bucks fans began packing into the Deer District during the team's run to the NBA championship last season. With a chance to clinch the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Celtics and on a warm day following a long winter, Friday was the first opportunity for fans to pick up the tradition. The team had set up metal detectors surrounding the bars and entrance to the stage outside the arena.
The first shooting took place outside that perimeter, about one block from Fiserv Forum.
Witnesses outside the arena said they heard gunshots with a little more than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter of Boston's 108-95 victory that tied the series 3-3, and those shots sent many in the crowd into a frenzy, running in several directions.
A large police presence remained outside the arena hours after the game, with police taping off several intersections nearby.
ESPN's Jamal Collier and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Rome Open: Iga Swiatek beats Aryna Sabalenka to reach Rome Open final
Iga Swiatek took her winning run to 27 games by reaching the Rome Open final as she beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-2 6-1.
The 20-year-old produced a display of precision and variety in contrast to her Belarusian opponent in breaking serve six times.
The defending champion will face Ons Jabeur or Daria Kasatkina next.
World number one Swiatek has the chance it make it five straight tournament wins after victories in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami and Stuttgart.
Tunisian Jabeur, who faces Russia's Kasatkina in the second semi-final, last week became the first Arab or African player to win a WTA 1000 title in Madrid.
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