While You Were Asleep: Smriti seals it with a six for Southern Brave, Anderson and Broad put England on top, Medvedev handed tough draw in US Open

After being put into bat, Rockets could only muster 88/8. Elyse Villani (25) and Marie Kelly (22) were the notable contributors.

Fr Brave, Lauren Bell (4/10) was the wrecker-in-chief. She was ably-supoorted by Amanda-Jade Wellington (3/18).

In reply, The Brave cruised to a convincing 10-wicket win. Mandhana and Danni Wyatt (36 not out) remained unbeaten. Mandhana went to fifty to take the scores level, before hitting another six to confirm the most dominant of ten-wicket wins with 44 balls still to spare.

England take charge on Day 1

South Africa opted to bat first in Manchester after winning the toss and soon found themselves in trouble, losing Sarel Erwee to James Anderson, playing his 100th home Test in the fifth over. Stuart Broad then went on to bowl a terrific spell, dismissing Dean Elgar and Keegan Petersen in quick succession to leave South Africa at 41/3.

South Africa’s decision to bat first in the second test against England backfired Thursday when it was rolled over for 151 on an opening day when 13 wickets fell at Old Trafford.

England was 111-3 in reply at stumps, 40 runs behind and with Jonny Bairstow — the star of the team’s international summer — back in the flow on an unbeaten 38.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad, England’s top two all-time leading wicket-takers, led a strong performance from the hosts’ pace attack to help the team rip through the Proteas after captain Dean Elgar chose to bat under an overcast sky in Manchester.

The 40-year-old Anderson, playing on his home ground, had figures of 3-32 to take his national-record haul of wickets to 661. Broad took 3-37, with all his wickets from the top six — Elgar (12), Keegan Petersen (21) and Kyle Verreynne (21).

Medvedev handed tough draw for US Open title defence

Top seed Daniil Medvedev will open his US Open title defence on Monday against American Stefan Kozlov but faces major hurdles on the path to a second Grand Slam title, including in-form Australian Nick Kyrgios.

Daniil Medvedev is the first non-Big 4 member to be seeded No. 1 at a Grand Slam in 19 years.

While Medvedev will not be looking too far ahead, fans certainly will at the prospect of an enthralling fourth-round showdown between the Russian and Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios who beat the world number one in three sets in Montreal this month.

The bottom half of the draw also throws up a potential mouth-watering all-Spanish clash between second seed Rafa Nadal, bidding for a fifth US Open crown, and teenager Carlos Alcaraz, who last year became the youngest man to reach the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows.

Nadal, who could leave New York with the world number one ranking if he can lift a 23rd Grand Slam trophy, will meet Australian Rinky Hijikata in the first round while third seed Alcaraz takes on Argentine Sebastian Baez.

Also standing in his way are seventh seed Cameron Norrie, the top-ranked Briton who faces an opening clash against France’s Benoit Paire, and ninth seed Andrey Rublev.

Greek fourth seed and Monte Carlo winner Stefanos Tsitsipas has never got past the third round at Flushing Meadows but may run into last year’s Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini in the fourth round if he can find his form on the famed blue courts.

French Open finalist Casper Ruud could land on the wrong side of the home crowd in his quarter, with top American and Indian Wells winner Taylor Fritz a potential fourth-round opponent.