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While You Were Asleep: Liverpool draw 1-1 vs Palace, Afghanistan level series with Ireland and Williams-Raducanu match postponed in Cincinnati

Luis Diaz provided the 2019/20 Premier League champions with some comfort as he equalised with a stunner from outside the box.

(Left to right) Luis Diaz taking a shot against Crystal Palace, Naveen-ul-Haq celebrating a wicket vs Ireland and Serena Williams. (Photos: premierleague and ACBofficials on Twitter and AP)

Liverpool dropped points at home as the Reds were only able to finish 1-1 in their fixture with Crystal Palace at Anfield. Wilfried Zaha provided the visitors with a 1-0 lead 32 minutes into the match. The hosts were more threatening in the attacking third for the entirety of the first half but the scoreline reflected otherwise.

12 minutes into the second half, Darwin Nunez was sent off on his Premier League debut at Anfield for headbutting Palace’s Joachim Andersen. However, Luis Diaz provided the 2019/20 Premier League champions with some comfort as he equalised with a stunner from outside the box.

1 – Darwin Núñez is the second Liverpool player to be sent off on his first Premier League appearance at Anfield after Joe Cole vs Arsenal in 2010, also on August 15th. Mist. #LIVCRY pic.twitter.com/pDF2Ahvks7

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 15, 2022

The result means Liverpool sit on the 13th spot in the points table after matchday two, with two points, four less than title rivals and table leaders, Manchester City.

Afghanistan level series in Ireland

Having lost the first two T20Is, Afghanistan completed the comeback in the five-match series with a win in the fourth T20I, beating the hosts by 27 runs in a rain reduced 11 over contest.

🚨 Afghanistan Win by 27 Runs 🚨
AfghanAtalan, led by @fareedmalik56 3/14, @rashidkhan_19 2/21 and @imnaveenulhaq 2/25, put on a fine bowling display to defend their total of 132 runs to level the series 2-2.
The series decider to be played on Wed, 17th Aug 2022 in Stormont. pic.twitter.com/lnpHB3ZCfH

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) August 15, 2022

The hosts won the toss and opted to bowl first. Najibullah Zadran was amongst the runs once again, scoring 50 off just 24 deliveries. Rashid Khan too chipped in with the fireworks towards the end of the innings with a 10-ball-31 that included one four and three maximums.

In reply, Ireland only managed 105 in their 11 overs. Fareed Ahmed Malik picked a 3fer, while Naveen-ul-Haq and Rashid Khan picked a couple of wickets each. The series decider shall be played on Wednesday, August 17.

Williams and Raducanu match postponed in Cincinnati

The much hyped first-round match between Serena Williams and Emma Raducanu at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati was postponed from Monday to Tuesday, leading to frustration among fans given the stature of the Tennis stars involved.

Serena Williams getting ready for tomorrow’s first-round match against Raducanu 💪🏾🎾 #CincyTennis

🎥: WTA IG stories pic.twitter.com/gOz3YbccKD

— Luis. (@serenapower_) August 15, 2022

A tournament spokesperson said that the decision was “on account of a number of factors related to scheduling”. The match was simply omitted from the Monday schedule, without no announcement of the postponement and refund to the fans.

The ongoing tournament is most likely to be Williams’s penultimate after she announced her thoughts on retirement last week. It will also mark the first home soil appearance from Williams in two years and with the 19-year-old Raducanu involved, the contest had created quite the buzz.