Morning Briefing: Hazlewood takes four, Aussie duo spearhead county victory

[h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hazlewood-josh/zkKrMn0r/"]Hazlewood[/a] routs Delhi Capitals in nine-wicket win[/h2][p]Josh Hazlewood and his [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/royal-challengers-bengaluru/ObLbexsS/"]RCB[/a] teammates [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/cricket-ipl-josh-hazlewood-drives-rcb-s-huge-nine-wicket-victory-against-delhi/6HoU8yeA/"]demolished the Delhi Capitals overnight[/a] to move to outright second on the IPL standings and further solidify their claims for back-to-back titles.[/p][p]Delhi, who only 48 hours earlier had piled on a once-incomprehensible 2/264 against Pat Cummins' Sunrisers Hyderabad, were skittled for just 75.[/p][p]Hazlewood took three wickets in his first two overs with classic Test-style bowling, including two accurate back of a length deliveries and a full, wide ball to a flat-footed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rizvi-sameer/GEBkQ5Yc/"]Sameer Rizvi[/a] who nicked behind.[/p][p]The Australian joined [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/patel-harshal/8Smpt2vs/"]Harshal Patel[/a] and Anil Kumble as the third man to take four wickets or more in three separate games for RCB, further writing himself into franchise folklore as one of the great IPL fast bowlers. [/p][embed guid="a005adef-c77b-413a-bbbf-6d5cf1685bda" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv0vl5VJ3GM" social-type="youtube" /][h2]Bell and Bancroft combine to put Gloucestershire on the board[/h2][p]Outcasted former Australian opener [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bancroft-cameron/MqJphF74/"]Cameron Bancroft[/a] captains county side [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/gloucestershire/6kmsLeQs/"]Gloucestershire[/a] these days and he was unbeaten in the middle when the team completed a ten-wicket win over Derbyshire on opposition turf.[/p][p]It was their first win of the season at the fourth time of asking and helped them move off the bottom of the Division Two table, with Bancroft registering his second and third-highest (40 & 19*) scores of what has been a very lean season so far for the 33-year-old, despite April being a very run-heavy month for county cricket in England.[/p][p]Gloucestershire's breakthrough win was ably aided by Tasmanian fast bowler [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bell-gabe/jNnMxAkU/"]Gabe Bell[/a], who was signed on for the first six matches of the season only. [/p][p]Bell picked up three wickets in each innings and sent down a tireless 44 overs, finishing with match figures of 6-128. [/p][p]The match ended in somewhat farcical circumstances as Derbyshire used only spin bowlers during the brief run chase to avoid being docked one championship point for a slow over rate. Bancroft and his opening partner Ben Charlesworth feasted on it, striking one six each to run down 39 within five overs as the threat of day four afternoon rain loomed.[/p][embed guid="bd04a046-1624-4143-a3ef-d230f169d818" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDuMBxjMHpo" social-type="youtube" /][h2]Sam Kerr's boss blasts lack of VAR in women's game[/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/australia/YXMhvJho/"]Matildas[/a] captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kerr-samantha/8YuNOAak/"]Sam Kerr[/a] was controversially denied a hat-trick and the honour of becoming [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/Q7Hu2UDD/"]Chelsea[/a]'s all-time leading Women's Super League goalscorer earlier this week when on-field match officials failed to pick up a clear second-half goal [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/chelsea-Q7Hu2UDD/everton-fkY89QtU/?mid=nZkwQomm"]during their 4-1 win[/a] over Everton on Sunday night.[/p][p]Kerr nodded a header to the left of Everton goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan during the 57th minute, with replays behind the goal showing the ball bouncing in off the left post and crossing the line before Brosnan mopped it up. [/p][p]It left Kerr stuck on 63 league goals alongside Fran Kirby, whose 116 goals for Chelsea across all competitions is three ahead of Kerr's current tally of 114. [/p][p]Head coach Sonia Bompastor didn't hold back her frustrations with the absence of goal line technology or VAR in the world's premier women's club domestic competition.[/p][p]"[b]I think it just shows again that we need to have the technology next season in this league,[/b]" Bompastor explained.[/p][p]"The league is the most competitive league in the world and we need to be at a really good level in terms of these decisions.[/p][p]"[b]We won the game by a three-goal difference so it didn't create a lot of conversations, but if we had been in a situation where the goal difference at the end of the season would have been important, then this goal is something I would have been really upset about.[/b][/p][p]"So that's mainly the reason we need the technology, for things to be fair for everyone.[/p][p]"[b]She [/b](Kerr) [b]levelled the most league goals with Fran Kirby but in reality she went top because that goal was a clear goal.[/b]"[/p][embed guid="84af60b7-0c1b-4563-a9ad-d6fd2ce8471f" url="https://x.com/CFCWdaily/status/2048375863612256548" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Neil Robertson advances to World Championship quarters[/h2][p]2010 World Snooker Championship winner [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/robertson-neil/C4Bh6qp0/"]Neil Robertson[/a] made the quarter-finals of the World Championship for the first time since 2020/21, following premature exits in each of his last three appearances. [/p][p]The world number three defeated rank no. 13 Chris Wakelin of England 13-7 (best of 25 frames) and is aiming for his second title win of the season following his narrow Saudi Arabia Masters final win over Ronnie O'Sullivan in August. [/p][p]Robertson potentially opened up a row with O'Sullivan when calling for O'Sullivan's 'Triangle chalk' to be banned for the tour for the impact it leaves on cue balls and tables. [/p][p]"[b]I would prefer to play John so I don't have to contend with the chalk that Ronnie uses, which should be banned from the game,[/b]" Robertson told the BBC coverage.[/p][p]"I don't know how you are allowed to even use it."[/p][p]"[b]All the players hate it, it just destroys it. You get kicks, bounces and it makes an absolute mess of the table.[/b][/p][p]"I don't think he does it to put off anyone, he is not that way inclined at all.[/p][p]"[b]He is about the only player left on tour that uses that chalk - hopefully they bring in a ban.[/b]"[/p][p]The 44-year-old will face all-time great John Higgins in the quarter-final tonight after Higgins completed a memorable comeback from 9-4 down to defeat O'Sullivan [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/snooker/higgins-j-SEI1iLWm/o-sullivan-r-KI4eMrag/?mid=4xtDZqU9"]13-12 in the tiebreaker[/a]. [/p][p]Robertson's path to world glory also became a little easier when current world number one Judd Trump suffered a shock exit at the hands of Iran's Hossein Vafaei, with that game [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/snooker/ayouri-h-v-29KpaKbF/trump-j-IuJlytb5/?mid=EoGBOUvH"]also going to the deciding frame[/a].[/p][embed guid="c7fc8885-5cb6-4a90-b869-f1d11b71bcff" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4wdkDiGvwg" social-type="youtube" /]