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(Image: F1 Facebook)

“The car has been feeling amazing since we brought some upgrades to Monaco. We have really been in that fight. Let’s go for it tomorrow.”

Verstappen said: “It’s how it is. We had a good qualifying. The whole weekend has been still a bit tricky for us but to be P2, I take it. Going into qualifying I would have definitely taken that. It makes it more exciting for the race as well.”

Mercedes actually lost pace in the final session – their lap times in the second part of qualifying were even faster. Russell was 0.258secs faster then, and Hamilton 0.2secs slower but still faster than the eventual pole time.

Verstappen said: “Q3 was the worst session for Mercedes. When you look at their pure pace, I am happy with second. In Q2, I looked at their lap times and I thought there was no way I could do that.”

Norris was just 0.021secs off pole himself in a very tightly packed session, and Piastri just 0.082secs behind him.

At RB, on the day it was announced Yuki Tsunoda would be staying at the team in 2025, Daniel Ricciardo sent a message by out-qualifying the Japanese for a grand prix for only the second time this season.

Fernando Alonso was sixth for Aston Martin, ending a difficult run of qualifying sessions at the previous three races by being 0.473secs quicker than team-mate Lance Stroll in eighth.

The Aston Martins sandwich Hamilton, who was second fastest behind Russell after the first runs in the top 10 shootout.

Neither Mercedes driver improved on their second laps, but the 0.28secs gap between the pair allowed six drivers to slot in between them by the end of the session.

The final place in the top 10 was taken by Williams driver Alex Albon. (BBC)

After Tuesday’s washout with Scotland, this was supposed to be the day England’s tournament burst into life, putting behind them their struggles in defending their 50-over world title last year.

Instead, as their oldest foes celebrated in the Caribbean sun, they are left with familiar questions to answer. (BBC)

Fans have been enjoying every bit of the USA success in the ICC Men’s World T20 (Photo: ICC/Getty Images)

As for Pakistan, they have no time to waste. They have to re-group for the biggest game of the tournament against India in New York City- that’s just got even bigger.

Their backs are up against the wall and coming off a loss like that straight into playing a team like India, who traditionally have the upper hand in these games, is a huge challenge. India are in the driver’s seat, definitely a more relaxed seat, but this is India versus Pakistan at a World Cup, so you can take nothing for granted.

USA are making the most of home advantage so far and my hope is that the West Indies can do the same.

It’s never easy playing home, especially in a big occasion like a World Cup, because the expectation is so high.

We know the conditions very well, so outsiders might think we should actually go all the way and win the tournament, but it’s never quite as simple as that.

It is actually quite rare for a home team to win a T20 World Cup but hopefully this year will be a change of fortune. We can lift the trophy on June 29 in Barbados, for sure.

Having not qualified for the last ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, this tournament is so important for cricket in the Caribbean. This is a huge thing for the players to step up and be counted.

We started with an edgy win over Papua New Guinea but sometimes an edgy win is a good win. It was important to start on a winning note and now they just need to kick on, make sure they get to the Super 8s and then look to take it further.

It’s up to the players now to entertain the fans and make sure we get some quality support in the stands, and fill it up.

Nicholas Pooran is going to be key in that respect and Brandon King has been batting superbly as well. I think we have a well balanced all-round team. Romario Shepherd and Andre Russell will have a big part to play at the back end, we have two quality spinners in Gudakesh Motie and Akeal Hosein, and Alzarri Joseph is rapid and very steady.

Anything can happen in that first game, no matter who you are playing- just ask Pakistan- so the win was the most important thing. But if I was in that dressing room, I would be asking for more. I would be saying ‘look, that was our bad game but we still got a win. Now we must push on from here’.

Everyone should be hungrier to go out and deliver more with the bat and with the ball, and step up another level. We certainly have the players capable of doing that. (ICC)

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service Dr. Ashni Singh today announced that approval has been granted for 7,782 Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) Scholarships and that the successful applicants will be informed by email over the next week. This approval follows on the heels of the graduation just two weeks ago of the second batch of students numbering 1,712 who completed their studies in various disciplines including Masters and Degree programmes. The GOAL initiative is in keeping with Government’s commitment to improve the country’s educational and skills training capacity to match its aggressive economic diversification programme and continued rapid economic growth. In fact, the Government has already surpassed its Manifesto promise of providing 20,000 online scholarships, with almost 21,500 scholarships provided by the end of 2023.

Under President Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s leadership, Government embarked on a novel and innovative programme to develop and take online learning to a new level. The success of the GOAL programme indicates that the programme has been well received by the thousands of Guyanese who have benefitted and who continue to apply for scholarships to improve their educational capacity. At the recent GOAL Graduation at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, the second batch of graduates from the various regions of Guyana, including the hinterland and remote regions, all proudly celebrated their achievements.

“What GOAL does is that it still gives them (Guyanese) the option to pursue higher technical and tertiary education were they so too desire using the online modality of delivery. It also offers a wider range of training options,” Dr. Ashni Singh recently explained, adding that the government is creating an environment where everyone can explore several opportunities that are being created so that the country can continue its rapid development.

Expounding further on the purpose of the GOAL scholarships, Dr. Singh had said that these are all elements of human capital development and improving the skills of the Guyanese workforce and population, to have a better skilled and qualified labour force as well as to have a more fulfilled population.

Government has been implementing a number of additional initiatives as it continues to invest in education throughout the country. It was only in March this year as well that the administration launched the “Guyana-Coursera Platform” initiative which will see approximately 50,000 persons benefitting from training in a number of areas across various ministries countrywide as part of Government’s expansive national training initiative.

The administration has been using a multi–pronged approach in its education investment initiative including through the disbursement of cash and uniform grants to school children each year, with the 2024 grant to be disbursed shortly to students; cash grants to teachers each term to purchase classroom supplies; and the construction of new schools as well as the rehabilitation of several others across the country. Additionally, Government recently commenced its Student Loan Write Off Programme to potentially benefit over 13,000 Guyanese who have $11 Billion in student loan debt. The administration has also reiterated its commitment to improving education delivery with a total of $135.2 Billion budgeted this year for the education sector.