■ CRICKET
Proteas clinch clean sweep
South Africa crushed Bangladesh by seven wickets to clinch the three-match one-day international series 3-0 in Dhaka yesterday. After bundling out Bangladesh for 143 in 42.5 overs, South Africa reached the target in 34.2 overs. South African skipper Graeme Smith was the top scorer with an unbeaten 68 as his side became the top-ranked one-day side in the world ahead of Australia. A.B. de Villiers made 40. Fast bowler Albie Morkel claimed 4-29 for the Proteas to leave the Bangladesh innings in tatters. Spinner Johan Botha took 3-34. Opener Shahriar Nafees top-scored for the home side with 25.
■ Baseball
Ex-Cubs star has cancer
Former Chicago Cubs star pitcher Rick Sutcliffe has been diagnosed with cancer and will undergo chemotherapy. Sutcliffe was diagnosed with colon cancer following a routine physical. The 51-year-old Sutcliffe will undergo chemotherapy and surgery over the next four months for the treatable cancer, the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper reported on Thursday. In a 15-year career in which he played for five teams, Sutcliffe compiled a record of 171-139 and a 4.08 ERA. He won the Cy Young award as the top pitcher in baseball for the Cubs in 1984. He won the National League Rookie of the Year in 1979 and was a three-time all-star.
■ Swimming
Champion airs suspicions
Reigning Olympic champion Gary Hall Jnr says he is suspicious of Australian Eamon Sullivan's recent world record in the 50m freestyle. The American raised doubts about Sullivan's rapid improvement to shave 0.08 seconds off Russian Olympic champion Alexander Popov's 2000 mark in a new record of 21.56 seconds in Sydney last month. Hall compared Sullivan's performance to that of drug cheats and says the public has every right to be suspicious of his swim. "I have been in this sport for a very long time and I have never seen such a drop in time from an elite level swimmer," Hall said. "Similar drops have been made by athletes that later were proven cheaters." Hall's claims were dismissed by Sullivan's coach Grant Stoelwinder, who said the 22-year-old Australian had improved his times through maturity, uninterrupted training and extensive worldwide racing. "I don't to feel like we have to justify [Eamon's] time," Stoelwinder said. "He was blood and urine tested after the world record swim and also this week."
■ GOLF
Couples takes share of lead
Fred Couples made four birdies in his opening six holes and shot 5-under 65 to surprisingly top the leaderboard with J.J. Henry in the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Thursday. They were a stroke ahead of defending champion Vijay Singh, Lee Westwood, Tom Lehman and Lucas Glover. For Couples, it was his best score at Bay Hill since a 63 in 1992, the year he won this tournament and was No. 1 in the world. Tiger Woods had to settle for a 70 that left him five shots behind, but not in awful shape. Couples has not seen his name on the leaderboard since his back-nine duel with Mickelson at the Masters two years ago, when Mickelson won his second green jacket. After that, Couples hardly played because of a back injury so severe that he contemplated life without golf.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care