Controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar marked his return to international cricket by taking two wickets to help Pakistan to a 35-run win over Canada in a four-nation Twenty 20 tournament on Friday.
Shoaib, who last played for the national team against India last December before a spectacular fallout with the Pakistan Cricket Board, struck in his first over when he removed Abdool Samad and Mohammad Iqbal.
The 33-year-old finished with 2-11, although he suffered the indignity of being pulled for six by Rizwan Cheema.
Pakistan opener Salman Butt was man of the match for his 74 off 56 balls as the Asian giants made a modest 137-7, before Canada were restricted to 102-9. Cheema and Manoj David added 52 for the third wicket to give Canada hope, but once David was removed by Umar Gul the home side lost their next six wickets for just 37 runs.
Sri Lanka’s latest spin sensation Ajantha Mendis took three wickets and was named man of the match as his side clinched a five-wicket win over Zimbabwe.
Mendis finished with 3-15 from three overs after ripping the heart out of the Zimbabwe middle order, including dismissing Prosper Utseya with his “carrom ball,” which turns away from the right-handers. Tatenda Taibu, the former captain, finished on 45 to push Zimbabwe to 106-8 off 17 overs in match shortened by the damp outfield.
Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Udawatte put on 36 in four overs, before Udawatte was caught behind. Thilina Kandamby and skipper Mahela Jayawardene were both run out as Zimbabwe reduced Sri Lanka to 77-5, before Chamara Kapugedera and Farveez Maharoof saw them home.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but