CRICKET
Pakistan training new talent
Pakistan coach Waqar Younis yesterday said in Lahore that he hoped to use the upcoming tour of the West Indies to bring on new cricketing talent for the years ahead. Pakistan fly out to the Caribbean today for a tour that will include one Twenty20 international, five one-dayers and two Tests. With express paceman Shoaib Akhtar retired and fellow fast bowler Umar Gul rested, Pakistan have selected left-armers Junaid Khan and Sadaf Hussain — both 21 — and 20-year-old all-rounder Hammad Azam. Junaid has 167 wickets in 35 first-class matches, while Hussain’s tally in 18 domestic matches stands at 90. Kamran Akmal, dropped after his sloppy wicket-keeping in last month’s World Cup, made way for 29-year-old Salman Ahmed, while veteran batsman Younis Khan, rested for the tour, was replaced by 20-year-old Usman Salahuddin. Salahuddin, a right-handed batsman, has scored 1,505 runs in 24 domestic matches.
ICE HOCKEY
Dallas Stars fire head coach
The Dallas Stars fired coach Marc Crawford on Tuesday, two days after the team failed to reach the NHL playoffs for the second season under his guidance. The move was announced by Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk, who hired Crawford in June 2009. He had played for Crawford in the 1998 Olympics and wanted a tough-minded coach like Ken Hitchcock, who coached Nieuwendyk and the Stars when they won their only Stanley Cup title in 1999. Crawford replaced Dave Tippett, who was fired after replacing Hitchcock during the 2001 to 2002 season. The Stars have missed the playoffs only five times in 17 seasons since the franchise moved from Minnesota, but three of those misses are in the last three years. They had a chance in the final game on the NHL’s regular-season schedule to claim the last Western Conference berth, but were beaten 5-3 by struggling Minnesota.
ICE HOCKEY
Officials urge Belarus ban
US lawmakers, joined by an ice hockey hall of famer, said on Monday that “totalitarian nightmare” Belarus should not be allowed to host an international ice hockey championship in 2014. US Senator Dick Durbin and US Representative Mike Quigley urged International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel to postpone the competition over concerns about human rights. They were joined by former Slovak ice hockey player Peter Stastny, who is now serving as a member of the European parliament. “We urge you to consider such action to ensure that Lukashenko’s totalitarian nightmare does not receive the international sanction or legitimacy that would be conveyed by hosting the 2014 Championship until he releases all political prisoners in his KGB prisons,” they wrote.
ICE HOCKEY
Edmonton get first pick
The Edmonton Oilers finally got some good news in an otherwise frustrating season as they earned the right to pick first overall in the National Hockey League’s draft for a second-straight year. New Jersey won the draft lottery on Tuesday, but the eighth place Devils couldn’t move up more than four spots, leaving Edmonton with the first overall pick. The Devils will pick fourth, the New York Islanders fifth and the Ottawa Senators dropped to the sixth spot, with Colorado and Florida fitting into the second and third spot, respectively.
BOXING
Klitschko to face Haye
Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko and Great Britain’s David Haye will face off in a long-awaited heavyweight world title bout on June 25 or July 2, Klitschko’s manager announced in Berlin yesterday. According to Bernd Bonte, seven countries — including Germany, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa — are interested in hosting the eagerly awaited fight, with a final decision on where it will be held still to be made. Klitschko is the defending WBO and IBF champion, while Haye holds the WBA crown. Klitschko’s elder brother, Vitali, will put his WBC heavyweight title on the line against Poland’s Tomasz Adamek on Sept. 10. Last month, Haye upped the ante in what has been a long-running war of words with the Klitschko brothers by saying he planned to beat both of them.
BASEBALL
Bonds jury still undecided
Jurors in the Barry Bonds perjury case ended their third day of deliberations with no verdict on Tuesday. Bonds is on trial on three felony counts of perjury and one of obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to a 2003 grand jury investigating steroids. Prosecutors say the US home-run king lied when he said he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs and when he said no one but his personal doctors had ever injected him. Jurors began deliberations on Friday, emerging twice to request reviews of key evidence. The jury of eight men and women, including a legal student and an autism specialist, arrived again by 8:30am on Tuesday and retreated into their deliberations room at the federal courthouse in San Francisco. Bonds entered the courthouse roughly 40 minutes later, wearing a light blue shirt and yellow tie. Just before 3:30pm, the jury announced it was going home for the day. To reach a decision, jurors must reconcile three weeks of testimony from 25 witnesses to reach a unanimous decision on all four counts. They must decide whether Bonds’ ex-personal shopper, Kathy Hoskins, was telling the truth about seeing the famed slugger’s trainer inject him in the navel as she packed clothes in his bedroom in 2002. Or they could choose to believe Bonds’ orthopedic surgeon, who swears Bonds is squeamish about needles and could never receive an injection without Novocain. Deliberations were to resume yesterday morning.
BASKETBALL
Bogut has elbow surgery
Australia’s Andrew Bogut had arthroscopic surgery to remove loose particles and scar tissue from his right elbow on Tuesday. The surgery on the Milwaukee Bucks star was performed by doctor James Andrews in Florida. He had injured the elbow, along with his right hand and wrist, in a nasty fall to the floor near the end of last season.
BASEBALL
Astros pitcher suspended
Houston Astros pitcher Aneury Rodriguez was suspended for three games for intentionally throwing at Florida Marlins batter Gaby Sanchez, Major League Baseball said on Tuesday. The incident occurred in the top of the ninth inning of the Astros’ 7-1 win on Sunday when Rodriguez hit Sanchez after a warning had been issued earlier in the game. Rodriguez, who was supposed to begin serving his suspension on Tuesday, is appealing the ban and may play until there is a ruling on the appeal. Astros manager Brad Mills was also hit with a one-game ban and an undisclosed fine because of Rodriguez’s actions, while Marlins pitcher Edward Mujica was fined for throwing at Houston’s Bill Hall in the seventh inning, which prompted the initial warning.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping