CRICKET
Hughes’ brother returns
Phillip Hughes’ older brother returned to Sydney grade cricket on Saturday for the first time since the Australia batsman’s death, and Jason Hughes had a most appropriate score. The elder Hughes scored 63 for Mosman against Sydney, the same number of runs his brother made when he was fatally struck by a bouncer two weeks ago at the Sydney Cricket Ground in a domestic first-class match. Phillip Hughes died two days later on Nov. 27. Mosman team officials said Jason Hughes was not aware of his score when his innings ended. The figure of 63 was used in many tributes to Phillip Hughes following his death, including a 63-second applause at the start of the first Test between India and Australia in Adelaide this week. Phillip Hughes’ family bought full pages in yesterday’s newspapers around Australia to thank the country for its support since the former Test batsman’s death more than two weeks ago. The message published in News Corp Australia papers is topped with “Thank You From The Hughes Family,” and a photograph of Phillip Hughes. Father Gregory, mother Virginia, brother Jason and sister Megan also spoke of their grief. The main message reads: “Words cannot express our sorrow at Phillip’s passing, but your love and support has given us great strength at this very difficult time.”
CRICKET
Lehmann doubts Clarke done
Australia coach Darren Lehmann yesterday said he doubts injured skipper Michael Clarke has played his last game for Australia. However, Clarke’s immediate playing future is up in the air as he attempts to take his place in the World Cup, which starts in Australia and New Zealand on Feb. 14. Clarke was disconsolate after Australia’s 48-run first Adelaide Test win over India on Saturday after being forced off with a torn right hamstring. It has been a frustrating time for the Australia captain after he overcame a left hamstring injury to play the opening Test against India, but suffered a flare-up of his degenerative back condition on day one. Clarke retired hurt, returning to the crease the next day and completed a courageous and well-received hundred. Clarke, 33, then injured his right hamstring while fielding on the final day, with scans confirming he will miss the rest of the four-Test series. He remains in serious doubt for the limited-overs World Cup, with Clarke fearful it could be even more serious than that. “There’s a chance I may never play again,” he told reporters after the Test.
SOCCER
Ben Arfa on way out of Hull
French winger Hatem Ben Arfa has returned to his home country and will not appear again for English Premier League side Hull City, sports daily L’Equipe reported on Saturday. L’Equipe said that the 27-year-old, who hails from the Paris suburbs, has been back in the French capital for the last three days, working with a fitness trainer while he searches for a new club. Ben Arfa, who won the last of his 13 caps for France at Euro 2012, joined Hull on a season-long loan from Newcastle United in the summer, but has failed to make an impact in his eight Premier League appearances.
SOCCER
Silvinho right-hand man
Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini on Saturday named former Barcelona defender Silvinho as his right-hand man as the Italian giants look to rescue their faltering season. Silvinho, 40, has already worked as an assistant coach at Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte, Sport Recife and Corinthians in his native Brazil. They will work together for the first time today.
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
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
Taiwanese gymnast Lee Chih-kai failed to secure an Olympic berth in the pommel horse following a second-place finish at the last qualifier in Doha on Friday, a performance that Lee and his coach called “unconvincing.” The Tokyo Olympics silver medalist finished runner-up in the final after scoring 6.6 for degree of difficulty and 8.800 for execution for a combined score of 15.400. That was just 0.100 short of Jordan’s Ahmad Abu Al Soud, who had qualified for the event in Paris before the Apparatus World Cup series in Qatar’s capital. After missing the final rounds in the first two of four qualifier