SOCCER
Cagliari defeat Parma 4-0
Cagliari cruised past already relegated Parma 4-0 in Serie A on Monday, offering hope that the Sardinian club can climb out of the drop zone. For their first win at home in more than three months, Cagliari quickly took control with a goal from Sweden international Albin Ekdal three minutes in. Brazilian Diego Farias added another in the 14th and winger Paul-Jose M’Poku made it 3-0 before halftime. M’Poku also set up a goal for Croatian forward Duje Cop in the 64th. Cagliari are third from bottom, six points from safety and 17th-place Atalanta with four matches remaining. Crisis-hit Parma are last.
CRICKET
India to play Bangladesh
India are to head to Bangladesh for a one-off Test match and three one-day internationals next month, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced. Fatullah is to host the Test, the first between the sides since January 2010. An ODI series against India is considered a money-spinner and accordingly, all three matches, to be held in Mirpur, have been allotted a reserve day due to the threat of monsoon rains. Sureh Raina led India to victory in Bangladesh in June last year during a three-match ODI series, which saw the third contest in Mirpur washed out due to heavy rain. The teams have faced off in seven previous Test matches, with India winning six and the other ending in a rain-affected draw. Bangladesh are currently hosting Pakistan, with the teams level in a two-match Test series after last week’s drawn opener.
CRICKET
Ireland’s Murtagh injured
Tim Murtagh has been ruled out of Ireland’s one-day international at home to England on Friday, Cricket Ireland announced on Monday. The 33-year-old seamer suffered a hamstring tear playing for Middlesex in their ongoing match against Durham at Lord’s in the First Division of English cricket’s County Championship and was to undergo a scan yesterday to assess the extent of the injury, Cricket Ireland said in a statement. Irish cricket officials have opted not to replace Murtagh, given they named an original squad of 14 from which their final XI is to be selected for Friday’s match at Malahide, near Dublin.
TENNIS
Hewitt to skip French Open
Two-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt will not play this month’s French Open in what is likely to be his last year on tour. Hewitt’s manager, David Drysdale, yesterday said that the Australian veteran wants to focus on Wimbledon, where he won the 2002 title, and Australia’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Kazakhstan in July. The 34-year-old Hewitt, who also won the 2001 US Open, said in January that he planned to retire after playing his 20th Australian Open next year. He has struggled with foot and hip injuries in recent years and is currently ranked No. 108.
SOCCER
Greaves suffers stroke
Former Tottenham Hotspur and England striker Jimmy Greaves has suffered a severe stroke and is in intensive care in hospital, his family said on Monday. A prolific goalscorer throughout his career, Greaves scored 44 goals in just 57 appearances for England — the fourth-highest total of all time. A family statement said the 75-year-old Greaves had fallen ill on Sunday and was taken to hospital. Meanwhile, Spurs said on their Twitter site: “Everyone at the club wishes Jimmy Greaves a speedy recovery after he suffered a stroke yesterday [Sunday]. Our thoughts are with Jimmy and his family at this difficult time.”
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or