CRICKET
Chanderpaul retires
West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul has retired from international cricket after scoring more than 20,000 runs in three forms of the game across 22 years. The West Indies Cricket Board yesterday said that the 41-year-old left-hander informed it by e-mail that he is no longer available for selection for the national team. His last appearance for the West Indies was against England in Barbados in May last year. Nicknamed “Tiger” and known for his durability and unorthodox style, Chanderpaul played 164 Test matches and is seventh in the all-time list of Test run scorers with 11,867. He hit 30 centuries at an average of 51.37. Board president Dave Cameron said Chanderpaul made an “invaluable contribution” to the global game.
OLYMPICS
Pregnant shooter to miss Rio
Malaysian shooter Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi, who competed at the London Olympics while more than seven months pregnant, has missed out on a place at the Rio de Janeiro Games this year as she is expecting her second child. The 33-year-old was due to take part in the Asian Olympics Qualifying Championships in New Delhi on Tuesday — her last chance to book a spot in Brazil — but was told not to travel to India by her doctor, the Malaysian Star reported yesterday. Suryani became one of the stories of the 2012 London Olympics when she came 34th in the 10m air rifle while heavily pregnant.
SOCCER
Player fined over tweet
Al-Jazira midfielder Thiago Neves became the first player to be punished by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for a social media rant after the Brazilian posted a tweet about a referee. The 30-year-old was fined US$25,000 and handed a suspended one-match ban for his Twitter post following the Oct. 20 AFC Champions League semi-final between victors Emiratis Al-Ahli and his former club Al-Hilal, who he left in July last year. “If Thiago Neves is found in breach of the AFC Disciplinary Code in the next two years, the suspension is automatically revoked and the sanction applied,” the AFC said in a statement on Friday. “A repeat violation will also lead to a more severe punishment.”
RUGBY LEAGUE
Burgess hailed a hero
Sam Burgess yesterday was hailed a hero in Australia after he reportedly helped a man choking on a piece of seafood. Burgess, who quit English Premiership rugby union side Bath last year to return to rugby league’s South Sydney Rabbitohs, was with teammates at the Sydney Fish Market on Friday when he sprang into action. The players were taking part in a fish-eating challenge when a man joined in and began to choke, a witness, who asked not to be named, told foxsports.com.au. “Some seafood got caught in his throat and he started choking. Sam raced straight over and grabbed him and started putting his body weight on him to try and get it out.” The man was eventually able to swallow the tricky morsel, but the witness said: “If Sam hadn’t helped it could have been bad. I’m telling you, Sam is a hero.”
SOCCER
Lloyd, Hernandez honored
US midfielder Carli Lloyd and Mexico forward Javier Hernandez on Friday were named CONCACAF’s Players of the Year. Lloyd scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final, where she earned the Golden Ball as top player. Hernandez scored the first goal for Mexico in their playoff win over the US for a berth in the 2017 Confederations Cup.
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