CRICKET
Dickwella suspended
Sri Lanka’s Niroshan Dickwella was on Tuesday suspended for two limited-overs matches after he was punished for dissent during last week’s pulsating Twenty20 win over Australia. The wicketkeeper and opening batsman was docked two demerit points and fined 30 percent of his match fee for his aggrieved reaction to being given out caught behind on Sunday, reaching five points and triggering an automatic ban. Australia wicketkeeper Tim Paine was fined 15 percent of his match fee and received one demerit point for taunting Dickwella over the dismissal in Geelong, Australia. Dickwella was punished after he paused to view the replay, kicked the turf and stared over his shoulder “for a prolonged period of time,” an International Cricket Council statement said. The suspension means Dickwella is to miss today’s third and final Twenty20 against Australia in Adelaide.
RUGBY UNION
Land Rover drops Dan Carter
Former New Zealand flyhalf Dan Carter has lost his sponsorship contract with Land Rover after failing a drunk driving test in France last week. The three-time World Player of the Year, who plays in France’s Top 14 for Racing 92, signed as a brand ambassador for the Jaguar Land Rover brand last year. “Over the last few days my management and I have had to front up to my sponsors,” Carter wrote on Facebook yesterday. “Not surprisingly, Land Rover, who for good reason have zero tolerance towards drink driving, have ended their relationship with me... I understand this completely and am disappointed I put them in this position.” British luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover is owned by India’s Tata Motors. Carter was tested by police last week after being stopped in his car near the center of Paris, local media reported. He returned to New Zealand over the weekend. The 34-year-old Rugby World Cup winner apologized for a “massive error of judgement” on Facebook and said he would have to let the police and court process take its course.
RUGBY UNION
France lose two to injury
France are to be without flanker Damien Chouly and center Mathieu Bastareaud away to Ireland in the Six Nations after both players sustained injuries, the French Rugby Federation said on Monday. Chouly, who suffered an ankle injury during training earlier on Monday, is to be replaced in the squad for Saturday’s game by Raphael Lakafia, who is joining the group in Nice, France. Bastareaud suffered a knock to the head in a Top 14 match over the weekend, and after having neurological tests he is not available to face Ireland, the federation said, adding that he has not yet been replaced in the squad. France started their campaign with a 19-16 defeat by England at Twickenham before beating Scotland 22-16 at home.
SOCCER
Malaga defeat Las Palmas
Malaga on Monday came from behind to beat UD Las Palmas 2-1 and halt an 11-game winless streak in La Liga. The visitors opened the scoring with Mauricio Lemos at Estadio La Rosaleda, but Malaga rallied with goals by Pablo Fornals and Charles before halftime. It was Malaga’s first win since early November last year. The result moved Malaga to 13th place, two points behind Las Palmas, who dropped a spot to 12th place with their third straight loss in the league.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite