CRICKET
Khan stars for Pakistan
Shadab Khan produced an outstanding debut performance on Sunday as Pakistan completed a comfortable six-wicket victory over the West Indies in the first Twenty20 international at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. Put in on a bright, breezy afternoon, the world champions were restricted to 111-8, with the tourists knocking off the runs with almost three overs to spare to extend their Twenty20 winning streak over their rivals to four. Brought on as the fifth bowler when the West Indies batted in what looked like ideal conditions, 18-year-old Khan’s mesmerizing mixture of leg-breaks and googlies earned him figures of 3-7, the most economical ever in the history of Twenty20 internationals by a debutant in a complete four-over spell.
CRICKET
Williamson hands NZ lead
A masterful Kane Williamson century propelled New Zealand ahead of South Africa by stumps on the third day of the series-deciding final Test in Hamilton, New Zealand, yesterday. It was the 17th century by Williamson, equaling Martin Crowe’s New Zealand record, and it featured in a commanding 190-run stand with Jeet Raval for the second wicket. Raval’s dismissal late in the day for 88 triggered a revival for South Africa as New Zealand slipped from 273-1 to 321-4 at stumps in reply to South Africa’s 314. Williamson was unbeaten on 148 with Mitchell Santner on 13.
SOCCER
Netherlands sack Blind
Danny Blind was sacked as Netherlands coach on Sunday after a 2-0 defeat to Bulgaria left the team’s chances of reaching the FIFA World Cup finals hanging by the slenderest of threads. Blind, 55, had been in charge since July 2015, succeeding Guus Hiddink, but Saturday’s loss in Sofia left the Netherlands in fourth place in Group A, six points behind leaders France. Blind said he was saddened by the decision. “We were on the right track in Bulgaria, but it’s a pity that it ends like this,” he said. Blind’s assistant, Fred Grim, is to take charge of the team for today’s friendly against Italy in Amsterdam.
GOLF
Johnson wins in Texas
Dustin Johnson of the US became the first player to win all four World Golf Championships events when he claimed the Dell Match Play in Texas on Sunday. World No. 1 and top seed Johnson beat Spanish 21st seed Jon Rahm 1-up in the 18-hole final at Austin Country Club. “Today was a really tough day. I’m proud of the way I played, the way I stayed in there, even though he [Rahm] made some birdies on the back nine,” Johnson told NBC television.
GOLF
Lee equals Carlsbad record
South Korea’s Lee Mi-rim fired seven birdies in a seven-under 65 on Sunday to post a record-equaling triumph at the LPGA Kia Classic in Carlsbad, California. Lee’s 20-under 278 matched the tournament record set by Cristie Kerr in 2015 — when the American powered past Lee for a two-shot victory. Lee finished six strokes ahead of compatriot Ryu So-yeon, who carded a 66, and Austin Ernst of the US, who posted a 67. Taiwan’s Chien Pei-yun (68) finished tied for 11th place on nine-under, while Kaohsiung-born Candie Kung (70) was tied for 59th place on even-par.
MEDVEDEV AWAITS: The world No. 1 Spainiard said that he is ‘finding the right shots’ as he pushed his record so far this year to 16 victories and no losses Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday extended his unbeaten season and got revenge over Cameron Norrie to reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells for a fifth straight year. The world No. 1 from Spain emerged from a see-saw battle with 29th-ranked Norrie with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. In the semis tomorrow, he faces Russian Daniil Medvedev, who pushed his own ATP winning streak to eight matches with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over defending champion Jack Draper. World No. 2 Jannik Sinner powered past Learner Tien 6-1, 6-2 to line up a semi-final with fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Arthur Fils. Alcaraz, 22, became
Ollie Watkins’ second-half header on Thursday gave Aston Villa a 1-0 win over Lille OSC in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 tie. Just past the hour mark, Ezri Konsa sent a deep pass that Emi Buendia headed to Watkins in the home team’s box. The England forward noticed goalkeeper Berke Ozer was off his line before sending a looping header over him and into the net. Minutes later, Watkins wasted a chance to double the advantage when he failed to score in a one-on-one with the ’keeper. Nottingham Forest were stunned 1-0 by Danish club Midtjylland, with substitute Cho
Thanks to Italy beating Mexico on Wednesday, the US get another chance in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). What looked like a potentially disastrous early exit for US manager Mark DeRosa and his team turned out to be nothing more than substantial worry and significant embarrassment for about 24 hours. It remains to be seen whether the US really want to win badly enough for the reprieve to matter, as if it is just a switch they can flick, but there is little reason for their fans to be optimistic. The team’s attitude and behavior have been all over the place when
Brice Turang and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s consecutive RBI singles proved to be the difference in the US’ 5-3 win over Canada in a World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarterfinal on Friday night in Houston. The US faces the Dominican Republic, which crushed South Korea 10-0 in seven innings in its quarter-final, in a semifinal Sunday in Miami for a spot in Tuesday’s championship. The Dominican team has won all five games in this WBC by a combined margin of 51-10. It appeared the US squad was headed toward a cozy victory when it built a 5-0 lead by the sixth inning. A first-inning RBI groundout
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