CRICKET
De Silva leads strong reply
Dhananjaya de Silva yesterday struck a century and shared 187 runs in an unbroken second-wicket stand with Kushal Mendis as Sri Lanka gave a strong reply to hosts Bangladesh in the first Test in Chittagong. De Silva made an unbeaten 104 while Mendis hit 83 not out, guiding Sri Lanka to 187-1 at stumps on the second day. Earlier, Rangana Herath and Suranga Lakmal took three wickets each to help the visitors dismiss Bangladesh for 513 in their first innings. The pair came together after spinner Mehedi Hasan got rid of Dimuth Karunaratne for a duck shortly after Bangladesh’s innings ended with skipper Mahmudullah Riyad unbeaten on 83. De Silva led Sri Lanka’s batting charge with his aggressive approach and brought his fourth Test hundred off 122 balls with a cover drive off left-arm spinner Taijul Islam. This is De Silva’s second successive Test century after scoring an unbeaten 119 against India in December last year. Bangladesh, who lead Sri Lanka by 326 runs, resumed the day on 374-4, adding 139 runs to their overnight score, with Mahmudullah leading the charge on the second day.
GOLF
Paisley leads at Maybank
Englishman Chris Paisley yesterday struck a spotless seven-under-par 65 in hot and humid conditions to take the lead on a weather-hit opening day of the Maybank Championship in Malaysia. An hour and 50 minutes of play were lost due to the threat of storms in the afternoon, and 40 players will have to return to Saujana Golf and Country Club in Shah Alam to complete their first round today. Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera was on six-under with two holes left to complete, alongside another Englishman, David Horsey, who recovered from an opening bogey to end on six-under. Englishman Andrew Johnston, American David Lipksy, India’s Arjun Atwal, South Korean Lee Soo-min and French duo Alexander Levy and Romain Wattel completed their rounds to tie for fourth on 67. Taiwan’s Chan Shih-chang carded a four-under 68 for a share of 10th, while Lu Wei-chih finished in a group sharing 51st on two-under 70. Hung Chien-yao was on three-under with three holes left when play was suspended.
SOCCER
Leganes draw Sevilla 1-1
CD Leganes on Wednesday boosted their chances of reaching the Copa del Rey final for the first time by salvaging a 1-1 draw against Sevilla, netting the equalizer after a mistake by Sevilla goalkeeper Sergio Rico. Sevilla opened the scoring in the first leg through Luis Muriel after a counterattack midway through the first half at Estadio Municipal de Butarque, before the hosts evened the match shortly after halftime. Rico missed the ball while trying to punch it away just in front of goal, allowing defender Dimitrios Siovas to easily find the net with a header. “The equalizer changed the game,” Sevilla coach Vincenzo Montella said. “Everything was more complicated after the goal.” The ball went high in the air after being headed by a defender inside the area, and Rico seemed to have plenty of time as it came down near the goal line. However, the goalkeeper complained of a foul after apparent contact with Siovas and unsuccessfully appealed to the referee. “I don’t know if it was a foul or if it was a mistake,” Montella said. “We have to remember that Rico also made some good saves.”
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and