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ICC postpones competition
The International Cricket Council postponed the Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan yesterday after teams expressed security concerns. The ICC board met in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before announcing the decision. South Africa withdrew from the eight-team tournament on Friday, unwilling to travel to Pakistan for the Sept. 12-Sept. 28 tournament. Players and national boards from England, Australia and New Zealand had also expressed concerns. Media reports said the Champions Trophy will now be played next year, with the ICC still hoping to hold it in Pakistan.
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Robson says Becks must go
Sir Bobby Robson says England coach Fabio Capello must make a stand and drop David Beckham from his starting line-up ahead of their upcoming World Cup qualifying campaign. With England due to face Andorra on Sept. 6 ahead of a tough meeting with Croatia former England boss Robson says Capello must be more decisive. “Fabio is meant to lead but the only place we’ve gone so far is round in circles,” Robson said in his Mail on Sunday column. Sir Bobby believes there is now little room for Beckham if England, who last week struggled to draw with the Czech Republic in a Wembley friendly, are to unearth a coherent system. “It means picking vibrant wide players rather than starting with David Beckham when he can’t get forward as he used to. It means banging Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard’s heads together and getting them to play as a unit. Because they can,” Robson said.
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Palermo make shock exit
Serie A team Palermo were knocked out in the Italian Cup third round on Saturday, beaten 2-1 at home by third division Ravenna. Promoted top-flight clubs Chievo and Lecce were also eliminated. Chievo lost 2-1 at home to third division Padova while Lecce slipped to a 1-0 home defeat by Serie B Salernitana. Goran Pandev’s double helped Lazio hammer Benevento 5-1 and Serie A rivals Atalanta, Bologna, Cagliari, Catania, Reggina, Siena and Torino also reached the two-legged fourth round. Serie A’s top eight from last season, including Cup holders AS Roma, enter the competition at the last-16 stage in November.
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Lyon win to share lead
Defending champion Lyon beat Grenoble 2-0 on Saturday and continued sharing the lead with Marseille in the French league. Marseille, spurred by a fatal crash involving club fans, edged Le Havre 1-0 with a 20m free kick from Boudewijn Zenden in the 56th minute. Marseille and Lyon have seven points after three rounds. Lyon’s Jean Makoun headed a corner kick from Kim Kallstrom in the sixth minute, and France forward Karim Benzema diverted in a free kick from Juninho in the 36th. “It was important for us to top the standings,” Benzema told Canal Plus TV. Benzema was the top striker in the league last season with 20 goals and has already notched three goals this month. “The target this season is to score more than 20 goals,” Benzema said. Two Marseille fans died in a bus crash on the way to the match at Le Havre. “We were all sad today and the only way to react was to win,” Zenden told the club’s Web site. “It was nice to have scored and won, especially for our fans.” The match started with a minute of silence. Elsewhere, it was: Le Mans 1, Saint-Etienne 0; Monaco 1, Caen 1; Nancy 0, Toulouse 0; Sochaux 1, Paris Saint-Germain 1; and Valenciennes 3, Lorient 1.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
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