■ Chess
Anand and Kramnik draw
Careful defense brought Russian challenger Vladimir Kramnik a draw against world champion Viswanathan Anand of India on Thursday in the seventh game of their championship match. The draw means that Anand leads 5-2, maintaining his three-point advantage in the 12-game match. While the draw moves Anand closer to retaining his title, it also stems a bad run for Kramnik, who had lost three of the last four games. US grandmaster Yasser Seirawan praised Anand’s “dominating performance so far.”
■ Cricket
Pakistan could suffer: Imran
Former Pakistan star Imran Khan has warned the standard of his country’s side could suffer because of instability that has prompted the cancelation of home international fixtures. “Not just the Pakistan cricket team, every sport in Pakistan because if it applies to cricket, it applies to every other sport,” he said. Imran also warned that plans for Pakistan to play their home games abroad were unsustainable during an interview on Thursday. Imran, who is now chairman of the Pakistan Movement for Justice, said foreign teams would not be targeted by militants if they came to Pakistan, despite fears that saw the Champions Trophy one-day tournament, due to take place in Pakistan last month, delayed until next year. “Terrorists do not target cricketers because cricket is a passion in Pakistan,” he said.
■ Soccer
‘Holy Goalie’ in trouble
Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc escaped a match ban after a Scottish Football Association disciplinary panel chose to fine him £500 (US$764) on Thursday following gestures he made to Rangers fans during the last Old Firm derby. Photographs published in Scottish newspapers appeared to show the Polish international making a one-fingered salute during Celtic’s loss to Rangers on Aug. 31. Boruc is nicknamed the “Holy Goalie” -— but the epithet is more ironic than a nod to his miraculous saves. Boruc is Roman Catholic, thus fitting in with a long-held tradition at Celtic. But he has regularly found himself in hot water for stepping over the line between displaying his faith and provoking Rangers fans, who are predominantly Protestant. In June he escaped disciplinary action after stripping off his top after a game against Rangers to reveal a T-shirt with the slogan “God bless the Pope.”
■ Cricket
Court overturns Malik ban
A Pakistan court on Thursday overturned a life ban against former captain Salim Malik for alleged involvement in match fixing. Malik was banned following a 2001 inquiry into allegations by three Australian players that he offered them bribes. Malik appealed against the punishment to Pakistan’s top court which earlier this year ordered Lahore’s Civil Court to hear the case. Judge Malik Mohammad Altaf ruled in favor of Malik on Thursday and ordered the ban be lifted. Malik’s lawyer said the court ruled that the Pakistan Cricket Board wrongly imposed the ban after acting on recommendations from the inquiry which was headed by a High Court judge. “The PCB did not have the jurisdiction to ban Salim Malik so the court lifted the ban on our appeal,” lawyer Shahid Salim said. Malik was banned after Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and Tim May claimed he offered them bribes to underperform during Australia’s tour of Pakistan in 1994. Malik’s name also featured in an Indian match-fixing inquiry and the late South African captain Hansie Cronje named Malik as an offender in a probe in South Africa.
DOUBLE: Harry Kane has now netted 12 goals in six games, scoring his second hat-trick this season after Bayern’s opening Bundesliga match against Leipzig last month That man again. Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season on Saturday to steer Bayern Munich to a 4-1 win at Hoffenheim for the best Bundesliga start any team has made after four rounds. The England captain scored before the break and converted two penalties after it to take his club tally to 12 goals in six games across all competitions — 13 goals in seven games including the German Supercup. Kane’s other hat-trick was in the Bundesliga-opening 6-0 rout of Leipzig. Bayern’s record of 12 points with a goal difference of 15-plus is the best after four rounds of the Bundesliga
Rwanda is to take center stage from today as the first African country to host the cycling world championships, in its latest use of sports to improve the country’s reputation. As it prepares for 5,000 cyclists and 20,000 spectators, Rwanda has spruced up its roads, created a network of cycle lanes and run multiple police drills. A poor, landlocked country in east Africa still widely associated with a horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has used various sports to revamp its image, attract tourists and impress investors with its organizational efficiency. It has spent lavishly on soccer sponsorship deals with clubs
New Zealand yesterday basked in “amazing” athletics glory after winning two gold medals in as many days at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Geordie Beamish on Monday claimed New Zealand’s first track gold in history with a shock victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, while high jumper Hamish Kerr followed with gold on Tuesday to make it an unprecedented double success for a country much better known for rugby than its prowess in track and field. Before this week, the country had won only six golds in total at the championships. Yesterday morning New Zealand were in the giddy position of fourth on
After Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday pitched five hitless innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Rafael Marchon hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer off Blake Treinen with two outs in the ninth inning for a 9-6 win. Brandon Marsh had a two-run homer and Max Kepler added a solo shot in a six-run sixth for Philadelphia. Ohtani’s 50th homer leading off the eighth helped the Dodgers tie the game 6-6. The Phillies erased a 4-0 deficit against Justin Wrobleski in another stunning collapse by the Dodgers bullpen. Philadelphia rallied for four runs in the seventh and eighth innings and another in the
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