CRICKET
Afghanistan takes ICC
Afghanistan defeated Canada by two wickets in a rain-affected Intercontinental Cup (ICC) one-day international in King City, Canada, on Sunday. Canada, who played in the World Cup earlier this year, made 230 all out in 44.5 overs before Afghanistan reached their Duckworth-Lewis target of 213 from 43 overs with 11 balls to spare. Afghanistan were quickly in trouble when Noor Ali Zadran (one) and Mohammad Shahzad (one) were back in the pavilion by the third over with the score at seven for two. Skipper Nawroz Mangal helped steady the innings with 34 off 33 balls before opener Shabir Noori, who made 94, and Mohammad Nabi put on 114 for the fourth wicket. Noori hit 11 fours and two sixes in his 109-ball innings while Nabi’s 58 came off 59 balls with three fours and two sixes. Afghanistan then lost five wickets for just 24 runs before Samiullah Shenwari and Mirwais Ashraf saw their team to victory.
GOLF
McIlroy to tour China
US Open champion Rory McIlroy has signed up to headline a made-for-TV golf odyssey through China this year to showcase the sport in the country and the nation’s fast-growing cities to the rest of the world. Former world No. 1 Ernie Els, Englishman Ian Poulter and China’s No. 1 Liang Wen-chong will also compete in the four-man event from Oct. 10-Oct. 16, at which the quartet will play just 18 holes, competing on two or three holes at each of eight courses. The even will tee off in Shanghai before heading to Dalian and Beijing, west to Chongqing and then south through Haikou in Hainan Province, Dongguan, Guangzhou Province, and Macau.
TRIATHLON
Brownlee wins in London
European champion Alistair Brownlee won the men’s race of the London triathlon on Sunday, completing a British double on the Hyde Park course to be used at next year’s Summer Olympics. The 23-year-old Brownlee was in a leading group of four by the end of the cycle route past Buckingham Palace. He surged clear over the run to cross the line in one hour, 50 minutes, nine seconds — clinching his third win from five World Championship Series events. A day after Britain’s Helen Jenkins won the women’s race in the first competitive triathlon on the Olympic course, Brownlee finished 25 seconds ahead of Russia’s Alexander Bryukhankov to meet the selection criteria for Britain’s Olympic team next year. Brownlee ran the 10km in 29:50, high-fiving fans along the home straight before walking over the line. Brownlee’s brother, Jonathan, finished another 30 seconds back in third to also reach the qualifying standard.
TRIATHLON
New York competitor dies
One competitor died and another was in critical condition on Sunday after they ran into difficulty in the swimming phase of the Nautica New York City Triathlon. New York City police said 64-year-old Michael Kudryk of Freehold, New Jersey, was pulled unconscious from the Hudson River on Sunday morning and was thought to have had a heart attack. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Police said a 40-year-old woman from Illinois, whose name was not immediately available, was in critical condition with heart attack symptoms and 26 others were taken from the water in need of first aid during the swim, which was the first phase of the race.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about £2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported £400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported £400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported £900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically