CRICKET
Amir freed from prison
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir was freed from a British jail on Wednesday after serving half of a six-month sentence for taking part in a spot-fixing scandal that shook the world of cricket last year. The 19-year-old was released early from a young offenders’ institution in Dorset, England, a source who declined to be identified said. Amir was jailed in November after pleading guilty to conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments. Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and paceman Mohammad Asif were found guilty of taking part in the same spot-fixing plot and were jailed for 30 months and one year respectively. The trio were part of a conspiracy to bowl no-balls at pre-arranged times during a Test match against England at Lord’s in August 2010. The players were charged after an undercover reporter with a British newspaper recorded sports agent Mazhar Majeed boasting about how he could arrange for players to rig games for money.
TENNIS
Wozniacki drops her coach
Former women’s world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki has parted company with her Spanish coach Ricardo Sanchez after only two months of collaboration, the Ekstra Bladet daily reported on Wednesday. The decision, announced by Wozniacki’s father and confirmed by Sanchez, comes after her elimination in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open. In December, Sanchez broke off his partnership with Serbian former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic to work with Wozniacki, who had dropped her father, Piotr, as her coach in August. “We decided to evaluate the collaboration and we agreed to bring it to an end,” Piotr Wozniacki told Ekstra Bladet. Sanchez told the newspaper that the decision was because of his differences with Wozniacki’s father, who had been the Dane’s only previous coach. “I have great respect for Piotr, who has never played tennis himself, and for the work he has done, but he has his way of doing things and I have mine,” Sanchez said.
SOCCER
Alkmaar make semi-finals
Belgian Maarten Martens struck twice to help AZ Alkmaar past amateurs GVVV Veenendaal with a 2-1 win in their Dutch Cup quarter-final on Wednesday. GVVV, who reached the last eight after surprise wins at top flight Excelsior Rotterdam and second-tier Sparta Rotterdam, stunned Alkmaar on 10 minutes when a cross from Dennis van Meegdenburg surprised goalkeeper Esteban. Their lead lasted just 10 minutes, Martens equalizing with a free-kick and the attacking midfielder sent Alkmaar into the semi-finals midway through the second half when he finished with a well-placed shot after combining with Adam Maher. Heracles Almelo cruised through after a 3-0 win at home over RKC Waalwijk. Samuel Armenteros and Kwame Quansah scored before the break, then Marko Vejinovic added a third, before RKC’s Evander Sno was sent off with 17 minutes remaining.
SOCCER
Bayern to discard Usami
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich have decided not to make Japanese teenager Takashi Usami’s loan deal a permanent one, J League club Gamba Osaka said yesterday. The highly rated 19-year-old joined the German side in June last year following his first international call-up, vowing at the time to become the “new Arjen Robben,” Bayern’s mercurial Dutch winger. Despite scoring all five goals in a 5-0 friendly rout of a local side in Qatar last month, Usami has failed to convince Bayern to sign him on a full transfer.
Ademola Lookman on Thursday scored on his Atletico Madrid debut in a 5-0 rout of Real Betis Balompie that sent Diego Simeone’s team to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. David Hancko, Giuliano Simeone, Antoine Griezmann and Thiago Almada also scored for Atletico as they advanced to the last four for the third straight season. Atletico are trying to reach their first Copa final since winning the competition in 2012-2013. Hancko opened the scoring for the visitors in the 12th minute and Giuliano Simeone added to the lead in the 30th, before Lookman got his first goal for Atletico on a fast
GUNNING FOR A WIN: The victory sending Arsenal to the final for the first time in six years was cathartic for a team who had lost their previous four semi-finals Arsenal on Tuesday reached the League Cup final for the first time in eight years as Kai Havertz sealed a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the semi-final second leg. Mikel Arteta’s side had put themselves in pole position in the first leg and Havertz came off the bench to finish the 4-2 aggregate victory in the closing moments at the Emirates Stadium. It was a cathartic triumph for the Gunners, who had lost their previous four semi-finals in last year’s UEFA Champions League and League Cup, the 2022 League Cup and the 2021 UEFA Europa League. In their first final for six years,
SUPERSTAR DELIVERS: Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to propel the Spurs to a 135-123 victory over the Dallas Mavericks The Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday shook off the early exit of injured star Luka Doncic, rallying without him in the second half for a 119-115 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Austin Reaves, again coming off the bench in his second game back from a 19-game injury absence, scored 13 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, drilling a pair of back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lakers their first lead of the game early in the final frame. “Losing Luka, you know nothing’s going to be easy after that because he does so much for us, but we bonded together,” said
France head coach Fabien Galthie on Thursday lauded his team’s attacking performance after their dazzling 36-14 victory over Ireland in their Six Nations opener. A brace of tries from Louis Bielley-Biarrey and one from mercurial flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert helped France storm into a 29-0 lead before taking their foot off the gas and allowing Ireland back into the match, before winger Theo Attissogbe put some gloss on the victory late on. “In an attacking sense, with the ball, the team played with great accuracy,” Galthie said. “It was one of the most accurate attacking performances in a long time, despite the weather
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