CRICKET
Anderson out with injury
England spearhead seamer James Anderson has been ruled out of the forthcoming one-day series in Sri Lanka because of a knee injury, it was announced on Tuesday. However, England said they hoped to have the Lancashire swing bowler fit in time for next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. “James Anderson has been ruled out ... to continue his rehabilitation on a pre-existing left knee injury,” an England and Wales Cricket Board statement said. It added that “at present” Anderson would not be replaced in the Sri Lanka tour squad. Anderson’s absence follows that of new-ball partner Stuart Broad, who had long since been ruled out of the Sri Lanka series with a knee problem of his own.
HORSE RACING
Cup favorite’s heart failed
Japanese stayer Admire Rakti, the pre-race favorite for the Melbourne Cup, died of acute heart failure, though the cause may be unknown until the full results from a post-mortem, Racing Victoria head steward Terry Bailey said. The six-year-old collapsed after the handicap 3,200m race on Tuesday after he faded badly and finished in a distant last place behind German raider Protectionist. A post-mortem was conducted at Melbourne University on Tuesday. “All indications are that Admire Rakti passed away due to heart failure,” Bailey told ABC Radio yesterday. “We need to get the autopsy results and that will tell the story.” Admire Rakti was one of two horses to die after the race, with seventh-placed Araldo suffering an injury to its leg after he was spooked by a spectator waving a flag while returning to the stalls. The Mike Moroney-trained stayer had to be euthanized and Bailey said he would be talking to the Victoria Racing Club about the incident. “It’s something I will be speaking with the club today to see if we can put some measures in place that will prevent that from happening again,” he said.
SOCCER
Adriano faces drugs charges
Former Brazilian international Adriano was charged by Rio de Janeiro prosecutors on Tuesday over alleged links to drug trafficking, officials and reports said. The former Inter, ACF Fiorentina, Parma and AS Roma striker, 32, who is trying to revive his career in France, is accused of buying a motorbike in 2007 that was later used by drug dealers in the Vila Cruzeiro favela, where he grew up, reports said. He faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty, ESPN reported. Prosecutors did not request Adriano’s arrest, but asked for him to surrender his passport. According to Brazilian media, The former international, who hit 27 goals in 48 appearances for Brazil, last played for the Brazilian club Atletico Paranaense, but they terminated his contract six months ago.
SOCCER
Cannavaro goes to China
Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande have appointed former Real Madrid and Juventus defender Fabio Cannavaro as their new coach. Cannavaro replaces his former mentor Marcello Lippi, who on Sunday announced his decision to retire from soccer management and take over as Guangzhou technical director. Evergrande’s official Twitter page posted photos yesterday of Cannavaro arriving at the airport and at an official press conference alongside Lippi, with the tweet “welcome to Guangzhou, Fabio Cannavaro.” It also posted “Fabi Canavaro has officially joined as coach,” in Chinese.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ￥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ￥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,
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