CRICKET
Abbas named ICC head
Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas on Tuesday was named president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the next year at the annual conference of the sport’s world governing body in Barbados. Zaheer, 67, filled the vacancy in the largely honorary role left by Mustafa Kamal, who resigned with a blast at the organization in April after falling out with the council’s Indian chairman over who should hand out the World Cup trophy. Kamal, as the titular head of the council, expected to present the trophy, but chairman Narayanaswami Srinivasan awarded it to the victorious Australia side. The Bangladeshi, who was criticized by the council for an outburst over a no-ball decision earlier in the tournament, said of the council: “These type of people should be kept away from cricket.” Zaheer — one of his country’s finest batsmen — who played 78 Tests and 62 one-day internationals from 1969 to 1985, is likely to prove a less controversial holder of the office. “I feel truly honored and humbled to be appointed as the president of the governing body of our great game,” he said in a news release.
BASKETBALL
Chinese official investigated
A vice president of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has been placed under investigation for possible corruption in China. The Chinese Communist Party’s disciplinary watchdog yesterday said on its Web site that Xiao Tian was suspected of serious graft. No details were given. Xiao is also vice minister of sport responsible for basketball, one of China’s most-popular sports alongside soccer. Xiao was elected one of FIBA’s three vice presidents in September last year. There was no immediate comment from the Switzerland-based body.
BASKETBALL
Portland trade players
French forward Nicolas Batum on Wednesday was traded from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Charlotte Hornets for NBA veteran guard Gerald Henderson and forward Noah Vonleh. The deal was announced on the eve of the NBA draft, where both clubs are to try and land the best available young talent entering the league from the international and college ranks. Batum started 428 of 481 appearances for the Trail Blazers, averaging 11.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3 assists in 30.8 minutes a night. His 751 career three-pointers rank third on Portland’s all-time list. “Nic Batum was a key contributor to all of our recent success,” said Neil Olshey, the Blazers’ president of basketball operations. “He will truly be missed as a person and a player. We wish Nic all the best for the future.” Vonleh, 19, was taken with the ninth overall pick in last year’s draft by Charlotte. He averaged 3.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 25 games for the Hornets last season. Henderson has career averages of 12 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists over six seasons with Charlotte.
BASKETBALL
Hawks purchase approved
Billionaire Tony Ressler’s purchase of the Atlanta Hawks has been unanimously approved by NBA owners, the league announced on Wednesday, concluding a sale forced by racial remarks in e-mails discovered last year. The sale comes after a 2012 e-mail written by former co-owner Bruce Levenson, which said in part that black fans were scaring away white supporters, was uncovered as part of a probe following comments by former general manager Danny Ferry, who resigned on Monday. Ressler’s group reportedly paid US$850 million for the Hawks, who reached the Eastern Conference finals.
RECORD DEFEAT: The Shanghai-based ‘Oriental Sports Daily’ said the drubbing was so disastrous, and taste so bitter, that all that is left is ‘numbness’ Chinese soccer fans and media rounded on the national team yesterday after they experienced fresh humiliation in a 7-0 thrashing to rivals Japan in their opening Group C match in the third phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The humiliation in Saitama on Thursday against Asia’s top-ranked team was China’s worst defeat in World Cup qualifying and only a goal short of their record 8-0 loss to Brazil in 2012. Chinese President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the World Cup one day, but that ambition looked further away than ever after a
‘KHELIFMANIA’: In the weeks since the Algerian boxer won gold in Paris, national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women In the weeks since Algeria’s Imane Khelif won an Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing, athletes and coaches in the North African nation say national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women. Khelif’s image is practically everywhere, featured in advertisements at airports, on highway billboards and in boxing gyms. The 25-year-old welterweight’s success in Paris has vaulted her to national hero status, especially after Algerians rallied behind her in the face of uninformed speculation about her gender and eligibility to compete. Amateur boxer Zougar Amina, a medical student who has been practicing for a year, called Khelif an
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
GOING GLOBAL: The regular season fixture is part of the football league’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the sport to international destinations The US National Football League (NFL) breaks new ground in its global expansion strategy tomorrow when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers face off in the first-ever grid-iron game staged in Brazil. For one night only, the land of Pele and ‘The Beautiful Game’ will get a rare glimpse into the bone-crunching world of American football as the Packers and Eagles collide at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena, the 46,000-seat home of soccer club Corinthians. The regular season fixture is part of the NFL’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the US’ most popular sport to new territories following previous international fixtures
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