CRICKET
Misbah makes 99 again
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq was dismissed for 99, a week after he was left stranded on the same score, as his side took an 81-run first-innings lead in the second Test against the West Indies in Barbados on Tuesday. Misbah had the dubious honor of becoming the first player from his country to finish on 99 not out during the first innings of last week’s seven-wicket first Test victory in Jamaica. Seeking his 11th Test century on Tuesday, the 42-year-old failed to control a rising delivery from West Indies captain Jason Holder, with the ball hitting his glove and popping up for an easy catch at second slip. Despite the personal disappointment, his team ended the day in a strong position after opener Azhar Ali scored his 13th Test century. The West Indies had to endure a nervous 14 overs in their second innings before stumps and were 40-1 at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, still 41 runs behind Pakistan’s 393. Kraigg Brathwaite was on 8 with Shimron Hetmyer on 22 at the close. Opener Kieran Powell was caught behind by Sarfraz Ahmed for 6 off Mohammad Abbas.
AUSSIE RULES
Teams prepare for China
From chopstick etiquette to dealing with hierarchy, Aussie Rules players are learning about Chinese customs ahead of a groundbreaking match in Shanghai, with teams eager to avoid any missteps. Port Adelaide Power and the Gold Coast Suns have engaged cultural awareness firms to teach players the do’s and don’ts of China ahead of their game on Sunday next week, a report said yesterday. The match is the first-ever played for premiership points outside Australia and New Zealand as the sport seeks to make inroads into the potentially massive Chinese market. “The idea ... is to get a heads up on how cultures are different, how to respect them and not make fun of them,” Port Adelaide player Jack Hombsch told the Age newspaper. “Some things in other cultures are really important to them and what is funny can be different to us.” The clubs have scrambled to make the most of Chinese traditions, with the Gold Coast this week winning the right to play in their home colors of red and yellow, which they share with the Chinese flag. Port Adelaide, who paid A$500,000 (US$375,000) for the rights to the match, had argued that the Suns should wear white, fearing Chinese supporters would gravitate to the challengers. One Australian report, which the club later brushed aside, had suggested that a star player abandon his No. 4 jersey, as the number is considered unlucky in China. All 10,000 tickets to the match at Shanghai’s Jiangwan Stadium have been sold.
GOLF
Thailand Open confirmed
The Thailand Open has rejoined the Asian Tour after an eight-year hiatus, organizers said yesterday, confirming that Australia’s Scott Hend and local favorite Thongchai Jaidee would headline the event later this month. The deal will be seen as a new blow to the struggling rival OneAsia Tour, who poached the tournament from the Asian Tour in 2010, and comes just weeks after the Asian Tour announced it had made a breakthrough deal to return to China, where OneAsia had previously had a foothold. Thailand’s national championship, which dates back to 1965, is to be held this year at Bangkok’s Thai Country Club from May 18 to May 21, with a prize fund of US$300,000.
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take
The Philippines curling team has been rocking it in Harbin, claiming the tropical nation’s first Asian Winter Games medal yesterday with a victory in the men’s final against South Korea. The team of Marc Pfister, Alan Frei, Christian Haller, Enrico Pfister and alternate Benjo Delarmente took gold with a 5-3 win at Harbin Pingfang Curling Arena. The Philippines Olympic Committee was quick to celebrate with a post on Instagram to mark the historic gold. “This is the first-ever medal for the Philippines at the Asian Winter Games, and the highest achievement for a Southeast Asian athlete in the Games’ history! What an incredible
Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien on Tuesday dumped compatriot and second seed Hsieh Su-wei out of the women’s doubles at the Qatar Open to set up another potential Taiwanese showdown, while world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock defeat in the second round. Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu, who earlier this year won the ASB Classic in Auckland and the Hobart International, defeated Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 10-5 in 1 hour, 29 minutes on Grandstand Court 3 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. Wu and Jiang on Sunday advanced to the round-of-16 with a 7-6 (7/7),