CRICKET
Bangladesh face defeat
Pakistan took a 212-run lead on the first innings on day 3 of the first Test in Rawalpindi yesterday, with Babar Azam making 143. The visitors have a long way to go after reaching 126-6 at stumps, needing 86 further runs to make Pakistan bat again.
ATHLETICS
Pole vault record set
Armand Duplantis of Sweden set a world pole vault record of 6.17m at an indoor meeting in Poland on Saturday. He cleared the bar on his second attempt in Torun to break the previous record of 6.16m set by French vaulter Renaud Lavillenie in February 2014.
RUGBY UNION
Stormers move top
Seabelo Senatla scored a superb try for the Western Stormers as they ground out a 13-0 win over the Northern Bulls on Saturday to move atop the Super Rugby table. Slick handling set up the winger to race clear for a 50th-minute try. Golden Lions winger Courtnall Skosan scored the match-winning try in a 27-20 victory over the Queensland Reds in Johannesburg.
SOCCER
Everton enhance position
Everton’s chances of securing a Champions League berth improved after they beat Crystal Palace 3-1 on Saturday to climb to seventh place and within five points of Chelsea, who occupy the fourth and final qualification place. Watford conceded a late own-goal by defender Adrian Mariappa to draw 1-1 against Brighton & Hove Albion.
SOCCER
Can urges ‘win dirty’
Emre Can says his new Borussia Dortmund teammates must learn to “win dirty” after leaking two late goals to lose 4-3 against Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Saturday. Can, who marked his first start for Dortmund with a stunning long-range goal, said they only had themselves to blame after conceding twice in the dying stages. “When we take the lead, we have to be a little dirtier,” said the midfielder, who joined last month from Juventus. “That’s something the team has to learn, defensively we all have to be better together.” It was the first time striker Erling Braut Haaland had failed to score for his new club after hitting eight goals in his first four games.
SOCCER
Verona upset Juventus
Giampaolo Pazzini’s late penalty gave Hellas Verona a surprise 2-1 win over Serie A leaders Juventus on Saturday, despite Cristiano Ronaldo setting another record. Ronaldo became the first Juventus player to score in 10 successive matches, but his goal was canceled out by Fabio Borini before Leonardo Bonucci gave away a penalty, which substitute Pazzini converted. Elsewhere, UC Sampdoria scored three times in nine minutes to come from behind against Torino and claim a 3-1 victory.
SOCCER
Atletico Madrid win
Atletico Madrid beat Granada 1-0 on Saturday, moving into fourth place in La Liga, while Getafe continued their charge toward a Champions League berth, with Jorge Molina scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Valencia. Elsewhere, Villarreal were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Valladolid and Levante UD beat CD Leganes 2-0.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
Naomi Osaka is braced for a “battle” after yesterday setting up a clash with Coco Gauff in the round-of-16 of the China Open, while top seed Aryna Sabalenka also marched on. Osaka defeated 60th-ranked American Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-2 and next faces Gauff in a showdown of former US Open champions in Beijing. World No. 2 Sabalenka swatted aside Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-2 for her 14th consecutive victory and plays another American in 24th-ranked Madison Keys. Looking ahead to the Gauff meeting, four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka said: “She’s very athletic, obviously.” “For me, my strongest traits are being aggressive and also my serve,
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