CRICKET
Late pair win match
Bangladesh yesterday recovered from an early collapse to defeat Afghanistan by four wickets in the first one-day international of a three-match series at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong. Afif Hossain (93 off 115 deliveries) and Mehidy Hasan (81 off 120) shared a 174-run seventh-wicket stand as Bangladesh recovered from 45-6 to reach 219-6 in 48.5 overs after Mustafizur Rahman’s 3-35 helped the hosts bowl out Afghanistan for 215 in 49.1 overs. Fazalhaq Farooqi claimed 4-54 for Afghanistan, taking all of his wickets in his first five overs and seemingly sealing Bangladesh’s fate. However, Hossain and Hasan, who were united in the 11th over, put together the second-highest ODI partnership for the seventh wicket to steal victory. Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid scored 177 for England’s seventh wicket in an ODI against New Zealand in Birmingham in 2015. Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal said he did not believe a win was on the cards after their sixth wicket fell. “I’m very proud and happy for the two for their incredible innings,” he said after the match. Hasan was named player of the match for his effort with the bat and his spell of 0-28. In the first innings, Najibullah Zadran top scored with 67 from 84 deliveries, but was unable to build a big partnership, with a succession of middling scores at the other end. Ibrahim Zadran (19), Rahmat Shah (34), Hashmatullah Shahidi (28), Mohammad Nabi (20) and Gulbadin Naib (17) failed to provide the support needed to reach what would have been considered a defendable score. The second match is to be played tomorrow and the third on Monday next week, both at the same ground. The teams then move to Mirpur for two T20 matches.
SOCCER
Mourinho receives ban
AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho on Tuesday was banned for two games as punishment for an outburst when his team drew 2-2 against Hellas Verona in Serie A on Saturday. Mourinho, who was red carded, encroached onto the field in the game to argue with the referee and then kicked a ball into the crowd. The Portuguese coach acted in a “threatening” manner, Serie A said in its disciplinary announcement. The league also fined him 20,000 euros (US$22,700). Eighth-place Roma are winless in their past three league games — all draws, including one against relegation-threatened Genoa. The ban means Mourinho will not be on the touchline for Roma’s games against Spezia on Sunday and at home against Atalanta BC on March 5.
TENNIS
Medvedev moves closer
Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday continued his pursuit of the No. 1 ranking with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Benoit Paire to move into the second round at the Mexican Open. The 26-year-old Russian can overtake Novak Djokovic for top spot in the men’s tennis rankings if he wins the title. In the doubles, Germany’s Alexander Zverev was withdrawn from the ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco for “unsportsmanlike conduct” after his round-of-16 match, the men’s tour said. Zverev, partnering Brazilian Marcelo Melo, came perilously close to hitting an umpire when he repeatedly assaulted the umpire’s chair with his racket after their 2-6, 6-4, 6-10 defeat against Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that
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