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.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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