CRICKET
Sri Lanka thrash Bangladesh
Asitha Fernando yesterday finished with a career-best 6-51 as Sri Lanka thrashed Bangladesh by 10 wickets in the second Test to win the series 1-0. The visitors bowled Bangladesh out for 169 in their second innings, with the 24-year-old playing a starring role at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Oshada Fernando then hit an unbeaten 21 to ease Sri Lanka to a devastating win. Play had resumed on the fifth and final day with the hosts at a precarious 34-4 and Sri Lanka increased the pressure when Kasun Rajitha bowled Mushfiqur Rahim for 23 in the eighth over. Shakib Al Hasan (58) and Liton Das (52) held on through the first session with a mix of caution and aggression. However, Asitha claimed both scalps soon after the lunch break, claiming four of the final five wickets after dispatching openers Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Tamim Iqbal the previous day. Sri Lanka made 506 runs in the first innings after bowling out Bangladesh for 365.
ICE HOCKEY
Oilers eliminate Flames
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on Thursday dominated the first NHL playoff Battle of Alberta in 31 years as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Calgary Flames 5-4 night in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series to advance to the Western Conference finals. McDavid, Edmonton’s captain, scored his seventh goal of the post-season, beating Jacob Markstrom in overtime off a pass from Draisaitl to send the Oilers spilling over the bench in celebration. “Hard to put into words what that one meant to me,” McDavid said. “The guys did a great job of hanging in there all night. Definitely wasn’t our best effort, but we stuck in there. Got great performances from a bunch of different guys.” Zach Hyman had a goal and two assists, while Darnell Nurse, Jesse Puljujarvi and Evan Bouchard also scored for the Oilers. Mike Smith made 32 saves. The Oilers are to play either the Colorado Avalanche or the St Louis Blues in their first conference final appearance since 2006. Colorado lead that series 3-2. In the Eastern Conference semi-finals, the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 3-1 to take a 3-2 series lead.
RUGBY UNION
Crusaders defeat Reds
The Canterbury Crusaders yesterday downed the Queensland Reds 28-15 in Super Rugby Pacific to give them second place going into the post-season. The result at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch means the same two teams are to meet in the quarter-finals next week.
BASKETBALL
Taiwan, China to clash
Taiwan, Japan and China are to play Asian qualifying matches for next year’s World Cup in Australia starting late next month, Basketball Australia said yesterday as it announced the schedule for the series at John Cain Arena in Melbourne. Australia are to play China on June 30 to open the Group B tournament, which has already completed 12 games. Taiwan are to play their cross-strait rivals on July 1 and 4, with a game against Japan on July 3. Australia, who have already guaranteed a spot in the second round, have a 3-0 record, while Japan are 1-3, China are 2-0 and Taiwan have no wins from three games.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB