CRICKET
Tournament moved to UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is to replace Sri Lanka as the venue for the Asia Cup starting next month due to the ongoing political and economic crisis in the island nation, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) said yesterday. However, Sri Lanka would remain hosts for the nine-team tournament, which is to be played from Aug. 27 to Sept. 11. The country of 22 million people has been crippled by an economic crisis, with shortages of fuel, food and other necessities. Sri Lanka Cricket president Shammi Silva said that the national board members “fully stand by the ACC’s decision” to relocate the tournament.
RUGBY LEAGUE
Players barred from ground
Australian rugby league club Manly banned its seven boycotting players from their home stadium for the match against Sydney Roosters yesterday over safety concerns after holding a meeting with police. The seven this week stood down from the National Rugby League match rather than play in a rainbow-themed pride jersey, drawing criticism from LGBTQ groups. Manly officials on Wednesday spoke with police and decided that the seven players’ presence at Sydney’s Brookvale Oval would pose a threat to their safety. “For the safety and well-being of the players, the club has decided that it’s best that they don’t attend the game,” Manly interim chief executive Gary Wolman told the Australian newspaper. New South Wales Police said police officers had conducted a “risk assessment” and were satisfied with “the strategies in place to mitigate any risk to the players and attendees’ safety and security.” Police had received no formal reports of threats made toward players, although the seven have been branded “bigots” and “homophobic” on social media. The Roosters won 20-10.
RUGBY UNION
Red card rule continued
Red cards are to result in 20-minute player suspensions in the Rugby Championship this season after organizers of the tournament continued a trial of laws around sanctions for serious foul play. Red cards usually mean a player is sent from the field and cannot be replaced for the remainder of the match. Under the trial, the player sent off can take no further part in the match, but can be replaced after 20 minutes. So far, World Rugby, the sport’s governing body, has not agreed to a full global trial. “This is a great decision for the Rugby Championship and follows on from its application in Super Rugby,” SANZAAR chief executive Brendan Morris said. “As a group we firmly believe the integrity of international matches is very important and that wherever possible matches must be a contest of 15 versus 15.”
TENNIS
Vicini sets age record
Domenico Vicini, 50, on Wednesday became the oldest player to win a Davis Cup match. He turns 51 in September. Vicini and doubles partner Marco de Rossi of San Marino beat Martin Muedini and Mario Zili of Albania 6-3, 7-6 in Group IV play. The match was Vicini’s 99th overall in his 24th Davis Cup tournament. The Davis Cup wrote on Twitter: “History man Vicini is just one appearance away from playing his 100th tie, a landmark no-one has ever reached!” He can hit that milestone today.
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
Chris Wood has fired Nottingham Forest into surprise UEFA Champions League contention and now the striker wants to score the goals to help New Zealand make history at the FIFA World Cup. New Zealand are strong favorites to qualify out of the Oceania region over the next week and reach the World Cup for only the third time. At the country’s two previous appearances at the finals, in 1982 and 2010, they have failed to win a match in six attempts. With Wood captaining the side and leading from the front, he told local media yesterday that the current squad can finally deliver
Paolo Banchero on Sunday scored 24 points as the Orlando Magic overturned a 13-point deficit to end the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 16-game unbeaten streak with a gutsy 108-103 road victory. Cleveland, the runaway Eastern Conference leaders, had looked poised to extend their franchise-record winning run after surging clear of Orlando early in the third quarter, but after a season where they have staged hefty winning comebacks of their own, the tables turned on Cleveland in the face of a furious burst of Orlando scoring. The Magic outscored Cleveland 35-23 in the third quarter, with Franz Wagner leading the charge with nine points and
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