CRICKET
Australia thump England
A battling 94 from Steve Smith yesterday handed Australia a series win against England with a game to spare after a 72-run victory in the second one-day international in Sydney. Josh Hazelwood won the toss and elected to bat, but two early wickets brought Smith and Marnus Labuschagne (58) to the crease. The pair put on 101 before Labuschagne departed. Smith increased the pace soon after and was assisted by Mitchell Marsh (50). A six off Sam Curran over square-leg took Smith into the 90s, but he fell metres short of his century, holing out at long-off to Adil Rashid, who took 3-57. England lost two wickets without scoring a run in the first over by Mitchell Starc, but Josh Vince (60) and Sam Billings (71) steadied the tourists, However, their demise led to a collapse, with the visitors bowled out for 208.
CRICKET
Indian selectors sacked
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday sacked its entire selection committee, led by former fast bowler Chetan Sharma, and put out the call for replacements after the team’s T20 World Cup exit. Rohit Sharma’s men were thrashed by 10 wickets by England in their semi-final at the Adelaide Oval last week, prompting fresh soul-searching by a team who last won a global title at the 2013 Champions Trophy. Their exit prompted calls from commentators and the public for heads to roll. The BCCI issued a statement inviting fresh applications to fill all five positions on its selection panel.
BASKETBALL
Spain displace the US
Spain replaced the US men’s basketball team at the top of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) world rankings, a spot the US have held for more than 12 years. Spain have enjoyed success in the past few years, including winning the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and this year’s FIBA EuroBasket. “It’s not exactly a new title and it probably can’t be maintained for too long, but it’s something so unique, prestigious and historic that I feel tremendously proud of everyone who ... has contributed to it,” Spain coach Sergio Scariolo wrote on Twitter. Spain top the rankings with 758.6 points followed by the US with 757.5 and Australia in third on 740.3.
HORSE RACING
US court says rules invalid
The US Congress unconstitutionally gave too much power to a nonprofit authority it created in 2020 to develop and enforce horseracing rules, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday. The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals said that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act is “facially unconstitutional.” The authority created by the act was meant to bring uniform policies and enforcement to horseracing amid doping scandals and racetrack horse deaths, but the 5th Circuit in two rulings ruled in favor of opponents of the act in lawsuits brought by horseracing associations and state officials in Texas, Louisiana and West Virginia. Three judges agreed with opponents of the act that the setup gave too much power to the nongovernmental authority and too little to the US Federal Trade Commission. “A cardinal constitutional principle is that federal power can be wielded only by the federal government,” Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan wrote. “Private entities may do so only if they are subordinate to an agency.”
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two
RSS