CRICKET
Punjab Kings disappoint
Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer said it was “back to the drawing board” after their big loss to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first IPL qualifier. League toppers Punjab have another chance to reach Tuesday’s final, but they will have to perform a lot better than they did in going down by eight wickets to Bengaluru after being bowled out for 101 at Mullanpur in New Chandigarh on Thursday. Punjab can still meet Bengaluru in the title clash if they beat the winners of the eliminator — which was to be played between the Gujarat Titans and the Mumbai Indians after press time last night — in the second qualifier in Ahmedabad tomorrow. “Not a day to forget, but we have to go back to the drawing board,” Iyer said. “We were befuddled and lost a lot of wickets. Something to go back and study.”
Photo: AFP
BASEBALL
Chris Sale makes history
Chris Sale made history on Thursday with his last pitch of the night. The Atlanta Braves ace fanned the Philadelphia Phillies’ Edmundo Sosa to end the sixth inning, the 2,500th strikeout of Sale’s career. The left-hander became the fastest in MLB history to reach the 2,500-K milestone, getting there in 2,026 innings. The record previously was held by Randy Johnson, when he fanned his 2,500th batter after 2,107-2/3 innings in 1999. “I appreciate it for what it is, but I try not to get too caught up in stuff like that right now,” Sale said after the Braves closed out a 9-3 win to gain a split of a day-night doubleheader in Philadelphia. Philadelphia won the opener 5-4. “I know what our job is here. And no matter whether you have a good one or a bad one, the next one is the most important one.” Elsewhere on Thursday, the Houston Astros were beaten 13-3 by the Tampa Bay Rays, the Seattle Mariners went down 9-3 to the Washington Nationals in 10 innings and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Oakland Athletics 12-0.
Photo: Bill Streicher / Imagn Images
SOCCER
Paris bumps up security
Paris was to deploy 5,400 police officers for today’s UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter, police chief Laurent Nunez said yesterday in an interview with French broadcaster Cnews. Although the match is to be played in Munich, Germany, a PSG victory would be expected to spark celebrations in the club’s home city that could escalate into disturbances. In light of an incident in Liverpool, England, earlier this week in which a car ploughed into soccer fans, Nunez said that traffic around the Arc de Triomphe would be blocked from midday today, with the Champs-Elysees boulevard and nearby streets also closed that evening. “Individuals who come solely to commit vandalism and loot businesses, that’s a pattern we’re obviously working to systematically put an end to,” he said. “That will also be the case on Saturday evening.”
Photo: Reuters
SOCCER
AC Milan fire Conceicao
AC Milan on Thursday fired Sergio Conceicao as expected following a disappointing season that saw the Rossoneri fail to qualify for Europe. The seven-time European champions have reportedly reached an agreement with Massimiliano Allegri to return as coach. Milan finished eighth in Serie A, 19 points behind champions SSC Napoli.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
‘HELLA ENERGY’: Minnesota’s 42-point victory set a club record for points in a playoff game, but the team have to keep up their momentum to stay in the series, Edwards said Anthony Edwards on Saturday night scored 30 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves overwhelmed Oklahoma City 143-101 to tighten their NBA playoff series. Edwards added nine rebounds and six assists. while shooting 12-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three-point range as the hosts Timberwolves pulled a game back to be 2-1 behind in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals. However, moments after the 42-point win, Minnesota were determined to forget all about it. Such is life in the NBA playoffs. “You’ve got to erase this one,” Edwards said. “This one is over. I know everyone is happy about this one, but we know OKC is
The horn sounded on Wednesday night to signal a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, as the Florida Panthers celebrated merely by hopping over the boards and several heading over to congratulate goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It was a subdued celebration seemingly more befitting a regular-season win for the reigning Cup champs. “I remember a few years ago, it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said, adding: “It’s all business and we’ve got a bigger goal in mind.” The Panthers closed out the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, with a 5-3 victory in
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