JOHANNESBURG: Duanne Olivier took his third five-wicket haul of the series before Pakistan’s bowlers fought back on the second day of the third and final Test against South Africa here at the Wanderers on Saturday. Olivier grabbed took five wickets for 51 as South Africa gained a first innings lead of 77. But the hosts were unable to forge a …

THE more I watch the Pakistan batsmen on this tour the more I continue to get convinced that the way they handle pace and bounce of the pitch in this country they give me, and all of us, the impression that they are no less than sitting ducks against extreme pace and bounce. This has been seem time and again …

Roger Federer admitted on Sunday he was shocked that tennis was to lose “legend” Andy Murray this year while long-time friend Novak Djokovic said the bombshell news had “hurt” him. Both paid tribute to the former world number one on the eve of the year’s first Grand Slam with Federer adding that the Scot should be “incredibly proud” of what …

India batsman and part-time offspinner Ambati Rayudu has been reported for a suspect bowling action during his side’s one-day international match against Australia in Sydney on Saturday. The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday said that Rayudu’s action was cited by match officials after he bowled two overs for figures of 0-13 during the series opener, which Australia won by …

India on Sunday called up all-rounder Vijay Shankar and batsman Shubman Gill for their Australia and New Zealand tours after Lokesh Rahul and Hardik Pandya were ordered home in disgrace over comments made about women. Rahul and Pandya were axed ahead of India’s opening one-day international against Australia in Sydney on Saturday, which the tourists lost, pending an investigation into …

PARIS: Two French firefighters and a Spanish citizen died and nearly people 50 were injured in a gas explosion that gutted the ground floor of a building in a central Paris shopping district on Saturday, authorities said. The accident occurred with central Paris under security lockdown for a ninth consecutive Saturday of “yellow vest” protests. Large parts of the capital …

GWADAR: Saudi Minister for Petroleum and Energy Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz said on Saturday that his country’s crown prince would visit Pakistan in February to sign an agreement with Pakistan on setting up an oil refinery in Gwadar at a cost of $10 billion. The Saudi minister said this after arriving here along with a delegation to inspect the site …

WASHINGTON: When US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, no US ambassador was there to welcome him. The post has been vacant for nine months. The Republican donor President Donald Trump chose for the job, John Rakolta Jr., hasn’t been approved by the Senate. Trump has frequently accused Senate Democrats of using the …

HERAT: Gunmen stormed a police station in western Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least five people and wounding two others, officials said, in the latest violence targeting the war-torn country’s beleaguered security forces. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the raid in the provincial capital of Herat, near the Iranian border, but the Taliban have been relentless in …

NEW YORK: The FBI opened a probe into President Donald Trump for possible obstruction of justice after he fired FBI Director James Comey, counterintelligence agents were investigating why Trump was acting in ways that seemed to benefit Russia, according to a source familiar with the matter, The New York Times reported. As the FBI opened the Trump probe in the hectic …