Sports

HANGZHOU: Hosts Chi­na racked up a record 201 gold medals before the curtain came down on two weeks of tears and triumphs at the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Sunday. The 19th and biggest Asi­ad concluded at the 80,000-capacity Olympic stadium with China handing over to Japan for 2026 at a celebratory closing ceremony. Dancers holding lit-up pro­ps fanned out …

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday denied that Pakistani sports presenter Zainab Abbas was deported from India — where she was a part of the World Cup 2023 broadcast team — adding that her exit from the country was due to “personal reasons”. ICC official C. Rajshekhar Rao confirmed the development to Arab News, although some media reports suggested her …

Indian police have received a “threat email” from an anonymous sender to blow up Prime Minister and the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad — the ground where the World Cup final is scheduled to be played — if Rs5,000 million were not paid to a local gangster, according to Indian media. A report in Hindustan Times said the email insisted that the funds must …

HANGZHOU: Pakistan missed out on bronze in men’s cricket at the Asian Games after losing a rain-shortened, last-ball thriller against Bangladesh on Saturday while weightlifter Mohammad Abdullah Butt ended sixth in the men’s +109kg final. On another disappointing day for Pakistan, wrestlers Zaman Anwar, Inayatullah and Haider Ali all failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals of their respective categories while …

CHENNAI: Indian captain Rohit Sharma is aware of Australia’s awe-inspiring record in global events and warned his team-mates not to lower their guard against them in their first match of the 50-overs World Cup in Chennai on Sunday. India are currently the top-ranked ODI team and they beat Australia 2-1 last month in a series before heading into the World …

DHARAMSALA: All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz scored a half-century and took three wickets as Bangladesh got their Cricket World Cup campaign off to a solid start with a six-wicket victory over Afghanistan here at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Saturday. Having won the toss and elected to field, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan put his side in the driving …

Coach Mickey Arthur admits he knows Sri Lanka’s “strengths and weaknesses” inside out having spent two years at the helm of his Asian rivals. Former champions Pakistan and Sri Lanka clash at the World Cup in Hyderabad on Tuesday, allowing Arthur the opportunity to renew his acquaintance with players he helped develop as coach between December 2019 to November 2021. …

KARACHI: Stephen Constantine’s first virtual news conference since being appointed Pakistan head coach started with a conversation that the Pakistan Football Federation Normalisation Committee would’ve liked to keep private. Waiting for reporters to arrive on Friday, there were discussions on NC chief Haroon Malik, the state of Pakistan football and the offers Constantine has. PFF NC’s social media manager Hasnain …

HANGZHOU: Japan ended North Korea’s hopes of a fairytale football gold with a 4-1 thrashing in the Asian Games final after the Philippines won their first basketball gold since 1962 and breakdancing made its debut in a whirlwind of baggy pants and pounding beats. The Games meanwhile recorded a seventh doping case,this one involving 19-year-old Mongolian weightlifter Erdenezul Buyandelger. She …

HANGZHOU: Pakistan endured a mixed day at the Asian Games on Wednesday with joy and despair in equal measure. While Pakistan’s cricketers came unstuck in the semi-finals of the men’s Twenty20 tournament against Afghanistan, their hockey counterparts downed Malaysia to finish fifth. Karateka Mohammad Awais advanced to a bronze medal match, where he lost to his Thai opponent, while the …