Sports

BUENOS AIRES: Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates will make a triumphant return to their homeland on Thursday when they play their first match since winning the World Cup in Qatar. More than 1.5 million fans applied for 63,000 available tickets for the match against Central American minnows Panama at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires. Football-mad Argentines were out …

DHAKA: Uncapped Bangladeshi cricketers Rishad Hossain and Jaker Ali Anik were named to the Bangladesh squad Wednesday for next week’s three-match T20 International series against Ireland. Leg-spinner Rishad, 20, has shown promise in domestic matches, while 25-year-old wicket-keeper/batsman Anik was a crucial member of the Comilla Victorians’ title-winning team this year. Batsman Afif Hossain, left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam and wicketkeeper-batsman …

CHENNAI: Leg-spinner Adam Zampa took four wickets as Australia beat India by 21 runs to clinch the three-match One-day International series 2-1 on Wednesday. Electing to bat, Australia could not capitalise on a strong start and were bowled out for 269 in 49 overs on a slow track at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Their bowlers, led by Zampa, did an …

LAHORE: The Pakis­tan cricket squad left on Wednesday for Sharjah, without batting coach Mohammad Yousuf, to play a three-match T20 International series agai­nst Afghanistan. According to a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, the 48-year-old Yousuf cited some personal reasons for not going to Sharjah for the March 24-27 series. In place of Yousuf, interim head coach Abdul Rehman will take …

ISTANBUL: World Cup winner Mesut Ozil announced his retirement from football on Wednesday after an illustrious international career with Germany and club spells with Real Madrid and Arsenal. The 34-year-old helped Germany to glory in Brazil in 2014 but bitterly quit the international scene after the Germans crashed out of the 2018 tournament in Russia. “After thoughtful consideration, I’m announcing my immediate …

PARIS: Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has been named France captain to succeed Hugo Lloris, the French football federation (FFF) said on Monday. French sports daily L’Equipe reported that Mbappe had accepted the captaincy after speaking with coach Didier Deschamps. “Didier Deschamps has named Kylian Mbappe the new captain of Les Bleus. Antoine Griezmann if the vice-captain,” the FFF said on …

KARACHI: Pakistan coach Shahzad Anwar is impressed seeing his charges take their initial steps after their long hiatus from international football. The national football team lost 1-0 away to the Maldives in an international friendly on Tuesday, its first match since November’s defeat to Nepal by the same scoreline in a game that ended a drought stretching over three years …

LAHORE: Emphasising that the predominantly young squad selected for the forthcoming Afghanistan T20 series is rich in talent, Pakistan’s interim head coach Abdul Rehman on Tuesday said his batters have the ability to handle the opponent team’s potent spin attack. “The team have all their bases covered. Our batters are quite able to give their best against Afghanistan’s spin attack …

CHENNAI: Top-ranked India face Australia in the series-deciding third One-day International here at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday. After suffering a 10-wicket thrashing in the second ODI at Vishakhapatnam, the Rohit Sharma-led India will have a lot to ponder. Earlier in the first ODI, the hosts had won by five wickets in Mumbai. India are not expected to make …

KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday formally launched the Sindh Premier League (SPL) by playing on the bowling of national cricketer Sarfraz Ahmed. Speaking at the launching ceremony at the CM House, he said that a new cricket league was aimed at empowering the youth of the province by providing them with an opportunity to showcase their …