Sports

WELLINGTON: New Zealand head coach Gary Stead says it is time for the Black Caps to have separate coaches guiding the Test and white-ball teams to help ease the demands on staff. Stead has held both roles since succeeding Mike Hesson in 2018, guiding New Zealand to the final of the 50-over 2019 World Cup and the inaugural World Test …

KABUL: Wily leg-spinner Rashid Khan will lead a strong 17-man Afghanistan squad in the Twenty20 International series against Pakistan starting in Sharjah this week, selectors announced on Tuesday. The three-match series, the first bilateral between the neighbours, will be played in Sharjah on March 24, 26 and 27. Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) chief executive Naseeb Khan said the best available …

BARCELONA: Barcelona snat­ched a 2-1 Clasico win over Real Madrid with Franck Kessie’s late goal Sunday to move 12 points clear at the top of La Liga. The victory dents Real’s ambitions of retaining the title and leaves the Catalans close to lifting the trophy for the first time since 2019. Carlo Ancelotti’s Real took the lead through a Ronald …

WELLINGTON: New Zealand completed an innings and 58-run victory over Sri Lanka in the second Test in blustery Wellington on Monday to sweep the series 2-0 as the South Asian side’s resistance finally broke late on day four. Having been asked to follow on, Sri Lanka needed 416 runs to make the hosts bat again but were bowled out for …

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday announced a revised schedule for national side’s upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand. The PCB and New Zealand Cricket “unanimously agreed to make [the] tweaks”, according to the former’s statement. Instead of kicking off their tour with the first four of the five Twenty20 Internationals in Karachi according to the initial schedule, the …

VISHAKAPATNAM: Mitchell Starc said he has not deviated from his game plan in over a decade and after taking five wickets against India on Sunday there seems little reason to change things as Australia ramp up their preparations for this year’s World Cup. Starc claimed 5-53 for his ninth five-wicket haul in One-day Internationals, his swing playing a key role …

LONDON: Arsenal will head into the international break eight points clear in the Premier League title race after Bukayo Saka scored twice in a 4-1 home defeat of Crystal Palace on Sunday. With chasers Manchester City otherwise engaged this weekend in the FA Cup, Arsenal took full advantage with Gabriel Martinelli opening the scoring and Granit Xhaka also on target. …

MANCHESTER: Burnley manager Vincent Kompany endured a nightmare return to Manchester City on Saturday as Erling Haaland scored his sixth hat-trick of the season in a 6-0 rout that sent Pep Guardiola’s men into the FA Cup semi-finals. Kompany, who won four Premier League titles in an 11-year career at City as a player, was given a hero’s reception at …

WELLINGTON: New Zeal­and maintained their dominance over Sri Lanka in the second Test here at the Basin Reserve on Sunday, enforcing a follow-on and setting up the likelihood of a series clean sweep with two days to play. The tourists reached 113-2 in their second innings at stumps on day three but still trailed by 303 runs. They need a …

VISAKHAPATNAM: Mitchell Starc returned figures of 5-53 with his excellent swing and seam to power Australia to a series-levelling 10-wicket win over India in the second One-day International here on Sunday. Starc, a left-arm quick, rattled the Indian batting with his pace and swing to bundle out the opposition for just 117 in only 26 overs. Openers Travis Head, who …