Sports

CHRISTCHURCH: New Zealand closed in on a massive victory inside three days in the opening Test against South Africa on Friday after taking a 387-run lead and then reducing the tourists to 34-3 on day two of the contest. Henry Nicholls struck 105 and Tom Blundell made 96 as the World Test champions amassed 482 all out to effectively bat …

KOLKATA: Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant hit attacking half-centuries to set up India’s eight-run series-clinching victory over West Indies in the second Twenty20 International here at the Eden Gardens on Friday. Chasing 187 for victory, West Indies finished on 178 for three despite a threatening century stand between Nicholas Pooran (62) and Rovman Powell (unbeaten 68 off 36 balls). India …

LAHORE: Multan Sultans just had too much firepower for Quetta Gladiators. The holders were ruthless and relentless as they dispatched Gladiators bowlers to all parts of the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday, en route to winning the eighth match of their HBL Pakistan Super League campaign. Captain Mohammad Rizwan (83 not out) and Shan Masood (57) had shared an opening stand …

LAHORE: After Mir Hamza sent back both Lahore Qalandars openers, Karachi Kings could sense their time had come. Finally, a first win of a dismal campaign seemed on the horizon. Having lost the opening eight games of the round-robin stage, Babar Azam’s men were already out of the race for the playoffs. Their remaining two games, starting with the one …

Karachi Kings’ fans have faced nothing but disappointment in this year’s PSL, with the team racking up eight consecutive losses. It hasn’t been easy to be a Kings fan this PSL season, but they pulled through to give their supporters something to cheer about with their first win of the season. Even though they’re no longer in the race to the play-offs, …

India’s Sakibul Gani became the first batsman in world cricket to hit a triple century on his first-class debut when he made 341 in the Ranji Trophy tournament. The 22-year-old walked out to the crease for Bihar against Mizoram in Kolkata on Friday, the second day of their four-day match in the country’s premier red-ball competition. By the time he …

New Zealand captain Tom Latham hailed a “perfect performance” after his team completed a one-sided demolition of a pitiful South Africa, winning the first Test by an innings and 276 runs before lunch on day three day on Saturday. Tim Southee took five wickets as New Zealand bowled out South Africa for 111 in their second innings, a paltry total …

BEIJING: Innovative American freestyle skiers Alex Hall and Nick Goepper landed jaw-dropping tricks on the Secret Garden slopestyle course and won the gold and silver medals at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday. Hall clinched the gold on the first of three runs when he defied gravity with a trick called right double 10 pretzel one. He spun 900 degrees one …

KOLKATA: India overcame a mid-inni­ngs blip to beat West Indies by six wickets in the first T20 here at the Eden Gardens on Wed­n­­esday. Chasing 158, the hosts, who swept the preceding ODI series 3-0, got off to a flying start before West Indies made a brief comeback. Suryakumar Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer then added 48 runs in 4.2 overs …

MELBOURNE: Australia fast bowler Michael Neser has been ruled out of next month’s Test tour of Pakistan due to a side strain and will be replaced with uncapped Mark Steketee, the country’s cricket board said on Wednesday. Cricket Australia said Neser, who earned his first test cap during the Ashes, picked up the injury during Queensland’s Marsh One-Day Cup loss …