Sports

SYDNEY: England’s beleaguered Ashes tour went from bad to worse on Thursday with under-pressure coach Chris Silverwood to miss the fourth Test in Sydney after a family member tested positive for the coronavirus. Silverwood and his family have to isolate in Melbourne for 10 days while the rest of the team head to Sydney for the clash starting on Jan …

LAHORE: A dismal chase means Pakistan is no longer in the race for the Junior Asia Cup title. Having bowled out the Sri Lankans for 147, Pakistan could only manage 125 before being all out in the final over of a low-scoring semi-final in Dubai on Thursday. Sri Lanka will now face India for the title after the latter romped …

Ace batsman-wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan and star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi have been included among four nominees for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s Player of the Year, the world cricket body announced on Friday. The other two nominees are England captain Joe Root and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, the ICC said in a statement. Shaheen …

SYDNEY: Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Serbia team for the ATP Cup in Sydney, event organisers said on Wednesday, raising further doubts over whether the world number one will defend his Australian Open title next month. There has been intense speculation over Djokovic’s participation in both events, with the 34-year-old, who is opposed to Covid-19 vaccinations, repeatedly declining …

BARCELONA: Four more Real Madrid players, and three from Barcelona, have tested positive for Covid-19, the two clubs said Wednesday as new infections hit record highs in Spain. Real Madrid’s Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois, Uruguay midfielder Federico Valverde, French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and Brazilian winger Vincius Junior are all infected, the La Liga leaders said in a statement. A spokeswoman …

LONDON: England all-rounder Chris Woakes has supported Joe Root to continue as the team’s Test skipper despite their humiliating Ashes capitulation to Australia. England suffered an innings and 14-run loss to Australia on Tuesday in Melbourne as Root’s team surrendered the five-Test Ashes series with two Tests to spare. Root, who was reluctant to discuss the long-term future of his …

CENTURION: South Africa captain Dean Elgar scored an unbeaten 52 against India as the hosts showed a dogged determination to stay in the fight on a spicy wicket and closed the fourth day on 94 for four in the first Test here at the SuperSport Park on Wednesday. South Africa are still 211 runs off their record victory target at …

New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor will retire from test cricket after the two-match series against Bangladesh and play his last limited-overs internationals against Australia and the Netherlands over the home summer, AFP reports. The 37-year-old has been a ‘Black Caps mainstay since his 2007 test debut, amassing a New Zealand record 7,584 runs in 110 matches at an average of 44.87. One …

KARACHI: Midway through their second innings, it had become pretty evident Northern were playing for a draw and some pride in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final. With defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa already having the first innings lead that would’ve given them a title in case of a stalemate and Northern still requiring 228 runs for victory with five wickets remaining, the …

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday unveiled nominations for its ODI Player of the Year award, with Pakistan skipper Babar Azam one of four contenders for the accolade. The national skipper scored 405 runs in six matches in the outgoing year at an average of 67.50 with two centuries in the 50-over format. Alongside Azam, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, …