Sports

PUNE: Opener Shikhar Dhawan smashed 98 and debutant pace bowler Prasidh Krishna claimed four wickets as India thrashed England by 66 runs in the opening One-day International on Tuesday. Dhawan started strongly while K.L. Rahul, 62 not out, and Krunal Pandya, unbeaten 58 off 31 balls, steered the hosts to 317-5 after being put into bat first at the start …

MIAMI: Serena Williams became the latest high-profile player to pull out of the Miami Open on Sunday, saying she was withdrawing in order to concentrate on her recovery from recent oral surgery. The 23-time Grand Slam champion joins Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic among the stars to have pulled out of the tournament, which gets under way on …

LAHORE: Poor response from clubs across the country has forced the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to extend the deadline for clubs’ registration till April 8. Though the PCB in a press release on Monday stated that the response from the clubs is encouraging as 1362 have applied for registration with two days still remaining before the deadline ends on March …

Pakistan opener Sharjeel Khan said on Tuesday he was delighted with the welcome he had been given since being recalled to the national squad after completing a lengthy ban for spot-fixing. The 31-year-old was banned in 2017 for five years — with half the sentence suspended — for his part in rigging Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in the United Arab Emirates. …

PUNE: India skipper Virat Kohli on Monday said players should be consulted over the cricket calendar as the extended bubble life during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has strengthened fears of burnout. With India headed into three One-day Internationals against England starting in Pune on Tuesday after winning a gruelling Test series 3-1 and Twenty20 International series 3-2, Kohli said more …

NORTH SOUND: Sri Lanka claimed wickets at both ends of a dour morning session which produced just 59 runs as they restricted West Indies to 72 for two in reply to the tourists’ paltry first innings of 169 on the second day of the first Test on Monday. In between the dismissals of captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Nkrumah Bonner, the …

AHMEDABAD: Virat Kohli plans to reinvent himself as a Twenty20 opener with an eye on the 20-overs World Cup at home later this year, the India captain said after the team’s series victory against England (partly reported in Sunday’s edition). Kohli joined vice-captain Rohit Sharma at the top in Saturday’s decider at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Their 94-run opening stand …

KARACHI: There was a goal in the opening minute on Sunday. And then another three in three minutes by the 15th. Another goal in the 17th was followed by another three goals in three minutes by the 22nd and another in the 24th. Pakistan Army were just getting started against FC Karachi. At the end of the 90 minutes here …

LONDON: Fast bowler Jofra Archer has been ruled out of England’s upcoming One-day International series against India and will also miss the start of the Indian Premier League due to an ongoing elbow injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement said on Sunday. Archer played in all five matches of the just-concluded Twenty20 International series in India, which …

NORTH SOUND: Kraigg Brathwaite brought off a sharp run out to complement the work of his bowlers as they reduced Sri Lanka to 54 for three at lunch on Sunday, the opening day of the first Test of the two-match series. After opting to bowl first after winning the toss at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua, new …