Sports

MANCHESTER: Jonny Bairstow revived England from the depths of 0-2 with a superb hundred as the world champions made 302-7 against Australia in the third and deciding One-day International at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Opening batsman Bairstow watched from the other end as left-arm quick Mitchell Starc took two wickets with the first two balls of the match. But Bairstow …

SYDNEY: Out-of-favour Aust­ra­lia batsman Usman Khawaja bel­i­e­ves criticism of him as a ‘lazy’ pla­yer is rooted in racial stereotypes and thinks cricket needs to do more to attract players from more ethnically diverse backgrounds. The left-handed batsman, who was born in Pakistan and moved to Sydney as a young child, was the first Muslim to play for Australia when he …

MANCHESTER: World Cup winner Chris Woakes admits players may be next to feel the pinch as England cricket chiefs on Tuesday announced 62 job cuts due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison said such measures would have been ‘unthinkable’ seven months ago but the global crisis had had a …

LONDON: Former Pakistan fast bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan on Tuesday claimed that he was racially abuse by Yorkshire supporters when he played for the English county. Naved alleges he was subjected to racist slurs and hooting from the home crowd when he played for Yorkshire in 2008 and 2009. The 41-year-old’s comments came after Pakistan-born English spinner Azeem Rafiq revealed earlier …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday reiterated that the revamped domestic cricket structure will help produce high quality talent in the country which will excel at the international level to take Pakistan cricket to great heights. He also approved of the PTV Sports’ new satellite broadcast deal with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which was signed for three years on the …

After months of uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the delayed season of the popular Indian Premier League will kick off in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday with a clash between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. The 2020 edition of the world’s richest Twenty20 league was originally scheduled to begin on March 29 in India but …

LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is to cut 62 jobs because of the impact of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the governing body announced Tuesday. ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said that such measures would have been ‘unthinkable’ seven months ago but had been forced on the board by the coronavirus. Harrison said English cricket has already …

MANCHESTER: Star Australia batsman Steve Smith is recovering from his head injury but is no certainty to be recalled for the One-day International series decider against England at Old Trafford, head coach Justin Langer admitted on Tuesday. Smith missed the first two matches at the same venue after being hit on the head by a ball in the nets last …

SYDNEY: Organisers are ploughing ahead with the postponed Tokyo Olympics and will decide by the end of the year what “counter-measures” are required to hold them safely in the time of Covid-19, IOC Vice President John Coates said on Tuesday. Australian Coates heads up the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Coordination Commission for the Tokyo Games, which were delayed until 2021 …

LONDON: After a spending spree of $250 million on some of Europe’s most exciting stars, Chelsea were indebted to a wonder strike from one of their homegrown players during a win in their opening English Premier League game. Reece James, a 20-year-old defender who has been at Chelsea since the age of six, looks to be a player capable of …