Kieron Pollard, Narine out of
West Indies World T20 Squad
Antigua: All-rounder Kieron Pollard and off-spinner Sunil Narine withdrew from the West Indies World Twenty20 squad Friday but officials insisted the moves were not sparked by the current pay dispute engulfing the team Pollard, 28, pulled out due to injury while 27-year-old Narine said he was under-prepared as he serves out an international suspension for a suspect bowling action. Carlos Brathwaite has been drafted to replace Pollard while a replacement for Narine has not yet been named. “Kieron Pollard withdrew from the squad citing a lack of sufficient progress in his rehabilitative work (injury sustained in December) and hence won’t be fit for tournament,” said a spokeswoman for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). “Sunil Narine withdrew citing insufficient progress in the rehabilitative work on his bowling action. He is currently banned from bowling in international cricket.” (AFP)
Manchester United slip further after Sunderland loss
LONDON: De Gea’s cruel 82nd-minute own goal condemned Van Gaal’s United to a 2-1 defeat at struggling Sunderland on Saturday. Bidding to close the six-point gap separating them from fourth-place Manchester City, United fell behind in the third minute when Wahbi Khazri’s free-kick from out on the left eluded everyone and crept in at the far post. Anthony Martial equalised in the 39th minute, but Sunderland took the points when Martial’s attempt to clear Lamine Kone’s header off the line struck goalkeeper De Gea’s arm and rolled into the net. It was United’s seventh league defeat of the season and it will only serve to fuel speculation about the position of their manager Van Gaal, amid reports that the club have approached Jose Mourinho to succeed him. ManU fell to a first league defeat on Wearside for 19 years and became the first top-half team that struggling Sunderland have beaten this season in 14 attempts. (AFP)
Nadal through to Argentina
Open semis
Buenos Aires: Spanish tennis star and World No.5 Rafael Nadal has advanced to the semi-finals of the Argentina Open, beating Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi 7-6(3), 6-2. Without showing his best, the former World No.1 displayed his dominance in the first set tie-break to beat an in-form Lorenzi on Friday, reports Xinhua. In the second set, Nadal turned on the pressure and after breaking the Italian in the third game, took the set and match in broiling conditions where the mercury topped 40 degrees Celsius. “The conditions were extreme and cost me a bit. My stomach is in a little bit of pain,” said Nadal while thanking the Argentinean crowd for their support. In the semi-final, Nadal will face Australia’s Dominic Thiem, who saw off Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic in the quarter-final. (IANS)
PKL: Telugu Titans steal march over Jaipur Pink Panthers
Pune: Telugu Titans registered a thrilling 27-25 win over Jaipur Pink Panthers by inflicting a last raid all-out over their rivals in the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi here on Saturday. While Dharmaraj Cheralathan, the winning captain marshalled his resources well, their coach Ramesh Bhendigiri came up with a masterstroke when he introduced the tall Prashant Rai in a last-ditch effort to salvage the situation in the dying minutes of the game. This was Telugu Titans’ fourth win and with 22 points they retain their third spot in season 3 of the league. Jaipur Pink Panthers remain in fifth place with 15 points. Prashant scored two points in his very first raid in the 37th minute of the match to bring his side close at 23-20. Sonu Narwal, the leader of the rival attack was then trapped by Meraj Sheykh who followed it up with a two-point raid. That gave the winners the equaliser at 23 all. Rajesh who had an off day went in for the second last raid. He got a bonus and one of his body feints put Cheralathan out of court. Those two points helped the losers go ahead at 25-24 after Rajesh was caught. The match started on a slow note with both teams not keen on stepping the gear. (PTI)
