PSL: Riaz, Sammy rejoin Peshawar
Islamabad, Feb 21: Wahab Riaz and Daren Sammy were allowed to rejoin their Peshawar Zalmi team in the Pakistan Super League after their appeal against a quarantine for breaching COVID-19 protocols was accepted by the Pakistan Cricket Board. “The team … has thanked the PSL Event Technical Committee for accepting their appeal,” the cricket board said on Sunday. “They have further assured (that) protocols will be followed and respected as everyone wants the PSL to succeed.” Peshawar Zalmi skipper Riaz and the team’s head coach Sammy breached the team’s bio-secure bubble on Friday night when they met with their team owner, who was not part of the bubble. But they rejoined the team following two negative COVID-19 tests after they were spared the three-day quarantine when their appeal was accepted by the PSL committee. Later Sunday, Lahore Qalandars captain Sohail Akhtar won the toss against Riaz and put Peshawar in to bat. (AP)
Former Chennaiyin U-18 player dies
Chennai, Feb 21: Aloysius Clement, a former Under-18 player of ISL team Chennaiyin FC, died in a road accident in Kerala, the club announced on Sunday. The 18-year old Aloysius was killed in a collision involving two motorcycles at Avanakuzhi in Kerala on Saturday, family sources said. “We are deeply saddened at the untimely demise of our former U-18 player Aliosious Clement. May his soul rest in peace. All of us at Chennaiyin FC send our heartfelt condolences to Aliosious’ family and friends, and hope they find strength during this incredibly difficult time,” Chennaiyin FC posted a message on its twitter feed. Hailing from a fisherman family in Kerala’s Pulluvila, Clement had been an under-18 player with Chennaiyin FC for the last two years. The footballer had come to Kerala from Chennai after the lockdown, which was enforced to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic last year. (PTI)
India finishes fifth in Asian Le Mans
Abu Dhabi, Feb 21: Chasing the Le Mans dream, Racing Team India, the first all-Indian team to compete at the international endurance racing stage, ended its first Asian Le Mans Series campaign fifth in the overall championship standings. The trio of Narain Karthikeyan, Arjun Maini and Naveen Rao, raced their ORECA 07 LMP2 car to a pair of fifth place finishes in the final two races of the season at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina track on Friday and Saturday. The results came on the back of the fifth and fourth-placed finishes the team chalked up in the two season-opening races in Dubai. The team will now have to make a presentation to the ACO next week to get an entry for the ’24 Hours of Le Mans’.A committee will vet all the applications before finalising the invitations in March. Backed by JK Tyres and with technical support from reigning Asian Le Mans champions Algarve Pro Racing, Racing Team India had gone into the Abu Dhabi season-ender hoping to build on its Dubai showing. But unfortunate racing incidents hindered the #64 challenger’s chances of maximising its potential. Faced with a steep learning curve, the outfit showed it has the speed to fight at the front with its Indian Tricolour-liveried car leading the second Dubai race at one stage. Former F1 racer Karthikeyan and European Le Mans veteran Maini were blisteringly quick, showing all of their racing experience. 2020 IMSA Prototype Challenge champion Naveen Rao, the team’s bronze-rated driver, also made big strides forward, unlocking a new level of performance from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. The team will now have to make a presentation to the ACO next week and a committee will vet all the applications before finalising the invitations in March. (PTI)