Man United shares rise amid reported Saudi buyout bid
Manchester, Feb 17: Shares of Premier League club Manchester United rose sharply ahead of the deadline for takeover bids and reported interest from Saudi Arabia. The stock closed at $26.84 on Thursday, up almost 10 per cent, on the New York Stock Exchange, with potential buyers expected to submit initial offers Friday to merchant bank Raine Group, which is handling the sale for United’s current owners, the Glazer family. With a bid also expected to come from Qatar, reports of a move from Saudi Arabia could heighten the possibility of the sale price reaching an estimated $6 billion. Jim Ratcliffe, the British billionaire owner of petrochemicals giant INEOS, is the only contender to publicly confirm his intention to bid, but there has been increased speculation about wider interest in recent days. The Telegraph reported Thursday that groups in Saudi Arabia are interested in bidding. Friday has been described as a soft deadline before the sale process gathers pace. (AP)
Sable to lead India’s charge at Cross Country Championships
Bathurst (Australia), Feb 17: India’s premier long-distance runner Avinash Sable will lead the five-member Indian contingent at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships 2023, to be held on Saturday. The world cross country championships return after a gap of four years as Covid-19 pandemic forced a two-year delay to the biennial event. Unlike marathon events, which are held on roads or paths, cross-country running is a sport in which runners race open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The 44th edition of the biennial event will see more than 400 athletes from about 45 teams compete at Mount Panorama. Sable, who won silver medal in the 3000m steeplechase at the Commonwealth Games 2022 with a national record-breaking run, will compete in the senior men’s 10km cross country race on his World Athletics Cross Country Championships debut. The Indian will be up against a tough field full of elite runners that include defending champion Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei and Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor – who, between them, have won the past three senior men’s titles. Besides Sable, India’s Anand Singh will also compete in the men’s 10km race. Asian championships bronze medallist Parul Chaudhary, Sanjivani Jadhav and Chhavi Yadav will be representing the country in the women’s 10km cross country race. (IANS)
Odisha, MP, Himachal win in Women Natl Hockey C’ships
Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), Feb 17: Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh registered convincing wins over their respective opponents in the 13th Hockey India Senior Women National Championships here on Friday. In the day’s first Pool A match, Odisha defeated Kerala 13-0, while Madhya Pradesh scored a resounding 36-0 win over Telangana in Pool G. In the third match of the day, Himachal beat Gujarat 10-1. In the final match of the day, Andhra Pradesh and Bengal played out a goalless draw in Pool E. Karnataka will play Goa in Pool B on Saturday, while Jharkhand will take on Uttarakhand in Pool C. In pool D, Haryana will face Bihar while Delhi will take on Manipur in Pool G. Maharashtra and Andaman & Nicobar will face each other in Pool H in the final match of the day. (PTI)
Bavuma appointed SA Test captain
Johannesburg, Feb 17: Cricket South Africa (CSA) has appointed Temba Bavuma as Test captain, the sport’s governing body in the country said on Friday. ODI skipper Bavuma will take over the reins of the red-ball team from Dean Elgar. The latter will though remain available to play for the Proteas. Bavuma was appointed skipper as part of a restructure in the leadership group of the national team. However, the 32-year-old has relinquished the T20I captaincy. The new skipper for the South Africa T20I side will be named as part of the white-ball squad to face the West Indies next month. (AP)