Justin Sammons named head coach of Zimbabwe’s men’s cricket team
HARARE, June 20: Zimbabwe Cricket said Wednesday it hadppointed South African Justin Sammons as its new men’s head coach.Sammons was a former batting coach with his home country’s national team, the Proteas.Dave Houghton resigned as Zimbabwe’s head coach last year after the country failed to qualify for the ongoing T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies.Sammons will lead Zimbabwe for the first time in a five-match T20 series against India in Zimbabwe beginning July 6 in Harare, where all the T20s are being played.Dion Ebrahim, a former Zimbabwe batter, is Sammons’ assistant coach. Ebrahim represented Zimbabwe in 29 tests and 82 ODIs between 2001 and 2005, and has been a part of the coaching staff with the New Zealand senior men’s team.“We are delighted to confirm Justin as head coach of the Zimbabwe senior men’s national team. He brings a wealth of coaching experience and a reputation of identifying, nurturing and developing some of the best young talent in South Africa,” Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said in a statement. (PTI)
Leicester FC hire Steve Cooper as manager ahead of new season
LEICESTER, June 20: Steve Cooper is making his managerial return in the Premier League at Leicester.The promoted club announced the hiring of Cooper on Thursday on a contract until 2027, six months after he was fired by Nottingham Forest.Cooper replaces Enzo Maresca, who was hired by Chelsea this month after just one year at Leicester during which he got the club promoted as second-tier champion.Cooper has been biding his time to get back into work following an emotional exit from Forest, having got the team back into the top flight for the first time in 23 years and then kept it there.The Leicester job will not be without its challenges. The Foxes have a possible points deduction hanging over them and may also need to sell players to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.Cooper’s tenure will begin with a home game against Tottenham, which was also the opponent for his final game in charge of Forest. He will return to the City Ground in May. (PTI)
East Bengal captain Cleiton extends contract by one-year
KOLKATA , June 20: East Bengal captain Cleiton Silva has signed a one-year extension that will run until the end of the 2024-25 season, the Super Cup champions announced on Thursday.Cleiton was the top-scorer in East Bengal’s triumphant Super Cup campaign earlier this year and has scored the most goals in the Indian Super League.Delighted to continue his journey with East Bengal, Cleiton said, “I’ve always given my best for our fans and our badge.“Winning the Super Cup with East Bengal will always be one of the greatest moments of my career.” East Bengal FC head coach Carles Cuadrat said, “Cleiton leads the team by example.“East Bengal fans will forever remember his extra-time winner in the Super Cup final, which ended our 12-year trophy drought at the national level. We are happy to continue working with a top professional like him.” Cleiton’s extension means that East Bengal now has the top scorers from India’s three major domestic tournaments in its ranks – Dimitrios Diamantakos (ISL), Cleiton (Super Cup) and David Lalhlansanga (Durand Cup).Having joined East Bengal FC from Bengaluru FC in 2022, Cleiton has played 4,594 minutes across 55 games for the Red & Golds, registering 27 goals and eight assists.The Brazilian forward was also the joint-top scorer of ISL 2022-23 with 12 goals. (PTI)
Leipzig coach Marco Rose extends contract through 2026
LEIPZIG, June 20: Leipzig has extended coach Marco Rose’s contract by one year in another sign of continuity after earlier signing a new agreement with star forward Benjamin Sesko.Rose has been at Leipzig for two years and his contract had been due to expire at the end of next season.Leipzig finished the last season in fourth, one place lower than in Rose’s first campaign, but he won praise for integrating young players like Sesko and for Leipzig’s close 2-1 aggregate loss in the UCL to Real Madrid. He also won the German Cup at Leipzig in 2023.Rose previously coached Borussia Dortmund and Moenchengladbach and also won the Austrian title twice with Salzburg. (PTI)