Indian campaign ends in second round in World Squash C’ships
Chicago (USA), May 12: SIndia’s campaign ended in the prestigious World Squash Championships here with all the four players losing their respective singles matches in the second round. Lone Indian in the women’s singles, Anahat Singh lost 1-3 to Fayrouz Aboelkheir of Egypt. Anahat was able to level the scores at the end of the second game but eventually lost the match 7-11, 11-8, 4-11, 3-11 in the second round match that lasted 28 minutes Sunday night. The 17-year-old Anahat, ranked 62nd in the world, had earlier beaten world No. 28 American Marina Stefanoni in the opening round. In the men’s singles, Abhay Singh, Veer Chotrani and Ramit Tandon also lost their second round matches to bow out of the tournament. Singh was no match to world No. 13 Youssef Ibrahim of Egypt, losing 0-3 (6-11, 6-11, 9-11), while Chotrani was beaten 1-3 (11-7, 7-11, 3-11, 10-12) by top seed Ali Farag, also of Egypt. Tandon’s match was the closest as he went down fighting 2-3 (9-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-8, 8-11) to eighth seed Marwan Elshorbagy of England. (PTI)
Ishpreet Chadha beats Advani to win NSCI Baulkline Snooker title
Mumbai, May 12: In a marathon final which went on for nine hours, Ishpreet Chadha emerged a 10-7 winner over Pankaj Advani to clinch the NSCI Baulkline Snooker tournament here. In a best-of-19 frames final, Chadha won 62-45, 4-77, 59-35, 7-65, 68-12, 57-66, 19-60, 90 (90)-0, 33-70, 0-97 (97), 99 (94)-16, 75 (67)-35, 75-27, 68-31, 83 (68)-10, 6-122 (122), 73-72. Advani enjoyed a superior potting as he led 4-3 at one stage, but Chadha intensified his efforts and showed consistency to edge past his opponent 238-238 in terms of balls-potted score. The only century break in the final was a 122 in the 16th frame by Advani, after which Chadha closed out the final in the 17th. The win also marks an end to Chadha’s wait for success against Advani, having lost 8-10 in the last year’s final and also 6-8 in the CCI Snooker Classic in March. (PTI)
Anush Agarwalla impresses in Germany on new mount
Bielefeld, May 12: Asian Games double-medal winning Indian dressage rider Anush Agarwalla delivered a personal best score of 69.44% at the Holtkamper Dressurtage Grand Prix here, marking an impressive outing with his new horse, Etro. It was only their second Grand Prix appearance together. The event, known for attracting top international riders, on Sunday saw the Indian Olympian and Etro earn praise for their graceful and technically strong performance. “I am very proud of our performance together,” said Anush, who had won the team gold and individual bronze medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2022. The duo will now compete at their first international event together – the CDI 3 in Lier, Belgium – later this week. The competition will be held at the Azelhof Equestrian Centre. (PTI)
PCB plans resumption of Pakistan Super League
Karachi, May 12: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is preparing to resume the suspended Pakistan Super League (PSL) even if the foreign recruits do not come back and host the final before Bangladesh arrive for a T20 series later this month. A reliable PCB source said following the ‘ceasefire’ with India, the PCB plans to resume the PSL by May 16. “We have eight games, including the final, remaining in the PSL and the plan is to resume by May 15-16 with or without foreign players and wrap up the event,” a PCB source said. “Franchises have been told to ask the foreign players to return for the remaining matches but the final decision is with them and their boards,” he said. “The PCB is in touch with the Bangladesh Cricket Board and both are monitoring the situation but with the situation limping back to normalcy the series is on now.” Bangladesh are scheduled to play matches in Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Lahore. PCB plans to complete the remainder of the PSL in Rawalpindi and Lahore. (PTI)
Shaun Tait appointed Bangladesh pace bowling coach until 2027
Dhaka, May 12: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed former Australian speedster Shaun Tait as the national team’s pace bowling coach until November 2027. The 42-year-old replaces Andre Adams, who parted ways with the team after a brief and underwhelming stint. Tait brings with him a wealth of experience both as a former international cricketer and as a bowling coach. A member of Australia’s 2007 World Cup-winning squad, Tait played 59 international matches across formats and picked up 95 wickets with his express pace and raw aggression. In his coaching journey, he has previously worked with Pakistan, West Indies and Afghanistan, gaining valuable insights across cricketing cultures. Speaking on his appointment, Tait expressed his enthusiasm about joining the Bangladesh set-up during what he described as a “new era” for the team, particularly in the fast-bowling department. (IANS)
Lakshya Shooting Club partners with private bank to launch HPC
Mumbai, May 12: Lakshya Shooting Club (LSC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a private sector bank to establish a state-of-the-art High Performance Centre (HPC) in Navi Mumbai. The name of the facility is ‘Axis Bank Lakshya Shooting Club High Performance Centre’ as the leading private sector bank is involved in the venture. Under the MoU, Axis Bank will “extend financial and developmental support” to LSC to establish a holistic centre which will include two advanced shooting ranges for air rifle, air pistol, and simulated 50m rifle, an integrated sport science centre with performance analysis, injury prevention, and recovery support, a sports psychology unit to support the emotional and mental well-being of the athletes, and residential accommodation for athletes and coaches, and additional training facilities The centre will provide world-class infrastructure, comprehensive athletic development programs, and community engagement activities for nurturing emerging shooters. (PTI)