Silva, Sangakkara defy Pakistan in first Test Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza takes G ALLE (Sri Lanka)—Sri Lanka´s opener Kaushal Silva frustrated Pakistan with an unbeaten 80 when the rain-hit first Test finally got underway on the scheduled second day in Galle on Thursday. Veteran Kumar Sangakkara chipped in with 50 to leave the hosts on 178 for three at stumps after Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq elected to field first on an easy-paced pitch. After inclement weather had washed out the entire first day´s play on Wednesday, just 64 overs were bowled on the second day after a wet outfield delayed the start by two hours at the Galle Interna-
tional Stadium. Left-handed Dimuth Karunaratne scored 21 in an opening stand of 30 with Silva when he was dismissed by left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz in the 13th over of the innings. Karunaratne attempted to pull a short ball, but only managed to edge a catch to wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed to provide the tourists a much-needed breakthrough. Silva and Sangakkara teamed up to add 112 runs for the second wicket, batting through the postlunch session to take their team to a comfortable 123 for one by tea. Sangakkara, Test cricket´s cur-
rent leading run-getter who is expected to retire during the home series against India in August, hit two boundaries and a six. The prolific left-hander, who took a break from his English county commitments with Surrey to play for his nation, began ominously by driving his first delivery from Wahab to the mid-on fence. But he fell soon after reaching his 52nd half-century when he edged a drive off Wahab to Younis Khan in the slip region. Pakistan could have removed Sangakkara when he was on 24, but Azhar Ali at short-leg spilled a
GALLE: Wahab Riaz celebrates after dismissing Dimuth Karunaratne during Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, 1st Test’s 2nd day on Thursday.
Villa sign Man City defender Richards L ONDON —Aston Villa completed a four-year deal for Micah Richards on Wednesday, ending the 26-year-old’s decadelong association with Manchester City.
Richards, who spent last season on loan at Fiorentina in Italy, will officially join Villa on a free transfer on July 1 after his City contract expires. The England defender started his career at City in 2005 and won the Premier League in 2012 and FA Cup in 2011 but found his chances limited in recent seasons. He made just 10 appearances in 2013-14, and just two in the league, as City regained the title and was loaned out to Fiorentina last season.—AFP
sharp chance off leg-spinner Yasir Shah. The tourists struck again soon after as Lahiru Thirimanne, who scored eight, drove Mohammad Hafeez uppishly to mid-on where Zulfiqar Babar held the catch after juggling with the ball. Silva, looking comfortable against both pace and spin, stepped closer to his second Test century. He has so far hit 12 boundaries.Wahab was the most impressive bowler with two for 51, but those figures would have read better if Karunaratne had not been caught off a no-ball in the bowler´s first over. Later in the same over, Wahab was warned by umpire Paul Reiffel for running on the wicket on his follow through. Hafeez, who picked up his 50th Test wicket, had figures of one for 24 from seven overs. Rain has been forecast in the southern coastal town for all five days of the match. Sri Lanka and Pakistan are due to play three Tests, followed by five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches.—AFP
Sri Lanka 1st innings: Karunaratne c Sarfraz Ahmed b Wahab Riaz .............................. 21 Silva not out80 Sangakkara c Younis Khan b Wahab Riaz .............................. 50 Thirimanne c Zulfiqar Babar b Hafeez ......................................... 8 Mathews not out .................... 10 Extras: (lb 4, w 1, nb 4) .............. 9 Total: (3 wickets) ................... 178 Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-142, 3-154 Bowling: ..................... O-M-R-W Junaid Khan ................. 12-4-24-0 Wahab Riaz .................. 15-2-51-2 Zulfiqar Babar .............. 15-4-32-0 Yasir Shah .................... 15-2-43-0 Hafeez ............................. 7-0-24-1
England add uncapped pair to T20 squad N OTTINGHAM (United Kingdom)— squad for the World T20 in India this plenty more to do if we are going to Hampshire batsman James Vince and Essex left-arm seamer Reece Topley were called up by England on Thursday for the one-off Twenty20 international against New Zealand at Old Trafford on June 23. Vince, 24, and the 21year-old Topley—uncapped in any format—are among five players in the 13-man squad who have yet to play a Twenty20 international, with the others being Sam Billings, David Willey and Mark Wood. However, Billings, Willey and Wood have all been involved in the ongoing one-day international series against New Zealand which England levelled at 22, with one to play, following a thrilling seven-wicket win at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge ground on Wednesday. Vince made his lone England appearance in the washed out ODI against Ireland in Dublin last month. “This match against New Zealand allows us another opportunity to look at players relatively new to international cricket as we look to build a
winter,” said national selector James Whitaker in an England and Wales Cricket Board statement. “The squad is made up of players who have demonstrated their ability
in domestic cricket and fully deserve a chance to continue their progress against a very good New Zealand side,” the former England batsman added. “We have already seen our limited overs cricket begin to move in the right direction which is exciting but we are all aware that we have
challenge the very best sides in the world on a regular basis,” explained Whitaker, with England having suffered an embarrassing first-round exit at the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year. There was no place in the Twenty20 squad for either of Somerset’s Overton twins, Craig and Jamie, added to the ODI squad this week after injuries to all-rounder Chris Jordan and fast bowler Liam Plunkett. Meanwhile middle-order batsman James Taylor, included in the ODI squad but yet to play in the New Zealand series, was absent from a Twenty20 party which will, as is the case with the 50-over side, be captained by Eoin Morgan. The only time England have won an International Cricket Council limited overs competition was at the 2010 World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. England and New Zealand’s oneday series decider takes place at Durham’s Chester-le-Street ground on Saturday.—AFP
Z
IMBABWE’S batting mainstay Sikandar Raza took a shot at the media for dampening the significance of his team’s tour to Pakistan by insinuating that the visitors had been ‘paid out’. Zimbabwe became the first Test team to tour Pakistan since terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009, suspending all international cricket in the country. But days after the series ended, reports in the media revealed that the Zimbabweans had been paid $12,500 each for the series. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan responded to the reports by saying that the payments made to visiting players were part of an overall deal with the Zimbabwe board and not ‘bribes’ as the media had suggested. The Sialkot-born Raza, who was one of Zimbabwe’s top performers in the landmark series against Pakistan, said cricketers had “every right to earn a livelihood” and the media should instead focus on why players like Brendan Taylor were forced to give up international cricket. “To be fair, no one has the right to know how much someone gets paid. These are all confidential matters,” the 29-yearold said in an interview with Pakpassion. “The only person who knows what the exact payments are my father and I. This is how confidential this is but is it really anyone’s business?”
“If people are so interested in knowing about these payments then why do they have no interest in our match fees
which are pretty low? No one seems to take that on as an issue,” Raza said, hinting at team mate Brendan Taylor’s decision to sign a three-year Kolpak deal with English county Nottinghamshire, a move which makes him ineligible to play for the national side while that contract is in effect.—Agencies
Van Dijk claims cycling time trial gold for Netherlands B AKU —Ellen van Dijk proved Dutch cycling could cope without injured two-times Olympic Champion Marianne Vos after she won gold for the Netherlands in the women’s individual time trial at the European Games on Thursday. In the absence of Vos, who pulled out of the inaugural continental games following a spate of injuries, van Dijk beat Ukraine’s Ganna Solovei and Dutch compatriot Annemiek van Vleuten to claim her nation’s first gold medal of the games. “It is the first European Games and that is quite special. This was a race I have been preparing for, for weeks,” 28-year-old van
Dijk told reporters at Bilgah Beach. “I have been training at high altitude. I wanted to be very strong in this period and that worked out great. “Before the start I felt good. I was confident I could do this. But then the time trial is very hard to see how strong the competition is especially as there are not a lot of time trials during the season. “The only thing you can really do is focus on your own time trial.” There are a further three gold medals available in road cycling with the men’s time trial later on Thursday before the women’s and men’s road races on June 20 and 21. The European Games runs till June 28.—APP
BAKU: Silver medallist Ganna Solovei of Ukraine, gold medallist Ellen Van Dijk of The Netherlands and bronze medallist Annemiek van Vleuten of Netherlands with the medals won in Women’s Road cycling Individual Time Trial during European Games on Thursday.
France back on track; England, South Korea, Colombia reach last 16
England beat NZ in 4th ODI, level series N OTTINGHAM (United Kingdom)—England captain Eoin Morgan made a stunning century as his side beat New Zealand by seven wickets to win the day/night fourth one-day international at Trent Bridge on Wednesday and so level the five-match series at 2-2. Set 350 for victory, England equalled the fourthhighest total by any team batting second to win a match at this level. Morgan made 113 and put on 198 with Joe Root (106 not out). Their stand was the highest third-wicket ODI partnership by any country against New Zealand. England won with six overs to spare as they finished on 350 for three.—AFP
shot at media over ‘bribe’ claims
OTTAWA: South Korea’s Kim Hyeri and Spain’s Alexia Putellas race after the ball during a 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Group E match at Lansdowne Stadium.
V ANCOUVER —France got their Women’s World Cup campaign back on track Wednesday with a 5-0 rout of Mexico as England, South Korea and Colombia also grabbed last 16 berths on the final day of group games. The third-ranked French had been among the tournament favourites before falling to a shock 2-0 defeat to Colombia in their second game. But they delivered in style in their third match, becoming the quickest team to score three goals in the tournament’s history to finish top of Group F. England, also on six points, but behind France on goal difference, beat Colombia 2-1 in Montreal and advance second from the group. The 28th-ranked South Americans also backed into the last 16 as one of the four best third-place finishers with four points. Mexico, ranked 15th, are on their way home with one point. France’s Marie Laure Delie scored after just 34 seconds in Ottawa, with an own goal by defender Jennifer Ruiz eight minutes later followed by the first of a Eugenie Le Sommer double on 13 minutes. Le Sommer scored her third of the tournament on 36 minutes, with Amandine Henry completing the scoreline with a spec-
tacular goal from 25 yards out with ten minutes to go. “We wanted this first place, we just left a little bit of suspense,” said France striker Gaetane Thiney. France next meet South Korea, who came from behind to dump Spain 2-1 in Group E and achieve their first win in the tournament on their second attempt after 2003. “I felt like we had won the title,” said Kim Soo-Yun who scored the winner on 78 minutes after Cho So-Hyun (53) cancelled out a 29th-minute Veronica Boquete strike. “I was so pleased, so happy, this is my first time making it to the senior World Cup.” Brazil finished top of Group E with a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica which sent the Central American side crashing out of the tournament. The 2007 runners-up have a maximum nine points ahead of South Korea on four. Costa Rica finish on two and Spain with one—with both sides eliminated from the tournament. England finished second in Group F, by beating Colombia 2-1 to set up a meeting with 1995 champions Norway on Monday. Goals from Karen Carney (15) and a Fara Williams (38) penalty kick, put England ahead before Lady Andrade snatched one back in injury time.—AFP