Category: Sports

Alexander Zverev finally secured his maiden Grand Slam title with a dramatic five-set victory over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final on Sunday.

The second seed became the first German man to win a major tournament since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1 victory after four hours and 16 minutes.

“This court is so special to me in so many ways… but now finally, it’s a happy end,” said Zverev, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the 2022 semi-final against Rafael Nadal on Court Philippe Chatrier, where he was also edged out in five sets by Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 final.

It was Zverev’s fourth Grand Slam final and second at Roland Garros after some heartbreaking near misses in his career.

“We’ve been through losses, we’ve been losers at times as well in the most important moments,” he said during the trophy presentation, turning to his team.

“But at the end of the day, we’re Grand Slam champions now, and that’s what counts.”

Cobolli, the 10th seed, was bidding to become the first Italian man since Adriano Panatta to win the French Open in 50 years.

The 24-year-old had never even played a Slam semi-final before, let alone a final, after his last-four opponent Matteo Arnaldi withdrew from the tournament through illness.

“It’s not easy for me to talk right now,” said Cobolli after receiving his runner-up trophy from Panatta, before addressing Zverev.

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“I’m happy for you, but I’m also sad because I was close and I feel it. So now you’ve achieved your dream, let me win the next time.”

Both players appeared to struggle with nerves at various points in the match, especially Cobolli during an error-strewn first set.

But Zverev’s greater experience showed in a deciding set that was far tenser than the scoreline suggested, as he managed to get over the line.

The 29-year-old was handed a golden opportunity to break his Grand Slam duck by the injury-enforced absence of reigning champion Alcaraz and surprise early exits for Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.

The world number three was not always in control, making 54 unforced errors, but did enough to finally shed the tag of being one of the best players to have never won a major.

Alexander Zverev had previously also lost in six Slam quarter-finals and seven semi-finals, alongside his three final defeats.

The most agonising miss of all was his first major final when he blew a two-set lead and failed to serve for the championship against Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open.

The now-retired Thiem was watching on from the stands at Roland Garros as Zverev belatedly put the memories of that match to bed six years later.

READ: Tamim Iqbal becomes Bangladesh’s youngest cricket chief

Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal became the country’s youngest cricket chief on Sunday, weeks after he was appointed interim president and vowed to repair the sport’s damaged reputation in the country.

Cricket and politics are intertwined in Bangladesh, and the game was affected by turmoil after the 2024 uprising that ousted long-term ruler Sheikh Hasina.

A new government elected in February dissolved the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) over alleged “gross irregularities” and appointed an interim board led by 37-year-old Tamim, who retired from international cricket in 2023.

Tamim was elected after topping a board election with 73 votes from 75 councillors, and led a 16-candidate field competing for 12 director positions.

Fahim Sinha, who received 66 votes, was named vice-president at the board’s first meeting.

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“We all have to keep one thing in mind, which is that the reputation damage that Bangladesh cricket has suffered worldwide, I alone cannot fix this,” Tamim told reporters after the first meeting.

“I will need everyone’s support here,” he added.

Under the previous board, Bangladesh refused to play in India at this year’s T20 World Cup, citing security concerns after fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was dumped by the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

The International Cricket Council (ICC) refused a Bangladesh request to play their matches in Sri Lanka and kicked them out of the tournament.

Notably, as a player, Tamim Iqbal scored more than 15,000 runs for Bangladesh in a career spanning 15 years and remains the only Bangladeshi to make centuries in all three formats of international cricket.

READ: Travis Head to miss Bangladesh tour as Australia announce multiple squad changes

MELBOURNE: Australia have made several changes to their squads for the upcoming white-ball tour of Bangladesh, with star batter Travis Head set to miss the assignment after being granted personal leave.

Head, who was unavailable for Australia’s recent ODI series against Pakistan due to his Indian Premier League (IPL) commitments with Sunrisers Hyderabad, had initially been selected for both the ODI and T20I squads for Bangladesh.

However, Cricket Australia (CA) has now confirmed that the left-handed opener will sit out the entire tour as part of workload management plans.

National selector Tony Dodemaide said the decision was taken with an eye on Head’s demanding schedule across all three formats over the next year.

“Travis was initially selected in the ODI and T20I legs of this Bangladesh tour but has subsequently been granted personal leave for both,” Dodemaide said. “We look forward to seeing him again for the top-end Test series against Bangladesh.”

Australia are yet to announce a replacement for Head in the T20I squad.

The visitors have also suffered another setback with regular white-ball captain Mitchell Marsh ruled out of the ODI series as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury sustained during the IPL.

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Marsh had already missed the ODI series against Pakistan after suffering a flare-up of the injury and was expected to return for the Bangladesh tour. However, he will now target the T20I series, which begins on June 17.

With both Marsh and official ODI captain Pat Cummins unavailable, Josh Inglis will continue to lead Australia in the 50-over format after captaining the side in Pakistan. The wicketkeeper-batter could also take charge of the T20I side should Marsh fail to recover in time.

Australia have also been forced into a bowling change after leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha sustained a hamstring injury during the Pakistan series. He has been replaced by off-spinner Todd Murphy, who has earned his maiden call-up to Australia’s white-ball setup.

Meanwhile, Matt Short and Ollie Peake have retained their places in the squad after impressive performances during the Pakistan ODIs. Both players were initially selected only for that series, but did enough to convince selectors to keep them in the group.

Australia ODI squad: Josh Inglis (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Ollie Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Liam Scott and Adam Zampa.

Australia T20I squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw and Adam Zampa.

READ: Abbottabad crush Karachi Whites to lift National T20 Cup trophy

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LAHORE: A clinical bowling performance led by Arshad Iqbal, followed by Shahzaib Khan’s unbeaten half-century, powered Abbottabad Region to victory over Karachi Whites in the National T20 Cup 2026 final here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

The National T20 Cup final was rescheduled following the group stage, and semi-finals took place from 7th March to 17th March in Peshawar.

Abbottabad chased down a mere target of 119 inside 13 overs, losing only one wicket in the process.

Shahzaib Khan and Afaq Khan laid a 62-run partnership in 7.2 overs. The former played the core aggressor role and capitalized on the fielding restrictions.

Soon after powerplay, fast bowler Rizwanullah provided Karachi’s first breakthrough in the form of Afaq’s wicket. He made 13 off 17 with the help of a boundary. However, this was the only wicket to fall in the composed run chase from Abbottabad.

Kamran Ghulam then joined Shahzaib at the crease, forging an unbeaten 58-run stand. The pair looked solid and never allowed Karachi bowlers to make a comeback. Right-hander Kamran in particular did the bulk of the scoring while Shahzaib reached his fifty in the process.

Eventually, Abbottabad hit the winning runs on the fifth ball of the 14th over. Kamran remained not out on 45 off 26 balls, hitting three sixes and three fours. Shahzaib made an unbeaten 54 off 41 balls, including four maximums and three fours.

For Karachi Whites, Rizwanullah remained the solitary wicket-taker.

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Earlier, Karachi Whites’ innings folded on 118 in 18.3 overs after being put into bat, as Abbottabad Region’s bowlers, led by pacer Arshad Iqbal, effectively curtailed their batting-heavy opponents.

Abdullah Fazal and Saud Shakeel could only add 20 for the first wicket partnership, with Iqbal cleaning up the former to lay the first blood. The southpaw, who recently made his Test debut for Pakistan, managed only six.

Soon after, Mohammad Wasim Jr. struck to send back youngster Haroon Arshad (13 off 10, 4s 3). With quick wickets, it was expected that the senior duo of Saud Shakeel and Shan Masood would arrest the slide and steady the innings.

But the slide continued with skipper Shakeel (17 off 18), the next man going back to the pavilion in the sixth over. Saifullah Bangash (6) and Shan Masood (12) could not trouble the scorers much. Consequently, Karachi Whites’ wickets continued to tumble as they slipped to 77-6 at the halfway mark of the innings.

Saqib Khan remained the top-scorer, scoring 22 off 22, including two fours and a six, but none of the batters managed to convert their starts as Abbottabad’s bowlers maintained control throughout the innings.

For Abbottabad Region, Arshad Iqbal picked up three wickets. Shadab Khan, Shahab Khan, and Razaullah picked two each.

READ: Pakistan thump Afghanistan to reach four-nation tournament final

Reigning world champion Marc Marquez won on a Sunday for the first time this season as he held off young Spanish compatriot Pedro Acosta to take the Hungarian MotoGP.

Francesco Bagnaia finished a distant third while the top two in the standings, Aprilia pair Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, crashed out on the first corner.

In a battle of the generations, 33-year-old Marquez, who also won Saturday’s sprint, and Acosta, 22, exchanged the lead a couple of times before the veteran pulled away in the closing laps.

Marquez beat Acosta by just over 1.343 seconds. It was the veteran’s 100th victory across all categories, and Ducati’s 100th win in the sport.

“I’m super happy,” said Marquez who rushed back after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder and a broken foot after a crash at the French Grand Prix in early May.

“The price was expensive, but happy to have another comeback.”

The 4.8km Balaton Park circuit, which hosted its first MotoGP last year, is narrow, twisty, and not conducive to overtaking. Most riders do not like it, but Marc Marquez feels right at home. Last year, the Spaniard swept the board taking pole position, sprint race, fastest lap, and overall victory.

An additional advantage for Marquez is that Balaton Park is one of the six circuits this season that run counter-clockwise. The Spaniard has always prefered left-hand corners but they was even more helpful this weekend because he was nursing his right shoulder.

“I don’t know if I’ll have chances like this again in the upcoming races. I wasn’t feeling great on Friday, but I made a good step forward on Saturday,” he said.

Bagnaia finished 11.632 seconds behind Marquez on a matching factory Ducati, a ride that Acosta, who is with KTM, is widely expected to take over next season.

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At the start, bikes tumbled like bowling pins going into at the first corner.

Martin, who is second in the standings, locked up coming out of the short starting straight, lost control and he, and his bike, flew into the tightly-bunched pack hitting Bezzecchi. Fermin Aldeguer of Ducati Gresini, Raul Fernandez of Trackhouse and Fabio di Giannantonio on a VR46 Ducati also went down.

Bagnaia said he saw Martin coming out of the corner of his eye.

“When I started to break, I just saw something arriving so fast, and it was Martin arriving at double speed.”

“Maybe he was too inside and locked the front, because the new tarmac on corner one was very slippery.”

Di Giannantonio remounted and collected four points as he trailed in 12th.

Marquez had sped off from pole position and was already clear of the chaos behind him. Only Acosta, who narrowly outpaced the wave of crashing bikes, was able to give chase and quickly closed and shot past.

By halfway, the leading pair had pulled six seconds clear of Bagnaia

Marquez overtook on lap 14 and held off 22-year-old Acosta’s instant counter-attack pulling clear before relaxing in the fnal lap.

“We tried everything, it was a really good battle, I hope that everyone at home in enjoyed it,” said Acosta who is still chasing his first MotoGP victory. “The pace was good. qualifying again was good. Back-to-back podiums, I’m quite happy.”

Ai Ogura on a Trackhouse was fourth and Luca Marini fifth for Honda.

Bezzcchi, Martin and Di Gianntonio stayed in the first three places in the standings. Acosta jumped to fourth and Marquez into fifth.

READ: Pakistan thump Afghanistan to reach four-nation tournament final

MALE: Pakistan football team booked a place in the Diamond Jubilee Tournament final with a convincing 2-0 win over Afghanistan at the National Football Stadium on Sunday.

Pakistan forward Umer Nawaz gave his side an early lead in the fifth minute after converting a well-worked assist from a teammate.

After conceding an early lead, Afghanistan pushed for an equalizer but failed to find the back of the net. Pakistan continued to threaten, forcing Afghanistan’s midfielders into a more defensive role as the Green Shirts launched repeated attacks.

After the first half, Afghanistan managed to string together a series of attacks, but Pakistan’s defense remained resolute.

Pakistan eventually doubled the lead with Harun Hamid’s powerful strike in the seven minutes of extra time, sealing victory and capping a disciplined tactical display.

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For the unversed, it was Pakistan’s second consecutive victory in the tournament, having previously defeated the Maldives 3-0. The win ended a 35-year wait for victory against the opposition and marked Pakistan’s first win in international football in two years.  Earlier, Pakistan’s opening encounter against Bangladesh had ended in a stalemate.

Pakistan will face either Bangladesh or Afghanistan in the final on 10 June.

Pakistan squad:

Goalkeepers: Saqib Hanif, Yousuf Butt and Hassan Ali.

Defenders: Abdullah Iqbal, Mohammad Fazal, Abdullah Shah, Easah Suliman, Mohib Afridi, Mamoon Moosa, Ali Niazi and Haris Zeb.

Midfielders: Adil Nabi, Rahis Nabi, Alamgir Ghazi, Hayyan Khattak, Ali Agha and Otis Khan.

Forwards: Shayak Dost, Umer Nawaz, Ali Shah, Ali Khan, Samad Arshad and Harun Hamid.

READ: Harry Kane edges England to underwhelming New Zealand victory

Debutant spinner Manav Suthar took three wickets to dent Afghanistan’s reply after India declared their innings on 564-8 in their one-off Test on Sunday.

Afghanistan were 113-5 at stumps on day two after Suthar had Afsar Zazai caught and bowled for three.

Rahmat Shah was unbeaten on 43, with Afghanistan still trailing India by 451 runs at New Chandigarh.

Afghanistan pace bowler Mohammad Saleem earlier took six wickets before India ended their first innings in the second session with Washington Sundar unbeaten on 52.

A fourth-wicket stand of 169 between captain Shubman Gill, who made 126, and Rishabh Pant (81) was the highlight of the Indian innings after the hosts resumed on 368-3.

Afghanistan started on a shaky note when left-arm spinner Suthar dismissed opener Abdul Malik for 16 with his fourth ball in Test cricket on the stroke of tea.

Pace bowler Prasidh Krishna dismissed Sediqullah Atal for 17 before 23-year-old Suthar had Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught at second slip for 12.

Shah then attempted to steady the innings with Hashmatullah Shahidi, who was trapped leg before by Krishna for 20.

Saleem, 23, struck twice in the morning session and then dismissed Suthar for 28 after lunch to claim his first five-wicket haul in Tests.

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He consistently bowled at speeds above 140 km/h (86.9 mph) to impress in just his second Test.

Left-hander Sundar and Mohammed Siraj went on the attack to boost India’s total.

Siraj hammered debutant left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote for a four and two sixes in one over before he was bowled by Saleem.

Saleem earlier broke the stand between Gill and Pant when he had the Indian captain caught behind with a delivery that held its line.

Wicketkeeper Pant added 31 runs to his overnight score and was eyeing a century when he was caught at long-off while attempting a big hit off Shahidi.

Afghanistan made even harder work of it by repeatedly failing to review borderline decisions.

Gill had added just five runs to his overnight score of 103 when he was struck on the pads by pace bowler Azmatullah Omarzai.

Afghanistan did not ask for a review after Gill was given not out, but ball-tracking technology showed the delivery would have hit the leg stump.

Pant, on 54, also survived the next ball despite ball-tracking showing that Omarzai had caught a faint edge, with Afghanistan again deciding against a review.

READ: Five-star Atkinson seals England victory over New Zealand

Gus Atkinson took a five-wicket haul as England thrashed New Zealand by 115 runs to win the first Test at Lord’s on Sunday.

Surrey paceman Atkinson took 5-30 — his fourth five-wicket innings haul in three Tests at Lord’s — as England went 1-0 up in a three-match series.

But fellow seamer Ollie Robinson was named player-of-the-match after marking his first Test in over two years with seven wickets in the match — including a Test-best haul of 5-39, featuring a rare triple-wicket maiden, in New Zealand’s meagre first-innings 113.

England’s success also owed much to debutant opener Emilo Gay’s 57 in their second-innings 226.

On Sunday, Devon Conway (41) and Glenn Phillips (44 not out) kept England at bay with a seventh-wicket partnership of 53 — New Zealand’s highest of a low-scoring match.

England still only needed 19 overs to take the five wickets they required for victory as their first Test since a woeful 4-1 Ashes series loss in Australia, ended in a comprehensive success.

New Zealand’s overnight 55-5 became 58-6 when Tom Blundell was lbw to fast bowler Josh Tongue.

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Left-handed opener Conway, who resumed on 19 not out, slashed Tongue through gully for four.

He should have been out next ball for 24 when Harry Brook dropped a two-handed chance above his head at second slip after the batter tried to uppercut Tongue.

New batter Phillips drilled Robinson through extra-cover for four on another overcast morning that favoured the fast bowlers, with stroke-play far from easy on a pitch of inconsistent bounce.

The aggressive Phillips thrashed a slightly wide Robinson delivery through the covers for four.

England captain Ben Stokes brought himself on but Phillips clipped his fifth ball through midwicket for four to bring up New Zealand’s hundred.

Stokes did break through when he squared up Conway with a good-length ball that took the edge, Jacob Bethell holding a fine low catch in the gully to end a gritty 91-ball innings.

New Zealand’s 111-7 was transformed into 116-8 when Atkinson had Nathan Smith caught behind.

And the Black Caps were nine wickets down and on the brink of defeat when Kyle Jamieson, who made 38 not out in the first innings, fell for six after clipping Atkinson to midwicket

Phillips defiantly pulled Tongue for six – one of eight boundaries in 52 balls faced.

But there was nothing he could do when Atkinson bowled last man Matt Henry for a duck to finish with innings figure of 5-30 in 11.3 overs.

The series now moves across London to the Oval, where the second Test starts on June 17.

READ: Australia players barred from entering Dhaka Golf Course

DHAKA: Australia’s men’s cricket team were denied entry to a Dhaka Golf Course due to a logistical communication failure ahead of the ODI series against Bangladesh. 

After concluding the Pakistan tour, Australia arrived in Bangladesh on 5 June for a white-ball series comprising three ODIs and the same number of T20Is. The tour will kick off with an ODI, scheduled on 9 June at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Following the 50-over series, the squad will head to Chattogram for T20Is, which will run from 17 to 21 June.

However, things turned awkward for the visitors when several members of the touring party were denied entry into the golf course on their scheduled rest day.

According to the Daily Star, initially only a handful of players planned to play golf, but later several other squad members also expressed interest in joining the outing. Permission was arranged earlier with the golf course authorities. For this reason, the organisers arranged transport accordingly.

But the inclusion of additional members required a change to the original plan that had already been submitted for approval, and players whose names were not included in the initial clearance request were denied entry upon arrival at the venue.

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Earlier, the rumours suggested that the touring party faced restrictions linked to security concerns, a development that left the visitors displeased.

It is worth mentioning that the golf course is located in a restricted military zone, and advance permissions are required for vehicle entry.

The report quoted a BCB official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, noting that initially only a small group was expected to play, so permission was secured for a single microbus.

“Initially, only a small group was expected to play, so we secured permission for a single microbus,” the report quoted the source.

“However, when more players decided to join, a large team bus was required instead. We did not have the necessary clearance to bring a vehicle of that size through the cantonment area, meaning they could not proceed.”

“We are fully prepared to accommodate all of their logistical requests, but we require timely and clear communication from their management to ensure clearances,” the official added.

Australia squads for Bangladesh series:

ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott and Adam Zampa.

T20I squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw and Adam Zampa.

READ: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to travel with parents on India tours

Harry Kane’s 79th international goal edged England to a 1-0 win over New Zealand in the FIFA World Cup 2026 warm-up as the Three Lions’ FIFA  got off to an underwhelming start in the Florida heat on Saturday.

Kane flicked in Djed Spence’s cross in first-half stoppage time as England laboured to victory against a side 81 places below them in the world rankings.

“We’re here for preparation more than the result,” said Kane after his 67th goal of the season for club and country. “It’s the best shape I’ve ever been in my career.

“I’m excited, can’t wait for it to get started.”

New Zealand were thrashed 4-0 by Haiti on Wednesday but Thomas Tuchel’s men found clear-cut chances far harder to come by in their first experience of the brutal conditions in the United States.

Tuchel named two entirely different sides for each half, but there was little to read into his team selection ahead of England’s opening game of the World Cup against Croatia on June 17.

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“The energy is right and the quality will come,” said Tuchel. “The better the opponent gets, the better we will get.”

Kane typically made the breakthrough from an in-swinging cross by Spence, who impressed at left-back.

Ivan Toney replaced Kane among the 11 changes made by Tuchel at the break.

Toney thought he had won a penalty only for New Zealand to be rescued by a marginal offside call against the Al Ahli striker.

England dominated possession but could not add to their lead with the Kiwis happy to keep the score down.

Despite not having won a major tournament for 60 years, England go into the World Cup among the favourites having reached at least the quarter-finals in their last four tournaments.

They also face Ghana and Panama in Group L.

New Zealand will face Iran, Belgium and Egypt in Group G.

READ: Argentina ease past Honduras in FIFA World Cup 2026 warm-up