Category: Sports

LONDON: England were on top at the close of play against New Zealand on day two after Gus Atkinson’s double strike at the Lord’s Cricket Stadium. 

The visitors were reduced to 36-3 with 218 more runs required to win. Devon Conway remained not out on 12 while the night-watchman Will O’Rourke was the final wicket to fall.  Atkinson cleaned him up on a duck.

The Three Lions bowlers adopted an aggressive strategy, with captain Tom Latham dismissed on the third ball of the first over. It was Josh Tongue who took Kane Williamson in the 11th over, giving his team a strong position.

Earlier, Jamie Smith helped England recover from a middle-order collapse as they set New Zealand 254 to win the first Test at Lord’s on Friday.

England were dismissed for 226 in their second innings on the second day of a frenetic clash in north London.

New Zealand’s Nathan Smith took 6-70, the second five-wicket haul of the paceman’s six-match Test career.

But given New Zealand were dismissed for just 113 in the first innings, they need a vastly-improved batting effort to avoid falling 1-0 behind in the three-match series.

Debutant opener Emilio Gay was England’s top-scorer in their second innings with 57 and wicket-keeper Smith made 39.

Earlier, England lost four wickets for just one run as 126-2 quickly became 127-6 before Smith steadied the ship in the 150th Test at Lord’s — the most of any ground.

Smith received good support from Gus Atkinson during a seventh-wicket stand of 57.

But Atkinson gave his innings away on 14 when his miscued pull off Kyle Jamieson was caught by the towering fast bowler.

This is England’s first Test since a 4-1 series loss in Australia where they squandered several promising positions.

And it looked like they might be suffering a repeat of their Ashes debacle when Harry Brook, fresh from a first-innings fifty, and England captain Ben Stokes were both dismissed without scoring on Friday.

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There was little Jamie Smith could do when Nathan Smith bowled him with a delivery that kept low to end a 52-ball innings, including six fours.

England were 99-2 when Jacob Bethell was bowled by a Matt Henry delivery that kept low.

Gay, however, was still seeking to punish New Zealand for failing to review a rejected Henry lbw appeal when the Durham batter would have been out for 24.

Gay pressed on to an 84-ball fifty, including seven fours, before he was caught behind off Smith to leave England 126-3.

Brook was trapped in front by Will O’Rourke for a duck and Joe Root fell in similar fashion to Smith for eight.

Stokes was bowled by an excellent Smith delivery that angled in before clipping the top of the left-hander’s off stump.

Ollie Robinson made a useful 29 before he holed out off Nathan Smith to end the innings.

Earlier, Robinson celebrated a five-wicket haul on his return to England duty.

The Sussex pace bowler, playing his first Test in more than two years, produced a triple-wicket maiden on Thursday during a sensational return of 4-10 in six overs as New Zealand slumped to 61-6 at stumps.

He wrapped up the innings on Friday by bowling last man Henry for a duck to leave New Zealand 27 runs behind England’s first-innings 140 all out.

Robinson finished with his Test-best figures of 5-39 in 10.1 overs.

READ: Nepal among four teams to qualify for Asian Games 2026

Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Shashini Gimhani has been ruled out of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held from 11 June across England and Wales.

Gimhani sustained a lower back injury during training and was eventually sidelined ahead of the mega event, with leg-spinner Chethana Vimukthi replacing her in the squad. She has played three ODIs and is yet to make her debut in T20Is

Gimhani played seven T20Is and collected six wickets for an average of 21.16 and an economy of 7.05.

Sri Lanka head into the tournament on the back of a successful T20I series sweep and will hope to carry that momentum into the World Cup, where they have been placed in a challenging Group 2 alongside hosts England, defending champions New Zealand, the West Indies, Ireland, and Scotland.

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The island nation will begin its campaign against England at Edgbaston on June 12 before taking on New Zealand in Southampton on June 16.

They will then face the West Indies and Ireland in Bristol on June 21 and June 23, respectively, before concluding the group stage against Scotland in Manchester on June 26.

Sri Lanka Updated Squad:

Chamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunarathne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Imesha Dulani, Nilakshika Silva, Kaveesha Dilhari, Hansima Karunarathne, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Sugandika Dassanayaka, Nimasha Madushani, Kawya Kavindi, Malki Madara, Mithali Ayodhya, Chethana Vimukthi.

READ: Nepal among four teams to qualify for Asian Games 2026

SINGAPORE: Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Oman have sealed their places in the Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Japan from September 24 to October 3. 

All four teams booked their spots after featuring in the ongoing seven-team qualifying event in Singapore. The final of the event will be played on 8 June.

After Qatar’s withdrawal, Nepal topped Group A by dominant wins over China and Malaysia. Meanwhile, Malaysia advanced after securing a victory over China.

Nepal, who featured in the T20 World Cup earlier this year, opened its campaign with a commanding 221-run victory over China.

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Opener Kushal Bhurtel starred with a blistering 43-ball 129 as Nepal registered multiple 300-plus totals in men’s T20 cricket for the first time in history. They followed it up with another dominant win over Malaysia by 167 runs, with Bhurtel scoring yet another century in their total of 275 for 7.

Hong Kong finished on top of Group B after remaining undefeated, winning all their matches against Bahrain, Singapore, and Oman.

Oman also qualified after defeating Bahrain and Singapore, and finished second despite losing to Hong Kong.

For the unversed, the four teams will join Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. who have automatically qualified for the Asian Games on the basis of ICC full membership. Japan, on the other hand, qualified as host of the tournament.

READ: Alexander Zverev eases past Mensik to reach French Open final

Alexander Zverev moved to the verge of a long-awaited first Grand Slam title as the second seed saw off Jakub Mensik in four sets to reach his second French Open final on Friday.

The German will face either 10th seed Flavio Cobolli or his fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi on Sunday after securing a 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Mensik.

Zverev has endured several near misses at major tournaments, with three previous final defeats, including against Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros two years ago.

“This is a Grand Slam, it’s best of five, things are going to happen, opponents are going to play better. I managed it,” said Zverev.

“I hope to play another great match on Sunday.”

But he will be a strong favourite against either Cobolli or world number 104 Arnaldi to finally get over the line and lift a Slam trophy.

The world number three was playing in his 11th Grand Slam semi-final and his experience showed against Czech youngster Mensik.

The 20-year-old, in the last four of a major for the first time, tired as the match went on as his previous exertions in Paris, including two five-set matches, took their toll.

Zverev has dealt well with the pressure of being the tournament favourite since the early exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, in the second and third rounds respectively.

He will face one last test of his mental strength on Court Philippe Chatrier in two days’ time, but should at least be fresh physically after reaching the final having only lost two sets in six matches.

“Pure emptiness, there’s absolutely nothing in my head,” insisted a smiling Zverev in his on-court interview.

“We’re athletes, very few of us have anything in our heads. Sometimes it’s easier to be stupid and not to think too much.”

The 29-year-old has been within one set of victory in two of his previous Slam finals, when facing Alcaraz in Paris in 2024 and when he blew a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open.

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Zverev is also aiming to end a 14-month title drought dating back to a clay-court event in Munich in April last year.

Zverev took a closely-fought first set courtesy of a break in the 11th game, having earlier saved three break points to deny Mensik a 5-3 lead.

The 26th seed could not keep pace at all in the second set, as Zverev broke twice and only dropped four points on his own serve.

Mensik called for a medical time-out just three games into the third set, appearing to struggle with a neck injury.

But he dragged himself back into the contest seemingly out of nowhere, breaking to take a 4-2 lead in the third set as his use of the drop shot started to make a greater impact.

That shot wrapped up a hold to love and the set — only the second Zverev had lost in the tournament.

Mensik could not keep up his momentum, though, falling 2-0 behind in the fourth set as consecutive backhand unforced errors gifted Zverev a break.

The three-time Grand Slam runner-up powered into the final from there, despite drawing the ire of some spectators for disputing two line calls and also receiving a warning for a time violation.

Zverev wrapped up victory on his first match point as Mensik netted a backhand.

READ: Pakistan reach England for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026

NOTTINGHAM: Pakistan women team has arrived in England after competing in a T20I tri-series in Ireland ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.

The Green Shirts will rest in Nottingham before playing a warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka at County Ground in Derby on 6 June.

Following the fixture, the women’s team will take part in the practice session on 7 June. Their second warm-up match will be against Scotland on 9 June at the same venue.

Earlier, Pakistan participated in the T20I tri-series featuring Ireland and West Indies.

Pakistan women team remained winless in the series with West Indies eventually clinching the trophy, while Ireland finished in second place.

For the unversed, the 10th edition of the tournament will feature 12 teams and 33 matches spread across seven venues, culminating in the final at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on July 5.

Hosts England will kick off proceedings against Sri Lanka on June 12 at Edgbaston, which will also stage the high-voltage India-Pakistan encounter two days later.

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Pakistan have been drawn in a challenging Group A alongside defending champions Australia, India, South Africa, Bangladesh and tournament debutants the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, Group B comprises England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Ireland and Scotland.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, scheduled for June 30 and July 2 at The Oval.

Pakistan Women’s Squad

Fatima Sana (c), Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Iram Javed, Eyman Fatima, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Parvaiz, Saira Jabeen, Muneeba Ali, Tuba Hassan, Rameen Shamim, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu, Diana Baig, Tasmia Rubab

Pakistan Fixtures

14 June v India, Birmingham

17 June v South Africa, Birmingham

20 June v Bangladesh, Southampton

23 June v Australia, Headingley

27 June v Netherlands, Bristol

READ: Shaheen Afridi stars as Pakistan clinch ODI series against Australia

Tottenham Hotspur signed former Liverpool defender Andy Robertson on a free transfer on Friday, ending the Scotland captain’s nine-year spell at Anfield.

Robertson will officially join Spurs on a free transfer on July 1 after his Liverpool contract expires.

The 32-year-old nearly left Anfield for Tottenham in January, but Liverpool eventually halted the deal after they were unable to bring back Kostas Tsimikas from the defender’s loan at Roma.

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi was appointed after that aborted attempt to sign Robertson, but he has given the green light to the left-back’s move to north London.

“Andy is someone I’ve admired for a number of years and he will bring outstanding technical qualities, experience, leadership and mentality to our team,” De Zerbi said.

“He is a proven winner at the highest level over a long period and is someone who can be a big player for us, both on and off the pitch.”

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Robertson’s immediate focus will be on captaining Scotland at the World Cup, before he links up with Tottenham ahead of the start of the domestic season in August.

“I’m in America just now preparing for the World Cup, but I just wanted to send you a quick message to say I cannot wait to play for you guys,” Robertson said in a video message from Scotland’s camp.

“I cannot wait to meet you guys, I cannot wait to play in the stadium for the first time in front of you and I’m already looking forward to next season.”

Robertson will compete with Destiny Udogie for the left-back role in De Zerbi’s starting line-up.

“First and foremost he is an outstanding left-back — one of the best of all time in the Premier League, and someone who will improve our squad,” Tottenham sporting director Johan Lange said.

“In addition, his quality, character and leadership have been evident throughout a career in which he has regularly competed for — and won — major honours.

“Andy’s professionalism and commitment will also be invaluable to the development of our squad, and he shares our ambition and determination to bring success back to the club.”

Robertson won the Premier League twice, the League Cup twice and the FA Cup once during his successful spell at Liverpool.

He was part of the Reds’ 2019 Champions League-winning team.

READ: FIFA World Cup 2026: Iran squad hand passports to US embassy

Iran’s football squad, whose participation in the World Cup remains uncertain, have handed their passports to the US embassy in Turkey for visas, the head of their Football Federation said on Friday.

Mehdi Taj said Iran were following instructions from the world football’s governing body.

Their quest for the visas comes as Iran and the United States remain locked in negotiations to end the Middle East war that began in February with a massive wave of strikes on the Islamic Republic.

“Yesterday, I had discussions with FIFA regarding the US visas,” Taj said. “We were told to submit all passports to the US embassy in Ankara.”

The Iranian team is due to fly from Turkey to Spain on Saturday before travelling on to their base camp in Mexico, which has issued visas to the squad.

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“We are waiting to see what happens today or, at the latest, tomorrow, because our national team needs to receive these passports and travel with them to Tijuana,” said Taj.

Taj said the Iranian Football Federation said had “raised certain points and requests, in such a way that FIFA was told that if they (the Americans) do not issue visas for the players, some members of our technical staff, and other sections of our delegation, we may make other decisions.”

“My assessment is that all visas will be issued in full, and there most likely will not be any problem in this regard,” he added.

The Iranians relocated their World Cup base, which initially was planned to be in Tucson, Arizona, to the northwestern Mexican border city of Tijuana.

All three of their group matches are in the United States.

They open with two games in Los Angeles, against against New Zealand on 15 June and Belgium on 21 June, and play Egypt on 27 June in Seattle.

READ: India outplay Pakistan to reach U18 Hockey Asia Cup final

KAKAMIGAHARA: India booked a place in the final of the U18 Asia Cup final following a 5-3 win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the second semi-final at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Hockey Stadium on Friday.

The thrilling encounter saw many ups and downs, with India eventually prevailing in the final moments of the game.

India were awarded a penalty stroke after a review by Pakistan failed to overturn the on-field decision. Purti Ashish Tani made no mistake from the spot in the 12th minute to give the Blue Shirts an early lead.

The Men in Blue capitalized on a penalty stroke after Pakistan failed a review in the first quarter. Purti Ashish Tani pierced the nets to give his side a lead in the 11th minute.

The Green Shirts bounced back after creating multiple chances with penalty corners. But it was Adeel who leveled the scoreline in the 26th minute with a brilliant left-handed reverse flick.

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India again took the lead in the third quarter despite Pakistan’s disciplined play. Ali Shahrukh managed to sneak through the goalkeeper’s legs to make it 2-1.

Soon after, Pakistan’s Muhammad Farhan Aslam gave a strong reply, converting the penalty corner into an equalizer in the 36th minute.  At the end of the third quarter, Pakistan moved ahead with Uzair Ahmed’s drag flick doing the work.

The final quarter began with aggressive play from both sides, but Ashish Tani ensured his side did not lose the plot. He first scored a goal in the 47th minute, followed by a brace in the 52nd and 55th minutes, to help his side reach the summit clash.

India will now play Japan in the final of the U18 Hockey Asia Cup on Saturday.

READ: FIFA introduces new national anthem protocol for World Cup 2026

FIFA has announced a major change to its pre-match ceremonies for the 2026 World Cup, with all 26 players in a matchday squad set to participate in the national anthem proceedings for the first time.

The revised protocol will be implemented at the expanded tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, ensuring that every player selected for a match, not just the starting XI, is involved in one of football’s most iconic moments.

Under the previous format, only the starting line-ups stood on the pitch during the national anthems, while substitutes remained near the dugout alongside coaching staff and support personnel.

The new arrangement will see all members of the matchday squad gather on the field before kick-off. Players will assemble around the centre-circle banner, with substitutes joining the starting XI during the anthem ceremony.

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Another notable change is the positioning of the teams. Instead of facing the stands, players and match officials will gather around the centre circle and face one another, creating what FIFA believes will be a more unified and emotional pre-match spectacle.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the change is part of the governing body’s effort to enhance the World Cup experience for players and supporters alike.

“As the FIFA World Cup grows, we continue to innovate the way the game is experienced,” Infantino said.

“Having all players and referees face each other in the centre circle during the national anthems will create a moment of unity, pride and emotion that truly belongs to the teams and to everyone.

“The FIFA World Cup is about every player and every fan, and this new pre-match ceremony reflects that.”

READ: Liverpool appoint Andoni Iraola as new manager

LAHORE: Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has defended the team’s pitch preparation strategy following their 2-1 series victory over Australia, saying home conditions are routinely tailored to maximise advantage.

Pakistan opted for slow, turning surfaces across Rawalpindi and Lahore during the three-match series, where spinners played a decisive role.

The approach has triggered debate among analysts and former cricketers, but Afridi backed the team management’s decision after the tense final ODI at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.

Addressing concerns over the nature of the pitches, the Pakistan skipper said teams around the world adopt similar strategies when playing at home.

“Every team prepares pitches that suit them when they play in their backyard to win,” Afridi said.

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He stressed that modern cricket requires both long-term planning and the ability to adapt to varying conditions, pointing out that Pakistan themselves have experienced contrasting surfaces during overseas tours.

Afridi referenced the team’s recent tour of Australia, highlighting that Pakistan played on pace-friendly wickets and still managed success under Mohammad Rizwan’s captaincy.

“We have Test series [in the West Indies and England coming up] in which some of these players will play, and they can use them to prepare themselves [for the World Cup]… We played on green and bouncy pitches when we went to Australia under [Mohammad] Rizwan’s captaincy, and we won that series. You cannot offer them green wickets when they come here because we have to win,” he added.

The Pakistan captain further clarified that the challenging nature of the pitches used in the Australia ODI series was deliberate, aimed at testing the squad’s ability to handle pressure situations and difficult batting conditions.

“These were tough wickets, and scoring runs or spending time on them was not easy. We have time on our hands before the World Cup, and we will prepare pitches of different characteristics as well in the build-up,” Afridi stated.

READ: Hafeez labels spin-friendly formula a ‘failed’ approach for ICC events