Sport

Mitchell Starc has become the first Australian star to confirm he won’t play in this summer’s Big Bash League as negotiations loom on future player availability. This summer shapes as crucial for the competition out of the Covid-19 pandemic, with Cricket Australia desperate to have as much top-line talent playing as…

India captain Rohit Sharma is out of isolation after having tested negative for Covid-19 and will now be available for the white-ball series against England, beginning with the first T20I in Southampton on July 7. Rohit missed out on the ongoing rescheduled fifth Test against England after he had tested positive during the four-day warm-up…

Birmingham Bears made certain of a place in the T20 Blast quarter-finals with a 31-run victory over Yorkshire. Paul Stirling made 81 off 41 balls in their 238-5 at Headingleyand the Vikings were all out for 207 in reply. Somerset, Essex Eagles and Hampshire won their games to join Surrey…

Ashton Agar’s hopes of an Australian Test recall in Sri Lanka are over after failing to recover from a side strain. Agar was ruled out of the second Test on Saturday morning with Australia bringing Jon Holland into their 17-man squad. He had been considered a serious chance of playing in the…

As the morning unfolded on Saturday, and England worked their way through India’s lower order, they may have entertained thoughts of restricting India to under 400. The second new ball was only a few overs old, and James Anderson had just dismissed the centurion Ravindra Jadeja. India were 377 for 9…

Former Scotland and Rangers goalkeeper Andy Goram has died after “a short battle” with cancer at the age of 58. Goram was capped 43 times for his country at football and four times at cricket – the only Scot to have played at the top level at both sports. He…

Serie A has appointed Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi as its first female referee. The 31-year-old will be part of the officiating team for the 2022-23 season which starts in August. Ferrieri Caputi became the first woman to take charge of a top-flight Italian side last season when Cagliari played Cittadella…

Richard Gleeson, the Lancashire seamer, has earned his first full England call-up at the age of 34 and could make his debut in next week’s T20I series against India. Gleeson, a late developer who made his first-class debut at 27, spent most of the last two seasons sidelined by back…

Australia’s spinners tore through Sri Lanka’s line-up as they lost 10 wickets inside 23 overs in a staggering collapse to lose the opening Test in Galle inside two-and-a-half days. Nathan Lyon and Travis Head took four wickets each and Mitchell Swepson two, as Sri Lanka were bundled out for 113. Australia needed just five runs…

As many as four centuries were scored as Central Punjab U19 Blues, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Blues and Southern Punjab U19 Blues won their second-round 50-over matches of Pool A of the National U19 Cup today. In Pool B, Central Punjab U19 Whites, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites and Southern Punjab U19…

Promising 21-year-old leg-spinner Tuba Hassan was one of the three first-time women cricketers who were awarded central contracts for the 2022-23 season, which came into effect on Friday. The other two first-timers are Gul Feroza and Sadaf Shamas, who have been identified as future prospects. Tuba was adjudged ICC Women’s…

The Pakistan Junior League got a positive shot in the arm when the state-owned PTV Sports threw its weight behind the first-of-its-kind event that is aimed at providing opportunities to the talented teenagers to demonstrate their skills in a franchise-based tournament, which will ultimately benefit Pakistan cricket. In a high-powered…

Bahrain Victorious riders and staff have been searched by police for the second time in a week as the team prepares for the Tour de France. Copenhagen police confirmed they searched the team’s hotel rooms and cars on Thursday, with the race beginning in the Danish city on Friday. They…

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova overcame a late wobble to set up a third-round encounter with fourth seed Paula Badosa. The Czech had won 10 of the first 12 games and was leading 5-1 in the second set before Romania’s Ana Bogdan won five games in a row. Kvitova eventually…

Two sensational seventies from Cameron Green and Usman Khawaja gave Australia a vital lead over Sri Lanka on a weather-affected second day in Galle as the pitch continued to deteriorate quickly. Green made 77, his fifth Test half-century, and Khawaja 71 while Alex Carey put on a sweeping masterclass to add a valuable 47-ball 45. The…

England opener Dom Sibley is to re-join Surrey from Warwickshire at the end of the season after five-and-a-half years with the reigning county champions. Sibley, 26, whose current Bears deal runs out at the end of this summer, has been at Edgbaston since arriving, initially on loan, in August 2017. In that time,…

Pakistan Cricket Board today announced men’s central contract lists for 2022-23, which comes into effect from Friday, 1 July. For the first time, the PCB has introduced separate red and white-ball contracts, while four more players have been added to the Emerging Category. This means a total of 33 players,…

Serena Williams’ hopes of a victorious return to Wimbledon after a year out ended with a loss to Harmony Tan. The American great, 40, returned to the same Centre Court where she had limped out injured last year with a passionate display in a 7-5 1-6 7-6 (10-7) defeat. Willed…

South Africa’s white-ball captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the multi-format tour of England with an elbow injury. Bavuma, 32, suffered the injury in India recently and his recovery is expected to last at least eight weeks. Spinner Keshav Maharaj will lead the ODI side, with batter David…

England fought back to beat Italy and seal a place in Friday’s European Under-19 Championship final in a dramatic semi-final in Slovakia. The Young Lions fell behind to Fabio Miretti’s penalty after Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s foul on the Juventus player. Substitute Alex Scott equalised from a corner before Liverpool defender Jarell…

It was the perfect setting when Naseem Shah announced his arrival on the Test circuit in 2020. Running into a setting Rawalpindi sun, Naseem, 16, had his arms spread like an eagle and a brimming smile adorned his face. Chased by his teammates, Naseem looked unstoppable. Unstoppable he was as…