West Indies bowler Joseph out of India tour with injury
West Indies suffered a major blow ahead of their tour of India on Friday when fast bowler Shamar Joseph was ruled out of the two-test series due to injury.
Cricket Sport News
Qatar’s Akram Afif nominated for third Asian Player of the Year award
Reigning Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif has again been included on the three-man shortlist for the Asian Football Confederation’s annual award, alongside Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari and Arif Aiman of Malaysia.Australian Holly McNamara, Wang Shuang from China and Japanese defender Hana Takahashi have been nominated for the women’s award.Qatari forward Afif, who also won in 2019, would become the first three-times winner of the title should he lift the trophy at a gala ceremony in Riyadh on October 16.Al-Hilal’s Al-Dawsari is hoping to win for a second time after being crowned in 2022, while Johor Darul Ta’zim winger Arif is the first Malaysian to be nominated for the award.Paris Saint-Germain’s UEFA Champions League winner Lee Kang-in from South Korea has been listed for the AFC’s International Player of the Year Award alongside Iran’s Mehdi Taremi and Takefusa Kubo from Japan.
L’Etape Dubai by Tour de France unveils new 2026 routes and expanded program
DUBAI: L’Etape Dubai by Tour de France, presented by Skoda and supported by the Dubai Sports Council, has announced new 2026 race routes and more activities, both in the buildup and during the race weekend.
Pakistan down Bangladesh to set up Asia Cup final with India
DUBAI: Pakistan will face India in the Asia Cup final for the first time after their bowlers made amends for poor batting to upstage Bangladesh in an 11-run victory on Thursday. Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed grabbed 3-28 as Pakistan batters were sloppy on a sticky Dubai stadium pitch in their last Super Four match, managing a modest 135-8 in 20 overs. Pakistan staged a fight back through pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi (3-17) and Haris Rauf (3-33) to keep Bangladesh down to 124-9 in 20 overs and book a place in Sunday’s showpiece against India. Shamim Hossain top-scored for Bangladesh with a 25-ball 30 and Saif Hassan scored 18. Pakistan’s second win in the Super Four stage set them up for a third encounter against archrivals India. They have lost both previous meetings with their neighbors so far in the tournament, with the two matches marred by controversy. India players refused to shake hands with Pakistan after the first game and the two sides also did not shake hands after the second. Pakistan skipper Salman Agha said he looks forward to meeting India again. “We are very excited,” said Agha.
Former Black Caps coach Stead takes up NZ high performance role
Gary Stead has taken up a high performance role at New Zealand Cricket three months after standing down to bring an end to his successful seven-year reign as coach of the Black Caps.
Rugby league-England forward Radley pulls out of Ashes series after ban
SYDNEY :England forward Victor Radley has made himself unavailable for the Ashes series against Australia after being slapped with a lengthy ban by his club Sydney Roosters for his involvement in a drug probe into a former teammate.
Pant to miss India's home series against West Indies
DUBAI :India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant will miss their test series against West Indies next month as he continues to recover from a foot injury, with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja taking over as vice captain, the country's cricket board said on Thursday.
Ashwin breaks new ground as first Indian player to join Big Bash League
Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has shattered a long-standing barrier by signing with Sydney Thunder, becoming the first male Indian player to join Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) on Thursday.