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Fielding Virat Kohli at number four could address India’s long-standing concerns about a settled batter at that crucial position, former coach Ravi Shastri has said.Since 2017, India have tried a dozen players at that position but none could nail down the place, which skipper Rohit Sharma called “an issue” ahead of the home World Cup in October-November.Kohli has amassed the lion’s share of his 12,898 runs, which include 39 hundreds, batting at number three in 212 of his 275 innings.In his 42 appearances at number four, Kohli averaged 55.21, slightly below his overall 57.32, and has scored seven hundreds.Shastri, who was coach of the India team when Kohli was captain, and lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup, said those were impressive numbers for a number four batter.“If Virat has to bat at four, he will bat at four in the interest of the side. You know, there were times I thought of it,” Shastri told Star Sports channel.Shastri said during the 2019 World Cup, he considered changing Kohli’s place “just to break that top heavy line-up”.“You know, because if we lose two or three at the top, we are gone and it was proved.”‘If you look at Virat Kohli’s record, he is good enough’“If you look at Virat Kohli’s record, he is good enough at number four.”Shreyas Iyer looked the part at number four, scoring both his one-day hundreds from that position, but is recovering after back surgery. A fit-again Jasprit Bumrah will lead a second-string India in a three-match T20 series in Ireland beginning in Dublin today. A sterner test for Rohit’s team awaits in the Asia Cup, which begins in Multan on Aug. 30 though India will play their matches in Sri Lanka.New Zealand to play ODIs in Bangladesh before World CupThe Bangladesh Cricket Board confirmed on Thursday that the New Zealand cricket team will play three one-day internationals in September ahead of the World Cup in neighbouring India.New Zealand will play three ODIs, all in Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, on September 21, 23, and 26, the BCB said in a statement.The series will be the last for both teams before the World Cup starts in India on October 5.New Zealand will also play two Tests in Bangladesh after the World Cup ends on November 19.The BCB said the New Zealand Test squad will arrive in Bangladesh on November 21.The first Test will begin on November 28 and the second on December 6. Venues have yet to be chosen for the Tests.These will be New Zealand’s first ODI and Test series in Bangladesh since 2013.Bangladesh won their previous two ODI series against New Zealand at home 4-0 in 2010 and 3-0 in 2013.The Test matches are part of the World Test Championship 2023-25, the first for Bangladesh in the new cycle of the popular competition.Bangladesh will reciprocate the visit, playing three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals in New Zealand in December.

Novak Djokovic enjoyed a stress-free return to US competition following a two year absence, after second-round opponent Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was forced to retire after dropping the first set 6-4 at the Cincinnati Open on Wednesday.Djokovic has not competed in the United States since the 2021 US Open final and was subsequently denied entry into the country because he is not vaccinated against Covid-19.He was far from his best in his 46 minutes of action, facing break points at 1-1 before serving his way out of trouble.Davidovich Fokina took a medical timeout away from the court to tend to a lower back issue while trailing 3-4 and when he returned his movement was limited and he was broken at love.Handed the opportunity to serve out the set against the ailing Spaniard, Djokovic played an uncharacteristically sloppy game, dumping a forehand into the net to hand the break back.But the 23-time major winner recovered, flicking a forehand crosscourt passing shot in the next game to capture the opener.In the first game of the second set, Davidovich Fokina took a step that further aggravated his back injury and soon after walked to the net to shake hands with Djokovic.“It’s great for me to be able to come back to the court and to win a match but obviously mixed emotions with the way it finished,” said Djokovic.“Nevertheless I’m hoping I can build my form day to day and progress through the tournament raising my level.”Up next, Djokovic is meeting with the resurgent Gael Monfils, who beat Alex de Minaur in straight sets earlier in the day. “He’s an amazing guy, someone I truly respect and like a lot as a person,” said Djokovic, who holds an astounding 18-0 record against the Frenchman.“He brings so much joy to the fans, so much entertainment. He’s one of the most charismatic players we’ve had in the last two decades on tour and he’s playing better than ever.”Djokovic, who has seen fans pack into his practice session and who played in a doubles match on Tuesday, could be on a collision course at the US Open tune-up with world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who bested him in the Wimbledon final last month.Earlier, Serbian Dusan Lajovic upset world number six Jannik Sinner 6-4 7-6(4) to reach the third round.The 66th-ranked Lajovic struck 20 winners in a confident performance to claim his fourth win over a top-10 player this year and next faces American Taylor Fritz, who comfortably beat Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 7-6(1).Sinner earned his first Masters 1,000 title days ago in Toronto but was unable to keep the momentum alive, failing to convert any of the five break point chances he had across the match.“I obviously knew that it was going to be tough because whenever you are playing somebody who is in great form and has a lot of confidence, they play well in the important moments,” Lajovic said.Former champion and third seed Daniil Medvedev cruised past Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 6-2, breaking the Italian twice in each set and winning 82% of his first-serve points en route to victory in 77 minutes.Australian Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas dropped only three first-serve points to beat American Blake Shelton 7-6(3) 7-6(2) and set up a meeting with Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who ended Borna Coric’s title defence.“We didn’t play a lot of rallies today, which was difficult to get into the rhythm,” said Tsitsipas. “He was serving big today, he wasn’t giving me a lot to work with and I had to hang in there, wait for my chances.”In the final match of the day, veteran Swiss Stan Wawrinka turned back the clock to overpower American 16th seed Frances Tiafoe 6-3 6-4.Wawrinka, 38, put on a vintage performance and crushed his 11th ace on match point for his 27th win of the year.Next up for the three-time Grand Slam champion is a first time meeting with Max Purcell after the Australian upset third seed Casper Ruud in three tight sets to reach the round of 16.

Cincinnati: Iga Swiatek made quick work of qualifier Danielle Collins as she raced to a 6-1 6-0 victory on Wednesday to reach the Cincinnati Open third round as third seed Jessica Pegula survived a tough opening match.World number one Swiatek broke the 29-year-old Collins seven times, faced only two break points and wrapped up a one-sided match in a tidy 59 minutes.“I feel like I was really solid and I didn’t make a lot of unforced errors,” Swiatek said in her on-court interview.“I really like playing that way because it gives me confidence and I can be proactive from the beginning to the end so I am pretty proud of today.”Swiatek raced out to 3-0 lead in the opener and, after both players swapped service breaks, the top-seeded Pole held to love before closing out the set with her fourth break.It was more one-way traffic in the second set as a fully-focused Swiatek shifted into cruise control and barely broke a sweat in a match she ended in style with a break to love.Earlier, Jessica Pegula had her hands full in her first match since winning last week’s Canadian Open as the American overcame a slow start to secure a gutsy 6-7(2) 6-2 6-3 win over Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan.Pegula comfortably lost the first-set tiebreak but showed her quality in the second set before racing out to a 3-0 lead in the decider en route to her 27th hardcourt win this year.In the evening, second seed Aryna Sabalenka fended off a third-set comeback attempt by qualifier Ann Li of the US to notch a 7-5 2-6 6-4 victory and set up a meeting with Russia’s Daria Kasatkina.After trading the first two sets, the Belarusian appeared in control when she jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the decider but her 192nd-ranked opponent had other ideas, winning three straight games to whittle the lead down to a single game.Despite the rising pressure the hard-hitting Sabalenka kept her cool, sealing the win with an unreturnable serve on match point to improve to 42-9 on the year.Fourth seed Elena Rybakina also came through a three-set slugfest to defeat Jelena Ostapenko 6-7(6) 6-2 6-4 to reach the round of 16.Rybakina crushed 11 aces to raise her season-leading tally to 392 and will next face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini for a place in the quarters.Veteran American Venus Williams started strong against Zheng Qinwen before succumbing to a 1-6 6-2 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Chinese player.Williams, 43, received a wild card into the US Open earlier on Wednesday and will be competing at the year’s final major in New York for a record-extending 24th time.In other action, American teenager Coco Gauff, seeded seventh, breezed past Egyptian Mayar Sherif 6-2 6-2, Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova beat Anastasia Potapova 6-4 6-2 and Kasatkina overcame lucky loser Varvara Gracheva 6-3 6-1.

Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs said on Thursday he yearned to be tagged as favourite going into the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, despite it carrying a great weight of expectation after a “rollercoaster” of a season. Jacobs has had a difficult campaign, twice pulling out of 100m showdowns with world champion Fred Kerley with a back problem. His sole outdoors outing this season saw him finish seventh in the Diamond League meeting in Paris, well off the pace in 10.21 seconds. “It hasn’t been an easy season for me, there have been a lot of doubts, a lot of worries, but I’m here,” the 28-year-old Italian admitted. “I have faced many challenges over the last two years. I’ve been working hard for these world championships.” Since streaking to that surprise gold at the Tokyo Olympics in an European record of 9.80sec, Jacobs was forced to pull out of last year’s world champs in Eugene and is yet to face Kerley since their clash in the Japanese capital in 2021. “There’s been this online discussion between me and Fred,” Jacobs said of social media banter about a potential run-off. “But of course there’s mutual respect, we really respect each other. “I’m sure it’ll be a really tough challenge but I want to remain focused on myself, go day by day, negotiate the semis into the final and do my best when I reach the final,” he said. The 100m remains very open, featuring a field also including the likes of Noah Lyles, Anguilla-born Briton Zharnel Hughes, Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala and Botswanan Letsile Tebogo, with arguably all of them capable of topping the podium. “I consider myself to be part of this game (between favourites), but my season has not gone as I planned it,” Jacobs said. “If I had run the times I had planned, I could have run better than them. It’s a very open challenge and I’m looking forward to it.” Jacobs insisted he was in good shape, but did not want to be drawn on rating himself. “I really had to work hard to remain focused on these world championships as it’s the only medal I’m still missing in my collection. “I don’t want to rate myself on a 1-10 scale,” he said. “I’m training well, I want to find the adrenalin that makes me want to fight. “I know eyes are focusing on me because I’m a reigning Olympic champion, it’s a heavy burden... but I prefer to be the favourite because they consider my way of competing, it’s a plus, a new energy, an added value.” Jacobs is one part of a band of sprinters who will feature in a Netflix documentary in the same style the streaming service produced on Formula One and the Tour de France. “It’s an incredible idea to be a member of this group, over the shortest distance and fastest time, it allows the audience to see behind the scenes and other aspects of the life of an athlete.

Shericka Jackson believes she is “definitely” facing the 10 most important days of her life as the Jamaican bids to become only the fourth woman to achieve the 100/200 metres world championship double.The 29-year-old is in Budapest to defend her 200m crown but is a live chance to also take the 100 gold and become the first double winner since compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013.Jackson has come late to the 100/200m party having started out in the 400m – which yielded three bronzes (2016 Olympics, 2015/2019 world champs) – but she has added to the Jamaicans’ formidable female sprint armoury.The only athlete to have won 100/200 and 400m world championship medals, she produced devastating displays in the Jamaican trials to show the best may be yet to come.She gets her first run at these championships in the 100m heats on Sunday.“Yes I definitely, I believe so,” she said about the upcoming championships being the most important days of her life so far. “I want to see what I am capable of. I am definitely in the best shape of my life.”She concedes that with the likes of Fraser-Pryce and American champion Sha’Carri Richardson the 100m field is “one of the greatest” and it is “good to have so many ladies running fast”.However, undaunted by that she struck an upbeat tone at the press conference of following Silka Gladisch (1987), Katrin Krabbe (1991) and Fraser-Pryce in becoming queen of the sprints.“Once I put together what I have been doing in training then anything is possible,” she said.As for taking it to another level and breaking world records Jackson is phlegmatic, saying “it is at the back of my head but not at the front of it”.Jackson says she is in a good place mentally although she knows that there can be days when it is not the case.“I am capable of anything,” she said. “Being happy makes me little more focused and I enjoy the sport a lot more. I am big on mental health, I am not afraid to say I struggled mentally a lot. I write on a daily basis how I feel and what are my triggers. If I am not OK then I try to correct that and have better training sessions and communicating better which keep me mentally happy.“I write everything down, from feelings to numbers, to what I want to achieve. I have more emotional triggers like my head is hurting – I try to figure out why.“I work out what the triggers are so that coming to the championships I will be OK and you will see me smiling and dancing.”Jackson says that just as her career has taken an upward curve so she feels she has progressed as a person too.“Back in the day I was not approachable but now I am more in my zone,” she said.“I understand like I have a different personality that a lot of people never really saw.“Now I am a little more relaxed and enjoying it. I am a little more approachable and that is just down to me surrounding with my friends.“My happiness in my life is what is shaping me.”Jackson, however, says despite her now being regarded as one of the stars she keeps her head firmly below the clouds.“I do not let the spotlight carry me away,” she said.“I like to be in my zone and I like to stay low key. I know what it feels like to be at the bottom and what it takes to be at the top.”

Lawyers for former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa have started legal action against Formula One bosses and the governing FIA seeking substantial damages resulting from an alleged “conspiracy” that denied him the 2008 championship.A formal eight-page Letter Before Claim, seen by Reuters, was sent to Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali and Paris-based FIA president Mohamed Ben Sulayem on Aug. 15.Such a letter is a required formal legal notice before court proceedings.London-based Enyo Law said Brazilian Massa, now 42, had been “the victim of a conspiracy committed by individuals at the highest level of F1 together with the FIA and Formula One Management”.It said Massa had lost out on tens of millions of euros in lost earnings and bonuses as a result of another driver’s deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix that was allegedly covered up before becoming a scandal in 2009.The crash cost Massa vital points in a season where he ultimately lost out by a single point to McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, the first of the Briton’s record-equalling seven.“Simply put, Mr Massa is the rightful 2008 Driver’s Champion, and F1 and FIA deliberately ignored the misconduct that cheated him out of that title,” said the letter.“Mr Massa is unable to fully quantify his losses at this stage but estimates that they are likely to exceed tens of millions of Euros.“This amount does not cover the serious moral and reputational losses suffered by Mr Massa.”Massa sought legal advice after former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone was quoted in March as saying he and former FIA president Max Mosley knew in 2008 that then-Renault driver Nelson Piquet’s crash was deliberate but had not acted.An FIA spokesperson said the governing body acknowledged receipt of “correspondence” from Massa’s representatives, and added: “The matter is under review and we will not be providing comment at this stage.”There was no immediate response from Formula One, which is on an August shutdown. Domenicali was previously Massa’s team boss at Ferrari.Ecclestone, 92, told Reuters by telephone from Switzerland he could not remember saying the key quotes attributed to him.“I don’t remember any of this, to be honest,” said the Briton, who was replaced as F1 supremo in 2017 after US-based Liberty Media took over as commercial rights holders.“I don’t remember giving the interview for sure.”He said neither Massa nor the Brazilian’s lawyers had approached him to ask what he might have said.Massa was leading the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix from pole position when fellow Brazilian Piquet crashed into the wall on lap 14 of 61.The crash triggered the safety car and benefited Piquet’s Spanish teammate Fernando Alonso, who won the race. Massa failed to score after a bungled pitstop.Piquet revealed in 2009 that he had been told to crash by Renault team bosses, who were subsequently banned.In this year’s interview with www.f1-insider.com Ecclestone was quoted as saying he still felt sorry for Massa: “He was cheated out of the title he deserved, while Hamilton had all the luck in the world and won his first championship.”Massa told Reuters in May that he wanted justice.“If the most important people from Formula One and the FIA knew in 2008 and didn’t do anything, you think that was fair? It’s not fair,” he said.The lawyers’ letter warned that, without a satisfactory response, Massa intended to “pursue legal action in order to seek compensation for the harm he has suffered.”He also wanted “recognition that, but for those unlawful acts, he would have been awarded the 2008 Championship.”The lawyers said that, in the absence of a substantive reply within 14 days, they expected to be instructed “to commence legal proceedings in the English courts without further notice to you”.Massa did not win again after 2008, with the Brazilian suffering a near-fatal head injury at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. He retired in 2017.Mosley, who worked closely with Ecclestone, died in 2021 while FIA race director Charlie Whiting, another key figure, died in 2019.

Budapest: Sebastian Coe was re-elected president of World Athletics for a third term, the governing body said in a statement after its 54th Congress in Budapest on Thursday.Raul Chapado, Adille Sumariwalla and Jackson Tuwei were elected vice-presidents, alongside Colombia’s Ximena Restrepo, who was re-elected.The global body added that it had met its minimum gender target set out in 2016 of having 13 members of each gender elected to the World Athletics Council four years early.“I’m grateful for the support of my colleagues and delighted to see that more of the commitments we made during the governance reform process in 2016 have come to fruition with the election of World Athletics’ first gender equal council four years ahead of schedule,” Coe said.“But the job is not done yet and we need to keep pushing for gender parity throughout our representative bodies.”World Athletics has until its 2027 Congress to meet the remaining requirement from its 2016 reform plan of having two vice-presidents of each gender.Coe said on Thursday it was “unlikely” that track and field athletes from Russia and Belarus would be welcomed back to competition before next year’s Paris Olympics.All Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from competition “for the foreseeable future” since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. That includes the option of competing as a neutral.“I don’t have a crystal ball, I follow world events in the same way that you all do,” Coe told journalists after his re-election as head of track and field’s world governing body.“Our position is very clear. The Council has made that position clear. The new Council – and I’m not going to speak for them in advance – but I would be very surprised if there is any shift in that position.“We have certainty and we’ve done it for reasons of integrity of competition.”Coe added: “We will of course monitor that situation.“We have risk committees, we have working groups that will always be wanting to be across that and what might the circumstances look like if there’s any shift in the situation but I have to say that looks unlikely at the moment with where we are with events in Ukraine.”International sports bodies are taking wildly varying stances on allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete while the war in Ukraine continues.The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says it is yet to make a decision on whether Russians can compete at the Paris Olympics next year but it has recommended they return to competition.That stance has received a mixed welcome from federations, with Coe’s World Athletics among the most stringent of opponents to their return should the conflict continue.

An injury-time goal helped Al Shamal hold Al Arabi to a thrilling 1-1 draw in their opening clash of the Expo Stars League at the Al Thumama Stadium on Wednesday. Earlier, the league kicked off with Al Wakrah cruising past promoted side Muaither 3-0 at the Al Janoub Stadium.Arabi seemed to be opening their campaign with a victory – riding on an own goal in the 29th minute by Al Shamal’s Matias Nani. However, Poya Asbaghi’s team fought till the end with Ali Olwan goal equalising in the stoppage time to force a telling draw.The equaliser also underlined Shamal’s resolve after they had conceded the goal when Nani deflected the ball into his own net while trying to negotiate action following a corner kick. Despite the setback, Shamal fought hard even as Al Arabi also tried to consolidate the lead.In the end, Al Arabi’s error in defence saw Olwan snatch on a chance to first take the ball over an advancing goalkeeper Jassim al-Hail’s head before rushing on to head the ball into the goal. It was a delightful end for Al Shamal while Al Arabi’s coach Younes Ali looked on in dismay.It was a contest of absorbing action at the one of the World Cup stadiums and both sides displayed fine football but their defence line and goalkeepers also stood out. In the very 11th minute of the match, a kick from Al Arabi’s striker Youssef Msakni was well saved by Al Shamal custodian Babacar Seck. Msakni was fed by the assist from Ibrahim Kalla. Three minutes later it were Al Shamal raiding the rival den but forward Ricardo Gomes’ threatening right-footed shot from top of the box went on to hit the left post. Gomes had picked on teammate Ali Olwan’s header.Gomes was again in action in the 23rd minute and this time his kick went on to hit the outside of the left goal post after deflecting from a defender’s foot. In the 31st minute, another of Gomes’ attempt was saved by Al Arabi keeper Jassim al-Hail in the bottom left corner.Minutes later, an Ali Olwan shot went wide to the left. Early in the second half, Al Arabi came team rolling but Al Shamal fought off well and soon launched a counter but luck continued to elude then as a successful strike of Gomes in the 57th minute was ruled offside by the referee and rightly so. Gomes continued to work hard and in the 67th minute picked on an Omid Ebrahimi cross to head from the centre of the box but once again goalkeeper Al Hail was alert to make a collection in the bottom left corner.There were more attempts later by Al Shamal’s Nani whose header was a bit too high, and Al Arabi’s Omar al-Somah whose low kick was averted. And just when it looked like Al Arabi were heading for a win, the added time action from Al Shamal and their Jordanian forward Olwan pulled things back for the side.Earlier, Wakrah sailed past Muaither thanks to Ayoub Assal’s brace (45+3 and 72nd minute) and Mohamed Benyettou strike (44th minute). The Blue Wave gave Muaither, who earned promotion to the top flight as Second Division champions, a taste of what to expect in the premier division. The first attempt at goal of the game, and indeed the season, fell to Muaither’s Aymane El Hassouni in the third minute, but his right-footed shot from outside the box off an assist by Nassim Benaissa, though close, slightly missed to the right. The two teams had a couple of early chances, but both sides were not clinical enough to finish them off.Just as the match seemed to be heading for a goalless first half, Al Wakrah sprang a surprise with two goals in four minutes. Benyettou fired his side to a deserved lead in the 44th minute with a well-driven right-footed shot from the left side of the six-yard box to the centre of the goal, before Assal made it two in the third minute of injury time after his right-footed shot from the centre of the box caught goalkeeper Ivanildo Rodrigues napping with the ball sailing to the high centre of the goal. The goal was assisted by Hazem Shehata.Muaither substituted Saif Hassan al-Mohannadi for Yousef Sabri Yahri at half-time, while Denis Alibec came in for Mohamed Salah in the 67th minute as Jose Murcia’s men desperately searched for an answer to Al Wakrah’s challenge.Despite the changes, it was Al Wakrah who extended their lead, with Assal scoring his second of the night in the 72nd minute with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner to effectively bury Muaither’s chance of a comeback. Muaither will be hoping to bounce back from the defeat as they play away to Al Duhail in Week 2, while Al Wakrah welcome Al Shamal.Diallo joins ArabiMeanwhile, Al Arabi on Wednesday announced the signing of Senegalese defender Abdou Diallo from Paris Saint-Germain before their match. The 27-year-old signed a three-year contract with the Amir Cup champions, with room for another one-year extension.The centre-back had a successful stint with PSG, being part of the unstoppable French champions on their way to clinch two Ligue 1 titles, two French Cups, and a League Cup during his tenure with the club.Diallo began his career with AS Monaco, making his debut in 2014 before he played a role in their Ligue 1 victory in 2017.Diallo spent a season on loan at RB Leipzig, where he faced a setback due to a serious injury, and was omitted from PSG’s pre-season tour in Asia.

Qatar’s Rashid Hamad al-Athba (centre) won the gold medal at the Brazzi International Trap Championship in Poland. Al-Athba said that the results achieved by the Qatari shooting is a result of the Qatar Olympic Committee’s support to the Qatar Shooting and Archery Association.

England are prepared to play Ben Stokes as a batsman only when they defend their 50-over men’s World Cup title in India after the Test captain reversed his decision to retire from one-day internationals.The all-rounder, troubled by a longstanding left knee injury that restricted his bowling during the recent drawn Ashes Test series at home to Australia, said playing in all three international formats was “unsustainable” when calling time on his ODI career 13 months ago. The 32-year-old had planned to use a six-month gap until England next play Test cricket, away to India, in order to attend to his chronic problem. But he is now set for a role as a specialist batsman as one of nine survivors named in a 15-man squad to face New Zealand in three home ODIs next month that is also set to double as England’s party for a World Cup in India that runs from October 5-November 19.“It wasn’t really a case of changing his (Stokes’s) mind,” said England national selector Luke Wright after the squad was unveiled on Wednesday. “Once his body was in a good place and he’d had a rest, he was really keen to play. He still has time to do his rest and rehab, which he’s doing, and he says his knee does feel like it’s improving.“The one thing we won’t be doing is pushing him to bowl unless he’s absolutely fit and raring to go. That was a big part of the decision for him, being able to just play as a batter and that was an easy decision for us. Ultimately the decision came down to it’s a World Cup we want to win and we feel like we are better, and have more chance, with Stokesy than we haven’t. If ever there’s someone for the big moments it’s Ben Stokes.”The return of Stokes, the player of the match in the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord’s and the man whose unbeaten fifty led his side to victory in the Twenty20 equivalent last year, comes at the expense of Harry Brook. The Yorkshire batsman has been the rising star of the England set-up during the past year, with the 24-year-old having compiled four hundreds in 12 Tests, while boasting strike rates of 98.85 and 137.77 in ODIs and T20s respectively.Dawid Malan, who made ODI hundreds in Australia, South Africa and Bangladesh during the 2022/23 English winter – has retained his place ahead of Brook.“It’s as hard a decision as you’re ever going to get,” said Wright, who labelled Brook a “superstar” before adding: “But unfortunately in a 15-man squad, someone’s going to have to miss out. On this occasion it’s been him.”Uncapped Surrey fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who has been clocked at 95mph (153kph), is also in the squad, seemingly as cover for Jofra Archer. The 25-year-old was not even in Surrey’s XI at the start of the season but has impressed across all formats, especially in The Hundred for the Oval Invincibles. The injured Archer, the Super Over star of the 2019 World Cup final, is currently recovering from his latest elbow injury.Archer last played for England in March and Wright, once a teammate of the 28-year-old at county side Sussex, said: “There has got to be a duty of care with Jof, we know how desperate we all are to have him, there’s no doubt about that, but we’ve also got to get it right for him.As much as the temptation is to try and rush him in and get him in for the start of this World Cup, unfortunately we’re just going to run out of time. The best case scenario for Jof at the moment would probably be available for the back end of the tournament. But obviously, a lot of things have still got to go right with his rehab before then.” England begin the series against the Black Caps in Cardiff on September 8.A separate squad for a series with Ireland later in September will be named nearer the start of that series.England must name their final 15-strong World Cup squad, plus three travelling reserves by September 25. They begin their white-ball home season with four Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand from August 30 to September 5. Hampshire seamer John Turner has earned his first senior call-up while Atkinson could make his England debut in the series, with Stokes not a member of the T20 squad.England ODI squad to play New Zealand: Jos Buttler (capt/wkt), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris WoakesEngland T20 squad to play New Zealand: Jos Buttler (capt/wkt), Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, John Turner, Luke WoodEngland v New Zealand fixtures (all start times GMT)T20 series: Aug 30: 1st T20, Chester-le-Street (1700); Sep 1: 2nd T20, Old Trafford, Manchester (1700); Sep 3: 3rd T20, Edgbaston, Birmingham (1330); Sep 5: 4th T20, Trent Bridge, Nottingham (1700)ODI series: Sep 8: 1st ODI, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff (1130); Sep 10: 2nd ODI, Ageas Bowl, Southampton (1000); Sep 13: 3rd ODI, The Oval, London (1130); Sep 15: 4th ODI, Lord’s, London (1130)

Pakistani fast bowler Wahab Riaz announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, three years after playing his last match for the country.The 38-year-old left-armer said he felt it was the right time to draw the curtain on a 15-year international career.“I wanted to play the 2023 World Cup but felt that I stand no chance of a comeback, so this is the right time,” Riaz told a news conference in Lahore.Known for his pace and aggression, Riaz made his one-day debut in 2008, and played his first Test in the spot-fixing-marred 2010 series in England.The last Test of that series resulted in five-year bans for captain Salman Butt, Mohamed Asif and Mohamed Amir for conspiring to bowl deliberate no-balls in return for money.Riaz went on to anchor Pakistan’s pace attack, and made a big impact with a five-wicket haul in the highly charged 2011 World Cup semi-final against arch-rivals India in Mohali, which he called “the most memorable match in my career”.“I could have achieved more than what I did but there are no regrets,” he said.Riaz took 83 wickets in 27 Tests, and 120 wickets in 91 ODIs. He also grabbed 34 wickets in 36 Twenty20 internationals.Riaz was appointed sports minister in the caretaker Punjab government earlier this year, but says he will continue playing T20 league cricket, and may get into coaching.West Indies’ Samuels found guilty of anti-corruption code breachFormer West Indies player Marlon Samuels has been found guilty of four breaches of the Emirates Cricket Board’s (ECB) Anti-Corruption Code, the sport’s governing body (ICC) said yesterday.Samuels, who has represented West Indies in all three formats and retired from cricket in 2020, was first charged in 2021 and was found guilty earlier this month after a hearing before a tribunal.The breaches, which relate to his conduct while playing in the Abu Dhabi T10 league in 2019, include failing to disclose “the receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality ... that could bring the Participant or the sport of cricket into disrepute”.Samuels also failed to disclose “receipt of hospitality with a value of $750 or more.”The ICC added that Samuels had failed to co-operate with the anti-corruption official’s investigation into the incident, and that he had delayed the investigation by “concealing information that may have been relevant”. The tribunal will outline sanctions after considering the submissions of each party involved. Samuels was previously banned for two years in 2008 for passing on team information to a bookmaker during a one-day series in India in January 2007.

Team Europe captain Luke Donald has named Italy’s Francesco Molinari as his fifth and final vice-captain for next month’s Ryder Cup at Rome’s Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, the team announced on Wednesday.Molinari, who made his debut in the 2010 edition when Europe regained the trophy in Wales, joins brother Edoardo Molinari, Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal, Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn as vice-captains.“I started the year hoping to be there as a player, but it is still a great honour to be there as a vice-captain,” Molinari, who won the 2018 British Open, said.“I got a phone call from Luke asking if I was interested and obviously it was a clear answerfrom me. He is assembling a really good team of people.“... It’s a Ryder Cup which is particularly close to my heart being played in Rome so I will do whatever I can to help Luke and the team and hopefully bring the trophy back to Europe.” The United States won the last Ryder Cup in Wisconsin last year. Europe have not lost a Ryder Cup on home soil since a 15-13 defeat at The Belfry in England in 1993. The Ryder Cup will be held from September 26-October 1.

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who helped lead protests demanding the sport’s national chief step down over sexual harassment allegations, has pulled out of next month’s Asian Games with a knee injury.Phogat, who won gold in the women’s 50kg freestyle in the last edition of the Asian Games, injured herself during training and will undergo surgery today.“It was my dream to retain my Asian Games gold medal for India which I won in 2018 in Jakarta,” Phogat, 28, wrote in a post on social media Tuesday.“But unfortunately, this injury has ruled out my participation now.”Phogat and other wrestlers accused Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh of sexual misconduct in January and led a long sit-in demanding he step down.Police broke up the New Delhi protest camp in May after demonstrators attempted to march on parliament, and Phogat was briefly detained after scuffling with officers.Singh, 66, also a lawmaker for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), denies all charges and has said he is a victim of a “conspiracy”.Phogat’s injury also rules her out of the World Championships in Belgrade next month.An election for Singh’s replacement at the WFI was due to be held on the weekend but was postponed indefinitely after a last-minute court challenge. Rising star Antim Phangal will join India’s wrestling squad for the Asian Games, starting September 23 in Hangzhou, China, after winning selection trials in the 53kg category.

Forty years after its first edition, the world athletics championships get underway in Budapest on Saturday with over 2,000 athletes from 202 countries taking part over nine days of what could be record-breaking action.Launched initially as a four-yearly event at great pains not to undermine the Olympics, the championships switched to biennial in 1993 and, thanks to Covid, this time take place for a second consecutive year following the 2022 event in Eugene in the United States.Poor crowds and low TV audiences undermined the impact of the first hosting in the sport’s powerhouse nation 12 months ago and, coming after Doha 2019, officials will hope the return to the sport’s European heartland will give it a big lift a year out from the Paris Olympics. Hungary itself has a woeful world championship record, having never won a gold medal. It has claimed seven silver and seven bronze - half of them coming in the hammer throw.However, World Athletics says ticket sales have been “strong” and the purpose-built 30,000-capacity stadium, which boasts the same bouncy Mondo track that contributed to so many fast times in Tokyo.The fans should be in for top-quality action, with WA president Sebastian Coe saying the record-laden first half of the season points to potentially “the best world championships performance-wise of all time”.Top of the bill on the back of three world records this summer is Kenyan superstar Faith Kipyegon. Still only 29, she is appearing in her sixth world championships seeking a third gold to add to two Olympic 1,500m titles.In the women’s sprints, American Sha’Carri Richardson will hope to make a belated entrance onto the global stage after missing the 2021 Olympics following a positive drugs test and failing to qualify for Eugene.JAMAICAN STREAKJamaica has taken gold in six of the last eight 100m finals - five by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce - who goes again at the age of 36 but is up against it after an injury-hit season.However, 2022 silver medallist Shericka Jackson, the season leader with 10.65 seconds, looks well-placed to continue the Jamaican streak.Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan goes for another treble, having claimed 10,000/5,000m gold and 1,500 bronze in Tokyo, before winning this year’s London Marathon in her debut over the distance.The men’s 100m looks as hard to call as the 2021 Olympics, when Italian Lamont Marcell Jacobs was the shock champion.Briton Zharnel Hughes is the fastest in the world this year with 9.83 seconds, closely followed by Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala. Defending champion Fred Kerly leads the US challenge after Americans swept the podium last year.Norwegian duo Jakob Ingebrigtsen (1,500m) and Karsten Warholm (400m hurdles) are among the big names expected to triumph in the longer distances.The field events could start with a bang with the men’s shot on opening night when American Ryan Couser, who added a massive 19cm to his own world record this season, will expect to retain his title. One person who won’t be back is Nigerian 2022 100m hurdles world champion Tobi Amusan, who broke the world record in the semi-finals last year, but was suspended last month after missing three drugs tests.Coe says accepting such “negative headlines” is the price to be paid for running an effective anti-doping programme and the medal table 40 years ago would have had a very different complexion had today’s measures been in place.

Carlos Alcaraz battled past unseeded Australian Jordan Thompson 7-5 4-6 6-3 to reach the Cincinnati Open third round on Tuesday as the world number one wobbled again in his build-up to the US Open starting later this month.An off-colour Alcaraz trailed midway through the opening set which was briefly halted by rain, but the 20-year-old recovered to break Thompson’s serve having squandered eight opportunities earlier and clawed his way back to 4-4 with a hold.The reigning Flushing Meadows champion, who crashed in the Toronto quarter-finals last week, pounced again for a 6-5 lead before wrapping up the set but was under immediate pressure in the next as Thompson raced ahead 5-2. Alcaraz won the next two games but his comeback fizzled out as he continued to struggle on his serve and forehand to allow world number 55 Thompson to force a third set.An early break handed Alcaraz the advantage in the decider and the Spaniard slowly returned to his dominant best to claim his 50th tour level win of 2023 in a little over three hours.“It wasn’t an easy match but I found my best level at the end,” Alcaraz said. “We were waiting around all day to play the match and when you step on court you have to start with the rain, so it wasn’t easy. “But you have to find a way to win these matches in this type of situation.”Earlier, title holder Borna Coric beat American Sebastian Korda 7-6(5) 6-4, while another home hope Taylor Fritz survived a first-set thriller to beat Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-6(14) 6-2. Croatian Coric crashed out in Toronto in the opening round but produced a pristine display in Cincinnati with few unforced errors, wrapping up the match that began on Monday but was suspended due to bad weather.Korda, who has suffered a handful of early exits since reaching the Queen’s Club semi-finals, appeared to have the edge as he converted a breakpoint in the third game. But 15th seed Coric levelled in the sixth and mounted a fine defence to rally from a 4-1 deficit in the tiebreak.He won the crucial break in the third game of the second set, where he dropped only one first-serve point as Korda’s level declined across the board, and pumped his fist as he closed the affair with an unreturnable serve.“I was a little nervous coming into the match as I know I need to defend my title, so I put a little more expectation on myself,” Coric said. He next faces Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz who beat Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis 7-6(2) 3-6 7-6(1). Top American Fritz mustered all of his resources in an epic 30-point first set tiebreak with Lehecka.The Monte Carlo semi-finalist saved five set points in the tense and closely fought opening set, where he produced fewer unforced errors to get the upper hand.The momentum belonged to Fritz in the second set, though, when he never faced a break point and won all but one of his first-serve points.Gael Monfils also advanced with a 3-6 6-4 6-3 victory over Briton Cameron Norrie after requiring a medical timeout late in the opening set to tend to his left calf.“I tried to keep it very simple with my game. I think the ATP physio came on the court and did a great job, not only the treatment but he managed to secure my head,” said Monfils.

Lionel Messi extended his remarkable goal-scoring streak as Inter Miami powered into the final of the Leagues Cup with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Philadelphia Union on Tuesday. The Argentina superstar took his tally to nine goals in six appearances for Miami in an entertaining semi-final at Philadelphia’s Subaru Park.Venezuelan international Josef Martinez, Messi’s former Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba, and substitute David Ruiz scored Miami’s other goals, with Alejandro Bedoya the lone scorer for outgunned Philadelphia.The result leaves Messi preparing for the 42nd final of his career with Miami facing Nashville SC in Saturday’s final of the World Cup-style tournament for teams from Mexico and Major League Soccer. Nashville booked their place in the final later Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Mexican side Monterrey and will host the final this weekend.Miami meanwhile were left basking in a victory which also sees them qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup regional tournament next season - potentially opening up a route into FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup in 2025. “Our goal was to qualify for international competition next season and we’ve done that tonight,” said Miami head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino.“This most important thing was achieving qualification for CONCACAF Champions Cup, and now we have to prepare to win this tournament, which has us feeling very motivated and confident.”Miami’s semi-final in Philadelphia was in theory supposed to be the toughest assignment yet faced by Messi since he made his debut for Miami on July 21 after joining from Paris Saint-Germain. Philadelphia are one of the strongest teams in MLS, and are third in the Eastern Conference standings while Miami are bottom of the table.The Union have also been practically invincible at home, losing only once in their previous 38 games at Subaru Park. But the home side were left in disarray just three minutes after kick-off as Miami took the lead. A long ball forward from Ukrainian defender Sergii Kryvtsov sowed panic in the Union back line, and Martinez latched onto the pass before rifling a shot past diving Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake.Philadelphia should have equalised five minutes later when Hungary international Daniel Gazdag went through on goal only to shoot straight at Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender. Gazdag had another good chance after 19 minutes, but saw his curling shot from the edge of the area fly just wide. If that chance encouraged Philadelphia, the optimism was short-lived as Messi struck once again to punish slack Union defending. Damion Lowe was caught napping and Martinez spun away from the defender to release Messi, who was given far too much time and space to direct a fierce low strike from outside the area into the bottom corner past Blake.Philadelphia responded with sustained pressure, and Gazdag tested Callender from long range once more with a rasping shot on 29 minutes.Although Union enjoyed plenty of territory and possession, it was Miami who struck the decisive blow on half-time. Finland international Robert Taylor held the ball up well in midfield and took his time before picking out the overlapping Jordi Alba.The former Barcelona star controlled and buried a clinical finish to leave Miami 3-0 up at the break.

American Sloane Stephens battled back to defeat defending champion Caroline Garcia 4-6 6-4 6-4 and reach the third round of the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday while Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur mounted an incredible comeback of her own to also advance.Stephens was ecstatic after executing a perfect volley on match point to claim the win as the 2017 US Open champion looks to sharpen her game ahead of the year’s final major, which kicks off later this month in New York.“Thank you guys so much, it was so electric in here and so fun,” Stephens said in an on-court interview under the lights. “I felt like I played really well and was really consistent but honestly there is nothing better than playing in the US in front of an American crowd. Incredible audience and atmosphere.”Fifth-ranked Jabeur, in her first match since suffering “the most painful loss” of her career in the Wimbledon final, clawed her way from a 1-5 deficit in the final set to beat Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina 6-3 6-7(2) 7-6(2).“It’s really nice to know where I can go, what I can push, you know, and today was really tough. It was tough to believe I could win this match,” said Jabeur, who is into the third round after a first-round bye. “A lot of frustration in that third set but I’m glad I kept going.”Twice champion Victoria Azarenka upset Czech 11th seed Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 7-5 to reach the second round. The 34-year-old unseeded Belarusian Azarenka broke Krejcikova four times, saved three of five break points and won the final five games of a match lasting one hour 45 minutes.Danish wildcard Caroline Wozniacki lost her opening match 6-4 6-4 to lucky loser Varvara Gracheva of France. Czech ninth seed Petra Kvitova, a Cincinnati finalist last year, also booked her spot in the second round with a 7-6(2) 6-0 win over Russian Anna Blinkova.

An emotional Sam Kerr said her Australia side had inspired the host nation despite the crushing disappointment of a 3-1 defeat to England in the Women’s World Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Australia’s skipper and talismanic striker scored a stunning goal to drag the home side level in front of 75,000 in Sydney, before England pulled away with two goals late on to set up a final against Spain.The Matildas still have a match left, against Sweden on Saturday to decide who comes third. Whatever happens, this is Australia’s best World Cup ever. On top of that, the team’s exploits in reaching the last four for the first time have captivated Australia and won them legions of new fans.Kerr, who missed a golden chance to equalise for a second time just a minute before Alessia Russo scored England’s third goal, said: “I can’t put all the blame on myself. I have to think of all the things the team have done, and I have done, to be where we are now and to inspire a nation. It is just really disappointing.”Kerr was named in Australia’s starting line-up for the first time at the World Cup following a calf injury. The 29-year-old Chelsea forward, who was supposed to have been the face of the tournament but saw her game time severely restricted by the injury, said their historic run into the last four should be the catalyst for broader change.“I can only speak for the Matildas but we need funding in our development, we need funding in our grassroots,” she told reporters at Stadium Australia. “We need funding, you know, we need funding everywhere.”That call was echoed by Australia’s coach Tony Gustavsson, who was nevertheless proud of his players and said European champions England had been more clinical on the night.

Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber said he felt “gutted” after the Premier League club announced on Wednesday the Dutch defender would be sidelined with a major knee injury.The 22-year-old damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the Gunners’ 2-1 win at home to Nottingham Forest in their opening match of the new Premier League season last weekend. Timber only joined Arsenal, bidding to go one better than last season’s second place in the Premier League, in July in an initial 40mn euro ($45mn ) move from Dutch giants Ajax.He played in the Gunners’ penalty shoot-out win over Manchester City in the Community Shield before sustaining his injury against Forest. Arsenal were unwilling to put a timeframe on Timber’s absence as the player took to Instagram to thank the club’s fans for their support.“Gutted to share my injury is more serious than expected, especially after the warm welcome I’ve received,” Timber wrote.Timber won two Eredivisie titles in 121 appearances for Ajax and was a member of the Netherlands squad that reached the quarter-finals of last year’s World Cup. He can operate at both centre-back and right-back and it had been hoped he would bring added depth to an Arsenal defence that struggled to cope with injuries to William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu towards the end of last season.Timber’s arrival came as a part of a pre-season spending spree that also saw Declan Rice and Kai Havertz join Arsenal, with the trio’s combined transfer fees totalling in excess of £200mn ($254mn). Arsenal, however, may now have to go into the transfer window again to get cover for Timber, with Mikel Arteta’s side looking to overhaul treble-winners Manchester City as Premier League champions. The Gunners’ next match is away to Crystal Palace on Monday.

Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo did the damage late on as England shattered Australian dreams on Wednesday with a clinical 3-1 win in Sydney to set up a Women’s World Cup final against Spain.The Lionesses had stumbled at the same stage twice before but the European champions made no mistake this time to silence most of the 75,000 crowd and roar into the final for the first time. They deservedly took the lead nine minutes before the break with Manchester United’s Ella Toone unleashing a rocket just inside the box with the outside of her boot.A fit-again Sam Kerr, starting for the first time this tournament, hit back for the home side just after the hour with a world-class goal that set the game on fire.The skipper picked up the ball, went on a weaving run through England’s half and let fly from 30 yards into the top corner. It sparked ecstatic scenes but the crowd were silenced just eight minutes later when Hemp muscled her way into the box and stabbed into the corner, before Russo put the icing on the cake with four minutes left of normal time.“We played a hard game but again we found a way to win,” said England coach Sarina Wiegman, who also took her native Netherlands to the 2019 final, before losing 2-0 to the United States. “We have been talking about ruthlessness and this team has ruthlessness, whether it is up front or in defence. I never take anything for granted, but it’s like I’m living in a fairytale or something,” she added.England now face a final on Sunday, also at Stadium Australia, against a dangerous Spanish side that beat Sweden 2-1 in the last four. “Every game in this tournament has been of the highest level so we have to be ready,” said Russo.“But we’ve been dreaming since we were little girls. We’re excited, we’ll recover and be ready.”England had been in this position before, in 2015 and 2019, losing 2-1 on both occasions, with a third-place finish their best World Cup before now. But Wiegman led them to the European title last year on home soil and captain Millie Bright said before the semi-final they were now better-placed to handle big-pressure games. They demonstrated their resilience at a pumping and partisan Stadium Australia, successfully blanking out the boos and jeers to silence an expectant home nation.Despite losing Australia have enjoyed their best World Cup ever, with a third-placed playoff against Sweden on Saturday still to play.“I feel for so many tonight, the players left it all out there,” said Australia coach Tony Gustavsson. “But it was one of those nights. England were clinical. Our defending in the first half was solid, but we were not brave enough on the ball. In the second half we started playing the type of game we can play.”With influential striker Kerr fit again, Gustavsson moved Emily van Egmond to the bench in one of two changes with defender Clare Polkinghorne in for an ill Alanna Kennedy. England stuck to the same XI that beat Colombia 2-1 with striker Lauren James serving the second of a two-match ban – she will be eligible to play on Sunday.Kerr was in the thick of the early action and England ruthlessly looked to close her down with some heavy challenges, one of them earning Alex Greenwood a yellow card. But as England grew in confidence they began controlling the midfield battle. Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold rescued Australia when she deflected Georgia Stanway’s strike with her legs.The breakthrough came in the 36th minute with Toone, in the side for James, arrowing her shot into the top right corner after Hemp pulled the ball back from the touchline.With 45 minutes to save their tournament, Australia frantically pressed forward and it paid dividends when Kerr’s wonder strike drew them level. But England were unmoved and when Ellie Carpenter misjudged a long ball into the box, Hemp hustled her way through to score from close range. Kerr then missed a golden chance to draw level again, and a minute later Russo found herself alone in the box and finished calmly with her right foot to seal a deserved win for England.