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Ben Stokes has declared himself ready for action in England’s crucial World Cup clash against South Africa after missing the first three games of the campaign through injury.England’s title defence in India is in deep trouble after a shock defeat to Afghanistan left them with a single win to their name. Test skipper Stokes suffered a hip injury during England’s build-up to the tournament but has given himself the green light to face the Proteas in Mumbai tomorrow.Speaking before a training session at the Wankhede Stadium that will double up as a final vigorous fitness test, Stokes told the BBC: “It was a frustrating little niggle to get before the tournament but I have worked very hard to get back to where I am and making myself ready to be available for selection. We have had a few days off since the last game and first training session here in Mumbai. I’ll give it a good push but, yes, I think everything is pretty good. I am in a good place.”The powerful batsman played down the hype surrounding his return. “I know I am one person in a team sport,” said the 32-year-old, who starred in the 2019 World Cup final.“No one looks to one person in this team to inspire them or anything like that. It is not the case that if I do come in then all of a sudden we are going to do well. It is just one of those things that gets spoken about a lot but I don’t read too much into it”.“Everyone that walks out on to that field for England is a match winner and can do something individually that can win us a game. We just need to tone it down a bit on me coming back in.”

Pakistan may have suffered a heavy defeat last week to India at the World Cup but fast bowler Hasan Ali said on Thursday that the loss was “not the end of the world” as the 1992 champions look to revive their campaign against Australia.Pakistan claimed comfortable victories over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka in their opening two matches but were outclassed in the seven-wicket defeat to arch-rivals India, suffering a batting collapse to go from 155-2 to all out for 191.Their bowling attack also lacked firepower as India lost just three wickets and coasted to victory with nearly 20 overs to spare. Hasan said Pakistan were aware of the flaws exposed by the defeat, telling reporters: “We agree that we didn’t play to our calibre. We have made mistakes but it’s not the end of the world.“I will say this and you might have heard this word many times – nothing has changed. We lost and we were in pain. We were a better team and we shouldn’t perform like that. We sat together with the team and had a healthy discussion. We have a match against a big team (Australia) but we are also a big team. We have come to win the World Cup and are trying to play good cricket.”Pakistan face Australia today at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, a venue known to favour batters with its shorter boundaries. Asked how Pakistan’s bowlers would restrict Australia’s batting lineup, Hasan said joking: “If it’s a batting-friendly track, we won’t play! But seriously, we all know that it’s a high-scoring ground. That’s no excuse. As a player, you have to find a way to perform. The most simple way to stop runs is to take wickets. Their batting lineup is very strong but we also have experience. Our bowlers are also good. We’re looking forward and we’re confident.”Hasan, who was a late addition to Pakistan’s squad after an injury to Naseem Shah, has performed well at the tournament despite having last played ODI cricket in June 2022. “I wasn’t in the team for a year but I haven’t changed anything about my style,” said Hasan, who has taken seven wickets in three games.“I’ve just worked on my basics, focused on performing whenever I played and grabbing any opportunity I could. Now I have the opportunity to play at the World Cup and show my experience at this tournament.”Pakistan are fourth in the standings with two wins from three matches.

Australia’s top order are working hard to set things right at the World Cup and a batting-friendly wicket like Bengaluru should provide the right platform to score plenty of runs when they play Pakistan, skipper Pat Cummins said on Thursday.Australia lost their first two matches without crossing 200 runs but won their last game against Sri Lanka to move up to seventh in the standings. However, their top order has failed to get going despite some promising starts.Marnus Labuschagne is the only Australia batter to score more than 100 runs in the tournament so far and Cummins said it was important they stepped up in Bengaluru, where the team batting first has averaged 335 in the last three ODIs. “Especially at a venue like here in Bangalore, I dare say it’s going to be high-scoring, smaller field. The pitch is always really good here,” Cummins said ahead of today’s game.“Batting is super important. I think the way the guys started the last game really set the tone. Mitchell (Marsh) and Davey (Warner) up front from the first over taking the game on. That’s what we want from our players and they’re working really hard, they’re doing all the right things. I’m sure plenty of runs are around the corner.”Pakistan started the tournament with two wins before losing to India and they sit fourth in the standings. Cummins said the Asian side are “well-structured”, identifying Mohamed Rizwan and captain Babar Azam as their biggest batting threats while Hasan Ali has been the pick of Pakistan’s fast bowlers with seven wickets.“They have some really good quick bowlers who can do some damage, some spin bowlers that can bowl 20 of their overs,” Cummins said. “Rizwan’s the leading run scorer, Babar Azam’s always good, a couple of other batters that have scored a lot in ODIs lately. So they’re a really strong side pretty much in all facets.”Sri Lanka and South Africa had century opening stands against Australia and when asked if Cummins would take the new ball going forward, the 30-year-old said Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood would continue to open the bowling.“We look back at the last couple of games and, yeah, we haven’t got the wickets. But there’s probably been three chances in each of the first 10 overs that we just haven’t got – LBW, missed by millimetres, or play and misses,” Cummins said. “We’ve been really happy with the guys up front.”Cummins backed leg-spinner Adam Zampa to return to full fitness after suffering from back spasms. Zampa took 4-47 in the win over Sri Lanka. “I think it’s getting better each day so it shouldn’t be any worse than the last game,” said Cummins who added that opener Travis Head is likely to join the team soon after recovering from a hand injury.Bouncers could also be awaiting Pakistan on Friday, with opener Imam-ul-Haq dismissed twice to short balls already this tournament.“Against South Africa we felt like we had them relatively under control but we didn’t get any wickets,” Cummins said. “Last game we were a little bit more aggressive, a few more bouncers and fortunately that got us a breakthrough and that’s where (we got) into the game.Cummins also thanked the Netherlands for throwing the five-time champions a shock World Cup lifeline with their surprise victory over South Africa. “Yeah, I mean it’s good, I won’t lie. I think it just evens all the teams out really,” said Cummins. The Dutch stunned South Africa by 38 runs in Dharamsala on Tuesday.It was South Africa’s first loss of the tournament and prevented them from taking their record to a perfect three wins in three. Instead they are only two points ahead of Australia in what is expected to be a tight battle for the top four places which will decide the semi-final line-up.“They played really well,” added Cummins. “I think what we’re seeing in this tournament is 10 really strong sides. It’s not sides that are just making up numbers.“They’ve all qualified and they’re all here because they’ve earned their spot. There’s no easy games. Everything’s pretty full on.”Head-to-head recordLast 10 meetingsDATE VENUE RESULT26/01/2017 Adelaide Australia won by 57 runs22/03/2019 Sharjah Australia won by 8 wickets23/03/2019 Sharjah Australia won by 8 wickets27/03/2019 Abu Dhabi Australia won by 80 runs29/03/2019 Dubai Australia won by 6 runs31/03/2019 Dubai Australia won by 20 runs12/06/2019 Taunton Australia won by 41 runs29/03/2022 Lahore Australia won by 88 runs31/03/2022 Lahore Pakistan won by 6 wickets02/04/2022 Lahore Pakistan won by 9 wicketsOverallAustralia wins: Pakistan wins: Tied: 1No result: 3

Defending champion Taylor Fritz said he could not cope with an “incredible” turnaround from world number 215 Shintaro Mochizuki as he crashed out of the Japan Open with a stunning second round loss on Thursday.Top-seed Fritz, the highest-ranked American in the world at number 10, lost 0-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) to the Japanese wild card, who went into the tournament without a tour-level win to his name.Fritz, who has won two titles this season, looked to be cruising into the quarter-finals when he took the first set to love in just 29 minutes.But the momentum shifted midway through the second set when Mochizuki broke serve, and the 20-year-old fought back from a losing position in the third to force a tiebreaker and claim the win.“It was all smooth and then I had the chance to break in the second, didn’t get it and then after that I feel like he was playing incredible tennis,” said Fritz.“He served really well, he was constantly hitting the lines with his serve – it was tough for me to attack.”Mochizuki, who qualified for his first Grand Slam appearance at Wimbledon this year, said he was “trying not to be nervous but I was” in his first match against a top-10 player. He loosened up in the second set and Fritz said his opponent performed “at the level of a top player for the next two sets”.“I never really got time to set up and attack or feel comfortable after he started playing better,” said the American.“It felt like I could have served better but outside of that I don’t think there was much I could do.”Mochizuki quickly took control in the tiebreaker and closed the match out with a volleyed smash at the net to delight the Tokyo crowd.His quarter-final opponent will be Australian Alexei Popyrin, who beat Chile’s Cristian Garin 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.“If I couldn’t play my best, I knew that I couldn’t beat Fritz for sure,” said Mochizuki.“So I just tried to focus on myself and give 100 percent from the second set.”Fritz’s exit meant the top three seeds in Tokyo have all been eliminated, with Norwegian number two Casper Ruud and German number three Alexander Zverev also bowing out early.Number four seed Alex de Minaur progressed to the quarter-finals with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman.The Australian said he was not surprised that so many of the tournament’s big names had fallen by the wayside.“We’ve all played a lot of matches this year and it’s been a long year,” said de Minaur.“At times I feel like these are the types of tournaments that are more prone to surprises.“I’m just happy I was able to keep my head down and play at a good level.”Russia’s Aslan Karatsev also advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-4 win over China’s Zhang Zhizhen.

Jorge Martin insisted on Thursday his race-ending blunder in Indonesia had not dented his confidence, vowing to stay calm and reclaim the MotoGP world title lead in Australia this weekend.The Spanish ace was leading the grand prix in Lombok last Sunday by three seconds when he pushed his Pramac bike too hard and crashed out.It allowed Italian world champion Francesco Bagnaia to snatch an unexpected victory from 13th on the grid and with it 25 points to surge back into the championship lead with five legs of the season left.“It wasn’t easy after the race and that evening I was thinking about it a lot,” said Martin, who is 18 points behind the Ducati star in what has become a two-horse race to the world title.“But I was lucky that we have this race straight away to start thinking about this weekend, so I’m just getting straight to work here.”Martin took pole position last year on the challenging Phillip Island circuit, and said he was confident of being fast again for the sprint race on Saturday and grand prix on Sunday.“We are competitive every weekend, we are fighting for a win always and we have to just do the same,” he said.“I’m confident in all areas, I feel I am strong, I am fast so I have to be calm and try to make the most of the speed. Hopefully I can recover the points.”Martin is a proven performer in the rain and that could be a factor with wild weather forecast.Bagnaia is also an accomplished all-weather rider and said the waterfront Phillip Island track, with its sweeping turns and overtaking opportunities, was one of his favourites.“This track is always hard. I mean it looks like a normal Friday with no wind, then on Saturday it’s some wind and then Sunday will be difficult because we will have like 12 degrees (Celsius), wind of 50kph and rain,” he said.“So it can be very, very tough, but I love to ride here. I love everything about it.”The 2022 race was a thriller with Spain’s Alex Rins crossing first ahead of Spanish great Marc Marquez and Bagnaia in one of the closest finishes the sport has known.Martin smashed the nine-year lap record to grab pole, only to finish seventh.Being pole-sitter in Australia is no guarantee of success, with only four riders going on to win – Valentino Rossi in 2003, Casey Stoner (2008 to 2012), Jorge Lorenzo in 2013 and Marc Marquez (2015 and 2017).Six-time world champion Marquez, who has won four times in Australia, admitted another victory was unlikely given his struggles with Honda this season.“To win this year, it will be very difficult,” said the 30-year-old, who will join Ducati satellite team Gresini Racing for the 2024 season.“We cannot approach any race at the moment thinking we can win. We are not like one or two seconds behind the leaders, we are seven to 10 seconds behind.”

Collin Morikawa returned to action after the Ryder Cup and grabbed a one-shot opening-round lead at the US PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship in Japanon Thursday.The twice major winner took a short break after being part of the American team that failed to retain the Ryder Cup following a poor start in Rome last month.Morikawa said “you never know what you’re going to get” after taking time off but he shot a bogey-free 6-under 64 to top the early leaderboard at Narashino Country Club.“I’ve been working on a few things, trying to get control of the golf ball, spent a lot of time putting on Thursday,” said Morikawa, who is looking for his first win on the US PGA Tour since 2021.“It’s nice to see the work I’ve put in, just kind of recreate that on the golf course.”Morikawa’s Ryder Cup teammates Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler were also back in competition at the 78-man, no-cut event on the outskirts of Tokyo.Schauffele carded a 3-under 67, while Fowler was further back after a 1-over 71.Schauffele has yet to win a title this season but he said he was happy with a “pretty solid” opening round that saw him birdie all three of the course’s par-five holes.“I’m happy with how I’m driving it, happy with how I’m rolling it – just need to tighten up some of the dispersion from the fairway,” he said.“With the greens being soft, you feel like you can be really aggressive.”Defending champion Keegan Bradley, who was passed over for the United States’ Ryder Cup team, joined Schauffele on 3-under.Fowler, who finished in a share of second place behind Bradley last year, struggled to make an impact and finished with two bogeys to one lone birdie.Home favourite Hideki Matsuyama fared better, shooting a 1-under 69.Matsuyama, the 2021 champion, carded three bogeys but had an eagle on the 14th hole to go with a pair of birdies.The $8.5m Zozo Championship was established in 2019 as the first US PGA Tour tournament in Japan.Thousands of Japanese fans turned up to watch Tiger Woods win the inaugural title for his 82nd US PGA Tour victory – equalling Sam Snead’s 54-year-old record.

Max Verstappen will be racing for pride, points and records this weekend at the United States Grand Prix as his rivals compete for positional prize money behind the newly-crowned champion.But in the first of four weekends’ racing in the Americas before the season-closer in Abu Dhabi, much attention will be taken by politicking and preparations for 2024 with Ferrari and Mercedes striving to close the gap behind the dominant Red Bull team.Verstappen, however, will be the man who takes the limelight at the Circuit of the Americas where he will seek to secure a hat-trick of successes and his 50th career victory, having secured his third consecutive drivers’ title in Qatar.That win was his 14th in 17 races this year and might, for another driver in another age, have signalled a chance to relax, but not for the 26-year-old Dutchman who is focused on winning every contest.“It could be quite hectic for us this weekend,” he said, referring to another Grand Prix embracing a Saturday dedicated to a sprint race. “We will have only one session to try and find the optimum balance in the car and it looks as if we will have high temperatures again too.”Verstappen could equal his 2022 record of 15 wins in a year and close the gap on four-time world champions Alain Prost (51 wins) and Sebastian Vettel (53) in the all-time list for most race victories.He and Red Bull know the chasing pack will be as keen to catch them as ever, particularly as the sport’s prize money is only distributed to teams via their finishing positions in the constructors’ championship and not via the drivers’ title race.Mercedes, on 326 points, will seek to extend their 28-point advantage ahead of Ferrari with strong performances to secure second place, while McLaren attempt to close an 11-point gap on Aston Martin for fourth.The difference is worth tens of millions of dollars.McLaren’s Australian rookie Oscar Piastri won the Qatar sprint and finished second in the main race.On his first appearance in Austin, he will seek to maintain his personal momentum while teammate Lando Norris will hope to mark his 100th start with success.Mercedes will be seeking to erase the disappointment of Qatar, where seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton collided with teammate George Russell.Team boss Toto Wolff confirmed their cars will have an updated floor in Austin, hoping to regain enough race pace to match McLaren.“It will be the last significant update we will introduce this year,” said Wolff, hinting that like most teams Mercedes’ attention will then switch to 2024.Wolff also seeks to paper over any perceived cracks appearing in the relationship between his drivers.The Texan weekend will also see Daniel Ricciardo return for Alpha Tauri after missing five races since breaking his hand at the Dutch Grand Prix while the American-owned Haas team will not only bring a major upgrade for their home event, but may maintain their opposition to fellow Americans Andretti’s bid to join the grid.

Egyptian football Al-Ahly Club issued on X Wednesday that it “declares mourning for the souls of our martyred brothers in Palestine, and renews its categorical rejection of the completely unfair position and disappointing international silence regarding what is happening to our brothers."The club expressed its regret and sadness for what innocent people, children, the elderly, and women are being exposed to. It called on all human societies not to stand idly by in the face of this unjust and brutal aggression, especially since the scenes on the ground revealed the goals of the coloniser and the plans of his supporters.Al-Ahly Club reaffirms its solidarity with the Palestinian people until they regain their legitimate rights and lands. Long live PalestineThe club's board of directors decided to stop broadcasting on all the club’s official platforms, the official website, as well as its nightly television channel.The club invited members in each of its four branches to donate blood for Palestinian brothers.All club sports teams are asked to wear a black armband in all stadiums, to mourn the souls of the martyrs in Palestine.It will allocate proceeds from tickets for the Al-Ahly and Simba Tanzania match scheduled to be held next Tuesday in the African Football League for the benefit of brothers in Palestine.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah on Wednesday called for an end to what he described as "massacres" in Gaza, saying humanitarian aid must immediately be allowed into the besieged Palestinian enclave.Salah released a video message on his social media accounts, making his first comments on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict."It's not always easy to speak in time like this, there has been too much violence and too much heartbreaking brutality ... All lives are sacred and must be protected," Salah said."The massacres need to stop; families are being torn apart. What's clear now is that humanitarian aid to Gaza must be allowed immediately. The people there are in terrible conditions."The Gaza health ministry said at least 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and 12,065 injured in Israeli air strikes on Gaza since Oct. 7.On Tuesday, Egyptian trucks carrying aid to Gaza moved closer to the Rafah border crossing but it was unclear when or whether they would be able to cross into the enclave, with Egypt looking to get security guarantees from Israel after the border area was shelled four times.The Israeli government said on Wednesday that Israel will not stop aid entering Gaza from Egypt, but that supplies will not be allowed to reach Hamas."The Scenes at the hospital last night were horrifying. The people of Gaza need food, water and medical supplies urgently," Salah added."I'm calling on the world leaders to come together to prevent further slaughter of innocent souls. Humanity must prevail."

Indian GM Murali Karthikeyan on Wednesday beat world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen to stall the former champion’s progress at the $120,000 Qatar Masters.Karthikeyan, 24, posted an impressive win against the five-time world champion with the Black pieces in the seventh round of the tournament at Lusail Sports Arena. Carlsen, who won the Qatar Masters in 2015, has slipped down to 28th spot after seven rounds.Karthikeyan is now the third Indian to beat Carlsen after Pentala Harikrishna edged the Norwegian at Lausanne Young Masters, 2005. After Magnus became the World No. 1 player, Karthikeyan is only the second Indian to defeat him in classical chess.Karthikeyan now sits pretty at 5.5/7 with two rounds to go at the premier chess tournament. India’s SL Narayanan, Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov, India’s Arjun Erigaisi, David Paravyan, Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan and Karthikeyan share the lead at 5.5 points each.Hikaru Nakamura of the US on Wednesday lost ground when he drew with Iranian GM Parham Maghsoodloo to finish round seven at 5 points (overall in 7th spot).“This is the future for him (Carlsen). The Indians are coming for him,” Nakamura was quoted as saying on X handle chess24.com. “It’s going to be one Indian after another, after another, after another, after another ...”Dutchman Anish Giri, ranked seventh in the world and third in the tournament, defeated Indian GM Venkataraman Karthik, ranked 32nd in the tournament, to enhance his score by reaching his fifth point, climbing up to ninth place overall.Narayanan tied with Uzbekistan’s Sindarov to maintain the top spot in the Qatar standings. Sindarov is second in the standings.Indian GM Erigaisi drew with Uzbek Nodirbek Yakubboev, seeded 19th in the tournament, raising his score to 5.5 points to occupy third place.Erigaisi, 20, said: “I was unlucky in the last two games. I believe that all players still have the chance to win the title, and I will try to put in more effort so that I can double my points tally.”American Gregory Kaidanov, seeded 35th in the tournament, defeated Dutchman Jorden Van Foreest, seeded eighth in the tournament, raising the American player’s score to 4.5/7.Among the Arab players, UAE’s Salem Abdul Rahman, ranked 14th in the tournament, tied with Rudik Makarian, ranked 37th in the tournament. The Emirati chess star is at 4.5 points, occupying 23rd place. Qatar’s Hussein Aziz, ranked 141st in the tournament, on Wednesday lost to Azerbaijan’s GM Vugar Rasulov, ranked 34th in the tournament. Aziz, with just two rounds to go, has accumulated 3 points from seven rounds.Meanwhile Qatar’s top female chess player Aisha al-Khulaifi, who is taking part in the International B Tournament being held on the sidelines of the Qatar Masters, said: “We feel proud to be part of the event we are competing in. The Qatar Masters, overall, has received great media spotlight from around the world over the course of the last seven-eight days. Just two rounds remain and we will know who wins the Qatar Masters title.”She added: “The Qatar Masters is considered to be one of the strongest open tournaments in the world. The competition atmosphere is electric at Lusail Sports Arena. I want to thank the Qatar Chess Association for their efforts to put together this amazing chess tournament in such fine fashion.”Al-Khulaifi concluded: “I believe that competing in the International B Tournament is an amazing opportunity for young male and female players from Qatar. We are getting invaluable experience just by competing here.”The International B Tournament is being contested by 94 male and female players ranked under 2,300 points.Filipino player Rustum Tolentino continues to lead the standings at the end of the seventh round with 7 points, followed by Omani player Hamood al-Busaidi (6 points).

New Zealand handed giant-killing Afghanistan a brutal reality check on Wednesday when they exploited a disastrous fielding performance to romp to a 149-run victory at the Cricket World Cup. Glenn Phillips, Tom Latham and Will Young all scored half centuries and benefitted from dropped catches to score a fighting 288-6. The Black Caps then ran through Afghanistan, who had shocked defending champions England last time out, for just 139 in 34.4 overs. “I thought 250 was par. We are in an environment where we keep working for each other and play as a team,” said man of the match Phillips who made 71.The victory gives New Zealand, runners-up at the last two World Cups, a fourth victory in as many games and comfortably on course for the semi-finals. Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson took 3-19, spinner Mitchell Santner claimed 3-39 while veteran seamer Trent Boult chipped in with 2-18 as New Zealand turned the screw.Afghanistan have one win and three defeats from their four games. “We are very disappointed because at this level you have to take those kind of catches. End of the day those catches hurt us,” admitted captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, one of the worst culprits.They had hoped Rahmanullah Gurbaz could repeat his fireworks against England when he made 80. However, on Wednesday, the opener was cleaned up by Matt Henry in the sixth over for just 11. Boult dismissed Ibrahim Zadran (14) and Azmatullah Omarzai (27) while Rachin Ravindra dismissed Rahmat Shah who was the top-scorer for Afghanistan with 36. Santner completed 100 wickets in his 98th ODI when he dismissed Mohamed Nabi for seven before wrecking the rest of the batting in the company of Ferguson.Earlier, Phillips hit 71 off 80 balls, Latham made 68 off 74 and opener Young 54 off 64 balls to lift New Zealand from a precarious 110-4 after they were sent in to bat on a slow pitch. Mark Chapman fired a rapid 25 off 12 balls with two fours and a six as New Zealand scored 62 runs in the last five overs. Afghanistan dropped as many as five catches.These included Young being dropped by Rahmat Shah off Fazalhaq Farooqi before he had scored in the first over while skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi let off Ravindra on nought and Latham on 38. New Zealand were off to a slow start of 30 in the seventh over when Mujeeb Ur Rahman removed Devon Conway for 20.Young, replacing skipper Kane Williamson who fractured his thumb in the last game, added 79 for the second wicket with Ravindra who scored a 41-ball 32. But Afghanistan hit back with three wickets off just nine balls for one run as pacer Omarzai dismissed Ravindra and Young in the same over. Young had three sixes and four boundaries in his knock. In the next over spinner Rashid Khan had Daryl Mitchell for one as New Zealand lost their way. It was left to Phillips, who cracked four sixes and as many boundaries, to join stand-in skipper Latham in a solid fifth wicket stand of 144 to revive the innings.Latham hit three boundaries and two sixes but he and Phillips fell for the addition of just one run, leaving Chapman to provide late impetus. Fast bowlers Naveen-ul-Haq and Omarzai took two wickets apiece.SCOREBOARDNew ZealandD. Conway lbw b Mujeeb 20W. Young c Alikhil b Omarzai 54R. Ravindra b Omarzai 32D. Mitchell c Zadran b Rashid 1T. Latham b Naveen-ul-Haq 68G. Phillips c Rashid b Naveen-ul-Haq 71M. Chapman not out 25M. Santner not out 7Extras: (lb4, nb1, w5) 10Total: (for six wkts; 50 overs) 288Did not bat: M. Henry, L. Ferguson, T. BoultFall of wickets: 1-30 (Conway), 2-109 (Ravindra), 3-110 (Young), 4-110 (Mitchell), 5-254 (Phillips), 6-255 (Latham)Bowling: Mujeeb Ur Rahman 10-0-57-1 (1w), Fazalhaq Farooqi 7-1-39-0 (2w), Naveen-ul-Haq 8-0-48-2, Mohamed Nabi 8-1-41-0, Rashid Khan 10-0-43-1 (2w), Azmatullah Omarzai 7-0-56-2 (1nb)AfghanistanRahmanullah Gurbaz b Henry 11Ibrahim Zadran c Santner b Boult 14Rahmat Shah c and b Ravindra 36Hashmatullah Shahidi c Santner b Ferguson 8A Omarzai c Latham b Boult 27Ikram Alikhil not out 19Mohammad Nabi b Santner 7Rashid Khan c Mitchell b Ferguson 8Mujeeb c Young b Ferguson 4Naveen c Chapman b Santner 0F Farooqi c Mitchell b Santner 0Extras (w5) 5Total: (all out; 34.4 overs) 139Fall of wickets: 1-27 (Gurbaz), 2-27 (Zadran), 3-43 (Shahidi), 4-97 (Omarzai), 5-107 (Shah), 6-125 (Nabi), 7-134 (Rashid), 8-138 (Mujeeb), 9-139 (Naveen-ul-Haq), 10-139 (Farooqi)Bowling: Boult 7-1-18-2 (2w), Henry 5-2-16-1, Santner 7.4-0-39-3 (1w), Ferguson 7-1-19-3 (1w, Phillips 3-0-13-0 (1w), Ravindra 5-0-34-1Result: New Zealand won by 149 runsToss: Afghanistan

Keel Bay gave owner Jassim bin Ali M A al-Attiyah and trainer Mohamed Ghazali a flying start to the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s season, winning the season’s first cup race at the Al Rayyan Racecourse on Wednesday. Under jockey Lukas Delozier, the four-year-old filly took the Al Ghariyah Cup, a 1,200m contest for three-year-old+ thoroughbred fillies & mares, in impressive passion by 1½ lengths. Bader Mohamed al-Darwish, QREC Acting CEO, presented the trophies to the winners.In the penultimate race of the day, Hamad al-Jehani-trained Alhafar won the Purebred Arabian Handicap 70-90 (Class 3) race as jockey Arnaud de Lepine guided the six-year-old bay horse to beat Jean de Mieulle-trained Hazzam by 1.25 length.The racing season is expected to be the best so far with increased prize money on offer throughout the calendar which will see a total of 69 race meetings – the same number as was in the previous season. It will culminate with the season finale to be held on April 25, 2024.The Al Rayyan Racecourse will host a total of 47 meetings while Al Uqda turf and sand tracks will be home to 22 race days as five meetings have been added to the venue. This season’s much-anticipated HH The Amir Sword Festival will take place from February 15-17, 2024 with QREC recently announcing a further rise in prize money for the prestigious event recently.WINNERS 1st Race Meeting - Al Ghariya Cup(Horse, Trainer, Jockey)1 - Al Ghariyah Cup - Thoroughbreds (Fillies & Mares) (Class 2)Keel Bay, Mohamed Ghazali, Lukas Delozier2 - Purebred Arabian Handicap 70-90 (Class 3)Alhafar, Hamad al-Jehani, Arnaud de Lepine3 - Thoroughbred Handicap 75-95 (Class 3)Cei Connah, Deborah Amanda Clare Mountain, Pranil Arvind Kharat4 - Purebred Arabian Novice Plate (Class 5)Maguroor, Hamad al-Jehani, Szczepan Mazur5 - Local Thoroughbred Maiden Plate (Class 6)Conan Bu Thaila, Alanoud Khalifa al-Malki, Saleh Salem al-Marri6 - Thoroughbred Maiden Plate (Class 6)Account, Owaida Salem al-Hajri, Abdulla Rashid al-Hajri7 - Purebred Arabian Maiden Plate (Fillies & Mares) (Class 6)AJS Alkadriyah, Mohamed Salama Ashour, Rashid Ali al-Marri

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha accepts his side will face a “scary” India when they take on the in-form World Cup hosts in Pune today.India head into the game looking to extend their perfect record this tournament to four wins out of four. Bangladesh, by contrast, have lost their last two matches after starting the World Cup with a six-wicket win over Afghanistan.India captain Rohit Sharma has already scored over 200 runs in three matches, with paceman Jasprit Bumrah taking eight wickets at a miserly average of just over 10. “They (India) have every area covered,” Hathurusingha told a pre-match press conference on Wednesday. “They have strike bowlers up front and Bumrah has almost come (back) to his best. They have good, experienced spinners for the middle overs, their top-order is firing. They are scary.”Bangladesh may have had a faltering start to the World Cup, but they defeated India 2-1 on home soil in a one-day international series last year and enjoyed a six-run success against them during last month’s Asia Cup in Colombo.“We had success in the recent past against India but it is a different ball-game in the World Cup,” insisted Hathurusingha. “We are hoping to have a complete performance.”The former Sri Lanka batsman took heart from the way Afghanistan had already overpowered defending champions England at this World Cup, with non-Test nation the Netherlands defeating South Africa as well. “We are all motivated to win every game from now on,” he said. “Because of what happened in the last week, the World Cup is really opening up. We are all inspired by that. We have six games to go, we still think we can win those games.”But Bangladesh’s task could become significantly more difficult if skipper Shakib Al Hasan is ruled out, with the star all-rounder set to have a fitness test just hours before today’s match. Shakib, 36 is battling to overcome a thigh injury suffered during Friday’s eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in Chennai.Now in his fifth World Cup, he scored 40 then completed a return of 1-54 with his left-arm spin before hobbling off the field. “He (Shakib) had a good batting session on Wednesday,” said Hathurusingha. “He did a bit of running between the wickets as well. We are waiting for the result of the scan we did today. We haven’t tried his bowling yet. We will assess him tomorrow morning, and make a decision. If he is not ready to play, we won’t risk it. If he is ready, there’s a chance of him playing.”But he later suggested Shakib would have some input into the decision as well following a “green or red light” from medical staff. “If they think it is not risky, the player is given the choice of playing the game or not,” Hathurusingha said. “It comes to the captain and coach whether they want the player or not and if he is wanted in one or both disciplines.”

England cannot be faulted for effort at the World Cup but the team are lacking confidence and must start imposing themselves on the opposition, coach Matthew Mott said, after the defending champions lost two of their first three matches in India.England were thrashed by New Zealand in their opener before getting their campaign on track with a win over Bangladesh. They were then stunned by Afghanistan, however, and sit fifth in the standings with only the top four advancing to the semi-finals. Mott said it was “nowhere near the start” they were hoping for but with six games to play in the group they are not panicking yet.“The effort is important and I think that’s there, the boys are trying really hard,” Mott told reporters. “But we’re probably missing that confidence to puff your chest out, go out there and really take the game on, which this team has been renowned for over a long period of time. You don’t lose your ability overnight, but you can lose your confidence.“We pride ourselves on putting the opposition under pressure and on reflection we’ve been the reactive team in those two games, we need to turn that round really quickly.”England have been playing without Ben Stokes as the all-rounder nurses an injury and Mott said the 32-year-old, who he described as their “spiritual leader”, could return for their next game against South Africa on Saturday.“He certainly spoke really well the other day and spoke about that need to really assert ourselves,” Mott added. “I talked about the plan going forward for the next few days and then Stokesy came in on the back of that and just really reinforced what was a great message. I think it went down well, it brought us back to controlling what we can control really.”

Pakistan paid a heavy price for being “under extra pressure” in their World Cup defeat by arch-rivals India, said batsman Saud Shakeel, who on Wednesday lamented the absence of the team’s passionate supporters from the tournament.Pakistan were thrashed by seven wickets on Saturday at Ahmedabad’s 132,000-capacity stadium where there was only a handful of Pakistani supporters. Babar Azam’s team slumped from a solid 155-2 in the 30th over to be dismissed for a paltry 191.“I think we were under extra pressure so we tried to get out of that and wanted to play shots,” Shakeel said on Wednesday.The smattering of Pakistani fans at the game were expatriates from the United Kingdon and United States. Supporters from across the border are effectively banned after a failure to gain visas. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday lodged an official complaint with the world governing body over the visa delays which have also kept many members of the country’s media at home.The PCB also complained over what they described as the “inappropriate behaviour” of Indian fans towards the Pakistan squad at the Ahmedabad game. “When you have your crowd then you get the support. We did not get that and it was not in our hands,” added Shakeel.Despite an eighth loss in eight World Cup meetings with their arch-rivals, Pakistan are still well-placed in the tournament after wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. Middle-order batsman Shakeel scored 68 against the Netherlands before making 31 in the game with Sri Lanka. He was out for just six against India.Next up for Pakistan is another high-profile duel, this time with five-time champions Australia in Bengaluru tomorrow. “The mistakes we committed in the last game, we must overcome them. That match is gone. If we win against Australia then our position will get better,” added Shakeel. “Australia are always good in the World Cup. They are a very good side. We know our strong areas and we must play good cricket. We had a good start to the tournament with two wins. We want to go match by match and not commit the mistakes we did against India.”On Wednesday, all the Pakistan players with the exception of Mohamed Haris trained in Bengaluru. Haris is still suffering from a fever which laid low many of the squad when they arrived from Ahmedabad. Star fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi and opener Abdullah Shafique were the worst hit but were present in the nets at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Spain’s Jorge Martin is determined to cut out any errors as a tense title race shifts to Phillip Island this week after a blunder in Indonesia cost him his lead in the MotoGP standings.The Pramac ace won the sprint at the Mandalika track in Lombok last weekend to build a seven-point championship advantage over Italy’s Francesco Bagnaia.But he blew the hard work in Sunday’s grand prix, crashing at a gravel trap while three seconds clear and seemingly on track for his fourth victory of the year.It was his first non-score in a grand prix since round three at Austin in April.With just five stops of the 20-leg season left, he cannot afford any more slip ups in Australia with Bagnaia on his Ducati now 18 points ahead and fellow Italian Marco Bezzecchi still in the hunt, 45 pointsbehind.Martin blamed a dirty track for his mishap, and insisted it was a one-off.“It’s been 14 races without a mistake. It’s just statistics. It was coming sooner or later,” he said. “So, the races still remaining I feel confident to fight for victory.”Reigning world champion Bagnaia accepted Martin’s gift, powering to a sixth MotoGP win of 2023 and his first since Austria in August.That Austria triumph put Bagnaia 66 points ahead of Martin, but injury and errors, including a failure to finish at Catalunya and India, saw the lead eroded by his rival. The Italian said being back in the winners circle had revived his confidence heading into a challenging Australian weekend.“To have that performance again was very, very important,” he said, adding that it gave him “a lot of motivation”.“Not only for me, but also for my team. They are trying always to give the maximum possible.”During last year’s grand prix, the waterfront Phillip Island circuit was marred by persistent rain, and more is forecast this week. Despite the elements, the 2023 race was a thriller with Spain’s Alex Rins crossing first ahead of Spanish great Marc Marquez and Bagnaia in one of the closest top three finishes the sport has known.Martin smashed the nine-year lap record to grab pole position, only to finish seventh.Along with Rins, Honda’s Marquez and Aprilla’s Maverick Vinales are both former Australian winners.Local hero Jack Miller, who is ninth on the world championship ladder, will be another to watch on his home circuit, confident his KTM machine is well-suited to the Phillip Island conditions.“I think the KTM can work really, really well around the island,” he said.“The bike is nice and agile at high speed which you need around the island, and there’s always some decent grip there as well. Fingers crossed we can put on a pretty good show for the home fans.”

The return of India “top-gun” Jasprit Bumrah for the World Cup could not come soon enough for bowling coach Paras Mhambrey as he hailed the paceman’s strong start to the hosts’ campaign. India have won all three of their opening games, with the 29-year-old Bumrah taking eight wickets at a meagre average of just over 10 apiece.But his career has been blighted by injury, with the unorthodox Bumrah sidelined for over a year following back surgery before returning in August. “You have seen him in the last three games that he has played,” Mhambrey told a pre-match press conference on Wednesday ahead of India’s match against Bangladesh in Pune.“What he brings to the table – he is a world class bowler. He gives you that breakthrough that you require in the power-plays. He’s well adapted to bowl in the middle overs and he’s a top-gun ‘death’ bowler. I think in that sense, we really missed him.”Mhambrey added India had yet to consider “rotation” as they look to maintain their unbeaten start in a quest to win a third one-day international World Cup title and second on home soil following their 2011 triumph.And that means the likes of proven performers in seamer Mohamed Shami and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin are set to remain on the sidelines.Ashwin especially has often found himself omitted across all formats in recent times. The 37-year-old was also left out of the team that lost to Australia in this year’s World Test Championship final at The Oval. “He (Ashwin) has been a great lad,” said Mhambrey. “He understands that, he’s a great team guy. I’ve never seen him grumpy; I haven’t seen him complaining any time for any of the last few years that he’s been with us.Mhambrey added: “Even after so many years, I think he’s there, he wants to do well for the team, he turns up every practice session, goes through the rigorous grinds and he keeps bowling.”Mhambrey said the India bowlers that will play today would face a “challenging surface”. “It (Pune) is a small ground, comparatively...It is at high altitude. So, I think here, more boundaries will be scored.”Bangladesh have lost their last two matches at the World Cup after starting with a six-wicket win over Afghanistan. They defeated India by six runs when the teams met in the Asia Cup in Colombo last month, with Mhambrey, highlighting the quality of Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed and “champion” all-rounder Shakib Al HasanWith Afghanistan having already pulled off a shock defeat of champions England and non-Test nation the Netherlands beating South Africa by 38 runs, Mhambrey said: “When you enter a World Cup, every team will pose you a challenge. So, from our perspective, I don’t think we’ll take anyone (lightly). Bangladesh or the Netherlands, I think we want to treat those games as equally important.”Head-to-head recordLast 10 meetings(Date, Venue, Result)21/06/2015, Dhaka, Bangladesh won by 6 wkts 24/06/2015, Dhaka, India won by 77 runs15/06/2017, Birmingham, India won by 9 wickets21/09/2018, Dubai, India won by 7 wickets28/09/2018, Dubai, India won by 3 wickets02/07/2019, Birmingham, India won by 28 runs04/12/2022, Dhaka, Bangladesh won by 1 wkt07/12/2022, Dhaka, Bangladesh won by 5 runs10/12/2022, Chittagong, India won by 227 runs15/09/2023, Colombo, Bangladesh won by 6 runsOverallIndia wins: 38 Bangladesh wins: 8Tied: 0 No result: 1

England booked their place at Euro 2024 as Harry Kane’s double inspired an impressive fightback to beat holders Italy 3-1 at Wembley on Tuesday.Needing a point to be certain of qualifying for next year’s tournament in Germany, Gareth Southgate’s side fell behind to Gianluca Scamacca’s early goal.But, fuelled by a superb display from Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham, England hit back to equalise before the break through Kane’s penalty.Bellingham had won the spot-kick with a typically thrusting run and the 20-year-old prodigy was also the catalyst for Marcus Rashford’s decisive strike after the interval.Underlining his own importance to the England cause, Kane struck again in the closing stages to give the skipper his 61st goal for the Three Lions.With two group games still to play, unbeaten England, winners of five of their six qualifiers, are guaranteed to finish top of Group C.“This was the toughest qualifying group with the seedings. We’ve performed really well,” Southgate said.“The players are incredible to work with, so hungry, so eager to learn, so together.“You saw that in the performance. It was relentless. What was really pleasing was that when we went behind we stayed calm.”Following their failure to qualify for last year’s World Cup, Italy face a tense battle to secure the second automatic qualification place in the group.Luciano Spalletti’s third-placed team are three points behind Ukraine. Assured of a play-off place, Italy host North Macedonia before travelling to Ukraine in their remaining matches.“It’s disappointing. We were a bit casual at times. Occasionally our attitude was found wanting,” Spalletti said. “This is what European football is about at this level. It asks you serious questions.”England have suffered just one defeat in their last 63 Euro and World Cup qualifiers, but reaching major tournaments hasn’t been the issue in the Southgate era.It is his ability to end England’s wait for a first international men’s trophy since the 1966 World Cup that will define Southgate’s reign.Beaten on penalties by Italy in the European Championship final at Wembley two years ago, England have gained a measure of revenge by defeating the Italians twice in the group.Southgate believes his team are a more complete side than the one that lost the Euro final.And with stars like Kane and Bellingham at his disposal, there can be no excuses if they fail to bring home the silverware from Germany. England showed they have the character for the big occasion by recovering from the collective collapse that allowed Italy to seize the lead in the 15th minute.Declan Rice missed a key tackle and Giovanni Di Lorenzo raced into the England area ahead of the out of position Kieran Trippier.Di Lorenzo whipped over a low cross that eluded Harry Maguire at the near post, rolling perfectly for Scamacca to fire into roof of the net from close range for his first international goal in his 13th appearance.In such sublime form for Real this season, it was no surprise that Bellingham played a major role in hauling England level in the 32nd minute.Catching Italy with their guard down, Bellingham accelerated through on goal before Di Lorenzo’s tackle sent the midfielder sprawling. Di Lorenzo claimed he got a foot on the ball but, after a lengthy VAR check, the penalty was awarded and Kane stepped up to send Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way for his 60th England goal.England struck again in the 57th minute as Bellingham tracked back to win possession with a sliding tackle before surging forward from the halfway line.Rather than go it alone, Bellingham unselfishly guided a pass out to Rashford, who punished woeful Italy defending as he advanced unchecked into the area before planting a clinical strike past the exposed Donnarumma.Kane killed off Italy in the 77th minute as the Bayern Munich striker nicked the ball off the toe of Giorgio Scalvini before delivering a cool finish that had England packing their bags for Germany.

Norway’s Casper Ruud said his trip to Asia was “not what I was really hoping for” after exiting the Japan Open with a second-round defeat to qualifier Marcos Giron on Wednesday.World number eight Ruud, who reached this year’s French Open final, lost in the Beijing Open quarter-finals before bowing out in the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters this month.Ruud’s Asian swing ended with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat to American world number 79 Giron in Tokyo, but he tried to stay positive, noting his fall at the first hurdle at last year’s tournament.“I think it went better than last year so what can you say, I played better than last year, for sure,” said the tournament’s number two seed.“Maybe not what I was really hoping for and kind of what I needed but there’s still a couple of weeks to go and I’ll keep my head high and try to fight in the last couple of weeks of the year.”Ruud had to work hard to beat Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki in a 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 first-round win on Tuesday night. He said he was “never able to get into a rhythm” against Giron in a match that lasted just 1hr 20min.“I tried to play the same level as I did on Wednesday - maybe I wasn’t able to but it’s OK, it’s not always easy to shift from one day to the other with different opponents,” said Ruud.“I wasn’t able to be ready enough for his game and counter his game.”German number three seed Alexander Zverev and American Frances Tiafoe, seeded sixth, had already been eliminated in the first round in Tokyo.Shanghai Masters champion Hubert Hurkacz joined them after losing to China’s Zhang Zhizhen. Zhang, who won gold at the Asian Games in the Chinese city of Hangzhou last month, beat the Pole 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).American number five seed Tommy Paul booked his place in the quarter-finals alongside Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, the number eight seed. Paul beat fellow American Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-2 to progress in his tournament debut. Auger-Aliassime beat Austria’s Sebastian Ofner 6-4, 6-1.Rising American star Ben Shelton also reached the quarter-finals with a 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-3 win over Australia’s Jordan Thompson.

Head coach Warren Abrahams on Wednesday named the final Qatar squad for the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy 2023 to be played on November 3 and 4 at Onaiza Park, West Bay, Qatar.Frank Hughes will captain the side for the first time.“Being able to compete at the Asia Rugby Sevens as captain is an unreal achievement,” the new captain said.Sevens veteran backs Ismaail El Hatmi and Badr Bakaddouri will bring their international experience and flair to the game. Qatar, rated as the side possessing fastest players in the competition, will be looking to excel in the tournament.“I feel great. I feel this year is different for me. We have a new coach, new team and I’m hoping I can stay injury free and get through the entire tournament,” said Bakaddouri.Also named in the squad are brothers Sharith and Shirath Amit, who will represent Qatar for the first time together.“Playing for Qatar alongside my brother is an exceptional sensation. I am so excited to be part of the squad with him so we showcase our love for Qatar and rugby,” said Sharith.Shirath was was equally excited. “Though I was selected previously to play for Qatar I couldn’t do so due to visas issues. This time around there are no problems, I will be out there to do my best for our national team,” he said.As many as 17 countries in both the male and female events are taking part in the event.Squad: Frank Hughes (captain), Ismaail El Hatmi, Sharith Amit, Guillermo Villegas Bardo, Farhan Farook, Hamza Saied, Lee Millar, Sharath Amit, Paulo Schwartz, Peter Kariuki, Badre Bakaddouri, Amin (Miroki), Taahir Adams, Amine Salmi, Donovan Van Zyl.