Pakistan captain Sarfraz suspended for four matches

Dubai

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has been suspended for four matches for breaching the anti-racism code in Tuesday's second ODI against South Africa, the International Cricket Council said on Sunday. Sarfraz's on-field taunt in Urdu was caught by stump microphones but he denied that they were aimed at South Africa all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo or anyone else in his apology on Thursday. Cricket's world governing body said that Sarfraz later accepted that he had breached the ICC's anti-racism code for participants. The Pakistan Cricket Board has expressed disappointment at the suspension.

Wijk Aan Zee

Anand draws with Ding, Praggnanandhaa loses

Viswanathan Anand played out an exciting draw with Ding Liren of China to move to the joint third spot after the penultimate round of Tata Steel Masters. Anand found some fine defensive moves to steer the game to a draw. The Indian ace can no longer win the tournament but there are chances of a podium finish with just one round to come in the first super tournament of the year. Magnus Carlsen of Norway steered clear of the field with another dominating victory over Jan Krzysztof Duda of Poland. The Norwegian took his tally to 8.5 points out of a possible 12 and is now a half point ahead of closest rival Anish Giri of Holland. Fittingly, the two clash in the final round to determine the winner. Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa went down to Benjamin Gladuera of Hungary and is now in 11th spot on 4.5 points. 

Thiruvananthapuram

Rahul scores 13 on return, India A clinch series 3-0 

KL Rahul scored 13 runs on his return from suspension but India A sealed the series against England Lions with a comfortable 60-run win, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. In a low-scoring encounter, India A could manage only 172 in 47.1 overs but did well to bowl out Lions for 112 in 30.5 overs. 

Brief Scores: India A: 172 all out in 47.1 overs (Deepak Chahar 39, Ishan Kishan 30, Krunal Pandya 21; Jamie Overton 3/34); England Lions: 112 all out in 30.5 overs (Ben Duckett 39; Krunal Pandya 4/21, Axar Patel 2/26) . 

Kolkata

I-League: Bengal remain in hunt with 2-0 win over Bagan

Jobby Justin emerged as the game-changer with an assist followed by an opportunistic strike that enabled East Bengal defeat Mohun Bagan 2-0 and remain in the I-League title contention. The 25-year-old first set it up for Jaime Colado, who broke the deadlock in the 35th minute, and then angled his header to perfection. 

Greater Noida 

PWL: Delhi beat Mumbai to raise hope of semis berth

Skipper Khetik Shabalov led from the front as Delhi Sultans all but dashed Mumbai Maharathi's chances of making it to the semifinals, beating them 5-2 in their final group encounter of the Pro Wrestling League here today.  

Dubai

Sharma ends 29th, Bryson  wins Dubai Classic 

Shubhankar Sharma brought his best card of the week to finish tied-29th at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic here on Sunday. Sharma shot a 68 on the final day with the help of a fourth straight birdie at the 18th. Bryson DeChambeau (64) won the title, setting a new tournament record of 24-under. — Agencies

Messi on target as Barca overcome Girona

Girona: An insatiable Lionel Messi scored for the eighth game in a row in all competitions as La Liga champions Barcelona saw off a gutsy Girona side 2-0 in a Catalan derby. Barca went five points clear at the top ahead of Atletico Madrid who beat in-form Getafe 2-0. Antoine Griezmann scored his eighth goal in as many games, helping Atletico register their sixth win in seven league matches. Sevilla jumped above Real into third after beating Levante 5-0. 

Bayern stay six points behind Dortmund

Berlin: Champions Bayern Munich had to work hard for more than an hour before beating Stuttgart 4-1 in the Bundesliga for their seventh straight league win to stay six points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund. 

Millwall stun Everton, Man City win big

London: Everton were shocked 3-2 by second-tier club Millwall as Manchester City’s quest for four trophies continued with a 5-0 thrashing of Burnley to march into the FA Cup fifth round. Tottenham Hotspur went out of their second domestic cup competition in four days after losing 2-0 to Crystal Palace. agencies