Sangakkara to become first non-British president of MCC

London
Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has been named as the first non-British president of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and will take up his one-year post in October. Sangakkara’s nomination was announced by the current president, Anthony Wreford, at the MCC annual general meeting at Lord’s today. Former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Sangakkara, who scored 12,400 runs in 134 Tests, appears twice on the honours boards at Lord’s. He hit 147 in the drawn Test against England in 2014, and 112 in Sri Lanka’s ODI win on the same tour. “It is a huge honour to be named the next president of MCC and it is a role that I am thoroughly looking forward to,” the 41-year-old said. MCC was founded in 1787 and has been based at Lord’s, which it owns, since 1814. It is the guardian of the Laws of the game.

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New Delhi
Sreejesh nominated for Khel Ratna; Akashdeep for Arjuna 

India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has been nominated for the Khel Ratna by Hockey India, while the names of three other players have been proposed for the Arjuna Award. Midfielder Chinglensana Singh and forward Akashdeep Singh along with women’s team defender Deepika have been nominated for the Arjuna Award.

New Delhi
Committed to Real Kashmir for next season: Robertson 

Coach David Robertson and his son Mason have said they are “committed” to Real Kashmir Football Club for next season. David has been in charge of Real, the first I-League outfit form the valley, since 2017, while Mason plays for the team as a defender. Under his guidance, the club won promotion to the top division in 2018 before finishing third in their debut season. David was last week linked to Mohun Bagan.

New Delhi
India tour of Windies could start in first week of August  

India’s tour of the West Indies could start in the first week of August as Cricket West Indies has agreed to the BCCI’s request of pushing back the tour by a couple of weeks. The Indian team was scheduled to reach the West Indies immediately after the World Cup final on July 14. However, the BCCI wanted the players to have a break. — Agencies

Paris
Troubled PSG give away lead to lose at Montepellier

Paris Saint-Germain’s end-of-season meltdown continued on Tuesday as the Ligue 1 champions twice threw away the lead in a 3-2 defeat at Montpellier, three days after dramatically losing the French Cup final. Souleymane Camara netted Montpellier’s winner five minutes from time after Leandro Paredes was caught in possession on the edge of his own area. Before that, Presnel Kimpembe’s own goal had cancelled out an Ambroise Oyongo own goal that had given PSG the lead. Angel Di Maria scored but Andy Delort made it 2-2 before Camara sealed the points.

London
Gimelstob to resign from ATP board after sentence

Former tennis player Justin Gimelstob will step down from the ATP board of directors and will not seek re-election after being sentenced following a felony battery charge, the New York Times quoted him as saying. “I’m stepping down because my job is to work on the sport’s behalf and the players’ behalf and in my situation, I’ve become too much of a distraction and a liability,” Gimelstob said. He was arrested last November for an attack on Oct. 31 in Los Angeles on Randall Kaplan, a friend of Gimelstob’s ex-wife Cary Sinnott.

Oakland
Warriors win as Curry, Harden play through injuries 

Kevin Durant led a balanced attack with 29 points as the Golden State Warriors went up 2-0 in their Western Conference semifinal series against the Houston Rockets with a 115-109 win. Both Warriors star Stephen Curry and Rockets star James Harden sustained injuries in the contest. After a three-day break, the series shifts to Houston on Saturday and Monday. 

Dhaka
Bangladesh change World Cup kit after uproar 

Bangladesh has altered its World Cup cricket kit to add a touch of red following uproar over the initial design, which some had likened to rival Pakistan’s kit, the cricket board said Wednesday. The national flag of Bangladesh is red and green, but the Tigers’ jersey unveiled Monday for the tournament starting later this month in England and Wales was green and white. — Agencies