Ten Lankans opt out of Pak tour, PCB says series on

Colombo

Ten Sri Lankan players, including T20 skipper Lasith Malinga and former captains Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera, pulled out of the upcoming tour of Pakistan citing security concerns. The Sri Lanka Cricket board said players in a preliminary squad were briefed on security arrangements for the six-match limited over series starting September 27 and the 10 players “chose to stay away”. The Pakistan Cricket Board said the scheduled home series against Sri Lanka will go ahead despite top players from the island nation pulling out of the tour.

Port of Spain
Pollard new WI captain for ODIs and T20Is

Following a disappointing performance at the World Cup and thereafter a whitewash against India, Cricket West Indies (CWI) have sacked Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite as skippers of the ODI and T20I teams and have named Kieron Pollard as captain in the limited-overs format. The decision was taken by CWI Board of Directors on Saturday, the first day of their two-day regular quarterly meeting in Port of Spain. Pollard was the player proposed by the selection committee and when the vote was taken, he got the support from six directors while the other six abstained

New Delhi
ICA invites ex-cricketers to become members 

The Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA) invited former players to become members of the official body for male and female ex-cricketers in the country. The deadline for application is September 21. The ICA, which is recognised by BCCI, was registered on July 5 earlier this year and came into being following the recommendations of Supreme Court-appointed Lodha panel. The members of the ICA will elect the ICA board and representatives to the BCCI and BCCI Member Association governance bodies. 

New Delhi
Prannoy out of China and Korea Open due to dengue

Shuttler HS Prannoy will miss at least two tournaments on the circuit after being diagnosed with dengue. Prannoy will first miss the China Open, which will be held at Changzhou, from September 17 to 22 and then the Korea Open, scheduled to be held at Incheon, from September 24 to 29. “I would be out of action for unpredictable days after being diagnosed with dengue,” Prannoy tweeted. — Agencies

New Delhi
Indian cyclists pocket 12 medals in Track Asia Cup 

India made a bumper start to its Track Asia Cup campaign by winning 12 medals, including four gold, here today. Ronaldo Laitonjam stole the show as the junior world champion won two gold medals. He first helped the junior men’s team win the gold in the sprint event and then won the 1 km time trial event. Triyasha Paul and Nikita Nisha won the junior women’s sprint event. Mayuri Lute won the gold medal in the women’s elite 500m time trial event. 

New Delhi
Delhi’s Sakshi and Haryana’s Neha shine

Delhi and Haryana dominated the proceedings as preliminary bouts continued at the 3rd Junior Women’s National Boxing Championships here today.  Sakshi Chaudhary (52kg) and Ayushi Pal (54kg) kept alive Delhi’s medal hopes while Tannu (52kg) and Neha (54kg) made Haryana proud with their wins. Chandigarh also had a win on Day 2 with Rishita (54kg) securing a Round 1 win. Punjab shone through Poonam in 54kg after she won her first-round bout. Mizoram’s Ruthi Lalhmingthai emerged a 4-1 winner over Punjab’s Babli in 52kg.  

New Delhi
Hima named in World Championships team 

Hima Das, who could not qualify for the 400m, was today named as a 4x400m relay runner in India’s 25-member squad for the World Athletics Championships to be held in Doha from September 27. Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who is undergoing rehabilitation after an elbow surgery, was not named in the team.   

New Delhi
Rajput dominates qualification round of national trials   

World Cup silver medallist Sanjeev Rajput shot a steady 1172 in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions event in the qualification round of the national shooting trials here today. Second-placed Parul Kumar shot 1164 points. Vijayveer Sidhu shot 580 to finish second in the senior qualification and top the junior category of the men’s 25m rapid fire event. 

Kolkata
Patna halt losing streak in Pro Kabaddi League

Three-time champions Patna Pirates rode on their talismanic raider Pardeep Narwal’s superlative show to halt their six-match losing streak with a thumping 51-25 win over Tamil Thalaivas in the Pro Kabaddi League here today. Narwal became the first player to breach the 1000-mark raid-point milestone. 

Ekaterinburg (Russia)
Boxers spend Day 1 of World Championships sparring

With no competitive action in store for them on the opening day, it was sparring with Argentine boxers that kept the Indian boxers busy. Amit Panghal (52kg) was among the three boxers who sparred with the Argentines in the morning. The sparring sessions also featured Kavinder Singh Bisht (57kg) and Duryodhan Singh Negi (69kg). agencies