Rahi, Manu enter final in ISSF President’s Cup

Wroclaw (Poland): India’s Rahi Sarnobat and Manu Bhaker qualified for the finals in the women’s 25m pistol event of the ISSF President’s Cup here today. Both the Olympians shot identical scores of 583 in qualification, but Rahi took fourth place ahead of Manu’s on higher inner 10s. The eight-shooter final is scheduled on Wednesday. Manu also qualified for the gold medal match in the 25m rapid fire mixed team pistol event, in which she is partnering Turkey’s Ozgur Varlik. The final will take place on Wednesday. She already has a gold in the 10m air pistol mixed team event.

Chandigarh

Punjab win big; HP defeat J&K; loss for Haryana

Punjab hammered Odisha by 60 runs in Group A match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Lucknow today. Punjab scored 189/4 before restricting Odisha to 129/7. In a Group C match, Himachal Pradesh beat Jammu & Kashmir by four runs. Chasing Himachal’s 157/8, J&K were bowled out for 153. Also in Group C, Haryana lost to Jharkand by 16 runs. Chasing 181/5, Haryana were bowled out for 165. In Group E, Chandigarh (167/6) lost to Sourashtra (209/4) by 42 runs.

Riga (Latvia)

Harika finishes 5th, qualifies for next GP cycle

Indian chess ace Dronavalli Harika held top seed Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine to a draw in the 11th and final round of the FIDE Grand Swiss chess tournament to finish fifth in the women’s event and qualify for the next Grand Prix cycle. In the open event, Indian GM Nihal Sarin had the best finish, taking 18th place with 6.5 points. Compatriots P Harikrishna and K Sasikiran finished 30th and 31st, respectively, with six points.

Islamabad

Australian cricket team to tour Pakistan next year

Australia will tour Pakistan next year for the first time since 1998 with the visitors playing three Tests, three ODIs and a T20I from March to April, the Pakistan Cricket Board said. The announcement is a huge boost for Pakistan cricket after New Zealand and England cancelled tours in September citing security concerns. Australia will play Tests in Karachi (March 3-7), Rawalpindi (March 12-16) and Lahore (March 21-25) followed by the limited-overs matches in Lahore between March 29 and April 5. agencies