Indian eves beat Canada 1-0
Hastings (New Zealand): The Indian women’s hockey team ended its winless streak by notching up a close 1-0 triumph over Canada in a classification game of the Hawke’s Bay Cup here on Saturday. India had come into the match searching for their first victory against the Canadian team and first half was played out evenly between both teams. Rani came closest, when she was unmarked in the circle with only the keeper to beat but failed to hit the target. The second half saw more of same, as the teams created several opportunities without finding the back of the net. In the 43rd minute, lilima Minz finally broke deadlock with a brilliant bit of individual play, as she dribbled into the circle and beat the keeper with a sharp shot to give India the lead.
EB’s Mondal handed two-match ban
New Delhi: With the I-league entering its crucial final stage, East Bengal’s title chances suffered a setback with central defender Arnab Mondal being suspended by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for the next two matches. Arnab, who has also led the national team, was also cautioned by the AIFF’s disciplinary committee and is liable to pay a fine of `1 lakh within the next seven days. The AIFF’s disciplinary committee also handed a two-match ban to Mohun Bagan assistant coach Shankarlal Chakraborty. Chakraborty will have to pay a fine of `50,000 within seven days. The AIFF’s action comes in the wake of the ill-tempered derby clash between Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal on April 2 — which East Bengal won 2-1 — saw several clashes between players and officials of both teams and it was later alleged that Mondal racially abused Mohun Bagan striker Cornell Glenn. Chakraborty was given the marching order by the referee after he used offensive language against match officials.
Isner reaches semifinals
HOUSTON: Top-seeded John Isner of the United States beat South Korea’s Chung Hyeon 7-6 (5), 6-4 on Friday night in the US Men’s Clay Court Championship quarterfinals. Isner will face the fourth-seeded defending champion Jack Sock of the United States, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over seventh-seeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus. In afternoon matches at River Oaks, Argentina’s Juan Monaco beat fifth-seeded Sam Querrey 6-4, 6-4, and third-seeded Feliciano lopez of Spain topped American Tim Smyczek 6-2, 6-3. Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber moved a step closer to her second straight Volvo Car Open title, reaching the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Irina Camelia Begu on Friday.
Akram not in favour of separate captains
Karachi: Former captain and fast bowling great Wasim Akram is not in favour of having separate captains of the Pakistan team for the three formats of the game. Akram said he personally favored having one captain for all three formats. “In Pakistan cricket culture is different. I don’t think it is sensible to have three different captains because in our set-up when we don’t properly follow one leader, how do you expect players to follow three different leaders,” he said on Geo News channel. Akram’s comments came after Pakistan Cricket Board appointed Sarfraz Ahmed as captain of the national T20 side after resignation of Shahid Afridi. The Test squad is led by Misbah-ul-Haq and the ODI side by Azhar Ali.