Hazlewood ruled out of SL Tests
Melbourne: Australia suffered a big blow on Saturday with star fast bowler Josh Hazlewood ruled out of their two upcoming Tests against Sri Lanka with a back injury, and Jhye Richardson replacing him. The vice-captain has hurt the same part of his back that sidelined him last year. But Cricket Australia physiotherapist David Beakley said he was confident Hazlewood would recover in time for the World Cup in England and Wales. Richardson, who has impressed in the one-day series against India, joins Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Peter Siddle as the pace attack in the squad to face Sri Lanka. The first Test — a day-nighter — starts next Thursday in Brisbane, with the second in Canberra.
Minerva hold Gokulam Kerala 1-1
Panchkula: A 10-man Minerva Punjab FC scored an injury-time goal to snatch a 1-1 draw against Gokulam Kerala FC in their 13th round I-League match on Saturday. Gokulam Kerala drew the first blood in the 82nd minute through Marcus Joseph but defending champions Minerva equalized in the final minute of the additional time through Musa Caicedo (90+4 minute) to share the spoils. Meanwhile in Shillong, Real Kashmir FC beat bottom-placed Shillong Lajong by a solitary goal to remain in the hunt for the I-League title in their debut season. Zambian centre-back Aaron Katebe scored the all-important goal in the 74th minute, propelling the 'Snow Leopards' to second place on the league table with 25 points — five adrift of leaders Chennai City FC — from 13 games.
Chikka, Atwal make cut at Singapore
Sentosa: S Chikkarangappa (72) and Arjun Atwal (70) were the only Indians to make the cut at the SMBC Singapore Open on Saturday after all others missed getting into the weekend rounds. Chikka, who was lying Tied-sixth at one stage midway through the second round, added a third round 72, with just one bogey and no birdies. He is now Tied-26th. Atwal, who shot 67-73 in the first two rounds, added a 70 and is now Tied-36th. After starting from the 10th, Atwal had back-to-back bogeys on 12th and 13th. Shiv Kapur (71-71), Ajeetesh Sandhu (70-74), Rahil Gangjee (76-71), Khalin Joshi (76-73) and Viraj Madappa (77-73) missed the cut while Jeev Milkha Singh and Om Prakash Chouhan withdrew after first round of the weather-hit event.
Lahiri rise to T-21st at Desert Classic
La Quinta: Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri made a smart comeback on the second day, cruising to a seven-under 65 to rise from overnight 70th to Tied-21st at the halfway mark of the Desert Classic. Lahiri, who shot 70 on the PGA West's Nicklaus Tournament Course on the first day, is now nine-under for 36 holes at the event, which is played like a Pro-Am. Phil Mickelson birdied four of his last five holes Friday to take a two-stroke lead into the weekend in his first event of the year. After shooting a career-low 12-under 60 at La Quinta Country Club, the 48-year-old Mickelson had a 68 on Nicklaus Tournament Course to get to 16-under. Curtis Luck was second after a 66 on the Nicklaus layout.
Aus sack women's coach ahead of WC
Melbourne: Australia's women's football coach Alen Stajcic was sacked on Saturday just months out from the World Cup amid concerns over "workplace" and "player welfare" issues. The move comes despite guiding the Matildas to as high as fourth in the FIFA world rankings in one of their most successful eras since being appointed in 2014. Football Federation Australia chief David Gallop said he had lost faith in Stajcic. "The ultimate responsibility for driving change and leading a high-performance environment that puts the team in the best possible position to achieve what they are capable of, rests with head coach," he said. "We no longer have confidence that Alen is the right person to lead team and staff."