SL add uncapped pacer for 2nd Test
Sydney: Uncapped right arm fast bowler Chamika Karunaratne has been picked by Sri Lanka to replace injured Lahiru Kumara in the Test squad as the visitors bid to level the series in Canberra. Australia thrashed Sri Lanka by an innings and 40 runs in the first Test in Brisbane on Saturday. That was a major boost for the Australian team, which recently lost a Test series to India for the first time on home soil. But Sri Lanka, who recently lost a series 3-0 against New Zealand, now face the unenviable prospect of being swept again. In another injury blow, Sri Lanka Cricket said Dushmantha Chameera — who injured his left ankle while bowling during the first Test — had been ruled out of the second and final Test starting Friday. Both bowlers are now returning home, the selectors said in a statement.
PSG sign Paredes before Utd clash
Paris: Paris Saint-Germain have completed the signing of Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes on a four-and-a-half-year deal, the French champions announced on Tuesday. The 25-year-old put pen to paper on a contract until 2023 after completing a medical in Qatar. No transfer fee was disclosed, although press reports have put the fee at 47 million euros ($ 54m). "Leandro's arrival will keep the momentum, both on the pitch and among our supporters, ahead of the major events coming up. Exciting times lie ahead," PSG's Qatari president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said in a club statement. The Ligue 1 leaders were looking to strengthen in midfield ahead of their Champions League last-16 tie against Manchester United, with Marco Verratti sidelined with an ankle injury and Adrien Rabiot frozen out after refusing to sign a new contract.
Chelsea to face Utd in FA Cup
London: Defending champions Chelsea will host Manchester United in the fifth round of the FA Cup, while fourth-division side Newport County could meet Manchester City. United defeated Arsenal in the fourth round last week to record an eighth straight victory under caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but face another tough tie after Monday's draw paired them with Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea. Newport beat Premier League opponents Leicester in round three and could book a clash with Pep Guardiola's City if they upset Boro in next week's replay. Only seven top-flight sides remain in contention, with Crystal Palace handed a trip to Doncaster and Watford away to Portsmouth or QPR, while Wolves and Brighton face fourth-round replays.
Hudson-Odoi going nowhere: Sarri
Murcia: Chelsea teenager Callum Hudson-Odoi will be staying put at Stamford Bridge during the January transfer window, with Blues manager Maurizio Sarri saying on Tuesday "the club told me he's out of the market". The 18-year-old England youth international is out of contract in 2020, with Hudson-Odoi reportedly keen to force through a move to German giants Bayern Munich before Thursday's transfer deadline. But Sarri stressed again on Tuesday that London club Chelsea wanted Hudson-Odoi to stay at Stamford Bridge. "On the pitch he's doing very well," Sarri said. "I'm really very happy with him. I'm not very happy with the situation, but I know very well that every big team here in England has the same problem. "It's not easy to keep these young players. He is of course one of the best 18-year-old players in Europe, so it's very, very difficult. "The club told me he's out of the market for sure and probably he will be out of the market in July."