Karthik to lead TN in Mushtaq Ali
Chennai: Out-of-favour India player Dinesh Karthik will lead Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, to be held in Kolkata from January 10. All-rounder Vijay Shankar has been named Karthik's deputy. However, the team will be without the services of R Ashwin, Washington Sundar and T Natarajan, who are on national duty. Medium-pacer Aswin Crist returns to the state side after a gap of three years due to injuries while Sandeep Warrier, who has shifted from Kerala, is also a part of the team.
Trippier banned for 10 weeks
London: England and Atletico Madrid defender Kieran Trippier was banned from football for 10 weeks and fined 70,000 pounds on Wednesday for breaching betting rules in a punishment from The English Football Association that applies worldwide. The misconduct denied by Trippier happened in July 2019 — the month he left Spurs for Atletico. The ban takes effect immediately and comes with Atletico top of the La Liga.
ICA nominates Pragyan Ojha to IPL GC
New Delhi: The Indian Cricketers Association (ICA) on Wednesday nominated former India spinner Pragyan Ojha as its representative to the IPL governing council, a day before the BCCI's Annual General Meeting. The BCCI will hold its 89th AGM in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The association was earlier represented by former India player Surinder Khanna, as according to the BCCI constitution, the ICA is required to send a member to the IPL governing council every year.
Shadab out of 1st Test due to thigh injury
Tauranga: Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan was on Wednesday ruled out of the opening Test against New Zealand due to a thigh injury, which he sustained during the third T20I in Napier. Left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar, who was preparing with the Pakistan Shaheens for Sunday's T20 match against the Northern Knights, was named as his replacement in the squad for the first Test, beginning at Mount Maunganui on Saturday.
Union Berlin, Hoffenheim out of dfb pokal
Berlin: Liverpool loanee Loris Karius endured a miserable competitive debut for Union Berlin on Tuesday as his side crashed out of the German Cup in the second round following a surprise 3-2 home defeat to second-tier Paderborn. Fellow Bundesliga side Hoffenheim were also on the receiving end of an upset, as they lost on penalties to second division outfit Greuther Fuerth.
Momota back from car crash with a win
Tokyo: Japan's badminton world number one Kento Momota shrugged off nerves to make a winning return to competition in Tokyo on Wednesday, nearly a year after suffering serious injuries in a car crash. Momota beat Koshiro Moriguchi 21-12, 21-14 in the first round of the All-Japan championships, marking his return from the accident that left him fearing his career might be over after fracturing an eye socket.
Moussa Dembélé breaks arm in training
Lyon: Lyon striker Moussa Dembélé, off to a slow start with just one goal this season, broke his arm during a training session, coach Rudi Garcia said. Dembélé won't be available when second-place Lyon hosts Nantes on Wednesday. “We'll see what the course of action is with him, but for now he is unavailable,” Garcia said, without giving a timetable for Dembélé's return.
Kohli improves to 7th in T20I rankings
Dubai: KL Rahul retained his third position, while India skipper Virat Kohli improved a rung to the seventh spot in the ICC men's T20I batsman rankings. In fact, Rahul and Kohli are the only two Indians to feature in the top-10 list of players in all three categories.