Bridgetown, June 23 (IANS) After a setback in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against…

New Delhi, June 23 (IANS) Two-time Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu shared her joy on…

Leeds, June 23 (IANS) Former England opener Nick Knight lauded KL Rahul’s gritty batting in…

Dhaka, June 23 (IANS) Litton Das and left-handed opener Naim Sheikh have been recalled to Bangladesh’s ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) named a 16-member squad on Monday.
The ODI series will take place from July 2 to 8, with the first two matches scheduled in Colombo and the final ODI set to be played in Pallekele.Naim returns to the one-day set-up after nearly two years, while Litton also makes a comeback alongside several other familiar faces. Along with Litton and Naim, Shamim Patwary, Tanvir Islam and Hasan Mahmud also return to the side.From the squad that last featured in the Champions Trophy, veterans Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah have since retired from ODIs, while Soumya Sarkar and Nasum Ahmed have been left out.Fast bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman have also rejoined the squad after recovering from injuries that ruled them out of the recent T20I series.Naim, who made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in Sylhet in March 2020, has played eight ODIs and scored 95 runs. BCB chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said Naim’s improved intent and approach at the crease were key factors in his selection.”Naim has shown that he can bat with the same intensity as our (recent) white-ball openers,” Ashraf said. “He has done well in the Dhaka Premier League. We also have someone like Soumya Sarkar, who has ten years of international experience. (He has been dropped because) we want to help him recover fully so that he can come back properly.”On Litton’s return, Ashraj said, “Litton Das was in a bad patch, but time is the best healer. He is the T20 captain, so we can consider him till the next T20 World Cup,” Ashraf said. “If someone has to return to form, it is best to spend a long time in the middle. We feel that Litton can take his form from ODIs to T20Is.”Ashraf explained that five fast bowlers were included in the squad to help manage the workloads of Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana.”We have included five fast bowlers in the ODI side, as we have Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed are returning from injuries. We are also mindful of Nahid Rana’s workload management, so we have kept enough options to choose from,” he said.Bangladesh squad for Sri Lanka ODIs: Mehidy Hasan Miraz (c), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mohammad Naim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Litton Das, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud.–IANSab/bc

New Delhi, June 23 (IANS) The Indian shooting contingent on Monday celebrated Olympic Day and expressed confidence to continue their rise in the upcoming Olympic events.
At the Paris Games last year, India sent a 21-member contingent to compete across all 15 events in shooting. Manu Bhaker created history in Paris, winning two medals in the women’s 10m air pistol event and 10m air pistol mixed team event along with Sarabjot Singh, becoming the only Indian athlete to win two medals in a single Olympic edition.Meanwhile, Swapnil Kusale also created history, earning India’s only Olympic medal in men’s 50m rifle 3 positions. With the shooting contingent bagging three out of six medals for India at the 2024 Olympics, the popularity of the sport surged across the nation, with the athletes gaining widespread recognition all around the globe.Now, after a successful stint at the recently concluded ISSF World Cup 2025 in Munich, where Indian athletes secured four medals, two gold and two bronze, Indian athletes expressed hopes to continue their form in the coming years to set themselves up for a bigger success at the next Olympic edition set to take place in Los Angeles, USA in 2028.Speaking on the importance of the Olympic Day, Paris Games bronze medallist Sarabjot said, “This day is an important one for all of us and it reminds us of the efforts we all put in to earn the opportunity to compete in the biggest sporting event. For an athlete, a chance to represent the nation on the Olympic stage is the highest achievement. For me, to win a medal and stand on the podium is a memory that I will cherish forever.”The 23-year-old further added, “Our success at the Paris Olympics and the recent shooting events this year has truly sparked a fire within all the athletes to do our best. We are confident that the Indian shooters will win even more medals in LA and continue to make the nation proud.”Introduced in 1948, Olympic Day commemorates the birth of the modern Olympic Games on June 23, 1894 at the Sorbonne in Paris. Its main objective is to promote participation in sports worldwide, irrespective of age, gender, or level of athletic ability.Paris Olympics medal-winning shooter Kusale further echoed Sarabjot’s sentiments and said, “Because of our success last year at the Games, all of us feel excited to celebrate the Olympic Day this year. We feel the eyes of the nation are upon us now and the entire country is praying and wishing for our success in each and every competition.””While it is an additional responsibility to repay their faith, it also motivates us to continue to do better and make the nation proud. I am confident that India’s Olympic success story in shooting will see a new chapter at the LA Games in 2028,” he signed off.–IANSab/bc

Hyderabad, June 23 (IANS) The Government of Telangana will soon come out with a new sports policy to bring recognition to the state at the international level, along with providing training to produce world-class athletes, a top official said on Monday.The policy is likely to come up for discussion in the state Cabinet meeting scheduled later in the day.Special Chief Secretary to the government, Jayesh Ranjan, revealed this while addressing Olympic Day celebrations at LB Stadium in Hyderabad.Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had already asked officials to set the goals in the sports policy, eying the 2036 Olympic Games.Jayesh Ranjan stated that several countries were showing their excellence in the Olympics. He underlined the need for producing athletes who can compete in the Olympics.Telangana Sports Authority chairman Shivsena Reddy said the proposed sports policy would provide incentives to sportspersons. Alleging that injustice was done to many under the previous government, he gave an assurance that the present government will do justice to them.He said the sportspeople who won medals in different events will be provided with jobs.Sports Minister Vakati Srihari, Telangana government advisor (sports) and Telangana Olympics Association president Jithender Reddy and others were present.The state government has already announced that it will establish Young India Physical Education and Sports University in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model on the lines of Young India Skill University.The Chief Minister has directed officials to constitute a Special Board and appoint a chairman by delegating powers to him to run the Sports University as an autonomous institution.The proposed university will offer 14 sports training programmes in cricket, hockey, football, basketball, swimming, tennis, badminton, shooting, boxing, wrestling, table tennis, athletics, gymnastics, and aquatics.The Sports University will start operations in the Gachibowli Sports Stadium. Since the stadium is spread over 70 acres and ready-made facilities for various sports training were already provided, the Chief Minister suggested that the facilities should be upgraded in a sophisticated manner to meet future needs.Students from 14 places in the state reached the LB Stadium for the Olympic Day celebrations. Para-athlete Deepthi Jeevanji, who won the bronze medal at the 2024 Paralympics, participated in the celebrations.–IANSms/dpb

Oklahoma, June 23 (IANS) Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA finals to win their first championship since moving from Seattle to Oklahoma.
After a 68-14 regular season, Oklahoma City finished the season with 84 wins, tied with the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls for third most in NBA history. Oklahoma City captured the franchise’s first championship since 1979 when it was the Seattle Supersonics. Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, the regular season MVP and now the Finals MVP, posted 29 points, 12 assists, and 5 rebounds. He became just the third player to record at least 25 points and 12 assists in an NBA Finals Game 7, joining Walt Frazier and Jerry West.The Pacers suffered a devastating blow early in the first quarter when Tyrese Haliburton injured his Achilles trying to drive to the basket. After suffering a calf strain in Game 5, Haliburton fought through the pain in Game 6 and tried to gut it out in the final game of the series, NBA reports.But losing him meant Indiana did not have the offensive firepower to overcome the Thunders’ suffocating defense.Moreover, OKC became the second-youngest NBA championship team in history. The Thunder have just two players in their 30s on their entire roster: Alex Caruso (31) and Kenrich Williams (30). Nine of their 18 rostered players are under the age of 25, and another seven are under the age of 28.According to NBA.com, the Thunder entered the 2024-25 season as the youngest team in the league with an average age of 24.148 years old. By the calculations of the site NBAAge.com, the Thunder currently have the second-lowest average age in the league overall but the sixth-lowest average age when accounting for how many minutes each player plays.Following the triumph, Oklahoma City will host the Champions Parade on June 24 in downtown Oklahoma City.Prior to the start of Tuesday’s parade, the team will gather inside Paycom Center for a ceremony featuring player addresses and the team hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy. –IANSbc/ab

New Delhi, June 23 (IANS) Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is hoping that fellow pacers will contribute more in the ongoing Test series against England and release pressure from pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah so that he can be available for all five matches of the tour.
Bumrah was India’s standout bowler and helped the side to bundle out hosts for 465 in their first innings on Day 3. He returned with the figures of 5-83 in 24.4 overs. Despite being injury-prone and also managing his workload on the tour, he bowled the second-most overs for India, Mohammed Siraj bowled the most – 27 overs – for the visiting side.Former BCCI president lauded Bumrah’s adaptability to contribute in all formats of the game for the country. However, the legendary left-handed batter pointed out a lack of support from fellow pacers including Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna and Siraj.Krishna bagged three wickets while Siraj got hold of two scalps but both of them leaked more than hundred runs which reduced India’s first-innings lead to just six runs.Ganguly believes Bumrah’s presence in India’s playing XI will keep them alive in the five-Test crucial series on challenging English conditions.”Such a pleasure to watch Bumrah bowl in all formats of the game .. hope fully he will get support from the other end so that he can play 5 tests .. it will keep India in the series .. @bcci @Jaspritbumrah93,” Ganguly wrote on X.After the end of play on Sunday, Bumrah credited his belief to play for India for more than a decade despite his injury struggles due to his unorthodox action.”I always wanted to play for India. I played for India on my belief. I have played every format on my belief. I have always heard ‘no’ from people. First they said ‘you won’t be able to play’; then they said ‘you will last only six months’; then they said ‘you will last only eight months’, and just like that I have spent ten years in international cricket listening to all this. I have played the IPL for 12-13 years.”Even now people keep saying this injury will be it. Keep waiting, I will not think about that. I will keep doing my work. Every three-four months there will be headlines but, let’s see, I will play till it is in my destiny. I prepare my best, and leave the rest to god. Whatever barkat (abundance or good fortune) god has given me, I try to carry it forward, and try to take Indian cricket forward.”On Day 4, India will resume their second innings from 90/2 with captain Shubman Gill, who scored a career-best 147 in the first innings, unbeaten on 6 while opener KL Rahul is not out on 47. India are leading by 96 runs.–IANSab/bc

London, June 23 (IANS) England cricketing icons Eoin Morgan, Sir Alastair Cook, Moeen Ali and Ian Bell suit up for glory in the second season of the World Championship of Legends, scheduled from July 18 to August 2 in the UK. Representing the England Champions, these cricketing greats are set to ignite the field with experience and unmatched legacy. Joining this powerhouse line-up are stalwarts like Liam Plunkett, Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel, Chris Tremlett and more, forming a squad that perfectly blends strategic brilliance and firepower.”Leading England to World Cup glory was a defining moment in my career – but playing in WCL with legends I’ve shared the field with is a different kind of pride. We’re bringing back memories and making new ones. England Champions are here to compete, entertain and win,” Morgan said.Praveen Sharma, Owner of England Champions, added,
”We’re proud to field a team that defines English cricket’s golden era. These legends shaped an entire generation of cricket and now they’re back on home soil – where it all began. We’re here to win, and to inspire.”Stuart Cain, chief executive of Edgbaston, shared,
”Having legends like Morgan, Cook, Moeen, and Bell back at Edgbaston is special—not just for fans but for the spirit of the game. This is more than nostalgia. It’s about celebrating greatness and bringing world-class cricket back to where it belongs. We’re thrilled to be part of WCL’s journey again.”Sanctioned by the England & Wales Cricket Board, the World Championship of Legends is a premier global T20 league that merges star power with top-tier competition. Celebrating the legends of the game, WCL brings together cricketing icons and passionate fans from around the world – creating an unforgettable showcase of talent, nostalgia, and sporting excellence.Harshit Tomar, founder & CEO of the World Championship of Legends, said,
”WCL isn’t just another T20 league – it’s where stories are retold and legends relive their prime. England Champions brings together names that changed the face of English cricket. With Morgan and Cook leading the charge, this team is among the strongest and most exciting of the tournament.”–IANSbc/ab

Gwalior, June 23 (IANS) The final day of the league stage in the Madhya Pradesh League 2025 concluded with Bhopal Leopards and Chambal Ghariyals joining Rewa Jaguars and Gwalior Cheetahs as the four semi-finalists. The last two matches, played at the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, brought the group phase to an exciting close.In the day’s first fixture, Bhopal Leopards were scheduled to face Indore Pink Panthers, but persistent rain led to the match being abandoned without a ball being bowled. As a result, both teams shared a point each. With this outcome, Bhopal Leopards moved to six points, ensuring qualification to the knockouts, while Indore Pink Panthers, with only four points from six matches, exited the tournament.The second and final game of the league stage saw the rain finally relent, and the contest between Chambal Ghariyals and Bundelkhand Bulls was played in full. Chambal Ghariyals delivered a commanding all-round performance to chase down 164 in just 13.2 overs, registering a dominant six-wicket victory and securing second place on the points table.Earlier, Bundelkhand Bulls, a side fighting for a knockout spot, were dealt an early blow when Karan Tahliyani was dismissed on the very first ball of the match by Vineet Rawat. While Abhishek Pathak (37 off 16) and Harsh Gawli (37 off 25) tried to inject momentum with an aggressive partnership, a middle-order collapse hampered their progress. Divyanshu Yadav’s steady 44 not out off 43 and Abhishek Mavi’s 28 off 19 helped them recover slightly and post a total of 163/8 in 20 overs.In response, Chambal Ghariyals came out with an ultra-aggressive mindset. Openers Apurve Dwivedi and Ankush Singh made their intentions clear right from the start, stitching a blazing 123-run partnership in just 8.5 overs. Ankush smashed 42 off 22 balls, while Apurve led the charge with a stunning 77 off just 33 balls. The top-order fireworks left very little for the middle order, who calmly completed the chase with more than six overs to spare.The result confirmed Chambal Ghariyals’ place in the semi-finals, a remarkable achievement in what is their debut season in the Madhya Pradesh League. Adding to their success, the Chambal Ghariyals Women’s team has already qualified for the final of the MP Women’s League T20 2025, giving the franchise a genuine shot at winning both titles this season.Speaking after the match, Chambal Ghariyals captain Shubham Sharma praised the team’s collective effort, “Everyone is really happy right now. Even our women’s team was here today to cheer us on. The support and energy are great, and we want to carry this momentum into the semi-finals.”Asked about planning against Bundelkhand Bulls, who came in with strong form, Sharma said, “They’ve been playing some good cricket, but we didn’t go in with any overcomplicated plans. We just kept things simple and stuck to the basics.”Reflecting on his team’s campaign so far, he added, “One of the best signs this season is that multiple players are stepping up at different times. Everyone is contributing, and that’s what’s helping us win games.”On the possibility of winning both the men’s and women’s titles, Shubham added, “It would be incredible if we could win both trophies. The girls have already made it to the final, and now we’re just one step away. If we continue playing like this, anything is possible.”With the league stage now wrapped up, all eyes turn to the semifinals, where the four best teams of the tournament will battle it out for a place in the grand finale of the MPL 2025.–IANSbc/