London, Aug 14 (IANS) Tottenham Hotspur have strongly condemned the racial abuse directed at forward Mathys Tel following their defeat to Paris St-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup, calling the abusers “nothing but cowards”.Spurs’ first-ever appearance in the UEFA Super Cup ended in a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain after letting slip a two-goal lead. Tel, 20, who came on as a substitute in the 79th minute, was one of two Spurs players who failed to convert from the spot…

New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) Australia’s seam-bowling all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has backed private investment to happen in the eight Big Bash League (BBL) teams, saying the model brought in by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises could benefit Australian cricket. At the same time, he added that his focus is firm on playing in next year’s T20 World Cup.This year, owners of IPL franchises Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals bought investment stakes in Th…

New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) The sports fraternity has mourned the passing of Dr. Vece Paes, an Olympic medallist and father of tennis legend Leander Paes, who died on Thursday at the age of 80. A prominent midfielder from the golden era of Indian hockey, Dr. Paes was a member of the Indian team that clinched the bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Dr. Paes, who served Indian sport with distinction both on and off the field, was suffering from an advanced stage of Parkinson’s disease. He was a…

New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) Former Liverpool player Stephen Warnock honoured the late Diogo Jota’s legacy and praised the club for retiring his No. 20 shirt, calling the decision ‘something that has been echoed globally as the right thing to do. In honour and memory of Jota across all levels, Liverpool retired squad number 20. Jota and his brother Andre Silva passed away in a car accident in the Spanish province of Zamora.“When you think of Diogo Jota, the constant smile he played with is e…

Perth, Aug 14 (IANS) Australia fast bowler Jhye Richardson said he remains hopeful of featuring in this year’s Ashes despite only bowling for the first time on Tuesday since his latest shoulder surgery but admitted that there’s still ‘a lot of water to go under the bridge’ before he is ready for Test cricket. Richardson, 28, underwent a third operation on his right shoulder in January to address repeated dislocations and has not played Test cricket since taking a maiden five-wicket haul …

Mumbai, Aug 14 (IANS) Reigning champions Haryana Steelers will be aiming to become just the second team to successfully defend their Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) crown in the upcoming season.Since their Pro Kabaddi debut in 2017, the Steelers have been one of the most consistent teams in recent years and have reached the Playoffs in four of the seven seasons that they have competed in.Manpreet Singh, one of the most successful coaches in PKL history, will continue as head coach of the Steelers after…

Cairns, Aug 14 (IANS) Veteran all-rounder Glenn Maxwell said he is fine-tuning his bowling in the powerplay, with an aim to take up new ball bowling duties for Australia at next year’s T20 World Cup, set to be held in India and Sri Lanka. Maxwell, 36, has bowled two overs inside the powerplay in both T20Is against South Africa in Darwin and even dismissed skipper Aiden Markram in Tuesday’s game. Maxwell is no stranger to bowling in powerplay, especially after famously removing Rohit Sharma i…

Cincinnati, Aug 14 (IANS) World no.1 Aryna Sabalenka and no. 3 seed Iga Swiatek advanced to Cincinnati Open quarterfinal here on Thursday (IST).Defending champion Sabalenka beat Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-1, 7-5. This was her 50th win of the season.She will face former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who beat Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-2.Swiatek advanced to her third straight Cincinnati Open quarterfinal with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat over Sorana Cirstea in 1 hour…

New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) The 1972 Munich Olympics hockey bronze medallist and father of tennis icon Leander Paes, Dr Vece Paez, has passed away in Kolkata at the age of 80. He was suffering from advanced stage of Parkinson’s disease.Born in Goa in April, 1945, Dr Paes was exceptional in both sports and academics. Beyond his athletic achievements, he was also a doctor of sports medicine and served as president of the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club.His son, Leander, often spoke of his father’s…

Cincinnati, Aug 14 (IANS) Carlos Alcaraz sprinted into the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals with a convincing 6-1, 6-4 win over Italian Luca Nardi.Alcaraz closed out the first set in just 27 minutes, making up for a late start to his feature night match, after the Centre Court schedule was impacted by an extended rain delay earlier in the day.In the second set Alcaraz was trailing 2-4 before tallying four consecutive games to advance after 80 minutes. The 22-year-old won a lengthy, eight-deuce game…