New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) On a cloudy Monday morning, The Oval resembled a colosseum. Spectators held their breath, waiting to see which way the final game of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series would tilt – in favour of India or England? When Mohammed Siraj charged in to bowl the first ball of the 86th over, just six runs stood between India and a famous win. On his 1,113th delivery of the series, he unleashed his fifth-fastest ball of the tour — a 143 kmph yorker that evaded Gus Atkinson’s at…

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Defending champions Saint Lucia Kings have named veteran Namibian international David Wiese as the captain for the upcoming season of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), starting August 14. The allrounder joined the franchise in 2022 and returned once again last season, where he played a key role in helping Kings win the trophy. Coming down the lower-middle order to bat, Wiese scored crucial 121 runs in 11 games at an explosive strike rate of 168.05 and an average of 40…

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Former AIFF general secretary Shaji Prabhakaran believes the ongoing deadlock over the scheduling of the 2025–26 Indian Super League (ISL) season is likely to be resolved following Thursday’s scheduled meeting between the national federation and ISL club CEOs. Amid the uncertainty over the future of India’s top-flight football tournament, many ISL clubs have suspended their first-team operations for an indefinite time.”We can expect the end of this impasse as the powe…

London, Aug 7 (IANS) Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted that his side were guilty of naive defending, which ultimately cost them in a 3-2 friendly defeat to Villarreal – their second consecutive pre-season loss. After opening their pre-season campaign with wins over AC Milan and Newcastle United, Arsenal suffered a setback against Tottenham Hotspur and followed it up with another defeat on Wednesday, going 2-0 down within the first 33 minutes at the Emirates Stadium against the Spanish side.”…

Burnley, Aug 7 (IANS) French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu reflected on his move from Chelsea to Burnley for an undisclosed fee and said joining the Clarets is the perfect decision for him at this stage of his career. The talented 21-year-old has signed a five-year contract at Turf Moor after Burnley beat off stiff competition from around the Premier League and Europe for his signature. In putting pen to paper, Ugochukwu becomes the seventh addition to Scott Parker’s squad this summer.“It’s …

Kuala Lumpur, Aug 7 (IANS) India have been drawn with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in Group G of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026 Qualifiers, following the draw conducted at the AFC House here on Thursday.The draw saw 27 teams divided into eight groups – three of four teams each and five of three. They will contest the qualifiers in a single round-robin centralised league format from October 13 to 17.India will face Kyrgyzstan on October 13 and Uzbekistan on October 17 in Bishkek.The eigh…

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 7 (IANS) The Kerala government’s claim that no public money would be spent to bring football legend Lionel Messi to the state has now been exposed as misleading.It has now emerged that the state government spent Rs 13 lakh on the Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman’s trip to Spain in September 2024, reportedly to invite Messi to Kerala. The Minister was accompanied by the Sports Department Secretary and the Director of Sports and Youth Affairs.This revelation contradi…

Melbourne, Aug 7 (IANS) Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney have been named in Australia A squad for the two red-ball four-day matches against India A in September, with an eye towards Australia’s 2027 Test tour rather than the upcoming Ashes. Teenage talent Oliver Peake and promising Victoria opener Campbell Kellaway have also been named in the squad. However, notable performers from the recent Australia A series against Sri Lanka A – Jake Weatherald, Jason Sangha and Kurtis Patterson – have misse…

Montreal, Aug 7 (IANS) Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko’s magical ride in Montreal will continue into the Canadian Open final after another headline-grabbing upset victory. The 18-year-old wild card saved a match point in dispatching No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(4), putting her through to her first WTA Tour singles final. Mboko became the first Canadian player to defeat three former Grand Slam champions (Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Sofia Kenin) in a single WTA event in the Open Era and the …

Fort Lauderdale (USA), Aug 7 (IANS) Inter Miami CF secured a thrilling 3-1 comeback win over Liga MX’s Pumas Unam in the team’s third and final Leagues Cup 2025 phase one fixture to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. Legendary striker Luis Suarez delivered a standout performance with a goal and two assists, while midfielder Rodrigo De Paul scored his first goal for the Club, and Tadeo Allende also got his name onto the scoresheet.Unam opened the scoring to take the lead with a goal from Jor…