■LONDON
Sehwag injures ankle
India opening batsman Virender Sehwag has been ruled out of the one-day series against Sri Lanka after injuring his ankle in training. India’s leading batsman in the test series, Sehwag twisted his ankle in training on Sunday and missed the opener of the five-match series in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, a day later, a contest India lost by eight wickets. Sehwag will return home and a decision on whether to send out a replacement has yet to be made.
■CRICKET
Rain ruins Edinburgh ODI
Rain ruined the first competitive one-day international between Scotland and England in Edinburgh on Monday. England, chasing 157 to win, were 10 without loss when the weather intervened for the last time. Earlier, rain reduced Scotland’s innings from 50 to 44 overs and the hosts chalked up 156 for nine with opener Gavin Hamilton scoring 60. Hamilton helped Scotland recover from 11 for three after recalled seamer Tim Bresnan had removed Kyle Coetzer and Navdeep Poonia for ducks. Andrew Flintoff eventually had Hamilton caught behind by Matt Prior, one of three wickets for the England all-rounder.
■RUGBY UNION
Habana ruled out of Test
A hamstring injury has ruled star South Africa wing Bryan Habana out of a Tri-Nations Test against Australia in Durban, South Africa, on Saturday. Habana, voted International Rugby Board Player of the Year after helping the Springboks win the World Cup last year, retired injured during a 19-0 defeat by New Zealand last Saturday in the southern hemisphere championship. Defending champions New Zealand top the standings with 14 points from five matches followed by the Wallabies (nine from three) and South Africa (five from four).
■SOCCER
Adebayor signs new deal
Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has signed an improved deal with the club tying him to the Gunners until 2012, an official statement said on Monday. Togo international Adebayor scored 30 goals last season, but was persistently linked with AC Milan and Barcelona during the summer. However, a statement on the club’s official Web site said that “Arsenal can today confirm that Togolese forward Emmanuel Adebayor has signed a new long-term contract with the club.” The 24-year-old Adebayor, whom Arsenal signed from Monaco in January 2006, said on the eve of the new season he would be staying put after agreeing terms on a new improved deal worth a reported £80,000 (US$155,000) a week. “We have to get behind him and support him because he is a tremendous force and [he is of] tremendous importance for the team — you want your own fans to be behind him,” coach Arsene Wenger said. “What happened in the transfer period did not always reflect his deep desire and there was manipulation from agents on both sides, but overall I am positive he will recover.”
■SOCCER
Arena to coach Galaxy
Bruce Arena, the all-time most winning coach for the US national team, was named the new head coach and general manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy on Monday. Arena’s hiring comes a week after a general manager Alexi Lalas was fired and coach Ruud Gullit resigned from the struggling Major League Soccer club. Lalas, a former member of the American World Cup team, was dismissed after failing to lead the team to the playoffs the last two years.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
MILWAUKEE PREVAIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points as the Bucks withstood Nikola Jokic’s 27th triple-double of the season to beat the Nuggets Golden State star Stephen Curry on Thursday drilled 12 three-pointers in a scintillating 56-point display that carried the Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic. Curry’s explosive performance helped the Warriors dig themselves out of a 17-point hole, with the point guard signaling the start of the fightback with a three-pointer from beyond the half-court line to end the first half that pulled the Warriors within 66-52 at the break. In the third quarter, he single-handedly outscored the Magic with 22 points to Orlando’s 21. The four-time NBA champion finished two three-pointers shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s record for most
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