A round-up of other sports news in brief
Pakistan facing a 13th defeat in a row to Australia
CRICKET: Pakistan face a 13th consecutive defeat against Australia in the first Test at Lord’s after they were set a world record 440 to win on the third day yesterday.
At the close of a day in which the sun shone consistently for the first time in the match, Pakistan were 114 for one in their second innings with vice-captain Salman Butt on 58.
An Australian victory would break the record they share with Sri Lanka, who have defeated Bangladesh 12 times in a row.
Pakistan needed quick wickets to have any chance of a win when play resumed with Australia 100 for four in their second innings, an overall lead of 205. Instead nightwatchman Mitchell Johnson scored 30 and Ben Hilfenhaus was 56 not out. Last man Doug Bollinger made 21 in a lively 10th-wicket partnership of 52 with Hilfenhaus. Debutant wicketkeeper Tim Paine weighed in with 47 after another feat of monumental concentration from opener Simon Katich who followed his first innings 80 with 83 in exactly four hours.
ICC proposes own anti-doping code
CRICKET: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has tabled an anti-doping code it says satisfies WADA’s “whereabouts” rule but will not force many elite cricketers to provide information on their location away from the game.
According to an excerpt of a draft code, member nations’ 11 top-ranked one-day international cricketers on a “National Player Pool” would only need to provide “cricket whereabouts information” rather than their personal whereabouts at all times. The more rigorous application of the rule – including compelling athletes to nominate their whereabouts for an hour every day over a quarterly period – would only apply to cricketers placed on a registered testing pool.
These would be confined to players with past doping offences, those unfit or with injuries that sideline them for at least three months and those demoted from the National Player Pool for whereabouts-related violations.
Rossi makes speedy recovery
MOTO GP: World champion Valentino Rossi has been cleared to race in this weekend’s German Grand Prix, six weeks after breaking his leg, his Yamaha team said yesterday.
The 31-year-old Italian was examined by circuit chief medical officer Huber Fischer at the Sachsenring and deemed fit enough to compete.
Rossi has missed four races and dropped to seventh in the standings led by Spanish team mate Jorge Lorenzo.
Aachen win a big boost for Ireland
EQUESTRIAN: Ireland moved well out of the relegation zone in the Meydan FEI Nations’ Cup league when winning the German leg in Aachen last night on a two-round score of four faults, writes Margie McLoone.
Double clears from Dermott Lennon (Hallmark Elite) and Cian O’Connor (K Club Lady) assured Ireland of victory as Billy Twomey and Tinka’s Serenade, who had picked up four faults in round one, had gone clear on their second tour of the course. This meant that Denis Lynch and Lantinus, who had faulted once in round one, didn’t have to jump again.
At the halfway stage, Ireland were in a five-way tie for first with Poland and Spain being eliminated. At the end of round two, it was the Germans who threw down the strongest challenge to the Irish team, finishing on nine faults with the USA third on 12.
MEYDAN FEI NATIONS’ CUP – 1 Ireland (Tinka’s Serenade (B Twomey) 4/0, Hallmark Elite (D Lennon) 0/0, K Club Lady (C O’Connor) 0/0, Lantinus (D Lynch) 4/-) 4, 2 Germany 9, 3 USA 12.
Semenya back in business
ATHLETICS: South Africa’s world 800 metres champion Caster Semenya won her comeback race yesterday after an enforced break of almost a year following controversial gender tests.
Semenya won in two minutes 4.22 seconds in the southeastern Finnish town of Lappeenranta in her first competitive outing since taking gold in 1:55.45 at the Berlin World Championships last August.
“It is not easy to come and run 2:04 while you stayed for 11 months at home, so yeah, I am pretty happy with the performance,” Semenya said in an interview with the Finnish broadcaster YLE.
The 19-year-old is scheduled to compete in Lapinlahti, central Finland, on Sunday before returning to South Africa.
Iroquois see red and forfeit match
LACROSSE: A Native American team forfeited their opening match of the men’s lacrosse world championship yesterday after being denied entry to Britain on tribal passports.
The Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) said in a statement the 23 Iroquois players had been told they needed US or Canadian documents to attend the two-week tournament in Manchester.
The Iroquois, whose tribal ancestors are credited with inventing the game, say accepting such passports would be a blow against their national identity.
“We are sorry that the Iroquois are still having problems getting their visas,” said FIL spokesman Ron Balls. “Given the delays, we had to make a decision on the opening date.”
The Iroquois had not withdrawn from the event and could still compete if granted access.
