A round-up of other sports news in brief...
Sangakkara saves Test for Sri Lanka
CRICKET: A heroic undefeated 130 from captain Kumar Sangakkara helped Sri Lanka save the third Test against Pakistan yesterday with the draw giving them a 2-0 victory in the three-match series.
Sri Lanka resumed on 183-3 chasing an improbable 492-run target and, led by Sangakkara, defied Pakistan’s bowlers throughout an enthralling final day, closing on 391 for four after a rearguard performance lasting 134 overs.
Sangakkara’s marathon 303-ball innings, his 19th test century and first since taking over the captaincy, spanned nearly eight hours and included seven boundaries.
The 31-year-old left-hander was helped either side of lunch by Thilan Samaraweera (73) with whom he added 122 for the fourth wicket, Sri Lanka’s highest partnership in a low-scoring series.
All rounder Angelo Mathews scored an unbeaten 64.
Twins girls cap it all for Federer
ROGER Federer’s wife Mirka has given birth to twin girls, the world’s number one tennis player proudly announced on his website yesterday.
The 27-year-old Swiss, who won his record 15th Grand Slam at Wimbledon, said his daughters Charlene Riva and Myla Rose were born on Thursday in his native country.
“This is the greatest day of our lives,” Federer said on www.rogerfederer.com.
“Mirka, Myla and Charlene are all healthy and doing very well.”
Swiss media said the twins, who are the couple’s first children, were born at a private clinic in Zurich.
Federer met the Slovak-born Mirka Vavrinec at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 when she was still playing professional tennis. Mirka retired in 2002 due to a persistent foot injury.
The couple married in April this year.
Joyce back in England frame
CRICKET: Ed Joyce got a significant boost ahead of playing for Sussex in today’s Friends Provident Trophy final against Hampshire at Lord’s after being named in England’s 30-man provisional squad for September’s Champions Trophy in South Africa, writes Emmet Riordan.
The 30-year-old from Bray has been in inspired form with the bat since moving from Middlesex over the winter, racking up over 1,200 runs in all competitions, including leading the charts in the FP Trophy with 531.
A career-high one-day score of 146 in their televised semi-final win over Gloucestershire impressed the English selectors, who have overlooked the stylish left-hander since the 2007 World Cup.
Joyce’s former Middlesex and Ireland team-mate Eoin Morgan has also made the extended squad, that will be reduced to 15 by August 23rd.
SRI Lanka left-armer Chaminda Vaas, 35, bade an emotional farewell to Test cricket after the third Test against Pakistan yesterday.
Safina charges past Camerin
TENNIS: World number one Dinara Safina charged into the Slovenia Open semi-finals by crushing Italian Maria Elena Camerin 6-3 6-0 yesterday.
Safina never looked back after reeling off the first three games of the match.
Camerin, 100th in the rankings, had no chance as her powerful opponent kept up her record of not dropping a set in the tournament.
Maher denied right at the death
ROWING: Ireland’s Michael Maher was just a quarter of a second off landing a place in the A/B semi-finals – and the top 12 at this level – at the World Under-23 Championships at Racice in the Czech Republic yesterday, reports Liam Gorman.
With three boats to qualify, Brazil’s Ailson Silva dominated this quarter-final, and Nemanja Nesic of Serbia locked in to second place.
By halfway, Maher had established himself in the third qualification place. But a late push by Kwan Hoi Lok of Hong Kong denied the Dubliner at the death.
Maher will compete in the C/D semi-finals, as will Niall Kenny and Mark O’Donovan in the lightweight double scull. The Ireland double were also one place away from a shot at the very top, finishing third in their repechage when second would have given them a place in the A/B semi-finals.
Five Jamaican athletes test positive for banned drug
ATHLETICS: Five members of the Jamaican team for next month’s world athletics championships have been recalled home after testing positive for a banned substance, a Jamaican anti-doping official said last night.
“All five athletes who were members of the squad to the world championships have been pulled immediately and will return to Jamaica for a hearing,” the official, who declined to be identified, said.
Earlier the official confirmed that five track athletes had tested positive for a “minor substance”.
He said none of the athletes, who had tested positive at the national championships in Kingston last month, were medallists at last year’s Beijing Olympics.
Two were members of the newly formed Racers Track Club which includes triple Olympic champion and world record holder Usain Bolt. His coach Glen Mills also works at the club.
“It’s frightening, but all five tested positive for the same drug, although the five trained almost under different circumstances,” the official said.
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding summoned officials of the Jamaica Anti-doping Agency and the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association to a meeting to discuss the reports.
“Actually I heard that was a rumour . . . I don’t know much about that, you’ll just have to ask my agent,” Bolt told the BBC at the London grand prix where he was competing in the 100 metres.
