India win toss, bat against England in Stokes’ 100th Test

India win toss, bat against England in Stokes’ 100th Test

India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat against England in the third Test in Rajkot on Thursday. The match is the 100th Test for England captain Ben Stokes. "Time flies when you're having fun," the 32-year-old said at the toss. India made four changes to their team with the five-match series level at 1-1, handing Test debuts to batsman Sarfaraz Khan and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. […]

February 15, 2024 2

Sport

Immobile hands Lazio Champions League advantage over troubled Bayern

Ciro Immobile gave Lazio a slender lead in their Champions League last 16 tie with under-fire Bayern Munich after netting the only goal in a 1-0 win in Wednesday's first leg.Italy forward Immobile slotted home the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the 69th minute at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to pile pressure on Bundesliga champions Bayern.The spot-kick was won by Gustav Isaksen who was clattered by […]

February 15, 2024 3

Sport

Mbappe scores as PSG take control of Real Sociedad Champions League tie

Kylian Mbappe scored the opener as Paris Saint-Germain took a big step towards reaching the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday.The mediocrity of PSG's first-half performance at the Parc des Princes may have had their supporters fearing another in a long line of disappointing results down the years in the Champions League knockout stages.But Mbappe, […]

February 15, 2024 7

Sport

Under-fire Horner set to appear at Red Bull’s car launch

Christian Horner will appear at Red Bull's 2024 car launch on Thursday amid an investigation into allegations of "inappropriate behaviour" by the team principal.Horner is set to attend the Formula One champions' launch event at their Milton Keynes base despite the accusation by a female colleague which surfaced at the beginning of last week.The 50-year-old, married to former Spice Girls pop star Geri Halliwell, categorically denies the claim that […]

February 15, 2024 1

Sport

Nadal admits doubt over planned return at Qatar Open

Rafael Nadal said Wednesday he is unsure if he will be ready to return to action in Doha next week after he withdrew from the Australian Open with a muscle tear.The Spaniard missed most of last year with a hip injury sustained in Melbourne but made his comeback at the Brisbane International in the lead-up to this year's Australian Open.However, a small muscle tear forced the 37-year-old to pull […]

February 15, 2024 6

Sport

McLaren ‘realistic’ about 2024 F1 season as they launch new car

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said the team were "realistic" about the celebrated team's prospects for the 2024 Formula One season as they unveiled their new car on Wednesday.McLaren's Lando Norris was the second-highest points scorer behind Red Bull's runaway champion Max Verstappen in the final 12 races of last year's campaign following a major car upgrade. That though was still only good enough for a sixth-placed finish and […]

February 15, 2024 8

Sport

Sri Lanka celebrate 3-0 sweep against Afghanistan

Sri Lanka completed a sweep of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, confidently beating the tourists in the final game by seven wickets Wednesday at Pallekele.Set a target of 267, Sri Lanka won with 88 balls remaining, as their domination of the opponents continued.Opening batsman Pathum Nissanka smashed his fifth one-day international hundred and the second in the series for the hosts.Nissanka finished the series with 346 runs, the […]

February 15, 2024 3

Environment

Furious protesting Indian farmers stalled but defiant

By Arunabh SAIKIA Shambhu, India, Feb 14, 2024 (AFP) - The line of tractors stretches nearly far as one can see -- thousands of protesting Indian farmers heading to the capital New Delhi, determined to bring their anger and woes to politicians. Many have driven on slow-moving tractors across India's northern Punjab state to demand guaranteed crop prices, waving flags, honking horns and chanting protest slogans. But they […]

February 14, 2024 16

Sport

Ex-Tokyo marathon winner Chepchirchir banned eight years for doping

Sarah Chepchirchir became the latest Kenyan athlete to be banned for doping, receiving an eight-year suspension on Wednesday after she tested positive for a banned substance for the second time. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said in a statement the 39-year-old 2017 Tokyo marathon champion had tested positive for testosterone in a sample after she finished second in the Chonburi Marathon in Thailand last November. Chepchirchir failed to […]

February 14, 2024 30