MELBOURNE: Australia captain Pat Cummins threw his support behind star opener Usman Khawaja Monday, saying his bid to bring attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was “not offensive.”
Khawaja has been denied permission by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to have a sticker showing a black dove holding an olive branch on his bat and shoes during the second Test against Pakistan.
The logo, which he displayed during training on Sunday, also had the words 01:UDHR — a reference to Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — written on it.
The 36-year-old, a Muslim, was stopped from wearing shoes emblazoned with the hand-written slogans “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” during the first Test in Perth.
The ICC said they flouted its rules on messages that relate to politics, religion or race.
“We really support Uzzy. He’s standing up for what he believes and I think he’s done it really respectfully,” Cummins told reporters on the eve of the Test in Melbourne.
“As I said last week, ‘All lives are equal’, I don’t think that’s very offensive and I’d say the same about the dove.
“That’s Uzzy. I think he can really hold his head high with the way he’s gone about it.
“But obviously there’s rules in place and I believe the ICC have said they’re not going to approve that. They make up the rules and you’ve got to accept it.”
Khawaja wore a black armband during the Perth Test and was reprimanded by the ICC, but insisted it was for a “personal bereavement” and not politically motivated.
Last week, he spoke about how Israel’s war had affected him.
“When I’m looking at my Instagram and seeing innocent kids, videos of them dying, passing away, that’s what hit me the hardest,” he said.
“I don’t have any agendas other than trying to shine a light on what I feel really passionately, really strongly about.”
Australia skipper Cummins backs Khawaja on Gaza views
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Australia skipper Cummins backs Khawaja on Gaza views
- Khawaja has been denied permission by ICC to display peace sticker on his bat
- He was last week reprimanded by the ICC for wearing a black armband during Perth Test
Kevin Durant scores 42 points as Suns eclipse Cavs
- The win lifted Phoenix into 10th place in the Western Conference and into the play-in tournament reckoning
- Oklahoma City Thunder celebrated their successful clinching of the No.1 seeding on Thursday with a ruthless 141-106 beatdown of the Charlotte Hornets
LOS ANGELES: Kevin Durant scored 42 points as the Phoenix Suns reignited their playoff hopes with a 123-112 upset of the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
A superb performance from Durant secured a third straight victory for Phoenix as they aim to muscle their way into the postseason picture in the Western Conference.
Durant erupted for 19 points in a third-quarter burst of scoring that took the game beyond Cleveland’s grasp, with the Suns opening up a 98-79 lead heading into the fourth quarter which they never looked like letting slip.
The win lifted Phoenix into 10th place in the Western Conference and into the play-in tournament reckoning.
The top six teams in each NBA conference qualify automatically for the playoffs, while teams placed from 7th to 10th play in a mini tournament to determine the final two playoff berths.
“This is the best team in the league,” Durant said of Cleveland following the Suns win.
“We’ve been struggling and we know we’ve got the toughest schedule for the last 10 games,” he added. “So we just wanted to dial in and make sure we kept building on the work we’ve done over the last week.”
Cleveland’s fourth consecutive loss leaves the second-placed Boston Celtics just five wins behind the Cavs at the top of the East.
The Celtics improved to 51-19 after thrashing the Utah Jazz 121-99 on the back of 27 points from Kristaps Porzingis and 26 points from Jayson Tatum.
The Detroit Pistons’ progress toward the playoffs suffered a jolt in a surprising 123-117 defeat on the road to the struggling Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavs — whose season has been blown off course by the trade of Luka Doncic to the Lakers and a season-ending injury to Kyrie Irving — powered to a precious victory thanks to 31 points from Spencer Dinwiddie and 27 from P.J. Washington.
The result leaves Dallas perched on the edge of playoff contention in 11th place with a 34-37 record in the Western Conference.
Detroit occupy the sixth and last automatic playoff berth in the East.
Despite the loss the Pistons will fancy their chances of locking down a postseason ticket given a vastly superior record — 39-32 — to seventh-placed Atlanta (33-36).
In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrated their successful clinching of the No.1 seeding on Thursday with a ruthless 141-106 beatdown of the Charlotte Hornets.
The Thunder were assured of top spot in the West despite not playing on Thursday after the Los Angeles Lakers’ defeat to Milwaukee.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 30 points as no fewer than eight OKC players finished in double figures in a wire-to-win which leaves the Thunder with a 58-12 record at the top of the West.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said he wanted to see his team play with the same intensity for the remainder of the regular season as they build toward the playoffs.
“We got to play with a sense of purpose — you can’t coast into the postseason,” Daigneault said.
“It was a great 48-minute effort. We played to our standards on both ends of the floor.”
With OKC already assured of top spot, Houston boosted their hopes of clinching second place in the West after rallying from 11 points down to squeeze past the Miami Heat, winning 102-98 on the road to bag their ninth consecutive win.
Fred VanVleet was the key man for Houston, finishing with 37 points after a devastating exhibition of long-range shooting.
VanVleet drained nine-of-11 attempts from outside the arc as the Rockets improved to 46-25.
The Minnesota Timberwolves remain hard on the heels of the sixth-placed Golden State Warriors (41-29) in the race for the playoffs.
The Wolves, who are one place behind Golden State, improved to 41-31 after a 134-93 pasting of the New Orleans Pelicans.
In another upset, the Portland Trail Blazers outgunned the injury-hit Denver Nuggets 128-109.
Argentina without Messi win at Uruguay, need a draw with Brazil to qualify for 2026 World Cup
- Argentina’s midfielder Thiago Almada celebrates after scoring during the 2026 FIFA World Cup South American qualifiers football match between Uruguay and Argentina at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo, on Friday. (AFP)
- Argentina lead the round robin competition with 28 points after 13 matches, and could secure their place with a home draw with Brazil on Tuesday
MONTEVIDEO: Argentina didn’t miss Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez and other key players on Friday and beat Uruguay away 1-0 in convincing fashion in their South American World Cup qualifying match.
Thiago Almada scored the winner with a powerful curled shot from the edge of the box, putting the defending champions one point away from their direct spot in the tournament next year.
Argentina lead the round robin competition with 28 points after 13 matches, and could secure their place with a home draw with Brazil on Tuesday. The team of coach Lionel Scaloni already has 15 points ahead of 7th-placed Bolivia, with only five rounds to the end of the competition.
The last time the two soccer powerhouses clashed, Argentina won 1-0 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Earlier, Ecuador defeated Venezuela 2-1 and moved into second place in South American World Cup, edging close to reaching the tournament once again.
Brazil is third with 21 points, one ahead of Uruguay and Paraguay. Colombia, with 19 points, has the sixth position.
The top six teams will secure direct berths to the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The seventh-place team among the 10 of the region will still have a chance to qualify through an international playoff.
No Messi, no problem
Argentina had to accommodate key absences beyond Messi. Lautaro Martinez, Lisandro Martínez, and Rodrigo De Paul did not play in Montevideo. So coach Lionel Scaloni gave a place to Giuliano Simeone in the starting lineup, with Julián Álvarez and Thiago Almada up front.
Uruguay, playing in a full Centenario Stadium against their archrival, took the initiative and had the clearest chances in the first half. But Argentina managed to hold their ground and started getting the better opportunities after halftime.
Almada’s goal in the 68th minute, after Argentina had wasted several other opportunities in front of goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, still didn’t push Uruguay forward as Marcelo Bielsa’s team finished the match with only four shots on goal.
“I was a little anxious, very willing to play and to show why I was making the squad,” said Almada, a world champion with Argentina in 2022. “Now we have to rest and wait for this match against Brazil, they will rest one more day than us.”
Argentina’s Nico González will miss the match against Brazil. He was sent off after a challenge against Nahitan Nandez in injury time.
Brazil have selection problems of their own for Tuesday’s match at the Monumental de Nunez Stadium, as starting goalkeeper Alisson, defender Gabriel Magalhaes and midfielder Bruno Guimaraes are all ineligible to play.
Argentina coach Scaloni celebrated his team’s performance despite so many absences.
“We made a complete match, we absorbed the pressure. When we had to play, we did it. And when we had to defend, we did it too,” Scaloni said in a press conference. “I am happy not only for our win, but also for how the team behaves.”
Uruguay will have a chance to recover against Bolivia on Tuesday. If the Bolivians fail to beat the Uruguayans, Argentina will qualify for the World Cup even if it loses against Brazil.
Valencia brace
Enner Valencia, Ecuador’s all-time top goal-scorer, added another two to his tally on Friday.
The striker broke through the Venezuelan defense in the 39th minute and scored with a powerful right-footed shot from an acute angle. In the first minute of the second half, he added the second after a run on the left flank ended in a classy poach over goalkeeper Rafael Romo.
Valencia could have had a third from the spot in the 69th but he missed it.
Jhonder Cádiz scored for Venezuela in injury time.
Venezuela has not won for nine straight games and remains in eighth place. The team still has a chance of qualifying for the first time in history.
Ecuador started the competition with a three-point deficit due to fielding Byron Castillo, who was actually Colombian and ineligible to play in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Now it is close to returning to the tournament in with a steady, confident squad.
Ecuador will travel to play 10th-placed Chile on Tuesday. Venezuela will play host to 9th-placed Peru.
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George Foreman, the glowering heavyweight who became a lovable champion, dies at 76
George Foreman, the fearsome heavyweight who lost the “Rumble in the Jungle” to Muhammad Ali before his inspiring second act as a 45-year-old champion and a successful businessman, died Friday night. He was 76.
Foreman’s family announced his death on social media.
“A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand- and great-grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility and purpose,” his family wrote.
A native Texan, Foreman began his boxing career as an Olympic gold medalist who inspired fear as he climbed to the peak of the heavyweight division by stopping Joe Frazier in 1973. His formidable aura evaporated only a year later when Ali pulled off one of the most audacious victories in boxing history in Zaire, baiting and taunting Foreman into losing his belt in one of the greatest fights ever staged.
Foreman left the sport a few years later, but returned after a 10-year absence and a self-described religious awakening.
He then pulled off one of the most spectacular knockouts in boxing history in 1994, flooring Michael Moorer — 19 years his junior — with one perfect combination to claim Moorer’s two heavyweight belts.
Foreman’s transformation into an inspirational figure was complete, and he fought only four more times before moving onto his next career as a genial businessman, pitchman and occasional actor.
He was best known as the face of the George Foreman Grill, a rudimentary cooking machine which sold more than 100 million units and made him much wealthier than his sport ever did.
Struggling Medvedev suffers early exit in Miami
- Medvedev hurling his racket on several occasions
- The Russian made 32 unforced errors
MIAMI, United States: Daniil Medvedev crashed out of the Miami Open in the second round on Friday after suffering a 6-2, 6-3 upset defeat to Spain’s 56th-ranked Jaume Munar.
Medvedev, the 2023 winner in Miami, showed his frustration, hurling his racket on several occasions as the Mallorca-born 27-year-old picked up his third career win against a top 10 opponent.
The Russian made 32 unforced errors and although he gave himself a chance of a comeback in the final game, he couldn’t convert on two break points.
Karen Khachanov ensured the Nick Kyrgios comeback trail was cut short with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-0 win.
Australian Kyrgios, who has struggled since wrist surgery, defeated Mackenzie McDonald in the first round to earn his first tour-level win since October 2022 but was unable to overcome Khachanov, who reached the semis in Miami in 2023.
In the women’s draw, world number two Iga Swiatek advanced into the third round after surviving a second set dip to beat France’s Caroline Garcia 6-2, 7-5.
Swiatek had beaten Garcia with ease at the same stage at Indian Wells earlier this month but she faced a little more resistance at Hard Rock Stadium.
Swiatek was 3-1 down in the second set and had to save a set point, when serving at 5-4 down before rallying to win the last three games.
“My energy level got down really fast. So I tried to wake myself up, keep the intensity from the first set, follow through and go for it,” Swiatek said.
Swiatek lost to Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals at Indian Wells, with the 17-year-old Russian going on to win the title.
Andreeva is in action later on Friday when she takes on fellow-Russian Veronika Kudermetova.
In the men’s draw, fourth-seed Novak Djokovic faces Australian Rinky Hijikata while second-seed Carlos Alcaraz launches his bid against Belgian David Goffin.
Man City launch Ramadan Esports Football Cup in MENA region
- Competition will engage participants from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Algeria
- Leading players from each regional qualifier will advance to the semifinal stage on April 4
ABU DHABI: Manchester City announced on Friday the launching of Ramadan Esports Football Cup, a regional tournament spanning the Middle East and North Africa.
The competition will engage participants from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Algeria, the Emirates News Agency reported.
Tournament regulations stipulate that on entering national qualifying rounds, participants are allotted a five-hour window to complete a maximum of ten matches against regional competitors.
Leading players from each regional qualifier will advance to the semifinal stage, scheduled for April 4 at 13:00 (local time). Winners of those semifinal matches will then proceed to the grand final held later that day.
Finalists will be awarded a selection of prizes, including an exclusive one-on-one match with a Manchester City esports professional player and an official Manchester City jersey, autographed by the entire team.
The tournament is open to players of all levels and is available across a range of different platforms, including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and PC.
