Sports

COLOMBO, (Reuters) – Sri Lanka left out fast bowler  Lasith Malinga due to a back injury when they named a 16-man  squad to play Australia in two Twenty20 internationals at  Pallakele, Kandy early next month.

The Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) will open its  Sevens season with the traditional Banks DIH Sevens competition today featuring men’s and  women’s competition among he Yamaha Caribs, the Guyana Defence Force and Hornets.

The organisers of the inaugural Kares Engineering/Bushy Park Sawmills Inc 10/10 Tapeball cricket competition yesterday announced that three regional mega stars will be in Guyana for a concert to be held following the finals of the current competition on September 4 at the Providence National Stadium.

NASSAU, Bahamas,  CMC – The US Virgin Islands upset the Bahamas on Friday night in a thriller to crown themselves champions of the Caribbean.

SHANGHAI, (Reuters) – Michael Phelps, already the  most successful Olympian of all time, picked up his third  successive world 100 metres butterfly title yesterday.

NOTTINGHAM, England, (Reuters) –Stuart Broad inspired an England fightback for the second day in a row  yesterday by taking the first test hat-trick at his home ground of Trent Bridge to drag England back into the second test against India.

NOTTINGHAM, England, (Reuters) – India’s Rahul  Dravid said yesterday it was “truly fantastic” to join  compatriot Sunil Gavaskar on 34 test hundreds but added he did  not believe he was in the same league as the former opener.

Mushfiqur Rahim stood head and shoulders above the rest of the Bangladeshi batsman in their first three-day outing as a team in 14 months.

Director of Cricket at the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Tony Howard says the regional board has approved the Jam Zone Master’s Cup T20 cricket competition scheduled for August 12 and 14 at the Guyana National Stadium according to a release from the PRO of the event Sean Devers.

The Demerara Distillers Limited  Topco Juices Emancipation Chess Tournament gets cracking this morning at the Kei-Shar’s Sports Club on Camp and Hadfield Sts, Georgetown.

All arrangements are in place for today’s Pre-Emancipation Horse Race Meet at the Port Mourant Turf Club from 13:00 hours.

Former Group Four champion driver Mar Vieira yesterday signalled that he would be the man to beat today when he smashed the lap record at the South Dakota Circuit yesterday.

By Treiston Joseph Leslain Baird claimed a sprint double as Defence Head Quarters (DHQ) amassed 288.5 points to win the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Inter Unit Championship at the Camp Ayanganna ground yesterday.

Mental preparation and exposure to higher levels of training and competition were the reasons given by coach Linden Johnson for Guyana finishing third at the recently concluded Cadets and Under-13 table tennis tournament in the Dominican Republic.

NOTTINGHAM, England, (Reuters) – Stuart Broad  launched a late counter-attack with a blazing 64 to help England  fight back against India on the first day of the second test yesterday.

SHANGHAI, (Reuters) – Michael Phelps will need to  rely on the same turn of speed that brought him home in the  semi-finals on Friday if he is to retain his 100 metres  butterfly title at the world swimming championships today.

BUDAPEST, (Reuters) – Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was  given a card from reporters and a personal greeting from Formula  One boss Bernie Ecclestone on his 30th birthday but what the  Spaniard really wants is a more exciting Hungarian Grand Prix.

Alpha ‘the Hammer’ United was trounced 8-0 by Costa Rica’s Herediano in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League on July 26 but president of the country’s number one football team Odinga Lumumba said that he was not disappointed with his team’s performance.

KILLARNEY, Ireland, (Reuters) – U.S. Open champion  Rory McIlroy refused to back down in his Twitter spat with  broadcaster Jay Townsend after safely making the cut in the  Irish Open yesterday.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Basketball’s international  federation (FIBA) has given its approval for locked-out  National Basketball Association (NBA) players to compete  overseas during the work stoppage, it said yesterday.