Sports World: Sarfaraz, Jurel Get Central Contracts In BCCI Apex Council Meeting - As It Happened

Welcome to the highlights of the sports world news and events for 18 March 2024. The final of the Pakistan Super League 2024 between Multan Sultans and Islamabad United was played in Karachi. Before that, Bangladesh defeated Sri Lanka in the third ODI to clinch the series 2-1 at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. Afghanistan took the hold in the third T20I against Ireland. Atletico Madrid lost 0-3 to Barcelona in the La Liga with their former player Joao Felix scoring on his return. Elsewhere, Inter Milan drew to Napoli in Serie A. Catch the highlights of the sports world for Monday, 18 March, here. Cricket News | Football News)

Afghanistan beat Ireland by 10 runs in a low-scoring game as Afghanistan set a 153-run target for Ireland. Ireland kept losing wickets after a good start and were left 10 runs short of the target. Mohammad Nabi played a crucial 58-run innings. Afghan captain Rashid khan was awarded the player of the match for his 4-0-14-4 bowling figures and quick cameo of 25 off 12 balls while batting.

1. Cheltenham Festival: JCB Triumph Hurdle (1.30 pm)

2. Cheltenham Festival: Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (2.50pm)

3. All-Ireland Senior Hurling Club Championship final: Ballyea v Cuala (3pm)

4. Cheltenham Festival: Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup (3.30pm)

5. All-Ireland Senior Football Club Championship final: Slaughtneil v Dr Crokes (5pm)

6. Women’s Six Nations: Ireland v England (6pm)

7. Boxing: Michael Conlan v Tim Ibarra (3am Saturday morning)

-Time : GMT

Former world no. 1, Carlos Alcaraz has defeated Russia’s Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (5) 6-1 to win his second-straight BNP Paribas Open title at Indian Wells. The Spanish tennis star two took only one hour and 42 minutes to claim victory, marking Alcaraz’s first title since his triumph at Wimbledon last year.

Read more about it here

Bangladesh will be bowling first after Sri Lankan skipper Kusal Mendis won the toss and elected to bat in the third and final ODI at Chattogram. The series is level at 1-1.

Bangladesh have left Sri Lanka tottering in the first innings of the third and final ODI in Chattogram. At the time of writing, the visitors are precariously placed at 141/6 after 31.4 overs, with Wanindu Hasaranga (3 not out) and Janith Liyanage (38 not out) at the crease.

Seamers Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman have picked up two wickets apiece to lead the bowling onslaught. The Lankans desperately need a big partnership to stay competitive in this decider. The series stands tied at 1-1.

In a riveting NBA clash, Kyrie Irving hit a dramatic floating shot with 0.4 seconds left to play that gave the Dallas Mavericks a thrilling 107-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets. The result halted the reigning NBA champions' five-game winning streak.

Irving took an in-bounds pass from Maxi Kleber and dribbled to just behind the free-throw line before sinking a left-handed runner that lifted the Mavericks to their fifth win in six games. Dallas scored the contest's final five points after the Nuggets fought back from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to take a late 105-102 lead.

Turkish police has detained 12 people after fans of top-tier football club Trabzonspor invaded the pitch after a home defeat against Fenerbahce, touching off violent scuffles between the fans and visiting players, Associated Press reports.

The Trabzonspor fans charged onto the pitch as Fenerbahce players celebrated their 3-2 win following the final whistle of the Turkish Superlig game in the Black Sea coastal city of Trabzon.

Brisbane Olympics organizers have scrapped plans to demolish and rebuild an iconic cricket ground as the centerpiece of the 2032 Games while also rejecting a review panel's recommendation for a new stadium in city parklands, Associated Press reports.

Queensland state's Premier Steven Miles has instead announced that he would prefer to upgrade an existing rugby stadium close to downtown Brisbane to host the opening and closing ceremonies.

India's rising golf talent Diksha Dagar produced a strong performance on the final day, a 4-under 67, to finish tied-15th at the IOA Golf Classic at the Alaqua Country Club in Longwood, USA.

A two-time Ladies European Tour champion and third on the Merit list in 2023, Diksha had eight birdies, a double bogey and another late bogey as she made a massive jump up the leaderboard on the Epson Tour event.

Rajasthan Royals have renewed their partnership with Schneider Electric, making the company their official sustainability partner for the third year running.

RR chief executive officer Jake Lush McCrum said, "We are proud to continue this association with Schneider Electric as our Official Sustainability Partner for the third consecutive season. In line with our vision of making a positive impact on society, we stand committed to continue using the power of cricket and the reach of our platforms to nurture 'Green Yodhas' for the planet."

A resolute hand by young Tanzid Hasan Tamim has guided Bangladesh to a four-wicket win in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Chattogram. The 23-year-old scored a composed 84 after coming in as a concussion substitute for Soumya Sarkar.

With that, the hosts clinch the ODI series 2-1.

Saying that "there is no further need" for an ad-hoc committee to run wrestling after the revocation of the Wrestling Federation of India's (WFI) suspension, the Indian Olympic Association has dissolved the panel. With that, WFI will regain full administrative control.

The ad-hoc committee collaborated with WFI to organize the selection trials for next month's Olympic qualifying tournament, and IOA said the successful conduct of the trials also guided its decision.

IOA has also directed the national wrestling federation to conduct the elections of the athletes commission in a time-bound manner, and appoint a safeguarding committee officer to address concerns of sexual harassment.

In an interview with SAI Media, Neeraj Chopra has said that it is "hard to believe" that Arshad Nadeem has been struggling to get a new javelin.

"Given his credentials, this should not be a big issue at all. It can’t be that he (Arshad) doesn’t have the means to buy a javelin. He is a champion and must be doing some brand endorsements. I reckon he has earned a bit of money too. But having said that, his government can look at Arshad’s need and support him just like how my government is doing so.

“Additionally, Arshad is top javelin thrower and I believe that the javelin makers will be more than happy to sponsor him and provide what he wants. This is a piece of advice from my side,” said Chopra.

Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul is all set to play for his franchise from the opening IPL game after getting all clear from the National Cricket Academy but he has been advised against wicket-keeping in the first few games, PTI reports.

"The NCA has given him clearance and he will join his mates in Lucknow on Thursday (March 20) before they travel to Jaipur for the opening game against Rajasthan Royals on March 24. It is understood that he has been told to avoid squatting initially and he can don the big gloves in coming days. For first few games, he will only play as pure batter," a BCCI source told PTI.

Inter Milan defender Francesco Acerbi has been sent home from Italy's national team training camp amid an allegation that he racially abused Napoli counterpart Juan Jesus in a Serie A match, Associated Press reports. Juan Jesus, who is Black, was visibly upset in the second half when he walked up to the referee, who then called over Acerbi.

In close-up television images, Juan Jesus seemed to be telling the referee that Acerbi had used a racist slur. Juan Jesus was also pointing at his shirt sleeve, which had a Keep Racism Out' badge — as part of the league's anti-racism campaign.

Professional boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr has said that he is eager to participate in an exhibition fight in India this year and the possibility of an opponent from the host nation cannot be ruled out, PTI reports.

The 47-year-old former boxing champion boasts of a perfect 50-0 record in the professional circuit, which includes 27 knockouts.

"It's possible. I look forward to having an exhibition over here in 2024. We are looking for a solid name as a solid opponent," Mayweather told PTI.

"I'm pretty sure that I'll find the right opponent. It's all about taking things to the next level, with all the amazing people here anything is possible," he added.

Multan Sultans captain Mohammad Rizwan has won the toss and opted to bat first against Islamabad United in the grand finale of Pakistan Super League 2024 at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Playing XIs

Islamabad United: Colin Munro, Martin Guptill, Agha Salman, Shadab Khan(c), Azam Khan(w), Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Hunain Shah, Obed McCoy.

Multan Sultans: Yasir Khan, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Usman Khan, Johnson Charles, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, David Willey, Chris Jordan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Ali, Abbas Afridi.

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians on Monday named England left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood as injured Australian Jason Behrendorff's replacement for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League, according to PTI reports.

According to a statement from the IPL, Wood will join MI for Rs 50 lakh.

Boxing Federation of India (BFI) on Monday announced that it has parted ways with High-Performance Director Bernard Dunne, adding that the Indian team will continue to train under foreign coach Dmitrij Dmitruk, according to PTI reports.

Dunne, a former Irish professional boxer who was appointed as the HPD in October 2022, had sent in his resignation after the Indian team's dismal performance at this month's first World Olympic Boxing Qualifiers in Italy.

India's newest batting star Sarfaraz Khan and wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel were inducted into Group C of BCCI's central contract with an annual retainership fee of Rs 1 crore, having fulfilled the criteria of playing three Tests in a current season, according to PTI reports.

The BCCI is likely to revisit the Ranji Trophy calender for the next season and will not schedule any matches in the northern part of India during the months of December and January, when fog and bad light often play spoilsport, according to PTI reports.

A lot of ICC associate member nations like Nepal want to come for exposure trips to India and play practice games against some of the state sides. BCCI's Apex Council made it clear that any affiliated state unit will need NOC from the parent body before they can host any international team.

Multan Sultans opted to bat first in the final and their top-order got rattled by the veteran Imad Wasim's fine bowling. Wasim took five wickets in the match. It was Iftikhar Ahmed's quick cameo in the end that took Multan Sultans to a respectable score of 159 runs. Usman Khan also played a 57-run knock in 40 balls. United's captain Shadab Khan took three wickets. Now, Islamabad United need 160 runs in 120 balls to win the match.

Gautam Gambhir's captaincy had once helped Kolkata Knight Riders carve its own niche with two IPL titles in the last decade and now the self-confessed "tough to handle" guy has once again vowed to bring back smiles in faces of their passionate but somewhat angry fans in days to come, according to PTI reports.

Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 3-0 with Joao Felix also scoring against his ex-team. In Serie A, Inter Milan drew to Napoli. In cricket, Bangladesh avenged their defeat in the ODI series by winning the third ODI match by 4 wickets. Now, we will also be taking your leave. Goodnight!