Hello!
Welcome to the highlights of the sports news and events on Tuesday, February 20. The third Test between India and England may be over, but the fourth one is days away as we build up towards the Ranchi bout. Elsewhere, Pakistan Super League and Bangladesh Premier League action continues. Follow the highlights of all the action here. (Cricket News | Football News)
Crystal Palace Held By Everton
Crystal Palace took on Everton mere hours after announcing a change at the top of the order, with veteran manager Roy Hodgson making way for Oliver Glasner. Jordan Ayew put Palace ahead in the Monday night match but Amadou Onana rescued the point late on for relegation-battling Everton.
Napoli Sack Second Manager Of The Season
The reigning Italian champions are on course for one of the worst title defences in Serie A history and have chosen to rectify their position by firing their second manager of the season. Walter Mazzarri only took charge a few months ago, replacing Rudi Garcia at the helm, but has subsequently been released in favour of Francesco Calzona, who will take charge of Napoli and Slovakia national team at the same time.
UEFA Champions League R16 Returns...
...with two mouth-watering ties in store.
Inter Milan will take on Atletico Madrid on Tuesday (Wednesday early morning per IST) in a match that puts Diego Simeone centrestage. Simeone, who has coached Atleti for more than a decade, recently revealed that he only has fond memories of his brief spell with Inter, which yielded a UEFA Cup in 1997-98.
Meanwhile, PSV Eindhoven will face Borussia Dortmund in the other tie. PSV are the runaway Eredivisie leaders this season under the stewardship of Peter Bosz, who will square up against a team he briefly took charge of in 2017.
'No Regrets Over Bazball': McCullum On Rajkot Bashing
Amid widespread criticism for his and his team's approach to Test cricket, England Test coach Brendon McCullum has defended their 'Bazball' tactics, claiming that he has no regrets.
We'll turn the page and go quids in again trying to put India under pressure," McCullum told BBC Sport ahead of the fourth Test in Ranchi.
"Hopefully in seven or eight days we'll be talking about how exciting it is to be heading into a decider."
Stokes To Bowl In Ranchi?
England captain Ben Stokes could be back in the bowling line-up after the Rajkot debacle for the fourth Test against India in Ranchi. The English bowlers conceded nearly 850 runs between them over two innings and suffered a 434-run loss as a result. England coach Brendon McCullum hinted at Stokes' increased role in a recent media interaction.
"Well, it's good that he's actually getting into a state where he thinks he might bowl," McCullum told ESPNCricinfo on Monday.
"But Ben is clever; he's really clever as well. He won't bowl unless he thinks he's legitimately able to bowl. The problem would be if he starts getting into a spell and then he can't get out of the spell. So we'll see what unfolds.
Pakistan Drop Out Of Track Cycling Championships: CFI
CFI official Mahinder Pal Singh has confirmed that Pakistan won't be a participant in the upcoming Track Cycling Championships, despite receiving clearance from the government.
"The Pakistani contingent had got timely clearance from our Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs. But there is some political instability in their country. We talked to our Pakistan counterparts and they said that they are trying to get clearance from their government but have not yet got the clearance. With most probability, Pakistan will not be a part of this Asian Championships," he said.
Andreas Brehme No More
Germany's 1990 FIFA World Cup-winning hero passed away on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at the age of 63. Brehme scored the only goal in Germany's clash against Argentina in Italia 90 to hand them the trophy.
March 22 For IPL 2024?
Will the latest season of the Indian Premier League begin on March 22, 2024? That is the date the organisers are circling at the time of writing, keeping in mind the impending central government elections that are bound to take place this year.
"We are looking at a March 22 start for the tournament. We are working closely with the government agencies and we will first release the initial schedule. The entire tournament will be held in India," said league chairman Arun Dhumal, confirming the same.
Asian Indoor Athletics Championships: Gulveer Singh Loses 3000m Gold
Gulveer Singh lost his men's 3000m gold medal in the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships after he was disqualified for 'lane infringement'. Gulveer had clocked 8 minutes 07.48 seconds to finish on top of the podium in the 3000m final, a non Olympic athletics event, late on Monday. He was later disqualified for lane infringement and a late night 'appeal' by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) was also rejected.
Indian Women Through To Knock-Out Phase Of World TT C'ships
The Indian women's team came from behind to beat Spain 3-2 in its final group game and progressed to the knock-out phase of the Word Table Tennis Team Championships on Tuesday. India, the stronger team on paper, were pushed against the wall but found a way to scrape past the Spaniards after Sreeja Akula and Manika Batra lost the first two singles of the tie.
Kylian Mbappe To Join Real Madrid In Summer - Report
Current Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe is all set to sign for Spanish giants Real Madrid come summer on a free as per a report. The World Cup winner is PSG's record goalscorer with 244 goals. The France captain is set to sign a five-year deal with Real, earning 15m euros (£12.8m) a season, plus a 150m euro (£128m) signing-on bonus to be paid over five years.
Jean-Louis Gasset Becomes New Marseille Coach
Jean-Louis Gasset is back in a coaching job less than a month after getting fired by Ivory Coast. The veteran Frenchman was appointed as Marseille's new coach on Tuesday, the replacement for Gennaro Gattuso. Terms of the deal were not revealed. Looking for a jolt in the middle of a mediocre season, the 1993 European champion announced Gasset's appointment a day after parting ways with Gattuso.
Virat Kohli-Anushka Sharma Welcome Baby Boy!
Pakistan Super League: Multan Sultans Beat Islamabad United By Five Wickets
Mohammad Rizwan, Reeza Hendricks star as Multan Sultans defeated Islamabad United by five wickets in the Pakistan Super League 2024 encounter on Tuesday.
Good Night
And with that, we call it a night! Tomorrow we bring you more updates and news on the sporting action from across the globe.