Pakistan pace bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been ruled out of the World Cup due to injury, a senior cricket board official said on Thursday. The double withdrawal comes just five months after the pair tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone and were banned by their national board before an appeal panel cleared them to play again.
Blackburn boss Mark Hughes is hoping a refreshed Benni McCarthy can fire Rovers all the way to the first FA Cup final at the rebuilt Wembley stadium after the South African striker dumped Arsenal out of the competition. McCarthy came off the bench to score a stunning solo goal to earn Rovers a last-ditch 1-0 win over the Gunners in their FA Cup fifth round replay on Wednesday.
Six-time champions the Canterbury Crusaders can put the heat on the table-topping Auckland Blues and the Wellington Hurricanes by ending the unbeaten run of the Natal Sharks in Durban on Saturday. The Crusaders burst back into title contention with a spectacular 49-28 win over the Central Cheetahs in Bloemfontein last weekend.
Santos reached the last 16 of the lucrative Absa knockout competition on Wednesday night when they narrowly beat Free State Stars 1-0 in a match played at the Athlone Stadium. The goal was scored by Erwin Isaacs in the 75th minute. The visitors were unlucky to lose as they were the better team on the night. It is clear why Free State Stars are leading the second division.
Mamelodi Sundowns made it 10 victories from their last 10 matches by beating Wits University 2-0 in an absorbing Premier League game at Bidvest Stadium on Wednesday night. But although leading 2-0 at half-time and possessing what at times suggested was a touch of extra class, the defending PSL champions and runaway log leaders did not have matters all their own way.
Releasing a new study entitled Confronting Climate Change: Avoiding the Unmanageable and Managing the Unavoidable, researchers said at United Nations headquarters on Tuesday that policymakers should get their act together before it is too late to avoid a doomsday scenario.
The JSE was in positive territory in noon trade on Thursday after a recovery in United States markets overnight helped it bounce following two days of losses. A higher gold price also lent the bourse some support. By 11.55am, the all-share index added 0,62%. The all-share industrial and financial indices firmed 0,47% and 0,78% respectively, while the banks index was 0,64% better.
Beijing officials are planning to round up beggars and ship them out of the city as part of clean-up campaign ahead of next year’s Olympics Games, according to state media reports on Thursday. It said Beijing officials planned to expand holding centres for beggars who would then be shipped back to their home provinces.
Bowlers have been complaining that cricket is a batsmen’s game for arguably as long as the game has been played. But when it comes to the one-day format they may well have a point. Scores have rocketed in the last few years, with the nine highest totals by a team winning after batting second in limited overs international history all achieved since the turn of the century.
South African wine distribution company Distell has entered into a deal with Baarsma Wine Group Holding to carry some of its leading brands in Holland, it said on Thursday. The Netherlands is South Africa’s largest wine export market after the United Kingdom.