The fifth and final Test between India and England, which was suspended due to a Covid-19 outbreak last month, was rescheduled to July next year, a decision that has pushed the start of a limited-overs series between the two sides by six days. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that the game has been moved to Edgbaston from Manchester and will be a part of India’s white-ball tour. The game, which was called off after Covid-19 cases erupted in the Indian contingent, will be held from July 1. “With India leading the series 2-1, the concluding fifth match will now take place from July 1, 2022, at Edgbaston, following an agreement between the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI),” said the ECB in a statement. Slotting the Test in the available window has ensured that the limited overs series would now start six days later from the original plan.
Sindhu loses in quarters; Sameer retires midway
Returning to action after a break, India’s double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu bowed out of the Denmark Open badminton tournament after losing in straight games to world no 8 Korean An Seyoung in the women’s singles quarterfinals. Playing her first tournament since winning the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in August, Sindhu couldn’t match her fifth seeded young Korean rival, going down in 36 minutes. Sindhu had also lost to An Seyoung in straight games the last time they clashed two years ago in their only career meeting. In men’s singles, Sameer Verma retired from his quarterfinals after losing the first game17-21 against Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto, a bronze winner at the 2014 World Championships. Verma had notched up a stunning straight-game win over world no.3 Anders Antonsen to storm into the quarterfinals. It was also curtains for Lakshya Sen after he lost to Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen 21-15 21-7 in a lop-sided contest.
Aryan sets junior national record
Gujarat’s Aryan Panchal set the pool alight at Bengaluru’s Basavangudi Aquatic Centre, breaking the seven-year-old junior national record in 200m butterfly (group 1), at the 47th junior and sub junior national aquatic championships last week. He won the gold medal by completing the swim in 2.03.52, erasing Bengal swimmer Supriyo Mondal’s record of 2.03.63, set in 2014. The silver medal was won by Assam’s Bikram Changmai with a timing of 2.06.95, while Haryana’s Harsh Saroha claimed the bronze with a timing of 2.07.02. The Ahmedabad swimmer dedicated the gold medal to his parents and coach Kamlesh Nanavati. The championships, which could not be held last year as swimming pools across the country were closed due to Covid-19 pandemic, are serving as a selection trial for the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) to name a 10-member team which will train and compete with the South African national swimming team in January. When asked how he plans to achieve his dream, the 17-year-old said, “It’s a long journey and a really tough one. I’m willing to do anything it takes as it is my main goal. It will require a lot of advanced training, total dedication and motivation from all corners. I will also require financial support and experience of competing at international events.”
Olympic sprinter shot dead
Ecuadorian Olympic sprinter Alex Quinonez was shot dead in the port city of Guayaquil, authorities announced, sparking an outpouring of grief in a country struggling to contain a surge in violence. Quinonez, 32, and another person were found dead, police said. Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso promised to bring his killers to justice. “Those who take the lives of Ecuadoreans will not remain unpunished,” Lasso tweeted. The provincial governor likewise pledged accountability for the murders. “No one will rest until @PoliciaEcuador captures the culprits. We are facing a war against drug gangs that intend to subdue us,” Pablo Arosemena, the governor of Guayas province, whose capital is Guayaquil, said on Twitter.
