India have been drawn with England, Spain and Wales in Pool D of the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup, to be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela in January next year. The draw of the 16-team tournament was held last week. The World Cup will be held from January 13 to 29. Pool A is headed up by world number one Australia, drawn along with 2016 Olympic champions Argentina, France and African champions South Africa. Reigning world champions Belgium are the top seed and they were drawn in Pool B along with 2006 winners Germany, Korea and Japan. Belgium are ranked second while Germany are fourth. Pool C will feature last edition finalists the Netherlands, ranked third in the world, along with New Zealand, Malaysia and debutants Chile.
India to face Aus, NZ in WC warm-ups
India will face reigning champions Australia and New Zealand in their ICC T20 World Cup warm-up games on October 17 and October 19 respectively. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian side will play both their warm-up games at the Gabba in Brisbane. The ICC announced the warm-up fixtures of the 16 teams taking part in the showpiece event. The ICC said that spectators will not be allowed to attend the warm-up fixtures that will take place over a period of nine days.
Gill scores 92 on county debut
India's star batter Shubman Gill smashed a fine 92 in his County Championships debut as his team Glamorgan reached 230 for seven on the third day against Worcestershire. Gill's elegant knock of 92 ended when he was Leg before wicket (lbw) to Ed Barnard before play was stopped for bad light when only 50 overs were bowled.
Arrest warrant for Nepal cricket captain
A court in Nepal issued an arrest warrant for national cricket team captain Sandeep Lamichhane after a 17-year-old girl alleged that he raped her in a hotel room in Kathmandu, police said. According to the case, 22-year-old Lamichhane allegedly took the girl to various places in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur for a visit on August 21 and raped her in a hotel in Kathmandu the same night. Laimchhane has denied the charges.
US Soccer, players sign equal pay agreements
Representatives for the men’s and women’s US national teams signed their historic collective bargaining agreements with US Soccer, formally closing a long and sometimes acrimonious fight over equal pay. The federation announced in May that it had struck separate agreements with the players’ unions on contracts that run through 2028. The new contracts include identical pay structures for appearances and tournament victories, revenue sharing and equitable distribution of World Cup prize money.
Hayden to mentor Pak T20 team
Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden will reunite with the Pakistan team to mentor the side at the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia beginning next month, the Pakistan Cricket Board said. Hayden, 50, worked with the Babar Azam-led team when it reached the semifinals of last year's 20-overs World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Asif and Fareed fined 25% match fees
Pakistan batter Asif Ali and Afghanistan fast bowler Fareed Ahmad were fined 25% of their match fees for violating International Cricket Council’s code of conduct during an Asia Cup match. Tempers flared between the two players during Pakistan’s thrilling one-wicket win over Afghanistan in Sharjah last week in a Super 4 game. Ahmed pumped his fist in front of Asif’s face soon after dismissing the batter before Asif raised his bat in anger as both players pushed each other and exchanged heated words. The ICC said that both players admitted their offenses.
