Sports
Babar, Hasaranga top T20I rankings

Babar Azam and Wanindu Hasaranga have climbed to top spots in the ICC’s latest rankings for T20I batters and bowlers, respectively, with the latter achieving the feat for the first time in his career.
Babar, who has been crucial in Pakistan’s run to the semi-finals with a four-in-four record, is the third-highest run-getter in the ongoing T20 World Cup, with 198 runs from four innings. That has helped him return to the top for the sixth time after last securing the spot in January 2018. Babar’s tally of 834 rating points has him 36 points ahead of second-ranked Dawid Malan. The England batter had been at the top since last November.
The latest rankings update also sees Jos Buttler move from 17th to his career-best ninth on the batting chart on the back of his match-winning 101 not out against Sri Lanka. He has accumulated 214 runs in the UAE so far.
Among the other batters moving up, Aaron Finch has gone from sixth to third, and just outside the top 50, Temba Bavuma has risen a remarkable 35 spots to No. 52.
In the T20I bowlers’ rankings, Hasaranga, on the back of his twin three-wicket hauls against South Africa and England, overtook Tabraiz Shamsi of South Africa to reach the top spot. He is also the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 14 strikes from seven matches.
Adil Rashid, meanwhile, has replaced Rashid Khan at third place with a career-best 730 rating points.
South Africa’s pace mainstay Anrich Nortje, who is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup with eight scalps from four matches at the moment, also moved up by 18 places to be seventh. Other bowlers who have gained in the rankings include Dwaine Pretorius (up 65 places to 34th) and Shoriful Islam (up 77 places to 38th). Within the top 20, Chris Jordan has moved up four slots to ninth, Ish Sodhi is up six places to tenth, and his spin twin Mitchell Santner has gone up four places to 17th.
In the allrounders’ list, Mohammad Nabi has caught up with No. 1 Shakib Al Hasan on 271 rating points. Hasaranga has climbed to fourth. (ICC)
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Starc, Lyon keep Sri Lanka on a tight leash

Sri Lanka endured another shoddy batting show at the start of the second Test in Galle as the hosts ended the opening day at 229/9. Despite half-centuries from Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis, Australia kept the home side on a tight leash to take early control in the second fixture.
Dhananjaya de Silva put his under-fire batting unit in on a dry surface after winning the toss. A week after Australia posted a first-innings total of 654/6 at the same venue, Sri Lanka made a fairly solid start through the senior pair of Dimuth Karunaratne – playing in his 100th and final Test for Sri Lanka, and Chandimal. Nathan Lyon was employed early on a surface that took sharp turn from the first hour itself, and saw the back of returning opener Pathum Nissanka. The second-wicket pair of Karunaratne and Chandimal, however, saw through the rest of the morning session with solidity and some intent to push the team ahead.
What transpired after this break though, would’ve further peeved head coach Sanath Jayasuriya, who chided his batters for their shot selection in the aftermath of the first Test defeat. Karunaratne, who’d moved along to 30s, fell in the third over after the break – cleaned up by Lyon from round the stumps. Angelo Mathews was scratchy and circumspect for 25 deliveries, before biting the bullet on the 26th when Lyon tossed one up for him to reach out and defend, only to nick behind to Alex Carey.
Right after the drinks break, Australia struck through the golden arm of Travis Head. The offie got Kamindu Mendis to nick to Steve Smith in first slip while attempting a cut shot. Dhananjaya de Silva’s arrival coincided with the return of Mitchell Starc, and the pacer dismissed the Sri Lankan captain right away. Starc bowled full and wide and Dhananjaya chased after it, nicking to Beau Webster at gully.
Chandimal, who scored his 32nd Test fifty in this session, batted out the rest of the session with Kusal Mendis. But once again it didn’t result in a bigger, more significant alliance as Sri Lanka lost a wicket early into a session. This time, Chandimal fell to an exceptional piece of glovework by Carey. Matthew Kuhnemann got Chandimal to press forward and miss, and Carey whipped the bails off with no part of the batter’s foot behind the line. He walked off for 74.
Kusal Mendis tried to throw Lyon off his lengths by repeatedly slog sweeping him. He and Ramesh Mendis pushed back for the majority of the final session, showing gumption for a big partnership. They added 65 runs for the seventh wicket to take Sri Lanka past the 200-mark but Starc returned, with new ball in hand, to ensure Australia finished the day in the driver’s seat.
Starc bowled a quick one – 144kmph – across the right-hander, who was indecisive in playing or leaving the delivery and ended up edging to Carey. Prabath Jayasuriya then edged one to Smith at second slip for a first-ball duck. Kuhnemann then reduced Sri Lanka to 224/9 by cleaning up Nishan Peiris. Steve Smith threw in a lot of catchers around the bat for the final pair who still had to negotiate 3.5 overs to get to stumps. Lahiru Kumara played 11 of those balls – dead-batting most, to survive the day in the company of Mendis, who went to stumps unbeaten on 59.
Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka 224/9 (Dinesh Chandimal 74, Kusal Mendis 59; Mitchell Starc 3-37, Nathan Lyon 3-78, Matthew Kuhnemann 2-53) vs Australia.
Latest News
Trump signs order banning transgender women from female sports

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that prevents transgender women from competing in female categories of sports.
The order provides guidance, regulations and legal interpretations, and it will enlist the Department of Education to investigate high schools thought to be non-compliant.
Republicans say it restores fairness to sports but LGBT advocacy and human rights organisations have described the move as discriminatory.
The order, which goes into effect immediately, largely covers high school, universities and grassroots sports.
A number of sporting governing bodies, including swimming, athletics and golf, have banned transgender women from competing in the female category at elite level if they have gone through male puberty.
According to White House officials who briefed reporters on Wednesday morning, this latest order empowers the Department of Education to investigate how schools implement Title IX, a US law that bans sex discrimination in federally funded education programmes.
An administration official said that the executive order will reverse the position of the Biden administration which in April last year said that LGBT students would be protected by federal law, although it did not give specific guidance on transgender athletes.
“If you let men take over women’s sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated for violations of Title IX and risk your federal funding,” Trump explained.
Additionally, the White House plans to bring in sporting bodies – such as the National Collegiate Athletics Association, or NCAA – to come to the White House to meet female athletes and their parents to discuss concerns.
The official who discussed the order, said the US would do all it could to prevent transgender athletes from competing against females in International Olympic Committee competitions that take place on US soil.
President Trump specified that the order would include the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
He has said he will deny visas for transgender Olympic athletes trying to visit the US to compete at the LA Games.
Ahead of signing the executive order, Trump declared that “the war on women’s sports is over”, saying that during the LA Games, “my administration will not stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes.”
He said he would direct the secretary of homeland security “to deny any and all visa applications made by men attempting to fraudulently enter the United States while identifying themselves as women athletes…”
IOC has been approached for comment.
White House officials described the policies as being broadly popular with Americans, and critical to ensuring “fairness” for women in sports, as well as safety.
In a statement, Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said that the order “exposes young people to harassment and discrimination, emboldening people to question the gender of kids who don’t fit a narrow view of how they’re supposed to dress or look”.
“For so many students, sports are about finding somewhere to belong,” Ms Robinson added. “Not partisan policies that make life harder for them.”
Less than 1% of the population over the age of 13 in the US are transgender, according to a study by the UCLA Williams Institute, and the number playing sports is smaller.
On Trump’s first day in office on 20 January, he signed a separate order calling for the federal government to officially define sex as either being male or female.
[BBC]
Sports
Aimee Maguire suspended from bowling in international cricket

Ireland’s Aimee Maguire has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after an Independent Assessment confirmed that the left-arm spinner uses an illegal bowling action.
The 18-year-old was reported by match officials for a suspect bowling action during the first ODI of the ICC Women’s Championship series against India in Rajkot on 10 January.
She subsequently underwent a bowling assessment at the ICC Accredited testing centre in Loughborough, United Kingdom, on 21 January, where it was revealed that the amount of elbow extension in her bowling action exceeds the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Illegal Bowling Regulations.
As a result, in accordance with clause 6.1 of the regulations, Aimee is immediately suspended from bowling in international cricket. Her suspension will remain in effect until she undergoes a re-assessment of her bowling action which confirms that she can bowl with a legal action.
[ICC]
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