Rugby Union: England have added Saracens’ second row George Kruis to their squad ahead of Saturday’s test against Argentina at Twickenham after he recovered from minor ankle surgery. The 26-year-old was an ever-present in Eddie Jones’s side earlier this year before being sidelined for the recent test victories over South Africa and Fiji. However, he has been brought back into the fold as part of a 32-man training squad that assembled on Sunday, the RFU said. Kruis, who missed Saracens’ win at Sale on Sunday, has won 18 caps since his debut against New Zealand in 2014.
Auto Racing: Jimmie Johnson won the Ford EcoBoost 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season-finale on Sunday, claiming his seventh series championship, tying NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most all-time. Kyle Larson was the race leader on an overtime restart for a two-lap, green-flag sprint to the finish, but Johnson struck quickly, overtaking him for his first and only lead on the final restart of the race. Larson finished second. It was Johnson’s fifth win of the season.
Athletics: Russia’s Yuliya Zaripova has been stripped of the gold medal she won in the women’s 3,000 metres steeplechase at the 2012 London Olympics, the IOC said yesterday. Zaripova, who tested positive for turinabol, was among 12 athletes, including seven medallists, who were disqualified from their events following re-testing of samples. Zaripova had been widely expected to lose the medal after she was banned for two-and-a-half years by Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA in January 2015 after her biological passport showed abnormalities.
Cricket: India spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Jayant Yadav claimed three wickets apiece in the second innings to lead the hosts to a comfortable 246-run win in the second test against England yesterday and a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. England, chasing an improbable victory target of 405, were all out for 158 shortly after lunch on the fifth and final day in Visakhapatnam. England needed to match India’s first innings total of 455 but were on the back foot after losing five wickets for 80 on the second day. Conceding the 200-run lead proved crucial.
Motor Racing: Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson will continue to race for Sauber next season, the Swiss-based Formula One team said yesterday. Sauber said in a statement that their second driver, currently Brazilian Felipe Nasr, would be announced ‘in due course’. Ericsson, 26, will be starting his third season with the Ferrari-powered team, who had not scored any points this year until Nasr finished ninth in his home race in Sao Paulo eight days ago. Ericsson’s best finish so far this year has been 11th place in Mexico last month. The season ends in Abu Dhabi this weekend.