Cricket: Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has been banned from bowling for an illegal action, the ICC said yesterday. Currently the top-ranked bowler in one-day internationals, the 26-year-old spinner was reported for his dodgy action by the umpires after last month’s Galle test against Sri Lanka and flew to Brisbane to undergo biomechanical tests. While some suspected the off-spinner’s ‘doosra’ – the delivery that spins the other way – ex-ceeded the permissible straightening of the elbow joint for bowlers, the ICC said all Ajmal deliveries breached the limit.
Duathlon: Emma Pooley has won the duathlon World Championships, a month after retiring as a professional cyclist. The 2008 Olympic silver medallist retired from cycling after finishing second in the Commonwealth Games road race on August 3. The 31-year-old London-born athlete switched her attentions to triathlon and duathlon and she was rewarded with victory in Powerman Zofingen, the Long Distance Duathlon World Championships. Over 190-kilometres Pooley won in 6:47.27, more than 30 minutes ahead of second-placed Eva Nystrom, of Sweden.
Snooker: John Higgins and Barry Hawkins both suffered first round exits at the Shanghai Masters, losing 5-4 to Ryan Day and Mark Williams respectively, yesterday. Two-time world champion Williams recovered from 2-0 and 3-2 down to beat Hawkins and earn a last-16 place. Day led Higgins 2-1 after runs of 70 and 78 before Higgins took the next three frames. Day recovered to 4-4 with 55 and 102, then compiled a 77 clearance in the decider.
Basketball: EuroBasket 2015 will be played across Croatia, France, Germany and Latvia after the original hosts Ukraine were forced to withdraw due to ongoing troubles in the country. FIBA Europe announced that the four countries will split the hosting of the tournament, with France home to the final stages. The decision was an-nounced after an extraordinary meeting of the FIBA Europe board in Madrid.
Rugby Union: The All Blacks will play their first official test in the Pacific Islands when they take on Samoa in Apia next year but they will do so without players involved in the Super Rugby final. The match will be held on July 8, four days after the end of a Super Rugby season which will be played without a break for June internationals next year because of the World Cup.