Short Sport, November 20, 2012

Russian inquiry after latest fan violence

Russia's soccer authorities yesterday vowed to fully investigate the latest outbreak of fan violence to hit the World Cup 2018 hosts after a top-flight goalkeeper was injured by a supporter's firecracker. The incident forced a game between Dynamo Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg to be abandoned and was just the latest in a spate of hooligan outrages that have raised concerns about Russia's hosting of the World Cup. The Russian Premier League said it would hold today an extraordinary meeting to investigate the incident at Saturday's match, which was abandoned in the 36th minute after Dynamo goalkeeper Anton Shunin was injured by a firecracker thrown by visiting Zenit fans. Local doctors said Shunin was currently undergoing treatment to his eyes - which suffered a chemical burn - as well as injuries to his right ear caused by the firecracker. AP

Sri Lanka's Herath enjoys 11-wicket haul

Rangana Herath returned a match haul of 11 wickets to lead Sri Lanka to a crushing 10-wicket win yesterday against New Zealand inside three days of the first test and take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Set 93 to win, the hosts reached the target in one session with debutant Dimutha Karunaratne scoring a run-a-ball 60 not out. After being dismissed for a duck in the first innings, Karunaratne hit nine boundaries to see his team home. Tharanga Paranavitana was not out on 31. Resuming their second innings at a comfortable 35-1, New Zealand lost nine wickets for 83 runs in just 39 overs to be dismissed for 118. Herath stuck with successive deliveries in New Zealand's 34th over when he bowled Daniel Flynn for 20 and trapped Doug Bracewell lbw for a duck. He earlier dismissed captain Ross Taylor lbw (18), James Franklin (2) stumped by wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene and after lunch had tailender Jeetan Patel caught by Karunaratne without scoring. Herath finished with 6-43 and, with his 5-65 in New Zealand's first innings, collected a haul of 11-108. AP

Gilbert Arenas signs with Shanghai Sharks

Former NBA All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas signed with the Shanghai Sharks yesterday, and will play this season for the Chinese Basketball Association club owned by retired superstar Yao Ming. AFP