SHORT CORNER
Paudel makes ODI history
Nepal batsman Rohit Paudel hit 55 off 58 balls against UAE, becoming, at 16 years, 146 days old, the youngest male player in history to make an international half-century.
The previous youngest was none other than Sachin Tendulkar, who made 59 in a Test against Pakistan aged 16 years and 213 days, while in ODIs the mark was set by Shahid Afridi, who smashed a 37-ball century, also a record at the time, aged 16 years and 217 days in his maiden international innings against Sri Lanka.
Paudel is however some way off the overall record for all international cricket, with South Africa Women's Johmari Logtenburg having struck Test and ODI half-centuries as a 14-year-old. --Icc
Sristy hammers hapless Mizanur
Three of yesterday's Prime Bank Young Tigers National School Cricket Tournament fixtures were keenly contested affairs but the fourth was an exception as Sristy Academic School won by a whopping 168 runs against Shahid Mizanur Rahman High School in Tangail.
In response to the 207-run target set by Sristy Academic, Mizanur Rahman were bundled out for only 38 runs, of which 21 were extras.
In the other three matches, Edward Institute won by 48 runs against Police Line High School in Mymensingh, while Church of God High School defeated Border Guard Public School by 18 runs and Khulna Zilla School came out on top against their opposition -- Khulna News Print Mills High School – winning by five wickets. --Sports Reporter
Pep ruled out De Jong swoop over wage fears
Pep Guardiola has revealed Manchester City pulled out of the race to sign Ajax midfielder Frenkie De Jong for fear of upsetting other players by breaking the club's wage structure.
De Jong will join Barcelona in July in a deal that will cost up to a reported £74 million ($97 million). The Dutchman was handed a contract worth at least £300,000 a week.
That sort of salary would have instantly placed the 21-year-old, capped five times by his country, at the top of the City salary structure, something manager Guardiola would not allow given De Jong is only at the start of his promising career.
"We try to keep harmony in the locker room with the wages," he told reporters on Friday. --Afp
Sanchez haunts Arsenal
Alexis Sanchez came back to haunt Arsenal as the Chilean opened the scoring in Manchester United's 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round win on Friday to maintain Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's 100 percent record as caretaker manager.
United's winning run under the Norwegian is now eight games in all competitions and his decision to make five changes was vindicated as both Sanchez and the returning Romelu Lukaku had a huge impact.
Lukaku set up both Sanchez's opener and Jesse Lingard's second for the visitors in a two-minute spell just after the half hour mark.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reduced Arsenal's arrears just before half-time and the Gunners had plenty of chances to force a replay, but were denied by Sergio Romero as the rested David de Gea was not missed.
Eight minutes from time, United sealed a place in the last 16 when substitute Anthony Martial tucked home the rebound after Petr Cech could only parry Paul Pogba's initial effort. --Afp
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