For the first time in franchise history, the Suns own the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. The debate figures to come down to two players: Deandre Ayton and Luka Doncic.
Deandre Ayton vs. Luka Doncic: Who should Suns take with No. 1 pick in NBA Draft?
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XFL names Oliver Luck as commissioner and CEO
Luck brings almost 30 years of experience as a sports executive to the XFL, which plans to relaunch in 2020.
Sane misses out, Neuer makes Germany World Cup squad
- Loew cuts four players
- Leno, Tah and Petersen also dropped
Germany’s Leroy Sane in action. Photo: Reuters
BERLIN: Attacking midfielder Leroy Sane was a surprise omission from Joachim Loew’s final Germany squad for the World Cup finals on Monday as goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was named among the 23 players heading to Russia for the defending champions.
Neuer made the squad despite playing in just one official game, a friendly against Austria on Friday, since breaking a bone in his foot in September but talented 22-year-old Sane was the highest-profile player excluded.
The Manchester City midfielder, goalkeeper Bernd Leno, forward Nils Petersen and defender Jonathan Tah were the four players that failed to make the cut from Loew’s provisional list.
Sane, who joined the English champions in 2016, had been a surprise addition to Germany’s Euro 2016 squad two years ago but this time he was overlooked by Loew, who opted to take the more physical Julian Brandt to Russia instead.
“It was a very tight decision between him and Julian Brandt which went in favour of Brandt,” Loew said. “There are better days in the life of a national team coach, when you have to send four amazing players, who deserve to be at the World Cup, home.
“It’s like being at the airport check-in counter en route to Moscow and you are not allowed to board the plane.”
Germany captain Neuer, who won the World Cup four years ago, will also be their first choice keeper for the tournament, ahead of designated number two Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Kevin Trapp.
“The clinical tests were really good,” Neuer told reporters.
“I always had the goal in front of me. I stayed positive through the injury and had I not been positive I would not have been included.
“I feel good and now my focus is on the World Cup.”
Loew announced his squad at the end of a training camp at the Italian Alps. The Germans play their last warm-up game against Saudi Arabia in Leverkusen on Friday before the start of the tournament on June 14.
Germany are in Group F along with Sweden, Mexico and South Korea.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Paris St Germain).
Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin), Antonio Ruediger (Chelsea), Niklas Suele (Bayern Munich).
Midfielders: Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (Paris St Germain), Leon Goretzka (Schalke 04), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Sebastian Rudy (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal).
Forwards:
Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig).
Smith ‘cried for four days’ after ball-tampering scandal
FILE PHOTO: Former Australia cricket test captain Steve Smith arrives at Cape Town International Airport, South Africa March 27,2018. Photo: REUTERS
SYDNEY: Former Australia captain Steve Smith says he cried for four days as he tried to cope with the fallout from the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March.
Smith and former test vice-captain David Warner were handed 12-month bans by Cricket Australia (CA) after admitting a plan to tamper the ball during the third test against South Africa in Cape Town.
The duo lost their leadership positions and were sent home after the incident with Smith breaking down in tears while apologising at an emotional press conference at Sydney Airport.
“To be honest, I probably spent four days in tears,” Smith told students at a school according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I was really struggling mentally and I was really lucky that I had some close friends and family members that I could speak to at all hours of the day.
“The people that I had supporting me through that whole time made a huge difference to the head space I am in now.”
Smith and Warner are scheduled to return to competitive action in the Global T20 Canada, a tournament that starts on June 28.
Junior batsman Cameron Bancroft was banned for nine months for his role in the incident.
England’s Buttler credits IPL for recent test success
File Photo: England’s Jos Buttler in action during a recently played test match against Pakistan at Emerald Headingley Stadium, Leeds, Britain. Photo:REUTERS
LONDON: England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler says his stint in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) helped his return to the test arena by forcing him to concentrate on making runs rather than losing his wicket.
Buttler was dropped from England’s test side at the end of 2016 following a poor run of form but his consistency in limited-overs cricket, along with his high-flying IPL run, earned the 27-year-old a surprise test recall last month.
The hard-hitting batsman, who recorded five half-centuries in his last six matches for Rajasthan Royals, made two against Pakistan, scoring 67 and 80 in two tests.
“Those couple of weeks in the IPL gave me huge amounts of confidence, playing in front of those crowds, the pressure of being an overseas player,” Buttler told British media.
“The tough thing with test cricket is that if you get out early, you’ve got a long time to think about it. In T20, you just move on.”
Man City manager Guardiola banned for two matches by UEFA
File photo: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts during the BMW PGA Championship in Britain. Photo: REUTERS
LONDON: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was banned for two matches by UEFA on Monday after being found guilty of communicating with his staff despite being sent to the stands in his team’s Champions League quarter-final second-leg defeat by Liverpool.
Guardiola’s suspension for one of the matches has been deferred for a probationary period of one season, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body said in a statement.
The Spaniard was dismissed for protesting against a disallowed goal in City’s 2-1 defeat, but was found guilty of continuing to communicate with his technical staff.
Champions League runners-up Liverpool were fined 29,000 euros (£25,472) for violations in three matches in the competition, including “acts of damage” by fans who attacked City’s bus during the first leg of the quarter-final at Anfield.
UEFA fined Liverpool 20,000 euros for violations by fans in the first-leg tie, including setting off fireworks, throwing objects and crowd disturbances.
UEFA has also ordered Zenit St Petersburg to play their next European home game behind closed doors after the Russian club were found to have committed a number of violations, including racist behaviour by their supporters.
World Cup 2018: complete guide to all 736 players
Biographies of every player in every squad at the World Cup in Russia, including caps, goals, nicknames, hobbies and, once the tournament starts, reader ratings for every performance
Continue reading…French Open 2018 quarter-finals: Thiem v Zverev, Putintseva v Keys – live!
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- And you can email Simon or tweet @Simon_Burnton
The players are out on the two show courts, with action but a few moments away. Meanwhile in doubles news, Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, the No2 seeds, have beaten Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Zverev, having battled his way through three consecutive five-setters to reach this stage, has played nearly two and a half hours’ more tennis in this tournament than Thiem. What, I wonder, is the highest number of sets played by a Grand Slam champion? I’m not sure anyone has played more than three five-set matches on their way to victory (Kuerten did that here in 1997).
Continue reading…Bold choices and a change of mood: how Ed Smith has performed so far
England’s new national selector has made a positive start with a modest reboot but being ruthless when required
Victory, and clarity Ed Smith’s first Test in charge left him badly needing a win in the second match. He helped secure it by keeping faith with 10 of his first XI while showing a necessary ruthlessness by dropping Mark Stoneman (just as he had with James Vince). “Mark,” Smith said, “has experienced a disappointing start to the season and had a difficult Test match at Lord’s.” He struck the right balance between bluntness and empathy, and avoided the trap that lies in wait for anyone employed by the England and Wales Cricket Board: blathering jargon.
Continue reading…Philippe Albert picks his all-time Belgium XI
The Red Devils legend takes on the near-impossible task of selecting his best-ever Belgium XI and says personality is just as important as talent. Now you can do the same with our interactive tool
For my goalkeeper, I’ve chosen Michel Preud’homme. We played together for three years at KV Mechelen. Voted “Best in the World” at the 1994 World Cup; a leader, good on his line. If he was playing today, he’d be in the top three in the world.
Eric Gerets is my right-back. The first Belgian to win the European Cup. A top player, with great determination and a real leader. Laurent Verbiest would be my first centre-back. He was known as ‘Lorenzo the Magnificent’, a talented libero, 20 or 30 years ahead of his time. He died tragically at 27 in a car crash.
Continue reading…