NBA: Dennis Schroder, 29, has signed with the Toronto Raptors, following weeks of media speculation. On July 12, the Raptors confirmed the signing of the veteran point guard. Last season, he averaged 12.6 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game for the Los Angeles Lakers and on average played 30.1 minutes a game in 66 games, 50 of which he started. He is set to replace Fred VanVleet, who signed with the Houston Rockets in the offseason, as the Raptors’ primary point guard.
2023 Asia Cup (August 30 to September 17): The schedule for the Asia Cup was released on July 19, with Pakistan and India playing in Kandy, Sri Lanka, in the group round. Due to political difficulties, the two teams have only played in World Cups and neutral venues since 2013. The competition will be co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal join the two host nations and India in the six-team 50-over competition. The teams have been split into two groups of three, with Nepal alongside India and Pakistan, who meet on September 2, in Group A.
From there, the top two sides from each group will progress to the Super Four stage to determine the two to go through to the final. The first Super Four game is scheduled to be played in Lahore before the tournament moves to Colombo, but the nature of the seeding means India will not be involved.
Asia Cup group stage fixtures
Aug 30 – Multan (Pak) Pakistan vs Nepal
Aug 31 – Kandy (SL) Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
Sept 2 – Kandy (SL) Pakistan vs India
Sept 3 – Lahore (Pak) Bangladesh vs Afghanistan
Sept 4 – Kandy (SL) India vs Nepal
Sept 5 – Lahore (Pak) Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka
The Ashes: Moeen Ali reached the Test all-rounder’s benchmark of 3,000 runs and 200 wickets as he batted against Australia at Old Trafford. The England spinner, promoted to number three in the batting order for the fourth Ashes Test, flashed a Pat Cummins delivery wide of gully to reach 24 for his innings and 3,000 runs in the format before immediately celebrating with a more authentic boundary through the covers. He is the 16th player and the fourth Englishman to reach both landmarks.
TRANSFERS:
July 22: Manchester City have loaned out defender Issa Kaboré to Premier League newcomers Luton Town. Kabore, 22, joined City from KV Mechelen in 2020 before being loaned back to the Belgian side for the 2020–21 season. He spent a productive year at Troyes the following season before making the move to Marseille last term. The Burkina Faso international helped his nation to fourth place in the 2022 African Cup of Nations, and he is nearing 100 senior professional appearances. Now, he will make his first steps in English football, securing a loan spell at Luton after their promotion to the Premier League last season.
July 19: Burnley have signed Switzerland forward Zeki Amdouni from Basel for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old striker, who was top scorer with seven goals in the Europa Conference League last season, has signed a five-year deal. Amdouni also scored 12 times in the Swiss Super League and has five goals in four games for Switzerland in Euro 2024 qualifying.
July 19: League One club Portsmouth have signed Norwich City forward Abu Bakarr Kamara on a season-long loan deal. The 19-year-old made his senior debut for the Canaries in April and has appeared in three Championship matches. “Abu is an exciting young prospect who can play across the front line,” boss John Mousinho told the club website.
July 17: Queens Park Rangers have signed goalkeeper Asmir Begović following his release by Premier League club Everton. The 36-year-old, who made 10 appearances over the course of a two-year spell with the Toffees, has agreed a one-year contract with the R’s. Begovic has won 63 caps for Bosnia-Herzegovina and has previously played for Stoke, Chelsea and Bournemouth.
July 17: Sheffield United have signed Yasser Larouci on a season-long loan from French club Troyes with an option to make the deal permanent. The 22-year-old full-back is the Blades’ second signing of the summer following the arrival of midfielder Anis Slimane from Brondby. Algeria-born Larouci has been capped four times by France at under-21 level.
After nearly 19 years, Pakistan is set to host an international hockey event, with the International Hockey Federation (FIH) giving the Olympic qualification rounds to the country early next year.
Pakistan, which last held a FIH event in 2004, will host eight teams from January 13 to 24 next year in Lahore. “Pakistani hockey fans have been deprived of seeing international hockey stars at home for 20 years now, and the FIH Olympic qualifiers will undoubtedly boost the sport in Pakistan again,” said FIH Secretary-General Haider Hussain.
UFC: Islam Makhachev will defend his lightweight title against Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 294 on October 21 in Abu Dhabi. Makhachev, 31, of Russia, defeated Brazil’s Oliveira nine months ago to win his first world championship, which he successfully defended against Alexander Volkanovski in March. In June, Oliveira, 33, defeated Beneil Darish to set up the title rematch.
On the undercard, Khamzat Chimaev will face Paulo Costa at middleweight. Chimaev of Sweden is undefeated in 12 fights and has been impressive since entering the UFC in 2020, with four first-round finishes in six contests.
World Junior Squash Championship, Melbourne, Australia: Egyptian Squash players Amina Orfi, Malak Khafagy and Fayrouz Aboelkheir have qualified for the semi-finals of the World Junior Squash Championship held in Melbourne, Australia. Six Egyptian players had qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament. Aboelkheir defeated American Caroline Fouts, 3-0, with a score of 11-5, 14-12, and 11-5. Orfi defeated her compatriot Zina Zain, 3-0, with the results of the sets: 11-5, 11-5, and 12-10. And Khafagy defeated India’s Anahat Singh, 3-1, with a score of 10-12, 11-8, 11-7, and 11-2.
Anett Kontaveit will play her final match in Tallinn against Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur later this year. The 27-year-old competed in her final tournament of her career at Wimbledon this year. But Kontaveit, who was forced to retire early due to a severe back injury, also wants to play in front of the Estonian audience one more time.Kontaveit will face three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur at the Tondiraba Ice Hall on November 11.
“I’m just very happy to be able to play for the last time in front of the home crowd and once again to play tennis, which I have played, practised, and loved for so long. I expect that this event will be a great evening,” Kontaveit told ERR.
Turkey won the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship for the first time on July 16 defeating China 3-1. The Turkish national team won the final match in Arlington, Texas, with the score of 25-22, 22-25, 25-19, and 25-16. Meanwhile, Poland took bronze after defeating the United States team in sets of 25-15, 16-25, 25-19, 18-25, and 17-15.
U-20 Asian Wrestling Championships, Amman, Jordan, July 12–20: The Iranian national under-20 freestyle wrestling team won gold with 191 points in the Asian Wrestling Championships.
Iran’s Ali Abbas Rezaei-Aghouzgeleh, Mohammadmobin Gholamali Azimi, and Amirali Gholamali Pouladi won gold medals in the 70-kg, 92-kg, and 125-kg weight categories, respectively. Silver medallists included Ebrahim Mahdi Khari, Ebrahim Esmaeil Elahichouran, Hossein Abbas Mohammad Aghaei, Farzad Jafar Safijahanshahi, and Amirhossein Rahmat Alizadehshahkolaei in the 57-kg, 65-kg, 74-kg, 79-kg, and 86-kg weight classes.
Wrestlers from India finished second with 180 points, followed by Kazakhs with 160 points. Uzbekistan came in fourth place with 127 points. Dozens of male and female freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers from various Asian countries, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, took part in the tournament.
