NEW DELHI: The stage was set for a memorable century for Rishabh Pant, but the India wicketkeeper-batter chose to throw away the opportunity. Pant, who was removed as India’s vice-captain ahead of the series with the role being handed to KL Rahul, fell for 81 off 121 balls when he miscued an attacking stroke and was caught at mid-off off Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi.

A dismissal that drew criticism from all corners, former India wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim said Pant looked in complete control for most of his innings and was surprised to see him depart in that fashion.

Karim also believed Pant’s dismissal on Day 2 of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur was more a result of fatigue and dehydration than poor shot selection, after the left-hander’s impressive innings ended on 81.

“I was expecting a big knock from Rishabh Pant because he seemed to be in control, despite that outside edge for which no review was taken,” Karim told Jio Hotstar.

The former national selector felt Pant’s physical condition in the extreme heat may have contributed to the dismissal.

“However, I felt that an over before his dismissal, he was beginning to lose energy. He didn’t seem to have too much gas left in the tank. He required some treatment from the physio, and I think he was getting dehydrated. So perhaps it was a lapse in concentration more than anything else,” he added.

“Rarely do you see Rishabh Pant go for a big shot when both long-on and long-off are stationed on the boundary. He was simply trying to accelerate but didn’t get the right ball to play that shot,” he said.

“Because, whenever he decides to go big, he is usually very decisive with his footwork and the deliveries he chooses to attack,” he added.

Pant’s innings played a key role in India’s commanding first-innings total of 564/8 declared, helping the hosts tighten their grip on the match despite falling 19 runs short of what would have been his seventh Test century.

By Michael Smith

Fifa is offering assurances to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani that fans may bring water into World Cup stadiums — within certain rules.

Mamdani raised concerns Thursday about reports that Fifa had banned fans from bringing bottles of water to World Cup matches, demanding answers from Fifa. 

On Friday, one of Fifa’s top executives, World Cup 2026 Chief Operating Officer Heimo Schirgi, paused during a tour of his tournament operations center in Miami to try to provide some answers. He turned his attention to three water bottles that had been pre-positioned on a desk to his left, television cameras rolling.

“First, what we meant to do when we changed the policy was to avoid these type of containers into a stadium, you know, which can be really dangerous if they’re thrown,” said Schirgi, holding up one metal and one hard plastic reusable bottle. “But, if you show up to the stadium with this,” he said, grasping a filled, 500 ml disposable bottle of water. “You will be allowed to bring this in.”

He said up to 20-ounce sealed bottles of water would be allowed at all matches in US and Canadian stadiums once the World Cup begins in a week. There are still some legal issues to deal with in Mexico before such a policy can be implemented, he said, without going into details.

The confusion came out of a revised version of Fifa’s 35-page Stadium Code of Conduct, which states that reusable water bottles would not be allowed in stadiums because they can be thrown by fans. Previous rules allowed fans to bring empty reusable plastic bottles to matches.

In New York, Mamdani, a notorious soccer fan (his favorite team is Arsenal), reacted quickly to the water rule change, saying he would check into it with Fifa, The Athletic reported.

“We don’t want anyone to be skimping on water because of the cost of the water at the stadium that otherwise they would be drinking,” Mamdani said in a video interview. “We want to make it easy,” he said, pausing to take a sip from a glass of water, “to drink some water.”

Worries about how the high heat of the North American summer in cities like Miami will impact players led Fifa to mandate water breaks during games. The global union professional football players union — FIFPRO — recommends postponing play if temperature levels climb too high. Fifa also said it’s taking precautions like providing drinks, cold towels and shade to meet teams’ needs on match days.

Schirgi said those concerns also include taking steps to protect fans from high heat. 

“You know, the health and safety of our spectators is our foremost objective,” he said. 

Members of Iran’s World Cup soccer team have been granted visas to the United States, two U.S. officials said, clearing them to enter the United States from their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, ahead of their first two matches near Los Angeles this month.

The team’s participation in the World Cup has been complicated by Iran’s war with Israel and the United States. Problems with processing visas had earlier led Iran to move its training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, on Mexico’s border with California.

One US official said all players on the Iranian team were approved for visas and were in the process of receiving them. A second official said visas had been issued for players, coaches, trainers and some support staff. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the visas publicly.

The second official could not say if any Iranian applicants had been denied. It was not immediately clear when the Iranian team’s passports would be returned to them to allow them to travel, but the official said it could be as early as Friday or Saturday.

The squad has been preparing for the World Cup at a training camp in Antalya, Turkey, before departing for Tijuana. The team said it has already received visas from Mexico’s embassy in Ankara.

US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack credited the U.S. Embassy in Ankara for processing visas for the Iranian team. “Sports transcends borders, and we look forward to welcoming competitors and fans from around the world,” Barrack wrote in a social media post Friday.

Iran plays its first two games in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium six days later, then heads to Seattle to face Egypt on June 26. Iran and the U.S. could meet in the round of 32 on July 3 in Arlington, Texas, if both teams place second in their groups.

President Donald Trump in March had discouraged Iran from participating in the tournament, saying he didn’t think it was “appropriate” and raising concerns over players’ “life and safety.” 
A day later, Iran’s national team pushed back, saying “no one can exclude” it from playing.

Iran finalized its team Monday, including 17 home-based players whose clubs have not played since February because of the war. Star forward Sardar Azmoun was dropped in March, reportedly because of a social media post that angered Iranian authorities during the war.

Iran’s sports minister said in March that it would “not be possible” for the team to participate in the World Cup, but the republic’s soccer federation said in May it was moving ahead with a team.

The federation had insisted that all players and staff be granted visas, including those who had military service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Twenty-three-time grand slam singles champion Serena Williams is liberating herself of any expectations as she prepares to make her comeback at the HSBC Championships in London.

The 44-year-old has been given a wild card for the women’s doubles to play alongside 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko at the Queen’s Club, marking her first competitive tennis since a farewell at the 2022 US Open.

Williams said her decision to pick up a racket again boiled down to a simple “Why not?”, and while Mboko feels her partner is “hitting great”, the American insists she is not focused on any outcomes.

“I don’t need to win,” said Williams. “I’ve won more than most people have in their whole lives, so it’s not that important to me, and it’s important that I keep reminding myself of that, because I don’t have anything to prove.

“I don’t have anything to lose, and everything here is just to gain.”

Williams never directly used the word retirement, but Monday’s comeback confirmation still came as a shock after the mother-of-two had, to use her preferred terminology at the time, made the decision to “evolve away” from tennis.

Speaking after she and Mboko trained on the Queen’s Club grass, Williams said: “This whole journey is like, I’m putting no pressure on myself.

“For me right now, it’s really just about so many elements. It’s really about my kids getting to see me play. Olympia is a little bit older, Adira is very young.

“An athlete is the best thing that you can be in the highest place, and having an opportunity to still be able to do that, possibly one last time, is kind of cool and exciting.”

The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, who spent 319 weeks as the WTA number one at the peak of her career, and claimed 39 major titles, has not exactly ruled out a return to singles, but suggested it was not imminent.

“I can’t say no right now,” she said. “I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles, and we will see if I get there, and if not… that’s not my journey right now.”

Williams, who shares her two daughters with Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, revealed as recently as December that she believed she “definitely was not” returning to tennis, but, after some conversations, thought: “Well, why not? For lack of a better explanation.

“It’s summer, the kids aren’t in school, so it’s a perfect time to get out there, have fun, and see what happens.”

In Mboko, Williams saw something, she said, “that reminded me a lot of myself” in her attitude, resilience, and drive. After making the “pretty 11th-hour commitment” to Queen’s, she reached out to the Canadian via text message. 

Mboko said: “She’s hitting great. She has such clean ball striking, she could probably take years off, and when she steps on the court she could probably find that rhythm again and find her timing. So I think that’s really a god-given gift that she has.

“I personally think she’s ready to go. I’m hitting with her, she’s hitting pretty big and she’s really fit, so we’ll see.”

Current Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez is expected to get re-elected and win today’s election with around 65% of the votes, according to exit polls published on both MARCA and AS. Mail-in votes are not considered in those exit polls and Pérez is likely to increase his lead there, per sources.

The official result of today’s election will likely be announced tonight at around 10pm local time.

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Real Madrid published the following announcement on its website earlier today.
The Real Madrid Electoral Board announces that, as of 5:00 pm, a total of 23,593 members have voted in the elections for Real Madrid President and Board of Directors, which are taking place at the Basketball Pavilion of Ciudad Real Madrid. This figure represents a 31.37% turnout. The polling stations will remain open continuously until 8:00 pm.

Nigerian forward Inemesit Sunday has signed for Rwanda Premier League club Gorilla FC on a two-year contract ahead of the new season.

The forward, who has previously played for Musanze FC and AS Kigali, joins Gorilla FC as the club looks to strengthen its attack.

Inemesit had a strong spell last season with AS Kigali, scoring 8 goals in 11 matches. His good form helped him gain more attention in the Rwandan top league.

Gorilla FC are expecting the Nigerian striker to bring more goals and consistency as they prepare for a better campaign. Last season, the club reached the semifinals of the Peace Cup, where they were knocked out by Rayon Sports, and they now hope to go further this time with added attacking strength.

The forward has also played for several clubs in Nigeria, including ALGON Boys FC, Akwa United FC, Rangers International, Dakkada FC, and Ibom Youths FC.

On social media, Inemesit said farewell to AS Kigali, thanking the club for their support during his short stay. He described his time there as one filled with love, teamwork, and family spirit, and wished them well as he moved on to a new challenge.

He wrote “It’s hard to say goodbye to the family that showed up when i needed someone, not only showing up but took me in as family. 5 months of love, happiness, fighting together. I want to say thank you AS KIGALI for the love and God bless you guys. We move forward.”