Global Sport

England newcomer Habib nearly quit cricketLONDON: Aftab Habib, a regular English county batman for just two years but now due to start hi...

England newcomer Habib nearly quit cricket

LONDON: Aftab Habib, a regular English county batman for just two years but now due to start his international career against New Zealand on Thursday, said he almost quit cricket five years ago. The 27-year-old Leicestershire player, named in the squad for the first Test at Edgbaston, may take over the No.6 position from the discarded Graeme Hick.

Kasparov, Karpov in titanic clash

FRANKFURT: Russian arch-rivals Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov will meet in competition for the first time in three years at a Speed Chess Tournament in Frankfurt this week. The clash between the flamboyant Kasparov and the quiet Karpov will be the highlight of the event, which takes place from Tuesday to Friday within the framework of the Chess Classics Festival in this German metropolis.

Story continues below this ad

Other top Grandmasters taking part in the Speed Chess competition, in which each player has 25 minutes per game to make all his moves, will be Viswanathan Anand of India andVladimir Kramnik of Russia.

In addition to the speed chess event, a normal tournament will be held featuring such stars as Michael Adams (England), Alexander Morozevich (Russia) and Judit Polgar (Hungary). Another attraction, at the end of the festival, will be a four-game challenge between the computer programme Fritz and Anand. Fritz will be seeking revenge for last year’s narrow loss to the Indian Grandmaster.

Inkster scripts name in history

WILMINGTON: A dream that began 16 years ago finally came to fruition on Sunday when Juli Inkster won the US Ladies PGA Championship, making her only the second woman to win the modern career grand slam in women’s golf.

Inkster, who won two majors as a rookie in 1984, won the final two legs just three weeks apart. The American’s victory at Dupont Country Club came just as quickly, with an eagle-birdie-birdie finish that gave her a 6-under 65 and a four-stroke victory over Sweden’s Liselotte Neumann.

Story continues below this ad

American compatriot Pat Bradley is the only otherwoman to have won the Dinah Shore, US Open, Du Maurier Classic and the American LPGA Championship, completing her sweep 13 years ago at the same tournament.

Greene, Jones sprint to success

EUGENE (OREGON): Maurice Greene showed why he’s the world’s fastest human, winning even with a poor start. Marion Jones showed that even a knee injury can’t slow her. Greene and Jones capped the US Outdoor Atheltics Championships by winning the men’s and women’s 200-metre dashes on Sunday.

Greene, capitalising on the absence of injured world record-holder Michael Johnson, sped to victory in a wind-aided 19.93 seconds, beating National Indoor champion Rohsaan Griffin by 0.05 seconds.

Jones led all the way in winning in 22.10. Like Greene, it was not close to her best of 21.62 and far off the world record of 21.34, but Jones was superior to the rest of the field.