Shakib Al Hasan's preparations for the World Cup kicked into high gear at this year's IPL. Left out by Sunrisers Hyderabad for four weeks, Shakib used the time to get into shape through a strict fitness regime under trainer Jade Roberts. At one stage he flew in Mohammad Salahuddin, his mentor since childhood, to India to work on his batting and bowling.

Shakib even changed his food habits and lost around six kilos. He looks slimmer, almost like the youngster he was during the 2007 World Cup. His work during the downtime which coincided with the run-up to the World Cup worked a treat. He played only three matches for Sunrisers before heading home for the World Cup camp in Dhaka. After creating a rumpus for not appearing in the team photo, Shakib did well in the Ireland tri-series, only to miss the final due to back spasm.

After Bangladesh beat West Indies in their first game in Dublin, Shakib spoke about the extensive fitness work he had been putting in with his eyes on the World Cup.

ALSO READ: How Soumya Sarkar shocked South Africa

"With the World Cup coming up, like every other player I too have a goal," he said in Ireland. "I can tell you that I have taken the best preparation for this tournament, something that I had not done for the past eight or nine years. I will keep my end of the bargain, while the rest is up to Allah and my effort.

"I feel a lot fitter than before, and as a result I feel more confident. It is important to hold on to this fitness, because it is not always that you have this mentality. The body doesn't respond in the same way all the time. I got a "kick" from somewhere, let's not reveal it. It is not a big deal but it certainly woke me up."

Cut to the World Cup itself and Shakib begins the campaign in the best way possible with a composed 75 off 84 balls and 1 for 50 from his ten overs. It was his first Player-of-the-Match award in the World Cup, having now struck a fifty in each of the four editions he has been a part of. This innings - which formed part of a 142-run stand with Mushfiqur Rahim - ensured there was no slip after a terrific start provided by Soumya Sarkar's bristling response to South Africa's attempts to use the short ball.

His bowling was also effective against a South Africa side that looked to be too conservative against his left-arm spin. The wicket he claimed, defeating a well-set Aiden Markram in his fifth over, was his 250th in ODIs. His initial spell of seven overs went for just 25 runs and was key in leaving South Africa significantly behind the required rate.

"From a personal point of view, it was a really good day," he said. "I could contribute to the team, and there were some personal achievements. It was an important partnership with Mushfiq bhai after we got a good start from the openers.

WATCH on Hotstar - Shakib's key innings (Available to viewers in India only)

"I think it was a special day for Bangladesh cricket, to start so well against tough opponents in the World Cup. We had the belief but we had to portray it in our performance. Everyone had been confident, which helped us to execute our plan."

Shakib, who will play his 200th ODI against New Zealand on June 5, said the 21-run win will have put opposition on notice when they face Bangladesh although cautioned against getting carried away by one victory.

"We still have eight matches to go, so a lot of difficulties await us. Other teams will now be careful against us. It is good because they may be a tensed facing us. But at the other hand, they would also be quite focused and we have to do well against them. We have to prepare better, and execute our plans better.

Shakib added that Bangladesh, who reached the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup and the semi-finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy, still have a lot to prove but the tag that they are a dangerous side is something he wants other teams to focus on.

"We have always tried to say it but others don't really have time for us. I think we have a lot to prove. We have started well. I think that we are in a good place, mentally. I think if we can continue in this manner we can go a long way in the tournament."

But it is Shakib's drive to do well, despite having been around for more than 13 years, and having earned plaudits for being arguably the best allrounder in the world, that stands out. Him performing at the top of his ability is nothing new but he has sometimes been associated with the sort of player who doesn't need a lot of day-to-day training to perform well. However, ahead of this World Cup his extra effort shows how much doing well at the biggest stage matters to him.

Suspended from his radio show for remarks he made about female golfers, particularly those from South Korea heading into the U.S. Women's Open, Hank Haney tweeted on Sunday that the victory by Jeongeun Lee6 was validation of his Wednesday "prediction" on his SiriusXM program.

Lee6 shot a final-round 70 in Charleston, South Carolina, to win the LPGA's biggest tournament by a stroke.

On Wednesday, Haney said during a conversation about the U.S. Women's Open that he would go with a Korean golfer as a winner, then said he would go with "Lee,'' and if he didn't have to say a first name, "I'd get a bunch of them right." Haney had quipped he didn't know the names of six players in the field.

After Lee6's victory on Sunday, Haney tweeted: "My prediction that a Korean woman would be atop the leaderboard at the Women's U.S. Open was based on statistics and facts. Korean women are absolutely dominating the LPGA Tour. If you asked me again my answer would be the same but worded more carefully."

Haney, 63, is a longtime instructor best known for his work with Tiger Woods from 2004 to 2010. He owns several golf schools in the Dallas area. Woods on Friday said Haney "deserved'' the suspension he got. "Just can't look at life like that," Woods said.

Haney's radio suspension came at the behest of the PGA Tour, whose name is on the SiriusXM channel. The suspension began Thursday.

TORONTO -- After National Basketball Coaches Association president Rick Carlisle spent several minutes praising the winner of this year's Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, former Utah Jazz coach and executive Frank Layden, he turned the microphone over to Layden to give his remarks.

"Rick, how many more years you got in this term as president?" Layden asked.

When Carlisle responded that he didn't know, Layden shot back, "We got to work on your delivery a little bit," drawing laughter from the assembled crowd for his news conference.

That was just one of many times Layden broke up the room over the next 20 minutes or so, as the 88-year-old gave a rollicking speech that touched on his life in the sport. That included his growing up in Brooklyn, New York, playing in college at nearby Niagara University and then coaching both in high school, collegiately back at Niagara and then for several years with the Jazz before moving into the front office.

Layden, who had his entire family -- including his son, Scott, a longtime executive currently working for the Minnesota Timberwolves -- in attendance, was clearly enjoying the moment, and a man well known during his career for making jokes both at his expense and others' got off plenty of one-liners and expressed appreciation for getting the chance to do so.

"There's a lot of things I could talk about, about this particular award," Layden said. "At my age, I'm at the stage of my life where people call up and say, 'I'm looking for Frank Layden. Is he still alive?' You know, I understand that. So this is probably the last award I'll ever receive. But you know, it's also the most important one because, first of all, my family could be here and could help to share it with me.

"The people you named that had won this award previously," Layden said, "[are] certainly an All-Star-type group. Academy Award winners. I don't really believe that I should be amongst that group, but nevertheless, here I am, and I'm going to take it home with me, no matter what, all right?"

He also talked about his longtime friendship with Daly and their mutual time in Western New York in the 1950s.

"Chuck and I, as I say, went way back," Layden said. "I don't know if people realize it, but Chuck, actually, when he started college, went to our arch rival of Niagara's, [which] was St. Bonaventure ... I didn't know him exactly at that time, but it was a conversation piece, and we got to know each other through the years. I remember, I first really spent some time with him when him and Hubie Brown were assistant coaches at Duke and saw him later on when he was an assistant at Penn and Niagara played in the NCAA's and what have you.

"But through the years, we always -- there was a time when after the games the coaches used to go out and have a few beers. We weren't enemies, you know -- oh, did I say that? I didn't mean to say that. We went out and had a few sodas together, all right. But, yeah, it wasn't all-out war, you know, it was not only competitive, but it was a lot of fun."

Outside of a period of thanking each of his family members, though -- including his wife, Barbara, with whom he celebrated his 62nd wedding anniversary Saturday -- Layden spent most of his time on stage doing what he did so often during his NBA career: cracking jokes at the referees' expense.

"So I would like to say if I could change anything in my life, it would be by the way I treated referees," Layden said. "All right, I think I was very, very hard on the referees. You know, I remember Earl Strom one night, when we were getting killed by the Lakers, you know, and I said to [son] Scottie -- and, of course, at that time Phil Johnson was my assistant coach along with Scott -- and I said, 'Listen, you guys take over this game. Try to pull it out.' I said, 'I'm going across the street and get us a table for dinner. I'm going to get drunk.'

"So I started on Strom and just got after him something awful. And he gave me -- remember he used to do this [indicating] -- he was blowing the whistle and screaming and everything, and he is storming over at me, storming over, and he finally gets there.

"He says, 'I know what you're trying to do.' He said, 'But if I got to stay here and watch this s---, so do you. Sit down and shut up.'"

Layden was also honored at center court early in the second quarter, getting a nice ovation from the crowd. After his news conference, Raptors coach Nick Nurse joined him on stage to congratulate him, as well.

TORONTO -- Golden State Warriors swingman Klay Thompson left in the fourth quarter of Sunday's NBA Finals Game 2 against the Toronto Raptors with left hamstring tightness, according to the team.

Thompson was hurt with 10:40 left in regulation after he landed awkwardly. He stayed in the game for a couple of minutes before motioning to his team to foul so he could come out of the game.

Thompson eventually left with 7:59 remaining and then hobbled to the bench. After a few moments, he headed back to the locker room with members of the Warriors' training staff to be checked out.

"Klay said he'll be fine, but Klay can be half-dead and he'd say he's [fine]. We'll see," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the 109-104 win that tied the series 1-1. "He pulled his hamstring; he thinks it's minor -- I don't know what that means going forward."

Thompson's injury is the latest setback for a Warriors group already playing without Kevin Durant, who continues rehabbing a right calf injury. Warriors backup center Kevon Looney left Sunday's game in the second quarter and did not return because of what the team said was a chest contusion. But Kerr said afterwards that Looney exited because of "something with his shoulder."

Andre Iguodala, who continues to deal with a lingering calf injury, was shaken up on Sunday after a screen from Raptors center Marc Gasol in the second quarter and went to the locker room to be checked out. He remained in the game, providing a nice offensive lift for the Warriors at the start of the second half.

Warriors star guard Stephen Curry was dealing with some dehydration and was a little lightheaded at the end of the first quarter, Kerr said after the game. Curry was checked out by the Warriors' medical staff throughout the opening quarter but remained in the game.

SAN DIEGO -- The game between the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres at Petco Park was delayed for 28 minutes after a swarm of bees settled onto a microphone attached to the netting near the home dugout.

With Padres rookie Josh Naylor about to bat with two outs in the third inning Sunday, players began scattering. Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro headed to the dugout and plate umpire Gerry Davis moved back from the field.

Eventually all the players left the field. An exterminator in a beekeeping suit climbed a ladder and sprayed the bees. He then used a shop vacuum cleaner to remove the dead bees, and the grounds crew tidied up the area.

The Padres' official Twitter account had some fun during the delay:

We are in a (check notes) bee delay.

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 2, 2019

NOOOOOOOPE no no no pic.twitter.com/1Aw8g7Oblm

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 2, 2019

According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground.

The bee, of course, flies anyway, because bees don't care what humans think is impossible. pic.twitter.com/qP9Kcdml3X

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 2, 2019

Naylor flied out to end the inning. The Marlins would go on to beat the Padres 9-3.

There was bee delay of 52 minutes on July 2, 2009, during a Padres game with the Houston Astros at the downtown ballpark, which opened in 2004.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The village boy who ended up with a Commonwealth Games bronze and Asian Games gold call its quits – Nafiizwan Adnan
By ALEX WAN – Squash Mad Asian Bureau Editor

This season has been one filled with retirements. Laura Massaro, Jenny Duncalf, Ramy Ashour, and most recently Olli Tuominen. But perhaps the one nation that felt it most was Malaysia, when two of their top players Nicol David and Nafiizwan Adnan called time on their professional squash careers. We caught up with The Komodo Nafiizwan Adnan to talk about his retirement and what he is up to these days.

2018 was a mammoth year for many nations – with the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games both happening in the same year. For some Asian nations like Malaysia, who are part of both, it was doubly important. Nafiizwan Adnan, the world number 40, had set his sights on that year to excel and this, he did amazingly well. A bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games followed by a gold medal at the Asian Games is a very nice a feather to cap his career.

“Actually I wanted to retire after the Asian Games, but I decided to delay it since the Asian Individuals were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia”, Nafiizwan, or Wan as he is fondly known said when asked when did he decided to retire.

Another reason that prompted his decision was the fact that he and his wife Aufa had moved back to Kuala Lumpur in October last year, after being based in Manchester, England for a few years, where Aufa was pursuing her Masters in Orthodontics.

“I feel that in order for me to improve my squash, I needed to be based overseas. With us moving back to Kuala Lumpur, I didn’t believe that it would be any better than it already is.

“My wife and I are also looking to start a family. We’ve been married for more than five years now and with us being based out of Kuala Lumpur and still playing on the tour, I would hardly get much time to spend with Aufa and our families.”

For a “kampung (village) boy” from the east coast of Malaysia who left home to pursue his squash in Kuala Lumpur together with his brother Nafzahizam, Wan has certainly come a very long way. It was no easy feat however, as Wan only broke into the top 50 for the first time in 2011 in his eighth year on the tour. He achieved a career high of 26 in May 2017 after an impressive run of results, which included his biggest title at the HKFC International where he defeated Paul Coll in final, and a last 16 showing at the World Championships in Egypt.

This sentiment was echoed by Wan’s wife Aufa, who said proudly, “I’m very proud of Wan. It’s quite overwhelming knowing he was once just a humble village boy. But because of his hard work, grit and perseverance, he has achieved in his lifetime what many cannot even imagine or would want to try. I have personally seen him in action for the country at many tournaments in many parts of the world, even in some where I cannot even pronounce the names. He has always given his best and he will always be my superstar hubby.”

Having been on the tour since 2004, Wan feels the top three things he will miss are making new friends, winning and losing, or as they say “get chopped” against the top players and not having to think about anything apart from squash – where he was able to stay in shape, earn a living, travel the world and at times, be famous at the same time.

He also feels there are far too many good memories from being on tour for him to pick one. In fact, he adds, “I better not think too much about this or I’ll be coming out of retirement very soon!”

However, choosing a bad one was easy, “When I’m alone in an unfamiliar place, it’s never nice. Traveling from one tournament to another with all the big bags was never fun too.”

Whilst Wan has some offers in front of him for his next step in life, he is currently taking it easy to enjoy the moment.

“For now, I want to enjoy the moment. I want to spend time with my family and friends. I have some offers, but I am taking time to consider them before making a decision.”

Timing is also on Wan’s side as this will be the first Ramadhan he will be spending back home with his wife. With Eid (or Hari Raya as it is more commonly known in Malaysia) just around the corner, this will be the first time Wan will be celebrating the auspicious occasion with Aufa’s family in Malacca, Malaysia.

“This is the first time I will spend Raya with Aufa’s family since we got married. She has a very big family so I am pretty sure we will have a great time there. Most of all, I do not need to watch my diet this time round and I will be able to enjoy the many delicacies I have been resisting all these years.”

Aufa herself is certainly also enjoying his retirement and having him around more than she is used to.

“His retirement is quite emotional for me too. Squash was not just his career – it was his life. Our married life pretty much revolved around his touring, so we had to plan our meet ups, holidays and everything around that. After more than five years of being married, it’s quite nice to have him around. Retiring from the tour has been the biggest decision of his career. There are many uncertainties, but he knows his family is here to support that decision,” Aufa said when asked how she felt about having him around these days.

The Komodo Nafiizwan Adnan retires from the tour having played a total of 200 events and 450 matches, winning 261 of them. He has reached the final of 24 events and won 11 of them. Wan has also participated in 3 consecutive Commonwealth and Asian Games in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

The Komodo parted leaving some simple words of wisdom to young Malaysian juniors looking to follow his footsteps:

“Be as professional as you can. Always train hard and play smart on court.”

On a personal note, I will miss seeing a familiar face from home and a dinner companion to the few events I travel to. I wish Wan all the best in whatever he decides to do next.
 

Pictures courtesy of Aufa Dahlia, HKFC, Macau Squash, Commonwealth Games archives

Fly-half Elinor Snowsill has welcomed the prospect of a Wales and Barbarians double-header at the Principality Stadium later this year.

The two games on the same day in Cardiff are being lined up for 30 November at the Principality Stadium.

Snowsill and fellow Wales international Jasmine Joyce played in a similar double-header against England on Sunday and is glad Wales are following suit.

"That would be brilliant," said Snowsill.

The men's match would see Warren Gatland coach the Barbarians, in Wayne Pivac's first match in charge of Wales after succeeding his fellow New Zealander.

For the women it would represent a rare chance to play at the Principality Stadium.

Snowsill won her 50th cap against Italy in February 2019 but has only played once at the national stadium in her Test career.

"We don't really get the opportunity too much," admitted Snowsill.

"It would be great to have another double-header. Hopefully I could have a game for Wales or the Barbarians, it would just be lush to be involved in that game."

Snowsill was vice-captain in the Barbarians side that lost 40-14 to England in the historic double-header at Twickenham on Sunday.

It is the latest step in the growing profile of women's rugby, with the Barbarians club launching their women's team in 2017-18.

Wing Joyce has also said she believes the British and Irish Lions need to follow this example and create a women's team, while Snowsill has praised the Baa-Baas' attitude.

"I feel as if the Barbarians are driving the focus for others to follow," said Snowsill.

"The focus has been on gender equality and everything being the same for us.

"The fact we were involved with the men in the build-up, everything about the week has been linked with the men and we are having the post-match function together."

On the field, Snowsill admitted an established England side were too strong against an invitational team who have only been together just under a week.

"Against a team that are so drilled and organised, it was always going to be hard," said Snowsill.

"We spent the first half defending but we came out second half and scored a couple of tries."