SHORT CORNER

Dembele sidelined for two weeks

Reuters

Barcelona's French international forward Ousmane Dembele will be out for two weeks after spraining his ankle in Sunday's 3-1 victory over Leganes, the Spanish champions said on Monday.

The news comes as a blow for the 21-year-old, who opened the scoring for the La Liga leaders and has impressed in recent weeks, netting six times in his last 10 outings.

The injury means he is likely to miss both legs of their Copa del Rey quarter-final with Sevilla, and Sunday's Catalan derby at Girona.

It is also possible that he could be sidelined for the visit of Valencia at the beginning of February, although he should be fit for Barca's Champions League last-16 meeting with Olympique Lyonnais in February.      

Rokeya House retains title

Sports Reporter

Rokeya House retained the Shaheed Bir Uttam Lt. Anwar Girls' College's Inter-house Annual Sports Competition title while Mashuda Bil Jannah became champion of the individual category.

Rokeya House bagged 233 points, 23 points more than runners-up Rabeya Basari. Mashuda bagged seven points, said a press release yesterday. 

The two-day competition ended on Monday with the chief patron of the college -- Major General M Nazrul Islam -- distributing prizes among the winners while the principle and teachers, high-ups of civil and military administrations, guardians and students were present on the occasion.  

Shuttlers get training

Sports Reporter

A badminton training course, organised by Officers Club, concluded at the Officers' Club premises yesterday with some 32 budding shuttlers taking part in the 15-day training.

Former national shuttler Anayet Ullah Khan conducted the training course. Khan informed that some 15 shuttlers were selected for the second-phase of training.           

Rashford on same level as Ronaldo, Rooney

Reuters

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is showing maturity beyond his years and can be a "top-class" player in the mould of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said.

Rashford scored in Saturday's 2-1 Premier League win over Brighton and Hove Albion to take his overall tally to 41 goals in 150 appearances since making his debut in 2016.

"Definitely, he can be absolutely top-class," Solskjaer told reporters when the comparisons were suggested to him. "He is only 21 but the maturity he is showing at times is more than 21.               

Southgate cools United talk

Afp

Gareth Southgate insisted on Sunday his work as England manager was far from done as he indicated he had no interest in taking charge at Manchester United any time soon.

"I'm the England manager and it's a privileged position to be in," Southgate told Sky Sports.

A recent report in Britain's Sunday Telegraph said Southgate was on a shortlist being drawn up by Old Trafford chiefs as they sought a permanent replacement for the sacked Jose Mourinho.

But with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the caretaker manager, having won his first seven games in charge of United, the Red Devils may have a ready-made successor in their former striker.            

NZ women cricketers earn  91% less than commentators

Agencies

With sportswomen world over pushing for pay parity, a startling revelation has been made in New Zealand cricket where reportedly a pay difference of 91% exists between a cricketer and a commentator. Former New Zealand cricketer Peter McGlashan made the claim on his Twitter account to highlight the wage difference in domestic cricket.

The Super Smash doubleheader at the Eden Park Outer Oval witnessed Auckland Aces take on Otago Volts followed by the women's final between the Wellington Blaze and the Canterbury Magicians. McGlashan commentated in both the games before revealing that he was paid more than any of the women players.

In his tweet, McGlashan revealed that seamer Mitchell McClenaghan earned $575 for his commentating job while White Ferns and Wellington player Sophie Devine received just $55.    

How cricket helped Barty

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Australia's Ashleigh Barty believes a decision to take a break from tennis and play professional cricket revived her career, giving her the drive to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final in Melbourne this week.

Barty will became the first local hope to play in the last eight at the Australian Open in a decade when she faces Czech rival Petra Kvitova on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old has already claimed her biggest scalp yet with a three-set triumph over five-time major champion Maria Sharapova on Sunday in front of a frenzied Melbourne Park crowd.

But Barty's career was in crisis a few years ago, when the Queenslander walked away from the sport she had played since she was a toddler.

Jaded with the constant travel and loneliness of being on tour, as well as the pressure from Australian fans desperate for Grand Slam success, Barty decided tennis was not for her.

She retired and in 2014 made the stunning announcement that she would instead play professional cricket in Brisbane, preferring a team sport over tennis' gladiatorial ethos.

"There's never a lonesome moment on the field if you're struggling," she said at the time. "There's 10 other girls that can help you out and get you through the tough times."

Barty played for the Brisbane Heat in the Women's Big Bash League, scoring 39 runs from 27 deliveries on debut against the Melbourne Stars.