Jamaica Tallawahs spinner Sandeep Lamichhane will play no further part in this season’s competition after being suspended by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) in lieu of an arrest warrant being issued in his hope country of Nepal.

The arrest warrant, which was issued in Kathmandu, lists the charges as coercion of another person and was announced publicly on Thursday.  The decision to suspend the player was made by the CAN after a meeting and a statement from the body indicated that the cricketer would remain suspended until the matter was investigated.

 Lamichane, who previously played for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Barbados Tridents was yet to take the field this season.  In 2020, however, the player was the leading wicket-taker for the Jamaica Tallawahs franchise.

In response, the 22-year-old tweeted to address the issue and announced that he would be leaving the Jamaica franchise and prepare to defend himself against what he called baseless allegations.

“I am innocent and keep complete belief in the respectable laws of Nepal.  I have decided to take a leave from the CPL and go back to my country within a few days.  I am ready to face all these baseless allegations.  May justice be served to the innocent and right investigations to be done,” the player posted on Instagram.

Grenadian quarter mile star Kirani James has expressed delight in winning the men’s 400 metres at the Diamond League final in Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday. 

James finished comfortably ahead of the United States Bryce Deadmon and Brendon Norwood.  The athlete’s latest win was the third occasion that he has claimed the title, adding to wins in 2011 and 2015.

The Grenadian has enjoyed somewhat a bit of resurgence in recent seasons after recovering from injury and illness.  In July, the athlete captured silver in the event at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.  

“I am feeling good. It feels great to be the diamond race winner. The race was good, very competitive, against the best guys in the world,” James said following the event.

“Although it was very unfortunate that Matthew got injured during warmup and had to pull out at the last minute.

He is the European champion and I would have liked to compete against him,” he added.

“I have one more meeting coming, I try to enjoy every moment and represent my country. It is special for me to win here today after eleven years when I also won in Zurich.”

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots captain Dwayne Bravo insists the team has plenty of work to do, despite a narrow 4-wicket win over the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Thursday.

The win was the first of the campaign for the Patriots, but it did not come easily.  In fact, chasing 162 for victory, the team seemed set for a third straight loss after needing 22 from the final over.  Some big hitting from Dwaine Pretorius, however, put away some wayward bowling by Romario Shepherd.

The team’s campaign began with losses to the Jamaica Tallawahs and Barbados Royals and despite getting on the board Bravo, who has himself battled injuries early on, believes the team has plenty of adjustments to make.

“Even with this win we still have a lot to improve and when we get into the dressing room we will highlight those moments,” Bravo said following the match.

“To restrict them to 160 odd we would have been happy at the halfway stage because they are a very good batting line-up.  We know they have quality spinners but with our line-up, we don’t believe spin is a threat to our line-up.  At key moments we kept giving our opposition some momentum to come back into the game.  These are the things we have to talk about, even though we won, we made a lot of mistakes.”

Guyana Amazon Warriors captain Shimron Hetmyer insists he would not have done too much differently despite a tough loss to St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League on Thursday.

A brutal final over assault from Dwaine Pretorius handed the Patriots a thrilling 4-wicket win, despite an innings leading 46 off 21 from skipper Shimon Hetmyer that put the Warriors in a strong position.

In fact, the Guyana franchise seemed well set for a win after needing 22 runs heading into the final over.  After scoring three off the first two balls, however, Pretorius tore into Romario Shepherd the rest of the way clubbing two 6s and 7, in effect, off the last ball after Shepherd was also called for a no-ball.

Many believe Hetmyer should have gone for Odean Smith to bowl the final over after the batsman put up an economic 2 for 10 runs off two overs.  Hetmyer insists that it was important to back players.

“I think as players and individuals we back ourselves to get it nine times out 10.  I guess sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t it’s just for us to do better in the next game.

“He had a good day today but, in the end, I went for Shepherd and as it was things just didn’t go our way,” he added.

Jamaica Reggae Girlz captain Khadijah Shaw has labelled the just concluded two-match tour of South Korea as a valuable learning experience, despite the team losing both matches.

Following a 1-0 loss to their Asian counterparts on Saturday, the team closed out the tour with a 2-0 defeat on Wednesday.  Despite the results, the tour that was earmarked as an opportunity to evaluate players and team tactics was in Shaw's estimation a huge success.

“From the beginning the coach had said he wanted to use this opportunity to see other players, to find an identity and style of play, especially now that we have time before the World Cup,” Shaw said.

“So just coming here, playing against a different style, playing against a team that loves the ball helped us to know that sometimes we are going to suffer in different games and that gives us an idea of how we can approach the game,” she added.

The Reggae Girlz are expected to take part in further camps during the October and November window.

Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz suffered a 1-0 defeat to South Korea in a friendly international at the Hwaseong Stadium on Saturday.

In the first meeting between the teams, the fixture was settled by an early goal from Choe Yu-ri who found the back of the net in the 13^th minute.  The Reggae Girlz made a few changes to the starting line-up ahead of the match, including the return of Sydney Schneider who was the team’s custodian at the last FIFA World Cup, and a debut for Siobhan Marie Wilson.

Head coach of the unit Lorne Donaldson believes that barring a bit of inefficiency the team put in a creditable performance.

“Playing with this style that we are not accustomed to, I think the first half we were very tentative and we actually gave up a goal we shouldn’t have,” Lorne said after the match.

“In the second half, it was much better.  We might have scored but that’s football.  We’ll make some adjustments the players who didn’t play in this game will play in the next game because we still have to evaluate,” he added.

“Winning is good but sometimes you just have to evaluate, look and see what you have and that’s what we are here for.”

 Barbados 400m World Championship bronze medallist Sada Williams was admittedly disappointed with her performance at the Brussels Diamond League on Friday.

Williams finished runner-up well behind the Dominica Republic’s Fiordaliza Cofil in a time of 50.15.  Cofil took the top spot with a personal best 49.80.  Having dipped below the 50-second mark for the last two races, the result was a little surprising for the sprinter who believes she lost some power down the final stretch.

“I feel a little bit disappointed it wasn´t what I´m capable of. I was not able to speed up in the final stretch. It was good to run here it was hotter than I expected. Right now, I will review the race and see where I can improve. On to the next race,” Williams said after the race.

Belgium’s Cynthia Bolingo was third in a national record 50.19.  Jamaica’s Candice McLeod was further back in fifth place after clocking 50.76.  With 32 points from 6 races, however, Williams still leads the 400m standing for this season's Diamond League.

Former West Indies captain Sir Richie Richardson admits he was surprised but honoured to receive recognition from the University of the West, which is poised to issue the retired cricketer with an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) award for his contribution to the sport of cricket.

Richardson, a former opening batsman, led the West Indies from 1991-1996 and scored 5,949 runs in 86 Tests and scored 6,248 runs in 224 One Day International (ODI) matches.  One of a handful of West Indies players that have been knighted, Richardson remains involved with the sport as he is now also an ICC match referee.

“The University of the West Indies is a very important institution to us as a Caribbean people and it’s ranked as one of the best universities in the region so for them to see the need to bestow such an honour on me, then I am deeply touched, honoured and I am very grateful,” Richardson told the Good Morning Jojo Radio Show.

“I was surprised to be honest because I never really expected it but when I realised that it was going to happen I was very excited and deeply honoured.”

Women’s 100m world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is looking forward to a strong performance at the Diamond League meet, in Brussels, on Friday, having sufficiently recovered from an injury scare.

Fraser-Pryce, the fastest woman in the world this year, pulled out of the Lausanne Diamond League last week with a tight hamstring.  The athlete admits that she was apprehensive about risking an injury, but has revealed that scans have shown no significant damage to the muscle and insists she is now ready to go.

In Brussels, Fraser-Pryce is expected to battle compatriot and 100m silver medalist Shericka Jackson and Americans Aleia Hobbs and Sha ‘Carri Richardson, along with Diamond League event leader Marie-Josée Ta Lou of Côte d’Ivoire.

“At one point I thought about calling it a season after Lausanne because I didn’t want to take any risks,” Fraser-Pryce told members of the media, on Thursday, ahead of the Brussels meet.

“Then I got some rest for a couple of days, got a scan done and they said it was just the contraction of the muscle, then I got a second scan and it was good…I know it’s not 100 percent but I’m very optimistic about what I can do tomorrow,” she added.

Depending on how she fares after tomorrow's event, Fraser-Pryce could be looking at competing in one or two more races to take  advantage of her good form so far this season.  The athlete has clocked 6 times below 10.7s so far this season, the most in the event's history.

The eyes of the track and field world will turn to Brussels, Belgium on Friday where another mouthwatering match-up in the women’s 100m could unfold at the Diamond League.

Based on the entry list, the race could feature a clash between 100m World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 200m World champion Shericka Jackson and flamboyant young American sprinter Sha ‘Carri Richardson.    

It remains to be seen, though, whether Fraser-Pryce, who has dominated the event so far this season, will face the starter.  The sprinter, who has run below 10.7s on six occasions this season, pulled out of last week’s Lausanne Diamond League meet with a tight hamstring.

In her absence, the race was won by the United States Aleia Hobbs who surprised World championship silver medalist Jackson.  Some attention for the race will also be turned to Richardson who has had a poor season to date but did managed to secure a narrow win over Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah at the Luzern World Athletics Continental Tour-Silver Meet in Switzerland on Tuesday.

Jamaica Reggae Girlz coach Lorne Donaldson says the team will use its upcoming fixture against South Korea and others this year to trim down a highly competitive squad ahead of next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.  

The Jamaicans will play their first match since qualifying for the tournament two months ago when they South Korea on Saturday.  Donaldson will, however, field somewhat of a changed line-up, partly through necessity but also with half a mind on looking at potential additions to the team.

“This window going into South Korea and the next two windows is to look at some new players and give the older players that have been in the squad another chance, so they can put themselves in position for next year to be part of the World Cup squad,” Donaldson said.

“It gives us coaches a deeper squad to choose from and ensures that we do not leave any stone unturned.  So, this team going into South Korea will be the start of that, and expect the team to be very competitive.  There are a few familiar names that are missing but that’s what we want…it’s good for us to have a deeper pool of players,” he added.

Four new players have been called to Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz 23-player squad for the friendly.

Jamaica international Andre Blake insists will be business as usual but acknowledges the significance of the moment as he prepares to make a 200^th appearance for Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise.

Should the player make the starting line-up, as expected, against Atlanta United on Wednesday it should mark his 200^th appearance for the club, the second most in franchise history and most for a goalkeeper.

The goalkeeper was the first overall signing of the Union in the 2014 MLS Superdraft and 9 years later has gone on to be one of the club's most consistent and recognizable players.  The goalkeeper who led the team to the MLS Supporters Shield in 2020 and second place in the U.S Open cup in 2014, 2015, and 2016 was also named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016 and 2020.

“In a sense, it’s just another number, just another game,” Blake told the Daily Times. “That’s what keeps me humble. But in another sense, it’s a great achievement. You’d have to be in the league for quite a number of years to be able to have 200 starts. It’s a big deal, obviously, but it’s how you look at it. I’m very happy for that moment, but the show must go on.”

Blake has recovered from an early tumultuous spell in 2015 after injuring his right then his left knee.

The Barbadian driving sensation Zane Maloney, buoyed by his dramatic Formula 3 feature race win in Belgium this past weekend, is targeting a strong finish to the 2022 FIA season.

The 18-year-old Maloney rallied from a scary crash during Saturday’s Sprint Race, to secure the feature race triumph at the Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday for his first victory in F3.

The win vaulted Maloney to seventh in the F3 Drivers’ championship standings heading into the last two races in this year’s campaign – Zandvoort in the Netherlands this weekend and the season finale in Monza, Italy from September 8-10.

“We have two more rounds, there’s still a chance at doing very well at the championship,” said Maloney, who drives for the champion Italian Team Trident.

After seven races in the season, Maloney is seventh on 74 points, 32 points off the lead held by the Frenchman Isack Hadjar (106). He is only six points off sixth-placed American Jak Crawford (80) and 22 behind current No.5 Roman Stanek (96) of the Czech Republic.

“Hopefully I’ll have a good two rounds and I will keep pushing as hard as I can,” he said.

Maloney had been forced to retire from Saturday’s Sprint after being involved in a massive two-car crash that triggered a red flag to stall the race.

The dreadful crash involving 17-year-old team Campos driver Oliver Goethe and Maloney, saw both junior F3 stars collide as they came out of a bend at high-speed. Maloney had been trying to power his way up the inside but miscalculated and failed to make the bend. The collision flung Maloney and Goethe off the track and into the safety barrier. To return the following day for his maiden F3 win was an immense coup for the Barbadian teenager and his team.

“An amazing feeling. The team did a great job to get the car back ready, everything was new. Fourteen hours of work, zero sleep. I am very sore today but it was well worth it,” Maloney said after Sunday’s victory. “I feel privileged to hear the national anthem and see the flag on the top step of the podium, and yes that’s my goal all the time to represent Barbados,” he added.

His F3 season, already highlighted by the fastest lap in Bahrain in March and achieving pole position at Imola in April, ends in mid-September and he is now targeting a top-five finish in the championship standings.

Before this year’s F3 campaign, Maloney had contested the Formula Regional European Championship in 2021, securing podium finishes including a victory in Monaco from pole position.

200m World Champion Noah Lyles insists he would not be surprised to see Jamaica sprint star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce break the longstanding women’s 100m world record, on the heels of a remarkable season to date.

Fraser-Pryce, the 100m World Champion, pulled out of a showdown with compatriots Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson earlier this week, after feeling some tightness in her hamstring.

Prior to that, however, the 35-year-old has been in near flawless form so far.  Fraser-Pryce has dipped below 10.7 on a record six occasions, with her best of 10.62 coming at the Morocco Diamond League meet two weeks ago.  Lyles an athlete who is no stranger to fast times himself believes the performances are an indication the Jamaican is on the verge of something special.

“I heard that she said she wanted to break the world record this year and I’m like yeah I can see that.  I mean consistently dropping below 10.7s, 10.6s like almost every race and that’s very scary,” Lyles said ahead of the Lausanne Diamond League meet.

“Anytime you see somebody running a time that’s almost the exact same time, very consistently, every race, it means they’re about to make a huge drop.  It happened for me in the 2018 season when I ran nothing but 19.6 every race and I dropped it down to 19.5.  This year I was just playing around in the area of 19.6, 19.7, and all of a sudden I just made that huge jump to 19.3,” he added.

Last season, it was another Jamaican who had the record in her sights.  After a sensational 2021, which saw her crowned the double Olympic champion in Tokyo, Thompson-Herah clocked the second fastest time ever recorded over the distance with a 10.54 run in Eugene, Oregon.

“When Elaine was running in 2021 and messing around with the 10.6, 10.7 area then she just dropped it to 10.5, that just wasn’t out of nowhere she was just consistently running the same pattern and when her body was ready, the wind was ready and the day was good, she was ready to go,” Lyles said.

 “I’m really just waiting on Shelly to have that moment where her body is ready and the day is right, the crowd is there and the wind is perfect, I’m not going to be shocked when that world record pops up or it's right next to it or maybe way ahead of it.”

The record of 10.49 held by the United States’ Florence Griffith-Joyner has stood since 1988.

Veteran Jamaica defender Adrian Mariappa has commended an inexperienced Jamaica Reggae Boyz unit for its positive attitude after ending the Austria mini-tournament with a 1-1 draw against World Cup-bound Qatar earlier this week.

With the tournament occurring outside of the FIFA international friendly window, the majority of the team selected to represent the Reggae Boyz were taken from the country’s local league, which left many understandably short on international experience.

The team got off to a rough start with a 3-0 loss to Morocco but rallied back against Qatar and even led the match courtesy of a Jourdain Fletcher goal before being pegged back.

“I thought the goal was brilliant, that’s as good a team goal as I’ve seen that I’ve been a part of with the national team,” Mariappa said.

“It shows that with a bit of composure there is quality there and we can hurt teams, so it’s just about building.  We are not going to get too ahead of ourselves because at the end of the day it is a draw, we should have kept the clean sheet,” he added.

“The attitude from everyone was spot on and that’s the first thing you need, that always gives you a chance and a base to play from.”

The majority of the team will arrive back on the island on Sunday.