TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2015 SPORTS Pakistan on Sri Lanka tour Villa to release Bent Ings to join Liverpool LONDON: Ron Vlaar has been offered a new contract by Aston LONDON: Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Burnley striker Danny Ings, LAHORE: Pakistan’s coach Waqar Younis expressed confidence the cricket squad would Villa but the Premier League club have released striker Darren the Premier League club announced yesterday. “Liverpool FC are delighted achieve targets in Tests and one-day series as they set off for a tour of Sri Lanka yesterday. Bent, the Birmingham side announced yesterday. to announce that they have agreed personal terms with Danny Ings and, Pakistan will play three Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20s on their Dutch international defender Vlaar’s current deal at Villa subject to a medical, the striker will join the club on July 1 after his con- 53-day tour of Sri Lanka, with the aim of qualifying for the 2017 Champions Trophy in Park expires at the end of the month, but manager Tim tract with Burnley has expired,” the club said on their website (www.liver- England. Pakistan, currently ninth in one-day rankings, must beat Sri Lanka to get to the Sherwood has previously made it clear he would like him to poolfc.com). eighth spot or better before the September 30 cut off date for the Champions Trophy, stay at the club. Burnley confirmed the agreement on their website (www.burnleyfoot- which will feature the top eight teams. Waqar said he believed the team would reach the Vlaar himself said following Villa’s FA Cup semi-final win ballclub.com) but said they had rejected Liverpool’s proposed fee. Champions Trophy. “We have set targets for Tests as well as one-day series and hope that Although Ings will be out of contract, Burnley are entitled the team does well on the tour to achieve the targets and I am confident that we will over Liverpool in April that Sherwood’s arrival as manager had transformed his view of the club’s prospects. to compensation for the 23 year-old, who joined them from qualify for the Champions Trophy,” Waqar told AFP. Since Waqar took over in June Bournemouth four years ago. last year, Pakistan had lost five one-day series before beating Zimbabwe at Villa were well-beaten, 4-0, by Arsenal in the FA Cup final at Wembley last month but by then they’d achieved their main If the clubs cannot agree on a fee, it will be set by a Premier home 2-0 last month-a series which revived international cricket in Pakistan League tribunal. Ings becomes Liverpool’s second major sign- after six years. “As a coach there is always pressure on you, it’s there even goal for the season of retaining their Premier League status after a 17th-placed finish. The 30-year-old Vlaar, who joined ing since the end of the season, after England international when you are winning. Unfortunately we have lost five series but you must James Milner joined from Manchester City. Manager Brendan consider a lot of factors - the biggest of them all was losing Saeed Ajmal,” said from Dutch club Feyenoord in 2012, has made 88 Villa appear- Rodgers hopes Ings will boost the club’s goalscoring prowess Waqar of the ace spinner not selected for the Tests against Sri Lanka. ances and captained the club before being replaced as skip- after a disappointing campaign in which their tally dropped to Waqar said both Pakistan and Sri Lanka are in the rebuilding per by Fabian Delph in the season just completed. Premier 52 from 101 the previous season. Ings scored 11 goals in the phase.”They (Sri Lanka) lost some of their senior players and we League side Southampton had expressed an interest in sign- Premier League last season as Burnley finished 19th and have also lost some seniors so it will take time to rebuild the ing Vlaar after he impressed during the Netherlands’ run to were relegated. He was their only player to score in the one-day teams but a tour to Sri Lanka is always tough,” said last year’s World Cup semi-final, where they lost to Argentina last nine games. —Reuters Waqar.—AFP in a penalty shoot-out with Vlaar missing a spot-kick.—AFP Angels fall, Rays see off Mariners NEW YORK: CC Sabathia pitched six sharp single. After another hit and a double play, innings before being ejected for arguing Ben Revere worked a walk to set the stage balls and strikes and Brett Gardner hit a for Francoeur. He hit a pitch from San tiebreaking, three-run homer Sunday as the Francisco reliever Javier Lopez into the left- New York Yankees won their season-high field corner, scoring Galvis and Revere. sixth straight game, 6-2 over the Los Right-hander Ken Giles (2-1) earned the Angeles Angels. victory, getting five outs. He struck out the Jose Pirela hit his first MLB homer and side in the eighth inning for the Phillies, Chris Young also connected off C.J. Wilson who ended a three-game losing streak. (3-5) for New York, which came back to win Jonathan Papelbon allowed a run in the after building big leads in the first two ninth inning, but managed his 12th save in games of the series. as many opportunities. The Yankees swept the Angels, losers of Maikel Franco hit a solo home run in the five in a row, in a series of at least three bottom of the eighth inning, his sixth of the games for the first time since 2003. Sabathia season, to give the Phillies an extra insur- (3-7) gave up back-to-back homers to Mike ance run. Trout and Albert Pujols in the first inning but then breezed through a struggling ROYALS 4, RANGERS 3 Angles lineup the rest of the way, notching Salvador Perez hit a solo home run with his 2,500th career strikeout in the fifth. two outs in the eighth inning, lifting Kansas City over Texas. Perez hit his eighth homer, RAYS 3, MARINERS 1 sending a pitch from Keone Kela (4-2) into Chris Archer became the first pitcher in the Royals’ bullpen. more than 100 years to reach double-digits Wade Davis (3-1) picked up the victory, in strikeouts without a walk in three straight working around Prince Fielder’s double in starts, leading Tampa Bay over Seattle. the eighth. Greg Holland pitched a perfect Archer (7-4) fanned 11 with zero walks in ninth for his ninth save in 10 opportunities. seven innings. No other pitcher had man- aged such a streak since 1914. Archer had METS 6, DIAMONBACKS 3 five three-ball counts and gave up six hits, Curtis Granderson hit two of New York’s along with an unearned run. After striking three leadoff homers, Jacob deGrom struck out 12 against Seattle on May 27 and 15 out 10 in seven effective innings and the against the Angels last Tuesday, he won his Mets bashed their way past Arizona. fourth straight decision overall. Granderson led off the game with a Kevin Jepsen pitched the ninth for his home run, had another to start the fifth and fourth save of the season and third in the the Mets hit four homers off Josh LOS ANGELES: Dodgers’ Andre Ethier (left) is tagged out at home by St. Louis Cardinals catcher Tony Cruz while trying to score on a single four-game series. Mike Montgomery (0-1) Collmenter (3-6) in six innings to earn a by Jimmy Rollins during the sixth inning. —AP pitched well against his former club, but got four-game split. little run support. Eric Campbell hit a two-run homer in the giving up four runs on 10 hits in five Alfredo Simon (6-3) struck out seven and last season, connected in the ninth for his second inning and Wilmer Flores led off the innings. allowed four runs - one earned - in eight first home run since May 1, 2014. He was 5 CARDINALS 4, DODGERS 2 sixth with a solo shot. Juan Lagares had innings. Joakim Soria earned his 16th save for 12 with three RBIs in the series. Norris (2- Jhonny Peralta homered and singled three hits and deGrom (7-4) recovered after RED SOX 7, ATHLETICS 4 in 18 chances. Detroit finished with 10 hits 4) was activated before the game after miss- home the go-ahead run during a three-run a shaky first inning to win his fourth straight Rusney Castillo hit a solo homer and an after getting 18 on Saturday. The middle of ing a month with bronchitis. He allowed eighth inning, leading the St. Louis decision. Jeurys Familia worked a perfect RBI single during a seven-run rally in the the order - Cespedes, Tyler Collins and one run and struck out seven in five innings Cardinals to a 4-2 victory over the Los ninth for his 17th save, aided by fine defen- eighth inning that sent Boston over Martinez - combined for eight hits and six to win for the first time since April 26. Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. sive plays from Lagares and Flores. Oakland for a three-game sweep. RBIs. The Tigers rallied with three runs in the Matt Carpenter drew a leadoff walk from Xander Bogaerts delivered a go-ahead, sixth on homers by Cespedes and Martinez, MARLINS 3, ROCKIES 2 reliever Adam Liberatore, and scored the CUBS 6, NATIONALS 3 two-run double.