Liverpool proceed their probability of a spot in European soccer subsequent season with a complete win over Leeds United within the Premier League.

In cricket, Ben Stokes was awarded the Wisden males’s Cricketer of the Year for his efficiency in 2022, whereas India’s Suryakumar Yadav bagged the highest Twenty20 cricketer on the planet.

Staying with cricket, New Zealand received the third T20 International in opposition to Pakistan within the five-match sequence to drag one again. Pakistan leads 2-1 within the contest.

Meanwhile in tennis, world No 1 Novak Djokovic revealed that he’s nonetheless fighting elbow points after his return to the tour.

Here’s a take a look at the important thing tales from worldwide sporting occasions by way of the day for 18 April, 2023:

Liverpool beat Leeds

Liverpool crushed Leeds 6-1 as Cody Gakpo’s controversial opener offered the spark for the Reds’ first win in 5 Premier League video games on Monday.

Jurgen Klopp’s aspect took the lead at Elland Road when Gakpo’s aim was allowed to face regardless of the ball placing Trent Alexander-Arnold’s arm within the build-up.

It was reported the VAR official didn’t examine the incident as a result of it occurred too far again within the transfer, however Leeds had been livid on the perceived injustice.

Mohamed Salah rubbed salt into Leeds’ wounds when he elevated Liverpool’s lead 4 minutes later earlier than Luis Sinisterra acquired one again for the struggling hosts.

Diogo Jota’s double, one other Salah strike and Darwin Nunez’s late effort ensured Liverpool ended their five-game winless run in all competitions.

After coming inside a whisker of profitable a quadruple final season, Liverpool have been decreased to scrambling to succeed in subsequent season’s Europa League or Europa Conference League, with the Champions League seemingly out of attain.

With that focus on in thoughts, the eighth-placed Reds at the moment are inside two factors of seventh-placed Brighton.

But on the proof of this composed show and the current fightback from two objectives down to attract 2-2 with leaders Arsenal, Liverpool nonetheless have the foundations in place for a return to prominence subsequent time period.

“The second half against Arsenal was super important to us. We have to do what we did tonight again and again,” Klopp mentioned.

“I hope these one-and-a-half video games provides us the suitable signal for the tip of the season.

“I would like to see us with the same desire and passion. That’s the job, to bring it consistently.”

New Zealand beat Pakistan in third T20I

All-rounder James Neesham held his nerve within the last over to present New Zealand a dramatic four-run win over Pakistan within the third T20 worldwide in Lahore on Monday regardless of Iftikhar Ahmed’s sensible innings.

Ahmed introduced Pakistan again into the competition from 88-7 with a whirlwind 24-ball 60 as they tried to chase down New Zealand’s 163-5.

Needing 15 to win from Neesham’s last over, he hit a six and a 4 to scale back the goal to 5 off the final three deliveries.

But Neesham had Ahmed caught at long-on by Daryl Mitchell after which after a dot ball dismissed final man Haris Rauf in the identical method.

“It was a great game and it’s satisfying to get across the line and keep the series alive,” mentioned visiting captain Tom Latham.

“I think the whole squad will take a lot of confidence from this match moving forward.

“The three early Pakistan wickets in the powerplay set us up and we pride ourselves on our fielding and keep the bar high every time we set foot into the middle.”

Ahmed led the fightback with Faheem Ashraf because the pair added 61 for the eighth wicket, with Ashraf holing out after a 14-ball 27 studded with two sixes and as many fours.

Ahmed smashed six sixes and three fours.

The victory means New Zealand path the five-match sequence 2-1 after Pakistan received the primary two video games, by 88 and 38 runs, additionally in Lahore.

The final two matches are in Rawalpindi on April 20 and 24.

Stokes wins Wisden Cricketer of the Year

England star Ben Stokes was named the Wisden Almanack’s main males’s cricketer on the planet for the third time in 4 years on Monday.

Stokes was chosen for his dynamic captaincy of England’s Test staff in 2022, in addition to his match-winning efficiency within the T20 World Cup last.

The all-rounder, who seems on the duvet of the one hundred and sixtieth version of Wisden alongside England Test head coach Brendon McCullum, beforehand received the award in 2019 and 2020.

Stokes has masterminded 10 wins in 12 matches since taking up as England skipper, along with his attacking and imaginative method revitalising a beforehand moribund staff.

Stokes additionally made waves within the white-ball recreation, serving to to ship the silverware for England’s T20 aspect as his half-century settled the ultimate in opposition to Pakistan in November.

Australia’s Beth Mooney was named the main girls’s cricketer on the planet for the second time.

India’s big-hitting Suryakumar Yadav was handed the award for the highest Twenty20 cricketer on the planet.

Djokovic’s elbow troubles

Novak Djokovic mentioned Monday he has not totally recovered from an elbow situation which hindered him in his Monte Carlo Masters last-16 exit final week.

The world No 1 struggled along with his serve earlier than falling to Italian Lorenzo Musetti in Monaco.

“The elbow is not in ideal condition, but let’s say it’s good enough. Hopefully it will be fully ready for the first match,” mentioned Djokovic, who had elbow surgical procedure in 2018, forward of this week’s occasion in Banja Luka.

The Serb received the Australian Open earlier this yr to attract degree with Rafael Nadal’s males’s document tally of twenty-two Grand Slam titles. He shall be among the many favourites for subsequent month’s French Open.

The 35-year-old will face 87th-ranked French teenager Luca Van Assche, who ousted Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka 1-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 on Monday, within the Banja Luka second spherical.

With textual content inputs from AFP

Updated by way of the day