Scoreboard at the close on day two in  the fifth Ashes Test between Australia and England here today:
England first innings (overnight 233-5)
A. Cook
lbw b Hazlewood
39
M. Stoneman
c Paine b Cummins
24
J. Vince
c Paine b Cummins
25
J. Root
c M. Marsh b Starc
83
D. Malan
c Smith b Starc
62
J. Bairstow
c Paine b Hazlewood
5
M. Ali
c Paine b Cummins
30
T. Curran
c Bancroft b Cummins
39
S. Broad
c Smith b Lyon
31
M. Crane
run out (M.Marsh/Bancroft) 4
J. Anderson
not out
0
Extras (lb2, w2)
4
Total (all out; 112.3 overs)
346
Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-88, 3-95, 4-228, 5-233, 6-251,  7-294, 8-335, 9-346, 10-346.
Bowling: Starc 21-6-80-2, Hazlewood 23-4-65-2, Cummins  24.3-5-80-4 (2w), Lyon 37-5-86-1, M. Marsh 7-0-33-0.
Australia first innings
C. Bancroft
b Broad
0
D. Warner
c Bairstow b Anderson  56
U. Khawaja
not out
91
S. Smith
not out
44
Extras (b1, nb1)
2
Total (2 wickets; 67 overs)
193
Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Bancroft), 2-86 (Warner)
To bat: S. Marsh, M. Marsh, T. Paine, M. Starc, P.  ...

Sydney, Jan 5 (AFP) Scoreboard at the close on day two in

PTI Automatic

Steve Smith racked up another  milestone as he continued to torment England and Usman Khawaja  neared a century to put Australia in a strong position after  day two of the final Ashes Test in Sydney on Friday.
The Australian skipper became the second fastest  batsman to reach 6,000 Test runs in his 111th innings, second  only to the legendary Don Bradman.
Smith, with three centuries in this five-match series,  has been the bane of the England team and was potentially  heading towards another ton.
At the close, Smith was on 44 with Khawaja reaching  his highest score of the series on 91 in Australia's 193 for  two in reply to England's 346 first innings.
So far in the series Smith has scored 648 runs at 162.
The pair shared in a 107-run partnership after the  loss of openers Cameron Bancroft and David Warner.
Khawaja raised his third fifty of the series with a  six down the ground off Moeen Ali.
Debutant Mason Crane, the youngest specialist spinner  at 20 to play for England in 90 ...

Smith milestone as Aussies chip away at England lead

England claimed the big wicket of  David Warner to have Australia two down in their chase after  the tourists' first innings 346 on day two of the final Ashes  Test in Sydney on Friday.
The Australian vice-captain reached his fourth half-  century of the series before James Anderson coaxed an edge for  wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.
Warner was on his way for 56 off 104 balls as  Australia reached tea at 96 for two with Usman Khawaja on 36  and Steve Smith not out three to trail the tourists by 250  runs.
Cameron Bancroft was earlier bowled for a seven-ball  duck to ramp up the pressure on the struggling opening  batsman.
Stuart Broad got one to nip back and knock over  Bancroft's middle stump to continue the opener's run of outs  after an unbeaten 82 in the second innings of the first  Brisbane Test.
England's maligned tail earlier piled on runs before  the tourists were bowled out at lunch.
Newcomer Tom Curran smacked 39 off 65 balls, Moeen Ali  hit 30 and Stuart Broad clubbed two ...

England snare Warner wicket in blow for Aussies

Two penalties helped Real Madrid  to a healthy 3-0 win in the first leg of their Copa Del Rey  tie with second-tier Numancia on Thursday, while Barcelona  were held to a 1-1 draw as the La Liga giants rested their  stars.
Gareth Bale was one of a handful of Real first-team  regulars on display at the Estadio Los Pajaritos, and was on  hand to slot home the first from the penalty spot ten minutes  before the break after Lucas Vazques was clumsily brought down  in the box by Carlos Gutierrez.
They survived a serious scare in the 76th minute when  Inigo Perez snatched the ball from Marcos Llorente and  launched a 40-yard shot over the head of keeper Kiko Cassila  that thumped the crossbar and came agonisingly close to  crossing the line.
Real sealed the win with another spot kick a minute  from the end, again won by Vasquez but this time slammed home  by substitute Isco, and Baroja Mayoral completed the rout a  minute later with a close range header.
"We had a few problems in the second .

Real spot on while Barcelona held to cup draw

England's maligned tail piled on runs  before the tourists were bowled out for 346 in their first  innings at lunch on the second day of the final Ashes Test  here today.
Newcomer Tom Curran smacked 39 off 65 balls and Stuart  Broad clubbed two sixes in his 31 off 32 balls as England  lashed out late in the extended morning session.
Steve Smith pulled off a stunning one-handed catch to  dismiss Dawid Malan for 62, but the Australians were guilty of  two embarrassing dropped catches to give England a helping  hand.
The Australian skipper made an athletic diving catch to  end the dangerous batsman's innings inside the opening half-  hour's play.
Smith, who had dropped his previous three chances over  the last two Tests, flung out his left-hand at second slip to  make the catch off Mitchell Starc.
Malan, who was dropped by Smith at slip on Thursday's  opening day on 34, was not so fortunate this time to end his  four-hour stay off 180 balls.
Malan, who hit a century in the third Perth ...

Tail wags as England all out for 346 in Sydney Test

Defending champions Rohan Bopanna and  Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan were tonight ousted from the Tata Open  Maharashtra but Yuki Bhambri and Divij Sharan combined to  shock the top seeds, keeping the Indian hopes alive.
Bopanna and left-handed Jeevan, up against a very solid  singles players in Gilles Simon and two-time Grand Slam  champion Pierre-Hugues Herbert lost 3-6, 5-7 in one hour and  10 minutes.
However, Yuki and Sharan kept the home fans interested by  knocking out the top seeded pair of Robert Lindstedt and  Franko Skugor 7-5, 2-6, 10-6 in their quarterfinals.
Bopanna said their opponents returned too good, making  their life tough.
"Gilles Simon showed why he is such a good player. They  returned extremely well. We hung in but Simon's big serves on  decue points made the difference," the tall Coorgi said.
Jeevan, who lost his serve twice, said they tried  different things like I formation, moving right-left and then  getting back to regular things but nothing worked.
"Simons ...

Defending champions Bopanna, Jeevan ousted, Yuki-Sharan in

Marin Cilic and Kevin Anderson, the two  Grand Slam finalists last year, brightened prospects of a  summit showdown by reaching the semifinals of the Tata Open  Maharashtra with contrasting wins here tonight.
Top seed Cilic from Croatia outplayed eighth seed  Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-3 6-2 in 64 minutes while  Anderson survived a mighty scare from a dogged Mikhail  Kukushkin before edging him 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2.
The US Open finalist from South Africa had to strategise  and re-strategise against the Kazak in an intense  quarterfinal, which lasted two hours and 30 minutes.
His big serve, with which he fired 24 aces, was put to  test by the Kazakh, but eventually, the tall South African  found a way to win.
Up against Kukushkin, a great retriever, Anderson had to  rely on serve and volley mid way into the match and the  strategy did work. He also used the drop shots to good effect.
"He is one of the best returners in the world. You hope  to hit aces and get some free points but you .

Anderson prevails over Kukushkin, Cilic outplays Herbert

Kerala Blasters held a spirited FC  Pune City to a 1-1 draw in an exciting Indian Super League  (ISL) match here today.
Skipper Marcelinho (33rd minute) handed FC Pune City a  first-half lead but 21-year-old Mark Sifneos (73rd) struck in  the second half to score the much-needed equaliser for Kerala  Blasters here.
After the match, Pune FC topped the table with 16 points  from nine matches, while Kerala were at the 8th position with  eight points after as many matches.
Pune City, who blanked NorthEast United 5-0 in their  previous match, had an early chance to go ahead when a  Marcelinho free-kick was flicked by Adil Khan across goal and  into the path of Rafael Lopez who failed to connect.
The visitors earned five corners within the first 20  minutes of the game but success eluded them. It was only in  the 33rd minute that Pune's efforts finally paid off.
It was the combination of Marcelinho and Keralite  Ashique, who executed a neat one-two at the edge of the box  and the Brazilian .

Kerala Blasters secure 1-1 draw against FC Pune City

Seeking a return to the Premier  League, Wolverhampton Wanderers are trying to bring back their  former striker Robbie Keane, who is currently playing for ATK  in the Indian Super League.
'Mirror.co.uk' reported that Dublin man, Keane, is  interested in returning to the team where he first made a name  for himself.
The 37-year-old Keane former former Liverpool striker is  under contract with ATK until March but there is a chance that  he can secure an early release with ATK not in a favourable  position on the standings.
At ATK, he is currently the top goal scorer in the team,  scoring twice in the past eight games.
He was initially tied to Wolverhampton after leaving LA  Galaxy but he had already committed to ATK at the time. But  manager Nuno Espirito Santo has been keeping a close eye on  him throughout his time there.

Wolves eyeing Robbie Keane return from ISL side ATK

Saina Nehwal rallied to pull off a  8-15, 15-10, 15-13 victory over world number 11 Beiwen Zhang  of USA and kept Awadhe Warriors afloat in the tie against  Mumbai Rockets in the Premier Badminton League here today.
Mumbai have three matches out of five in the tie and are  currently leading the duel 2-0 on points.
The world number 10, who is coming into the match at the  back of a defeat against world number 1 Tai Tzu Ying, proved  to be no match against Beiwen in the opening game.
The US Shuttler was using the length of the court  perfectly, tormenting the Indian with her superb cross-court  drops and smashes and raced to victory in the opening game in  no time.
But Saina, known for her resilience, got back into the  match and even though Beiwen was leading in the initial phases  of second game, the Indian slowly turned the tide and went  into break leading 8-7. She did not allow Beiwen any leeway  post the interval and wrapped up the game to restore parity.
In the final game, Saina .

Saina beats Zhang, keeps Awadhe Warriors stay afloat

Australian captain Steve Smith is  delighted to be back at Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming  Indian Premier League.
Smith had been part of the Rajasthan Royals team in 2014  and 2015, when he led the side to the playoffs. In 69 IPL  matches, Smith has scored 1703 runs at an average of 37.02  with one century and five half-centuries.
Smith said, "I am really excited to be standing by the  Rajasthan Royals in this season of the IPL. It's a great  franchise with great people around. I loved playing for them  in the past and I am looking forward to once again joining the  team and making a big difference in the IPL this year."
He was the captain of the Rising Pune Supergiant team in  the last season of IPL and powered his team to the final of  the tournament. Smith is the only player to be retained by the  franchise.
"We welcome Steve Smith on board. His presence will mean  a lot to the team as we look forward to a fresh beginning and  a successful season. Steve has been with the Royals .

Smith excited to be back at Rajasthan Royals

Marin Cilic and Kevin Anderson, the two  Grand Slam finalists in 2017, raised the prospects of a title  clash after reaching the semifinals of the Tata Open  Maharashtra, albeit, with contrasting wins, here tonight.
Top seed Cilic from Croatia outplayed eighth seed  Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-3 6-2 in 64 minutes but  Anderson survived a mighty scare from a dogged Mikhail  Kukushkin before edging past him 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2.
The US Open finalist from South Africa had to strategise  and re-strategise against the Kazak in an intense  quarterfinal, which lasted two hours and 30 minutes. His big  serve, with which he fired 24 aces, was put to test by the  Kazakh but eventually he found a way to win.
Up against Kukushkin, a great retriever, Anderson had to  rely on serve and volley mid way into the match and the  strategy did work.
Kukushkin was a picture of determination and perseverance  as he returned almost everything, refusing to be intimidated  by six feet eight inch Anderson.
The .

Anderson prevails over Kukushkin; Cilic outplays Herbert

The lure to play an extra bowler  in Hardik Pandya along with an in-form Rohit Sharma in the  opening Test against South Africa has cast doubts over Ajinkya  Rahane's place in the playing XI despite having the best away  record among the current crop of batsmen.
While the Indian team skipped the optional session today,  batting coach Sanjay Bangar dropped loose hints that the  limited overs vice-captain Sharma may get a chance based on  his current form.
"Again, it all depends on the team composition. All of  them are batting really well. Rohit, on the back of his  performances across formats, is in with a chance of playing,"  Bangar said at the pre-match conference.
Rahane's form has been wretched since the start of the  home series against England in late 2016. Since the start of  the series, Rahane has scored 617 runs at an average of 26.82  over a period of 14 Tests with the only hundred coming against  a below par Sri Lanka at Pallekele.
With Hardik Pandya providing multiple ...

Rahane may get axe from playing XI for poor home run

Grandmaster Deepan Chakkravarthy  of Tamil Nadu took the sole lead after round five of the IIFL  Wealth 3rd Mumbai International Open Chess Tournament after  scoring a 61-move victory over state mate and International  Master S Nitin here today.
Deepan has won all of his five games so far and will  be facing defending champion GM Adam Tukhaev in the sixth  round.
In other results, the top-board encounter between Adam  Horvath and David Alberto ended in a draw. Adam, David and six  other players are close on Deepans heels with a score of 4.5  out of 5.
In the junior section, Aaryan Varshney and Nikhil  Magizhnan won crucial games against Om Manish Kadam and  Mahitosh Dey respectively to take the joint lead with 5 out of  5.
The 'game of the day' prize, awarded to the winner of  the best played game of a particular round, was won by 11-year  -old Gukesh D.
Gukesh and six other players are currently placed  second with 4.5 out of 5.

GM Deepan in sole lead at Mumbai chess tournament

Tamil Nadu boys and girls dished  out impressive performances to clinch a grand double, the Sub  -Junior girls and boys' Team Championship crowns - in the LIC  of India sponsored 44th Sub-Junior National and Inter-State  Carrom Championship, here today.
The Tamil Nadu lads hardly put a foot wrong as they  quashed the aspirations of Delhi 3-0 in the final. The Tamil  Nadu youngsters M Kaushik and A Musaraf, both playing the  singles, and the doubles pair of Guruprasath and R Sandeep  played with a lot of consistency in leading the southern  outfit to victory.
In the girls' final, the Tamil Nadu team, comprising  Janashri and A Roshini Shree and the doubles combination of A  Rithika and R Rathika, maintained their fine run of form to  tame Uttar Pradesh by a convincing 3-0 margin and grab the top  honours.
Meanwhile, PSPB pairs reached the semi-finals of the  men and women's doubles events of the 24th Federation Cup All  India Carrom Championship, conducted simultaneously.
Results: ...

Tamil Nadu boys & girls clinch double crowns at carrom meet

The Pakistan Blind Cricket Council  has expressed disappointment at the decision of the Indian  government to not give clearance to its national blind team to  play the World Cup in Pakistan.
"It is very disappointing because we had planned a show  case match of the World Cup in Lahore. Now we have been forced  to relocate it to the UAE," Asif Azeem, the media manager of  the PBCC, said.
He said the Indian Blind cricket council had informed  them that since the Indian government didn't give clearance,  the Indian external affairs ministry had also not issued NOCs  to the Indian team to travel to Lahore for the World Cup  opening ceremony and matches.
"We had planned a grand opening ceremony in Lahore on the  6th with Indian participation and opening match between the  two countries but now we will have ceremonies in Ajman and  Lahore on Sunday simultaneously."
He said India would now play its matches of the World Cup  in Ajman and Sharjah while the opening match in Lahore would  be ...

PBCC upset with India not touring Pakistan for World Cup

In a desperate move, Pakistan Hockey  Federation (PHF) today appointed former captain Hasan Sardar  as the new chief head coach of the national team ahead of  three major tournaments this year.
The PHF said Hasan Sardar who won both the World Cup and  Olympic hockey gold in his illustrious career would be head  coach for a two-match series against an International eleven  this month.
He will be assisted by former internationals, Rehan Butt  and Muhammad Saqlain on the coaching panel while Islahuddin  Siddiqui, another celebrated name in Pakistan hockey, replaces  Hasan as chief selector.
The decisions came at an apparent loud Congress of the  federation in Islamabad where the decision to bring in a  foreign coach was shelved and majority of member decided to go  for a local coach.
PHF President, Khalid Khokar admitted that financial  constraints was also a reason to not appoint a foreign coach  at this time.
"We believe Hasan Sardar who has been working as chief  selector for the last 

PHF appoints Hasan Sardar as chief head coach of Pakistan team

Assistant coach Sanjay Bangar  today said neither opposition nor conditions would really  matter for a supremely-confident Indian team, eyeing its first  series win in South Africa.
The entire Indian contingent skipped the optional  practice with only support staff and selector MSK Prasad  arriving to take a final look at the pitch.
Bangar said: "We are very, very confident about our  preparation because we got four-five days here before the  first Test. And out of those days we made sure we got plenty  out of it. All the boys are in a positive state of mind.
"It is a Test match and it is no different from any other  Test match that we play wherein the opposition skills are  taken into account. We really focus on our own inward  processes, how our mental approach is and how our mindset is  in terms of batting rhythm where we stand.
"So the opposition doesn't really matter nor do the  conditions. What we are feeling as a batting group is what  matters more and we work towards achieving 

Opposition doesn't really matter nor do conditions: Bangar

Chennai will be hosting Premier  Badminton League (PBL) matches for the first time and the  players are excited about playing here.
The city leg kicks off with a match between Bengaluru  Blasters and North Eastern Warriors at the Jawaharlal Nehru  Indoor Stadium here tomorrow.
World number one Viktor Axelsen, who plays for Bengaluru  Blasters, said he was excited and looked forward to playing in  the city.
"I am really happy to be part of PBL and look forward to  the matches in Chennai. We have had a good start to the season  and we can hopefully do well," he told reporters here today.
He said it was important for him and the team to take  each match seriously.
"We have to take every match seriously. We are ready for  the matches here," he added.
The women's world No.1 Tai Tzu-Ying of Taiwan, who plays  for Ahmedabad Smash Masters, said she was thrilled to be part  of PBL for the first time.
"I am so happy to be in India and be part of PBL. Hope  our team keeps performing well," she ..

Top players excited to play PBL matches in Chennai

World number one Viktor Axelsen of  Denmark is glad to see several young badminton players emerge  from India and other countries, which he said is good for the  sport.
"A lot of good young Indian players are coming through.  It is very nice. Also, players are coming from other countries  as well. It is good for badminton," the reigning World  Champion said here.
Talking to PTI ahead of the premier badminton league PBL's  Chennai leg beginning tomorrow, the lanky Dane said Indians  shuttlers like Kidambi Srikanth, H S Prannoy and the other  were good players and one has to prepare really well for  matches against them.
"Of course, they are really good players. I respect them a  lot. When I play against an Indian player, I really prepare  well. Otherwise you will really lose," he added.
Asked who his toughest opponent was, the World No.1 said  there were several who could win big tournaments on their day.
"There is Srikanth, Prannoy, Lin Dan can also play well.  Chen Long, Lee Chong ...

Lot of good young badminton players are emerging, says Axelsen

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was back at his  'spiritual home' Chennai Super Kings while Royal Challengers  Bengaluru retained India captain Virat Kohli during the much-  publicised yet predictable Indian Premier League retentions  here this evening.
Mumbai Indians had the league's most successful captain  Rohit Sharma back in their stable as most of the retentions  happened on expected lines.
Current Australia skipper Steve Smith was Rajasthan  Royals' only pick while his deputy David Warner remains with  Sunrisers Hyderabad along with pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
One of the notable names not to be retained is long-time  Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir, who is now back  in the auction pool with West Indians Sunil Narine and Andre  Russell being the Shah Rukh Khan co-owned franchise's two  picks.
Kings XI Punjab had left-arm spinner Axar Patel in their  ranks while South African Chris Morris, young guns Rishabh  Pant and Shreyas Iyer are back with Delhi Daredevils.
The franchises ...

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