Bangladesh posted 264 for seven against India in the second semifinal of the Champions Trophy here today.
     Brief scores: Bangladesh 264/7 in 50 overs (Tamim 70, Mushfiqur 61; Bumrah 2/40).

Bangladesh set India 265-run target

PTI Automatic

Rashid Khan has returned to form after a couple of missed cuts as he shot six-under 65 to take a share of the first round lead at the USD 500,000 Queens Cup here today.
     Also showing good form, particularly on the back nine was SSP Chawrasia, who is currently second on the Asian Tour's Order of Merit.
     Chawrasia, even for the front nine, with one each of birdie and bogey, had four birdies against no bogeys on the back nine for a 67 that put him in tied-eighth place at the event, backed by Bangkok Airways and Sports Authority of Thailand.
     The other Indians are Rahil Gangjee (69) in tied-23, Jeev Milkha Singh and Shiv Kapur at tied-44 with cards of 70 each. Sujjan (70) at tied-60, Chiragh Kumar (72) at tied-72, Arjun Prasad (73) at tied-88, Shubhankar Sharma (75) at tied-112 and S Chikkarangappa (76) at tied-121.
     Rashid, winner of two Asian Tour titles, fired eight birdies against two bogeys, one each on either side of the turn and also four birdies on either side.
    

Rashid co-leader, Chawrasia shoots 4-under in Queens Cup

Eleven major events vie for the 28-day Hyderabad monsoon race season which will commence from July 20 and conclude on October 24.
	The 28-day race session consists one Thursday, two Fridays, twelve Mondays, nine Sundays and four Tuesdays, Hyderabad Race Club (HRC) prospectus said here today.
	The major events are - The Hazara Stud Golconda Juvenile Million (August 7), The K Mahipathi Rao Memorial Million (August 15), The Governor's Cup (August 20), The Nizam's Gold Cup (August 21), The Deccan Fillies Championship Stakes (August 28), The Deccan Colts Championship Stakes (September 4), The President of India Gold Cup (September 10), The Chief Minister's Cup (September 17), The Deccan Derby (October 2), The Melbourne Racing Club Trophy (October 9) and The Golconda St Leger (October 23).
	199 races consists f Eight Category I, 79 Category II, 100 Category III races and twelve major events will he held during the season.
	Over 47 jockeys including Akshay Kumar, Suraj Narredu, P S Chouhan, .

28-day Hyderabad Monsoon Race season starts July 20

"Saffire Song" won The Kutthethoor Plate, the main event of the 19th day of Udhagamandalam Races here today.
	The winner is owned by MAM Ramasamy Chettiar of Chettinad Charitable Trust.
	It was ridden by Shahar Babu and trained by R Foley.
	Trainer R Foley saddled four winners.
	Three favourites obliged in a card of eight events.

"Saffire Song" wins The Kutthethoor Plate

Senior opener Rohit Sharma has been advised rest for the tour of West Indies while talented wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant and chinaman Kuldeep Yadav were named in the 15-man squad picked here today.
     Paceman Jasprit Bumrah is another member of the Champions Trophy squad, who has been rested for the short tour comprising five ODIs and a T20 International.
     Both Rishabh and Kuldeep were in stand byes for the Champions Trophy and it was only a fair call by selection committee led by MSK Prasad to try the two youngsters against a weaker international side.
      The other significant development is that Anil Kumble has agreed to go to the West Indies.
      In case of Rohit, who is coming back after a hamstring surgery, the team management probably don't want him to play too many back to back matches as he has already played a month and a half of Indian Premier League followed by the Champions Trophy.
       Before every match, Rohit is seen having sessions with Patrick ...

Rohit, Bumrah rested; Rishabh, Kuldeep for West Indies tour

India's top singles player Ankita Raina bowed out of both singles and doubles event of the USD 100,000 ITF women's event here following first round defeats, here.
     In the singles, 273rd-ranked Indian lost 3-6 4-6 to sixth seed and world number 115 Naomi Broady from Britain.
     In the doubles, Ankita and her British partner Emily Webley-Smith lost a tight opening round match 4-6 6-4 5-10 to Japan's Akiko Omae and Belgium's Maryna Zanevska.

Double whammy for Ankita in Manchester ITF event

Vadodara's young racer Mira Erda will become the first Indian female driver to compete in one of the highest classes of Formula Racing in the country after signing up for the Euro JK series in the upcoming JK Tyre- FMSCI National Racing Championship.
     Mira, who began her journey as one of the youngest in national karting, had been competing in LGB Formula 4 till last year. She proved herself to be equal to bigger and stronger boys there too, winning the Formula 4 Rookie Champion of the Year during the annual FMSCI awards.
     By signing up at just 17 for JK Euro, which features the BMW FB02 car, she will be among the youngest Indian drivers to race at this level.
     "Ever since I started racing as a 9-year-old I have been dreaming of becoming a Formula 1 racer," Mira said, on her way back from school.
     "I want to thank JK Tyres and FMSCI for this wonderful opportunity as this is one huge jump forward towards realising my dream," she added.
     Interestingly, Mira who is ...

Mira first female Indian driver to race in Euro JK series

Veteran cricket administrator Jyoti Bajpai, who served as BCCI treasurer and joint secretary, has passed away.
     He was the joint secretary of the Board from 1997 to 2003 and was the honorary treasurer from 2003 to 2005.
     The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) while condoling his death said, "Bajpai played an immense role in the development of the sport in Uttar Pradesh in his roles as the Honorary Secretary and Director of the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) for many years.
     Bajpai was also appointed Manager of the Indian cricket team for the 2003 ICC World Cup.
     "In Mr. Bajpai, we saw the perfect blend of a strong will of an able administrator and compassion of a cricket lover. I extend my deepest condolences to his family and friends in this hour of grief," BCCI acting Secretary Amitabh Choudhary, said.
     Acting President, CK Khanna, said, "I offer my heartfelt condolences on the passing away of Mr. Jyoti Bajpai. We have lost a great cricket ...

BCCI condoles death of former treasurer Jyoti Bajpai

Indian challenge ended at the ATP250 Ricoh Open with the quarterfinal defeat of Leander Paes and Scott Lipsky while the fast-rising team of Divij Sharan and Purav Raja fell at the first hurdle.
     Paes and his American partner Lipksy went down fighting 4-6 4-6 against the second seeded pair of Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram in the Euro 660, 375 grass court tournament in s- Hertogenbosch, Netherland.
     Left-handed Sharan and Raja, who reached the pre- quarterfinals at the French Open, lost 3-6 4-6 to Andre Sa and Michael Venus.
     Meanwhile in the singles events, Ramkumar Ramanathan advanced to second round of the Challenger event at Citta di Caltanissetta, Italy with a 6-2 4-6 7-6(6) win over Austria's Sebastian Ofner.
     The Indian Davis Cupper next faces Kazakhatan's 126th- ranked Mikahil Kukushkin.
      At the Lisbon Open, Prajnesh Gunneswaran lost his opening round  5-7 4-6 Joao Domingues.

All Indians bow out of Ricoh Open, Ramkumar advances in Italy

Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai hopes his team will get more opportunities to face top-flight cricket nations after their one-day international series against the West Indies ended in a 1-1 draw here Wednesday.
     Steady rain forced the abandonment of the third and final one-dayer with not a ball being bowled at St Lucia's Darren Sammy Stadium with the series balanced at one apiece.
     But Stanikzai said he believes his team, who lost a T20 series 3-0, did enough to show they deserve more regular matches against full member nations of the International Cricket Council.
     "We didn't play as well as we could have but I thought we did enough to show that we deserve to play the bigger teams more often," said Stanikzai. "This was a great experience for us and we can look forward now to what lies ahead with greater confidence."
     West Indies captain Jason Holder accepted that his team faced a tough challenge.
     "We were up against it after the first match but came back ...

West Indies, Afghanistan rained off

Claude Puel was sacked as Southampton manager on Wednesday after just one season in charge, the English Premier Club announced.
     Puel, 55, took Southampton to a respectable eighth-place finish in the table and to the League Cup final where they were defeated by Manchester United.
     "Southampton Football Club can today confirm that it has terminated the contract of Claude Puel with immediate effect," said a club statement.
     Puel, a former Monaco, Lille, Lyon and Nice coach, was booed by his own fans when visitors Stoke City won 1-0 at St Mary's on the final day of the Premier League season in May.
     Officials at Southampton had already revealed plans to review the Frenchman's future and Puel's cause was not helped by his side's failure to score for a fifth straight home match.
     "Everyone at Southampton would like to express our thanks to Claude for his hard work and commitment this year. The highlight of the season was a memorable day at Wembley in the League Cup ...

Southampton sack Puel after just one season

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather will fight mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor in a 154- pound fight on August 26 in Las Vegas, both men announced Wednesday.
     Mayweather announced the fight on his Instagram account with graphic saying "IT'S OFFICIAL!!!", showing pictures of both fighters and listing Las Vegas as the location.
     McGregor sent out a tweet stating "THE FIGHT IS ON." He also included photos of the two combatants.
     Promoter Dana White said the key to the fight was getting 40-year-old Mayweather to come out of retirement.
     "We have been in negotiations for a while," White told American sports broadcaster ESPN.
     "The negotiations went smooth. Floyd Mayweather surrounds himself with smart people and we got the deal done."
     White said two would fight as boxers and it will take place at the T-Mobile Arena.
     The boxing format heavily favours the undefeated Mayweather who many consider to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
     ...

Mayweather, McGregor agree to August super fight

England captain Eoin Morgan insisted his side would stay true to their attacking style after an eight-wicket Champions Trophy semi-final thrashing by Pakistan.
     Wednesday's loss in Cardiff meant England's wait for a first major ICC one-day international tournament triumph will continue until at least 2019 -- when they stage the next World Cup.
     Since their woeful first-round exit at the 2015 edition, England had won plaudits for the dynamic way they had re- invented themselves as a 'white-ball' side and they came into this match having won 11 of their previous 12 ODIs.
     They were also the only team in the eight-nation Champions Trophy to have won all three of their group games.
     But they failed to come to terms with batting on a used pitch after Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss.
     England collapsed to 211 all out, with no batsman making a fifty in an innings where they could not manage a single six.
     Even usually big-hitting all-rounder Ben Stokes -- .

Morgan vows England will 'stay true' to beliefs after Pakistan

Roger Federer suffered a shock defeat to 39-year-old Tommy Haas at the Stuttgart grass court tournament today in the Swiss great's first match after almost three months out of action.
     Haas, a former world number two but now down at 302, won 2-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 for just his fourth victory in 17 meetings against his close friend.
     Federer, building up for an assault on an eighth Wimbledon title, hadn't played since March and skipped the entire clay court season.
     It was just the second defeat of 2017 for 35-year-old Federer, who claimed the Australian Open for his 18th major in January,
     "It's always special to play a close friend like Roger on grass, always lots of emotion," said Haas.
     "I saved a match point in the second set so was able to play more freely after that.
     "I even shocked myself.

Federer beaten by 39-year-old Haas on Stuttgart return

Pakistan Sarfraz Ahmed today credited the support staff for keeping the team in good spirits after heavy loss against India, following which the side staged a sensational turnaround to reach the Champions Trophy final.
     "Credit goes to the bowlers. We really bowled well. Mohammad Amir did not play but Rumman Raees came and bowled really well," said Sarfraz after Pakistan stunned England in the first semifinal here today.
     What led to the turnaround after the India game?
    "After India, every game was a knockout game, I said to the players to just play your game. The team management also kept motivating us," he said.
      Asked about a possible re-match in the final on Sunday, Sarfraz said: "Both teams (India and Bangladesh) are playing well, so we will play whoever gets through."
     He was all praise for pacer Hasan Ali, who took a three wicket haul for the third time in a row.
      "He's very impressive, hopefully he will do that in the final;. Whenever he comes on he's 

Team remained in good spirits after India loss: Sarfraz

Staring at a dark future, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have found solace from the ruling BJP government with its national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya suggesting sports ministry's intervention to sort out the ISL logjam.
     Concerned at the plight of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal who were not inducted into the lucrative Indian Super League, Vijayvargiya has written to the two clubs.
     "On behalf of BJP, I would be proud to be of any help as I know the contribution of century old clubs in Indian as well as international football," Vijayvargiya who is also in-charge of West Bengal affairs wrote.
     "You are always welcome for a discussion and a meeting can be arranged with the ministry of youth and sports," he added in his letter to Mohun Bagan and East Bengal secretary yesterday.
     The ISL has named Bengaluru and Jamshedpur as the two new cities for the next edition virtually dashing the two popular fan-based clubs hopes to be part of the lucrative tournament.
     ...

BJP Gen Secy suggests Govt's intervention to sort ISL logjam

Pakistan beat England by eight wickets to enter their maiden Champions Trophy final here today.
     Brief scores: England 211 all out in 49.5 overs (Root 46; Ali 3/35). Pakistan 215/2 in 37.1 overs (Azhar Ali 76, Zaman 57).

Pakistan shock England to enter maiden CT final

Belgian David Goffin withdrew from Wimbledon today because of the nasty ankle injury he suffered at the recent French Open.
     The 26-year-old was forced to retire from his third-round match at Roland Garros when his right foot became jammed beneath the rolled-up covers at the back of the Suzanne Lenglen Court.
     "David's rehabilitation is going well and the injury is gradually improving, but in order not to risk it and to be 100 percent for his return, David decided with his doctors and team to return to competition after Wimbledon," Goffin's team said in a statement.
     The world number 13 has had a good season so far in reaching two ATP Tour finals, and he also beat Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic during his run to the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals in April.
     The 131st edition of Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam tournament of the year, will run from July 3 to July 16.

Goffin pulls out of Wimbledon with ankle injury

Indian shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth and H S Prannoy advanced to the second round of the men's singles competition at the USD 1,000,000 Indonesia Super Series Premier here today.
     The world No. 29 Prannoy saw off 20th ranked Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 21-13 21-18 in a 43-minute battle. He will next face top seeded Malaysian Lee Chong Wei.
     Srikanth then staved off a challenge from Hong Kong's Wong Wing Ki Vincent 21-15 17-21 21-16 in a 56-minute match. He is likely to clash with fourth seeded Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark next.
     After back-to-back titles at Singapore and Thailand, B Sai Praneeth bowed out in the opening round following a 14-21 18-21 loss against second seeded Son Wan Ho of Korea in 40 minutes.
     The men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also suffered a 9-21 19-21 loss against Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.
     It was also curtains for Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy after the duo suffered a 21-19 19-21 13-21 loss to the ..

Srikanth, Prannoy enter second round of Indonesia Open

Cristiano Ronaldo insisted today he had a "clear conscience" after Spanish prosecutors accused Real Madrid's star forward of evading 14.7 million euros in tax through offshore companies.
     "Conscience clear, always," Ronaldo told reporters at Lisbon airport as he and his Portuguese teammates prepared to fly out to the Confederations Cup in Russia.
     Real Madrid earlier gave their backing to Ronaldo, releasing a statement saying the club had "full confidence in our player Cristiano Ronaldo, who we understand has acted in accordance with the legality regarding the fulfilment of his fiscal obligations".
     "Since his arrival at Real Madrid C.F. In July 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo has always shown a clear will to fulfil all his tax obligations.
     "Real Madrid C.F. Are absolutely convinced that our player, Cristiano Ronaldo, will prove his total innocence in this process. Real Madrid C.F. Hope that justice is done as quickly as possible so that his innocence can be proven as soon as 

Ronaldo has 'clear conscience' amid tax evasion accusations

Former batsman and ICC match referee Roshan Mahanama believes Sri Lankan needs to reflect on their performance at Champions Trophy and come with a concrete plan to be successful in international cricket.
     "I think they need to go back, sit, reflect and come up with a concrete plan. Yes, we are in a phase where we are rebuilding after (retirement of) Mahela (Jayawardane) and (Kumar) Sangakara. But they need to get their act together and start competing consistently at this level," Mahanama told reporters here.
     Mahanama was at the MIG Cricket Club in suburban Bandra as a chief guest for a prize distribution ceremony.
     Blaming poor fielding for Sri Lanka's loss against Pakistan in the 'virtual' quarterfinal, Mahanama said," It is pretty unfortunate that they (Sri Lanka) missed out, two days ago. They had the game (against Pakistan) in their hand. Looking at some of the highlights, it is only the boys to be blamed. It's the fielding.
     "I saw Ravi Shastri's interview at ...

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