Page 1023 - Sports
Bolt offered contract with Malta football club: reports
Sprint king Usain Bolt could be making his way to Europe after being offered a two-year professional football contract in Malta, reports said Tuesday, following his goal-scoring exploits in Australia. Bolt, 32, has been on trial with A-League club the Central Coast Mariners since arriving in Australia in August in his bid to pursue a boyhood dream of becoming a footballer after retiring from athletics last year. The 100 metres world record-holder scored his first two goals in professional football on Friday when he started a pre-season game against second-tier Macarthur South West United in Sydney. Sydney's Daily Telegraph said Malta club Valletta FC had made a formal offer which includes playing in its upcoming cup final. The newspaper added that the team was recently bought by investors wanting to qualify for the group stages of Europe's Champions League, with the bid also including commercial incentives. The Australian agent who arranged Bolt's trial with the Mariners declined to ..
No Messi but Argentina 'have to' beat Brazil, says Romero
Argentina may be without superstar Lionel Messi but the two-time world champions simply must beat Brazil in a friendly in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Manchester United goalkeeper Sergio Romero says. According to FIFA, this will be the 105th time the South American arch-rivals have faced each other in an official match, with Brazil marginally ahead on 40 wins to 38, with 26 draws. And while Brazil, record five-time winners of the World Cup, have picked most of their star names, Argentina are without the likes of Manchester City's in-form forward Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain of AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain winger Angel Di Maria, as well as Messi. "I would love Messi to be here because that would give us a boost in quality," said Romero, back in the Argentina squad following a knee injury that prevented him from featuring in two friendlies in September. "Adding the best in the world would be best for the future of the national team." Messi also sat out Argentina's last three matches, .
CCI gears up to host India-WI ODI in Mumbai; MCA may move HC
With international cricket returning to its fold after several years, the Cricket Club of India (CCI) here is all set to host the fourth ODI between India and West Indies on October 29. The Mumbai Cricket Association, on the other hand, is likely to move the Bombay High Court against the BCCI's decision to shift the match from Wankhede Stadium, a source said. "The preparations are going on. We have received a letter from the BCCI. We are in the process of tying up with an agency for sale of tickets," a senior CCI official told PTI Monday. "The ticket rates and details of sale will be announced shortly," he added. The BCCI last Friday shifted the October 29 game from the Wankhede Stadium here to the picturesque Brabourne Stadium, after the Mumbai Cricket Association cited financial constraints in hosting the game. The CCI, which usually hosts practise games of visiting international teams, had last hosted an international ODI in 2006. It had last hosted an international .
Uruguay eyes major renovation of Centenario Stadium for 2030 World Cup
Renovating Montevideo's Centenario Stadium, where the first World Cup was staged in 1930, is part of the work Uruguay must complete as it prepares to host the 2030 global football tournament along with Argentina and Paraguay.
Fakhar set for Test debut in 2nd Test vs Australia
On the eve of the second Test against Australia at Sheikh Zayed Stadium here, Pakistan on Monday named limited overs opener Fakhar Zaman, uncapped quick Mir Hamza and all-rounder Shadab Khan in the 12-man squad.
Modric never thought Zidane, Ronaldo would leave Real
Real Madrid's Croatian international midfielder Luka Modric has admitted that neither he nor his teammates expected both coach Zinedine Zidane and star Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo to leave the football club last summer.
Israel's only Olympic gold medallist to sell his medal
The only Israeli Olympic gold medal winner ever Gal Fridman, announced on Monday that he would sell the medal at an auction.
Akash and Himani make pre-quarters at YOG
Indian archers Akash Malik and Himani Kumari kept themselves in the medal hunt, advancing to their pre-quarterfinal rounds of their respective events at the Youth Olympic Game, here Monday. The 16-year-old Akash, who trains at the Army Sports Institute in Pune, showed courage to down Canadian Benjamen Lee in the shoot-off of his round one contest in the recurve cadet men's individual event. Trailing 3-5 after fourth set, Akash shot two perfect 10s in the fifth set to level 5-5 and take the battle into the shoot-off where both shot 9-all but the Indian was adjudged winner with his arrow closer to the centre. Akash will face Jose Manuel Solera of Spain for a place in the quarterfinals. Himani had an easy first round outing, cruising past Jil Walter of Samoa 7-1 to set up a last-16 clash against Catalina Gnoriega of the USA in he women's recurve cadet individual event.
Tegh Bahadur Gold Cup: Vikas 'tricks' for Hockey Bhopal
Vikas Choudhary scored a hat-trick to lead Hockey Bhopal to a 6-1 win over Western Railway in the 14th Tegh Bahadur Gold Cup hockey tournament here Monday. Hockey Bhopal scored five goals in the second period after leading 1-0 at the break in the group B clash. Manish Sharma, Taj Khan and Shakir Hussain were the other scorers for the Bhopal outfit. Local outfit Western Railway got a late consolation goal through Darshan Gawkar, two minutes from the hooter. This was the first win for the Bhopal side, who had lost to Indian Navy 2-5 Sunday.
Vermaelen injury adds to Valverde's worries at Barca
FC Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde has an injury problem less than two weeks before the first 'Classico' between his side and Real Madrid with the confirmation that the Catalan football club's central defender Thomas Vermaelen will be out of action for around six weeks with a hamstring injury.
Golfer Johnson maintains top spot in world rankings
United States golfer Dustin Johnson continued to lead the World Golf Ranking released on Monday, followed by England's Justin Rose, as the top 10 players all held their positions this week.
Halep secures year-end No.1 WTA ranking for 2nd year in a row
Romanian tennis star Simona Halep secured the year-end world No. 1 spot in the WTA rankings for the second year in a row, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) announced on Monday.
De Villiers included in draft for South African T20 league
South African batting star AB de Villiers was on Monday named among 12 leading players for South Africa's new Mzansi Super League Twenty20 tournament. Six South African and six overseas players were named as marquee players at a Cricket South Africa media briefing. Six teams will be competing for their services in a draft in Johannesburg on Wednesday. England one-day captain Eoin Morgan and fellow England players Jason Roy and Dawid Malan will join West Indians Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo and Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan as the leading overseas players. Six teams will be competing for their services in a draft which will take place in Johannesburg on Wednesday. De Villiers, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, heads the list of designated South African players. He will represent the Tshwane Spartans, who will be based at his long-time home ground in Centurion. National captain Faf du Plessis will play for the Paarl Rocks team in the Cape Winelands, Hashim .
Jharkhand, Hyderabad reach Vijay Hazare semis
Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy picked up a four-wicket haul as Jharkhand beat Maharashtra by eight wickets in a rain-hit match to enter the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy here on Monday. The pace duo of Rahul Shukla (3/35) and Varun Aaron (2/47) provided the early breakthroughs before Roy (4/32) ran through the middle and lower order with a career-best effort to dismiss Maharashtra for 181 in 42.2 overs. Rohit Motwani (52) and captain Rahul Tripathi (47) steadied the ship after Maharashtra lost four wickets for 72 runs. Jharkhand's chase was halted in the sixth over due to rain, reducing the target to 174 runs in 47 overs before it was revised to 127 runs in 34 overs. It was a comfortable ride for Jharkhand, who were 89 for two in 27 overs when the target was revised for the second time. Shasheem Rathour (53 not out off 81) and Saurabh Tiwary (29 not out off 33) ensured Jharkhand got home comfortably, with 10 balls to spare and the loss of just two wickets. Jharkhand will face ...
De Villiers set to join Mzansi Super League
Former South African skipper AB de Villiers is all set to take part in the upcoming Mzansi Super League.The confirmation came after the Cricket South Africa (CSA) shared the list of the South African players, which included De Villiers's name, on their official Twitter handle.The list also included the names of big stars like Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, Kagiso Rabada, JP Duminy, and Imran Tahir."Exciting times coming up in the @MSL_T20. The Proteas marquee players are: @amlahash - Durban Heat @KagisoRabada25 - Jozi Stars @ABdeVilliers17 - Tshwane Spartans Imran Tahir - Nelson Mandela Bay Giants @jpduminy21 - Cape Town Blitz @faf1307 - Paarl Rocks #MSLT20," CSA wrote on their official Twitter handle.Other overseas-based players like West Indies stars Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, Afghanistan spinner Rasheed Khan and the England trio of Jason Roy, Dawid Malan and Eoin Morgan have also been included.The month-long tournament will take place from November 16 to December 16.Last month, ...
Djokovic hails family after Shanghai win
Serbian tennis superstar Novak Djokovic, who captured his fourth ATP Shanghai Masters title here, on Monday said that the last three or four months have been "phenomenal", and his family has helped him to overcome adversity after the lacklustre start to the season.
Indonesia gearing up for friendly against Hong Kong
Indonesia's national football team is gearing up for a friendly match against Hong Kong on Tuesday.
Hyeon Chung to be star attraction at Tata Open Maharashtra
South Korean tennis player Hyeon Chung, who defeated winner of multiple Grand Slam titles Novak Djokovic earlier this year, will be a star attraction at the second edition of Tata Open Maharashtra beginning in December. The World No. 26 is expected to be a top draw at the ATP 250 event to be played at the Mhalunge Balewadi Stadium here. Tata Open Maharashtra Tournament Director Prashant Sutar was excited to sign the Korean as one of the first players for the event. "Chung is one of the most exciting talents in tennis today. His consistent run across various tour events, including Australian Open, since winning the inaugural Next Gen ATP Tour Finals last year has made him a player to watch out for this time at Tata Open Maharashtra," Sutar was quoted as saying in a media release Monday. The 22-year-old made waves at the 2018 Australian Open, where on his way to semi-final against legendary Roger Federer, he stunned world No. 5 Alex Zverev in Round of 32. But what created .
Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant surge upward in Test ranking
Indian rookies Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant have made substantial gains in the International Cricket Council (ICC) player rankings for Test batsmen after their fine efforts in the second Test against the West Indies contributed to a 10-wicket victory that sealed a 2-0 series triumph for the home side.Shaw, who had led India to victory in the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup this year in New Zealand, completed a memorable debut series, as he finished the Hyderabad Test at 60th position making a gain of 13 slots after knocks of 70 and 33 not out.The right-hand batsman had entered the rankings at the 73rd place after a century in his debut match.Wicketkeeper-batsman Pant also continued his upward climb as his knock of 92 saw him gain 23 places to reach the 62nd position.In other movements, Ajinkya Rahane has gained four places to reach 18th position after his knock of 80 against West Indies in the second Test.Among bowlers, pacer Umesh Yadav has gained four slots to reach 25th spot after ...
Simona Halep retains WTA top spot for second consecutive year
Romanian tennis star Simona Halep has retained her top spot for the second consecutive year in the 2018 Women's Tennis Association (WTA) singles ranking.Reflecting on her achievement, the 27-year-old said that the feat is special for her as she had also won her first Grand Slam at Roland Garros, this year."To do it for a second time in 2018 feels like a special achievement, especially having also won my first Grand Slam this year," WTA quoted Halep, as saying.While 2018 US Open semi-finalist Karolina Pliskova jumped one spot to attain the fifth position in the rankings, Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark), Angelique Kerber (Germany) and Naomi Osaka (Japan) maintained their second, third and fourth place, respectively.Meanwhile, in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings, Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic overtook Swiss legend Roger Federer to claim the second spot.Spain's Rafael Nadal continues to remain at the top in the men's singles ranking while Juan Martin del Potro of ..