Page 1078 - Sports

Decision on Cameroon hosting Africa Nations Cup delayed

A decision on whether Cameroon can go ahead with hosting next year's Africa Cup of Nations has been postponed until the end of November, the Confederation of African Football said on Saturday. Cameroon's hosting of African football's showpiece event has been in jeopardy for months since the decision to increase the tournament from 16 to 24 teams. Football in the west African nation is in the midst of a crisis, with its league suspended because of funding issues. CAF had been expected to make a final decision at their meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh on Friday. But CAF said there had been a "big delay in the building of infrastructure". "The final decision will be made at the end of November," it said in a statement. An inspection committee of officials from CAF and world football's governing body FIFA will visit Cameroon in October "to examine security issues", it added. CAF did however confirm the dates of the tournament as June 15-July 13. The tournament used to take place in January, ...

Bottas upstages Hamilton to take Russian GP pole

Valtteri Bottas upstaged his championship-leading Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton with a dazzling lap in Saturday's qualifying session to seize pole position for the Russian Grand Prix. The Finn, who has struggled to keep pace with the defending four-time champion for much of the season, relished the confines of one of his favourite tracks as he clocked a record lap in one minute and 31.387 seconds. His late fastest lap lifted him ahead of Hamilton, who aborted his final lap after running wide at Turn Seven, and put a grin back on his face as the Mercedes pair delivered another front row lockout. It was his second pole this year and the sixth of his career. Bottas claimed his maiden Formula One victory in Russia last year and showed a clear affinity with the track as Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, who trails Hamilton by 40 points in the title race, took third. Vettel's Sauber-bound Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen wound up fourth ahead of Kevin Magnussen of Haas, job-hunting Frenchman

Manchester United lose 3-1 to West Ham to deepen Mourinho woes

Manchester United's dire week ended in a damaging 3-1 defeat at the hands of West Ham on Saturday as Jose Mourinho failed to arrest a growing sense of crisis surrounding the club. United, who kicked off eight points behind leaders Liverpool, already look out of the Premier League title race and a rift between the manager and Paul Pogba is overshadowing events on the pitch. West Ham had only won one of their previous 19 Premier League matches against United but an early strike from Felipe Anderson and a Victor Lindelof own goal shortly before half-time left the disjointed visitors with a mountain to climb. United pulled a goal back through Marcus Rashford in the second half but Marko Arnautovic restored the two-goal cushion for West Ham minutes later. Alexis Sanchez and Jesse Lingard were not in the matchday squad as Mourinho brought in Scott McTominay to play alongside Chris Smalling and Lindelof in a back three, leaving United short of attacking flair. West Ham, brimful of confidence

Ferdinand says Man Utd face 'big decisions' after Hammer blow

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand said the club faced some "big decisions" over manager Jose Mourinho's future after a damaging 3-1 loss away to West Ham on Saturday. United's third defeat in seven Premier League games left them eight points behind leaders Liverpool and three adrift of the top four, with Mourinho's men now having played one game more than the teams above them in the table. "As a footballer your DNA is about hard work and effort," said Ferdinand, now a pundit with BT Sport. "I didn't see that today," added the former England centre-half, who began his career at West Ham. "I didn't see them make two or three passes in succession -- that's criminal. "I don't see enough players working hard to say to the manager 'this is my place in the team'. You've got to work hard and grind and Man Utd didn't." And a concerned Ferdinand insisted: "There are some big decisions to be made at United now. There will be conversations at the top level, about the future of the ..

Sabalenka defeats Kontaveit to claim Wuhan Open title

Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday topped Anett Kontaveit of Estonia 6-3, 6-3 to claim the Wuhan Open title, her second triumph this season following the Connecticut Open.

India's Yuvraj Wadhwani clinches U-13 title in Asian junior

: India's Yuvraj Wadhwani defeated Anas Ali Shah of Pakistan 13-11, 11-5, 6-11, 12-10 in the final Saturday to win the boys under-13 title in the 25th Asian junior individual squash championship here. He became the second Indian to win the U-13 title after Veer Chotrani had won in 2014 in Iran. The Mumbai schoolboy, seeded number one, came up with some spectacular volleys to win a close first game. With his confidence up after going one game up, Wadhwani stroked his way to a 2-0 lead, wrapping up the second 11-5. His Pakistani rival was not the one to give up as he returned stronger in the third, hit winners and forced Yuvraj into making errors. The young Indian player held his nerve to win the fourth on extra points to seal a memorable triumph. Arnav Sareen, the other Indian in line for a title, however, came a cropper and went down to Mohammad Hamza Khan of Pakistan in the under-15 final. India finished the championship with a gold, a silver and four bronze medals ...

Indian archer Verma wins World Cup Final bronze

India's star compound archer Abhishek Verma put up a dazzling display to down Kim Jongho of Korea and bag a bronze medal in the season-ending World Cup Final here Saturday. Verma partnered with Jyothi Surekha Vennam to clinch a silver in the exhibition compound mixed team event. Drawn against hosts Turkey in the final, the Indian pair of Jyothi Surekha Vennam lost 152-159. The final day of the season-ending meet will see Indian ace recurve archer Deepika Kumari, a four-time World Cup Final silver medallist making a seventh appearance. The Korean, who is the most consistent compound archer to have qualified with the highest average arrow (9.82), led by a point till the third end against Verma in the bonze playoff. But the Indian archer displayed a super consistent show, shooting 149 out of a possible 150, to edge out the Korean by two points in the fiercely-contested match. The only blip was a 9 he shot in his second arrow but thereafter he shot all perfect 10sfor a total of 14 from 15

Gymnastic World C'ship: Patra boycotts trial, Dipa skips for fitness issue

Frustrated by the "absurdity" in selection criteria, Indian gymnast Rakesh Patra Saturday boycotted the trial for the 48th Artistic World Championship, while Dipa Karmakar too skipped it due to fitness issues here. The gymnasts appearing for the trial were left stumped when they came to know about SAI's directive that they will have to perform the all-around routine instead of their individual events for selection. Patra claimed that India's long-serving chief coach G S Bawa didn't have any clue about the selection criteria a day before the trial and only announced it after a group of gymnasts had already performed their events at the I G Stadium on Saturday. "On 28th Sep, a day prior to the trials, I asked Mr Gurdial Singh Bawa whom SAI has appointed as Chief Coach for Gymnastics and who also appears to be a selection committee member about the selection criteria and he informed that he does not know anything," Patra wrote in a letter sent to the Sports Secretary, Sports Authority of

Team is focussed on winning 3 points against Chennaiyins: BFC coach

Last season's runner-up Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat Saturday said his team is focussed on securing three points in the Indian Super League opener against holders Chennaiyin FC here. "Tomorrow is our first match of Indian Super League season. We are keen and ready to face the challenge. Our aim will be to garner three points by beating defending champions Chennaiyin FC," he told reporters on the eve of the second match of the season. "We do not want to treat the clash as a revenge match as we do not want to be emtional about the final which lost against Chennaiyin last year. To be emotional is not good for team, instead focus is what is needed," he added. Cuadrat said his team would like to change history by defeating Chennaiyin at home. "We know that we have never beaten Chennaiyin FC at home, but every game has its own history and tomorrow we'll be trying to change that," he said. Replying to a query, Cuadrat said the pre-season training in Spain and a couple of friendlies ...

Kenya's Kipchoge relishes Berlin marathon world record win

Berlin marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge said he will handle the pressure that comes with breaking the world record by remaining true to himself.

Prasad roped in as chief coach, Russell icon player for Nangarhar Leopards

Former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad will be the chief coach for the Nangarhar Leopards franchise, making its debut in the newly formed Afghanistan Premium League T20 (APLT20), starting October 5 here.

Chennaiyin's style will not change in Dhanpal's absence: Coach Gregory

Chennaiyin FC Coach John Gregory Saturday said his team's style of play will not change due to Dhanpal Ganesh's absence this Indian Super League (ISL) season. "Dhanpal has been good for us, both as an offensive and defensive player. His absence will be missed by the team, but we have good replacement," he told reporters on the eve of ISL match between Bengaluru FC and Chennaiyin FC here. "Hopefully, our style will not change that much and outcome will be good," he added. Gregory said his players are not under any pressure either, but he would encourage them to enjoy the game. "I have always encouraged my players to relax and just enjoy playing their football as much as they can and you enjoy it much more when you're winning matches and the rewards that come with it," he said. Gregory said three of their foreign players are defenders and he would be making efforts to get into the team. "We have also signed 5-6 Indian player who will challenge for places," he said. Gregory said ...

Indian team finishes runner-up in Red Bull Campus Cricket World tourney

Indian team Marathwada Mitra Mandal College of Commerce Saturday finished runner-up in the university level Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals T20 tournament after losing to Sri Lanka's Business Management School in the summit clash here. The MMMCC from Pune was the in-form team of the tournament having won all the five league matches, but in the final at the Sinhalese Sports Club, the Sri Lankan side emerged victorious by five wickets in a thrilling match which was decided in the last ball. The Indian team had beaten the home side by seven wickets in the league stage. The Indiam team had straightway qualified for the final after topping the league stage while the Sri Lankan side had defeated Pakistan's Karachi University in the play-off match on Friday. Put into bat, MMMCC posted 211 for two with opener Murtaza Shabbir (76 not out from 48 balls) and one-down Yash Nahar (58) hitting half centuries, while Divyang Hingekar (46 not out) also made a substantial contribution. The Indians

Clinical India beat Nepal by 171 runs in U-19 Asia Cup

India opened their campaign in the U-19 Asia Cup in style, notching up a dominating 171-run win over minnows Nepal in a group A match here Saturday. Put in to bat, India scored 304 for nine, riding on opener Yashasvi Jaiswal's 104 and wicket-keeper PrabhSimran Singh's 84. Yashasvi hit as many as eight boundaries and five maximums in his blistering knock. India lost their first wicket when Devdutt Padikkal was caught leg before by Bhim Sharki's delivery in the 17th over. Captain Pawan Shah (13) departed next. PrabhSimran and Yashasvi then stitched a 76-run partnership to take India close to the 200-run mark. Quick knocks by Ayush Badoni (33) and Mohit Jangra (19) ensured India cross 300. Bhim Sharki scalped four wickets for 42 runs, while Rashid Khan registered figures of 2/45. Chasing 305 to win, Nepal made a good start with Rabindra Shahi and Ravi Kumar Sah sharing a 31-run partnership in eight overs before both the openers were dismissed within two overs. Skipper Asif Sheikh (25), ..

India win a memorable Asia Cup of close finishes (Column: Just Sport)

The just-concluded Asia Cup will be remembered for edge-of-the-seat finishes in four matches as it culminated in India becoming champions for the seventh time, with a last-ball victory over Bangladesh in the title-clash.

Hamilton, Bottas lead 3rd free practice ahead of Russian GP qualifying

Britain's Lewis Hamilton and Finland's Valterri Bottas topped the timing board on Saturday in the third and final free practice session ahead of the qualifying round for the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix race.

Mayank smashes 90, Bawne scores ton in warm-up tie against West Indies

Mayank Agarwal served a timely reminder to the selectors with a brisk 90 while Ankit Bawne hit a patient hundred as Board President's XI scored 360 for six before declaring against the West Indies in the warm-up game here Saturday. In the national reckoning since last season, opener Agarwal played his natural attacking game, hitting 14 boundaries and two sixes, but his younger Prithvi Shaw (8) was removed quickly after hitting two boundaries in the two-day game. Karun Nair (29), whose confidence took a beating after being benched during the entire the England Test series, missed a golden opportunity to play a big knock on a flat track where BP XI players maintained a run-rate of four per over. Shreyas Iyer (61 off 64 balls) was in the T20 mode, hitting five sixes, and he was especially severe on veteran spinner Devendra Bishoo (3/104 in 21 overs), who had the last laugh when a century looked like there for the taking. During the second part of the innings, Maharashtra batsman Bawne ..

Let's not lie, my goal was better than Salah's, says Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo believes the overhead bicycle kick he scored for Real Madrid against his current club Juventus last season was better than Mohamed Salah's which won the FIFA goal of the year award. "Salah deserved to win the Puskas award, it was a good goal. But let's be honest, let's not lie to ourselves, my goal was the best," Ronaldo told his 142 million Instagram followers. The 33-year-old Portuguese star lost out to former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric for the FIFA best player award and to Liverpool's Salah for the Puskas Award for the best goal. Salah won the award for his curling strike against Everton in the Premier League in December. "I'm not disappointed, life is like that, sometimes you win and others lose, what interests me is that in 15 years of career I managed to maintain the same levels of performance," Ronaldo said. "Awards are awards... I already have a lot. I play to win and not to win awards." Five days after the awards ceremony in London -- which he did not .

Record-setting Hamilton tops Sochi practice session

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton topped the times in record fashion as he and Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas dominated the third and final practice for Sunday's Russian Grand Prix. The Mercedes men delivered a convincing one-two on a bright sunlit morning by the Black Sea where Ferrari again struggled to keep pace with the Silver Arrows. Britain's defending four-time world champion, who leads Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by 40 points in this year's title race, stormed to a fastest lap in one minute and 33.067 seconds - an outright lap record for the Sochi Autodrom. This left team-mate Bottas trailing by nearly three-tenths of a second and Vettel, down in third, by six-tenths with the Sauber-bound Kimi Raikkonen taking fourth in the second Ferrari. Dutchman Max Verstappen, who celebrates his 21st birthday on Sunday, was fifth for Red Bull ahead of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari-bound Monegasque prodigy Charles Leclerc of Sauber. Frenchman Esteman Ocon, who is expected to ...

Korea game will be most challenging 90 minutes for my players: India U-16 coach

India coach Bibiano Fernandes said Saturday the AFC U-16 Championship quarterfinal against South Korea will be the most challenging 90 minutes of his players' careers, overcoming which, will give them a ticket to the U-17 World Cup. Having qualified for the knockouts for the first time since 2002, India have drawn the mighty Koreans, already dubbed overwhelming favourites by Bibiano. "Korea Republic are one of the teams touted to win the AFC U-16 Championship and the match against them will be the most challenging ninety minutes that any one of us has ever faced. Korea Republic are the overwhelming favourites," Bibiano said two days ahead of the match. "They are tactically agile and have swift players in almost all positions who are capable of catching the opponent defence off guard. "However, we were underestimated in our 1-0 win over Iraq in the Four-Nation Tournament and we were underestimated in the group stages of the AFC U-16 Championship. But here we are, we will give ...