Page 1094 - Sports
Hazare Trophy: Mumbai-Vidarbha match abandoned due to rains
All the three matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group A to be played Monday in Karnataka, including the Mumbai-Vidarbha clash, were abandoned following rains, leading the teams involved to share points. "Our match was washed out due to rains," an official, who is with the Mumbai team, said. Both Vidarbha and Mumbai, which were to clash in Alur near Bengaluru, shared two points each. Earlier in the 50-over tournament, Mumbai had won all their three games, against Baroda, Karnataka and Railways. Another Group A match -- Baroda versus Punjab - which was also to be played in Alur, was abandoned. The two teams got two points each. The Goa versus Karnataka match, which was to be played in Bengaluru, was abandoned and the two teams shared points. The next round of the Hazare Trophy Elite Group A matches will be played Wednesday with Baroda taking on Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh clashing with Vidarbha and Maharashtra up against Railways.
Marquez wins Aragon MotoGP, extends lead
Riding a Honda, Spain's Marc Marquez won the Aragon MotoGP to extend his lead atop the championship standings. Marquez, after two second and one third placed finishes in the last three MotoGP races, finished in 41min 55sec ahead of Italian duo Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) and Andrea Ianonne (Suzuki). Marquez now has 246 points in the MotoGP standings, with Dovizioso second on 174 and Yamaha's Italian veteran Valentino Rossi in third (159). In the Moto2, South African Brad Binder (KTM) celebrated the first pole of his career with a second victory of the season. Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia and fellow Italian and Kalex teammate Lorenzo Baldassari rounded out the podium. "I woke up this morning with the idea that today I could take a risk. I hadn't felt totally at ease during the weekend with the hard rear spec tyre so, after the warm-up, I said to my team that I wanted to use the soft rear. That started many meetings and discussions but in the end I won the race because I could ...
Cricket Australia closes probe into Moeen Ali 'Osama' claim
Cricket Australia announced Monday it has closed its investigation into Moeen Ali's claim he was called "Osama" during the 2015 Ashes series, after failing to unearth new details on the allegation. The England all-rounder and practising Muslim made the claim in his autobiography, an extract of which was published in Britain's Times newspaper earlier this month. Moeen said he was on the receiving end of the slur, a reference to late Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, from an unnamed opponent during his Ashes debut in Cardiff. "An Australian player turned to me on the field and said, 'Take that, Osama'. I could not believe what I had heard. I remember going really red. I have never been so angry on a cricket field," said the 31-year-old. Cricket Australia announced it was launching an investigation, saying the comment was "unacceptable". But a CA spokesman said: "We have followed up with the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and our team management and confirmed that the incident was .
Ritu to replace Vinesh in 50kg for Worlds, Pinki back in 53kg
Grappler Ritu Phogat will replace her injured cousin Vinesh Phogat in the 50kg category for the World Championship, the Wrestling Federation of India said on Monday. Vinesh, who was a medal favourite, suffered an elbow injury on Friday during practice and was ruled out. The WFI had entered Ritu's name in the 53kg after original choice Pinki refused to appear in a re-trial recently. However, in the changed scenario, the WFI was left with no option but to bring back Ritu for her original weight category, 50kg. It also means that Pinki will now compete in the 53kg and will not miss the prestigious event of the United World Wrestling (UWW). "We have asked Ritu to compete in 50kg and brought back Pinki in 53kg. Vinesh missing out is a loss for us, the injury is unfortunate," WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar told PTI. Last year, Ritu had won a silver at the U-23 World Championship in Bydgoscz, Poland. Both Ritu and her sister Sangeeta had missed out on the Asian Games trails due to a ...
Sarfraz Ahmed is a great captain: Sourav Ganguly
Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has said that Pakistani batsman Sarfraz Ahmed is great as a captain and leaders like him are not born every day.The comment came amid widespread criticism of Ahmed's leadership skills following their two consecutive defeats at the hands of India in the ongoing Asia Cup.Ganguly further applauded Ahmed's captaincy during the 2017 Champions Trophy saying that it was impeccable."Sarfraz is a great captain and cricketers like him are not born every day," Geo TV quoted Ganguly, as saying."He is a courageous player and the way he captained the team during the Champions Trophy last year was impeccable," he added.Ganguly also advised Pakistan Cricket Board and former cricketers to support and encourage Sarfraz as he has done good captaincy in the tournament, so far.Pakistan will face India in the final of the Asia Cup if they managed to beat Bangladesh in their third Super Four clash to be held on September 24.
Afghanistan wicket-keeper batsman Shahzad reports corrupt approach
Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad has reported a spot-fixing approach for the upcoming Afghan Premier T20 League to be held in Sharjah from October 5-23. Shahzad, who is currently part of the team playing in Asia Cup, promptly reported the approach to the team management before the matter was raised with the ICC's anti-corruption unit, reported ESPNcricinfo on Monday. "There was an approach made during the Asia Cup, but for their (Afghanistan's) own T20 league," an ICC official was quoted as saying by the website. "The matter was reported through the right channels on Saturday and is being looked into by the anti-corruption unit," the official added. Shazad is an integral part of the Afghanistan team, having played 75 ODIs, 65 T20s and the country's only Test which they played against India in June. In an event here, ICC anti-corruption chief Alex Marshall, said that five international captains have been approached over the last 12 months with four of them from Test ...
Defiant India bank on Niraj's heroics to hold Iran in AFC U-16 Championships
Goalkeeper Niraj Kumar turned out to be the hero as India held heavyweights Iran to a goalless draw in the AFC U-16 Championship here Monday, the first time in 33 years. The young custodian from Punjab blocked a 76th minute penalty to deny the fancied Iranians full points. The last time India managed to hold Iran, across all age groups, was in December 1984 in the Asia Cup Finals in Singapore. That game also ended in a goalless stalemate. On expected lines, Iran asserted their dominance early in the game and had a couple of attempts saved by Niraj. The Asian giants came very close to scoring in the 23rd minute, but the shot from a corner kick hit the bar, much to India's relief at the Bukit Jalil Stadium. Then, pressing football backed by confident defensive organisation and some sharp counter attacks helped India's cause. For all the possession that Iran enjoyed, it was India who had two of the easiest opportunities towards the end of second half. Ravi Rana missed the first one as ...
Dutt was a master administrator: Ganguly
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly Monday described ex-BCCI president Biswanath Dutt as a master administrator and recalled seeking his blessings before debuting for India under-19 in 1989-90. "I remember meeting him before heading to play for U-19. It's been a long association not only with him but his son (Subrata Dutta). It will be a void which will be very, very difficult to fill," Ganguly said from Pune. The Cricket Association of Bengal has named a gallery at the Eden Gardens in BN Dutt's name. "Last three years, I was closely associated with him as the president of CAB. I feel extremely proud that we could name a gallery in his name while he was alive," the CAB president said. Best known in Indian cricket fraternity as Jagmohan Dalmiya's mentor, Dutt passed away Monday morning after suffering from acute lung infection. One of the most revered administrators of Kolkata Maidan both in football and cricket, Dutt was the BCCI president in 1989 after a six-year stint as the ...
With a twist in the tail, Indian open chess team finalised for Olympiad
With a twist in the tail, the fixed board order for the Indian open chess Olympiad team has been finalised, as per the information gleaned from the team pairings uploaded in the official website.
Bhullar finishes T-26th in Japan, Ikeda wins title
Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar shrugged off a disappointing start to card two-under 69 and finish Tied-26th at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup here. Bhullar signed rounds of 67, 72, 75 and 69 to be one-under 283 on Sunday. Bhullar is fifth on Habitat for Humanity Asian Tour standings and the Top-10 will qualify for the lucrative USD seven million CIMB Classic in two weeks' time. Bhullar bogeyed the first and double-bogeyed the second, but picked three birdies in a row from fourth to sixth and then two more on 15th and 17th to finish with 69. Rahil Gangjee (71) was Tied-48th and Ajeetesh Sandhu (75) was Tied-60th. Yuta Ikeda of Japan won his 20th career title in sensational style after shooting a final round three-under 68. The 32-year-old Ikeda romped to an impressive six-shot victory after ending his campaign on 15-under 269 at the approx USD 1.35 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation. The in-form Justin Harding of South Africa, who claimed two ...
Bisht-Negi show lead Meghalaya's rout of Arunachal Pradesh
Puneet Bisht cracked a career-best 135 before Abhay Negi bamboozled Arunachal Pradesh with a seven-wicket haul to power Meghalaya to a huge 256-run win in the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day cricket tournament here Monday. In his third domestic match, Negi returned with extraordinary figures of 6-0-17-7 as Arunachal Pradesh batting caved in for 61 allout in 26 overs at the Shastri Maidan here. Chasing a huge 318 in a match reduced to 43-overs a side, only two Arunachal Pradesh batsmen -- opener Samrath Seth (15) and Song Tacho (16) -- could reach double digits with Negi wreaking havoc. Earlier Arunachal Pradesh's decision to bowl backfired as Bisht smashed a 90-ball 135 (17x4, 4x6) while skipper Jason Lamare also chipped in with 42 off 54 balls in an entertaining 111-run third wicket stand. After the duo's departure, Yogesh Nagar (56 not out from 46 balls; 5x4, 1x6) and Gurinder Singh (35 from 25 balls; 1x4, 2x6) featured in an unbroken stand of 82 in nine overs to push the total to 317/4
WADA chief hits back at criticism over Russia doping decision
World Anti-Doping Agency president Craig Reedie has described as "deeply offensive" an accusation that the agency put money over clean sport following its decision to lift a ban on Russia's anti-doping agency. The decision was taken last week at a meeting of WADA's executive committee in Victoria, the capital of the Indian Ocean island of Seychelles. The agency suspended RUSADA in November 2015 after declaring it non-compliant following revelations of a vast state-backed scheme to avoid drug testers. The softening of WADA's stance triggered outrage from athletes and national anti-doping agencies around the world. They accused WADA of succumbing to pressure from the International Olympic Committee. Former WADA director general David Howman strongly criticised Reedie. "So WADA has gone from being an organisation that cared about clean athletes to one that cares about international federations that have not been able to stage events in Russia -- it's money over principle," he said. But ..
Leg-spinner Rashid inks all-format deal with Yorkshire
One month after making his Test comeback for the first time since 2016, leg-spinner Adil Rashid on Monday inked a one-year contract extension with his county side Yorkshire, making himself available for all formats.
Aditi finishes T-5 with a final round 65 in Spain
Aditi Ashok shot a 6-under 65 to finish tied fifth, her best finish of the season, in the final round of the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open here on Sunday. The 20-year-old Bengaluru golfer rose to 16-under for her third Top-10 finish of the year but the first one in Top-5. Aditi, who has been dividing her time between Ladies European Tour, where she has won three times, and the Ladies PGA in US, where she is playing her second season, had seven birdies against one bogey during the day. While Anne Van Dam of the Netherlands was a runaway winner at 26-under which included rounds of 64-64-65-65, there were three players, Caroline Hedwall (68), Caroline Masson (66) and Korean amateur Selin Hyun (66) who were tied-2nd. Aditi was T-5 alongside south African Ashleigh Buhai (69). Earlier in the year Aditi was T-7 at Canberra Classic and then again T-7 at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France. She was also T-22 at the Richo Women's British Open, but missed the cut at Evian ...
India finish Serbian Junior & Cadet Open on a high
Indias young paddlers concluded their successful run in the Serbian Junior and Cadet Open here on Sunday, adding three gold, four silver and six bronze medals.
Compensation dispute: Process already beyond amicable settlement, says PCB chief
Newly-appointed PCB chief Ehsan Mani has said that the dispute with the Indian Cricket Board regarding bilateral series is beyond "amicable settlement" as they are yet to find a common ground of solution. The PCB has claimed Rs 447 crore as compensation for India not honouring an alleged Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which required the two countries to play six bilateral series between 2015 to 2023. The matter will be heard by the ICC's Dispute Resolution Committee in Dubai from October 1 to 3. "This process has already gone beyond resolving it amicably," Mani told reporters during a media conference. "It's in the final stages of reaching a conclusion. Both sides have to find a common solution for the future and I'll explore every possibility for the sake of the game. Had I been involved when the dispute happened, every effort would have been made to sort it bilaterally. "Unfortunately, we are where we are. We have to still progress, but my doors are always open," said the former .
FIBA Women's World Cup: Nigeria stun Turkey to make basketball history
Nigerian women's basketball team made history at the ongoing FIBA Women's World Cup as they stunned Turkish squad 74-68 in the Group B game here on Sunday.The win holds significance as it was Nigeria's first-ever FIBA Women's World Cup victory and the first time the female team would defeat any European opponent.With the victory, the Nigerian side, nicknamed D'Tigress, put themselves in a strong position to finish second in Group B.Sarah Ogoke shot the highest point for Ngeria, as her 22 points helped propel D'Tigress against their formidable counterparts. Evelyn Akhator also impressed with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double.Turkey struggled for much of the game, as Isil Alben contributed 15 points, while Esra Ural Topuz suffered a knee injury.An elated Ogoke told reporters after the match, "It was great. I have played for a while with the National Team and I felt as though I personally had a point to prove.""We finally got an opportunity to show what we can do with this historic ...
Indian women seal series against SL with 7-wicket win in fourth T20
Anuja Patil and Jemimah Rodrigues smashed unbeaten half centuries, taking Indian women to a series-sealing win over hosts Sri Lanka in a rain affected fourth T20 International here on Monday. With the second T20 being washed out, India have now taken a 3-0 lead in the five-match series. The final match will be played on Tuesday. The visitors had also won the preceding ODI against Sri Lanka. Patil (3/36) helped India reduce Sri Lanka to 134 for five in a shortened 17-over a side contest. Shashikala Siriwardene top-scored for Sri Lanka with 40 off 32 balls. India chased down the target with more than an over to spare and seven wickets in hand, thanks to Patil (54 not out off 42) and teenager Rodrigues (52 not out off 37). It was a second successive half-century for the 18-year-old, who had hammered 57 off 40 balls in the third T20. India were 56 for three after seven overs, needing 79 off the last 10 overs. Patil and Rodrigues completed the task with ease, sharing a 96-run stand off 70
Skipper Ishan Kishan's blistering
Skipper Ishan Kishan's blistering knock of 139 (91 ball), studded with 12 fours and nine sixes, powered Jharkhand to an eight-wicket win over Assam in a Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group 'C' match here Monday. The talented southpaw toyed with the rival bowling and smashed the ball to all parts of the M A Chidambaram stadium as the team reached the target of 222 in just 31 overs to boost its net run-rate. Earlier, sent in to bat, Assam lost wickets at regular intervals to finish at 221 for 9 in 50 overs. Though three of its batsmen got into the 40s, none was able to push for a bigger score as the Jharkhand bowlers kept things under control. Shahbaz Nadeem, who took a world List 'A' record 8 for 10 against Rajasthan last week, captured three wickets for 47. Sibshankar Roy was the top scorer for Assam with 46. Kishan and fellow opener Anand Singh (58) were on the attack from the word go and took the score to 100 in the 17th over. Kishan went on the rampage and reached his 100 .
Livepool keep up the pace in EPL as Man City back in form
All good things must come to an end, but not for Liverpool it seems as they extended their 100 percent record to six games in the English Premier League with a 3-0 win at home over Southampton.