Page 1111 - Sports
India will find it difficult to compete in Australia: Ponting
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has said that the Indian team would find it difficult to compete against Australia during their two-month long tour to the country because of swinging tracks.The 43-year-old added that the same thing happens to the Australian cricketers when they play in sub-continents and face spin bowlers."If the ball does swing around a lot or seam around a lot then I think India will find it difficult in Australia. I think any time we saw India struggle through the England series was when the ball moved. As soon as the ball started to move in the air or seam, the Indian batsmen will always struggle," Cricket.com.au quoted Ponting, as saying."It's no different to when Australia go to the subcontinent and the ball spins from day one. We always struggle with that as well," he added.Reflecting on the performance of teams in the foreign conditions, Ponting stated that winning home-away matches is not an easy task.Among all the teams South Africa is the only squad
England announce ODI squad for Sri Lanka tour
England on Wednesday announced a 16-member squad for their upcoming five-match one-day series against Sri Lanka.While Warwickshire fast bowler Olly Stone got his maiden call in the ODI squad, Yorkshire all-rounder David Willey did not get selected due to a back injury.Stone will be replacing pacer Liam Plunkett who will miss the first three matches for his wedding.Ben Stokes and Alex Hales, who were recently charged by the independent Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) for bringing disrepute to the game of cricket following a brawl incident outside a Bristol nightclub, were also named in the squad.England and Sri Lanka are slated to play their first ODI on October 10 in Dambulla.Following are the England squad for the series:Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
Sunny Views: When Zaman's 'Rapper' Style, Karthik's nickname caught Gavaskar's attention
The legend has it that Sunil Gavaskar during his days as a young cricketer of Dadar Union Club was given a piece of advice by club' mentor Vithal 'Marshal' Patil --- "If you can't be a cricketer, at least dress like one". The legendary opener has always been very touchy about how players treat their jerseys and caps as he learnt a lesson from his maternal uncle Madhav Mantri, when as a kid, he had demanded to wear former's India pullovers. "You need to earn that pullopver to wear it," little Sunny was told by his uncle. No wonder, he wasn't exactly amused when he saw Fakhar Zaman trying to resemble a rapper wearing his national cap backside while bowling the 18th over of the Indian innings. "Somebody, may be the captain should tell him that that it's the national cap. He should wear it properly. You can do this in PSL (pakistan Super League) may be but this is the national team," Gavaskar said on air for the host broadcasters Star Sports. In the next over, Zaman was seen handing the ..
Three officials tried in US given life bans by FIFA for corruption
FIFA has given three officials who pleaded guilty to corruption in a US court, life bans from all football-related activities for corruption, the sport's governing body announced on Wednesday. The adjudicatory chamber of the ethics committee banned former chairman of the North American Soccer League (NASL) Aaron Davidson, former CONCACAF official Costas Takkas and Colombian ex-FIFA match agent Miguel Trujillo for bribery and corruption. Takkas was an advisor to former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb, who was banned from football by the FIFA ethics committee in 2015. The trio will all also have to pay fines of one million Swiss Francs ($1.03 million). American Davidson, a 47-year-old former sports marketing executive, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy at a Brooklyn court in 2016. Forty-two people were indicted in the US after the corruption scandal and many pleaded guilty, although others, such as former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, managed to ...
Durham dismissed for their two record lowest scores in one day
Durham were bowled out for their two lowest scores in first-class cricket on Wednesday as they collapsed to a humiliating defeat against Leicestershire. Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas ran riot at the County Ground, taking five for 43 in Durham's first-innings total of 61 and five for 29 in their second-innings tally of 66. It took only two sessions for Durham to collapse twice as they lasted just 52.3 overs throughout the two innings of the County Championship Second Division clash. Durham's previous record low score was 67, made against Middlesex at Lord's in 1996. The pitch offered some assistance to Leicestershire's bowlers, but was far from the minefield that the hosts' innings and 194-run win might suggest. Durham's first innings saw Abbas quickly into his work, dismissing Cameron Steel lbw with his fourth delivery. Gareth Harte edged a bouncing delivery to second slip, and Graham Clark also went leg before to a ball that came back. Michael Richardson lost his off-stump to his ...
Club employees threaten strike before Superliga Argentina showcase match
The UTEDYC sports workers union staged a protest at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) headquarters to demand pay raises and threatened to go on strike during the sixth round of Superliga Argentina play, which includes the "Super Classic" between Boca Juniors and River Plate.
Sevilla coach confident ahead of Europa League clash vs Standard Liege
Sevilla coach Pablo Machin on Wednesday said about the upcoming UEFA Europa League match against Belgium's Standard Liege that he has confidence in his squad.
Morumbi, Maracana stadiums to host key matches of 2019 Copa America in Brazil
South America's football federation (Conmebol) has confirmed the venues for the 2019 Copa America in Brazil, with Sao Paulo's Morumbi Stadium and Rio de Janeiro's emblematic Maracana Stadium to serve as the sites for the opening match and the final, respectively.
Swimming Nationals: Five national records broken on Day 1
Five national records were broken, including two by Kerala swimmer Sajan Prakash, on the opening day of the 72nd Senior National Aquatic Championships here Wednesday. The five-day meet, being held at the Ambedkar International Aquatic center, saw eight events including six individual events and two relays on day one. In the men's 200 m freestyle, Sajan broke a nine-year-old record, clocking 1:50.35 seconds to claim the top spot. The earlier record of 1:51:38 was set by Aaron D'Souza in 2011. Srihari Nataraj of Karnataka grabbed the silver medal and the bronze went to Aaryan Makhija, representing Swimming Federation of India (SFI). In the men's 200m medley, Sajan again stamped his authority by taking the top spot and creating a national record of 2:05.83s. RSPB's Sanu Debnath and Supriya Mondal bagged the silver and bronze medals respectively. In the women's 200m freestyle event, Shivani Kataria of Haryana bettered her own national record by clocking a time of 2:05.86 seconds to claim .
Australia will continue to play hard and fair: Tim Paine
Australian skipper Tim Paine has said that their side, like always, will continue to play a "hard and fair game" in the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan, starting October 7.The 33-year-old further stated that the team is clear about the kind of performance expected of them, and are all set to uphold those standards."I think the Australian way has always been to play hard but to play fair and that will be no different this series. There are always a lot of eyes on the Australian cricket team wherever we play so that is going to be no different," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Paine, as saying."This team is really, really clear on what is expect and what the standards are of the Australian cricket team and we'll uphold them," he added.The right-hand batsman further stated that the UAE pitch is going to be tough because of the hot climate."I think it is going to be hard work over there, no doubt. I think games traditionally in the UAE take a long time so we are going to .
Sevilla wraps up preparations for Europa League clash with Standard Liege
Sevilla held a final training session on Wednesday on the eve of their UEFA Europa League group stage home opener against Belgian club Standard Liege.
Asia Cup: India restrict Pakistan to low total
Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and part-time off-spinner Kedar Jadhav took three wickets each as India restricted Pakistan to a paltry 162 in their Group A clash of the Asia Cup cricket tournament here on Wednesday.
Nadal to miss Asian tournaments due to knee injury
World number one Rafael Nadal has announced his withdrawal from upcoming tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai due to the right knee injury that forced him to retire from the US Open earlier this month. Nadal had to pull out during his semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro in New York and also missed Spain's Davis Cup defeat by France last weekend. The 32-year-old said he visited doctors in Barcelona on Monday and has subsequently made the decision to play neither the ATP 500 event in Beijing nor the Masters 1000 in Shanghai. "While the annoyances on my knee are nothing new, we have decided together with my medical and technical team not to participate in the Asian tour to recover the knee the way we have always done," Nadal said on Wednesday. "I'm sorry I can't be with all the fans in China and with the organisers of the Beijing and Shanghai tournaments that have always had a great relationship with me and my team." Nadal is the defending champion in Beijing, where he beat Nick ...
Harendra asks hockey players to submit five instances of poor show during Asian Games
The Asian Games debacle still fresh on their minds, the Indian men's hockey team chief coach Harendra Singh on Wednesday tasked his players to furnish him five instances of poor performance during the continental multi-sporting event in Indonesia. India had lost to Malaysia in the semifinals via penalty shoot-off and eventually settled for a bronze after beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the third place play-off. "It is important for every player to be accountable and also be able to criticise their own mistake. As a team activity, I have asked all players to mention five instances where they thought their own individual performance was poor during the Asian Games," Harendra said after the team's training session here. India conceded a late goal after leading 2-1 and the match then went to the shoot-off. "We were blanked out those last two-and-a-half minutes, no doubt. But, there is no need to change our whole approach to the game as the team did well throughout. We paid the prize for ..
Asia Cup: India restrict Pakistan to 162
Putting up a sensational performance, Indian bowlers bowled out the Pakistan side for a score of 162 in their second Asia Cup match on Wednesday.Opting to bat first, the Pakistani batsman could not give a solid start to their side as Indian pacer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar sent back their opening batsmen Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman for meager scores of 2 and 0, respectively.Shoaib Malik, along with Babar Azam, built a useful 82-run partnership to support the crumbling batting order of Pakistan, but the same did not last long as Malik returned back to the pavilion after a brilliant direct hit by Ambati Raydu.None of the other Pakistani batsmen could stand firm on the pitch to keep the scoreboard ticking.For India, pacer Bhuveneshwar Kumar and spinner Kedar Jadhav scalped three wickets each for the team.While Jasprit Bumrah picked up two wickets, Kuldeep Yadav took one wicket with an economy rate of 4.62.One of the main highlights of the first innings was a sensational catch by Manish Pandey, .
Teja plans to move court after his name removed from Dronacharya list
National compound archery coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja on Wednesday reacted with shock after his name was removed from the list of coaches recommended for Dronacharya award, calling the move as "gross injustice". Teja had travelled to Jakarta for Asian Games with the national compound team as head coach. "There was a case of indiscipline against him and a ban was imposed on him by national federation AAI. So, his name has been removed from the list. A case of indiscipline against a coach is something we can't ignore," a ministry source told PTI. Teja said he had been wronged in this case since he was not at fault for the incident for which he was punished. "This is gross injustice. I will knock the doors of the Prime Minister and the President and will also go to court ," Teja told PTI reacting to the development . In 2015, Teja had travelled with the Indian team as chief coach for the World University Games. The team, which was not sent by the government, had missed out on the bronze ...
Bowlers on target as India restrict Pakistan to 162
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's tidy seam bowling was complemented by Kedar Jadhav's unconventional off-breaks as India skittled out Pakistan for a modest 162 in 43.1 overs in an Asia Group league encounter Wednesday. While Bhuvneshwar (3/15 in 7 overs) provided initial breakthroughs, Jadhav, making a comeback to the national team, bowled with control to return with exceptional figures of 3 for 23 in 9 overs to break the backbone of the Pakistani lower middle-order. Jasprit Bumrah (2/23 in 7.1 overs) and chinaman Kuldeep Yadav (1/37 in 8 overs) also accomplished their task to perfection. Jadhav's performance is even more laudable as he did the job of a frontline spinner after Hardik Pandya (0/24 in 4.5 overs) was stretchered off the field due to an acute lower back injury. This was after young Babar Azam (47) and veteran Shoaib Malik (43) added 82 runs for the third wicket and looked like taking control of the proceedings. However, Pakistan suffered a batting collapse losing five wickets for 36 ..
Nadal withdraws from Asian tournaments due to knee injury
Spain tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, World No. 1, on Wednesday announced his withdrawal from his upcoming tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai due to a knee injury.
Azizullah Fazli named new ACB chief
Azizullah Fazli has been appointed as the new chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) by the country's president Ashraf Ghani.Fazli will replace Atif Mashal, who has been holding the position since last year."Azizullah Fazli appointed Chairman of Afghanistan Cricket Board by President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Patron-in-Chief of Afghanistan Cricket Board, H.E @ashrafghani. He replaces @MashalAtif," a tweet posted by the ACB read.ACB_TweetSep19.jpgDuring Marshal's term, Afghanistan cricket made some significant progress in terms of upgradation of infrastructure, development of domestic structure and improvement in the national team's ranking, ESPNcricinfo.com reported.Afghanistan cricket team is ranked number eight in T20 internationals while in ODIs they are placed at 10th spot.
In-form Bhullar looks to taste success in Japan
India's Gaganjeet Bhullar will be eyeing his maiden success in Japan when he tees off at the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup which begins here on Thursday. Bhullar, who has had eight Top-10s this season including a win in Fiji, is hoping to get his 10th Asian Tour win as he hopes to build on his fine form at the USD 1.35 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organization. Other Indians in the field include Rashid Khan, who was 15th last week in South Korea; Ajeetesh Sandhu, whose only Asian Tour win has come in Japan; Chiragh Kumar; Rahil Gangjee, who earlier in the season won in Japan; Take Solutions champion Viraj Madappa; Shiv Kapur; Arjun Atwal, the Asia captain at 2018 EurAsia Cup and amateur Jay Pandya. The 30-year-old Bhullar will be among the top contenders which include Scott Hend of Australia, Shugo Imahira, ranked 86th on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and Korea's Sanghyun Park, who won his second Asian Tour title last ...