Page 114 - Sports
Advani beats compatriot Mehta, assures himself a medal
India's ace cueist Pankaj Advani made a late comeback to pip compatriot Aditya Mehta in the quarterfinals of the Asian Snooker Championship here on Thursday, assuring himself a medal. In what was going to be a clear upset, Mehta was one frame away from ousting the 21-time world champion from the tournament but Pankaj's resilient efforts saw him enforce the decider. Pankaj and Aditya exchanged heavy blows in the form of back-to-back centuries. As Pankaj succeeded to equalise the frame score with a 105 break in the sixth, Aditya inched closer to the finish line with a 107 break the following frame. However, that was the last frame he was going to win. Aditya, a formidable snooker player from India, is yet to win a world title but is a former Asian champion. After several years being part of the snooker tour in the UK, he has returned to play for the country. Pankaj fought back valiantly with measure and tenacity. A couple of useful 30-plus breaks brought the frame score to 4 a-piece. ...
Ferrari summoned over Vettel appeal
Ferrari have been called to attend a hearing on Friday at the French Grand Prix to inquire into the team's request for a review of Sebastian Vettel's penalty at the Canadian Grand Prix. The meeting is expected to be with the stewards of the French event acting as replacements on behalf of the Canadian stewards. Four-time world champion Vettel won the Canadian race 'on the road' but was relegated to second place behind defending five-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes by a five seconds time penalty. The penalty was given to Vettel for rejoining the race unsafely after going off track and across a strip of grass. As he rejoined he forced Hamilton to take avoiding action as he passed him at the first chicane. The International Sporting Code of the sport's ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA), gives competitors an option for a post-event review of decisions, if new evidence is put forward. Under Article 14.1.1 of the code, the FIA can reconvene stewards or ...
Williamson has proved that he is New Zealand's greatest ever ODI player: Vettori
Former spinner Daniel Vettori says Kane Williamson has proved that he is the greatest ODI player to have come out of New Zealand by scoring a match-winning hundred against South Africa in a tense World Cup game here. Vettori is himself a New Zealand great who took 705 international wickets in his illustrious career besides scoring close to 7000 runs across formats. "Kane Williamson has to be New Zealand's greatest ODI player of all time and innings like that against South Africa tells you exactly why. e's already there now and by the end of his career his record will far exceed anything we've had in the past or present, he really is that good," Vettori wrote in his column for the ICC. Williamson's unbeaten 106 off 138 balls led New Zealand to another memorable win over South Africa in World Cup history. "Kane has done so much in such a short period, whether a captain or not, he's been exceptional and he's an absolute joy to watch. He plays all the shots, he knows how to manipulate ...
Najam Sethi blames PCB officials for Pakistan's poor show in WC
Former chairman Najam Sethi has blamed the present management of the Pakistan Cricket Board for the national team's poor show at the ongoing World Cup in the United Kingdom. Sethi said the poor show was because of the insecurity in the national team created by the present PCB officials and lack of support for the players and officials. "I know everyone is depressed and disappointed after our performances in the World Cup but we should not give up hope and I think the management of this board has not supported the team properly and created unnecessary anxiety in the team," Sethi said. Sethi, who resigned as chairman last July soon after Imran Khan took oath as Prime Minister, has been succeeded by Ehsan Mani, a former chairman of the International Cricket Council. Sethi said due to the inept policies of the PCB management there was insecurity in the team even before the World Cup. "The captain is insecure, the coach is insecure and I know from my sources some of the players are also ...
ISL: New rules and regulations for sixth season
Indian Super League (ISL) announced new rules and regulation on Thursday for the upcoming sixth season of the tournament.The ISL have amended the following four rules:1. Now each club can only sign either six or seven foreign players, prior to the mandatory condition of signing seven foreign and a maximum of 25 players to their squad. While each team can have at least a total of 22 players. Three developmental players (born after 1st January 1999) are must to the squad of 22 or 25 players, Goal.com reported.2. There is a reduction in the salary cap from Rs 17.5 Crores to Rs 16.5 Crores. The salary cap is the maximum amount which the club uses for signing player, the inclusion of a player, annual salary, bonuses, fee, etc.3. Clubs also required to operate reserve teams and youth teams as per the Indian club licensing regulations with the teams comprising of players other than the ones in the main squad.4. Clubs can sign 'marquee players' and their salary will not be included in the ...
Shankar back to field after minor injury
A day after being hit by a ball, Indian all-rounder Vijay Shankar was seen warming up with the team on Thursday.Shankar, during the net session, was hit on his toe by Japsrit Bumrah's delivery.Although he could be seen walking with a slight limp, Shankar's comeback on the field for the practise session dropped a colossal hint that there is not a major concern regarding the 28-year-old all-rounder's fitness.His return was a big boost as pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar's participation is not certain in their next clash after he suffered tightness in his left hamstring.He had to walk off the field during India's match against Pakistan on June 16.India, so far unbeaten in the tournament, will now face Afghanistan on June 22.
Sania unlucky to cop unnecessary criticism: Akhtar
Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar has come to the defense of Sania Mirza, saying the Indian tennis star is unlucky to find herself in the firing line of fans every time arch-rivals India and Pakistan play an international match. Sania is married to former skipper Shoaib Malik, who is currently a part of Pakistan's cricket team which is competing in the ongoing World Cup in England. "She is so unlucky that whatever she does she gets unnecessary criticism from either Pakistan or India and that too for no rhyme or reason. If Pakistan loses a match she is targeted because her husband plays for Pakistan," Akhtar said on his Youtube channel. Several fans had targeted Sania in social media after video and pictures of her enjoying a late dinner with her husband Shoaib along with Wahab Riaz and Imam-ul-Haq went viral. Pakistan team had suffered their seventh defeat to India in the World Cup, going down this time by 89 runs in a rain-hit match last Sunday. "If she has gone to be with her husband and ..
Dhawan will comeback stronger than ever, says Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday sympathised with injured Shikhar Dhawan for his exit in the middle of the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.The master-blaster took Twitter, saying Dhawan was playing well and getting injured in such an important tournament is heartbreaking.Tendulkar also wished Rishabh Pant, who has replaced Dhawan in the 15-man squad. The member of the 2011 World Cup winning team, Tendulkar said there cannot be a bigger platform for Pant to express himself."Feel for you Shikhar. You were playing well & to be injured in the middle of such an important tournament is heartbreaking. I'm sure you'll come back stronger than ever. Rishabh you've been playing well & there can't be a bigger platform to express yourself. Good luck!" Tendulkar tweeted.ICC on Wednesday approved wicket-keeper batsman Pant as a replacement for injured batsman Dhawan in India's squad for the remainder of the tournament. Dhawan expressed his gratitude to Indian cricket fans, saying it is ..
It is a huge deal to have Mohamed Salah in our football team: Egypt captain Elmohamady
Ahead of Africa Cup of Nations tournament, Egypt captain Ahmed Elmohamady has lavishly praised his team-mate Mohamed Salah, saying that it is a huge deal for the country to have a player who is 'one of the best three players in the world.'"Salah is now one of the best three players in the world. This is a huge deal for the country and the Egyptian team," Goal.com quoted Elmohamady, as saying.Salah displayed an impeccable performance with Liverpool as he netted 27 goals in all the competitions and helped his club to win the Champions League title.Elmohamady said that Salah adds value to any team he plays for and everybody anticipates his performance."Salah being on any team will help it and be a great addition. Everybody anticipates his performance. So this is a positive thing and a good addition for the Egyptian team," he said.Despite admitting Salah is a great addition, Elmohamady agreed that each player will have to contribute to the team."As has been said, Salah is one of the 23 ...
CWC'19: England to take on Sri Lanka, players to look out for
The tournament's favourite team England will take on Sri Lanka in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup on Friday.England have won four out of five matches they played so far and are currently at the second position with eight points. The hosts have only lost to Pakistan by 14 runs.On the other hand, Sri Lanka are having their worst World Cup since 2011. The 2011 runner-ups and 2015 quarter-finalist are currently at the sixth position and their fight to make it to the semi-finals seems tough as only the top four qualify.Sri Lanka could only manage to win against Afghanistan in the five matches they have played so far.Here are the key players to look for in the match between England and Sri Lanka:Eoin MorganEngland's skipper Morgan, who played a 148-run knock against Afghanistan has been in great form. In the same match Morgan smashed record 17 sixes, the most by any batsmen in ODI's. He has a total of 249 runs under his name and came to bat in four innings in five matches.Dimuth ...
PCB cricket committee chairman Mohsin Khan quits, to be replaced by Wasim
Former Test cricketer Mohsin Hasan Khan has stepped down from his position as chairman of PCB Cricket Committee which will carry out a review of Pakistan's performances in the last three years, including the World Cup. The Pakistan Cricket Board Thursday said Mohsin Khan had requested board chairman Ehsan Mani to release him from the post and now the committee will be headed by Wasim Khan, who is Managing Director of the board. After largely remaining dormant for many months since its formation last October, the PCB Wednesday said that the Cricket Committee would be carrying out a review of Pakistan's performances in last three years and also the support personnel of the team. On Thursday, a meeting of PCB's Board of Governors ratified amendments in the constitution which have delegated more powers to the MD. "It is always difficult to let go of someone of Mohsin's stature and caliber, but we respect his decision. I am thankful to Mohsin for his contributions and wish him well in his .
Athletics doping watchdog receives Moscow test files
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the watchdog set up to police doping in athletics, said Thursday it had received testing data from a Moscow laboratory at the centre of a vast doping conspiracy. The independent body founded by the IAAF, athletics' world governing body, said it had received around 110,000 files from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on June 18. The data, collected by WADA inspectors from the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) of the Moscow Laboratory, concerns testing samples analysed in the period 2012 to 2015. "The AIU will start analysing the LIMS data immediately with a view to reporting its findings to the IAAF Council in due course," the watchdog said in a statement. The AIU said that no deadline had been set for the completion of the task. Russia was banned from world athletics in 2015 following revelations of a state-backed doping programme dating back years. Although the governing bodies of other sports have re-admitted Russia, the IAAF ...
Defeat against Colombia leaves Qatar coach Felix Sanchez with a 'bad taste'
After a 2-2 draw against Paraguay in Copa America, Qatar was on the brink of drawing its second consecutive match on Thursday against Colombia, but fell to a late strike, which left the head coach Felix Sanchez with a 'bad taste.'The game was proceeding towards a scoreless draw but in the 86th minute, Colombia's Duvan Zapata scored the opening goal of the match and consequently took his team over the line."It leaves us with a bad taste because the end was already close," Goal.com quoted Sanchez, as saying.Despite losing the game, Sanchez is looking at the positives and said that they competed till the final whistle against one of the best teams in the world, which will invigorate them to work hard in the future."Score a goal in the final minutes, when the game is tied...You leave with the bitterness of not being able to score but we also have to value that the team competed with a great rival," said Sanchez."We played against one of the best teams in the world. Despite the loss, we ...
Messi feels it would be crazy if Argentina fail to advance in Copa America
Amid Argentina's lousy performance in Copa America, team's bigwig Lionel Messi on Thursday said that it would be 'crazy' if they suffer an early exit from the tournament."[The squad] is hurt by the situation because we can't manage to win a game, and we know today was key for us. We know we have to win the next game to advance. We know we'll be playing for our lives. It would be crazy if we can't advance from the group stage, when basically three [teams] advance from each group. I have no doubt we'll do it," Goal.com quoted Messi as saying.Argentina, in their opening match of Copa America, faced an embarrassing 0-2 defeat at the hands of Colombia followed by a 1-1 draw against Paraguay on Thursday.Hence, the team have failed to secure even a single win in the tournament so far. However, the 31-year-old is certain that they will triumph in their next match, which will be against Qatar."I see the team convinced that we will win the next match. We have to keep looking for the team and ...
Vijay Shankar suffers injury scare, skips training
All-rounder Vijay Shankar is the latest to suffer an injury scare in the Indian camp after being hit on toe on Wednesday during a rain hit training session and was forced to skip Thursday's session. During Wednesday's training, a Jasprit Bumrah yorker hit Shankar flush on his toes and he was apparently in pain. However a team source informed PTI that there's nothing to worry as of now. "Yes, Vijay was in pain but it has subsided by the evening. Hopefully, there's nothing scary," the source said. On Thursday, Shankar was seen walking around in slippers with a slight limp. Later he tried jogging wearing gym trainers but gave up after half a lap. He then did some basic exercises as others took part in usual fielding drills as well as net sessions. Shankar is one of the designated No 4 batsmen in the Indian line-up although he is being used as a floater. Shankar is also a handy medium pacer who got a couple important wickets against Pakistan including skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed. With Shikhar .
Feel for you Shikhar, says Tendulkar backs replacement Pant to shine
The legendary Sachin Tendulkar Thursday said he expects Shikhar Dhawan to bounce back strongly from the injury setback that has forced him out of the World Cup and backed the opener's replacement Rishabh Pant to do well. Dhawan was Wednesday forced out of the mega-event owing to a fractured left thumb, an injury that he picked up during the June 9 clash against Australia. The swashbuckler scored a match-winning hundred while playing through pain in that game. "Feel for you Shikhar. You were playing well & to be injured in the middle of such an important tournament is heartbreaking. I'm sure you'll come back stronger than ever," Tendulkar tweeted. Replacing Dhawan in the team is the 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Pant, who has impressed one and all with aggressive hundreds during maiden Test tours of England and Australia. "Rishabh you've been playing well & there can't be a bigger platform to express yourself. Good luck!," Tendulkar. India will play their next match on ...
Australia win toss, opt to bat against Bangladesh
Australia captain Aaron Finch won the toss and elected to bat first against Bangladesh in a World Cup match here Thursday. Australia have made three changes, replacing fit-again Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa and Nathan Voulter-Nile with Shaun Marsh, Jason Behrendorff and Kane Richardson. For Bangladesh, Mohammad Saifuddin is out because of a back spasm while Mosaddek Hossain has hurt his shoulder. In their absence, Sabbir Rahman and Rubel Hossain has been drafted into the playing eleven. Teams: Australia: Aaron Finch (Capt), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa. Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (Capt), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman.
Huawei partners with Just Dial to launch unique 'Guess and Win Contest' this World Cup
Huawei Consumer Business Group India today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Just Dial for its Guess and Win contest, throughout the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 on JD's Mobile Application.Under the agreement, Huawei will sponsor the contest for all of India's remaining matches at the ongoing ICC cricket world cup. Winners emerging out of this contest are set to win exciting prizes from Huawei, including the best-selling Huawei Y9 and the Huawei P30 lite.Just Dial is India's leading local search engine and this contest will run throughout the 2019 ICC World cup on its mobile application. Users will qualify to win exciting prizes from Huawei if they predict the winner of each match, running during the course of the tournament."In India, there is no other sport bigger than cricket and the world cups specifically, enjoy religious following in the country. Keeping in mind the country's love and passion for the sport, we have decided to partner with India's most loved ...
Need to identify talents from across the country to make India global sports power: President
Highlighting the importance of the government's flagship 'Khelo India Progamme', President Ram Nath Kovind Thursday said in order to make India a "global sports powerhouse", it is important to unearth talents from across the country. Addressing the joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament, the President said the new government has decided to widen the spectrum of the 'Khelo India Programme' to cover the entire country. "Impressive performance in sports competitions at the world level, enhances the pride of the country as well as increases the interest of children and youth in sports. It also strengthens the culture of according primacy to health in life," Kovind said in his address. "To make India a global sports powerhouse, it is important that talented players living in far-flung areas of the country are identified and their selection process is made transparent. "To identify the players at the state and district level, it has been decided to widen the 'Khelo India Programme'. .
Mitchell Marsh flies back to join Australia A squad
Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who joined the World Cup team as a cover for Marcus Stoinis, is back home to join Australia A squad for their upcoming tour of United Kingdom.All-rounder Stoinis is recovered from his side injury that he had sustained in the match against India on June 9 and thus, Marsh has been counted out from the squad.Australia A skipper Travis Head confirmed that Marsh along with Ashton Agar is joining the team after spending time in the Australian World Cup squad."Both of them are going really well. Mitch is flying and so is Agar. It's nice to see them showcase their skill and go show they're still there around the (national) mark," Cricket.com.au quoted Head as saying.Head praised his bowlers as being in good form and complementing each other with different skills that are crucial for the English conditions."The bowlers complement each other really well and they are going to be quite difficult for the batters over the next couple of weeks," Head ...