Page 124 - Sports

Sad, 20 yrs to Pak cricket and still clarify personal life: Shoaib

Experienced batsman Shoaib Malik, who is drawing flak after Pakistan's embarrassing defeat to India, has lashed out at the country's media for claiming that he and other players were out partying and smoking sheesha hours before the crucial encounter in Manchester.

'It's looking tough': Holder glum after West Indies' World Cup woe

Jason Holder says the West Indies face a tough task to reach the World Cup semi-finals after their dismal seven-wicket defeat against Bangladesh on Monday. Holder's side fell victim to the second highest run chase in World Cup history as Bangladesh reached 322-3 with 8.3 overs to spare at Taunton. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Holder after they had posted a solid 321-8, only to implode with a combination of woeful fielding and sloppy bowling. The West Indies have lost three of their five matches and, with four games left, captain Holder conceded there is only a slim chance they can make the semi-finals in the 10-team tournament. "It's looking tough at this present moment, but it's not impossible. We have to play every game here now as a final," Holder said. "We've got to win every game left to give ourselves a really good chance." New Zealand and India, both in fine form, are the West Indies' next two opponents and they must beat both to remain in contention. "If we want to go ..

Shakib revels in Bangladesh's epic World Cup run chase

Shakib Al Hasan admitted his match-winning 124 in Bangladesh's World Cup victory over the West Indies ranked as one of the best moments of his career. Shakib's majestic display paved the way for Bangladesh to record the second highest run chase in World Cup history as they reached 322-3 at Taunton on Monday. Hitting 16 fours in his unbeaten 99-ball innings, Shakib was well supported by Liton Das, who scored 94 from 69 balls in his first World Cup appearance. The pair's unbroken stand of 189 was the second highest for the fourth wicket in World Cup history. It was a memorable day for Shakib, who rated both his performance and his team's among the greatest he has experienced. "It's obviously one of the best, because the way we chased that run, the way I paced the innings, I was never in a rush. I didn't have to play too many shots from a good ball," he told reporters. "I had to be patient. And I was patient enough to put the bad ball away. "I think every time I did that quite well. And .

Copa America: Defending champions Chile cruises 4-0 against Japan

Defending champions started their Copa America campaign with a win against Japan 4-0 in their opening match in the group C on Tuesday here at Sau Paulo.Japan who travelled with the young side in the tournament failed to register a win against much experienced Chile's team.Chile started attacking Japan's defence after the 30th minute of the game as Alexis Sanchez fired two attempts which went off the target.For Chile, Erick Pulgar started scoring before the final minutes of the first half. Pulgar scored in the 41st minute by converting Eduardo Vargas ball to goal through the header, giving Chile a lead of 1-0. No further goal was scored by the end of the half.Chile doubled their lead to 2-0 just after the nine minutes of play in the second half. Vargas who struck from the edge of the area got deflected and landed in the goalpost.Japan's Takefusa Kubo, signed by Real Madrid last week, also had an opportunity to score but the ball missed the target and hit on the side-net.Although ...

Holder blames batsmen for defeat against Bangladesh

West Indies captain Jason Holder admitted that his side didn't put enough runs and were probably 40-50 runs short against Bangladesh in the match which they lost by seven wickets on a batting-friendly wicket in Taunton.

Norway join China, Spain in World Cup last 16 as France and Germany top groups

Norway went through to the last 16 of the Women's World Cup alongside China and Spain on Monday after beating South Korea 2-1, while France and Germany topped their groups with wins over Nigeria and South Africa. Caroline Graham Hansen gave Norway an early lead from the spot after Cho So-hyun was judged to have grabbed Maria Thorisdottir in the third minute, before winning the decisive second penalty shortly after the break when she was chopped down by Kang Chae-rim. The Barcelona attacker had to watch while she received treatment on the sidelines as Isabell Herlovsen just squeezed home Norway's second to secure the points from a nervy encounter and seal second place in Group A, despite Yeo Min-ji's poked finish 12 minutes from time. Asked by reporters if she would be available to play in the next round, Hansen said: "I don't know yet, but the doctors are positive we'll be OK." "The Koreans were better than we expected, but we were not good today so we're happy that we're through," ...

Italy gun for Brazil scalp in clash to stir World Cup memories

Surprise package Italy are aiming to emulate Germany and France by topping their group when they face Brazil on Tuesday in an encounter that evokes classic World Cup memories. Milena Bertolini's side have a perfect six points after scoring seven times in their opening two matches, including a shock opening win over pre-tournament dark horses Australia, and need a draw against Brazil to ensure topping Group C. The clash harks back to some pulsating men's World Cup encounters, including the Pele-inspired 4-1 destruction of the Italians in the 1970 final and Paolo Rossi's hat-trick in 1982, which downed Zico's flamboyant Selecao 3-2 as Italy went on to lift the trophy. "I have vivid memories of the Italy-Brazil match in 1982 and being here to experience such a match in person is incredible," said Bertolini. The Italians have surpassed all expectations in France and have shone a light on women's football in a country where there are just a fraction of the players that world champions the .

Uruguay's Vecino to miss rest of Copa

Uruguay's influential midfielder Matias Vecino will miss the rest of the Copa America after he was injured in the Celeste's 4-0 hammering of Ecuador. The Inter Milan player pulled up with hamstring trouble towards the end of Sunday's opening Group C match. The 27-year-old went for medical tests as the rest of the squad trained on Monday and doctors later confirmed a hamstring injury. "The imaging results found an injury to his hamstring, which rules him out of participating in the rest of the tournament," a Uruguyan Football Association statement said. Uruguay boss Oscar Tabarez admitted during post-match press conference that he had been worried about the extent of Vecino's injury. Tabarez said he had been planning give Luis Suarez a few minutes' rest when he was forced to send on Real Madrid's Federico Valverde for Vecino with the game winding down. Suarez had earlier notched his 57th goal for Uruguay. Uruguay face Copa America newcomers Japan in their next match on Thursday, which .

Ngidi declared fit for New Zealand clash

Right-arm pacer Lungi Ngidi has confirmed that he is "100 per cent" fit for South Africa's next World Cup game against New Zealand to be played at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

Josh Hazlewood is going to really explode: Kurtis Patterson

Ahead of Australia A's tour of UK, Kurtis Patterson expressed his confidence in his team-mate Josh Hazlewood saying that 'he's going to explode'."Personally, I think his rhythm is as good as it's ever been. I think he's going to really explode for these first few one-dayers," Cricket.com.au quoted Patterson as saying.Hazlewood has played 44 ODIs and has 72 wickets under his belt. However, he failed to secure his spot in Australia's squad in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup. Moreover, he has not played a competitive match since test match against India in January, after which he picked up a back injury.Patterson, talking on his future, said: "Looking back on it (international debut), it was a great summer for me and my family and all my close supporters, being able to play for Australia. I guess it's one of those odd ones, you just want more. I'm really motivated to keep doing what I need to do to be there playing for Australia and win games for Australia A to start."Australia A will ...

Vargas at the double as Chile rout Japan

Eduardo Vargas scored twice as Chile launched the defense of their Copa America crown with an emphatic 4-0 defeat of Japan in Sao Paulo on Monday. Vargas, who plays for Mexico club Tigres UANL, netted twice in the second half as Chile gradually overpowered a skillful but limited Japan, who are playing in the South American showpiece as one of two invited teams from Asia. Erick Pulgar had opened the scoring for Chile in the first half before Vargas doubled the 2015 and 2016 champions' advantage with a deflected second-half strike. Manchester United's Alexis Sanchez then took his Chilean record goals tally to 42 after diving to head home in the 82nd minute before Vargas scored the pick of the goals moments later with a deft lob over Japan goalkeeper Keisuke Osako. The win saw Chile join Uruguay at the top of Group C, level on points and goal difference. "The important thing is that we move on now with humility," said Chile coach Reinaldo Rueda. "This win doesn't suddenly make us a dream

FIH Women' Series Finals: India to take on Fiji

The Indian women's hockey team, which started their campaign at the FIH Women's Series Finals with two impressive victories against Uruguay and Poland in their opening two matches of the tournament, will now be playing Fiji in their last Pool A encounter on Tuesday.

Hyderabad police bust cricket betting racket, one held

Hyderabad police busted a cricket betting racket and held one person from Shahinayathgunj area of Hyderabad on Monday.Acting on a tip-off, sleuths of Commissioner's Task Force, North Zone, raided the residence of the accused identified as Venkatesh Parashar Chudi Bazar area in Shahinayathgunj of the city."Parashar was accepting betting amount for ongoing ICC World Cup cricket match between West Indies and Bangladesh. We were told that he was receiving money through direct and indirectly mediums," the police said.According to the police, the accused and gamblers were using a betting app and used to transact the amount clandestinely.Three mobile phones, a television with a set-top box, a remote and Rs 20,000 money were recovered from his residence, the police said.

2 shot, 2 arrested at Raptors rally; celebration continues

Two people were shot and wounded at a rally Monday for the NBA champion Toronto Raptors that turned into a stampede. Police said there were two arrests. Droves of Raptors fans ran from the shooting in the City Hall square packed with tens of thousands of fans. A million or more fans earlier packed downtown Toronto for a parade, raising safety concerns amid problems with overcrowding. Toronto police spokeswoman Allison Sparkes confirmed the shootings and arrests. Two firearms were recovered. "We have no incidents currently underway. Crowds are dispersing," Sparkes said. Asked if it was a targeted shooting or terrorism-related, Sparkes said the investigation was underway. During a speech from one of the team owners the host of the rally interrupted the proceedings to say there were dealing with an emergency situation and asked for calm. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Toronto's mayor, star player Kawhi Leonard the other players were among those on stage at the time. They ...

Shakib, Liton star as Bangladesh chase down 321 against Windies

Shakib Al Hasan underlined his class with a magnificent unbeaten hundred, his second on the bounce, as Bangladesh beat West Indies by seven wickets to register their second victory in the World Cup here on Monday.

Hero MotoCorp appoints Colombian professional footballer as Brand Ambassador

The 24-year-old Mina - one of the promising young footballers - has consistently delivered a series of impressive performances for the Colombian National Football Team (during FIFA World Cup Russia 2018) and his clubs.

Shakib's master class hundred scripts Bangladesh's memorable World Cup win over Windies

All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan struck a magnificient unbeaten 124 to help Bangladesh record a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over the West Indies and script the second highest successful run chase in World Cup history here on Monday. The 32-year-old Shakib (124 off 99 balls) produced a batting master class as he led Bangladesh to a famous win, chasing down the target of 322 with 8.3 overs to spare. He also took 2 wickets for 54 runs while bowling during the West Indies innings. Liton Das also played a big part in the win as he remained not out on 94 off just 69 balls in a brilliant batting show. He hit 8 fours and 4 sixes in his knock. The Shakib-Das stand for the unbroken fourth wicket yielded 189 runs from 22.3 overs to take Bangladesh to 322 for 3 in 41.3 overs and notch up their second win in the tournament after their 21-run victory over South Africa on June 2. The highest successful run chase in World Cup history was the 329 for 7 by Ireland to beat England in the 2011 World ...

CWC'19: Shakib shines, B'desh thrash Windies by 7 wickets

All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan guided Bangladesh to beat the West Indies by seven wickets in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup at the Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton on Monday.Chasing a competitive target of 322, Bangladesh got off to a steady start before Andre Russell got Soumya Sarkar caught at slip for 29. However, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib continued the momentum, adding a brief 69-run partnership for the second wicket.In the 18th over, a slight misunderstanding cost Bangladesh Tamim's wicket for well-compiled 48. Sheldon Cottrell run out Tamim who fell inches short of the crease. On the last ball of the next over, Oshane Thomas got Mushfiqur Rahim caught behind cheaply for one, leaving Bangladesh at 133/3.Shakib found support in Liton Das and the duo stitched an unbeaten 189-run stand. The senior left-hander Shakib completed his hundred off just 83 balls and Liton reached his fifty from 43 deliveries. Shakib and Liton finished on unbeaten 124 and 94 respectively, to ...

Sobha ranked India's top realty brand: Report

Bengaluru-based Sobha Limited was ranked first in the Track2Realty brand ranking for the year 2018-19, followed by Embassy Group in the second position.

I give myself six out of ten, will get better: Rahul

Promoted to the opening slot, KL Rahul rated his performance against Pakistan at six out of ten, saying he will only get better after his composed fifty helped India set up a challenging total against the arch-rivals. With Shikhar Dhawan ruled out of three World Cup games following a hairline fracture on his thumb, Rahul opened the innings with Rohit Sharma in his first international match against Pakistan here Sunday. Rahul, who made 57 off 78 balls as part of the record 136-run opening partnership with Rohit, said he is grateful to get the opportunity to realise his dream of representing his country against Pakistan. "Shikhar and Rohit, in the last three or four years, have been such a dangerous combo. Their partnerships, if you see anywhere in the world, they've played so well for the country and they've been No.1 and 2 they've owned those positions," said Rahul. "I've had to wait for my chance and I'm just happy that I got to bat in the top three. It's my first international game