Page 1266 - Sports
Indian batsmen blown away by seam and swing, all out for 107
The inept technique coupled with fragile temperament of Indian batting was thoroughly exposed as they crumbled to 107 all out against a top quality England seam attack on a rain-hit second day of the second cricket Test. While skipper Virat Kohli had insisted that there are no technical problems but the horrendous batting effort painted a sorry picture. Put into bat under overcast conditions, the frailties of a wobbly top order was there for everyone to see as veteran Jimmy Anderson (5/20) made them hop, skip and jump on a track with his 26th five-wicket haul in longest form. He was ably complemented by Chris Woakes (2/19), Sam Curran (1/26) and Stuart Broad (1/37). The excessive seam movement became too hot to handle despite only 35.2 overs being bowled on the day. Anderson was right on target removing Murali Vijay (0) with a delivery that pitched on the middle stump line and moved enough as the opener tried to flick it, only to miss the line completely. KL Rahul (8) lazily nicked a .
India all out for 107 in 1st innings
India were reduced to .. for .. at stumps on a rain-hit second day of the second cricket Test. Skipper Virat Kohli (24) and Ajinkya Rahane (18) along with other batsmen failed to counter England seamers led by James Anderson (5/20). Chris Woakes (2/19) and Sam Curran (1/19) also got wickets. Brief Scores: India 107 in 35.2 overs (Virat Kohli 23, Ravi Ashwin 29, Jimmy Amderson 5/20, Chris Woakes 2/19) vs England.
Pakistan's Imran Nazir set to return to cricket
Pakistan batsman Imran Nazir, who was out of action due to Tendinitis, is all set make a return after a gap of four and half years.Making the announcement, the 36-year-old said that he has recovered from the illness and is all set to resume cricket."I am fit and resuming cricket after a long time. My fans prayed for me because of which I am standing here and I am thankful for their support. I am also thankful to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Shahid Afridi foundation for helping me in getting rid of the illness," the Express Tribune quoted Nazir, as saying.Reflecting on his future course of action, the opening batsman said that he is not sure of how long he would be able to continue playing. He, however, said that he is eager to participate in T20 leagues."I am just resuming cricket so I will see how long I can play," he said. "I had offers of playing in T20 leagues before as well but I couldn't participate as I was not fit, but now I am in a good shape and will be eager to play
No UEFA probe on assault on Russian journalists in Greece
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has decided against opening a probe into numerous reports on an alleged assault on Russian journalists at the UEFA Champions League match in Greeks Thessaloniki on Wednesday.
Messi named FC Barcelona captain for new season
Spanish football giants FC Barcelona on Friday named Argentine superstar Lionel Messi as their captain, replacing Andres Iniesta, for the new season.
Gukesh holds Parligras in Abu Dhabi Masters
Grandmaster norm holder D Gukesh continued with his impressive run to hold Grandmaster Mircea-Emilian Parligras of Romania to a draw in the third round of Abu Dhabi Masters here. Not worried about getting in to positions that are new to him, Gukesh was surprised early in the opening and stood a bit worse but fought well to stay in hunt for his second Grandmaster norm. The opening was a success for the Romanian Grandmaster but as it got going, Gukesh found his counter play and won a pawn. Parligras had to force a draw through repetition. Highest rated Indian in the fray, Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta made amends for his second round loss at the expense of compatriot Mithil Ajgaonkar. This was not an easy game for the former world junior champion as Ajgaonkar posed a real challenge and stood better at some point in the game. Abhijeet got his act together thanks to some unforced errors by his opponent. At the top of the tables, Grandmaster S L Narayanan was outdone by Wang Hao of China in .
Sarri hazard's a guess Belgian star will stay at Chelsea
Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri is satisfied Thibaut Courtois' departure to Real Madrid will not trigger further defections such as the Belgian goalkeeper's compatriot, playmaker Eden Hazard. Sarri believes Hazard is happy and does not have the same personal reasons as Courtois to move to Madrid -- he wanted to be closer to his two young children who live there with their mother, from whom he is estranged. Sarri is preparing for his Premier League managerial debut against Huddersfield Town tomorrow and he will be seeking a much-improved performance than the limpid one Chelsea gave in the 2-0 defeat by Manchester City in last Sunday's Community Shield. "I think it's impossible," he said at his eve of match press conference about the possibility of losing further players to mainland European clubs whose transfer window unlike England's -- which shut on Thursday -- remains open till August 31. "Here the market is closed, so we cannot change important players now. It's impossible. "Hazard .
Bonucci happy Juve won't start Real clashes 'goal down' after Ronaldo arrival
Leonardo Bonucci said today that superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival at Champions League-chasing Juventus will mean the Italian champions won't start matches against Real Madrid "already 1-0 down". Ronaldo has been the bogey man in Europe for Juventus in recent years, scoring 10 in seven games against the Serie A side for Real Madrid as the Spaniards romped to three straight Champions League titles. "Having Ronaldo here will at least mean that if we meet Real Madrid we won't be starting the match already 1-0 down," said Bonucci, who has returned to Juventus after a year with AC Milan, at his official presentation in Turin. Ronaldo has thwarted Juve's attempts to bag their first Champions League since 1996 in both of the last two seasons, scoring a brace in the 2017 final as Madrid thumped the Italians 4-1. Last season he again struck twice again as Madrid triumphed 3-0 in the first leg of the quarter final at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, including a blockbusting scissor kick that ..
Messi assumes Barcelona captaincy
Lionel Messi will captain Barcelona this season with Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique acting as the Argentine legend's lieutenants, the club announced today. Messi will lead Barca out in the Spanish SuperCup on Sunday against Sevilla in the Moroccan port of Tangier. The club confirmed: "The No.10 (Messi) who filled the role of second captain since 2015 will this season be the team's captain, a title that has shone over this past decade on the arms of other club legends like Puyol, Xavi and Iniesta." Five time Ballon d'Or winner Messi returns to club football in Spain after scoring just once in Argentina's chaotic and disappointing World Cup campaign.
Jamshedpur FC to have pre-season camp in Spain
Jamshedpur FC will depart for Madrid on August 14 to take part in the pre-season camp ahead of the Indian Super League (ISL) football season.
Pujara run-out again as India totter at 15 for 3
Cheteshwar Pujara maintained his horrible track record of getting run-out as India looked down the barrel at 15 for 3 against England at tea on the second day of the second Test at the Lord's. Pujara, who had stonewalled for 25 balls in overcast condition tapped before getting run out. Pujara has now been involved seven out of the 10 Indian run-outs in the past few Test matches. As inclement weather stopped play at 8.3 overs, skipper Virat Kohli remained not out on three. This was after Murali Vijay (0) and KL Rahul (8) were dismissed in the first session by James Anderson (2/6). It was ironical that players were racing off the ground a ball earlier as it started drizzling only to be called back by the umpires. Off the very next ball, Pujara got run-out and play was halted immediately after that. It was completely Kohli's fault as called and ran but said no mid-pitch after he spotted Olliver Pope converging on the ball. Pujara was left stranded, albeit he tried making it to the ...
Pierre Gasly open to take Ricciardo's place
French racing driver Pierre Gasly, who is currently with Italian Formula One racing team Toro Rosso, has said that he would like to take Australian racer Daniel Ricciardo's place in Red Bull.The 22-year-old, however, added that he is not thinking about the same and is content with his current position, Sports24 reported."Yes, I would like that but I'm not thinking about it too much. I am happy with my season so far at Toro Rosso, I'm happy to be here. At the moment, nothing is decided, I think," Marca quoted Gasly, as saying.The Red Bull team are currently exploring their options to fill a big void left with the departure of Ricciardo. Along with Gasley, there are other racers like Carlos Sainz and Brendon Hartley who are strong contenders for the position."It depends how you see things. Look at Red Bull and all the drivers who did not reach the first team, or look at Verstappen, Vettel, Ricciardo and the others who were successful. Brendon is pretty fast and doesn't make it easy for .
Gavaskar attributes Kohli's success to bat-speed adjustment, feels Pant could play in 3rd Test
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar today praised Virat Kohli's batting in the first Test against England and attributed his success to an adjustment in bat-speed. After a horror tour of the country four years ago, Kohli notched up his first century on English soil in the opening Test, albeit in a losing cause. "It's brilliant! The adjustment that he's made in his bat speed. In 2014, he was feeling for deliveries outside the off-stump. Now he's waiting for the ball to come, not pushing at the ball as much. At the start, he does. But that happens with everyone," Gavaskar, an expert with official broadcasters Sony Pictures Network, told a select group of reporters. Kohli struggled in the 2014 series and was particularly troubled by seamer James Anderson. He buried the ghosts of that tour by scoring an emphatic 149 and 51 in the first Test at Birmingham, which India lost just by 31 runs. "The way he's made that adjustment, mental adjustment, that is brilliant, fantastic. And that is the .
Djokovic sets sight on Cincinnati Open glory
Serbian tennis maestro Novak Djokovic has set his sights on the upcoming edition of Cincinnati Open following his ouster from the Toronto Masters.Pointing out that Cincinnati remains the only Masters 1000 event which he did not win in his career, the 31-year-old said that he is looking forward to go there and put his best foot forward."I'm going to get into Cincinnati, the only [Masters] 1000 event that I didn't win in my career, and hopefully I can have a good tournament," ATP website quoted Djokovic, as saying.Reflecting on his defeat at the hands of world number twenty-seven Stefanos Tsitsipas in the pre-quarterfinal match of the Toronto Masters, the four-time Wimbledon champion said that though it was frustrating, he is ready to deal with it and move on."I really want to do well. Losing in this kind of tournament, it's not something I don't care about. It really frustrates me. But I have to accept it, deal with it, and move on," he said of his 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 defeat to ...
Megh Bhargav Kumar Patel, Prinkle top seeds in U-18 tourney
Gujarat's Megh Bhargav Kumar Patel and Prinkle Singh (Jammu & Kashmir) have been given top billing in the boys and girls singles in the Adidas-MCC National Junior (u-18) clay court tennis championship, beginning here tomorrow. Calvin Golmei of Chandigarh and Tamil Nadu players V M Sandeep and Deepak Senthil Kumar are expected to pose a stiff challenge to the top-seeded Patel. In the girls, Uttar Pradesh's Kaavya Sawhney, Humera Sheikh of Telangana and Maharashtra lass Salsa Aher are seeded behind Prinkle Singh. Tournament director Hiten K Joshi told reporters here that 240 entries (136 boys, 104 girls) had been received. The main draw matches will begin on August 13 with the final slated for August 18, he said. The doubles event in both sections would consist of 16 teams.
Guardiola fumes over Luiz permit rejection
Pep Guardiola says he is frustrated by Premier League champions Manchester City's failure to obtain a work permit for Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz. Guardiola had planned on using the 20-year-old, signed from Vasco da Gama for Pound 10.7 million (USD 13.6million, 11.9million euros) last summer, in his first team squad this season, providing cover for ageing compatriot Fernandinho. Luiz appeared destined for an important role after City missed out on yet another Brazilian-born player, Italy international Jorginho, who opted to sign for Chelsea instead in July. But City learned this week their work permit applications had been denied by the Football Association (FA) -- who would support any such request to the Home Office -- with Guardiola particularly upset by the timing of the decision. "He (Luiz) is not allowed," said Guardiola, who made a point of giving Luiz game time on their recent tour of the United States. "We are going to try to help him to go on loan again and try to get .
Shahzaib Hasan's ban for spot-fixing upped to 4 years
An independent adjudicator today increased the ban on Pakistan's World Twenty20-winning opener Shahzaib Hasan from one year to four on appeal from the country's cricket board. Hasan, 28, was banned in February this year after being found guilty of not disclosing a fixing offer to the anti-corruption unit of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He was also fined one million rupees (USD 8,200). The PCB had appealed the length of the ban, saying it was too lenient. "The independent adjudicator Justice (retired) Hamid Hussain has accepted (the) PCB's appeal and lifted the ban to four years while upholding the fine," the board's legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi told media. Spot-fixing refers to illegal activity in a sport where a specific part of a game is fixed, unlike match-fixing, where the whole result is fixed. Shahzaib is one of six players sanctioned in the spot-fixing case which rocked the second edition of Pakistan Super League last year, a Twenty20 tournament. Swashbuckling opener ...
Klopp has great expectations Liverpool will deliver
Jurgen Klopp says he has high expectations for Liverpool's ability to challenge for the Premier League title after spending the most of any of his rivals in the close season. Liverpool spent a reported ?176million ($225million, 196million euros) bringing in, among others, Brazilians goalkeeper Alisson and midfielder Fabinho and Klopp hopes to deliver Liverpool's first league title in the Premier League era, with the last of their 18 champions crowns coming in 1990. In his pre-match press conference today, ahead of Liverpool's season opener against West Ham on Sunday, Klopp said Liverpool spent so much to build a squad with the depth necessary to be genuine title contender. "It was pretty normal there would be one season when we would spend more money," Klopp said. "We had to create a squad which is strong enough and wide enough to cope with the Premier League." Klopp, who took over at Liverpool job in 2015 after guiding Borussia Dortmund to two Bundesliga titles, says he expects his ..
Atletico Madrid gearing up for Inter Milan clash
Atletico Madrid held a training session on Friday in preparation for the upcoming friendly against Inter Milan, the last of the pre-season.
Jayaram, Mithun enter Vietnam Open semifinals
Ajay Jayaram and Mithun Manjunath put in the hard yards to progress to the men's singles semifinals with contrasting wins at the USD 75,000 Vietnam Open Super Tour 100 tournament here today. Former world no 13 Jayaram, who is on a comeback trail after recovering from a hamstring injury, dished out a spirited performance to outwit Canada's Sheng Xiaodong 26-24 21-17 in a thrilling contest. The 30-year-old Indian, who had reached the finals of 2015 Korea Super Series, will next face seventh seeded Japanese Yu Igarashi tomorrow. In another match, young shuttler Mithun saw off China's Zhou Zeqi 17-21 21-19 21-11 after a hard-fought battle that lasted 56 minutes. The 20-year-old, a semifinalist at the Russian Open, will square off against Indonesia's Shesar Hiren Rhustavito. However, it was curtains for former national champion Rituparna Das as she lost 19-21 14-21 to Thailand's Phittayaporn Chaiwan in the quarterfinals. Jayaram surged to a 5-0 lead early on but he blew the lead as ...