Page 1273 - Sports
Villarreal ties Zaragoza, settles for fifth draw of pre-season
Spanish-league club Villarreal played to a draw for the fifth time in the pre-season, tying second-division side Zaragoza 1-1 in a friendly match.
Target is to ensure Dipa reaches Asiad gymnastics finals: Coach Nandi
Under no illusions about the enormity of his task at the Asian Games as coach to Indian gymnastics' golden girl Dipa Karmakar, Bishweshwar Nandi said the "first target" will be to make the finals of the vault event in artistic gymnastics, the recent high notwithstanding.
Lord's Test: India look to settle scores with England
India will look to get back on winning track and settle scores when they face England in the second Test of the ongoing five-match here at Lord's Cricket Ground on Thursday.The Virat Kohli-led side had earlier lost the opening Test by a narrow margin of 31 runs despite the skipper's brilliant batting display.Chasing a target of 194 runs to win, India were bundled out for mere 162 runs. No Indian batsmen, apart from Kohli and Hardik Pandya, could play an impactful knock in the second innings.Talking about the team combinations at a press conference ahead of the second Test, Kohli indicated that his team could field two spinners to capitalise on the pitch.He had also hinted towards changes in the team's lineup in an attempt to plug the gap that was revealed during the Edgbaston Test.England captain Joe Root, on the other hand, announced Ollie Pope has been called in the squad as a replacement for left-handed batsman Dawid Malan.Having proved his abilities in the English conditions, it .
S Korea approves athletes' trip to N Korea for football event
South Korea on Thursday allowed a group of sportspersons to take part in an international youth soccer tournament in North Korea next week.An official from the South Korean unification ministry said that a delegation of 151 people, including athletes, will leave for Pyongyang on August 10 via a western land route. Besides athletes, the group will also comprise journalists and other staff members, Yonhap News Agency reported.The Ari Sports Cup, a U-15 soccer event, will take place from August 13 to 18. Apart from these two nations, China, Russia, Belarus and Uzbekistan will also take part in the tournament. Each of these nations will send eight teams.The football tournament was first held in the South Korean border town of Yeoncheon in 2014. This year's event would be the fourth edition.Meanwhile, this is the first time that the South Korean government has allowed a large delegation to move into North Korea by using a land route ever since Moon Jae-in became the country's president in .
SC modifies BCCI 'one state, one vote' policy, grants permanent membership to MCA, others
The Supreme Court modified its earlier order on the 'one state, one vote' policy for Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) members today and granted permanent membership of the board to the cricket associations of Mumbai, Saurashtra, Vadodara and Vidarbha. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also approved the draft constitution of the cash-rich apex cricket body in the country with certain modifications and asked the registrar general of Tamil Nadu Societies to bring on record the approved BCCI constitution within four weeks. The bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, restored permanent membership to Railways, Services and Universities. It also directed state cricket associations to adopt the BCCI constitution within 30 days and warned them that non-compliance would invite action in accordance with its earlier order. Dealing with the issue of a cooling-off period and disqualification of BCCI office-bearers, the bench said a person would have
Nadal leads way into Toronto third round
Top seed Rafael Nadal blew past patchy Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday to begin his quest for a fourth Canadian trophy at the Toronto Masters. The world number one Spaniard was untouchable as he schooled Paire for the fourth time without a loss, taking 74 minutes as he broke six times. Nadal won the event in 2005, 2008 and 2013. "I was not at my 100 per cent today," Nadal said. "It's true that I did good work here the last five days, but at the same time it's true that I didn't work very hard at home. "So the first match is an important victory for me, for my confidence. It's important that I have another match tomorrow too. So just try to keep going. "I played a solid match, in the second set I had some troubles, but my return worked well. It was more about the mistakes from the baseline." The 32-year-old will bid for the quarter-finals here for the first time since 2015 when he plays Stan Wawrinka, who staged another fightback in three sets, beating Marton Fucsovics ...
SC modifies 'one state, one vote' policy of BCCI, grants permanent membership to MCA, others
The Supreme Court modified its earlier order on the 'one state, one vote' policy for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) members today and granted permanent membership of the board to the cricket associations of Mumbai, Saurashtra, Vadodara and Vidarbha. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also approved the draft constitution of the cash-rich apex cricket body in the country with certain modifications and asked the Registrar General of Tamil Nadu Societies to bring on record the approved BCCI constitution within four weeks. The bench, also comprising justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, restored the permanent membership to Railways, Services and Universities. It also directed the state cricket associations to adopt the BCCI constitution within 30 days and warned them that non-compliance would invite actions in accordance with its earlier order. Dealing with the issue of cooling-off period and disqualification of the BCCI office-bearers, the bench said a ...
Malinga ignored for one-off T20I against Proteas
Veteran Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga has been left out of the 15-member T20I squad for the one-off match against South Africa slated to be held at the R. Premadasa Stadium here on August 14.Despite Malinga's rich vein of form in the Global T20 League in Toronto, he could not find a place in the squad. The 34-year-old pacer has been in and out of the Sri Lankan team lately, owing to poor form and injury woes, ESPNcricinfo reported.In the Global T20 League in Canada, Malinga was the third highest wicket-taker besides having the best average and economy rate among all bowlers in the tournament with over five wickets. He last played in a one-off T20I match against India in September last year.The veteran pacer, who already bid adieu to Tests in 2011, said in February that he was considering retirement as he was "mentally done with international cricket."Meanwhile, left-arm pacer Binura Fernando can be given an opportunity to play his first game, more than three years after he was ..
Djokovic happy to beat Polansky and the clock in Toronto
Novak Djokovic sent Peter Polansky of Canada to a 6-3 6-4 defeat on Wednesday as the four-time champion powered into the third round at the Toronto Masters before insisting he's "comfortable" with the controversial 'shot clock' innovation. The match was played under threatening grey skies which eventually dumped heavy rain on the courts just after Djokovic wrapped up his win. In a match which began slightly late due to heavy overnight rain which continued into the morning, ninth-seeded Wimbledon champion Djokovic repeated a victory he scored over the Canadian at the same tournament in 2009. Djokovic said he was having no problems with the shot clock despite being a player who regularly picks up violations for the length of time he takes between points. "I actually feel like there is more time now than before because the shot clock starts counting down once the chair umpire calls the score," Djokovic said. "Sometimes it takes several seconds before the chair umpire calls the score if ..
Sharapova storms past Kasatkina as Wimbledon champion Kerber falls
Maria Sharapova fired 25 winners past hapless Russian compatriot Daria Kasatkina in a 6-0, 6-2 victory at the Montreal WTA event on Wednesday, but Angelique Kerber's first match since capturing the Wimbledon title ended in a sobering defeat. Sharapova needed just 66 minutes to see off 12th-seeded Kasatkina in an impressive and timely display of big-hitting with the US Open getting underway in just under three weeks' time. "I came on court having a lot of respect for my opponent because she's up and coming but has already established herself," said the 31-year-old Sharapova. "I knew I had a tough match ahead of me. I was focused from the beginning and I finished it that way." Kasatkina, 21, managed just three winners in the match. Sharapova next faces French sixth seed Caroline Garcia for a place in the quarter-finals. Five-time major winner Sharapova leads the head-to-head against Garcia 4-1 but the French player won their only meeting in the last three years on clay in Stuttgart in ..
World Cup hangover lingers over Premier League kick-off
There is little time for the Premier League's stars to shake off a World Cup hangover as less than a month on from Russia's summer showpiece, the chase to catch champions Manchester City begins in earnest on Friday. On top of the quick turnaround from the World Cup, a shortened transfer window that closes 24 hours before the season kicks off has left many sides scrambling at the last minute to strengthen their squads, none more so than Manchester United. The Red Devils raise the curtain on the campaign at home to Leicester on Friday night hoping to put a troubled pre-season dominated by manager Jose Mourinho's outbursts behind them. Mourinho has rounded on the club's hierarchy for failing to sufficiently strengthen in his opinion despite the signings of Brazilian international midfielder Fred and Portuguese full-back Diogo Dalot. As United dither, Liverpool have emerged as second favourites for the title behind City after splashing over ?170 million ($220 million) on goalkeeper ...
Courtois joins Madrid as Chelsea wait to confirm Kepa deal
Chelsea and Real Madrid agreed terms on Wednesday for the transfer of Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois subject to the agreement of personal terms and passing a medical. The deal should now pave the way for Athletic Bilbao's Kepa Arrizabalaga to join Chelsea for a record 80 million euro (USD 92 million) fee for a goalkeeper. No fee was revealed for the transfer of the Courtois, who had just one more year to run on his Chelsea contract, although Spanish media claimed that the deal is worth around 35 million euros. Chelsea added in a statement that subject to the completion of the Courtois deal, Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic would join the Blues from Real on a season-long loan. The English giants have been forced into finding a replacement for Courtois, 26, after he failed to report for pre-season training on Monday. Courtois joined Chelsea from Genk in 2011, but spent three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid before returning to London where he won two Premier League titles in ...
Former Fergie right-hand man to assist new Socceroos boss Arnold
One of Sir Alex Ferguson's closest assistants has been hired to help new Socceroos coach Graham Arnold defend Australia's title at January's Asian Cup and build towards the next World Cup. Dutchman Rene Meulensteen, the former Fulham manager, will be based in Europe as assistant coach and take responsibility for players plying their trade there, Football Federation Australia said Thursday. Meulensteen was Ferguson's technical coach then assistant manager at Manchester United for nearly 400 games, helping them secure three Premier League titles and a Champions League crown. He has also managed teams in Qatar, Denmark, Russia, Israel, and India and now hooks up with Arnold, who has taken over after Bert van Marwijk's temporary role as coach during the World Cup in Russia. "We are entering another important period of our game with the Asian Cup just over four months away," said Arnold in his first media conference since assuming his new job. "Our new management team will play a vital ...
Sri Lanka end losing streak against South Africa in tense clash
Suranga Lakmal took three key wickets in a tense encounter Wednesday cut short by rain to guide Sri Lanka to their first one-day win over South Africa in 12 matches. Dasun Shanaka hit 65 while Thisara Perera and Kusal Perera each made 51 as Sri Lanka blasted 306-7 off 39 overs. Set a target of 191 from 21 overs because of the bad weather, South Africa ran out of inspiration and finished on 187-9. Lakmal bowled South Africa's stand-in captain and opener Quinton de Kock, and then at the climax of the game claimed the tourists' final batting hopes Willem Mulder and David Miller. Sri Lanka had lost 11 previous one day games against South Africa stretching back to their last win in 2014 at the same Pallekele ground. South Africa already had the series sealed by winning the first three one-day games on this tour. But de Kock was still disappointed in his first match in place of captain Faf du Plessis who has been ruled out with a shoulder injury. "They kept picking up wickets at the right ..
Man Utd aim to defy Mourinho's doubts in Premier League opener
Manchester United have to defy their own manager Jose Mourinho's fears for a season of doom and gloom when they kick off the Premier League campaign against Leicester City on Friday. Mourinho has repeatedly called for more backing in the transfer market if United are to close the record 19-point gap they trailed Manchester City by last season despite finishing second in the table. Instead, the Portuguese's mood has been further soured by seeing another fierce rival Liverpool steal a march with a ?170-million ($220 million) splurge on new signings. "If we don't make our team better it will be a difficult season for us," Mourinho warned earlier this week, so far to no avail ahead of Thursday's transfer deadline. After securing the signatures of Brazilian international midfielder Fred and Portuguese teenage full-back Diogo Dalot early in the window, strengthening his centre-back options has been Mourinho's priority. Yet, United could end up facing one of Mourinho's top targets in Harry ..
China's Peng banned and fined for Wimbledon corruption attempt
China's former world number one doubles star Peng Shuai was banned for six months and fined USD 10,000 on Wednesday for attempting to force her doubles partner to withdraw from Wimbledon in 2017, the Tennis Integrity Unit announced. "Peng Shuai was found to have used coercion and offered the possibility of financial reward in return for her main draw partner agreeing to withdraw from the ladies doubles event at Wimbledon 2017," the TIU said in a statement. "Although the offer was refused and Peng Shuai did not subsequently compete at The Championships, it constituted a breach of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP)." Peng's attempt to change her doubles partner came after the sign-in deadline. Peng, 32, was banned for six months, with three suspended, and fined USD 10,000, with USD 5,000 suspended, on condition that she commits no further breaches of the anti-corruption code. She will be eligible to play again on November 8 this year. The Chinese star is currently ranked 20 in ...
Djokovic backs Davis Cup reforms
Reigning Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic says he is in favour of a bid to turn the Davis Cup tournament into a season-ending Grand Slam-level showdown, as it would ease scheduling woes for the players. Currently, the Davis Cup is structured around a 16-nation World Group, contested over four weekends during the year. The remaining countries are then divided into three regional zones. The International Tennis Federation's controversial revamp would see the Davis Cup morph into a World Cup of Tennis final featuring 18 countries -- and address complaints that the heavy time commitment drives away the top players. The proposal must win approval at the federation's annual general meeting in Orlando, Florida later this month. Djokovic, a Davis Cup champion for Serbia in 2010, gave his thumbs up. "I think that format needs to be changed. And I'm all in favour of that," Djokovic said after beating Peter Polansky, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the third round of the ATP Toronto Masters on ...
IPL like league is the need of the hour for Indian basketball: NBA star Brook Lopez
Milwaukee Bucks centre Brook Lopez feels that an IPL like professional league to enhance the popularity of basketball in India. During his visit to India in May earlier this year, former LA Lakers star Lopez took out time to witness an IPL match of Mumbai Indians. "India needs a professional basketball league, just like Indian version of NBA or IPL. While I was in India I watched an IPL match and noticed the craze for cricket and the league. I think in India, the interest for basketball is there, but it needs something like an IPL," Lopez told PTI in an interview on the sidelines of the Jr NBA World Championships here. "India needs to create platform or competitive basketball. I think India needs to have more situations like the Jr NBA Academy, give kids a chance to watch the games, see NBA stars play and think this is what I want to do to be a basketball player," he added. The Milwaukee Bucks star emphasized on the need to give more emphasis to the grassroot level. "India need to ...
Indian girls beat South American combined team at Jr NBA World Championships
Indian girls produced a stellar show to beat a combined South American team 40-37 in their final pool match to register their maiden victory at the Under-14 Jr NBA World Championships here. After losing their first two pool matches of the international bracket against Asia-Pacific and Europe respectively, the Indian girls came up with a spirited effort to eke out a close win at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex situated inside the Walt Disney World Resort. The Indians girls led their South American rivals in the first three periods 12-9 14-13 7-6 before losing the last period 7-9. For India, Sunishka Kartik scored 17 points as against 13 of South America's Josefina Balatti. However, it turned out to be another disappointing outing for the Indian boys as they lost 49-56 to South America. As per the rules of the tournament, there are eight teams in the international bracket which have been divided into two pools of four each. All the eight teams qualified for the knock-out stages ...
Chinese tennis player temporarily banned over Wimbledon 'coercion'
Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has been banned for six months and was fined $10,000 for breaking tennis anti-corruption rules before Wimbledon 2017.