Page 1280 - Sports
ICC rebukes Ashley Nurse for inappropriate behaviour
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reprimanded the West Indies off-spinner Ashley Nurse and handed him one demerit point for using inappropriate language during his side's final T20 match against Bangladesh on August 5.The 29-year-old was found to have breached Article 2.1.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to "using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an International Match".The incident happened in the second over of Bangladesh's batting when the off-spinner, after being hit for a boundary off the last ball of his opening over, used inappropriate language, which was also picked up on the stump microphone.After the end of the match, Nurse admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by ICC Match Referees Chris Broad. No formal hearing was required after that.The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Gregory Brathwaite and Nigel Duguid, third umpire Joel Wilson and fourth umpire ...
Marin says Princess of Asturias Award will be dream come true
Spanish badminton star Carolina Marin said early on Tuesday that she hoped to win the Princess of Asturias Award, after becoming the badminton player with the highest number of world championships in history.
Spain thrash Paraguay in women's U-20 World Cup
Spain made their debut in the women's U-20 World Cup with an impressive 4-1 victory over Paraguay.
Mirabai Chanu pulls out of Asian Games
World Champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu today pulled out of the Asian Games after failing to recover from a lower back injury, which is yet to be fully diagnosed. "Yes, Mirabai will not be taking part in the Asian Games," Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) Secretary Sahdev Yadav told PTI. The decision comes in the wake of national coach Vijay Sharma recommendation that the Commonwealth gold-medallist must pull out of Jakarta event from August 18 to be fit for the Olympic qualifiers, later this year. The reigning CWG champion is struggling with an unidentified lower-back problem since May and is yet to begin full-fledged weight training. When pain subsided last week, Mirabai travelled to Mumbai to get treated and resume weight training. However, the 23-year-old felt discomfort again, prompting Sharma to recommend to the federation that she pull out to avoid aggravating the injury ahead of the Olympic qualifiers. "The Olympic qualifiers event is approaching and that is more ...
Dhoni or Dravid as important as "larger than life" Kohli: Richardson
The world of cricket needs it "larger than life characters" like Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes but it "equally needs" a Mahendra Singh Dhoni or a Rahul Dravid to "stay on good side of line", feels ICC Chief Executive David Richardson. At the MCC's 2018 Cowdrey Lecture. Richardson expressed his concerns about the amount of cheating and sledging in international cricket expecting more initiative from the players and coaches. "On the field the cricket needs its larger than life characters. Its Colin Milburns, Freddie Flintoffs, Shane Warnes, Virat Kohlis, Ben Stokes but we equally it needs its Frank Worrells, its Mahendra Singh Dhonis, its Rahul Dravids, its Colin Cowdreys to make sure that we all stay in the good side of that line," Richardson said during his lecture. However, the former Proteas keeper-batsman agreed that ICC "do not have all the answers to the challenges" it faces but are "working collectively to solve them". "Personal abuse, fielders giving send-offs to batsmen who have .
Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu pulls out of Asian Games 2018
Star Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu will not participate in the upcoming 18th edition of Asian Games in Indonesia next week, owing to a backache.Confirming the news, International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Secretary General Sehdev Yadav told ANI, "Yes, she is not going to participate in the Asian Games and I am going to send an official mail to the government by afternoon."Chanu wrote to the IWF to give her time to recover from the injury and to prepare herself for the Olympics qualifiers, slated to be held later this year.The 23-year-old Manipuri weightlifter's absence from the upcoming Asian Games will come as a huge setback for India, as she was considered as one of the strongest contenders for a gold medal in the event.Earlier in April, Chanu bagged a gold medal at the 21st Commonwealth Games 2018 at Gold Coast in Australia. She set a record on snatch by pulling off a clean lift in all her three attempts on 80kg, 84kg and 86kg respectively.Chanu then lifted more than ...
Toronto tournament a test for shot-clock innovation
This week's Toronto Masters is serving as a test bed for a time saving shot-clock innovation, with Wimbledon semi-finalist John Isner fully on board with the idea. A trial run of the 25-second on-court countdown clock which began last week at the ATP-WTA tournament in Washington will run through the US Open, with the Tours then expected to make decisions about continuing the innovation. Eighth-seed Isner is confident the plan will work well and will not be a source of extra tension or distraction for players. "I played the one match with the shot clock, and I didn't find it to be an issue at all," the American said on Monday. "I didn't feel rushed. And I'm generally one of the slower players as well. I don't bounce the ball a lot or pick at things, but I just kind of take my sweet time behind the baseline before I serve." The clock is designed to prevent time-wasting and maintain a regular pace of play. "We've built common sense into the protocols," ATP rules and competition VP Gayle .
Tiger, Rory, Major champs together in spotlight at 100th PGA
Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and 29 other major champions began preparing for the spotlight of supergroup pairings as practice rounds opening Monday for the 100th PGA Championship. An elite field with 98 of the world's 100 top-ranked players gathers at Bellerive Country Club for the year's final major tournament, which starts Thursday. Woods, a 14-Time Major champion, tries to end a 10-year major victory drought in his comeback from spinal fusion surgery while three-time major winner Jordan Spieth tries to complete a Career Grand Slam with a victory. Add on-form McIlroy, a four-time major winner, who was a runner-up at the Open Championship, plus reigning Masters champion Patrick Reed, two-time US Open winner Brooks Koepka and reigning Open Championship winner Francesco Molinari of Italy and it's clear to see why expectations are high for a thrill-packed final major of 2018. "I like the way the PGA sets it up," Koepka said. "It's very difficult. It's a battle for sure." Second-ranked ...
Murray rises in ATP tour rankings
Former world number one Andy Murray climbed 457 places in the latest ATP world rankings.Despite withdrawing from the Washington Open before his quarter-final last week, Murray is now ranked 375 as he came back after a long-term hip injury, reported Sport 24.Rafael Nadal remained world number one, followed by Roger Federer. Alexander Zverev scored the third rank by successfully defending his Washington title with a straight-sets win over Alex De Minaur.British tennis ace is now set to play at Cincinnati Masters next week, where he has been granted a berth under the exemption for players coming back from long-term injury, reported ESPN.Murray is a two-time Wimbledon champion, who defeated Serbia's Novak Djokovic in 2013, and Milos Raonic of Canada in straight sets in 2016.During his victory in 2013, 31-year-old became the first British Wimbledon champion in 77 years.
Real Madrid aim to end US tour with win against Roma
Reigning European football champions Real Madrid hope to extend their winning streak when they face Roma in the International Champions Cup here on Tuesday.
Arturo Vidal inks contract with Barcelona
Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal has signed a three-year contract with Barcelona after passing all required medical tests, the Spanish club said on Monday.
Belgium's Witsel 'on cusp' of Borussia Dortmund move from China
Belgian international midfielder Axel Witsel is "on the cusp" of joining Borussia Dortmund on a four-year deal, the Bundesliga club announced today. The 29-year-old has been playing for Chinese side Tianjin Quanjian since January 2017, but his strong performances in Belgium's run to the World Cup semi-finals have paved the way for a return to Europe. "Borussia Dortmund are on the cusp of signing the Belgium national player Axel Witsel," the German giants said. "The World Cup bronze medallist joined up with the BVB team today (Monday)... with the group currently undertaking their summer training camp in Bad Ragaz (Switzerland)." Dortmund said that Witsel had activated his release clause -- reported to be around 20 million euros ($23 million) -- before the Chinese deadline day on Sunday, and that his move would be confirmed in the coming days. The former Zenit St Petersburg star has scored nine goals in 96 international appearances, and played six times at the World Cup in ...
Willian commits to Chelsea, Luiz urges Courtois and Hazard to stay
Brazilian international Willian has given Chelsea a huge boost by committing his future to the Premier League giants as the futures of Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard remain in doubt. Willian was also linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea rebuffed offers from Barcelona earlier in the transfer window and the appointment of Maurizio Sarri to replace Antonio Conte as manager appears to have eased any desire to leave from the winger. After Chelsea's FA Cup final win in Conte's final game in charge, Willian, who had been left on the bench, posted a picture on Instagram with the Italian blocked out by three trophy emojis in a picture of the whole team celebrating. "I'm a Chelsea player," Willian told ESPN Brasil. "I always made it clear that what I wanted was to stay in the club. "The only club I knew that really made an official offer for me was Barcelona. "But I have my head here and I intend to continue in the club unless the club wants to sell me. But my head is ...
Vidal hopes to win Champions League title with Barcelona
Unable to win the Champions League title while playing with Juventus and Bayern Munich, Arturo Vidal is looking to finally do it with Barcelona. The 31-year-old Chile midfielder was on Bayern teams that were eliminated by Real Madrid the last two seasons, but he said he has nothing to prove against his new team's biggest rival. "I don't know if I have unfinished business with Madrid, but I do with the Champions League, which is my goal," Vidal said Monday at his presentation. "I hope to achieve this goal here with Barcelona. We'll see what happens when we get to play against Madrid." Bayern was eliminated by Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals in 2017 and in the semifinals in 2018. Earlier this year, Vidal didn't hide his frustration with Real Madrid by posting messages criticizing the team on social media and saying it benefited from bad refereeing decisions. "I'm not anti-Real Madrid," the Chilean said. "I'm against any rival that will be playing against Barcelona from now .
Newly married paddler Ghosh eyes comeback after off-court controversy
His life thrown out of gear by a rape allegation, one of Indian table tennis' shining lights Soumyajit Ghosh on Monday said he is eager to return to the fold as soon as possible, though admitting that the road to redemption won't be easy.
Married to girl who accused him of rape, Indian paddler Ghosh picking up pieces
His life thrown haywire by a rape allegation, leading Indian table tennis player Soumyajit Ghosh has married his accuser four months after his career nose-dived owing to the crisis. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for the 25-year-old in the year he attained a career-high 58th in the International Table Tennis Federation rankings. In March, he was accused for rape by an 18-year-old, that led to the two-time Olympian and India's youngest ever national champion hitting "rock bottom". Four months on, he has not even felt the racket in his hand, is heavier by more than 10 kgs and is a married man. "They say a sportsperson in India has to go through a lot to achieve something. The grind prepares you for the worst but what happened with me four months ago hit me hard and hit me out of nowhere. I did not know how to deal with it," Ghosh told PTI. "Everyone thought about the girl. That she was young. I was young too. If she was a minor, I was 22 when we started dating. I am still
Aleix Vidal happy to return to Sevilla FC
New Sevilla defender Aleix Vidal on Monday said that he always wanted to return to the Spanish top-division football club, although he had several good offers from other clubs.
Man City's fast start a pleasant surprise for Gundogan
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the English champions settled back into their stride by beating Chelsea 2-0 to win the Community Shield in an ominous performance for the rest of the Premier League. Pep Guardiola's men begin their title defence at Arsenal on Sunday, looking to back-up a record-breaking campaign that saw them amass 100 points to win the league by a 19-point margin from Manchester United. "I was curious the way we would start the game and how it would go," German international Gundogan told the club's website. "I wouldn't say that it was necessary to give us confidence, but the first weeks when the season starts, the important games start, you never really know what to expect. You don't really know 100 percent on which level you are. "It was a great test for us, a last test before the Premier League season. At the end we feel ready right now and we can't wait for the season to start." Guardiola could even afford the ...
Gavaskar lashes out at India's lack of preparation ahead of Test series
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at the Indian team management saying there should have been more practice matches before the start of the Test series in England.
Kapil is once-in-a century cricketer, don't compare Pandya with him: Gavaskar
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar today rubbished comparisons between Kapil Dev and Hardik Pandya, saying the legendary all-rounder is a once-in-a century cricketer and cannot be compared to anyone. Batting great Gavaskar was not at all amused when asked about the tendency among some experts to compare the two. "Kapil Dev should not be compared with anyone. He is not just a once-in-generation player but a once-in-a century cricketer just like Sir Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar. We should not compare him with anyone," a visibly agitated Gavaskar told 'Aaj Tak'. Gavaskar is also unhappy with opener Shikhar Dhawan's approach in the longer format. The Delhi player scored 26 and 13 in the first Test against England at Birmingham. "Shikhar simply does not want to change his game," the 69-year-old said. "He believes in playing in the same manner which has brought him success till now. You can still get away with such shots in one-day cricket because there aren't many slips and the push ..