Page 1329 - Sports
Vani returns to action on the Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour
Talented golfer Vani Kapoor will return to action on the Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour after a long gap, as she takes on the field in the tenth leg of the Tour here tomorrow. Vani, who has been playing in the Ladies European Tour and Asian Tour events, won the first leg of the ongoing season and then made only one more appearance. In Vani's absence, competition between Tvesa Malik, Neha Tripathi, Gursimar Badwal and Amandeep Drall, who also missed a few domestic events, has been rather interesting and intense. None of the girls have actually dominated the Tour as such and the honours by and large have been shared. Tvesa is leading the Hero Order of Merit by a slender margin over Neha Tripathi, who has often put herself in the lead but not been able to close the event with a win. Tvesa leads by just over Rs.32,000. Both Tvesa and Neha have won once each, though Tvesa has also finished second on numerous occasions. Gursimar Badwal, the only player to have won more than once this season, is
Indian shuttlers had good day in office at Russia Open
Five Indian shuttlers, including Ajay Jayaram, progressed to the men's singles second round of the USD 75,000 Russia Open BWF Tour Super 100 here today. Jayaram, who finished runners-up at the White Nights International Challenge earlier this month, brushed aside Canada's Xiaodong Sheng 21-14 21-8 in the opening round match to set up a clash with compatriot Subhankar Dey, who got a bye in the first round. Pratul Joshi dumped Canada's Jeffrey Lam 21-11 21-8 and will take on Israel's Misha Zilberman at the Sport Hall Olympic tomorrow. Among others, Mithun Manjunath, Siddharth Pratap Singh and Rahul Yadav Chittaboina also reached the second round. Mithun defeated Belgium's Elias Bracke 21-14 21-13, Siddharth beat Malaysia's Jia Wei Tan 21-17 21-16, while Rahul streamrolled Russia's Maksim Makalov 21-11 21-10. While Rahul will face eighth seeded compatriot Sourabh Verma, Siddharth meets fellow Indian Bodhit Joshi. Parupalli Kashyap and RMV Gurusaidutt, who got byes in the first round, ...
Federer pulls out of Rogers Cup
Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer has pulled out of next month's Rogers Cup due to scheduling issues.Announcing his withdrawal, the 36-year-old said that he enjoyed playing in the tournament last year, but he would not be able to participate this year keeping in mind the longevity of his career."I'm so disappointed not to play at the Rogers Cup this summer. I had a fantastic time in Montreal last year and always enjoy playing in front of the Canadian fans, but unfortunately with scheduling being the key to my longevity moving forward, I have regrettably decided to withdraw from Toronto this year," Federer said."I wish the tournament every success and am sorry to miss it," he added.Federer, who bowed out of the Wimbledon championship after going down to South Africa's Kevin Anderson 2-6, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11 in a thrilling quarter-final clash, will play in a Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati later this year.Meanwhile, world number one Rafael Nadal, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, and ...
Getafe's new keeper Soria says he aims to be starter in La Liga
Getafe's newly-signed goalkeeper David Soria said that he now aims to develop himself to be a starter with his new football club.
More post-World Cup turmoil for Nigeria soccer federation
The Nigeria Football Federation says officers from the state intelligence agency have "stormed" its headquarters, removed a group who claimed to be in control, and restored the FIFA-backed head of Nigerian soccer to office. The NFF says "operatives" from the Department of State Services were working on the orders of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari when they removed Chris Giwa, a football club owner who has repeatedly attempted to oust NFF president Amaju Pinnick citing a court order that invalidates Pinnick's election. Giwa took over the offices this month while Pinnick was working at the World cup in Russia. Giwa was banned from football for five years by the NFF in 2016, a ban FIFA ratified. The NFF says Giwa and members of his faction were removed from the NFF headquarters on Monday, and secretary general Mohammed Sanusi returned to take over until Pinnick returns from a Confederation of African Football meeting in Morocco. FIFA recognizes Pinnick as the head of the NFF. FIFA ..
Suspended Sri Lanka opener out of S. Africa ODIs
Sri Lanka's suspended opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka was left out Tuesday from the 15-man squad to play the five-match one-day international series against the touring South African side. Gunathilaka, 27, was suspended on Sunday by Sri Lanka Cricket over a "misconduct" charge after a close associate of his was arrested for allegedly raping a Norwegian woman in the team hotel in Colombo. The Sri Lanka board had said Gunathilaka, who was allegedly in the room at the same time but was not arrested, will remain suspended pending a disciplinary inquiry. It was unclear, however, when the inquiry will begin. His suspension is a blow to Sri Lanka as Gunathilaka was the side's second-highest-scoring batsman in the 2-0 Test series whitewash completed on Monday. The ODI series begins on Sunday at Dambulla and ends on August 12 in Colombo. A one-off Twenty20 is due to be played in Colombo on August 14. All-rounder Shehan Jayasuriya, 26, is expected to replace Gunathilaka, while uncapped ...
Morocco to host 2019 African Games
Morocco will host the 2019 African Games after Equatorial Guinea's withdrawal, the Moroccan Youth and Sports Ministry has announced.
Zimbabwe series good for Asia Cup preparation, says Sarfaraz Ahmed
Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has said that the recently concluded five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe was used by the team for the Asia Cup preparations and they learned a lot from it."We were keen to use this series as preparation for Asia Cup and we learnt a lot here," The Express Tribune quoted Sarfaraz Ahmed, as saying.The 31-year-old, who led the Pakistani side to a 5-0 victory in the ODI series, said that Zimbabwe is a changed side and they never thought of a clean sweep against them."We took each match one by one and the credit goes to the players as they were focused and didn't take Zimbabwe lightly," Ahmed said."We weren't thinking about whitewash. It was a combined team effort and everyone stepped up and performed," he added.Reflecting on his own performance in the series, Sarfaraz said that he did not get many chances to bat, but he is happy with the team's performance.The ODI series against Zimbabwe proved to be a historic one for Pakistan as they broke a series of ..
Ozil's agent shuns Bayern president's critical remarks
Days after the president of German football club, Bayern Munich said that footballer Mesut Ozil, who announced his retirement recently, had played a terrible game over the years, player's agent brushed aside his claim and termed it "pointless".The president of the German football club Uli Hoeness had earlier slammed Ozil after his sudden retirement from the national team and said that he does not deserve a place in the national team.Ozil's agent, Erkut Sogut, however, said that his statements have nothing to do with football."The comments of Mr Hoeness miss the point completely, as they have absolutely nothing to do with football. As Mesut said in his statement, he accepts reasonable and fair criticism of his football and deals with that as part of the job. However, Mr Hoeness cannot even provide any actual evidence to back up his foolish statements that are clearly exaggerated," Goal.com quoted Sogut, as saying."In this case, the stats are clear. Twenty-three goals, 40 assists - ...
Always reported 'untoward things' during IPL to ACU: Maxwell
Australian batsman Glenn Maxwell has claimed that he has reported "certain untoward things" during the IPL to the anti-corruption officials while refuting a recent investigative documentary's insinuation that he could be involved in spot-fixing. An Al Jazeera documentary on corruption in cricket alleged that Australian players were involved in spot-fixing during the 2017 Ranchi Test against India, in which Maxwell made his maiden Test century after being recalled. Even as there was no direct reference to the all-rounder in the video, the match footage used in the documentary indicated that Maxwell was one of two Australian players being accused. He confirmed to 'SEN radio' that the aired footage was of his batting. "I've been very honest with them (anti-corruption officers) the whole way through with the IPL," Maxwell said. "If I've ever seen anything untoward I always sat down with them (ACU), had a long coffee and just talked about everything to make sure nothing ever, ever comes ...
Santos sack coach Jair Ventura
Jair Ventura, the son of Brazil great Jairzinho, has been sacked as coach of Santos after a poor run of results.
Eager to win gold at Asian Games, says Rupinder Pal Singh
Boosted by a strong comeback in the three-match series against New Zealand last week, ace drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh says the Indian hockey team is eager to carry forward the momentum into the upcoming Asian Games and win the gold medal. "Personally for me, playing against a quality team like New Zealand who won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games was very important. Since I had missed out all the action during the Champions Trophy, I had to find my rhythm ahead of the Asian Games in Jakarta," Rupinder said. The Commonwealth Games in April was Rupinder's last appearance for the Indian team at a major International event. A hamstring injury during the quadrennial event meant that he had to be rested for the Champions Trophy where the team finished runners up. While the team was up against top teams in the world, Rupinder had to remain in the national camp and work on his fitness. "It is frustrating for any player to be watching the team play on TV but it was critical for me
Eager to defend gold medal at Asiad, says drag-flicker Rupinder
India's ace drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh on Tuesday said the team is eager to defend their title at the upcoming 18th Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang.
Joga Bonito Mumbai beat Chile and Luxembourg
Joga Bonito Mumbai registered wins against Chile and Luxembourg in the third edition of World Final of Neymar Jr's Five -- a five-a-side football tournament held in Praia Grande, Brazil. The tournament, which was graced by the Brazilian star saw 589 goals being scored in 178 matches with Brazil (Female) and Mexico (Mixed) coming out on top at the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr. Joga Bonito Mumbai lost to England 0-5 before defeating Chile and Luxembourg 5-0 to to qualify for the knockout rounds. In the Round of 32, India gave a tough fight to Colombia but fell short, as the latter won 2-1. Team Joga Bonito Mumbai captain Daniel Fernandes said, "It is so awesome to be in Brazil and represent India. The level here is extremely high. It's a 10 minutes game, the ball doesn't go out and you need to play continuously, so a lot energy you need to put in along with a strong game plan." "We are so elated that we beat a strong team like chile and gave a tough fight to Colombia who were eventual ...
WADA report: Yusuf Pathan only blot in otherwise dope free year for BCCI
Yusuf Pathan's "inadvertent" violation was the lone blot on Indian cricket's doping record last year, a WADA report has revealed after a scrutiny of 275 samples by the BCCI. While the WADA report does not name anyone, the player in question is former India player Yusuf Pathan, who was handed a retrospective ban of five months by the BCCI, that ended before this year's IPL. According to the BCCI statement issued back then, Pathan senior had "inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance commonly found in cough syrups". Pathan's backdated suspension was from August 15, 2017 to January 14, 2018. While Pathan's is the only Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF), there are also a couple of Atypical Findings (ATF), which suggests that there must have been some suspicion about the urine sample of two players. Whether there are any foreign players among the two in the ATF category couldn't be ascertained. According to the WADA report, out of the 275 samples tested during 2017, 233 were In ...
Ashwin joins Worcestershire for County Championship
Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has joined Worcestershire cricket club for the last two games of the County Championship, slated to be held later in the year.The 31-year-old, who played four matches for the club in the last season, made a great impact by taking 20 wickets and averaging 42.50 with the bat.Reflecting on Ashwin's come back to the club, Worcestershire's chief executive Matt Rawnsley said that they are delighted to have him in the team as he is one of the best spinners in the world."We are delighted to have Ashwin coming back for what could be a key part of the season. He is one of the best spinners in world cricket and the influence he had when here last season cannot be underestimated," ESPNcricinfo.com quoted Matt Rawnsley, as saying."The lads all speak so highly of him, the impact he had on the field and the way he slotted in so well off the pitch and he was willing to offer advice to our young spinners like Ben Twohig," he added.The Worcestershire head coach Kevin .
2012 win in India on par with my best Ashes: James Anderson
The Ashes remains the pinnacle of Test cricket for James Anderson "like any Englishman" but the showdowns against India also rank pretty high as the world No.1 side brings out the absolute best in him -- the 2012 away series being a case in point. "We have played against South Africa when they were number one in the world and that was a good test, and India is exactly the same for me," Anderson told PTI in an interview ahead of the five-match Test series starting August 1 in Birmingham. "2012 was one of the best series I have ever played in, for me, in India. As a seam bowler, you go to India and everyone says that the spinners will take wickets so you want to prove to people that you can succeed in those conditions," he said. "So for me that was a really proud series of my career. You always want to play against the best and do well against the best. That always inspires me to try and push myself and play as well as you can," he added. Anderson had played a starring role in England's
Barcelona defender Douglas loaned to Turkish club Sivasspor
Barcelona will loan Brazilian defender Douglas Pereira to the Turkish club Sivasspor for one season, the Spanish club said.
Midfielder Boufal calls move to La Liga a dream come true
Midfielder Sofiane Boufal said his shift to Celta Vigo will make his "dream" of playing in La Liga come true.
Junior Squash C'ship: India to face Swiss, Saudi challenge
Indian will take on Saudi Arabia and Switzerland on the opening day of the Men's team event of the World Junior Squash Championship here on Tuesday.A total of 24 countries, which are divided into eight groups, are taking part in the event.Fifth-seeded India are placed in Group E along with Saudi Arabia and Switzerland.The strongest team of the event are Egypt which are positioned on top of the ranking table. They have dominated the individual team events in the earlier editions of the championship and are placed in Group A.While the Canadian team are placed on the second spot, England will go into the competition as number three.Two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout round.On a related note, World Junior Squash Championship started on July 18 and will go on till July 29.