Page 135 - Sports
South Africa beat Afghanistan to keep World Cup hopes alive
South Africa kept alive their slim hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals, crushing Afghanistan by nine wickets on Saturday to record their first victory at the tournament. Faf du Plessis's side endured a torrid start to their campaign, losing their first three matches before a no result against the West Indies. But the outcome never looked in doubt in Cardiff, with man-of-the-match Imran Tahir taking four wickets as South Africa bundled out their opponents for a meagre 125 after two rain delays cut the match to 48 overs per side. South Africa took their time in chasing their target but Afghanistan, who look out of their depth at the World Cup with four defeats in four matches, did not have the weapons to trouble their opponents. Hashim Amla (41 not out) and Quinton de Kock (68), put on 104 for the first wicket before Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib had De Kock caught by Mohammad Nabi. Amla and Andile Phehlukwayo saw South Africa over the line as they reached their revised ...
South Africa beat Afghanistan by nine wickets in Cricket World Cup
South Africa kept alive their slim hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals by thumping a poor Afghanistan side by nine wickets on Saturday to record their first win of the tournament. Afghanistan, who lost the toss in Cardiff, were dismissed for just 125 in 34.1 overs. Quinton de Kock scored 68 for South Africa as they coasted home in the 28th over.
India thrash South Africa 5-1, win FIH Series Finals
India beat South Africa 5-1 here on Saturday to win the FIH Series Finals title. Goals from Varun Kumar (2nd and 49th minute), Harmanpreet Singh (11th and 25th minute), and Vivek Sagar Prasad (35th minute) gave world no. 5 India a routine win over the 16th ranked South Africa, whose lone goal was scored by Richard Pautz in the 53rd minute.
It's must-win game for Pak: Sunil Gavaskar ahead of CWC'19 clash against India
Member of the 1983 World Cup winning team Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday said Pakistan's tough start to the World Cup has put extra pressure on Sarfaraz Ahmed's men ahead of the high-voltage clash against India, scheduled on June 16 at Old Trafford, Manchester."It's a must-win game for them (Pakistan). If they don't win tomorrow, it'll be very tough. The fact it's an old rivalry means it will be followed closely by the people of both countries, but Pakistan have had a bit of a stumble so far. So there's probably a bit more pressure on them," ICC quoted Gavaskar, as saying.India will enter the match as an unbeaten side so far, while Pakistan have just one win in four matches. Up to one billion people are expected to tune into the action on television, as fans all over the world prepare for one of the biggest events in global sport."If it's a proper 50-over game I think India have the strength to win. But if gets truncated, if it's a game that gets reduced to 30 overs or less, anything can .
Afghanistan crumble to 125 all out against South Africa
Afghanistan only managed 125 runs all out in their 2019 ICC World Cup group stage game against South Africa. With the Proteas winning the toss and electing to field first, Afghanistan were blown away by their pacers and Imran Tahir and it was only a late surge from Rashid Khan that took them to a three digit score.
CWC'19: Finch, Starc shine as Australia defeat Sri Lanka by 87 runs
Aaron Finch played a knock of 153 runs and Mitchell Starc scalped four wickets as Australia defeated Sri Lanka by 87 runs in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup on Saturday at the Oval.Chasing a target of 335, Sri Lanka got off to a quickfire start as openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera played in an aggressive style from the very start. The duo enabled Sri Lanka to reach the score of 87 runs after the first ten overs.In the 12th over, Australia appealed for LBW but it was turned down by the umpire. Australia had lost their review in the tenth over, and if they had a review up their sleeve, Sri Lanka would have lost their opening wicket. Mitchell Starc clean bowled Perera (52) in the 16th over, ending the 115-run partnership between Karunaratne and Perera.Lahiru Thirimanne came out to bat next, and he along with Karunaratne stitched a 38-run stand, but their resistance was cut short by Jason Behrendorff as he scalped the wicket of Thirimanne (16) with Sri Lanka still ...
Australia beat Sri Lanka by 87 runs, rise to top of table
Australia beat Sri Lanka by 87 runs in their 2019 ICC World Cup group stage clash at the Oval on Saturday. The victory took Australia to the top of the table with eight points, while Sri Lanka remain at fifth place with four.
India beat South Africa 5-1 to win FIH Series Finals
India lived up to their billing and thrashed South Africa 5-1 in the summit clash to win the FIH Series Finals hockey tournament here Saturday. Coming into the tournament as overwhelming favourites, world no. 5 India played like champions and remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. Dragflickers Varun Kumar (2nd and 49th minutes) and Harmanpreet Singh (11th and 25th) scored a brace each, while Vivek Sagar Prasad (35th) was the other goal scorer for India. South Africa's lone goal was scored by Richard Pautz in the 53rd minute. India and South Africa have already qualified for the final round of the Olympic qualifiers before Saturday's summit clash. Earlier in the day, Asian Games champion Japan defeated USA 4-2 to finish third in the competition. The top two finishers of this tournament make it to the final round of the Olympic qualifiers to be held later this year. Going by world rankings, the Indians were expected to control the proceedings and they exactly did that from the ...
Pakistan's Amir targets India, inspired by memory of late mother
Pakistan pace spearhead Mohammad Amir says the memory of his late mother will spur him on in the high-voltage World Cup clash against arch-rivals India in Manchester on Sunday. The 27-year-old is back in form after taking a career best 5-30 against Australia in a losing cause on Wednesday following a wretched run that saw him take just five wickets in 14 one-day internationals prior to the World Cup. Amir said his mother, Naseem Akhtar, who died in March this year, always prayed for his success, wanting him to take five wickets in every match he played. "My mother will definitely be praying for me from the heavens," Amir told AFP. "She would always be found before the television and all the time praying for my success and her biggest wish was that I get five wickets, so when I got five I cried and remembered her words." Pakistan are in a precarious position, with just three points from their opening four games after losing to the West Indies and Australia, surprisingly beating hosts ..
Manchester Diaries: Of Virat's agony and ecstasy, rig halogens for drying outfield
Virat Kohli has reached a stage in his illustrious career where he can afford to treat Pakistan game as another day at the job but back in 2009, he was scared after a failure against the arch rivals during a Champions Trophy game in South Africa. Asked to recollect a tense and happy moment involving a Pakistan game, Kohli immediately referred to his dismissal against Pakistan at the Centurion in 2009. "The tense (moment) was Champions Trophy 2009, where Yuvi fractured a finger and I was literally flown in and in two days time. I was playing against Pakistan at Centurion. I hadn't experienced anything like that before, and I played a very bad shot, and I couldn't sleep until 6:00 in the morning. "I was looking (staring) at the ceiling and thinking, that's it, I've flown in, and now I'm finished. So that was the most-tense moment that I've experienced," he recalled. However, the funny moment was at the expense of the rivals, who had a tough time during the high-profile semi-final at ...
Gavaskar slams ECB for lack of preparation for rain this World Cup
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar Saturday said ECB's lack of preparation for rain is "totally unacceptable" and ICC should punish the hosts if the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan World cup match is washed out here Sunday. Three matches so far have been abandoned without a ball being a bowled, including India's last match against New Zealand, while one game had no result, the most in any World Cup so far and there are predictions that rain may play spoilsport again at Old Trafford on Sunday. "Well, ECB (is responsible). ECB is the one that runs the game here. The Lancashire County Cricket Club comes under its jurisdiction. So it's the ECB's responsibility," Gavaskar was quoted as saying by 'India Today'. "I also believe the ICC needs to tell the ECB now 'the game hasn't taken place because of negligence from your part. So you will not get that guaranteed USD 750,000. ECB gets USD 750,000 irrespective of whether a ball is bowled or not. That should not be the case. If the game ...
Finch's 153 sets up Australia's 87-run win over Sri Lanka
Skipper Aaron Finch stroked his way to a majestic century as defending champions Australia inched closer to the semifinal berth with a crushing 87-run win over Sri Lanka in their World Cup fixture here Saturday. Finch forged two crucial partnerships -- 80 with his opening partner David Warner (26) and 173 with Steve Smith (73 off 59) for the third wicket -- in his 132-ball 153 knock. It was his 14th ODI hundred which was laced with 15 fours and five sixes, two of them gigantic. Glenn Maxwell then provided the late charge with an unbeaten 25-ball 46 as Australia posted a challenging 334 for 7. Chasing the total, Sri Lanka were 115 for no loss at one stage but they squandered the superb start to be eventually dismissed for 247 in 45.5 overs. Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne (97) was the top-scorer for Sri Lanka, while his opening partner Kusal Perera (52) also scored a fifty. Mitchell Starc took four wickets, while Kane Richardson claimed three and Pat Cummins scalped two. This is Australia's
Afghanistan bundled out for 125, SA to chase 127 under D/L method
Leg-spinner Imran Tahir snared four wickets to trigger Afghanistan's dramatic batting collapse as South Africa bundled them out for 125 in yet another rain-affected World Cup match here Saturday. Sent into bat, Afghanistan were slow and steady to reach 69 for 2 at the end of the 20th over when rain came for the second time and when play resumed after a break of one hour, they lost four quick wickets for the addition of just eight runs. They were reduced to 77 for 7 in the 26th over, losing five wickets in the space of 4.4 overs. Earlier, the Afghanistan innings was also halted for 25 minutes in the sixth over due to rains. After the second rain interruption, the match was reduced to a 48-over side. The Afghans did not even last the full 48 overs as they were shot out in 34.1 overs. South Africa will now chase 127 from 48 overs to get their first win in the tournament after the target was revised under Duckworth/Lewis method. Chris Morris chipped in with three wickets while his pace ...
Sarin wins blitz event at Asian Continental Chess Championship
: India's 14-year old Grand Master Nihal Sarin Saturday won the blitz event in the Asian Continental Chess Championship at Xingtai, China. Sarin scored eight points from nine rounds and finished a point ahead of the field. He had recently crossed 2600 Elo points on the FIDE rating list and became the third youngest to achieve the feat. Another Indian Srinath Narayanan took the third spot with seven points behind Le Quang Liem of Vietnam. Meanwhile, four Indians qualified for the World Cup to be held in Russia later this year with impressive performances in the open section. India's Karthikeyan Murali (6.5 points) finished second in the open event behind Liem (7 points). Along with Karthikeyan, three other Indians-S P Sethuraman, who finished third (6.5 points), Srinath Narayanan (6.5 pts, 4th) and Abhijeet Gupta (6 pts, 7th) qualified for the world cup. Sarin, however, tied for 6th place and finished 11th after a tie-break in the open event and failed to qualify for the ..
CWC'19: Rain plays spoilsport in Afghanistan-Proteas clash
Rain played spoilsport in the ongoing World Cup match between Afghanistan and South Africa at the Sophia Gardens here on Saturday.South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl first. Afghanistan got off to a steady start as openers Hazratullah Zazai and Noor Ali Zadran took their side to 33 runs without any loss.After 5.5 overs the players walked off as rain hauled the match and the groundsmen covered the pitch.The match resumed 25 minutes later. However, after the completion of 20 overs, rain again interrupted the play and covers were placed. At this time, Afghanistan were at 69 for the loss of two wickets.After an hour of heavy rains, the match resumed and the number of overs per side was reduced to 48.According to the weather predictions, there are chances that the match may get curtailed further. This World Cup edition has been hampered by inclement weather as four matches were abandoned.While filing this story, Afghanistan were at 102 for the loss of seven wickets in 29 overs.
Netherlands beat Cameroon 3-1 at Women's World Cup
Vivianne Miedema became the Netherlands' all-time leading goal scorer in a 3-1 victory over Cameroon, earning the reigning European champions a spot in round of 16 with two wins in as many Group E matches at FIFA Women's World Cup, here on Saturday.
Farokh Engineer alerts India of Pak's Amir, Wahab ahead of CWC'19 clash
Former India cricketer Farokh Engineer on Saturday alerted the Men in Blue of Pakistan fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz ahead of the much-awaited World Cup clash between the two teams, scheduled on June 16 at Old Trafford.Engineer, who is hopeful that India builds on their 6-0 record against Pakistan, said with the two bowlers Pakistan are a very strong team."Pakistan beat England in England. With Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz, they are a very strong team. So anything can happen. I think we should be favourites not only because of our record against Pakistan in the World Cup. It is 6-nil I was told. Let's hope it becomes 7-nil," Engineer told ANI.When asked what significance does the match between the two neighbouring countries hold, Engineer said: "India versus Pakistan is always a tremendous clash. It is between two nations that really don't get along well. The only thing common is cricket as both are very good teams."He said that there was a lot of controversies earlier ...
"How do you want to be remembered?" coach Arthur asks Pak players before India game
Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur has posed a simple question to his wards ahead of their World Cup game against India on Sunday: "How would the Class of 2019 like to be remembered?" Pakistan's South African coach believes that Sunday presents them with an "incredible opportunity" to set their dismal World Cup record straight against the arch-rivals. He put it as it is, very different from India captain Virat Kohli, who sounded diametrically opposite in his assessment. "We've got 15 incredible cricketers in that dressing room, and we keep stressing to them, how do you want to be remembered? You're the Class of 2019. What are they going to say about you in history? And tomorrow presents an unbelievable opportunity for these guys to really make a mark," Arthur said Saturday. It is one of the biggest rivalries in any sport, if not the biggest, said the former Proteas coach. "I don't want to say it's the biggest rivalry in sport, but I saw some statistics which said I think the soccer World ...
India beat South Afroica 5-1 to win FIH Series Finals
India lived up to their billing and thrashed South Africa 5-1 in the summit clash to win the FIH Series Finals hockey tournament here Saturday. Coming into the tournament as overwhelming favourites, world no. 5 India played like champions and remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. Dragflickers Varun Kumar (2nd and 49th minutes) and Harmanpreet Singh (11th and 25th) scored a brace each, while Vivek Sagar Prasad (35th) was the other goal scorer for India. South Africa's lone goal was scored by Richard Pautz in the 53rd minute. India and South Africa have already qualified for the final round of the Olympic qualifiers before Saturday's summit clash. Earlier in the day, Asian Games champion Japan defeated USA 4-2 to finish third in the competition. The top two finishers of this tournament make it to the final round of the Olympic qualifiers to be held later this year. Going by world rankings, the Indians were expected to control the proceedings and they exactly did that from the ...
CAB appoints Utpal Chatterjee as spin consultant
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Saturday appointed former left-arm spinner Utpal Chatterjee as its spin consultant.