Page 137 - Sports
Finch hits ton to power Australia to 334-7 against Sri Lanka
Leading from the front, skipper Aaron Finch stroked his way to a majestic 153, propelling Australia to a challenging 334 for seven against 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 knock which is his 14th ODI hundred. He punished the Lankan bowlers with 15 fours and five sixes, two of them gigantic. Glenn Maxwell provided the late charge with an unbeaten 25-ball 46 but Sri Lanka tied things a bit in the end. While Warner found the going tough early on, Finch played some exquisite shots to keep the runs flowing. Back in the team after missing the Bangladesh game due to an injury, Nuwan Pradeep was hit for two fours by Finch. The Australia skipper then blasted Lasith Malinga for a couple of fours in the seventh over before welcoming Thisara Perera with successive boundaries as Australia scored 53 in the first ...
We haven't put up a perfect game yet, says Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur
On the eve of India-Pakistan match in the World Cup, Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur on Saturday said that the team has not played a perfect game yet. The coach also said if Pakistan puts all disciplines together, then they can beat anyone in the world."If we put three disciplines together, we can beat anyone in the world. We haven't put a perfect game yet, we are confident of displaying perfect cricketing skills. If we put it all together, we are a good cricket team," Arthur told reporters at the pre-match conference.When asked about whether the India-Pakistan match has more pressure on the players, he said each game comes with a different kind of challenge."There's pressure on each and every game. We are excited about tomorrow and we are pretty confident that we will perform to the best of our ability," Arthur said.Arthur said it will be difficult to rattle the Indian top-order but if Pakistan fails to do so then they would pose a challenge to them."When you get into Indian top-order, .
GM Petrosian leads after Round 8
Armenia's GM Manuel Petrosian was leading the field with 7 points followed by 6 others with 6.5 points apiece after the eighth round of the 12th Mumbai Mayor's Chess tournament being held here. Petrosian (ELO 2573) defeated Chilean GM Vasquez Schroeder Rodrigo (Elo 2476) in 31 moves on board 2 to shoot into the pole position. In the Queen's Gambit Declined, Rodrigo level-pegged with his opponent before making an overambitious attacking move by employing his rook but it backfired. Petrosian beat back his rival's attack in a sound manner and his pieces forged ahead. Matters became rather untenable when Rodrigo blundered and lost his rook and resigned immediately. Meanwhile, the round also saw a marathon draw being played out on the top board between GM Ter-Sahakyan (Elo 2611) of Armenia and GM Fier Alexandr (Elo 2543) of Brazil.
India will win World Cup, says Kerala numerologist
A Kerala-based numerologist who predicted India's victory at the 2011 World Cup, on Saturday said India would do it again this time.
Sanjay scores brace in India's 4-2 win over Austria
Sanjay converted two penalty corners to lead junior India men's hockey team to a comfortable 4-2 win over Austria in a classification game at the 8-Nations U-21 Invitational today. Being aggressive consistently paid dividends at the end of the first quarter as India won their first PC of the game. Sanjay converted from the ensuing drag-flick to give India the lead. Sanjay scored his second goal of the game off another PC in the 23rd minute, as India put some distance between themselves and their opponents. The teams went into halftime with India leading 2-0. Austria came out reinvigorated in the third quarter. Oliver Kern scored their first goal in the 34th minute, cutting India's lead to one. Within the minute though, the cushion was restored, Rahul Rajbhar scoring to make it 3-1. The quarter was a topsy turvy affair, the momentum shifting both ways with regularity. In almost a replay of the previous quarter, Austria again came out of the blocks quicker, and in the 49th minute, ...
South Africa opt to field against Afghanistan (Toss)
South Africa won the toss and opted to field against Afghanistan in their World Cup group stage clash at the Sophia Gardens here on Saturday.
Sarangi re-elected as SRFI president, Poncha made secretary general
Debendranath Sarangi was Saturday re-elected as president of Squash Rackets Federation of India while national coach Cyrus Poncha was made secretary general. Sarangi and Poncha, a Dronacharya awardee and till now national coach, were elected unopposed for a four-year term (2019-23), a SRFI press note said. The elections were held at the federation's General Body meeting here. The SRFI has decided to have a Director of Coaching and Jodhpur-based Dhiraj Singh will take this post and he will have a team of coaches under him. Former SRFI president N Ramachandran will be the Patron. Srikanth Seshadri will be the Director of Referees, Olympian Munir Sait the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee as also of the Affiliation Dispute Committee while former national champion Bhuvneshwari Kumari will head the Athletes Commission, the release said. The president and secretary general will be ex-officio members of the above committees. Justice (retired) G M Akbar Ali was the returning officer and .
I'm way down the list: Finch on Ashes selection
In spite of doing well in the white-ball cricket lately, Australia ODI captain Aaron Finch admitted his chances are blurry to make it to the squad for the Ashes, beginning August 1."I'm not sure what they are planning with the squad or anything like that. Obviously, I'd love to play if the opportunity comes up. I think I'm way down the list, having missed my opportunity throughout the summer," ICC quoted Finch as saying.The 32-year-old could not leave a mark during his latest stint against India last year. Finch made his debut against Pakistan on Australia's tour to UAE. He displayed a promising performance but could not build on it and was dropped after the third Test against India.Openers like Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Joe Burns are all in good form in the longest format and with the return of David Warner, Finch believes his chances to feature are difficult.The Australia ODI captain moreover advised Kurtis Patterson, Travis Head and Will Pucovski not to get disappointed ..
Indian women's hockey team beats Uruguay 4-1 in FIH Series Finals opener
The Indian women's hockey team began their campaign at the FIH Series Finals Hiroshima 2019 with an impressive 4-1 win over Uruguay here Saturday. Ranked No.9 in the world, the Indian team opened their account with captain Rani giving them the lead in the 10th minute with a skilful strike. At the end of first quarter, India led 1-0 despite Uruguay dominating the possession and creating more opportunities. The South American side had four circle penetrations and two penalty corners, all of them kept at bay by an alert Indian defence. From the two circle penetrations India made, skipper Rani converted one to give her side the lead. India dominated possession in the second quarter. While Uruguay were kept quiet, India made their moves in the opposition half. In the 21st minute, India got their first penalty corner and Gurjant Kaur did not make any mistake, converting the only PC her team got in the quarter into a goal to double her side's lead in the match. The third quarter had a ...
Match between India-Pak 'a final' before the final: Inzamam-ul-Haq
On the eve of India-Pakistan match in the World Cup, Inzamam-ul-Haq, the chief selector of Pakistan, on Saturday said that the match between these two sides in the World Cup is a 'final' before a final."Whenever India and Pakistan take on each other in the World Cup, it's a final before a final. People are always excited about this match. The stadium has a capacity of 24,000 but 8 lakh people applied for the tickets of this match. So it gives you an idea of how big this match is," Inzamam told ANI as India takes on Pakistan in Manchester tomorrow.Pakistan has never been able to defeat India in World Cup matches but Inzamam said past performances do not matter when these two sides take the field. It will all come down to how the team plays on the match day, he said."In India-Pakistan matches, past performances do not matter and it all depends on who is better on the match day. I hope Pakistan will come out triumphant and I hope people get to enjoy a good quality game of cricket. ...
Top 5 controversial moments in Ind-Pak encounters
Whenever India play Pakistan in a cricket match, there's bound to be some drama as players are high on adrenaline, not willing to let their foot down to outplay the opposition.
Advertisement war continues ahead of Ind-Pak clash
The digital war between the fans of India and Pakistan ahead of the World Cup clash between the two teams on Sunday doesn't seem to end.
Indian junior women thrash Belarus team 6-0
Indias junior women's hockey team produced an inspired performance against the Belarus development team to record a 6-0 victory in their game on Saturday. With this, the team concluded their tour of Belarus recording two wins, two losses and a draw in the five games they played.
Carlos Brathwaite reprimanded for showing dissent to umpire's decision
West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite has been reprimanded for showing dissent to an umpire's decision and has received one demerit point for breaching Level One of the ICC Code of Conduct.During a World Cup match against England at the Hampshire Bowl on Friday, Brathwaite was found to have breached Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to showing dissent to an umpire's decision.The incident occurred in the 43rd over of the West Indies innings when Brathwaite made his displeasure at being given out clear to the umpires. He admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by David Boon of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.On-field umpires Sundaram Ravi and Kumar Dharmasena, third umpire Rodney Tucker and fourth official Paul Wilson levelled the charges.Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player's match fee, and one or two demerit points.
Indian U-17 women's football team to tour Hong Kong
With the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup slated to be held in India next year, the national team will be travelling to Hong Kong for an exposure tour beginning June 16. The girls, who have been training in Goa since the first week of May under former India international Alex Ambrose, will play four matches in Hong Kong. The first match will be against Hong Kong U-23 on June 21, followed by games against Hong Kong U-18 and against club teams. Ambrose believes the matches in Hong Kong will give the girls valuable experience to test themselves against tough opponents. "The matches in Hong Kong will serve as a good experience for the girls. Almost 40 per cent of them are new to the national team set-up, and are still getting used to the flow," Ambrose said. "Playing competitive teams will help acclimatise them, and gain an understanding of International football." He went on to state that such matches will help test the character of the players. "It will also help us coaches identify the ...
Don't think you are favourite against Pakistan, Ganguly tells India
India must not entertain thoughts that they would start favourites in the marquee World Cup clash against Pakistan, warned stalwarts Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. Ganguly said the Indian team perhaps made the mistake of taking Pakistan lightly in the 2017 Champions Trophy final and had to bite the dust. "India needs to be very careful, don't go into this game thinking they are the favourites. I think they did that the last time in 2017 in the ICC Champions Trophy finals, and Pakistan beat them hands down. It's going to be a great game of cricket," commented Ganguly as an expert for Star Sports ahead of the game. Tendulkar also said that India cannot afford to take the traditional rivals lightly. "Pakistan has always been unpredictable, and they are a dangerous side - so there is no way the Indian team is going to take them lightly. Every step that the Indian team takes forward, we would want to be 100% sure of what we are doing, and it is well thought and well planned," he ...
Record books back India in clash of arch-rivals
India and Pakistan will face off in their World Cup clash on Sunday at Old Trafford in Manchester. The Indians have won all the six games that the two teams have played so far and the question on every Pakistan fan's mind is whether Sarfaraz Khan and his boys can finally turn the tide on the Men in Blue.
CWC '19: Relive these thrillers ahead of India-Pak clash
Cricket matches between India and Pakistan have always been the most anticipated ones and the rivals have had many close encounters on the cricketing. The camaraderie of players from both countries continue to remain excellent, but as soon as action resumes on the pitch, equations tend to change.As both countries from the sub-continent gear up to face each other in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, here are a few matches that are ingrained in cricketing fanatics' minds.India vs Pakistan 1992 World Cup:This match is widely remembered for Pakistan's Javed Miandad mimicry of Kiran More behind the stumps. After opting to bat first, India posted a par score of 216 runs on the board for the loss of seven wickets. Sachin Tendulkar played a knock of 54 runs, whereas Mushtaq Ahmed scalped three wickets for Pakistan. India was, however, able to defend the total as they won the match by 43 runs by scalping wickets in quick succession. Miandad held the fort for Pakistan at one end, but his
Pakistan need to cash in on India's middle-order vulnerability
Pakistan bowlers should go after a vulnerable Indian middle order when the two teams clash in the marquee World Cup game on Sunday, says former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram. Akram, hero of many Indo-Pak cricketing battles, is hopeful that Mohammed Aamir led attack would do well to find the chinks in the Indian middle-order. "India have a solid top order. Not only there is Virat (Kohli) but there's also Rohit (Sharma). But I have a feeling that middle order isn't that settled. Pakistan bowlers should try to cash in on that aspect," Akram told PTI during a recent interaction. Aamir's presence in the side is a big positive feels Akram. The left arm pacer took 5 for 30 against Australia albeit in a lost cause. "I don't know why did they drop Aamir in the first place. His presence even when he is not at his best is important. He is a senior bowler now and I believe he has a duty to guide the youngsters," Akram said. He has confidence in Babar Azam but wouldn't like comparisons with Virat ..
Indian junior women's hockey team mauls Belarus Development team 6-0
Chetna scored a brace as India's junior women's hockey team produced an inspired performance to record a 6-0 win over Belarus' Development team here Saturday. With this victory, the Indian team concluded their tour of Belarus recording two wins, two losses and a draw in the five-game series. While Chetna scored twice, Gagandeep Kaur, Mariana Kujur, Ajmina Kujur and Lalrindiki also sounded the board for India. India were immediately on the front foot, putting the Belarus team under pressure. The team won their first PC midway through the quarter, but the effort went wide. Almost immediately though, India took back possession and after some great play through the middle, Ajmina Kujur finished off the move to score India's opener. The team did not let up their intensity and won a penalty stroke at the end of the quarter. Gagandeep Kaur made no mistake from the spot to double India's lead as they went into the break. India's relentless pressure and high speed game was too much for Belarus