Page 1401 - Sports
Shardul to replace Bumrah in India's ODI squad
Mumbai fast bowler Shardul Thakur will replace injured pacer Jasprit Bumrah in India's ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series starting July 12. Bumrah had suffered an injury to his left thumb during India's first T2OI against Ireland in Dublin and was ruled out of the ongoing T2OI series against England. The 24-year-old seamer underwent a surgery last Wednesday in Leeds before returning to India. The surgery was successful and he will commence rehabilitation under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team. "The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Shardul Thakur as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement in India's ODI squad," BCCI Acting Secretary Amitabh Choudhary said in a release. The first ODI begins on July 12 at Nottingham, followed by the second match at London on July 14 and third match at Leeds on July 17. However surgery followed by recovery and resumption of training may take time and he will certainly be a doubtful starter as far as the Test series is concerned. The .
Spanish media says 'ciao' to Ronaldo amid Juventus rumours
Spanish media said goodbye to superstar Cristiano Ronaldo on Friday after persistent reports that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will leave Spanish giants Real Madrid for Italian champions Juventus. "Ciao CR7" said the headline of Barcelona newspaper Mundo Deportivo. "Real accepts his departure, the key day will be today (Friday) and Juve wants to wrap up the operation so it can announce it," the newspaper said. Spanish sport newspaper AS said that the player could be unveiled to Juve supporters in Turin as early as Saturday, with the date 7/7 symbolic for number 7 Ronaldo. Juventus "hopes to announce (the news) tomorrow in its stadium," said the paper, which had the headline "Cristiano exit imminent". Ronaldo was applauded at Juventus Stadium by the club's fans last season after scoring a spectacular overhead kick in the Champions League quarter-finals. Spain's Marca newspaper claimed that Ronaldo has "already given his word to (Andrea) Agnelli" the president of Juventus. "His ...
England match 'special occasion' for Sweden veteran Larsson
Swedish international midfielder Sebastian Larsson is expected to be back in their starting XI when they face England in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup here on Saturday afternoon after being suspended for their 1-0 win over Switzerland in the last round.
FIFA boss invites Thai cave boys to World Cup final
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has invited the Thai boys' football team trapped in a cave to the World Cup final, as messages of support poured in from top players. Infantino said he hoped the Wild Boars team, who were stranded by rising floodwaters two weeks ago, would be rescued in time to watch the final in Moscow on July 15. "If, as we all hope, they are reunited with their families in the coming days and their health allows them to travel, FIFA would be delighted to invite them to attend the 2018 World Cup final as our guests," he wrote in a letter to the head of the Football Association of Thailand. "I sincerely hope that they will be able to join us at the final, which will undoubtedly be a wonderful moment of communion and celebration." The Thai footballers, aged 11-16, have been stuck in darkness deep underground after setting off to explore the cave with their 25-year-old coach after training on June 23. The players remain trapped despite being reached this week by ...
Colombians pour into streets to welcome national squad home
Colombia's national football team arrived here after losing in the knockout stage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and received a heroes' welcome from tens of thousands of adoring fans.
Penalty win a massive boost for England: Stones
England defender John Stones has said that the win against Colombia has given his team mates a massive confidence boost ahead of Saturday's FIFA World Cup quarter-final against Sweden at the Samara Arena here.
Guardiola visits Melbourne City FC
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola stunned fans and players when he took time out of his Australian holiday to visit sister club Melbourne City FC.
Son of college peon makes it to Indian football team
Defying all odds and poverty, son of a college peon at Mangal Bahadur Janata Inter College in Muzaffarnagar's Bhopa area has made it to the Indian national football team.Over the years, Nishu Kumar has carved out a notable career for himself and is currently inspiring local boys to consider a career in football.Youths and children also admire and respect Nishu, who is popularly known as 'Ronaldo Bhai' in the town.Talking to ANI, Nishu recalled how he started playing the game when he was just five years old."I started playing the game when I was five years old. We used to play it in our school ground under the guidance of our school sports teacher. I have been learning a lot from India's chief coach Stephen Constantine. He is an awesome coach," he added.Meanwhile, Nishu's coach Kuldeep said "he is training a dozen of children from the village. I am also hopeful that other children in the region take up football as a career."Nishu started his football career from Chandigarh Football ...
Legalising gambling in sports will create lots of problems:CPI
Veteran Communist leader Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said today legalising gambling and betting in sports would create "lots of problems", leave room for cheating and provide no level-playing field. The Law Commission yesterday recommended that gambling and betting in sports be allowed as regulated activities taxable under the direct and indirect tax regimes and used as a source for attracting foreign direct investment. Reddy, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), said the issue is yet to be discussed in his party but his initial reaction is that it is not good. "If betting and gambling are legalised, it will create lots of problems," he told PTI. "My initial reaction is negative about it." The commission's report, "Legal Framework: Gambling and Sports Betting including Cricket in India," recommends a number of changes in the law for regulating betting and generating tax revenues from it. Reddy said: "Gambling is gambling after all, why should it be ...
Agent: Ronaldo 'eternally grateful' to Madrid if he leaves
Cristiano Ronaldo's agent has told Portuguese media that the player would be "eternally grateful" to Real Madrid if he ends up leaving the European champion. Jorge Mendes was quoted as saying in Portuguese newspaper Record that Ronaldo would always be grateful to "the club, the president, the directors, the medical staff, all the workers without exception and all the Madrid fans around the world." Local media in Spain and Italy claim Ronaldo has already reached a deal to sign with Serie A team Juventus, although neither club has officially confirmed the negotiations. Mendes was quoted by Record on Thursday as saying that "if that happens, it will be just a new phase and a new challenge in his brilliant career." Ronaldo hinted after the Champions League final in May that he could be leaving Madrid. He said he would discuss his club future while with Portugal at the World Cup, but never did. Portugal was eliminated by Uruguay in the round of 16.
Madurai Express derails in Pune
A coach of the Bandra LTT-Madurai Express got derailed early on Friday in Maharashtra, throwing the intercity services on the busy Mumbai-Pune sector out of gear, an official said.
Time window for cave rescue 'limited': Thai Navy SEAL commander
The window of opportunity to free a trapped youth football team and their coach from a cave is "limited", the Thai Navy SEAL commander said today, the first official admission that the boys cannot wait out the monsoon underground. "At first, we thought the children could stay for a long time... but now things have changed, we have a limited time," Apakorn Yookongkaew told reporters.
Former hot-shot Kempes joins Maradona in offering to coach Argentina
Hot on the heels of Diego Maradona, another Argentine World Cup winner has thrown his hat into the ring to become the next national team coach. Jorge Sampaoli may still be resisting pressure to resign after Argentina's World Cup debacle and last 16 elimination against France in Russia, but now Mario Kempes has said he wants to take over. "Of course!" he said when asked by current employers ESPN, for whom he works as a commentator, if he would be interested in the job. "There's a lot of work to do but there's enough time to come up with a good project to tackle a very interesting challenge, and I'm sure it would win," said Kempes, Argentina's star striker during their 1978 World Cup triumph, scoring two goals in the final. His assertion comes just two days after legend Maradona, who lifted the World Cup in 1986, offered to coach the team for free. Maradona spent two years at the Argentina helm from 2008 to 2010 but saw his side crash out of the South Africa World Cup in a humbling 4-0
Defending champ Muguruza out of Wimbledon as seeds scatter
Defending champion Garbine Muguruza was sensationally knocked out of Wimbledon by journeywoman Alison van Uytvanck, leaving just one of the top six seeds left after only two rounds. Belgian 47th-ranked Van Uytvanck triumphed 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 for her first-ever win over a top 10 opponent. Muguruza's defeat leaves just top seed Simona Halep, number seven Karolina Pliskova and 10th seed Madison Keys as the remaining top-ranked contenders after two rounds. In the men's event, third seed and last year's runner-up Marin Cilic was knocked out by Argentina's Guido Pella. Fourth seed Alexander Zverev was teetering on the brink of defeat when he trailed Taylor Fritz of the United States by two sets to one when their second round tie was suspended for the night. Elsewhere, Rafael Nadal overcame two time warnings and Novak Djokovic shrugged off a knee problem to battle into the third round. "I knew that if I let her play, I would lose so I thought, let's go for it," said 24-year-old Van Uytvanck, ...
Croatia look to seize moment against World Cup hosts Russia
Croatia are targeting the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1998 -- when they made their debut as an independent nation on football's biggest stage. It is unwise to look too far ahead at an event so full of surprises, but will a Croatian team facing host nation Russia in the last eight ever get a better chance to outdo the heroes of two decades ago? Zlatko Dalic's side showed in their comprehensive dismantling of Argentina during the group phase that they have no fear of the big names, and there is a strong case to say they are the best team left in their half of the draw. England might disagree, and the two countries could yet meet in the semi-finals. However, while Croatia needed penalties to beat Denmark in the last round, they have come to Sochi full of confidence. "We have shown in this World Cup that we have the right to hope for big things. We are playing really well and we have such players that we certainly should believe can go to the very end," said defender ...
Sweden stand in the way of England's World Cup charge
Enthused by an exciting young squad and a potentially kind draw against Sweden in tomorrow's quarter-final, England fans are starting to believe they can end a 52-year wait to win the World Cup. But the obdurate Scandinavians have a habit of upsetting the odds, particularly against England, having lost just one of eight previous competitive meetings. Confidence in England is soaring after the team ended a long wait to win a World Cup penalty shootout, squeezing past Colombia in a tense and bad-tempered last-16 tie in Moscow. "We'd like to bring it home," said England defender John Stones on Thursday. "I'd love to win a World Cup, England would love to win a World Cup. "It's been a long time since we last won it. We want to make people proud back home." England, World Cup winners in 1966, have already won over a public disaffected by an early exit in Brazil four years ago and an embarrassing defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016. Gareth Southgate's men have been drawing more viewers for their
Cristiano Ronaldo set to join Juventus?
Real Madrid's all-time top-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly all set to join Italian giants Juventus this summer.The 13-time and current European champions were expected to hold on to their star striker, with reports suggesting that the 33-year-old Portuguese is close to signing a contract with Juventus and that he has already agreed to a four-year contract worth €30 million per season.Juventus are also yet to negotiate a transfer fee, which will reportedly be in the €100m - €120m range with Madrid, goal.com reported.The speculations of Ronaldo's Madrid exit ran rife after the third successive Champions League victory over Liverpool in May, where the former Manchester United winger hinted his exit by referring to his time in Santiago Bernebeau in the past tense.The five-time Ballon d'Or winner also confessed his admiration for the 'Old Lady' after he scored a stunning overhead kick in Madrid's 3-0 victory over Juve in the quarter-finals.Rumours of the Portugal captain's ...
Cricket: West Indies v Bangladesh scoreboard
Scoreboard at stumps on the second day of the first Test of the two-match series between the West Indies and Bangladesh at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua: Bangladesh 1st Innings - 43 West Indies 1st Innings - overnight 201-2 K. Brathwaite c Mehidy Hasan b Shakib al Hasan 121 D. Smith c wkpr Nurul Hasan b Abu Jayed 58 K. Powell c Liton Das b Mahmudullah 48 D. Bishoo b Kamrul Islam 19 S. Hope c Tamim Iqbal b Abu Jayed 67 R. Chase lbw Mehidy Hasan 2 S. Dowrich c Liton Das b Shakib al Hasan 4 J. Holder c Liton Das b Mehidy Hasan 33 K. Roach lbw Mehidy Hasan 33 M. Cummins not out 1 S. Gabriel c Shakib al Hasan b Abu Jayed 5 Extras (b-3, lb-8, nb-1, w-3) 15 Total (137.3 overs, all out) 406 Fall of wickets: 1-113 (Smith), 2-194 (Powell), 3-246 (Bishoo), 4-272 (Brathwaite), 5-281 (Chase), 6-288 (Dowrich), 7-338 (Holder), 8-394 (Roach), 9-400 (Hope), 10-406 (Gabriel) Bowling: Abu Jayed 26.3-7-84-3 (2w), Rubel Hossain 17-3-44-0 (1nb, 1w), Kamrul Islam 20-3-69-1, Shakib al Hasan ...
Dominant Windies leave Bangladesh facing innings defeat
Bangladesh were sliding towards a massive innings defeat after the West Indies completely dominated the second day of the first Test match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. After Kraigg Brathwaite's seventh Test hundred anchored the West Indies first innings total of 406 to give the home side a first innings lead of 363, Shannon Gabriel compensated for a wicketless effort on the opening day with figures of four for 36 to reduce the visitors to 62 for six in their second turn at the crease by the close of play. Routed for just 43, their lowest-ever Test innings total, in the first innings, the Bangladeshis still need another 301 runs just to make the West Indies bat again going into day three. That looks an impossible prospect in conditions which are completely alien to them and in which the home side's quartet of fast bowlers has revelled. But for a no-ball delivered by Miguel Cummins in the last over of the day when he could have claimed the wicket of Mahmudullah, the ..
Wimbledon: Konta knocked out by Cibulkova
World No. 22 and British No. 1 Johanna Konta was on Thursday sent crashing out of the 132nd Wimbledon Championships, after unseeded Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova eased to a straight sets victory.In last year's edition of the Grand Slam, Konta's semi-final finish had home fans hoping she could be the first British woman since Virginia Wade in 1977 to be crowned Wimbledon champion.Dashing those hopes, however, Cibulkova emphatically saw off the 22nd seeded Konta, registering a 3-6, 4-6 victory in just under an hour and 20 minutes.Konta credited her opponent for being better on the day, saying that she found it difficult to get settled in the match because of Cibulkova's dominating display."When she's playing well, I think she goes for her shots. She looks to dictate. When she's playing well, she plays incredibly freely. She was hitting winners from five meters behind the baseline kind of thing. She was obviously seeing the ball very well and feeling very good in the way she wanted to ...