Page 1403 - Sports
England practice with spin-bowling machine to counter Kuldeep threat
England all-rounder Chris Jordan has insisted that his team doesn't have issues facing quality spin despite being foxed by Indian chinaman Kuldeep Yadav in the first T20 International of the three-match series. The second of the three-match series will be played in Cardiff on Friday, with the Men in Blue looking to wrap up the series by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead. We've been on a high in white-ball cricket for a while now. One game, one defeat, shouldn't change our confidence whatsoever. You still want to be on the front foot, and still want to play positive cricket. It was a good spell from Kuldeep Yadav, first of all, and then a very good innings from KL Rahul. They thoroughly deserved the win," said Jordan today. The big question ahead of the game is how England will contend with wrist spinners Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. We are not at all worried (about playing spin). We've got some very experienced players in our dressing room some very, very good players of spin. I think ..
Chandimal in Sri Lanka Test squad despite pending ball-tampering hearing
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) selectors on Thursday named Dinesh Chandimal in the 16-man squad for the two-Test series at home against South Africa, despite the skipper's availability hanging by a thread due to the impending ball-tampering hearing on July 10.
Wimbledon: Fabbiano stuns Wawrinka, advances to 3rd round
Italian qualifier Thomas Fabbiano on Thursday knocked out former world No. 3 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 7-6 (9-7), 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) to book a place in the third round of Wimbledon, equaling his best run ever in a Grand Slam tournament.
Uganda to battle in 2020 ICC World T20 eastern Africa region qualifier
Uganda's national cricket team on Thursday set off for neighbouring Rwanda where it will battle with other east African countries in the 2020 ICC World Twenty20 Africa Region Qualifier.
World Cup: Uruguay's defence to test France's attacking prowess (Preview)
France's lightning quick attack will be put to their toughest test when they take on Uruguay's unbreachable defence in a FIFA World Cup quarter-final clash here on Friday.
World Cup: Brazil's Ronaldo sweeps aside Neymar criticism
Former Brazil striker Ronaldo has brushed aside criticism of countryman Neymar for play-acting at the World Cup, saying it's "nonsense" and he is not protected by referees.
Five more Indians secure quota places for Youth Olympics
India earned five quota places in athletics for the upcoming Youth Olympics on the concluding day of the Asian Area qualification event here today. Sreekiran Nandakumar won the 800m race to book a quota place while Anu Kumar finished second as India dominated the half-mile event. Kumar missed out as Youth Olympics quota is only being awarded to one winner per country. Nandakumar clocked a time of 1:50.93 seconds while Kumar completed the race in 1:51.13 seconds. The result would be particularly satisfying for Tamil Nadu's Nandakumar who had been forced to drop out of the final of Junior Asian Championships last month after suffering from a severe migraine just before his contest. As a result, it was Kumar who had won that race in Gifu, Japan. The day started in a positive note for the Indian contingent as Suraj Soren claimed a silver medal in the 10000m race walk -- an event where three quota spots were on offer. Soren clinched his medal with a time 47:40.61 seconds. He finished just .
Cilic suffers shock Wimbledon exit
Marin Cilic suffered a shock Wimbledon second round exit as last year's runner-up blew a two-set lead in his 3-6, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 loss to Argentina's Guido Pella on Thursday. When rain forced the tie to be postponed on Wednesday evening, third seed Cilic was leading by two sets against an unheralded opponent who had never won a match at Wimbledon before this year. But the Croatian, who lost to Roger Federer in the 2017 final, collapsed once the match resumed on Court One and world number 82 Pella took full advantage to set up a third round clash with Mackenzie McDonald. Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, had been expected to mount a strong challenge for the Wimbledon title after winning the grass-court warm-up at Queen's Club two weeks ago. The big-serving 29-year-old had only once before lost to a player ranked as low as Pella at Wimbledon, when he was beaten by world number 145 Arnaud Clement 10 years ago. But after reaching the Australian Open final and French Open ...
Hima Das leads 31-strong Indian team at Junior World Athletics C'ships
Top Indian quartermiler Hima Das will lead a 31-member athletics team at the IAAF U-20 World Junior Championships to be held at Tampere, Finland from July 10 to 15. The 18-year-old Das, who has also been named in the Asian Games team, is a medal contender in the flagship junior event of the IAAF. She has been going from strength to strength ever since she first broke into the national scene with a pair of medals at the Indian U-18 Youth Nationals in February. Das has emerged as the fastest athlete in 200 and 400m in India. The athlete from Dhing village in Assam finished a creditable sixth in 400m event at Commonwealth Games in April. She is in red hot form heading into the competition in Finland, having won the 400m gold at the Inter State Senior Athletics Championships in Guwahati last month. Her winning time of 51.13 seconds makes her one of the favourites for the Junior Worlds with only one other athlete -- USA's Sydney McLaughlin -- having recorded a faster time this year. Das is
With sensational century, Rahul relieved to break 564-day jinx
In-form Indian batsman KL Rahul has heaved a sigh of relief after finally breaking his chain of half-centuries with a sublime hundred against England in the opening T20 International of the three-match series. He scored 101 not out off 54 balls to help India beat England by eight wickets, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Until Tuesday, Rahul had gone 564 runs without breaching the three-figure mark. His last hundred also came against England, in the fifth Test at Chennai on December 16, 2016, wherein he scored 199 runs. Since then, he had scored 10 Test half-centuries, one ODI half-century and three T20I half-centuries as well as two half-centuries for Karnataka in the 2017-18 Ranji season and six half-centuries for Kings XI Punjab in the 2018 IPL. He finally broke the jinx at Manchester. Trust me I know (it had been 564 days). Quite honestly I didn't know what to make of it, whether I was in form or out of form. I kept getting the fifties and was getting out.
TOP Scheme will be reviewed after Asian Games: SAI DG
The beneficiaries under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) will be thoroughly reviewed after the upcoming Asian Games and the administrative mechanism of the programme will be completely overhauled, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said today. Under the TOP Scheme, some 180-odd athletes are currently getting financial assistance from the government for their training to prepare for the Asian Games and 2020 Olympics. "We will have an entire restructuring of the TOP Scheme. First, we will have a complete review of the beneficiaries after the Asian Games. Many of them are there in the list in view of the Asian Games," SAI Director General Neelam Kapur told reporters today. Asked if there would be drastic reduction in the number of beneficiaries, she said, "Let us wait for the Asian Games to be over." "We as a country are not currently at a stage where we can win a lot of medals (in Olympics). The idea is to nurture talented and deserving athletes. Ten years down the line, TOPS ...
IAAF rejects 51 Russian athletes' applications for neutral status
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has rejected the applications of 51 Russian athletes since January 2018 to get the neutral status required for performing in international competitions, the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) spokeswoman Natalya Yukhareva said Thursday.
East Bengal rope in Quess as new investor
City football giants East Bengal on Thursday roped in Quess, one of Indias leading business services providers, as its investor.
Quess Corp inks partnership with East Bengal Football Club
BSE-listed Quess Corp Ltd today said it has collaborated with the East Bengal football club, the 98-year-old football club in Kolkata, to set up a new entity -- Quess East Bengal FC (QEBFC). Previously, the iconic club had an agreement with UB Group, which ended last month. "This investment in a 98-year-old iconic football club, which is among the premium football clubs in India, enables Quess to develop its brand and at the same time, contribute to sports participation and the development of football in the country," Quess said in a statement. Quess CMD Ajit Isaac said as the company develops from being a services provider to building multiple platforms with a large number of employees and customers, it is necessary that it invests in long-term branding initiatives. The partnership with EBFC provide exactly this and the company is excited by the possibility of contributing to the development of football in India, he added. "We were contemplating options after our association with UB .
Asian Champions Trophy 2018: India to open against Oman
The Indian men's hockey team will begin their campaign at the fifth men's Asian Champions Trophy against hosts Oman here on October 18.The tournament will be contested between six teams including India, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Korea, Japan and Oman.The Indian team is ranked highest in the tournament and will be the favourites to retain their title. However, the World No. 6 team will face tough challenges from the likes of world number 12 Malaysia and world number 13 Pakistan.Each team will play a total of five Round-Robin matches, the conclusion of which will see four teams qualify for the semi-final matches, while the remaining two teams will play each other in a qualification match for the 5th spot.Indian chief coach Harendra Singh has shown faith in his team and said that the tournament would serve as a good preparation opportunity for the upcoming hockey men's World Cup."The 5th men's Asian Champions Trophy 2018 will serve as good preparation for our team to get into the rhythm .
Hua Shan Cup: India concede defeat to Thailand
The Indian Under-16 football team went down 1-3 against Thailand in the four-nation Hua Shan Cup CFA International Youth Football Tournament here on Thursday.Two lapses of concentration, the first in the 88th minute and the other in the 90th minute, proved costly for the Indian team as Thailand capitalised on the same to score two goals in the last three minutes.The Indians, who are currently on an exposure trip in China, started the match on an attacking note and tested the opposition defence early on. In the 9th minute, Vikram Pratap Singh shot inches wide of the goal as the Indian Under-16s pressed to take an early lead.In the 12th minute, Rohit Danu released a pass for Givson inside the box but the latter failed to make the most out of the chance.Thailand, nevertheless, did not suppress and their persistence eventually paid off when they took the lead in the 41st minute.Changing over, the Indian Colts came out with all guns blazing and restored parity in the 48th minute when ...
Soccer: Juve shares rise over Ronaldo transfer reports
MILAN (Reuters) - Shares in Juventus FC jumped almost 10 percent on Thursday on the back of reports that Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo might soon join the Italian club.
Assam CM lays foundation stone of sports complex
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today laid the foundation stone of a Rs 139.82 crore multi-purpose sports complex here and urged people to adopt sports as a way of life. The proposed sports complex at Khanikar Park is to be constructed with financial aid from central government under Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also decided to build a National Cricket Academy in Dibrugarh, the chief minister said. "Sports help keep the mind and body fit and healthy. It is important in everyday life. Increasing the number of hospitals is not the solution to our health issues. It is sports which can give us enduring health", he said. Addressing the function organised by the state Sports and Youth Welfare Department, Sonowal said, sports also help build character and personality. Observing that many parents hesitate to allow their children to take up sports as a serious discipline, he said such an attitude affects ...
Srikanth returns to top-5; Saina also moves up in BWF rankings
Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth reclaimed his place in top-five following his semifinal finish at the Malaysia Open while Saina Nehwal gained a spot to be number nine in the latest BWF rankings released today. Srikanth, now ranked five, was placed seventh before the Malaysia Open, where he lost his last-four clash to the reigning Asian champion Kento Momota. Meanwhile, Rio Olympics silver medallist P V Sindhu remained unchanged at number three in the women's singles. HS Prannoy, who shocked Lin Dan at the Indonesian Open, dropped one spot to 14th while Sameer Verma was ranked 20th, just ahead of B Sai Praneeth. Vaishnavi Reddy Jakka gained two places to be 53rd while Sri Krishna Priya Kudaravalli slid spots to 78th. South Asian Games gold medallist Ruthvika Shivani Gadde jumped three spots to 90th. In men's doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty dropped two places to 21st while Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy are now 28th. In women's doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki .
Zaman's career-best 73 sparks Pakistan to victory over Australia
Pakistan's opener Fakhar Zaman blazed his way to a career-best 73 as his side completed a clinical 45-run victory over Australia on Thursday in the Twenty20 tri-series in Zimbabwe. Pakistan batted first, with Zaman's knock helping his side race to 194 for 7. Then left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi starred with three wickets as Pakistan's bowlers held Australia to 149 for 7 in a match which was effectively a dress rehearsal for Sunday's final. Pakistan lost Haris Sohail for a golden duck after being put in to bat on a chilly midwinter morning in Harare, but Zaman and Hussain Talat wrested back control back with a rapid 72-run stand. Talat cracked three fours and a six before playing one shot too many to be bowled by Glenn Maxwell's offspin. Zaman continued to middle his aggressive strokes and went to a 33-ball 50, his third for Pakistan in this format, with a slog sweep for six, while another big hit off Andrew Tye's seamers took the batsman past his previous best of 61. An edged four took