Page 1426 - Sports
Srikanth loses to Momota in Malaysia Open semifinals, bows out
Kidambi Srikanth went down in straight games to in-form Kento Momota of Japan in the semifinals and bowed out of the USD 700,000 Malaysia Open Super World Tour 750 tournament here today. Srikanth, who had reached world no 1 briefly in April, couldn't match the overall superior game of Momota, who has been in sensational form since making a comeback after serving a one year ban for illegal gambling. After a 42-minute battle, Srikanth lost 13-21 13-21 to the world no 11 Momota, who registered his 21st consecutive win here. Momota was quick on his feet and produced some excellent shots mixed with deception, to dominate the rallies. His smashes had power and precision to make life difficult for Srikanth. Srikanth and Momota went neck and neck from 3-3 to 5-5 before the Japanese rode on his deception and better court coverage to open up a 10-7 lead. Srikanth won a good rally but the Japanese had his nose ahead at the break when Srikanth was bamboozled by a tight net shot. The left-handed ..
Inter-state Athletics c'ship: Hima beats Nirmala, Dutee Chand in for Asian games
Hima Das claimed the bragging rights on the final day of the 58th National Inter State Athletics Championships by winning the marquee women's 400m race here on Friday.The 18-year-old clocked 51.13 seconds to pip Haryana's Nirmala Sheoran to the top of the podium at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.Das, who had earlier won the 200m, appeared to be in trouble with Sheoran having opened up a sizable lead at the final bend. Yet Das, running in lane 5 powered through the final stretch to catch up with Sheoran, running in lane 3, before pulling ahead in the final few meters of the race.Das' time was a new personal best for her. Her previous best was a time of 51.32 seconds that had seen her finish sixth at the Commonwealth Games. She also set a new meet record, erasing the previous mark of 51.48 seconds set by Sheoran at the 2016 edition of the Championships.Sheoran meanwhile clocked 51.25m, just .03 seconds off her own personal best of 51.22 seconds. Prachi of Uttar Pradesh came third with a time
Steve and me are good mates, says Warner
David Warner has refuted rumours of a rift with former captain Steve Smith in the wake of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, saying the banned Australian duo remain "good mates". Warner opened up about his relation with Smith after making a return to professional cricket in Canada's Global Twenty20 league. "Steve and me are good mates. If people hang in the hotel, they'll see us hanging out with each other and stuff. At the end of the day, it was a big thing that happened and for us, you've got to handle it in your individual way and then how you handle it collectively," Warner said here. A day after Smith made 61 on his return to cricket in the same tournament, Warner was bowled by Lasith Malinga's second ball in a far briefer stint at the batting crease. It was Warner's first match since he was banned alongside Smith and Cameron Bancroft by Cricket Australia in March for conspiring to scuff up the ball with sandpaper during the third Test against South Africa. Warner, a former ...
Malaysia Open: Sindhu, Srikanth aim for finals spot
Indian star shuttler PV Sindhu will be looking to enter the final of the Malaysia Open badminton championship when she collides with world number one Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan in the semi-final clash of the women's singles event here on Saturday.Earlier, Sindhu had swept aside Carolina Marin of Spain 22-20, 21-19 in a thrilling quarter-final clash that lasted for 52 minutes.Tzu Ying and Sindhu last faced each other in the final of the Australian Open 2017 where the Taiwanese shuttler defeated the Indian 10-21, 22-20, 21-16 to claim the trophy.As far as the head to head record is concerned, the world number one Taiwanese players has a better winning record as she leads the Olympic silver medalist 8-3 in last eleven encounters.Meanwhile, ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth will take on Japanese Kento Momota to seal a berth in the finals.The world number four had earlier crushed France's Brice Leverdez 18-21, 14-21 in a one-sided clash that lasted 39 minutes.
A day after Asiad team selection, miffed Heena meeting NRAI chief
Ignored for the Asian Games mixed team air pistol event, an upset Heena Sidhu is meeting the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Raninder Singh here today. The former world number one and Commonwealth Games gold medallist shooter Sidhu claimed that the selection committee was bending the rules for "favouring their favourites". According to Sidhu, the NRAI's selection committee tweaked their policy and flouted with selection criteria by including young pistol shooter Manu Bhaker in the Asian Games and World Championships squads, despite not meeting the selection requirement. NRAI sources said the shooter is meeting the president to express her grievances. Bhaker's inclusion reportedly pushed Sidhu to No. 2 in the 10m air pistol event and No. 3 in 25m sports pistol, from No. 1 in the 10m air pistol and No. 2 in 25m pistol. The new rankings mean Heena cannot shoot in the 10m mixed event and is excluded from the 25m pistol team. However, Sidhu will be competing in the air
India storm into Kabaddi Masters finals
Overcoming the slow start, India defeated the Republic of South Korea 36-20 in the semi-final of Kabaddi Masters Dubai here at Al Wasl Sports Club on Friday.Captain Ajay Thakur led from the front and Girish Ernak was a rock at the back for India as they sealed their place in the final.It was a sluggish start from Indian side, but after the first 10 minutes they asserted their supremacy on the match.Jang Kun Lee put up a spirited performance for the Republic of South Korea but didn't get enough support from his teammates. He opened Republic of South Korea's account in the first minute with a successful raid.Skipper Ajay Thakur got India's first point in the third minute. India leveled the match at 2-2 in the fourth minute with their first tackle point of the night. The Koreans got their first tackle point in the sixth minute. Jang Kun Lee produced a super raid in the 8th minute to give Republic of Korea 7-3 lead.Pardeep Narwal scored his first raid point as India trailed 4-7 after nine
Tiger equals best comeback score, hunts National title
Tiger Woods roared into contention for his first victory since 2013, matching the best round of his injury comeback with a five-under par 65 Friday at the US PGA Quicken Loans National. A spectacular chip-in and four putts beyond 15 feet were among his seven birdies, the 14-time major winner sharing 11th on five-under 135 after 36 holes at TPC Potomac, only four strokes behind US co-leaders Brian Gay, Beau Hossler and Ryan Armour. "I'm not that far from putting it together where I can win," Woods said. "The scores aren't going to be that low. The course is getting a little bit more difficult." Former world number one Woods, who hadn't played in the event he hosts since 2015 due to back pain, is making the 11th start of his return from spinal fusion surgery. While his 79 career US PGA victories are three shy of Sam Snead's all-time record, Woods has not won a title since the 2013 WGC Bridgestone Invitational and last captured a major at the 2008 US Open. "I'm not that far back," Woods .
Russia bid to rediscover mojo for Spain showdown
Hosts Russia must rebound quickly for tomorrow's World Cup last 16 clash with Spain, the 2010 champions who have slipped under the radar after a tumultuous start to the tournament. Resounding wins over Saudi Arabia and Egypt elevated expectations for Stanislav Cherchesov's side before they were dealt a dose of reality in a 3-0 loss to Uruguay. Dismissed as no-hopers little over a fortnight ago, Russia will try to get back onboard a wave of national euphoria and pull off what striker Artem Dzyuba called a "minor miracle". They make their first World Cup knockout stage appearance in the post-Soviet era as the ultimate underdogs. While Russia arrived at the finals winless in eight months before finding some badly-needed form, one of their better results in that period came in a 3-3 draw with Spain last November. For Sergei Ignashevich, one of three holdovers from the Russia side that lost to Spain in the semi-finals of Euro 2008, there are no secrets about their upcoming ...
Modric faces up to his final chance for World Cup glory
Croatia head into their World Cup last-16 match against Denmark spearheaded by evergreen midfielder Luka Modric, a player his teammate Ivan Rakitic has compared to Spain's Andres Iniesta. Four years with Iniesta at Barcelona and 11 alongside Modric for Croatia leaves Rakitic in a privileged position to judge two of the finest playmakers of the modern era. "It seems like both of them are from different planets and they came to play football with us mortals," Rakitic said. "Both of them are among the best players ever in their positions. You try to enjoy it as much as you can, to learn from them." Iniesta is regularly classed among the greats of the game and as a defining influence on Spain's success, but Modric's talents remain relatively unsung. Perhaps, in part, it is because Iniesta's brilliance has been backed up by achievements on the world stage -- he scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final -- while Modric has not hit the same heights with Croatia. Modric owns four ...
David Warner scores just 1 on return to competitive cricket
David Warner's return to cricket lasted just two balls when the former Australia vice-captain was dismissed for one run in his first game since the ball-tampering scandal. Warner is serving a 12-month ban from Cricket Australia for his role in the incident during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in March. Warner and former Australia captain Steve Smith, who was also banned due to the scandal, are free to play in the Global T20 Canada, where Warner made his comeback yesterday. Opening for the Winnipeg Hawks, Warner was clean-bowled by Lasith Malinga's first ball of the second over. Australian Ben McDermott top-scored with 68 runs as Winnipeg scored 203-4 to beat the Montreal Tigers (157 all out in 18.5 overs) by 46 runs. Smith, who is playing for the Toronto Nationals, fared better than Warner on his return after making 61 off 41 balls on Thursday.
Nadal to play in Brisbane ahead of Australian Open
World number one Rafael Nadal will launch his 2019 Australian campaign at the Brisbane International in January, organisers said today. The Spaniard first played the tournament last year and went on to reach the final of the Australian Open against Roger Federer. "I am really looking forward to starting another season in Brisbane. I'm so excited to be coming back in 2019," Nadal said. "The field is always strong and the venue is amazing." The Spaniard this month won an 11th French Open for his 17th Grand Slam title. The Brisbane International is held from December 30 to January 6.
World T20 number one spot on line in Zimbabwe
Australia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe meet in a T20 tri-series starting in Harare tomorrow with the world number one ranking on the line in the sport's shortest format. Pakistan travel to Zimbabwe as the world's top rated team but if the Australians are able to put their torrid tour of England behind them they could claim that status for themselves. Australia are in dire need of a confidence booster after enduring a 6-0 drubbing across limited overs formats on their tour of England, and ahead of their arrival in Zimbabwe coach Justin Langer insisted "there's light at the end of the tunnel." Australia slipped down to third in the ICC's T20 rankings after their defeat to England but could come out of the Zimbabwe tri-series with the top ranking if they are able to reverse their losing streak. The challenge is a stiff one, however, as Australia are currently missing six key limited overs players, with Steve Smith and David Warner currently serving bans while Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, ...
Batting collapse was disappointing: Ireland's Gary Wilson
Ireland skipper Gary Wilson has blamed his batsmen for a poor showing in the second T20I against India, as the hosts were bundled out for just 70 runs in a 214-run chase. India won the series 2-0 with this 143-run win, their biggest margin of victory (by runs) in T20I cricket. "It is very difficult to sum up the whole thing. I thought we were going quite well despite that they started very well with the bat again. But we seemed to drag it back in the middle period and then let them get away a touch in the end, which was disappointing," Wilson said. "At one point they were looking at 185-190, which we would have taken. Pitch was a little on the greener side, so we decided to bowl again, but we didn't lose the game because of that decision," Wilson said. A ruthless India demolished Ireland as spinners yet again tormented the hosts after an authoritative batting display by the visiting batsmen. "Again (our) batting was very disappointing and we rolled over for much less than what we ...
Two new balls system has killed reverse swing in ODIs, feels Umesh
Sachin Tendulkar has called it a "perfect recipe for disaster" and now India pacer Umesh Yadav has condemned the use of two new balls in One-day Internationals, saying it is killing the art of reverse swing while putting fast bowlers at great disadvantage. The 'two new balls' system was introduced by the ICC in 2011. Since then, there has been a spurt in the number of high-scoring games, the latest being the world record total of 481 posted by England against Australia. "Because of the two new balls, it is tough for the fast bowlers to contain runs. If you have only one ball then it gets older and older and you get reverse swing. With two balls, reverse swing is rarely seen in the ODI game right now, so it is difficult for fast bowlers especially if they don't get the lengths and the yorkers right," Umesh said. The pacer further spoke about the difficulties fast bowlers are facing whilst using two new balls in England. "If the ball isn't doing anything in the death overs, it is tough .
Will carry on with aggressive, confident mindset: Umesh Yadav
Pacer Umesh Yadav said the Indian cricket team will carry on with an "aggressive and confident mindset", ahead of the team's England tour.Addressing a press conference post the just-concluded T20I series against Ireland, Yadav praised the team's exceptional performance."I am happy with my performance as well. I really enjoyed my game. Whatever I have done in the Indian Premier League (IPL), I have done the same here. Hopefully, I continue giving my best in the future," he added.On his on and off selection in the Indian cricket team in the T20s, Umesh acknowledged that it was difficult to get a chance while adding that the management is giving opportunities to other fast bowlers."The team is well balanced with the presence of Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar], [Jasprit] Bumrah and [Mohammad] Shami. I'm not thinking whether I will be selected or not [in future games]. When my turn comes, I give my 100 percent," the 30-year-old Nagpur pacer said.On the two-ball rule in the One-Day Internationals
India blow away Ireland to take series
A combined effort by India's batsmen and bowlers thrashed a hapless Ireland by 143 runs to complete a 2-0 rout and take the T20I series at the Malahide Cricket Club Ground here on Friday.It was also India's second-biggest win in T20 Internationals.Ireland won the toss for the second time in a row under clear skies and asked India to bat first on a placid pitch.Prior to this game, India made four changes to their side, handing young pacer and IPL sensation Siddarth Kaul his first match.Unlike in the first T20 match, where Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan opened for India, it was K.L. Rahul and captain Virat Kohli who took over the opening proceedings.The openers made a rapid start to their innings before Irish pacer Peter Chase accounted for Virat (9) again when the latter skied a catch towards the deep.Thereafter, left-handed batsman Suresh Raina joined Rahul and the two began punishing the Irish bowlers by smashing a plethora of boundaries all over the park.Ireland once again erred in
India outclass Ireland in second T20I; pocket series 2-0
Powered by half centuries from Lokesh Rahul and Suresh Raina and a collective bowling effort, India registered their biggest T20I win after convincingly thrashing minnows Ireland by 143 runs in the second and final T20 International, to pocket the two-match series 2-0 here on Friday.
Clinical India humiliate Ireland by 143 runs for biggest T20 win
A ruthless India demolished Ireland by 143 runs to clinch the series 2-0 as spinners yet again tormented the hosts after authoritative batting show by the visiting batsmen in the second and final Twenty20 International, here today. India posted a massive 213 for four after being asked to take the first strike and then bundled out the hosts for a mere 70 in 12.3 overs. It was India's biggest victory margin (by runs) as they improved on the 93-run win over Sri Lanka at Cuttack in 2017. It was also the joint second-highest margin (by runs) in T20Is with Pakistan 143-run win over West Indies in Karachi earlier this year, and second to 172 runs by Sri Lanka against Kenya in 2007. It was also the lowest total against India in T20I cricket, with Ireland sinking lower than England's 80 at Colombo in 2012. Ireland never got off the blocks. Unlike in the previous game, they couldn't comprehend the raw pace of Umesh Yadav (2-19) and Siddarth Kaul (1-4). India's new pace duo reduced the ...
India's U-16 football team to embark on 3-nation tour
All India Football Federation's (AIFF) India U-16 teams are set to play international matches while on a month-long three-nation tour.In July, the team will be travelling to China, Thailand and Malaysia and will play 10-12 international matches which include seven matches against U16 national sides.The July leg is marked as AIFF's final preparation of the Indian boy's team ahead of the AFC (Asian Federation Cup) U 16 Championship which is scheduled on September 2018 in Malaysia.The Indian colts, coached by Bibiano Fernandes have been training in Kolkata for the five weeks as of now.The 25-member squad and seven support staff will now leave for Weinan city, China on June 30, 2018, to participate in the four-nation invitational tournament alongside the U16 national teams of DPR Korea, Thailand and host China.India will open their campaign against host China on July 03 followed by matches against Thailand on July 05, and DPR Korea on July 07.Bibiano's boys are scheduled to take on ...
German TV files complaint over insults against female commentator
German public broadcaster ZDF said today it has filed a criminal complaint against two individuals who insulted the channel and its World Cup commentator Claudia Neumann in social media posts. "ZDF has lodged a criminal complaint at the Mainz prosecutor's office against two social media users who made extremely derogatory remarks against Claudia Neumann and ZDF," the channel's director Thomas Bellut told the Mainz daily Allgemeine Zeitung. "There are apparently still some viewers who think that there is a problem that a woman is commentating on football," said Bellut after a meeting of the channel's advisory board. Neumann was among a handful of female sports journalists who made history this year by becoming the first women to commentate live on World Cup matches. But her station has had to leap to her defence as the 54-year-old repeatedly became the target of fierce ridicule and gender-based attacks. "We go after every attack against ZDF employees that constitutes a criminal ...