Page 1459 - Sports

Kohli & Co. depart for Ireland, England tour

The Indian men's cricket team left for the upcoming two-month long tour, featuring series against Ireland and England, from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Saturday.India are heading into the clash on the back of their crushing win by an innings and 262 runs in the historic one-off Test match against minnows Afghanistan inside two days.England, on the other hand, are fresh from their five-match ODI series win over Australia. They have already clinched the series by winning the first three games.Meanwhile, Ireland recently made their Test debut against Pakistan at the Malahide Cricket Club Ground in Malahide, where the latter went on to win by five wickets.Yesterday, Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who was ruled out of his maiden English county stint due to a neck injury, had confirmed that he was absolutely fit for the upcoming series against England.Earlier, the 29-year-old sustained the injury during his campaign with the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the 11th edition ..

Sonia, Mandeep, Lovlina in final; Shiva grabs bronze at Ulaanbaatar Cup

Indian boxers continued to impress in the Ulaanbaatar Cup with Sonia Lather (57kg), Mandeep Jangra (69kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) advancing to the final of their respective categories even as seasoned Shiva Thapa had to settle for the bronze medal in a mixed first session here on Saturday.

Botha to coach Guyana Amazon Warriors in CPL

Former South Africa all-rounder Johan Botha has been appointed head coach of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise has announced.

Germany face crunch Sweden clash as Belgium eye knockouts

Germany can ill afford another slip-up when they take on Sweden at the World Cup today, as the defending champions attempt to follow Brazil's lead by belatedly springing into life. Joachim Loew's side slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Mexico in their opening Group F match, paying the price for a calamitous first half in a performance that drew stinging, widespread criticism. Lothar Matthaeus, the 1990 World Cup-winning captain, said he hadn't seen a Germany team "so weak at a big tournament for a long time" following the loss in Moscow. The holders will likely be without defensive pillar Mats Hummels due to a neck injury, while Marco Reus could be handed a start after a bright 30-minute cameo off the bench against Mexico. "Everyone is ready to fight for their lives," said striker Timo Werner, who is again set to lead the Germany attack. With 10 World Cup goals to his name, Germany will also expect more from Thomas Mueller at his third finals appearance. "The pressure is terrifically ...

Chechen strongman makes Egypt's Salah honorary citizen

After his team crashed out of the World Cup, Egypt's star player Mohamed Salah has won a consolation prize in the form of honorary citizenship of Chechnya. Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov wrote on Telegram that he had presented the Liverpool star with the honorary title while hosting a dinner for the Egypt team, whose World Cup training base is in the Chechen capital Grozny. "Mohamed Salah is an honorary citizen of Chechnya! That's right!" Kadyrov wrote late Friday. "Tonight I signed a decree to grant the high honour to the great footballer who plays for Egypt and Liverpool." Kadyrov, supported by Russia's President Vladimir Putin, rules Chechnya with an iron fist, drawing constant condemnation from human rights groups. He is known as an ardent football fan and in 2013 took to the public address system during a match involving Chechen team Akhmat (formerly Terek) to publicly insult the referee. Salah has been photographed smiling and clasping hands with Kadyrov during the ...

Chandimal to miss Barbados Test after ball-tampering appeal rejected

Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal is all set to miss his side's day-night Test match against West Indies in Barbados after Judicial Commissioner Michael Beloff QC rejected the player's appeal against ball-tampering charges.The 28-year-old was found guilty of changing the condition of the ball during the second day's play in the second Test against the Caribbean side in breach of clause 41.3 of the ICC's Standard Test Match Playing Conditions.Beloff QC, who is also the Chairman of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission, heard Chandimal's appeal against his one-Test suspension on Friday in a four-hour hearing in which both parties were represented by legal counsel.While announcing his decision, Beloff QC said, "I express my gratitude to all who, though located in four different places, London, Colombo. Dubai and Barbados, collaborated in enabling me to reach a decision in time for the third test between the West Indies and Sri Lanka.''Accordingly, the original decision of the ICC Match ...

Germany face tough Sweden challenge in FIFA WC

Defending champions Germany will look to shake off their disappointing start to the FIFA World Cup, when they take on 24th ranked Sweden in Group F in their second match of the tournament here at the Fisht Stadium on Saturday.Germany are coming off in the clash on the back of their dismal 0-1 defeat at the hands of Mexico in their opening match of the showpiece event at the Luzhniki Stadium.Mexico's Hirving Lozano notched up the only goal of the game as the German players kept scratching their heads and gazing at one-another with confused looks.Sweden, on the other hand, strolled past South Korea 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup opener to earn full three points.Now, Germany will be desperate to pick up three full points against Sweden team if they want to keep their chances of progressing in Group F, which also features Mexico and South Korea.Meanwhile, Sweden - along with Mexico - are currently standing atop of Group F after winning their opening match and could prove to be a difficult side

Justin Kluivert leaves Ajax for AS Roma

Ajax and AS Roma have reached an agreement on the transfer of 19-year-old winger Justin Kluivert to Italy, both football clubs have announced.

Farbrace to coach England for T20Is against Australia, India

England's assistant coach Paul Farbrace will step up as the coach for the one-off T20 match against Australia at Edgbaston on June 27 and the three T20s against India from July 3-8.

Lakmal to lead Sri Lanka in pink-ball Test

Sri Lanka Cricket on Saturday named paceman Suranga Lakmal as skipper for the third and final Test against the West Indies that gets underway here late Saturday -- with a pink ball and under lights.

Sonia, Mandeep in final; Shiva takes bronze at Mongolian boxing tourney

World silver-medallist Sonia Lather (57kg) and Mandeep Jangra were among the finalists but Shiva Thapa (60kg) signed off with a bronze medal in a mixed first semifinal session for India at the Ulaanbaatar Cup boxing tournament in Mongolia today. Also making the final was Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), a gold-medallist at the India Open earlier this year. Ending with bronze medals were Shiva and Bina Devi Koijam (48kg), the latter a direct entrant into the last-four stage owing to the small size of the draw. While Shiva lost a closely-contested bout to home favourite Battumur Misheelt, Bina was out-punched by Korean Kim Kum Sun. Sonia, a two-time world and Asian championships silver-medalist, defeated Tiantian Zhao of China in a split decision. The Indian looked off-colour in the opening round, which Zhao dominated with her well-connected right hooks. However, Sonia staged a strong recovery in the second and third rounds, drawing from her huge reservoir of experience to fetch a ...

Sahibzada Farhan eager to don Pakistan jersey

First-class Pakistan cricketer Sahibzada Farhan, who opens batting for Islamabad United in Pakistan Super League (PSL), has said that he is ready to play international cricket for Pakistan."I feel that I am ready for international cricket and playing in the PSL has a lot to do with that\," Farhan told Pakpassion.net, as reported by the Express Tribune."The reason is simple; in the PSL, you are batting against some of the best bowlers in the world and because the PSL is one of the world's top T20 leagues, if one can play in this tournament and learn from it, then there is no doubt that one can easily play at the international level as well," he further noted.The 22-year-old played a crucial role in steering Islamabad United to second PSL title this year. His quick knock of 44 runs in 33 balls came handy in the victory of the Misbah-ul-Haq-led side.The middle-order batsman talked highly of his PSL experience and said that it was a learning experience for him to play alongside best ...

FIFA World Cup: Costa Rica disappointed after Brazil defeat

Costa Rican fans and media were bitter after their team was eliminated from the 2018 Russia World Cup, after losing 0-2 to Brazil.

FIFA World Cup: Argentinian keeper Caballero hit hard by his error

Argentinia's goalkeeper Wilfredo Caballero has admitted to going through very tough times following his costly mistake in the game against Croatia during the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup: Serbia question non-use of VAR

Serbian football association vice president Savo Milosevic has questioned why the video assistant referee (VAR) was not used for a penalty appeal during his team's 1-2 World Cup loss to Switzerland here.

Federer eyes final Halle Open berth

World number one Roger Federer will aim to book his place in the finals of the ongoing Halle Open, when he squares off with Denis Kudla of America in their last-four clash of the men's singles event here on Saturday.Yesterday, the Swiss maestro continued his rich vein of form as he crushed his Australian opponent Matthew Abden 7-6, 7-5 in a thrilling semi-final encounter that lasted one hour and 28 minutes.With this win, Federer extended his winning streak on the grass-court to 19 matches.The 20-time Grand Slam champion will now continue his quest for ninth Halle Open title when he meets Kudla for a place in the summit showdown later today.Federer, who recently won his 98th title by defeating his Canadian opponent Milos Raonic in straight sets in the finals of Stuttgart Open, is spending his second consecutive week on the grass court in the build-up to the third major of the season, that is, Wimbledon.The nine-time Halle Open champion, who recently climbed up to the top ranking for ...

Always steel-to-steel match against Croatia: Iceland coach

Iceland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said his team will give all out to beat Croatia and expects a tough match against their old foes in the last round of the World Cup Group D actions.

Brazil's Temer congratulates team on first 2018 World Cup victory

Brazil's President Michel Temer congratulated the national football team for their victory against Costa Rica in the second group match in Russia World Cup.

Indian Olympians recall universal values on Olympic Day

The Olympians Association of India (OAI) today recalled the power of sport in uniting peoples and cultures to mark the Olympic Day and vowed to work for the betterment of those who have brought laurels to the country so that they do not become "forgotten heroes". Joining hands with their counterparts all over the world in celebrating the World Olympic Day, the Indian Olympians' umbrella body said it was facilitating various programmes to have the Olympians contribute their experiences and expertise to inspire all, including the next generation of budding champions. "Recognising the power of sport and the Olympic movement, we look inwards at our 1985 Indian Olympians who have represented our country at Olympic Games since 1900," the OAI said in a press release. "In the Olympic Charter, Olympism is expressed as a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way ..

Chandimal to miss 3rd Test after losing appeal over ball-tampering charges

Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal will miss the third and final Test against the West Indies in Barbados beginning today after losing his appeal against ICC's decision to ban him for a match following a ball-tampering row. "Judicial Commissioner, Michael Beloff, has dismissed Dinesh Chandimal's appeal after the Sri Lanka captain was found guilty of changing the condition of the ball during the second day's play in the second Test against the Windies in St Lucia on Saturday," ICC said in a statement. ICC Match Referee Mr Javagal Srinath had slapped Chandimal with two suspension points, which equates to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20s, and fined 100 per cent of his match fee after finding him guilty of attempting to change the condition of the ball by applying a foreign substance. Chandimal was charged with ball tampering after video evidence indicated that he applied saliva to it shortly after putting what the ICC suggested was a sweet into his mouth during the second Test