Page 1501 - Sports
Speed king Gabriel piles on misery for Sri Lanka
Shannon Gabriel's raw pace once again unsettled Sri Lanka's top order as they reached 79 for three at lunch after opting to bat first on the opening day of the second Test against the West Indies at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia on Thursday. Gabriel claimed the wickets of debutant opener Mahela Udawatte and returning middle-order batsman Dhananjaya De Silva while new ball partner Kemar Roach accounted for Kusal Perera in his second spell of the morning. Trailing in the three-match series after losing the first Test in Trinidad by 226 runs, the Sri Lankans will be looking to first Test century-maker Kusal Mendis and captain Dinesh Chandimal to lead them out of trouble in the afternoon session. Playing his first Test 10 years after his one-day international debut, which was also against the West Indies in the Caribbean, Udawatte endured the misfortune of repeating the experience of a decade ago in being dismissed for a duck. Gabriel took the outside edge of his bat to the second .
Robbie Williams enthralls fans as FIFA WC kicks off with bang
Fans from all over the world witnessed a glitzy and glamorous affair at the opening event of the much awaited FIFA World Cup 2018.The grand opening ceremony of FIFA World Cup kicked off today in Russia at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.The ceremony began just 30 minutes before the opening game between Russia and Saudi Arabia.British pop star Robbie Williams enthralled the crowd with his famous song 'Let me entertain you' and 'Angels'. Along with Williams, celebrated Russian soprano Aida Garifullina later joined him on stage.Opera singer Placido Domingo, popularly known as "the King of Opera" also performed at the grand event.Hollywood actor Will Smith and American singer and songwriter Nicky Jam also performed their official song 'Live It Up' along with 500 dancers and gymnasts at the event.Spain legend Iker Casillas and Russian supermodel and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova brought the World Cup trophy out onto the pitch.Former Brazil striker and two-time World Cup winner Ronaldo Nazario
Holders Falcons start with a tough win
Holders Falcons TTC survived a scare from Maharashtra United before prevailing 11-10 on points in the opening tie of the second Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) today. Captain Liam Pitchord, Bernadette Szocs, and Alvaro Robles led the charge for Falcons, winning four matches and fetching them eight points to gain the advantage. Maharashtra too were powered by their foreign players, Lily Zhang and Kristian Karlsson, who won their respective matches 3-0 to set the stage for an upset. American Zhang provided a flying start by defeating Falcons' Sutirtha Mukherjee in the first match, only to see the Falcons coming back by winning the next four matches. Maharashtra, however, won a game in each of those matches to stay ahead on points. Swede Karlsson, also the World No. 18, arrested the slide by defeating Sanil Shetty in all the three games to wrest the lead from Falcons 10-8. But Swede Matilda Ekholm swung the last match in Falcons' favour by upstaging Madhurika Patkar ...
Vinicius Junior prepares to join Real Madrid
Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior, who was recently sold by Flamengo to Real Madrid, played in what was likely his last match in Brazil before joining the Spanish football club.
Scoring century in single session was great thing: Dhawan
Describing his magnificent century against Afghanistan as a "great" one, seasoned opener Shikhar Dhawan on Thursday said he was not aware of the feat.
Defending champs Falcons win opening tie of UTT season two
Defending champions Falcons TTC survived a scare from Maharashtra United before prevailing 11-10 on points in the opening tie of the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) season two here tonight. Captain Liam Pitchord, Bernadette Szocs, and Alvaro Robles led the charge for Falcons, winning four matches and fetching them eight points to gain the advantage. Maharashtra too were powered by their foreign players, Lily Zhang and Kristian Karlsson, who won their respective matches 3-0 to set the stage for an upset. American Zhang provided a flying start defeating Falcons' Sutirtha Mukherjee in the first match, only to see the Falcons coming back by winning the next four matches. Maharashtra, however, won a game in each of those matches to stay ahead on points. Swede Karlsson, also the World No. 18, arrested the slide by defeating Sanil Shetty in three games to wrest the lead from Falcons 10-8. But Swede Matilda Ekholm swung the last match in Falcons' favour by upstaging Madhurika Patkar ...
Anil Kumar strikes gold as Gagan Narang misses out
After topping the charts in the qualification round, London Olympics bronze medalist Gagan Narang missed out on a medal in the 10M Air Rifle category as Madhya Pradesh's Anil Kumar annexed the gold on day two of the 18th KSS Memorial Shooting Championship here. Anil started off on the right foot and maintained his grip to score 246.7 while Air Force's Manoj Dalal scored 245.2 to take the second spot. Manoj's teammate from the Air Force also looked in great touch as clinched the bronze with a 224.6. In the 10M Air Rifle Youth Men category, Aishwarya Tomar of Madhya Pradesh had thought he done enough to clinch the gold with a 249.9, but Sahu Mane of Maharashtra shot to glory with a narrow difference of .2 on the cumulative score line (251.1). Rajasthan's Yashwardan settled for bronze with a 229.9. Para-shooter and last year's defending champion of the 10M Air Rifle (IPC) Standing Championship (Para), Swaroop Unhalkar of Maharashtra, left his opponents behind as he defended his title ...
Bengal politicos gear up to enjoy magic of FIFA World Cup
As football frenzy gripped the globe with the FIFA World Cup kicking off in Russia, the politicos in Bengal on Thursday let their political battles take the backseat as they geared up to soak in the spirit of the beautiful game taking place on a distant green turf.
Ready for game against Morocco, says Iran coach Queiroz
Noting that the first match against Morocco here on Friday will be a must-win for both sides, Iranian coach Carlos Queiroz said that the team is ready for the fixture.
Morocco to bid for hosting 2030 World Cup
After losing the 2026 World Cup bid, Morocco announced on Thursday that it will present a new bid to host the 2030 edition.
Egypt's goalkeeper thrilled as World Cup record looms
Egypt's goalkeeper Essam Al-Hadary on Thursday said he would be thrilled to be the oldest player to ever take part in the FIFA World Cup, when the Pharaohs take on Uruguay.
Kerala Boat Race League to be state's latest tourism product
The upcoming Kerala Boat Race League will evolve into a world-class tourism product, state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said on Thursday.
World Cup: Iran, Morocco aim to impress in opener (Preview)
Having failed to progress beyond the group stages in their previous appearances, Asian giants Iran will aim to rewrite history when they face Morocco in a Group B match of the FIFA World Cup here on Friday.
BCCI lauds Shikhar Dhawan for blistering ton against Afghanistan
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday congratulated Shikhar Dhawan for becoming the first Indian cricketer to score a century on the opening day of the one-off historic Test match against Afghanistan at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.Dhawan blazed his way to an unbeaten 104 off 91 balls with 19 fours and three sixes in the historic Test against Afghanistan.The previous record for the highest score by an Indian batsman was held by Virender Sehwag, who scored 99 not out against West Indies in Gros Islet. Dhawan is only the sixth batsman overall to get to triple figures in the first session.BCCI acting president, CK Khanna said, "Scoring a century in the first session is an incredible feat. I congratulate Shikhar Dhawan for his fabulous innings. It was a special knock, befitting the special occasion."Amitabh Choudhary, BCCI acting secretary said, "With his stunning batting display, Shikhar Dhawan ensured it was an outstanding morning in Bengaluru. We had ..
Uruguay coach lavishes praise on 'more mature' Suarez
Luis Suarez has "matured a great deal" and is primed to lead Uruguay's assault on the World Cup, coach Oscar Tabarez said on the eve of their opening game in Russia. Barcelona striker Suarez, a controversial figure who has had numerous run-ins with football authorities throughout his career, was thrown out of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and subsequently banned for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini. It was his third biting ban and cemented his place as one of the bad boys -- albeit a supremely talented one -- of world football. But now 31 and happily settled and scoring goals at the Camp Nou, Tabarez believes Uruguay are seeing the best of Suarez as a player and a person. "Luis Suarez is no doubt more mature now and he has matured a great deal," said Tabarez, the 71-year-old veteran who leads a Uruguayan side tipped as possible finalists in Russia by some. "What happened in Brazil is part of real life and of course a lesson to achieve more maturity not only as a footballer but
Ravi, Srinath retained as ICC umpire, match referee
India's Sundaram Ravi and Javagal Srinath were on Thursday retained as umpire and match referee by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which unveiled an unchanged list for the 2018-19 season.
Railway minister inspects ICF facilities
Railway minister Piyush Goyal today inspected the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) during his visit here and reviewed the production of railway coaches. The minister held discussions with officials of Southern Railway and ICF, an official said. The minister met 'Mahila Shakthi', an all-woman team of fitters and welders, the official added. ICF manufactures coaches for the Indian railways and also exports them to countries such as Thailand, Taiwan, Uganda, Nigeria, Mozambique and Sri Lanka.
World Cup kicks off in Russia
The World Cup kicked off in Russia Thursday as the host nation took on Saudi Arabia in front of 80,000 people in Moscow after President Vladimir Putin officially declared the tournament open. Russia is spending more than $13 billion (11 billion euros) on hosting football's showpiece, the most important event in the country since the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics. Minutes before the game started in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Putin said: "I congratulate all of you at the start of the most important championship in the world." The buildup has been dogged by controversy and diplomatic scandals and has shone a light on the challenges facing Putin's Russia. On the day of the curtainraiser, Russia freed the main opposition figure to Putin, Alexei Navalny, from jail after he served a 30-day sentence for organising an illegal protest. Excitement has been steadily building in Moscow, with thousands of Saudi fans in green and white arriving in the city for the match. British pop star Robbie ..
Salah fit to play, says Egypt's coach
Egypt's coach Hector Cuper on Thursday confirmed that forward Mohamed Salah is fit to play in Egypt's 2018 FIFA World Cup clash with Uruguay.
Salah declared fit to play Egypt World Cup opener
Mohamed Salah has recovered from his shoulder injury and barring a last-minute hitch the Egyptian star will play in their World Cup opener against Uruguay on Friday, coach Hector Cuper said. The striker's return after weeks of uncertainty is a massive boost for Egypt and for the tournament in Russia because it means one of the hottest players on the planet at the moment will be in action. "We still have to see how training goes today, but I can almost assure you 100 percent that he'll play, we are all very optimistic that he will be on the pitch," Cuper said on Thursday, shortly before leading out his squad at Yekaterinburg Arena -- with Salah among them. The 62-year-old Argentine Cuper added: "Salah is very good and he's recovered very quickly." Salah, who sustained the injury in Liverpool's Champions League final loss to Real Madrid on May 26, is crucial to Egypt's hopes of making it out of a weak-looking Group A also featuring hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia. Egypt play Uruguay -- ...