Page 1535 - Sports
Panama loses midfielder Quintero due to foot fracture
The Panamanian national football team have lost midfielder Alberto "Negrito" Quintero due to a fracture in his right foot, which he sustained during the pre-World Cup friendly match with Norway, which the team lost 0-1.
Belgium rout Salah-less Egypt 3-0 in pre-World Cup friendly
Belgium got goals from Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Marouane Fellaini in a 3-0 friendly victory here over Egypt, whose super-star striker Mohamed Salah is out with an injury and trying to recover in time for the FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Mike Hesson to step down as New Zealand head coach
With less than a year to go for 2019 World Cup, Mike Hesson has announced that he would step down as the head coach of New Zealand cricket team by the end of next month.Hesson, who still has a year left in his current contract, said that he took the decision in order to take a break from the rigours of international cricket and spend more time with his family.Following six successful years at the position, the 43-year-old revealed that he no longer feels confident to give 100 percent to his job for another one year and, therefore, he believes it is the right time for him to step down."This job requires 100 percent commitment and is all consuming.I know what's required over the next 12 months, but if I'm honest, I don't feel I have the capacity to give the job what it deserves," the New Zealand Cricket quoted Hesson, as saying."NZC, in particular David White and the board, have given me incredible support, including flexibility and options. But the idea of missing a match, a tour or a .
Halep faces Muguruza challenge for French Open final spot
World number one Simona Halep will aim to book her place in the finals of the ongoing French Open when she crosses swords with Spanish-Venezuelan player Garbine Muguruza in their last-four clash here on Thursday.Yesterday, the Romanian tennis star bounced back strongly from a set down to eventually prevail 12th seed Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-2 in a thrilling quarter-final clash of the women's singles event that lasted two hours and 14 minutes.With the win, Halep booked her place in the third Roland Garros semi-finals.Muguruza, on the other hand, came off a straight sets win over Russia's Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-1 to storm into the last-four.While top-seed Halep is chasing her maiden Grand Slam title at the Roland Garros, Muguruza is bidding to make her fourth Grand Slam final and second career French Open final.The two players have met each other four times previously, with Muguruza winning three of those meetings--including 2017 Cincinnati Masters finals.However, .
Salah's Iraqi lookalike dreams of football glory
With his black beard, curly hair and football shirt, Iraqi striker Hussein Ali is often mistaken for one of the world's top players: Egypt's Mohamed Salah. In the Iraqi capital Baghdad, 20-year-old Ali is frequently stopped in his working-class Hurriya neighbourhood by people wanting a photograph with their idol. Although he is himself a striker, for the Al-Zawraa club, it is Ali's likeness to Salah which piques Iraqis' interest. "At the first training session, he introduced himself as 'Hussein Ali'. I replied, 'No, no, you are Mohamed Salah," said Ali's coach Adnan Mohammad. Back when Salah was playing for AS Roma, Ali was aware of the resemblance but took the comments as "a joke". But when the Egyptian shot to global fame in the Premier League -- becoming "the number one footballer for all Arabs" according to Ali -- his Iraqi doppelganger started to seriously work on his image. Since then, he has started wearing the red shirt of Salah's club Liverpool. "It's the real shirt, bought ..
No pressure, no expectations as Halep eyes fourth Slam final
Simona Halep insists she feels "no pressure, no expectation" as she looks to reach a fourth Grand Slam final at the French Open. The 26-year-old Romanian tackles 2016 Roland Garros winner and reigning Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza for a place in Saturday's final. World number one Halep was runner-up in Paris in 2014, where she was beaten by Maria Sharapova, and last year, going down to Jelena Ostapenko after squandering a set and 3-0 lead. Her Slam misery continued at the Australian Open in January where she lost in three sets to Caroline Wozniacki. "I have no expectations, no pressure," said Halep after seeing off German 12th seed Angelique Kerber 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-2 in the quarter-finals yesterday. "I just want to play as I did today, and as I did every day. If I do that, I will be okay after the match, no matter the result." On Wednesday, Halep looked anything but the top seed, slipping 4-0 down in the first set before she rallied to defeat Kerber, a two-time major winner who
Morgan warms up for Australia series with Middlesex ton
England captain Eoin Morgan was in the runs ahead of the forthcoming limited-overs series against Australia with a century for Middlesex against Gloucestershire in county cricket's One-Day Cup. Morgan struck seven fours and five sixes in a 69-ball innings of exactly 100 in Bristol before he holed out in the deep off the bowling of Benny Howell. Fellow Irishman Paul Stirling batted through the innings for 127 not out, with Hilton Cartwright making a quickfire unbeaten 60 in a Middlesex total of 322 for three. Gloucestershire could only manage 289 all out in reply, with New Zealand's James Franklin taking three for 42. But a 33-run victory for the visitors was not enough to take them into the knockout stages of this 50 overs per side competition, with results elsewhere in the South Group going against Middlesex. England face Scotland in a stand-alone one-day international in Edinburgh on Sunday before a five-match series against old rivals Australia gets underway at The Oval on ...
Norway dampen Panama's pre-World Cup hopes
World Cup-bound Panama saw their hopes of a morale-boosting pre-tournament win crumble after just four minutes in a 1-0 defeat to Norway. Panama will make their World Cup debut in Russia, where the central Americans will face England, Belgium and Tunisia in Group G. But Hernan Dario Gomez's men will be hoping for an upturn in fortunes after this latest setback ahead of the June 14-July 15 showpiece. At the Ulleval stadium in Oslo, Norway, who are not qualified for the World Cup, took a fourth-minute lead through Joshua King. Worryingly for Panama, the visitors struggled to create scoring chances, compounding a pre-World Cup preparation that has produced draws with Wales (1-1) and Northern Ireland (0-0) and defeats to Iran (2-1), Denmark (1-0) and Switzerland (6-0). Panama kick off their campaign against Belgium in Sochi on June 18, the same day group G opponents Tunisia host England.
Hazard hones World Cup form in 3-0 friendly win over Egypt
Eden Hazard scored once and assisted another goal in a 3-0 pre-World Cup friendly win over Egypt that gave worried Belgium fans hope of a promising World Cup campaign. Drawn in Group G containing England, Tunisia and tournament debutants Panama, Belgium are expected to cruise into the second round of the June 14-July 15 showpiece. However embattled coach Roberto Martinez has yet to win over fans, and is sweating over the fitness of key defenders Thomas Vermaelen (thigh) and Vincent Kompany (groin), both injured. Chelsea star Hazard, who survived a kick to his knee in the opening minute, forcing him off at half-time, said it was a performance Belgium would have to repeat in Russia if they want to progress. "I came off at half-time because I took a knock to my knee, but there's nothing to worry about, it will be better tomorrow," he said. "It was nice to add some rhythm to the match, to create some movement and score as well. "If we want to go far in the World Cup, we'll have to be as ..
Title-chasing Hamilton returns to happy hunting ground
Lewis Hamilton returns to his happiest stomping ground this weekend when he seeks to extend his world championship lead with a record-equalling seventh triumph at the Canadian Grand Prix. The defending four-time champion, who leads nearest rival and fellow four-time champion Sebastian Vettel by 14 points after six races, claimed his maiden Formula One win at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2007. Since then Hamilton has added five more wins including a hat-trick of Mercedes triumphs in 2015, 2016 and 2017 to move within reach of becoming the first man to secure four straight pole positions - he converted pole in each of those years - and four consecutive wins. Hamilton's pole success last year enabled him to equal three-time champion Ayrton Senna's record of 65 pole positions, a feat that saw him presented by the Senna family with a helmet worn by the great Brazilian. That display of emotion confirmed Hamilton's unchallenged supremacy in Montreal, but he faces a much more difficult ...
Lord's inspires Australia's World Cup 'dream'
Australia captain Tim Paine believes training at Lord's has fuelled the team's "dream" of appearing in next year's World Cup final at the 'home of cricket'. The reigning world champions have been at Lord's this week ahead of a one-day international series against England. The five-match contest, which gets underway across London at The Oval on June 13, will mark the first time Australia have been in international action since March's ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. The fall-out from one of the most humiliating episodes in Australian cricket history led to year-long bans for former captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner, as well as a nine-month suspension for batsman Cameron Bancroft, who applied sandpaper to the ball during the third Test in Cape Town in a flagrant breach of cricket's rulebook. Darren Lehmann subsequently resigned as team coach, with Justin Langer succeeding his fellow former Australia batsman. It was at Lord's where the now 33-year-old Paine made his
New Zealand cricket coach Hesson quits
New Zealand cricket coach Mike Hesson announced Thursday he was quitting, a year out from the World Cup, citing family reasons. During his 6-year tenure, the 43-year-old -- described by former captain Brendon McCullum as "the best coach the Blackcaps have ever had" -- guided the team to new heights across all three formats. Although he had a year left on his contract, Hesson said he no longer felt fully committed to the role and his resignation would take effect at the end of next month. "I know what's required over the next 12 months, but if I'm honest, I don't feel I have the capacity to give the job what it deserves," he said. Hesson said he had no job to go to and his motivation for standing down was based purely on a need to pause and refresh, and to spend more time with his family. New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said he had tried to persuade Hesson to stay on, but that he understood his reasons for walking away. "Mike has overseen one of NZC's most successful ..
Holder, Dowrich rescue Windies in Sri Lanka opener
West Indies rode their luck through a challenging first day of the first Test against Sri Lanka to reach 246 for six at stumps at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad today. A 90-run sixth-wicket partnership between captain Jason Holder and wicketkeeper-batsman Shane Dowrich was critical in wresting the initiative from the tourists after they had chosen to bat first in conditions that did not appear particularly taxing. However the Sri Lankan seamers put in a tremendous effort on a generally placid surface with Lahiru Kumara leading the way in claiming three for 57 off 18 overs, including the important wicket of Holder for 40 just when it seemed the all-rounder was about to accelerate against a tiring attack in a long final session marking the start of the visitors' first-ever three-match Test series in the Caribbean. Yet Dinesh Chandimal's team had only themselves to blame for letting the home side off the hook after the tea interval. Holder only added two runs after being badly missed .
Cricket: West Indies v Sri Lanka scoreboard
Scoreboard at the close of play on the first day of the first Test between the West Indies and Sri Lanka at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad: West Indies 1st Innings K. Brathwaite c wkpr Dickwella b Lakmal 3 D. Smith run out 7 K. Powell b Kumara 38 S. Hope c wkpr Dickwella b Kumara 44 R. Chase c Mathews b Herath 38 S. Dowrich not out 46 J. Holder c wkpr Dickwella b Kumara 40 D. Bishoo not out 0 Extras (b-10, lb-14, nb-4, w-2) 30 Total (84 overs, 6 wkts) 246 Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Brathwaite), 2-40 (Smith), 3-80 (Powell), 4-134 (Hope), 5-147 (Chase), 6-237 (Holder) To bat: K. Roach, M. Cummins, S. Gabriel. Bowling: S. Lakmal 16-4-38-1 (2nb), L. Gamage 18-5-44-0 (2nb), D. Perera 16-1-42-0, L. Kumara 18-1-57-3 (2w), R. Herath 16-4-41-1. Toss: West Indies Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK), R. Kettleborough (ENG) Match Referee: Javagal Srinath (IND).
Cricket: West Indies v Sri Lanka scoreboard
Scoreboard at the close of play on the first day of the first Test between the West Indies and Sri Lanka at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad: West Indies 1st Innings K. Brathwaite c wkpr Dickwella b Lakmal 3 D. Smith run out 7 K. Powell b Kumara 38 S. Hope c wkpr Dickwella b Kumara 44 R. Chase c Mathews b Herath 38 S. Dowrich not out 46 J. Holder c wkpr Dickwella b Kumara 40 D. Bishoo not out 0 Extras (b-10, lb-14, nb-4, w-2) 30 Total (84 overs, 6 wkts) 246 Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Brathwaite), 2-40 (Smith), 3-80 (Powell), 4-134 (Hope), 5-147 (Chase), 6-237 (Holder) To bat: K. Roach, M. Cummins, S. Gabriel. Bowling: S. Lakmal 16-4-38-1 (2nb), L. Gamage 18-5-44-0 (2nb), D. Perera 16-1-42-0, L. Kumara 18-1-57-3 (2w), R. Herath 16-4-41-1. Toss: West Indies Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK), R. Kettleborough (ENG) Match Referee: Javagal Srinath (IND).
Sitharaman flags-in NIMAS expedition team to Mt Everest
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman flagged-in the expedition team to Mount Everest which was conducted successfully by National Institute for Mountaineering and Allied Sports (NIMAS) in Arunachal Pradesh's Dirang village.Sitharaman yesterday congratulated the team led by director and team leader Colonel Sarfraz Singh for their remarkable achievement.It is for the first time that any national institute expedition team has put eight members on the top of Mt. Everest in their maiden attempt.The expedition started from South Ridge of Everest from Nepal side on April 2 from Lukla to Everest Base camp via Namche.The team scaled Mt. Lobuche in Nepal on April 20 as part of acclimatization and final conditioning training.The rotational training to higher camps was carried out by the team up to Camp-3 (7200M) from April 22 to May 10.All the eight members of the team successfully scaled the peak on May 19 and 20 without any casualty or cold injury.
French Open: Muguruza defeats Sharapova in straight sets
World No. 3 Garbine Muguruza of Spain outplayed Russia's Maria Sharapova in successive sets in the women's singles event of the French Open here on Wednesday.Sharapova was far from her best as Muguruza dominated the match right from the beginning in their quarter-final match.In the game that lasted for 70 minutes, Muguruza was ruthless as she delivered excellent serves and played elegant shots to leave Sharapova in a spot of bother.The former World No. 1 made a grand comeback to the French Open for the first time since 2015, after serving a doping ban in 2016 and was refused a wildcard entry in 2017.On the other hand, Muguruza, who won the French Open in 2016, will now face top seed and Romanian tennis ace Simona Halep in the semi-finals of Roland Garros, after the latter's 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-2 victory over Germany's Angelique Kerber in their quarterfinal match.
It's all true: Sharapova hits back at Serena 'book 100 percent hearsay' claim
Maria Sharapova hit back at Serena Williams's accusations that the Russian's autobiography was "100 percent hearsay", insisting Wednesday that controversial references to her arch-rival are accurate. "When you're writing an autobiography, I don't think there is any reason to write anything that's not true," said Sharapova after being knocked out of Roland Garros by Garbine Muguruza 6-2, 6-1 in the quarter-finals. Sharapova and Williams were due to clash in the fourth round on Monday but the American pulled out at the last minute of their eagerly-awaited grudge match with injury. It would have been the pair's 22nd meeting. The build-up had been overshadowed by Williams's criticism of Sharapova's book 'Unstoppable' in which the Russian claimed their feud had started after her 2004 Wimbledon breakthrough triumph. "I think Serena hated me for being the skinny kid who beat her, against all odds, at Wimbledon," Sharapova wrote. "Not long after I heard Serena told a friend, who then told me,
Muguruza, Halep move into French Open semifinals
After Angelique Kerber's final backhand bounced out of bounds on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Simona Halep turned to her box and pointed to her head. Coming from a player whose mental strength has often been questioned, the gesture spoke volumes. The top-ranked player indeed showed solid nerves to turn things up after a really bad start in her French Open quarterfinal today. After 2 hours and 14 minutes, Halep rallied past the 12th-seeded Kerber 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-2 and reached the French Open semifinals for the third time. "It was really about the mental," Halep said. "So I think that's why I won today. My head won it." Halep got off a sluggish start and trailed 4-0 in the opening set. She fought back to force a tiebreaker but briefly lost her focus to drop the set after losing five consecutive points. "After the first set I just stayed strong, I did not give up at all," Halep said. "I missed a lot at the beginning of the match. I tried to do too much. Then I changed a little bit of tactics ..
Rain stops play with Nadal in trouble against Schwartzman
Rafael Nadal was in deep trouble when rain interrupted his French Open quarter-final against Argentinian Diego Schwartzman today. The 10-time champion trailed the 11th seed 6-4, 3-2 having just dropped his serve on Court Philippe Chatrier. The 32-year-old Nadal also had both of his wrists bandaged after the opening set, the first he had lost at the tournament since 2015 after winning 37 in a row. He has only lost two matches at Roland Garros in his career.