Page 155 - Sports

Indian football coach Igor Stimac announces 35 probables for Intercontinental Cup

Indian football coach Igor Stimac on Tuesday announced a list of 35 probables for the upcoming Intercontinental Cup. The team will undergo training at the Mumbai Football Arena from June 25.Anas Edathodika has been named in the list of 35 probables. The footballer had announced his retirement from international football after the conclusion of the AFC Asian Cup, but the player has said that he decided to come out of retirement after the coach called and asked him to return to the ground."Coach Stimac has shown his faith in me. It is my turn to repay him. The coach asked me to join the upcoming camp. Honestly, I was taken aback. Later Venky Bhai (Assistant Coach Venkatesh Shanmugam) shared all details, and I just can't wait to join the camp," All India Football Federation quoted Anas, as saying."The respect I earned while playing for the national team is something which has pushed me to challenge myself again. At the moment, I'm just focussing on the camp, and not thinking about making

Bereaved Malinga to leave for home after SL match, to return on time for Australia game

Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga will leave for home after Tuesday's World Cup match against Bangladesh here, following the death of his mother-in-law, but will return on time for the game against Australia on Friday. "Lasith Malinga will leave the team following Sri Lanka's World Cup game against Bangladesh, which will be played today, as his Mother-In-Law has passed away," Sri Lanka Cricket Board said on its official Twitter handle. "He is expected to join the team, before the team's next #CWC19 game, which will be played against Australia on 15th." Malinga is seen crucial to his team's chances at the World Cup, bringing along a wealth of experience. His spell of 3/39 against Afghanistan helped Sri Lanka defend a modest total of 201 in a rain-affected game in Cardiff. The Dimuth Karunaratne-led side have collected three points from three matches. They lost to New Zealand by 10 wickets in their opening match before sharing a point each with Pakistan from the rain-abandoned game .

Sarfaraz not happy with Taunton pitch: report

Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is apparently not happy with the grassy pitch prepared for their World Cup match against defending champions Australia at Taunton on Wednesday. According to a report in the widely circulated "Jang" newspaper from Taunton, Sarfaraz after inspecting the pitch at the Taunton ground was not happy that Pakistan would have to play on a track that clearly will have bounce, pace and help for the pace bowlers. Pakistan was bowled out for just 105 runs by West Indies in their opening game at Trent Bridge after being peppered by shorts balls on a bouncy track. The report quoting Geo News said that Sarfaraz is unhappy that Pakistan generally get pitches in ICC events that didn't favour their game. According to the report, Sarfaraz has complained that in contrast India always get pitches in ICC events which favour batsmen and spinners and these things are ideally suitable for Asian teams. Pakistan is playing an ODI for the first time at Taunton and it will also be ..

Eden Hazard always dreamt of going to Real Madrid: Roberto Martinez

Belgian footballer Eden Hazard has recently joined Real Madrid from Chelsea. "The footballer has joined the club he always dreamt of going," says Belgium's head coach Roberto Martinez."For Real Madrid, they are getting a phenomenal footballer and for Eden, there couldn't have been too many new chapters in his career," Goal.com quoted Martinez, as saying."He always said that he was feeling at home in London with Chelsea. So probably it was the only place that he could have gone and the place where he always had the dream of going."Martinez also called it a 'perfect fit' and is looking forward to witnessing Hazard's new chapter at Real Madrid."I think it is the perfect fit. Everything has been commanded with incredible respect in every party. I think that's the way things should be done. Now we all look forward to seeing how his new chapter at Real Madrid will start," he said.Hazard had a brilliant career at Chelsea and he netted two goals in the Europa League final against Arsenal to ..

CWC'19: Players to watch out in Aus-Pak battle

Defending champions Australia would aim to bounce back after losing their third match, while Pakistan would target to build on their last win when the teams clash in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match on June 12 at County Ground in Taunton.Australia lifted its first Cup after defeating England by seven runs in the 1987 edition. The team then ended as runners-up against Sri Lanka in 1996. This defeat by seven wickets charged the Australians and they went onto win three consecutive titles in 1999, 2003 and 2007.This Down Under team returned in 2015 and clinched their fifth trophy. Now, in the 12th edition of the 50-over event, the most successful team in the history of the tournament will be aiming to clinch their sixth trophy. Australia won its first two World Cup matches after defeating Afghanistan and Pakistan. The team couldn't complete its third consecutive win as India defeated them.Pakistan, on the other hand, won its only World Cup in 1992 under the leadership of Imran Khan. .

Stimac calls out defender Anas from international retirement for Intercontinental Cup camp

Indian football head coach Igor Stimac has called defender Anas Edathodika out of his retirement to be included among 35 probables for next month's Intercontinental Cup in a clear move to address the team's woes in central defence. In the recent King's Cup match against Curacao in Thailand, the Indian central defence messed up to concede three goals in the space of 18 minutes in the first half to lose the match 1-3, with Rahul Bheke being the main culprit. Bheke was drafted in to pair with Sandesh Jhingan at the heart of the defence after the retirement of Anas, who had partnered with Jhingan earlier for two years. The 35 probables will assemble at the Mumbai Football Arena from June 25 for the Intercontinental Cup preparatory camp. The 32-year-old Anas, who announced his retirement from international football after the AFC Asian Cup in January, said he received a message from coach Stimac, after which he decided to come out of international retirement. "Coach Stimac has shown faith ..

Australia open to batting reshuffle, say Ponting

Assistant coach Ricky Ponting said Australia is open to shuffling the batting line-up if the circumstances dictate a more flexible approach in the ongoing World Cup. India posted a massive 352 for 5, riding on a professional performance by the top-order led by Shikhar Dhawan (117). In reply, Australia were dismissed for 316 to suffer a 36-run loss, their first in the tournament thus far. Steve Smith (69) was promoted ahead of Usman Khawaja in the batting order to tackle the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, and Ponting hinted that more shuffling could take place. "We wanted to have (favourable) left-hand, right-hand (match-ups) with those spinners and we thought Steven plays spin as well as anybody, so that was the only reason," Ponting told cricket.com.au. "It happens quite a lot in the modern game where you see that right-hand, left-hand combination, especially if they've got a lot of spin. "If it's past 35 overs, you're probably not going to do it (bat Khawaja at ...

Rebello inks new three-year deal with FC Goa

Midfielder Princeton Rebello has signed a new long-term contract with Indian Super League (ISL) outfit FC Goa, which will keep him in the club till the summer of 2022.

Rain delays start of Bangladesh vs SL World Cup match

Heavy rains delayed the start of the World Cup match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka here Tuesday. With incessant rain lashing the ground here, toss was delayed. Sri Lanka's previous game against Pakistan was called off due to heavy rain and the two teams were forced to split points. They had lost to New Zealand by 10 wickets and brought their campaign back with a 34-run victory against Afghanistan. Bangladesh, on the other hand, defeated South Africa by 21-runs in their opening match before losing to England by 106 runs and to New Zealand by two wickets.

Lasith Malinga will fly back to Sri Lanka after match against Bangladesh

Sri Lanka pacer Lasith Malinga will fly back home after his side's clash against Bangladesh, which is scheduled to be played today, as Malinga's mother-in-law passed away.However, the 35-year old pacer is likely to join the team in their next match which will be played against Australia on June 15."Lasith Malinga will leave the team following Sri Lanka's World Cup Game against Bangladesh, which will be played today, as his Mother-In-Law has passed away. He is expected to join the team, before the team's next #CWC19 game, which will be played against Australia on 15th," Sri Lanka Cricket tweeted.After Sri Lanka faced a massive 10-wicket defeat at the hands of New Zealand, they managed to win their next match against Afghanistan by 34 runs. Malinga shined in the match as he took three wickets in the match and gave away just 39 runs from his 6.4 over.However, their third match against Pakistan was abandoned without a ball bowled due to rain.Sri Lanka will now compete with Bangladesh at ..

Pak TV channel uses Abhinandan spoof ahead of India clash

Ahead of the much-anticipated clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the ongoing World Cup, a Pakistan TV channel has aired a promotional advertisement wherein a character mimicking Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has been shown.

Shikhar Dhawan undergoes precautionary scans

Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has undergone precautionary scans and is "being assessed" after he was hit on his left thumb during the team's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match against defending champions Australia.The 33-year-old sustained the injury on Sunday at the Oval but went onto play a match-winning knock of 117 runs against the Aaron Finch-led side, which helped India secure a 36-run victory.Dhawan is being assessed, a BCCI source told ANI.The reports later in the day will reveal the swashbuckling left-hander's campaign in the remainder of the tournament.India will next take on New Zealand on June 13 at Trent Bridge.

Australia look to bounce back against rejuvenated Pakistan (Preview)

Pakistan looked like a team stuck in a different era in their 10-wicket loss to the West Indies but they bounced back in the most unlikely fashion with a clinical 14-run win over hosts and tournament favourites England.

Ponting backs Finch, Warner to fire against Pakistan

Australia's assistant coach Ricky Ponting has labelled the Aaron Finch-David Warner opening partnership among the best in the ongoing World Cup and expects them to perform against Pakistan in their next fixture.

Dhawan ruled out of WC for 3 weeks with fractured thumb

Team India suffered a huge jolt on Tuesday as opener Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of the 2019 World Cup for three weeks with a fractured thumb. Dhawan was hit by a ball from Nathan Coulter-Nile during his brilliant century against Australia at The Oval on Sunday. He was in pain but continued to bat with a tapped thumb. During the Australia innings, it was Ravindra Jadeja who took the field for Dhawan.

Du Plessis breaks silence on ABD, says told him it was too late to consider request

South African captain Faf du Plessis has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding AB de Villiers' wanting to come out of retirement for the World Cup, saying he had told the swashbuckler that it was too late to consider the offer. Just after South Africa lost to India by six wickets on June 6, news came out that de Villiers had wanted to come out of retirement for the World Cup but his last-ditch offer was rejected by South Africa's team management on the eve of the squad announcement. Du Plessis, who has not spoken on the issue earlier, chose to open up on Monday after his side's match against the West Indies was washed out. He said de Villiers made the request to him on a phone-call when both of them were in India playing in the recent IPL. Du Plessis was playing for Chennai Super Kings and de Villiers for Royal Challengers Bangalore. "He (de Villiers) didn't come to me. It was just a conversation, a phone call the night before the team got announced. It was just a 'This is

Shikhar Dhawan fractures left thumb, World Cup participation in doubt

In a major blow to India, star batsman Shikhar Dhawan was Tuesday all but ruled out of the World Cup after sustaining a left thumb fracture. A BCCI source told PTI that Dhawan has sustained a fracture and it might take a month for him to fully recover. The World Cup, which started May 30, ends on July 14. Dhawan was the hero of India's win over Australia on Sunday with a knock of 117 off 109 balls. He played through pain after being hit on his left thumb by a rising delivery from pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile and would be sitting out of India's next match against New Zealand here on Thursday. Designated standbys Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu are in contention to replace Dhawan in case he is completely ruled out of the event. But the team management might push for Mumbai batsman and India A captain Shreyas Iyer as he is a specialist No.4 batsman. Iyer is currently in England. Dhawan is being assessed by Patrick Farhart and specialists are being consulted right now to get a clear idea on ..

Dhawan ruled out of WC with fractured thumb

Team India suffered a huge jolt on Tuesday as opener Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of the remaining part of the 2019 World Cup with a fractured thumb. Dhawan was hit by a ball from Nathan Coulter-Nile during his brilliant century against Australia at The Oval on Sunday. He was in pain but continued to bat with a tapped thumb. During the Australia innings, it was Ravindra Jadeja who took the field for Dhawan.

Shakib Al Hasan's participation in doubt ahead of clash against Sri Lanka

Bangladesh could face a major blow in their Cricket World Cup match against Sri Lanka in Bristol on Tuesday as their in-form all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan may miss due to a thigh injury.Shakib Al Hasan smashed a century during their match against England as he scored 121 runs but he was sent to the hospital right after the match. The team management is still not sure about Shakib Al Hasan's participation in the next match as they are still waiting for the reports of the scan."Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan suffered a left thigh strain while batting during the ICC Cricket World Cup match against England in Cardiff. He underwent a precautionary scan today in Bristol. We are waiting on a specialist assessment and report," ICC quoted Thihan Chandramohan, Bangladesh's physiotherapist as saying.Bangladesh selector Habibul Bashar is also uncertain about Shakib Al Hasan's participation as he said: "We have sent him for a scan as he had received some pain on his gluts during the game ...

Our batting was little bit off: Ponting after Australia's first WC defeat

After Australia faced their first defeat in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, team's assistant coach Ricky Ponting admitted that it was their batting which was not up to the mark."Our batting was just a little bit off again. We seemed to find the field a lot in the first 10 overs," Cricket.com.au quoted Ponting as saying.Chasing a mammoth target of 353 runs set by India, Australia skipper Aaron Finch, who opened the inning with David Warner, got run out in the 14th over after scoring 36 runs.Ponting feels that Finch's run out happened at a really crucial time as the team had just started to get momentum."The run out happened at a really crucial time (the 14th over). The momentum had just started to turn there, Finchy had started to find the boundary a bit more frequently," he said.India opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan hammered a ton while the skipper Virat Kohli also added 82 runs on the board to help their side post a big target for Australia. Ponting stated that they also ...