Page 1559 - Sports
Root accepts England have a 'point to prove' against Pakistan
England captain Joe Root has admitted his side have a "point to prove" as they look to square a two-Test series with Pakistan. Root's men could be without Ben Stokes after the all-rounder suffered a tight hamstring during fielding practice at Headingley on Wednesday. Stokes will now undergo a scan to assess the full extent of the injury and is set to face a fitness test before England decide whether he can face Pakistan at Yorkshire's headquarters when the series finale starts on Friday. Uncapped teenaged Surrey seamer Sam Curran has been called up as cover for fellow paceman Stokes. "Of course, if Ben's fit we want him in the side, he's one of our best players, he brings a lot to the table and offers so much to this team," Root told Sky Sports on Thursday. Pakistan won the first Test by nine wickets at Lord's inside four days on Sunday to go 1-0 up in a two-match series but Root believes the fact his team are back in action so soon will benefit them in Leeds. "I think it helps us ...
FIFA to hold annual awards in London
FIFA's "Best" awards, which recognise football's best men's and women's players and coaches, will be staged in London on 24 September, world football's governing body said on Thursday. The ceremony was also held in London last year, when Real Madrid's Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo collected the award for male player for the second straight year and his then club manager, Zinedine Zidane, was named the best coach. Dutchwomen Lieke Martens and Sarina Wiegman were named best woman player and best women's coach. Ten candidates for each of those four awards will be named on July 23, eight days after the end of World Cup in Russia. With the help of fan voting, they will be winnowed down to three candidates in each category. FIFA will also hand out awards for best goalkeeper, for fair play and for the best fans as well as the Puskas award for the goal of the year and will name a World 11.
Sharapova books place in French Open 3rd round
Russia's Maria Sharapova on Thursday defeated Donna Vekic of Croatia 7-5, 6-4, to book a place in the third round of the French Open, the second Grand Slam event of the year, held on clay court.
Weightlifter Chanu fails dope test, suspended
Star Indian weightlifter Sanjita Chanu has been handed a provisional suspension by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) after failing a dope test.
Delhi boy Arshvant finishes runner-up in European C'ships for Kids
Delhi boy Arshvant Srivastava was edged out in the closing stages of the third and final round of the US Kids Golf European Championships 2018 as he finished a creditable tied-second today. Playing in gusty conditions at the challenging Longniddry Golf Club, Arshvant (34-36-33) totaled 103, as against winner Aidan Lawson's total of 101 (33-33-35). Lawson, the overnight leader, found a birdie on the final hole as Arshvant saw two of his two good birdie putts hang on the lip and did not fall. In the same age-group, Jeev Milkha Singh's son Harjai Milkha Singh finished Tied-27th with a total of 115 (41-38-36), while another Indian lad Neil Jolly (38-39-36) was Tied-16th with a total of 113. Arshvant, who is coached by former Indian and Asian Tour pro Amit Dubey, is a student of Genesis Global School in NCR. He was 13th a year earlier in the same Championships. He had back-to-back birdies on second and third holes and added a third birdie on the sixth. Twice on the seventh and ninth, his ..
Swiss tribunal clears banned Peru captain Guerrero for World Cup
Peru captain Paolo Guerrero has won a last-ditch appeal to play at the World Cup despite being suspended after testing positive for traces of cocaine, a Swiss federal tribunal announced today. Guerrero appealed to the tribunal following a recent ruling by the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that saw him suspended for 14 months. The tribunal, Switzerland's highest court, effectively "suspended" the CAS ban and said: "Guerrero can now participate at the next World Cup." The decision was warmly welcomed by the Peruvian football federation (FPF), which had given Guerrero support in recent months in a bid to get him to Russia for their first World Cup appearance in 36 years. "It's a great joy, not only for the federation but for the whole of Peru," the FPF said in a statement. The FPF had launched Guerrero's last-ditch appeal Wednesday "with the hope of seeing Paolo at the World Cup, that reflects the feeling of the FPF and the whole country," according to its president
Rodchenkov expects 'clean' World Cup in Russia
Doping whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov has forecast the upcoming football World Cup finals in his native Russia will be "clean" for the duration of the month-long tournament. Rodchenkov said today that the vast sums of money on offer to top footballers meant they and those around them such as their agents, had a huge financial interest in not risking their careers by being caught doping. He argued that this meant football was at far less risk of drug scandals than sports such as athletics and weightlifting which have long been tainted by drug-taking. Rodchenkov also said that as no Russian officials would be involved in any anti-doping work during the World Cup, which begins on June 14, as a result of recent scandals, there was far less chance of foul play. The former Russian Anti-Doping Agency chief provided key evidence leading to suspensions of Russian athletes from global sport, including a ban from competing under the Russian flag at February's Pyeongchang Winter ...
Sharapova edges closer to French Open duel with catsuit Serena
Two-time champion Maria Sharapova edged closer to a possible French Open last-16 duel with old rival Serena Williams today as top seed Simona Halep and 2016 winner Garbine Muguruza breezed into the third round. Sharapova, the 2012 and 2014 champion in Paris, needed five match points to see off Croatia's Donna Vekic 7-5, 6-4 in a tie which featured 10 breaks of serve. Former world number one Sharapova, seeded 28 this year, will face Czech sixth seed Karolina Pliskova for a place in the fourth round. "She's playing great," Sharapova told Eurosport Russia of Pliskova, a player she defeated in their only previous meeting in the 2015 Fed Cup final. "She won a big title in Stuttgart, so I have to be ready to this match and I'll be ready." Serena is a possible opponent but the three-time champion still has her second round to play Thursday against Australia's Ashleigh Barty. Sharapova is playing Roland Garros for the first time since 2015. The 31-year-old was serving a doping ban in 2015 and
No more gold for Bolt as CAS reject Carter's doping appeal
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) today rejected an appeal by sprinter Nesta Carter, whose positive test for a stimulant saw Jamaican teammate Usain Bolt lose an Olympic gold medal. Carter, a member of Jamaica's triumphant 4x100m relay team in Beijing alongside Bolt, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell, had claimed negligence after testing positive for methylhexanamine, a stimulant, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to retroactively test samples from the 2008 Games in Beijing. In 2017 Carter sought to have the IOC's decision overturned, launching an appeal with CAS which, if successful, would have seen Bolt, recently retired from the sport, retroactively awarded a 10th Olympic gold medal. Bolt finished his career with nine Olympic gold medals. But the Lausanne-based sports court flatly jejected Carter's appeal. "The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by the Jamaican sprinter Nesta Carter against the decision issued on 25 January
Chennai Customs, KSEB win titles
Chennai Customs beat Indian Railways 69-63 in the men's final of 53rd all-India Basketball Championship here today. In the women's section, KSEB (Thiruvananthapuram) beat Eastern Railway, Kolkata, 59-43 in the final to lift the CRI Pumps Trophy. In the men's final, Hari Ram with 26 points led the way for Customs and helped the team lift the Natchimuthu Gounder Cup. The winner in the men's section won Rs one lakh prize money while the runners-up received Rs 50,000. The women's champion received Rs 50,000.
Nacho joins Spain training ahead of friendly vs Switzerland
Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez on Thursday joined training with the Spanish national football team in Madrid, three days ahead of La Roja's friendly against Switzerland in preparations leading up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
CWG gold medallist Sanjita Chanu fails dope test, IWF hands her provisional suspension
Dope shame returned to haunt Indian weightlifting as two-time Commonwealth Games champion Sanjita Chanu tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid and was provisionally suspended by the international federation. International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) said on its website that Sanjita, who had won a gold in the women's 53kg category in the recent Gold Coast CWG, has tested positive for testosterone. "IWF reports that the sample of Ms. Sanjita Chanu Khumukcham (IND) has returned an Adverse Analytical Finding for Testosterone (S1.1 Anabolic Agents). As a consequence, the Athlete is provisionally suspended in view of a potential anti-doping rule violation," IWF stated. "In any case where it is determined that the Athlete did not commit an anti-doping rule violation, the relevant decision will also be published," the IWF added. The IWF did not give details, such as the dates, of the dope test sample collection, saying "it will not make any further comments on the case until it is .
TNPL: R Ashwin to play initial matches for Dindigul Dragons
India Test cricketer R Ashwin will lead Dindigul Dragons in the third edition of Tamil Nadu Premier League which will be held at various venues from July 11. The lanky off-spinner will play in the initial matches of the league, the team owner H R Srinivasan said. "It was an advantage to have Ravichandran Ashwin (retained by the team) at the player draft to select the best possible combination. Ashwin will be participating in the initial matches, after which he is expected to get busy with international duty," he said. N Jagadeesan will lead in his absence, he added. Ashwin, who is part of the National squad for the Test series against England, is likely to leave in the middle of the league. Meanwhile, another India cricketer Dinesh Karthik was snapped up by Karaikudi Kaalai, which would be coached by former Test cricketer S Badrinath. Test opener Murali Vijay was picked up by Ruby Trichy Warriors and all-rounder Vijay Shankar was roped in by defending champion Chennai ...
Thiem finishes off Tsitsipas, advances to French Open 3rd round
Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem on Thursday overcame Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the second round of the French Open with a score of 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Cilic advances to Roland Garros 3rd round
Croatia's Marin Cilic on Thursday defeated German qualifier Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 6-2, 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 7-5 to book a place in the third round of the French Open, the second Grand Slam event, held on clay court.
Injured Saha unsure of participation in Afghanistan Test
Recuperating from a right thumb injury, India Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha on Thursday remained unsure of his participation in the one-off Test against Afghanistan next month.
Costa, Azpilicueta react to Zidane departure from Real Madrid
The sudden resignation of Zinedine Zidane as head coach of Real Madrid on Thursday interrupted a post-training press conference with two members of the Spanish national football team, who could not contain their reactions to the news.
I don't think I will get fit on time for Afghan Test: Wriddhiman
India Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha today made it all but clear that he is out of India's Afghanistan Test match owing to a thumb injury. While BCCI has maintained as a thumb injury, reliable sources have confirmed that it's a thumb fracture sustained as Saha tried to fend a rising delivery from Shivam Mavi during an IPL qualifier between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders. A final call will be taken by the BCCI medical team in Mumbai after assessing the X-Ray report. However there are reports that he might be out for atleast foyr to five weeks. "It's not in my hands. Personally, I feel I might not get fit in time," a disappointed Saha told reporters on the sidelines of the launch of his cricket coaching programme with Kalighat Club. "A Mumbai-based doctor who is in touch with me will take a call after examining the X-Ray in a few days," the Indian Test wicketkeeper said. Saha's right thumb was strapped and when asked whether he would have to go under the knife, he ...
Muguruza defeats Ferro, qualifies for French open 3rd round
Spain's Garbine Muguruza on Thursday beat France's Fiona Ferro 6-4, 6-3 at the second round of the French Open here.
Peru's Pablo Guerrero cleared to play FIFA World Cup
Peru striker Paolo Guerrero can participate in the upcoming FIFA World Cup, as his 14-month ban from a doping violation was suspended on Thursday.