Page 156 - Sports
Good luck in your next avatar: Shastri wishes Yuvraj
India head coach Ravi Shastri on Tuesday wished luck to Yuvraj Singh in his "next avtaar" after the swashbuckling left-handed batsman retired from international cricket and Indian Premier League (IPL).Shastri, who is in the UK with team India for its ongoing 2019 World Cup campaign, shared a picture captioned: "Junior, congratulations on a terrific career and thanks for the entertainment right thru. Good luck in your next avataar - @YUVSTRONG12 #ThankYouYuvraj."Earlier, his teammates took Twitter to congratulate the 37-year-old for his contribution to India."What a fantastic career you have had Yuvi. You have come out as a true champ everytime the team needed you. The fight you put up through all the ups & downs on & off the field is just amazing. Best of luck for your 2nd innings & thanks for all that you have done for Indian Cricket," Sachin Tendulkar tweeted.Virat Kohli, the Indian captain, said: "Congratulations on a wonderful career playing for the country paji.
Net bowler hit by Warner's shot has started walking: report
The Indian-origin net bowler, who was hit on the head by a powerful drive from Australia batsman David Warner during a net session, has started walking for the first time since the incident. Jay Kishan Plaha has been in hospital after the accident at The Oval on Saturday and was monitored for delayed signs of concussion, but a CT scan cleared him of any major damage, 'Sky Sports' reporterd. Warner was visibly "shaken up" when Plaha was treated on the ground after collapsing to the ground after being hit on head by a fierce drive. "Finally got my first walk in - on the road to recovery. Glad to be recovering well so far. Thank you to everyone who has supported me, thank you for all the prays (sic) around the world, means a lot to me," Plaha was quoted by the report as saying. Plaha was among a handful of local cricketers helping the Australians prepare for their match against India in London. The defending champions lost to the 2011 winners by 36 runs. The Australian team's support ...
Washout better than rain-shortened game: Du Plessis
South Africa's washed-out World Cup game against the West Indies has put them in danger of being ousted from semifinal contention but captain Faf du Plessis is pleased that they did not have to play in a rain-shortened game which would have favoured the Caribbeans. A struggling South Africa got their first point of the World Cup after their game against the West Indies was abandoned due to persistent rain here on Monday. "The further the game goes, the closer to a T20 game, being two down already, the odds are heavily in their favour. So, as it got a bit later in the day, then you would rather get the point and go," du Plessis said after the match was abandoned. South Africa were 29 for two in the eighth over when rain stopped play and intermittent showers meant no play was possible for the rest of the game, giving them their first point after three back-to-back losses against England, Bangladesh and India. "We need to start playing better cricket, more consistent and more solid ...
Thomas Cook (India) launches campaign #CricketDateWithDad
This campaign has since garnered over a million views across social media platforms. With a 36% growth in bookings for the World Cup, the brand aims to encourage father-child travel engagement through common passions like cricket.
Retired defender Anas recalled for preparatory camp
India coach Igor Stimac has called up 35 players for the preparatory camp starting on June 25 in Mumbai for the Intercontinental Cup. Centre back Anas Edathodika, who had retired from international football after the AFC Asian Cup, has been named among the defenders.
NBA star Tony Parker retires from basketball
Veteran point guard Tony Parker has confirmed that he is officially retiring from basketball after 18 seasons in the NBA.
Anand to lead strong Indian team for Grand Swiss Tournament
Former world champion Viswanathan Anand will spearhead the Indian challenge at the Grand Swiss Tournament to be held in the Isle of Man from October 10 to 21. The tournament is expected to be the strongest Swiss-system tournament in the history of chess, FIDE, the world chess body, said in a statement. As of June 1, the following Indian Grand Masters (GMs) have qualified -- Anand, P Harikrishna, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, B Adhiban, K Sasikiran and S P Sethuraman. The event features world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway and other top players including Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Alexander Grischuk, Anish Giri, Hikaru Nakamura and Sergey Karjakin among others. The tournament, with a prize fund of USD 4,32,500 will see the winner take home USD 70,000. It is part of the 2020 FIDE World Championship cycle. The winner would qualify for the Candidates' Tournament which will produce a challenger to Carlsen in the next FIDE World Championship Match. The starting field of 160 players will ...
Kohli calming fans who booed Smith was class act: Steve Waugh
Former Australian captain Steve Waugh has lauded Indian skipper Virat Kohli for "calming down" the crowd which booed Steve Smith in their World Cup clash in London, calling the gesture a "class act". Waugh, one of the toughest and most successful captains of all time, said he was impressed by Kohli's action of asking the crowd to not boo Smith, who is continuing to cope the fans' ire after returning from a one-year ban for ball-tampering. "Leadership reveals itself in many forms but I thought Virat Kohli's gesture in calming down the rough reception given to Steve Smith from the Indian spectators was a class act that calmed a volatile situation," Waugh, who led Australia to World Cup title in 1999, wrote for the ICC. During the clash with India here on Sunday, which Australia lost by 36 runs, the Indian fans booed Smith and chanted "cheater, cheater" when the defending champions were fielding. Kohli urged them to calm down and instead cheer his batting. "I just felt for him, and I ...
KSL: Suzie Bates, Tamsin Beaumont, Danielle Wyatt rejoin Southern Vipers
Suzie Bates, Tamsin Beaumont and Danielle Wyatt have rejoined the Southern Vipers for the upcoming 2019 Kia Super League (KSL).An announcement made by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) put forward the allocations for the fourth year of the competition, Southern Vipers' statement said.England international players Beaumont and Wyatt, who joined the squad in 2018 for the first time, will return to the Ageas Bowl for this year's campaign."I'm really excited to be back with the Southern Vipers for another season. Although last year was disappointing, we learned lots and everyone is looking forward to getting back to winning ways this year," Beaumont said.Beaumont boasts an excellent record in ODI cricket, amassing more than 2000 runs. She was a key player in England's World Cup 2017 winning side. During her first year with the Vipers in 2018, the right-hander scored 198 runs in seven KSL matches.Wyatt, who made her England debut in 2010, has featured in more than 150 T20I and ODI .
Your fighting spirit is very inspiring: Afridi to Yuvraj
Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has heaped praises on retired Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, saying that the stylish left-hander inspired many with his fighting ability.
Waugh compares Hardik with Klusener after blistering innings against Australia
Former Australia captain Steve Waugh foresees Hardik Pandya dominating the ongoing World Cup the way South African Lance Klusener did in the 1999 edition as he feels the Indian all-rounder's clean-hitting is something that no opposing skipper can deal with. Pandya stroked his way to a 27-ball 48 at The Oval to help India post an imposing 352 for 5 against Australia on Sunday. India then bowled Australia out for 316 for a 36-run win. "...it's the innings of Hardik Pandya that will send shivers down opposition spines. This guy might just be the equivalent of Lance Klusener in the 1999 World Cup. He has the ability to begin his innings like most finish, with clean hitting that no opposing captain can protect," Waugh wrote in his column for the ICC's official website. The damaging stroke play by Pandya, who hit four fours and three sixes, reminded Waugh of Klusener's fireworks in the 1999 World Cup. Klusener was player of the tournament 20 years ago in England for his destructive ...
Chasing 300-plus totals on WC stage no cakewalk
Going into the World Cup, it was widely expected that the showpiece event in England and Wales would be a run-fest where record totals would be set by the participating teams.
I made bad decisions: Tamim Iqbal on his bad form in World Cup
Bangladesh opening batsman Tamim Iqbal admitted he made bad decisions while batting due to which he has not been able to leave a mark on the field till now in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.Iqbal has not even touched the 30-mark score in any of his three World Cup matches. In Bangladesh's opening match in the premier tournament against Bangladesh, Iqbal scored 16 runs before he was caught behind off Andile Phehlukwayo's delivery. Whereas, in the next two matches against New Zealand and England, Iqbal scored only 24 and 19 runs respectively."It has nothing to do with preparation, I made bad decisions. I don't count the first match [South Africa] because it was a good delivery [from Andile Phehlukwayo]. The other two games, I made bad decisions on that particular ball. The other thing is, if you go through both my innings, I made one mistake and got out," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Iqbal as saying.After defeating South Africa by 21 runs, Bangladesh lost both of their next two matches
Amir aims for another Taunton triumph as Australia await
Mohammad Amir will hope to enjoy another landmark occasion at Taunton when Pakistan face Australia there in a World Cup match on Wednesday. The group fixture at southwest county Somerset's headquarters sees Amir back at the ground where he made his return to first-class cricket in England three years ago. Amir was the rising star of world cricket when his career came to a stunning halt during a Lord's Test in 2010 after both he and new-ball partner Mohamed Asif were caught bowling no-balls on the orders of then Pakistan captain Salman Butt as part of a newspaper sting operation. The trio all received five-year bans from cricket and jail terms. That same 2010 season had seen Amir produce a superb display of swing bowling in taking three for 20 as Pakistan dismissed Australia for just 88 on the first day of a 'neutral' Test at Headingley. Those skills remained intact as Amir marked his 2016 return to the first-class game in England in 2016 with a haul of three for 36 against Somerset at
Army keeping field hockey alive in soccer-crazy Poland, says coach
With only around 2000 players playing field hockey in Poland, it is the Polish armed forces which is instrumental in keeping the sport alive in the European nation. Just like India, the Polish army too has been supporting many sports in their country and one of them is field hockey. WKS Gunwald Poznan is the most popular hockey club in Poland which last month won their fifth consecutive league title and credit for their success goes to the Polish army which has been supporting the club. In fact, nine players of the 18-member Poland squad presently playing in the FIH Series Finals here are army men from Gunwald Poznan club. "Hockey is not so popular sport like here in India. It's one of the small sports in Poland. Soccer and volleyball are the most followed sport. We have just 2000 players who play hockey," Poland coach Karol Sniezek told PTI on the sidelines of the FIH Series Finals. "The army has a big role to play in keeping field hockey alive in Poland. They are supporting one ...
Yuvraj Singh deserved a better send off: Rohit Sharma
Indian opener Rohit Sharma feels Yuvraj Singh, who has announced his retirement from international cricket, deserved a better farewell.
Fowler remains confident that major breakthrough will come
It's the kind of compliment that can wear thin, but Rickie Fowler is confident he'll shed the tag of "best player never to win a major" whether it's at Pebble Beach this week or not. Fowler will tee it up in a major for the 37th time when the US Open begins on Thursday. The 30-year-old American has won five US PGA Tour titles, but has yet to break through on the game's biggest stages and once again he faced the question of just how big a burden that had become. "It's a compliment in a way," Fowler said. "Obviously there's a lot of great players that haven't won a major. "It's not necessarily something I think about or worry about. I know that when the time is right, it's going to happen." Fowler noted he'd put himself in position to win majors, notably at the 2014 PGA championship at Valhalla when he was left to regret ill-timed miscue at the par-three 14th as Rory McIlroy powered to victory and at Augusta National last year, when he couldn't find enough late birdies to derail Patrick
Hopeful Messi keen to end Argentina title drought
With Neymar sidelined by an ankle injury, Lionel Messi heads into the Copa America this weekend as the competition's main attraction but one with a desperate need to end more than a decade of hurt with Argentina. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has one of the most impressive trophy hauls in football history but there is a glaring void when it comes to national team accolades. Four Champions League crowns and 10 La Liga titles with Barcelona are not matched by Argentina success. And the 31-year-old knows he's running out of time to rectify that anomaly. "I want to end my career having won something with the national team, or at least try to do so as many times as possible," he told Fox Sports last week. Four finals played with Argentina, four defeats, including the last two Copa finals on penalties against Chile. But the most painful was the 2014 World Cup final to Germany at the iconic Maracana, where Messi will hope to return on July 7 for the Copa title decider. That Germany defeat
USA take on Thailand as underdogs show defence can work
Argentina collected a first-ever Women's World Cup point with a determined defensive display against Japan on Monday, but holders United States can also expect to face a Thailand team determined to stifle on Tuesday. On a day of defence against attack, Argentina held Japan 0-0 in Paris in Group D while Canada edged Cameroon 1-0 in Montpellier. Facing a team that was a finalist in the last two World Cups, Argentina barely managed a shot on goal as they forced in the first goalless draw of the competition and only the seventh in the competition's history. "Basically we couldn't play any other way against this team," said Carlos Borrello, the Argentina manager. Cameroon, who won two matches on their only previous appearance in 2011, were undone by one set piece in the dying seconds of the first half. "We had to be realistic and focus on defending and hitting on the counter-attack," said Alain Djeumfa, the coach of Cameroon, which won two of their three group games at the last World ...
KSL: Heather Knight, Anya Shrubsole return to Western Storm
England captain Heather Knight and pacer Anya Shrubsole have returned to Western Storm for the 2019 season of the Kia Super League (KSL).Their national teammates Fran Wilson and Freya Davies have also re-joined the team. All four players have played a major role in the success of Storm since the inception of the tournament in 2016. Head coach Trevor Griffin expressed his happiness over the returning of the players for this year's campaign."I couldn't be happier. Continuity of squad has been a massive thing for us over the last few years and that has played a big role in what we've achieved. The England players have all been in great form and that can only be a good thing for us," Griffin said in a statement."They are world class players and World Cup winners. To have Freya now in the international picture as well is great for us because it'll certainly help her to develop as a player," the head coach added.Following the announcement, Knight said she is delighted to be representing the