Page 1570 - Sports
Warriors storm into 4th straight NBA Finals post win over Rockets
The Golden State Warriors booked their place in the NBA Finals for the fourth straight time after edging past the Houston Rockets 101-92 in the seventh game of the Western Conference finals at the Toyota Center on Tuesday.Though Houston headed into the clash without their star guard Chris Paul, they managed to take a 54-43 lead over the reigning champions at half-time to leave Warriors coach Steve Kerr scratching his head.However, Warriors bounced back in the second half of the match as they made their move with a 33-15 in the third quarter, with the Rockets setting a new NBA playoff record of making 27 straight misses during an epic cold streak from three-point range.While Kevin Durant notched 34 points, Steph Curry finished with 27 points as the Warriors overcame the biggest halftime deficit in the history of Game 7 to eventually come out victorious, news.com.au reported.For Rockets, James Harden finished with 32 points as the top-seeded bids to return to the finals for the first ...
Rashid, Shami added to ICC World XI against Windies
England wrist-spinner Adil Rashid has been added to the ICC World XI squad, while Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami has also replaced compatriot Hardik Pandya for the fund-raising Twenty20 International match against the West Indies at the Lord's on May 31.All the proceeds from this match will be used to redevelop the stadia in the Caribbean, which were damaged due to hurricanes last year.Rashid is the second England player in the star-studded line-up after Eoin Morgan was named as the captain.The 30-year-old has played 28 T20Is in which he has taken 23 wickets. He was also a member of the England side for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, which the home side reached the semi-final.Shami has replaced all-rounder Pandya, who has pulled out due to a viral infection, and will join Dinesh Karthik as the second India player in the side which also includes one player each from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and two players each from New Zealand and Pakistan.Shami has represented
Improved France among World Cup favourites - Ireland boss O'Neill
Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill believes France are quite capable of winning the World Cup after seeing them get the better of his team in a friendly on Monday evening. France won 2-0 on a wet night, with Olivier Giroud and Nabil Fekir scoring the goals in the first half, and Ireland struggled to get near the ball at the Stade de France. "They are very strong, indivdually they have got a lot talent in their team. I think they're one of the favourites for the World Cup," said O'Neill. It was the first meeting of the sides since Antoine Griezmann's goals gave hosts France a 2-1 win in Lyon in the round of 16 of the last European Championship. Only three France players in Monday's game -- Adil Rami, Giroud and Blaise Matuidi -- also started in that match at Euro 2016. "I don't want to put pressure on their coach, but I think they have improved in the last two years and they are perhaps a better side than they were two years ago," O'Neill added. France begin their World Cup ...
Mexico opens World Cup prep with scoreless draw vs Wales
Mexico started its World Cup preparations with a 0-0 draw against Wales at the Rose Bowl on Monday night. Playing the first of three tuneup matches before its Group F opener against defending champion Germany on June 17 in Moscow, a rampant El Tri attack could not find a way to beat Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. Hennessey made several impressive saves, including sticking out his right foot to deny Mexico captain Hector Herrera's shot in the 56th minute from the edge of the 6-yard box. Hennessey also tipped Herrera's shot from outside the penalty box over the crossbar in the 40th minute and parried away Javier Aquino's attempt in the 22nd minute. Mexico dominated possession and kept the pressure on a Welsh side mostly lacking in experience at the international level. Their defense settled in well after some early jitters without Nestor Araujo, who left the team Wednesday following a setback in his recovery from a knee injury. With Mexico always a strong draw in Los Angeles, the ...
Ronaldo-less Portugal held by Tunisia
AC Milan striker Andre Silva hit a landmark 1000th goal for the hosts but there was little to celebrate as Cristiano Ronaldo-less Portugal were held 2-2 by Tunisia in a pre-World Cup friendly on Monday. Still smarting from a 3-0 defeat to the Netherlands in Geneva last March, Portugal fans were hoping for a morale-boosting win less than two weeks before they head to Russia. But the defending European champions, who face Spain, Morocco and Iran in Group B, largely flattered to deceive. Ronaldo and his goal scoring exploits would have been welcome in Braga, but the Portugal striker was given time off following Real Madrid's 3-1 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final on Saturday. Portugal coach Fernando Santos gave Silva the nod and, despite a lack of playing time at Milan, the 22-year-old did well to head home the opener from Ricardo Quaresma's pinpoint cross on 22 minutes. It was the 1000th goal scored in Portugal colours. Portugal doubled their lead on 34 minutes when ...
Balotelli scores as Mancini starts Italy reign with a win
Mario Balotelli got new Italy coach Roberto Mancini off to a winning start by scoring the opener in a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in a pre-World Cup friendly in Saint Gallen on Monday. Saudi Arabia face hosts Russia in the opening match of the tournament on June 14 while four-time champions Italy stay home following their failure to qualify for the first time in 60 years. Made the scapegoat for Italy's first-round exit from the 2014 World Cup, Balotelli's four-year hiatus from the Azzurri squad ended when he was recalled by Mancini, appointed six months after Italy's shock failure to qualify for Russia following a playoff defeat to Sweden. It took the 27-year-old Nice striker just 21 minutes to get on the scoreboard with his first goal for Italy since netting the winner against England at the 2014 World Cup. Italy have dropped to their lowest ever world ranking of 20th, but were in control against the 67th-ranked Saudis. Mancini opted for a 4-3-3 formation with Gianluigi Donnarumma in .
Fekir helps France to comfortable win over Ireland
Olivier Giroud and Nabil Fekir were on target as France stepped up their World Cup preparations by beating the Republic of Ireland 2-0 in Paris on Monday evening. Chelsea striker Giroud bundled in the opener at the Stade de France, and Lyon captain Fekir -- who has been linked with a move to Liverpool -- got the second just before the break, with a helping hand from Ireland goalkeeper Colin Doyle. It was a very comfortable victory for Didier Deschamps' side in the first of three friendly matches before they head to Russia. Les Bleus will also host Italy in Nice on Friday and the United States in Lyon on June 9, with their opening World Cup fixture against Australia in Kazan on June 16. France's strength in depth, which they showcased here on a night of torrential rain, thunder and lightning, means they are among the contenders to win the tournament, 20 years after becoming world champions on home soil. However, far bigger tests lie in wait than that provided by Martin O'Neill's ...
Brazil midfielder Fabinho to join Liverpool: official
Monaco midfielder Fabinho will join Liverpool following the World Cup finals in Russia, the French Ligue 1 club and the Premier League giants announced Monday. Brazilian international Fabinho, 24, had agreed at the end of last year's title-winning campaign to remain one more season in the Principality. But agreement has now been reached with the Premier League club that will see Fabinho join the Reds after the finals in Russia. No financial details were given by either club, although some reports claim the deal is worth USD 58m. "AS Monaco has reached agreement with Liverpool for the transfer of Fabinho to the English club on July 1," said a statement on www.asmonaco.com. Usually deployed as a defensive midfielder, Fabinho has scored 31 goals in 233 appearances for Monaco since arriving at the club in 2013 from Real Madrid, winning the French league title in 2017. Liverpool, looking to bolster their squad following a great season in which the Anfield giants reached the Champions ...
Banned Warner, Bancroft to return to action in July
Disgraced Australian stars David Warner and Cameron Bancroft will return to competitive cricket at a low-level limited-overs tournament in the country's tropical north in July, it was announced Tuesday. Warner is serving a year-long ban from state and international cricket and Bancroft a nine-month suspension over a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March that rocked the game. But they are allowed to appear at club level in Australia and in domestic tournaments abroad. As they work to rebuild their careers, the duo will feature in the NT Strike League in Darwin, a month-long Twenty20 and one-day event that features four franchises -- Desert Blaze, City Cyclones, Northern Tide and Southern Storm. Bancroft is available for the entire tournament with Warner committing to two one-dayers on July 21 and 22. "We're delighted that Cameron and David will be joining us in Darwin for the Strike League," said Northern Territory Cricket chief Joel Morrison in a statement. "Their presence ..
Spot-fixing row: Cricket Australia requests evidence
Cricket Australia on Monday demanded unedited evidence to be made available to an International Cricket Council (ICC) investigation team, after a documentary by a Middle-East television channel alleged pitch doctoring and spot fixing in three Test matches.Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland, however, stressed that there was no credible evidence linking any Australian players to the revelations made in the sting, cricket.com.au reported.In the documentary, a match-fixer claims that two unnamed Australian batsmen were paid off to bat slowly during a period of play in a Test match in Ranchi between India and Australia."Although not having been provided an opportunity to view the documentary or any raw footage, our long-standing position on these matters is that credible claims will be treated very seriously and fully investigated," cricket.com.au quoted Sutherland as saying.A Middle-East television channel recently carried out a sting operation which alleged pitch ...
Kingfisher no longer title sponsor of East Bengal
City soccer giants East Bengal on Monday confirmed that beverage company Kingfisher will no longer remain the club's title sponsor.
Thiem kicks off French Open run on auspicious note
Austria's Dominc Thiem on Monday started his quest for his first Grand Slam title with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 win over Ilya Ivashka of Belarus in the opening round of the French Open.
Bautista Agut battles to reach French Open 2nd round
Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain fought hard on Monday to defeat Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the first round of the French Open 6-2, 6-7 (3), 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Munar fights his way past Ferrer in French Open 1st round
Spanish qualifier Jaume Munar on Monday beat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 3-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 in an epic first-round match at the French Open, a Grand Slam event held on clay court.
Argentina to play friendly against Haiti before heading to World Cup
The Argentine national football team will say farewell this week to its fans with a friendly against Haiti at La Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires before travelling to Russia for the FIFA World Cup.
Anand lies tied second in Norway blitz
World rapid champion Viswanathan Anand came up with a fine performance to be placed tied second in the blitz tournament of the Altibox Norway chess tournament, here. The finish in the top half means that Anand will get an extra white five white against four black games in what is known as the strongest tournament of the year. To start the proceedings, Anand will be in white against Levon Aronian of Armenia in the opening round. Wesley So of United States came up with a startling performance to win the blitz on six points out of a possible nine rounds. Hikaru Nakamura of United States and Anand are tied for the second spot, a half point behind, while rating favourite and world champion Magnus Carlsen ended on fourth spot solely on five points. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan benefitted from a superior tie-break to finish on fifth spot with 4.5 points. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France and Fabiano Caruana of the United States are tied for the fifth spot but will play an extra black
BCCI seeks Centre's stance on bilateral series with Pak
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday wrote a letter to the Centre, seeking its stance on a bilateral series with the Pakistan cricket team."Would be grateful if you could formally convey the policy/position of the Indian government on the need or requirement of prior clearance from govt for Indian cricket team to play Pakistan cricket team in in-bound or outbound tours," wrote India's apex cricket authority.Due to the political tensions between the two nations, the BCCI needs approval from the Indian Government before it can schedule a bilateral series with its arch-rival.In 2014, the cricketing boards of both nations - the BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) - signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which stated that the two arch-rivals would play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023.According to the 2014 agreement, India was scheduled to play six series against Pakistan, four of them were going to be Pakistan's home series.While the BCCI has ...
Dhoni's leadership key to IPL success, says Fleming
Chennai Super Kings chief coach Stephen Fleming today hailed Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership qualities, and said the veteran stumper's willy captaincy was one of the key reasons behind the team's third title triumph in the Indian Premier League. "It was Dhoni impact. It is very important. Dhoni does have a very strong influence and impact on players. MS's (Dhoni) belief and confidence in a strong role for a player works for us. He has a strong ability to bring the best out of players. (Ambati) Rayudu is a great example, being in and out of the team," Fleming said at a press conference here. "It is a great dynamic. It is about using the strength of a remarkable captain, with a strong franchise, with a good game plan." Returning to the IPL after serving a two-year ban, CSK defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in Mumbai to claim its third IPL title last night. CSK returned to a victorious homecoming with fans cheering at the airport and at the team hotel. Fleming was all ...
Injured Saha faces race against time to be fit for Afghanistan Test
In a bid to regain full fitness ahead of India's historic one-off Test match against Afghanistan next month, injured wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha will see specialist doctors to assess his thumb injury, the BCCI said in a statement on Monday.
Indian shooters draw a blank in ISSF Munich WC
Indian shooters returned empty-handed from ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol stage at Munich with the country's mixed team pairs failing to qualify for the final of the 10m air rifle mixed event today. On the concluding day, the pair of Apurvi Chandela and Ravi Kumar shot a combined score of 836.8 to end 11th in the qualification standings while the second Indian pair of Mehuli Ghosh and Deepak Kumar finished 20th with a combined effort of 835. In the 10m air pistol mixed team event, Heena Sidhu and Om Prakash Mitharval were the best finishing Indian pair, scoring a combined 767 to end in 13th position. Manu Bhaker and Shahzar Rizvi shot 758 to end 34th. The Russian pair of Sergey Kamenskiy and Anastasiia Galashina notched up the fifth and final qualifying spot with a score of 838.2, going on to win the gold, ahead of two Chinese pairs who won silver and bronze respectively. Athens Olympic champion and three-time Olympic medalist Olena Kostevych of Ukraine emerged as the star of the fourth