Page 1579 - Sports
Kiev subway reopens after false bomb threat ahead of CL final
Kiev's subway reopened on Saturday after a false bomb threat caused five stations to close for several hours, subway authorities in the Ukrainian capital announced.
Kohli bids emotional farewell to 'brother' de Villiers
India skipper Virat Kohli on Saturday took to social media to pay tribute to "brother" AB de Villiers after the former South African captain announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket.
England 37-2 in 2nd Innings, Pakistan lead by 142 runs in 1st Test
England were 37 for two in their second innings, a deficit of 142 runs, at lunch on the third day of the first Test against Pakistan at Lord's today. Joe Root, the England captain, was 22 not out and Dawid Malan unbeaten on nought. England lost both their left-handed openers before lunch after conceding a large first-innings deficit of 179 runs. They suffered a huge setback when Alastair Cook, their all-time leading Test run-scorer who had top-scored in their meagre first innings 184 with 70, was lbw to Mohammad Abbas for just one on Saturday. And shortly before lunch, Mark Stoneman was lbw for nine to teenage leg-spinner Shadab Khan, the ball keeping alarmingly low from an England point of view. Earlier, Pakistan were dismissed for 363 in their first innings after resuming on 350 for eight. Their innings ended when Abbas was caught behind off Mark Wood. Babar Azam, who top-scored in the innings with 68, was unable to bat again after retiring hurt on Friday having been struck just ...
Sushant, Sudipta clinch singles titles
Third-seed Sushant Dabas outclassed no 4 seed Divesh Gahlot in straight sets in an all-Haryana clash to lift the boys' singles title in the MSLTA-Yonex Sunrise 12th Ramesh Desai Memorial CCI All India Under 16 Tennis Nationals here today. Playing an attacking brand of tennis Sushant, from Gurgaon who is ranked sixth in the country, dominated from the start and hardly gave his Sonepat rival, ranked one place below, any chance to settle down and raced to a 6-1 6-3 win in 70 minutes at the Cricket Club of India courts. The girls' singles crown was clinched by Maharashtra's Sudipta Senthil Kumar who got the better of Sandeepti Rao of Haryana 7-5 7-6 (3) in the final. The champions earned 200 AITA ranking points while the runners-up secured 150 points. In the boys' final, Dabas broke his rival's serve four times while dropping his serve early once to pocket the first set. Gahlot changed tactics and put up some fight later but was unable to stop Sushant from running away with .
Gavaskar bats for club cricket, gives his own example
Citing his own example, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar today stressed the importance of club cricket, and called it "life and soul" of the sport. "Club cricket is the life and soul of cricket and everybody comes up from club cricket," Gavaskar said after inaugurating the Hemant Waigankar Study Room of Dadar Parsi Zoroastrian Cricket Club in Matunga in Central Mumbai. " Today when a cricketer becomes big, it is only because of club cricket. If club cricket is not there, the he (the player) won't become big, we all started (in the same way)," Gavaskar said addressing a group of budding cricketers in the same premises where he played for his club Dadar Union. "Even I started in the same way. After school, I played for the Club (Dadar Union), then when I made runs in the Club, I got a chance to go ahead, as the selection committee understood that he made runs. I will only tell you that, play matches passionately, as you have to win, but play with happiness," the veteran of 125 Tests ...
Galle pitch curator admits to 'altering' pitch: Report
Shocking the cricketing world, London's 'Daily Telegraph' on Saturday reported of an alteration of the Galle pitch to influence the outcome of the upcoming Test series between hosts Sri Lanka and England.
Indians falter in women's recurve bronze play-off
Indian women's recurve team paid the price of inconsistency as it lost the bronze medal match to Chinese Taipei on the concluding day of the second stage Archery World Cup here today. Eyeing a third medal from the meet, the Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and Promila Daimary started poorly before winning the third set but that was not enough as Taipei clinched the contest 6-2 in the fourth set. The Indian team struggled to find the perfect 10s while Taipei brilliantly raised their level in set 4 to produce five 10s out of a possible six to win the match. India thus ended their campaign with a silver and a bronze, courtesy a fine show in the compound section yesterday. Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Muskan Kirar and Divya Dhayal had won a silver in the women's compound team category. They were flawless in the entire event but ultimately lost to Chinese Taipei 228-231 in the final match. Jyothi had also bagged a second medal when she partnered with Abhishek Verma to win a bronze ...
Japan wins Uber Cup after 37 years, beats Thailand 3-0
Japan beat Thailand 3-0 in the final of Uber Cup 2018 on Saturday, wining their first tournament title since 1981.
Rashid dedicates MoM award to blast victims, President Ghani calls him national treasure
Rashid Khan, in his hour of glory, remembered those killed in a recent blast during a cricket match in his home town, even as Indian cricket fans and his country's first citizen indulged in some good-natured banter over his citizenship. The 19-year-old man of the moment dedicated his match-winning performance in the IPL's second qualifier to those who lost their lives in his native - the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad. "I want to dedicate this award to those who lost their lives in a blast during a cricket game in my hometown," Rashid said at the post-match presentation ceremony last night. The leg-spinner's stellar all-round performance lifted Sunrisers Hyderabad to a 14-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders, and into the final of the Indian Premier League's 11st edition, where they will face Chennai Super Kings. Rashid received high praise from the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who described him as the "best T20 spinner in the world", while Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani called him
Eugene Diamond League: Javelin thrower Neeraj finishes sixth
After a dazzling performance in Doha that saw him break a national record, Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra failed to conjure up the magic and finished at the sixth spot in the 2018 IAAF Diamond League here at Eugene in USA on Saturday.The 20-year-old clocked a best throw of 80.81m--his lowest point of the season so far--to settle at the sixth place.Olympic champion Thomas Rohle, who also bagged a gold medal in Doha, once again dominated the event with a best throw of 89.88m.Meanwhile, world champion Johannes Vetter (89.34) and his German compatriot Andreas Hofmann (86.45) settled for silver and bronze respectively.Earlier this month, Neeraj Chopra missed on a bronze medal but shattered his own national record by finishing fourth at the season-opening leg of the IAAF Diamond League in Doha.The 20-year-old clocked a throw of 87.43 m in his second attempt to break his previously owned national record mark of 86.48 metres.Neeraj, meanwhile, had clinched gold at the 21st edition of ...
Sania Mirza looks forward to her comeback
Tennis ace Sania Mirza is thrilled to feature on the ESPN's World Fame 100 list for 2018, and says it motivates her work hard and achieve more.
Slogan puts England under pressure not to go bus-t at World Cup
The pressure on the latest England squad to carry the nation's hopes at the World Cup is already high enough -- and the fans' choice of the slogan for the bus only adds to it. The tub-thumping "Send us victorious" emerged the winner after supporters were asked to vote online. The winner saw off other slogans such as "Drive forward as one" and "Pride. Passion. Together". "Pride. Passion. Together" was narrowly ahead after the 11,000 votes on Twitter were counted but "Send Us Victorious" came through when all the votes on social media were added in. Other nations' slogans are also setting the bar high. Belgium, England's group rivals and dark horses for the trophy, have gone for: "Red Devils on a mission". The unfancied duet of Group G Tunisia and Panama have settled for a rather more poetic ring to theirs, perhaps acknowledging their goals are rather more modest than the two European sides. Tunisia's is "Russia here comes the eagles, hand in hand players and fans", while Panama's ...
Sharmila falters on final day, finished tied 14th in Beijing
Sharmila Nicollet faltered on the final day as she carded a poor 4-over 76 to slip from tied 2nd to tied 14th at the Le Coq Sportif Beijing Ladies Classic. Nicollet, the first and only Indian to play on the China LPGA, had a share of the lead after the first day and was tied-2nd after the second, but revealed that she was still under weather as she recovering from a bout of fever. On the third and final day of the event, she had four bogeys on front nine, both back-to-back on second and third and then fifth and sixth, which meant she had dropped four shots in a span of five holes. Her only two birdies came on 10th and 13th, but she also dropped shots on 11th and 17th as she finished at 76. She ended the event at 2-under 214. Nicollet said, I have been somewhat under weather and today it showed. Nevertheless, there were lots of positives. One of my goals was to be under par for the event. I managed that in Hong Kong, where I was tied-16th, and now another top-20 at tied-14th in Beijing
Lahiri, Shubhankar make cut at Fort Worth Invitational
Anirban Lahiri had an off day while Shubhankar Sharma turned in a much-improved show, as both the Indian golfers made the cut at the Fort Worth Invitational at the Colonial here. Shubhankar, needing a low second round after his 73 on the first day, had a better day on the greens as he shot 68, while Lahiri failed to build on his first day's 67 and shot 74. Both Indians totalled 1-over 141 and made the weekend in tied 60th place as the cut fell on 2-over after winds picked up in the afternoon. Justin Rose fought hard over the last three holes, which were scrappy, as he added a 6-under 64 to his first round 66 and at 10-under 130, he was one shot in lead over Argentina's Emiliano Grillo (67). Brooks Koepka (63) and Satoshi Kodaira (67) were tied third at 70-under. Shubhankar, playing earlier in the day, had an eventful front nine as he had three birdies, one par and two bogeys in a six-hole stretch from second to seventh. He putted better than the first day, but still left a lot of ...
Japan end 37-year drought with Uber Cup win
Japan's women clinched the Uber Cup today, breezing by surprise finalists Thailand 3-0 in Bangkok to end a 37-year wait to regain the title. With a team stacked with top ranked players in both the singles and doubles, Japan made light work of the hosts, who entered the finals for the first time after stunning China in the semis. It ends an Uber Cup drought for Japan that stretches back to 1981 and is a major confidence boost ahead of the Olympics which they will host in two years' time. The Uber Cup is second in prestige only to the Olympics as a national team event. World singles number two Akane Yamaguchi got Japan off to a flyer, dulling the boisterous partisan home crowd with a 21-15, 21-19 win over Ratchanok Intanon, blending deft touches at the net with patience in the rallies and power shots. Ratchanok, world number four and Thailand's favourite athlete, conceded that she lost concentration after bickering with the umpire early in the second set over his refusal to grant a ...
Neeraj finishes 6th in Eugene leg of Diamond League
Top Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finished sixth in the Diamond League Series third leg with a below-par effort of 80.81m here. The 20-year-old Indian, the reigning Asian and Commonwealth champion, had shattered his own national record with a throw of 87.43m while finishing fourth in the first leg in Doha last month. But at the Prefontaine Classic, he was not at his best as he had three foul throws. Neeraj began with a 76.95m effort and then came up with a 80.81m in the second which turned out to be his best of the day. He had a 80.26m in his third attempt before fouling the final three throws. The top three spots in the eight-man field were expectedly taken by the Germans with the reigning Olympic champion Thomas Rohler unleashing the biggest throw ever witnessed at the venue with a best effort of 89.88m under cool and breezy conditions. Reigning world champion Johannes Vetter took the silver with a best throw of 89.34m while Andreas Hofmann took the third spot with a best ...
Kohli bids emotional farewell to 'brother' de Villiers
Indian skipper Virat Kohli has paid emotional tribute to his former Royal Challengers Bangalore team-mate and South African batsman AB de Villiers, who recently bid adieu to all forms of international cricket.Taking to his Twitter handle, the 29-year-old Indian dubbed de Villiers as his 'brother' before wishing the former South African skipper good luck for the future endeavors."Wish you all the best in everything that you do my brother," Kohli wrote.Kohli, who also posted a picture of himself and de Villiers along with the tweet, further praised his RCB team-mate for changing the way of batting in the international cricket."You've changed the way batting was seen in the time you've played international cricket. My best wishes to you and your family for this amazing journey ahead," Kohli tweeted.Few days back, Kohli also dubbed de Villiers' gravity-defying boundary catch during RCB's 14-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash as a 'spiderman stuff' .
Flower counts benefits and drawbacks of playing IPL
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) stand-in director Andy Flower has warned that allowing English players to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) can result in their missing out on "growth opportunities" in first-class cricket.
Babar Azam out of England tour with fractured arm
Pakistan were dealt a major blow after dependable middle-order batsman Babar Azam was ruled out of the rest of their two-match Test tour of England with a fractured left hand.
Sting operation claims 'Pitch Fixed' during India-SL Test, ICC starts probe
A Test match between India and Sri Lanka last year might have been played on a pitch doctored at the behest match-fixers, a sting operation has claimed, prompting the ICC to launch an investigation into the matter today. The Al Jazeera television network claims that a well-known former Mumbai first-class cricketer Robin Morris, who is now allegedly a match-fixer, admitted to his involvement in bribing a groundsman at Galle last year to alter the pitch. The sting operation is to be aired tomorrow but snippets of it have been posted online by the Qatar-based channel. Responding to the latest round of sensational allegations against the integrity of the much-maligned sport, the ICC said it is investigating. "We have already launched an investigation working with anti-corruption colleagues from Member countries based on the limited information we have received," ICC GM (Anti Corruption Unit) Alex Marshall said in a statement. "We have made repeated requests that all evidence and ...