Page 1582 - Sports
BWB Asia camp: 66 boys, girls from 16 countries to participate
The National Basketball Association (NBA), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) have announced the top 66 boys and girls from 16 countries and territories who will participate in the 10thedition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Asia. BWB Asia 2018 will be held between May 30 and June 2 at the NBA Academy India in the Delhi National Capital Region, a media release issued here said. Corey Brewer (Oklahoma City Thunder; U.S.), Caris LeVert (Brooklyn Nets; U.S.), Kelly Olynyk (Miami Heat; Canada; BWB Americas 2009), Dwight Powell (Dallas Mavericks; Canada), two-time WNBA Champion Ruth Riley, and former WNBA player Ebony Hoffman will coach the top high school age campers from the Asia-Pacific region, it added. Players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities on and off the court, including movement efficiency, positional skill development, shooting and skills competitions, 5-on-5 games, and ...
Rashid is world's best spinner in T20, says Tendulkar
Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar today heaped praise on Afghanistan tweaker Rashid Khan, describing him as the best spinner in the Twenty20 format. The 19-year-old took 20 wickets in 16 matches, including a three for 19 against Kolkata Knight Riders in the second IPL qualifier at Kolkata today. He also blasted a 10-ball 34 in the final overs to help Sunrisers Hyderabad post 174-7 at Edens Gardens today. "Always felt @rashidkhan_19 was a good spinner but now I wouldn't hesitate in saying he is the best spinner in the world in this format. Mind you, he's got some batting skills as well. Great guy," Tendulkar wrote in his twitter handle.
Haryana's Dabhas and Gahlot in finals of U-16 tennis tourney
Haryanas Sushanth Dabhas and Divesh Gahlot, seeded three and four, reached the boys singles final while their state mate Sandeepti Rao entered the corresponding girls summit clash in the MSLTA-Yonex Sunrise 12th Ramesh Desai Memorial CCI All India U16 National Tennis Tournament today. Also through to the girls final was Maharashtras Sudipta Senthil Kumar on the penultimate day of the tournament at the Cricket Club of Indias courts here. Third seed Dabhas brushed aside unseeded Mohit Bondre of Gujarat in straight sets 6-2 7-5, while his state rival Gahlot ousted Assams second-seeded Udit Gogoi in three sets in the boys singles semi finals. Incidentally, the two boys lost in three sets in the doubles final against the Chandigarh-Punjab combine of Uddayvir Singh and Dhruv Tangri. In a one-sided girls semi final, Sudipta ranked 18th on the AITA list and seeded 5th here proved too good for her Maharashtra mate Prerna Vichare the second seed to win in straight ...
Babar builds lead before Stokes snares Sarfraz in first Test
Babar Azam helped take Pakistan into a first-innings lead at tea on second day of the first Test against England at Lord's. But an over before England could take the new ball, Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed (nine) top-edged a hook off Ben Stokes to Mark Wood at fine leg. That was the last ball before tea, with Pakistan 227 for five in reply to England's 184, a lead of 43 runs, at the interval. Babar was 59 not out, having become the third batsman this innings to make a fifty after opener Azhar Ali (50) and Asad Shafiq (59). Pakistan pacemen Mohammad Abbas and Hasan Ali had shown good discipline while taking four wickets apiece on Thursday. The tourists' batsmen, all of whom played in similarly overcast conditions during a recent five-wicket win over Test debutants Ireland, demonstrated similar application -- something England largely lacked in their first innings with the exception of former captain Alastair Cook's 70. Pakistan resumed Friday on 50 for one, with Azhar 18 not out and .
Sudeva becomes 1st Indian football club to expand operations to Europe
Delhi-based Sudeva Football Club, a second division club in the I-League, has bought C.D Olimpic de Xativa, a third division club in the Spanish League. Situated in Xativa, 25 minutes from the city of Valencia, the club has a 1st team, a reserve team, three U-19, two U-16 and multiple U-15 teams and the move will now offer Indian players an established platform and gateway to Spanish football. Sudeva's plan is to ensure that a minimum of 35-40 matches is played by each player, irrespective of which team he represents, in the course of a single season. For Indian and Spanish coaches, as well as other international talent, it will offer plenty of opportunity to work together in a professional, structured environment through workshops and training camps. Deportivo Olimpic -- later renamed C.D Olmpic de Xtiva -- was founded in 1932 and remained a dominant force in the third level, successively finishing in the top five and reaching the Segunda Division promotion play-offs three ...
Nadal downplays Federer's absence at French Open
World No.1 Rafael Nadal said on Friday that the absence of Switzerland's Roger Federer from French Open did not detract from what could become his 11th title at Roland Garros.
Champ Kiptanui faces tough Ethiopian challenge at Ottawa Marathon
Champion Eliud Kiptanui from Kenya has warned his rivals to expect a fast race as he bids to hit two birds with one stone by winning the Ottawa Marathon in Canada with a new course record on Sunday.
Muguruza feels less pressure ahead of French Open
World No. 3 Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain said on Friday that not being the French Open's defending champion this year gave her a sense of peace.
IPL-Playoffs: Rashid blitz lift Sunrisers to 174/7 against KKR
Rashid Khan blunted chinaman Kuldeep Yadav's two crucial wickets in one over with an unbeaten 10-ball 34 cameo to propel Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to 174/7 in 20 overs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Qualifier 2 at the Eden Gardens here on Friday.
Rashid's cameo lifts Sunrisers to 174/7
Rashid Khan's late cameo helped Sunrisers Hyderabad overcome a wobbly start and post a challenging 174 for seven against Kolkata Knight Riders in the second qualifier of Indian Premier League here today. In their bid for a place in the final for the third time, KKR bowlers responded to Dinesh Karthik's decision to bowl first as they never allowed Sunrisers batsmen to break free initially. Kuldeep Yadav stole the limelight with a 2/29 spell that inluded the prized wicket of Kane Williamson (3), the leading rungetter of IPL-11, whlie Sunil Narine (1/24) was once again at his tidy best conceding just two runs in the 17th over. But Sunrisers snatched the momentum scoring 50 runs in the last three overs with wily Afghan spinner Rashid making the difference with his 34 not out off just 10 balls (four sixes and two fours). Rashid stepped on the gas in Prasidh Krishna's final over with two sixes that yielded 24 runs. Having started off on an impressive note, Krishna finished with poor figures
Halep shrugs off maiden Grand Slam title talk
Top-ranked Simona Halep is reluctant to talk about her first Grand Slam tournament title chase and says she is focused on her opening match at Roland Garros.
'King of Clay' Nadal will focus on staying competitive
Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal will focus more on maintaining his competitivenes, rather than on keeping the World No. 1 position, ahead of his possible 11th title at Roland Garros.
Bierhoff cautions against complacency as Germany prepare World Cup defence
Germany's national football team manager Oliver Bierhoff on Friday warned his side against becoming complacent as they prepare to defend their FIFA World Cup title in Russia this summer.
Nadal happy to 'suffer' in pursuit of 11th French Open
Rafael Nadal said today he is happy to "suffer" as he chases an 11th French Open title. The top seed is the overwhelming favourite to lift a 17th career major at Roland Garros after claiming his 11th titles on clay in both Monte Carlo and Barcelona this spring as well as an eighth trophy in Rome. "In the end, sport is about trying to give the best of yourself," said the 31-year-old. "The sensations of matches of three or four hours, played at the limit and thinking about the next point, these are beautiful moments. "It is to suffer but also to appreciate the moment you are living in. If you are suffering you know how to value it, how to enjoy it." With Roger Federer and Andy Murray not playing at the French Open, which starts on Sunday, Nadal is the short-odds favourite to win a tournament where his overall record stands at an astonishing 79 wins and just two losses. His expected stranglehold has been further tightened by former champions Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka attempting to
Russian officials admit to 'systemic doping scheme'
Senior Russian sports officials have admitted to "some unacceptable manipulations of the anti-doping system" and the existence of a "systemic doping scheme" in a letter to international sports leaders. After the letter arrived, Craig Reedie, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), told a press conference: "My first look at it is that they are getting closer to acknowledging that there was an error." "I hope it is a game-changer," Reedie said. AFP has now seen a copy of the letter, which was written in Russian, addressed to Reedie and copied to International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach and Andrew Parson, the president of the International Paralympic Committee. It was signed by Russian minister of sport Pavel Kolobkov, Russian Olympic Committee president Aleksandr Zhukov and Russian Paralympic Committee President Vladimir Lukin. The letter describes the doping as "systemic" but does not use the word "institutional," a key conclusion of the WADA inquiry led by ...
Azhar's fifty helps Pakistan make steady progress against England
Azhar Ali made exactly 50 as Pakistan's batsmen consolidated the good work of their bowlers on the second morning of the first Test at Lord's today. At lunch, Pakistan were 136 for three in reply to England's meagre first innings 184 -- a deficit of 48 runs. Asad Shafiq was 28 not out and Babar Azam eight not out after the tourists lost just two wickets in bowler-friendly conditions after resuming on 50 for one. On Thursday, Pakistan pacemen Mohammad Abbas and Hasan Ali had taken took four wickets apiece as they maintained a disciplined line and length. It looked as if Pakistan, rather than their opponents, were more familiar in classic early-season English conditions that England captain Joe Root would have expected to favour his side. But Pakistan, whose players are effectively banned from the Indian Premier League, had enjoyed arguably the better preparation for this two-match series than some members of the England team. While the likes of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler were appearing
Ramprakash takes on England Lions job as Flower stands in for Strauss
Mark Ramprakash will coach the second-string England Lions against India A and West Indies A now that Andy Flower is standing in for England and Wales Cricket Board director Andrew Strauss. Flower, an ex-England first-team coach who had been in charge of the Lions, has temporarily taken over from Strauss while the former Test captain supports his wife during the latest stage of her treatment for cancer. Ramprakash, a former England batsman, who will combine his Lions role with that of the senior England team's batting coach. One of a select group of players to have scored 100 first-class hundreds, Ramprakash will help prepare the Lions for a limited-overs triangular series against their Indian and West Indian counterparts and a subsequent Test against India A. Former Zimbabwe batsman Flower said Friday: "With taking on additional day-to-day duties following Andrew's extended leave, I wanted to ensure the Lions were adequately supported with a high-quality coach, and we believe that ...
Om Prakash Mitharval 7th in Munich Shooting World Cup
Indian shooter Om Prakash Mitharval could not produce his best after reaching the finals as he finished seventh in the Men's 10m Air Pistol of the fourth ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol stage in Munich today. Om shot 582 out of 600 to make it to the star-studded eight-man final in sixth place but only three scores in the 10s in his first 10 final shots out of a maximum 24, put paid to his medal hopes in his second World Cup final of the year. Oleh Omelchuk of Ukraine won the event in a world record effort of 243.6, ahead of German Rio Olympic champion Christian Reitz and Chinese Qigeng Pu. Shahzar Rizvi and Jitu Rai, the two other Indians in the event, shot scores of 579 and 577 to finish 12th and 28th respectively. Om Prakash shot 136.9 in the finals to bow out after the 14th shot. The day's best Indian score was however recorded by Abhishek Verma, who shot 585, however in the MQS category. Rahi Sarnobat was the best finishing Indian in the Women's 25m Pistol, shooting 577 in qualifying .
Rajput wants to replicate Afghanistan success with Zimbabwe
Lalchand Rajput is determined to bring back glorious days of a struggling Zimbabwe just like he transformed Afghanistan cricket team. Rajput was recently appointed as Zimbabwe's interim head-coach as he replaced Heath Streak, who was sacked. Under Rajput Afghanistan secured Full Membership at the ICC and won six limited-overs series. They also savoured a morale-boosting win over West Indies in an ODI at Gros Islet as it was their first ever win in this format over a Full Member other than Zimbabwe or Bangladesh. Afghanistan were recently given Test status and will play their first ever Test against India in next month in Bengaluru. "When I joined Afghanistan nobody knew that Afghanistan would go to that level. And we (Afghanistan) got the Test status. We never lost a series. And now people are talking about Afghanistan that they are doing well. The same thing, I would like Zimbabwe to do," Rajput told PTI. "I am really happy that Zimbabwe approached me and they wanted my services. It .
India bag silver, bronze in archery World Cup
India opened its account with a silver and a bronze medal in the compound section of the ongoing second stage of the archery World Cup Stage II here today. India's women compound team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Muskan Kirar and Divya Dhayal recoverd from a poor start to lose to their Chinese Taipei opponents by three points to settle for a silver. Later in the evening session, third seeded mixed pair of Abhisek Verma and Jyothi prevailed over Belgian duo of Reginald Kools and Sarah Prieels 158-155 in the bronze play-off to add a second medal to India's tally. The recurve women's team of Deepika Kumari, Promila Daimary and Ankita Bhagat are also in the hunt for a bronze medal when they take on Chinese Taipei's Lei Chien-Ying, Peng Chia-Mao and Tan Ya Ting tomorrow. The men's recurve team, on the other hand, continued their poor outing and exited in the first round. Earlier in the day, on the rain-swept beach here, Lin Ming-Ching, Chen Yi-Hsuan and Chen Li Ju almost had the match wrapped