Page 1634 - Sports

IPL: Raina, Watson help Chennai hand 177-run target to Rajasthan

A decent batting effort helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) post a fighting total of 176/4 against Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League (IPL) tie at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Friday.

ODI captaincy not on my mind: Finch

Captaining the Australian team in One-day Internationals is not in Aaron Finch's mind, the national T20I team skipper said as Australias selectors named Tim Paine temporary ODI skipper for the upcoming series against England.

Raina hits half-century as CSK score 176/4

Suresh Raina struck his 34th half-century in IPL as Chennai Super Kings posted a competitive 176 for 4 against Rajasthan Royals, here tonight. CSK's most consistent performer over the years, Raina struck 52 off 35 balls with the help of six boundaries and a six, adding 86 runs for the second wicket with veteran Shane Watson (39 off 31 balls). The duo provided the platform for skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to launch a final assault smashing 33 off 23 balls in company of Sam Billings (27 off 22 balls). The duo added 55 runs in 6.4 overs to take the team's total past 175-run mark. For Royals, Jofra Archer (2/42 in 4 overs) was the most successful bowler even though he got hit towards the end. Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi (1/29 in 4 overs) was the most impressive as he got Raina with a googly which the southpaw tried to slog sweep against the turn. CSK's top run-getter Ambati Rayudu (12) started off with a couple of boundaries before being played on to a delivery that was kicking up from back of .

Yususf Pathan launches cricket academy in Delhi

In a bid to develop budding cricketers in the national capital, Cricket Academy of Pathans (CAP) launched its first centre here in the presence of cricketer and academy Director Yusuf Pathan at the Vidhya Bharati School here on Friday.

Professional sports coaching for kids is no longer about recreation alone

Highly professionalised and extremely competitive, sports coaching for kids has become serious business

100-ball format will reduce difference between good and ordinary: Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who is also a member of the MCC's World Cricket Committee, is not in favour of tinkering with the hugely popular Twenty20 format as mooted by the England and Wales Cricket Board. The ECB has proposed to overhaul domestic Twenty20 tournament, making it 'The Hundred' which could feature 15 six-ball overs per side and a final 10-ball over. The exact details are yet to be finalised, with the eight-team tournament to begin in 2020. "You got to be very careful that it should not be such that before a spectator comes and blinks, the thing (match) is over. The shorter the format gets, the difference between the very good and the ordinary becomes much lesser," Ganguly, who is the mentor of Pro Star League, an Under-16 all-India cricket tournament, said. "The spectator wants the fun and pressure to go on for a certain period of time and then find genuine talent and genuine winners. We will have to wait and see how shorter it gets." Ganguly firmly believed ...

Injured Sri Lanka opener out of West Indies tour

Sri Lanka's injured opener Dimuth Karunaratne was left out of a 17-man squad for the three-match Test series against the West Indies, the cricket board said Friday. Angelo Mathews and Suranga Lakmal were included subject to fitness, the Sri Lankan board said. Sri Lanka will begin the tour on May 30 with a three-day warm-up match, and the first Test starts on June 6 in Trinidad. Karunaratne, 30, fractured a finger while batting in the nets earlier this month as he prepared for a limited-overs domestic tournament. The left-hander has played in 49 Tests and scored 3,186 runs. Squad: Dinesh Chandimal (Captain), Mahela Udawatte, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Roshen Silva, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lahiru Gamage, Kasun Rajitha, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, and Asitha Fernando.

DAV Chandigarh, Jtragachi Pranavananda in school regatta finals

DAV Chandigarh and Jatragachi Pranavananda, both last year's title holders in senior and junior boys section respectively of the All India Invitation School Regatta, took their places in the finals of the meet here on Friday.

SGFI launches national school cricket league

In a bid to discover fresh talent at the grassroots levels across the country, the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) formally launched the National School Cricket League (NSCL) at the Police Gymkhana here on Friday.

Need to be careful about 100-ball cricket: Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Friday joined some of the English players who have expressed their concerns about the England and Wales Cricket Board's plan for a 100-ball competition, but remained open-minded about how it's going to shape up.

Incheon United coach calls it quits after poor performance

The head coach of the South Korean football club Incheon United has decided to step down following his team's poor performance this season.

Zidane sidesteps talk of Neymar Real move

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane on Friday sidestepped talk of a bid for the world's most expensive footballer Neymar. "I dont know, I don't think so. What we are thinking about at the moment is the Champions League final," Zidane told a press conference when asked about a possible move for the Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil star. It's "normal that people talk," he added, "but I am not going there, because we are focusing on the season and the rest we will talk about later." Zidane's squad take on Liverpool in the Champions League final in Kiev on May 26, looking to win the trophy for a third year in a row. Pushed about whether Neymar would fit in to the Real setup and would be compatible with Cristiano Ronaldo, Zidane said, "the good ones are always compatible (with each other)." Real President Florentino Perez has made no secret of his desire to recruit Neymar, sparking daily rumours of transfer moves for the Brazilian star who played for Spanish rivals Barcelona from 2013-2017 ...

SC to consider suggestions on BCCI's draft constitution on July 5

The Supreme Court today said it would consider on July 5 the suggestions given by amicus curiae on the draft constitution of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said the suggestions given by senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, who is assisting it as an amicus curiae, should be circulated among all the parties so that they could give their suggestions. Subramanium referred to three key issues -- insulating the cricket body from political influence, 'one-state, one-vote' policy and full-time membership of some associate bodies -- raised in the Justice R M Lodha panel recommendations. He said he has given his suggestions on several issues and all parties could give their views in the matter. Senior advocate Puneet Bali, appearing for BCCI office bearers, told the bench that they along with other state bodies needed to respond to the suggestions given by amicus in the matter. The ...

Russia names preliminary squad for World Cup

The Russian Football Union (RFU) on Friday published a list of 28 players selected to enter the preliminary roster of the national squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off next month in 11 cities across Russia.

Ferguson's son thanks fans for support after father's haemorrhage

Alex Ferguson's son Darren thanked football fans on Friday for the "overwhelming" support after the former Manchester United manager suffered a brain haemorrhage. Ferguson senior, who won 38 trophies during a 26-year reign at Old Trafford underwent emergency surgery after falling ill last Saturday. United announced on Wednesday that he was no longer in intensive care and was being treated as an inpatient. Darren Ferguson, manager of third-tier Doncaster Rovers, missed his side's final game of the League One season to be at his father's bedside, and thanked supporters of his club and the wider sporting world for their well wishes. "On behalf of myself and my family, I would like to thank the huge number of people who have been kind enough to send messages of support during a difficult time," he told the club's official website. "It has been overwhelming to read how many people care and that they are thinking of my dad and willing his recovery." He also thanked medical staff who had ...

IPL: Chennai opt to bat vs Rajasthan

Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat against Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League (IPL) tie at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Friday.

Paddlers shine at Thailand Open

Indias young paddlers excelled in the Thailand Junior and Cadet Open here, bagging four bronze medals in the team events.

Olympic champ McLeod vows to do Shanghai hurdle hero Liu proud

World and Olympic hurdles champion Omar McLeod wants to put on a blistering display in Shanghai on Saturday in homage to the Chinese city's athletics hero Liu Xiang. Liu is retired but the Shanghai native remains a Chinese sports icon because his 2004 Olympic hurdles gold medal was the country's first in men's track and field. Liu, now 34, was also a 2007 world champion, though his brilliant career petered out because of persistent injury and he retired in 2015. But Chinese spectators may see shades of Liu in McLeod during Saturday's Diamond League meeting -- the affable Jamaican certainly hopes so. McLeod, who is chasing a third successive 110m victory in Shanghai, said on Friday: "They show a good appreciation for hurdles here and I want to go out there and show my appreciation for their appreciation of hurdles. "Liu Xiang was one of the reasons why I got into running in the streets and race and hurdle. He was just an inspiration and I've heard that I hurdle just like him, so I ...

Bangladesh disappointed at cancelled Australia tour

Bangladesh cricket authorities today expressed disappointment after Australia called off a tour by the Asian nation this year because it was not financially viable. The Tigers were to play two Tests and three one-day internationals in Australia in August and September. "Australia communicated to us that the series could not be arranged for financial reasons. It is very unfortunate as we were hoping that the series would be a good playing opportunity for our players," Bangladesh Cricket Board chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told AFP. Bangladesh have not visited Australia since 2008 when they played three one-day internationals. The minnows have not played a Test in Australia since 2003. Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland told the Cricinfo website that the Test series could not be arranged as it coincided with Australia's football season and it was difficult to find a broadcaster. The BCB chief executive said Bangladesh had proposed a shorter series but did not get .

Never seen shots like ones Pant played yesterday: Vengsarkar

Being one of the greatest exponents of 'Bombay School of Batsmanship', which is a hallmark of purists, former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar was amazed at young Rishabh Pant's unconventional strokeplay during his 63-ball-128 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL encounter yesterday. Pant hit some unorthodox lap shot in the last over bowled by India's pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar, scooping the ball over third-man for couple of sixers. "I saw him (Pant) yesterday. He played superbly. Some of the shots were innovative and I have never seen those shots before. He played extremely well yesterday," Vengsarkar praised Pant. While he was generous in praise for Pant, Vengsarkar said that he is a big fan of Dinesh Karthik. "Yes definitely, DK is another good player, fantastic player, I am huge fan of DK," Vengsarkar, spoke on the sidelines of the National School Cricket League organised by School Games Federation of India (SGFI).