Page 169 - Sports

I'm not in the team to make runs, says Nathan Coulter-Nile

Australian fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile, whose crucial knock of 92 runs after the top-order collapse that helped his team beat West Indies on Thursday, said on Saturday said that he is not in the team to make runs and will not be surprised if he is dropped from the next match in the World Cup against India on Sunday because of his two wicket-less games."We've got two world-class fast bowlers (on the sidelines). I'm not in the team to make runs, hopefully, the top order does that. So I wouldn't be surprised if I got dropped for the next game. I'm in the team to take wickets and I've had two wicket-less games,. So we'll see how we go," International Cricket Council (ICC) quoted Coulter-Nile as saying.Australia was reeling at 147 for six in their previous match against West Indies. Coulter-Nile came into bat next and he played a quickfire knock of 92 runs allowing the team to post a challenging total of 288. Australia was able to win the match against Windies by 15 runs.This knock by

Russia again in spotlight as IAAF wrestles with Semenya case

Doping-tainted Russia will learn on Sunday whether it has met the criteria set by athletics' governing body the IAAF to be reintegrated in world track and field. Banned in November 2015 because of evidence of mass state-sponsored doping, Russia has failed to have its ban overturned 10 times. Dozens of Russian athletes cleared by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), however, have competed as neutrals. While US-based long jumper Darya Klishina was the sole Russian athlete cleared to participate at the 2016 Rio Olympics, 74 Russian athletes competed as neutrals last year and 68 have been cleared since the start of 2019. The IAAF, led by two-time Olympic 1500m gold medallist Sebastian Coe, has been the stand-out sporting body to put its foot down in the wake of the doping scandal, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) having both reintegrated Russia. Rumour has it that Russia, a giant in the track and field world, is now ...

TVS official sponsor of Bangladesh football team

TVS Motor Company on Saturday announced its sponsorship tie up with the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) for a period of two years. As a first step, the official FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier jersey for the Bangladesh team with TVS Motor Company branding was handed over to Captain Jamal Bhuyan and to the rest of the team.

Portugal rely on Ronaldo to get better of Van Dijk

Portugal's meeting with the Netherlands to decide the first ever winners of the Nations League on Sunday sees the unstoppable force of Cristiano Ronaldo face the immovable object in Virgil van Dijk. Ronaldo sat out the early stages of UEFA's new competition to save his 34-year-old legs for his first season at Juventus, but returned in time to ride to the host nation's rescue once more in Wednesday's semi-final against Switzerland. The Swiss enjoyed the better of the game in Porto, but the five-time world player of the year was lethal in scoring his 53rd career hat-trick with three exquisite finishes. "It's the preparation - my work ethic. I still feel good despite being 34 years of age," Ronaldo told UEFA.com. "The most important thing is your head, to feel motivated and happy, and to follow my path as a player, because I think I still have a lot to give." Portugal's run to the last four without their all-time record top goalscorer showed why hopes are high the European champions will

Bangladesh win toss, opt to bowl against England

Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl against England in their ICC World Cup match here Saturday. Bangladesh are going in with an unchanged team while England are playing Liam Plunkett in place of Moeen Ali, whose wife is close to giving birth to their second child. Teams: Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Mustafizur Rahman England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood.

Bangladesh opt to bowl against England (TOSS)

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss against England and decided to bowl first at Sophia Gardens on Saturday.

Stoinis can have a big impact on this World Cup: Ponting

Australia assistant coach Ricky Ponting is impressed with all-rounder Marcus Stoinis' ability to bowl overs at the death and expressed his confidence that the all-rounder can have a big impact on this World Cup."I just like the overall package with him. He's probably our best outfielder, you saw what he can do with the ball at the death, he gives us another string to our bow as far as his death bowling is concerned. The boys love what he brings to the side. I'm working with him a lot on a daily basis and I think he can have a big impact on this World Cup," Cricket.com.au quoted Ponting as saying.Stoinis has displayed a brilliant form with the ball so far, as he took two wickets in Australia's opening match against Afghanistan while giving away just 37 runs from his seven overs. He continued his form in the second match as well. Despite not being able to clinch a wicket, Stoinis conceded just 18 runs from his four overs against West Indies.However, Stoinis has unable to leave a mark on

TVS Motor becomes official sponsor of Bangladesh football team

TVS Motor Company Saturday announced its sponsorship tie-up with the Bangladesh Football Federation for a period of two years. As a first step, the official FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier jersey for the Bangladesh team featuring the company branding was handed over to the captain Jamal Bhuyan and the rest of the team, it said. "As per the association, TVS Auto Bangladesh, distribution partner for two wheelers of TVS Motor Company, will be sponsoring the National Team for the next two years through World Cup Qualifier, Asian Cup Qualifiers, International Friendlies and the BFF Intercontinental cup," the company said in a BSE filing. R Dilip, senior vice president, TVS Motor Company said: "While this is our first association with football in the country, we have a long history of supporting sports in Bangladesh - our key market.

Ponting seeking answers to Australia's short-ball woes

Australia's assistant coach Ricky Ponting said that the top-order's vulnerability against the short ball will need to be addressed before their crucial match against India on Sunday.

Unlike CoA & CEO, Indian players stand by Dhoni in gloves issue

In a matter as grave as the M.S. Dhoni Army insignia issue, it came as a huge surprise when the Committee of Administrators (CoA) chief Vinod Rai rather than taking a stand backing the former India skipper, said that if there is a specific norm that has to be followed, the Indian board would not break that. But the Indian players have made it clear that they will stand by the man they all call their 'Captain'. While Virat Kohli is the skipper of the team, the term captain here is used as a mark of respect.

India take on Australia amid Dhoni's glove controversy (Preview)

M.S. Dhoni's gloves controversy will take centrestage even as India and Australia look to iron out the flaws and bring their best to the table when they lock horns in a marquee World Cup encounter at the Kennington Oval on Saturday.

Kohli's school sending soil to London as blessing

Virat Kohli is currently in England looking to become the third Indian captain to win the World Cup after Kapil Dev in 1983 and M.S. Dhoni in 2011 and it seems that his former school in the Capital is expressing its support in a very unique manner.

IOA general secretary meets sports minister, discusses IOC ban

Indian Olympic Association secretary general Rajeev Mehta Saturday held discussions with new sports minister Kiren Rijiju regarding the International Olympic Committee's ban on India from hosting global events and increased assistance for athletes. "IOA Secretary General Mr Rajeev Mehta met the Hon'ble Sports Minister @KirenRijiju today and held discussions on support needed for National Sports Federations, increased assistance for athletes, preparations for #Tokyo2020 and governance matters including IOC's decision," the IOA tweeted from its official handle. Rijiju, just after taking charge as sports minister last week, had ensured that he would work with the athletes and federations collectively as a team to bring about a revolution in sports. In February, the IOC suspended all Indian applications to host future events and urged International sports federations not to stage competitions in the country after two Pakistani shooters were denied visas to compete in New Delhi at the ...

India's tactical test against formidable Australia

India's quest for glory will face a stern test in formidable Australia, forcing Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri to put their thinking caps on and contemplate a tactical rejig, as one of World Cup's most storied rivalries resumes here Sunday. India were clinical in their six-wicket victory against a depleted South Africa while Australia, who have raised their game in the last couple of months, were professional against Afghanistan and brilliant in their come-from-behind victory against the West Indies. Having struggled in the past one year after suspensions of Steve Smith and David Warner, Australia finally seemed to have picked their pieces and are playing exactly like a five-time champions ought to. This will certainly be a cause of worry for India, who lost their ODI series at home during the last bilateral encounter and are still in search of a perfect combination both in batting and bowling. In fact, Australia's batting coach Ricky Ponting is apprehending a shift in strategy from the

Reid wants to rope in psychologist to work with mentally fragile Indian players

A "stable mind" is the need of the hour in modern hockey, says new chief coach Graham Reid, hinting that a full-time psychologist may soon join the Indian team in its quest for Olympic qualification. Very well aware of India's perennial habit of succumbing under pressure in crunch situations, Reid wants to rope in a psychologist to work on the mental side of the players. "In modern day sport, every player needs to be mentally stable and tough to deal with different sort of pressures," he said. "I am still trying to work out how best to do that because the last thing you want to do is bring someone (psychologist) in who doesn't really get on with the team. Over the next month or so we will work on the best way forward on the mental side," Reid told PTI in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the ongoing FIH Series Finals here. "To me it's a really important part but I also understand we have cultural differences. So those things have to be balanced." Reid replaced Harendra Singh .

Coulter-Nile not sure of place in India game despite 92 against WI

Australia's fast bowling all-rounder Nathan Coulter-Nile says he is not sure of his place for the big-ticket World Cup encounter against India despite a match-winning 92 against West Indies. His 92 off just 60 balls proved vital in Australia's 15-run victory, but the 31-year-old believes his expensive outing with the ball in Bristol may not help his cause. Asked if he felt his spot was secure, Coulter-Nile said: "No. I took none for 70. "We've got two world-class (fast) bowlers (on the sidelines). I'm not in the team to make runs, hopefully the top order does that, so I wouldn't be surprised if I got dropped for the next game," he was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia. "I'm in the team to take wickets and I've had two wicketless games, so we'll see how we go." Coulter-Nile's 92 at Trent Bridge was the highest score by a No. 8 in a World Cup, 58 runs more than his previous best ODI score. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are Australia's lead pacers, while coach Justin Langer has ...

Virat Kohli's school sends soil to London as blessing

Virat Kohli is currently in England looking to become the third Indian captain to win the World Cup after Kapil Dev in 1983 and M.S. Dhoni in 2011 and it seems that his former school in the Capital is expressing its support in a very unique manner.

Indian women's hockey team leaves for FIH Women's Series Finals

The Indian women's hockey team left for Hiroshima in the wee hours of Saturday to take part in the FIH Women's Series Finals, which is part of the Olympic Qualifying pathway. "We go into this tournament with a lot of confidence we carry from our recent tours in Spain, Malaysia and Republic of Korea. Our performance has been on the rise over the past year and the fact that many of us have been playing together for quite a few years gives us an edge," said skipper Rani on the eve of their departure. It was a historic moment for the Indian women's team when it qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. "It was the first time that India had ever qualified for the Olympics in Women's Hockey. We did create history but we certainly don't want it to be a one-off qualification. Our team is capable of repeating it again and we will aim to finish on the top in this tournament," asserted Rani. India are grouped with Poland, Uruguay and Fiji in Pool A while 18th Asian Games Champions Japan, Chile, .

Spain in contact with Luis Enrique despite his continued absence

Spain assistant coach Robert Moreno revealed that head coach Luis Enrique was in constant touch with him during Spain's 4-1 win against the Faroe Islands on Saturday.Due to a family emergency, Enrique has not been seen with the team since March. However, Moreno said he was in contact with Enrique all week as they prepared for the game for the EURO 2020 qualifiers."I have been in contact with Luis all week as we prepared for this game. I spoke to him before the game about the line-up for today and we discussed tactics for the threat of the Faroe Islands. We maintained contact throughout the game, and we have a courier delivering messages to him at full-time," Goal.com quoted Moreno as saying.Moreno further added that he will be there so the team as long as the team needs him but Enrique will remain the manager of the team."I am here for as long as I am needed, but Luis remains manager of the team," he said.Sergio Ramos scored the opening goal of the match in the fifth minute of the ...

TVS Motor Company Sponsors Bangladesh Football Federation

As per the association, TVS Auto Bangladesh, distribution partner for two wheelers of TVS Motor Company, will be sponsoring the National Team for the next two years through World Cup Qualifier, Asian Cup Qualifiers, International Friendlies and the BFF Intercontinental cup. TVS Auto Bangladesh will also sponsor the Bangladesh Premier League where 13 top football clubs participate.