Page 176 - Sports
World Cup records highest ever opening on Star
The ongoing cricket World Cup in England and Wales has recorded a reach of 114 million for the opening match between England and South Africa on Star network, the highest for any opening World Cup game, a statement said.
Coulter-Nile, Smith guide Oz to 288 after early slump
Nathan Coulter-Nile and Steve Smith saved Australia from an early slump to post a challenging 288 in 49 overs against West Indies in their World Cup clash on Thursday.
Smith, Coulter-Nile lead Australia to 288 all out after top-order meltdown
West Indies fast bowlers ripped through the Australian top-order in a brilliant spell before Steve Smith and the record-breaking Nathan Coulter-Nile led a stunning fightback to power the defending champions to 288 all out in their World Cup match here Thursday. Sent into bat, the Australians were in all sorts of trouble against the short-pitched deliveries unleased by the West Indian fast bowlers, who extracted a lot of bounce and seam movement initially from the Trent Bridge track. The Australians, who had easily beaten Afghanistan in their first match, lost four quick wickets for just 38 runs in the eighth over with Aaron Finch (6), David Warner (3), Usman Khawaja (13) and Glenn Maxwell (0) falling cheaply. But, Smith led a remarkable fightback with a 73 off 103 deliveries while Coulter-Nile unleashed a late onslaught with an unbelievable 92 off 60 balls. Coulter-Nile, who hit eight fours and four sixes, in fact, became the highest run scorer by a number eight batsman in a World ...
USA stun South Africa 2-0, Poland beat Uzbekistan in FIH Series Finals
USA stunned higher-ranked South Africa 2-0 in the opening match of FIH Hockey Series Finals while Poland thrashed Uzbekistan 4-0 here Thursday. While the result of the Pool B match between USA and South Africa came as a big surprise, the 21st ranked Poland were expected to beat the Uzbeks, ranked 43rd, in the opening Pool A encounter. Pawel Bratkowski (5th and 36th minutes) and Mateusz Hulboz (27th and 40th) scored a brace each to ensure a convincing win for the Polish side. Poland will next play India in their second match here Friday. Earlier in the day after barren first three quarters, world no. 25 USA scored both their goals in the final 15 minutes to surprise the the 16th ranked South Africans. Christian de Angelis converted a penalty corner for the Americans in the 47th minute to break the deadlock before Paul Singh scored a field goal just three minutes from the final hooter to mark a positive start to their campaign here. It was a major surprise as the Americans hardly have ..
India U-19 lose to Moldova in football tourney
The India U-19 football team lost 1-2 to Moldova for their second defeat in the Granatkin Memorial Tournament, here Thursday. Rohit Danu (34th minute) opened the scoring for India before conceding two quick goals in the second half from the Moldovans. Puscas Dan (54') drew parity for the European nation before Mihail Cioban (57') converted a spot kick to confirm their first win of the tournament. India coach Floyd Pinto made a couple of changes to the starting line-up, replacing Shabas Ahammed and Sanjeev Stalin with Robin Yadav and Vikram Partap Singh, respectively. India showed their intent in the fourth minute when Jeakson Singh tried his luck from outside of the box, only to see his effort punched away by the opposition keeper. Within the next ten minutes, another attempt by the midfielder flew over the crossbar. The Indian colts were playing a more purposeful and creative brand of football and eventually, in the 31st minute, Rohit Danu pulled the trigger to send the Indian dugout
MEA working with BCCI to develop cricket in Maldives
The Ministry of External Affairs is working with the BCCI to train Maldivian cricketers after the island nation's President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih sought India's assistance in developing the sport to international standard in his country. Addressing reporters on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said India is also looking into constructing a stadium in the South Asian country, which is another request made by it. "One of the focus in our ties with the Maldives is on people-to-people relationship and in looking at ways to strengthen it," he said. In April, Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih attended an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Bengaluru and subsequently expressed interest to develop a cricket team in the Maldives and sought India's assistance in training this team and bringing it up to the requisite standard. "So among his requests, which are under examination, is a cricket stadium in the Maldives. We expect to build it under the line of credit that we plan to .
Gursimar's birdie spree gives her 4-shot lead in 7th leg of Hero WPGT
Gursimar Badwal went on a rampage with eight birdies against two bogeys in the second round of the seventh leg of the Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour here Thursday. She carded six-under 66 at Clover Greens and that equalled the season's best round by Neha Tripathi in the second round of the first leg at Poona Club Golf Course and Ridhima Dilawari's 66 at the Jaypee Greens in the sixth leg. Gursimar, who won the second leg and was third in the fifth leg, is now four shots clear of Gaurika Bishnoi, who followed her first round 71 with a two-under 70. Overnight leader Amandeep Drall added another 71, which was her seventh successive sub-par round. Tvesa Malik (70) and Millie Saroha (71) were tied for fourth at even par 144. Overall, the quality of golf was very impressive as seven players shot under and another three were at par for the second round. The top three players were under par for 36 holes and two more were even par. The star of the day was Gursimar, who set the pace with a ...
AB de Villiers believes South Africa can still win WC
Three losses in their first three games in the 2019 edition of the World Cup has opened a can of worms in the South African unit. It has been revealed that former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers had offered to come out of retirement to play in the showpiece event, a move that was rejected by the Cricket South Africa selectors.
Players from 23 nations for Mumbai Mayor's Chess
Venezuelan Grand Master Iturrizaga Bonelli-Eduardo is to lead a field of 225 players, representing 23 countries, in the open category of the 12th Mumbai Mayor's International Chess Tournament scheduled here from June 9-16. Players from Russia, Spain, Brazil, Georgia, Belgium, Belarus, America, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, Armenia, Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Chile, Iran, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Tajikistan, Venezuela, Slovakia, Vietnam and hosts India will be participating in the tournament, a media release said Thursday. Apart from Bonelli-Eduardo, with an ELO rating of 2637, defending champion GM Amonatov Farrukh of Tajikistan, with an ELO rating of 2624, and GM Pantsulaia Levan of Georgia (ELO 2614) are the second and third seeds. GM Deepen Chakravarthy from Tamil Nadu, seeded 11th in the tournament, is the highest ranked Indian player, while WIM Divya Deshmukh will lead the Indian female contingent. The players in the open international section would be vying ..
Gaikwad's 187 powers India A to victory over Sri Lanka A in unofficial ODI
A blistering 187 by opener Rituraj Gaikwad helped India A beat Sri Lanka A by 48 runs in the first unofficial ODI here Thursday. Batting first, India A recorded 317 for four in the match reduced to 42 overs-a- side due to rain. Rituraj hammered 116 runs in boundaries alone during his 136-ball knock, which was studded with 26 fours and two sixes. He also stitched a 163-run partnership with Anmolpreet Singh for the second wicket, which put the hosts in a commanding position. Anmolpreet scored a quickfire 65 off 67 balls with six boundaries to his credit, before he gave a catch to Akila Dhananjaya off Ashan Priyanjan. In reply, Sri Lanka managed 269 runs for six in the stipulated overs, despite an unbeaten century by Shehan Jayasuriya. He scored 108 off 120 balls with eight boundaries and two sixes. Dasun Shanaka was the second highest scorer for Sri Lank A, making 44 runs in 31 balls. He was caught by Ricky Bhui of Mayank Markande. India A lost opener Shubnam Gill after he made five, ...
AI, machine learning can be game-changers for sports industry: Infosys
Digital technology has immense growth opportunities in the sports industry and if capitalised well, there is a huge potential to draw fans and players closer to a more customised and innovative experience, according to Infosys COO UB Pravin Rao. Infosys, which is the official digital innovation partner for Roland-Garros, is already deploying its digital innovations at the tournament based on artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, analytics, social sentiment analysis and virtual and augmented reality. "Digital technology has immense opportunities for growth in the sports industry. If capitalised in the right way, there is a huge potential to draw fans and players closer to a more customised and innovative experience. Leveraging data analytics, fans, players and coaches can get a better sense of the game by using data to their advantage," Rao told PTI. He cited the example of Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, where Infosys had to sieve through umpire data across all the ...
Goalie Niraj Kumar signs for Jamshedpur FC
Jamshedpur FC on Thursday announced the signing of 16-year-old goalkeeper Niraj Kumar from Bengaluru based side Ozone FC.
I want to retire after Tokyo Olympics, says Mary Kom
After years of speculation over her retirement, six-time world champion MC Mary Kom on Thursday said she plans to hang her gloves after winning the elusive gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The 36-year-old has been the inspiring force in Indian boxing. In her 18-year long illustrious career, she has won six World Championships, an Olympic bronze medal, and five Asian Championships. Besides being an active and top-level boxer, she is also a sitting Rajya Sabha MP. "After 2020 I want to retire. So my main mission is to get a gold for India. I really really want to win ( gold)," Mary Kom said on the sidelines of an event organised by Colgate. Mary Kom won the the bronze medal in the flyweight category at the 2012 London Olympics. She now aims to change the shade of her medal to gold. "I always try my best to give a medal to the country and if possible a gold. I will be starting my preparation for the Olympic qualifiers and the World Championship. I want to win a gold medal this ...
De Villiers wanted to come back for WC but SA rejected offer with 'no regrets'
A B de Villiers wanted to come out of retirement for the World Cup but Cricket South Africa (CSA) refused to accept the offer as the batting great had ignored pleas to not retire last year. According to 'ESPNCricinfo', de Villiers made the offer to come back in May, barely 24 hours before the final squad for the ongoing showpiece in the UK was to be announced by CSA. The revelation came amid a disastrous start to South Africa's World Cup campaign, which has seen them lose three matches including one to Bangladesh. While Wednesday's six-wicket defeat to India turned the situation from bad to worse, the loss of pace great Dale Steyn to a shoulder injury has also considerably weakened the team. CSA selection panel convenor Linda Zondi confirmed that de Villiers did make the offer and that skipper Faf du Plessis and coach Ottis Gibson were quite keen to have him back as well. However, de Villiers' omission was based on principles, Zondi said. "I pleaded with AB de Villiers not to retire ..
MCA ad-hoc committee to discuss Mumbai T20 League case
Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) will discuss the issue of a local player being allegedly approached to under-perform in the city's T20 league at its ad-hoc committee meeting here. A senior MCA official, on conditions of anonymity, told PTI that BCCI has sought information on the case. The ad-hoc committee meeting will be held later on Thursday. According to a media report, a Mumbai player who has played Ranji Trophy, was approached by a rival team's owner to under-perform in the Mumbai T20 League semifinals. The league, approved by the BCCI and conducted by the MCA, was held from May 14 to May 26. The official, however maintained that the MCA has got nothing in writing from any of the players or the franchisees and when it does, the information will be passed on to the BCCI's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU). "We will co-operate with the Board," the official said. BCCI's ACU chief Ajit Singh has already said that he would investigate the case once MCA provides all the details. The matter ..
Sindhu, Sameer knocked out; India's campaign over at Australian Open
Olympic and world championship silver medallist P V Sindhu made a second round exit from the Australian Open, suffering a straight-game loss in what turned out to be a dismal day for Indian shuttlers here Thursday. Sindhu was the last to fall, following the ouster of sixth seeded compatriots Sameer Verma, B Sai Praneeth and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Later in the day, former Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap's gallant fight against Chinese legend Lin Dan also ended in a heartbreak to draw curtains on India's campaign here. The world number five Sindhu, who is still looking for the first title of the season, could not get across Nitchaon Jindapol, ranked 29th, and lost 19-21 18-21 in a 49-minute match. This was her second loss to the Thailand player in seven meetings. Earlier, world number 12 Sameer went down 16-21 21-7 13-21 to former top 10 player Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei, while Praneeth put up a brave fought in the opening .
No regret in rejecting ABD's offer: CSA selection convenor
With the revelation that former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers had proposed coming out of retirement to play for the Proteas in the 2019 World Cup, Cricket South Africa (CSA) selection panel convenor Linda Zondi has clarified in an official statement as to why the offer was rejected by the board.
Bhutia congratulates Chhetri for becoming India's most capped player
Former captain Bhaichung Bhutia congratulated his successor Sunil Chhetri for surpassing his record and becoming India's most capped international player. Chhetri on Wednesday made his 108th appearance for India, eclipsing Bhutia's record of 107 matches, when he walked out to lead the side against Curacao in the opening match of the King's Cup. "I am extremely proud of him. Big congratulations to you Sunil," Bhutia said. "He has been a great leader, and a great player for India. I hope he continues to perform in the manner he has been doing. You could always see the kind of commitment he had since we first met in Kolkata. His hunger to succeed always made him special." Bhutia believes Chhetri's exemplary fitness level will help him to prolong his international career. "There's no reason why he can't continue for long. He is a thorough professional. He is most hard working senior player in the circuit. In fact, even if you compare him to younger players, Sunil stands out," Bhutia ...
Playing chess in past is helping me pre-empt batsmen's moves: Kohli
Yuzvendra Chahal is indebted to his days as a chess player which taught him to pre-empt the batsman's moves and skipper Virat Kohli feels this ability makes the leg-spinner stand out among his peers. Chahal had an impressive World Cup debut against South Africa, picking 4 for 51 in India's six-wicket victory here. "Chess has taught me patience and planning. When you play chess, you normally plan 15 to 16 moves in advance. Ditto when you bowl to a player like Faf (Du Plessis), you need to plan whether to bowl a googly or a flipper, which are the deliveries they are picking and the ones they can't pick," Chahal told mediapersons in the mixed zone. He cited the dismissal of Faf du Plessis which he had planned after analysing the South African skipper's approach. "I loved the manner in which I dismissed Faf. Since I was getting my deliveries to drift, I planned bowling a slider on off-stump and he didn't read," said Chahal. He first shot into prominence during his first year at Royal ...
Yadav expresses his desire of learning from Chahal
India spinner Kuldeep Yadav confessed that he needs to learn from Yuzvendra Chahal, who helped side register a dominating victory over South Africa in their World Cup opening match on Wednesday."The way me and Chahal planned, we worked on the same. Our focus was to pick wickets in the middle overs and it worked. Chahal is a player who knows where to bowl, according to the batsman and I need to learn from him and maybe in a few years I will get it," Yadav told reporters.Chahal was at his devastating best against the Proteas as he bundled off four South Africa batsmen, including their skipper Faf du Plessis. Other bowlers also contributed to restrict South Africa on just 229 runs as Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar took two wickets each while Yadav got hold of one batsman.Yadav bowled 10 overs in the match and gave away just 46 runs. Yadav said that he was 'very much' satisfied with his performance."If we talk about my bowling, I would say I am very much satisfied because of the way