Page 1797 - Sports
Messi to return as Barca host Roma in Champions League last eight
Lionel Messi is expected back for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Roma and for Barcelona his return cannot come soon enough. Messi's latest rescue-act on Saturday, when he came off the bench to inspire a remarkable fightback against Sevilla, has regurgitated the question of Barca's dependency on their number 10. It is difficult to quantify Messi's brilliance. He would be missed by any team in the world, not least Argentina, who were thrashed 6-1 by Spain last week with the injured forward watching on from the stands. But for Ernesto Valverde, there is an urgency to the issue because if Messi is not at his blistering best, perhaps feels his hamstring ache, or is somehow contained by Roma's defence, his side must find another way through. "We're up against the very best in Messi," Roma forward Stephan El Shaarawy said. "Every time he gets on the ball, he can make something happen. That's why we'll have to try to act accordingly and restrict his influence as .
England need four New Zealand wickets to end away drought
England removed a stubborn Tom Latham to close in on victory in the second Test at Christchurch today, with New Zealand 191 for six at tea on the final day. However, they are racing the elements with clouds building on the horizon. Stuart Broad took two wickets with the first two balls of the day to start a flow of dismissals, leaving New Zealand to pin their hopes on a stubborn Latham. But after propping up the innings for nearly five hours, the opener was removed midway through the afternoon session for 83. Colin de Grandhomme, required for the second time in the Test to park his natural quick-fire tendencies and graft away, was not out 27 with Ish Sodhi on 16. New Zealand's remaining four wickets include Tim Southee who has a viral complaint and is said to be feverish, and any thoughts of reaching their formidable 382-run target have long gone. A win to England would not only square the series but, importantly for their morale, would end a run of 12 winless Tests away from ...
Sports Schedule for Tuesday, April 3
Sports Schedule for Tuesday, April 3 CRICKET * IPL related stories from across the country (Build Up stories of 8 franchises) *Stories related to Indian cricket. *BCCI media rights e-auction in Mumbai. *Day 5 of fourth Test between Australia and South Africa in Johannesburg. *Day 5 of second Test between England and New Zealand in Christchurch. COMMONWEALTH GAMES *News and stories related to Indian contingent in Gold Coast. FOOTBALL *Super Cup match between ATK and FC Goa in Bhubaneswar.
Nehwal disappointed as father denied entry in Gold Cost Games Village
Expressing her disappointment in a series of tweets on Monday night, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal said her father, who was confirmed as part of the Indian contingent travelling to Australia for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, was denied entry in the Gold Coast Games Village.Nehwal said her father cannot stay with her."Surprise to see that when we started from India for Commonwealth Games 2018 my father was confirmed as the team official and I paid the whole amount for that but when we came to the Games Village ... his name was cut from team official category .. and he can't even stay with me," she wrote on Twitter.The sports ministry had earlier cleared her father Harvir Singh Nehwal's name as an 'extra official' with the badminton squad for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.London Olympics bronze medalist Saina tagged the Commonwealth Games Federation to express her concern."He can't c my matches and he can't enter the village nor he can meet me in anyway .. what kind of support is this ...
Super Cup: Jamshedpur ride goalie's heroics to edge past Minerva in tiebreaker
Jamshedpur FC rode on young goalkeeper Sanjiban Ghosh's heroics to put it across I-League champions Minerva Punjab FC 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out and take their place in quarterfinals of the Super Cup here.
Azam leads Pakistan to 205-3 in 2nd West Indies T20
Opener Babar Azam hit an unbeaten 97 to steer Pakistan to their highest-ever Twenty20 total of 205-3 in the second match against the West Indies in Karachi today. Azam smashed 13 fours and a six in his 58-ball knock after Pakistan -- who lead the three-match series 1-0 -- won the toss and opted to bat at the National Stadium. Hussain Talat scored a 41-ball 63 and shared a 119-run second-wicket partnership with Azam after Fakhar Zaman was dismissed for six. Pakistan won the first match by 143 runs yesterday. The final match is tomorrow, also in Karachi.
Jamshedpur knock out I-League winners Minerva after Sanjiban heroics
Goalkeeper Sanjiban Ghosh turned out to be the hero of the match as Jamshedpur FC prevailed over I-league champions Minerva Punjab 5-4 in sudden death and enter the quarterfinals of the Super Cup here tonight. Jamsehdpur FC were through to the last eight of the tournamen's inaugural edition when Gagandeep Bali's shot was stopped by Sanjiban. Kervens Belfort, Wellington Priori, Bikey, Sumeet Passi and Mehtab Hussain scored for Jamshedpur FC. William Opoku, Eric Dano, Akashdeep Singh and Kamalpreet Singh found the net for Minerva Punjab in the shootout of an evenly contested contest that went the distance. It was all square at the end of 90 minutes as the two teams headed for 30 minutes of extra time. And the script remained the same at the end of 120 minutes too, leading to penalty shootout at the Kalinga Stadium. As the game headed towards the end of regulation time, both teams had had an almost equal number of chances at the goal, yet they failed to break the deadlock. Also, there ...
Over 850 Spanish forces to be deployed for Sevilla-Bayern match
Spanish authorities are to deploy more than 850 troops, including 400 national police, to ensure the safety of the Champions League match between Sevilla and Bayern Munich, which has been declared a high-risk game, a Spanish government representative in Andalusia said on Monday.
Huge European tie as Juventus entertain 'all or nothing' Real Madrid (Preview)
Real Madrid and Juventus, finalists of the 2016-17 Champions League, face-off in the first leg of their quarter-final of this season on Tuesday.
Marseille's Mandanda & Rami sidelined due to injuries
Marseille are facing huge challenges consolidating their third position in Ligue 1 as goalkeeper Steve Mandanda and defender Adil Rami will be sidelined for the next few games, the French football club announced on Monday.
Russian football club Krasnodar dismisses coach Shalimov
Russian football club Krasnodar on Monday fired their head coach, Igor Shalimov, saying a replacement is to be announced in the coming days.
Real Madrid's Nacho suffers injury ahead of Juventus clash
Spain defender Nacho Fernandez sustained a muscle injury to his right thigh during Real Madrid's 3-0 win against Las Palmas, the first injury of his career, the La Liga football club said on Monday.
IPL 2018: Tom Curran replaces injured Starc in KKR
England seamer Tom Curran has been called in the Kolkata Knight Riders' squad as a replacement for injured Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc for the upcoming 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).Earlier, Starc was ruled out of the IPL after sustaining a stress fracture in his leg. He was subsequently also ruled out of Australia's fourth and final Test against South Africa in Johannesburg, which began on Friday.In Starc's absence, Curran has been bought for Rs 1.62 crore by the Kolkata-based franchise after he went unsold at the IPL Player's auction that took place in Bengaluru in January.The 23-year-old made his T20I debut against South Africa last year and is known to be a proven performer in shorter formatsThe 11th edition of the IPL will start from April 7. Kolkata Knight Riders are scheduled to play their opening match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 8.
MS Dhoni, Pankaj Advani conferred with Padma Bhushan
Former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and star cueist Pankaj Advani on Monday received the coveted Padma Bhushan award from President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital.Dhoni, who was seen dressed smartly in his official uniform of the Territorial Army for the ceremony, marched to receive the honour while his wife Sakshi proudly cheered for him.Incidentally, the 36-year-old received the country's third highest civilian award on the same day (April 2) he led Team India to the World Cup glory at Wankhede Stadium way back in 2011, ending the country's 28-year-old wait for the title.Dhoni, who holds the rank of Honorary Lieutenant Colonel, is the second Indian cricketer after Kapil Dev to be conferred with this coveted award.Regarded as one of the most successful Indian captains of all time, Dhoni had led India to 2007 T20I World Cup victory before later guiding the side to 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy.Dhoni bid adieu to Test cricket in 2014
Johannesburg, Apr 2 (AFP) Scores at the close of play on the fourth day of the fourth Test between South Africa and Australia at the Wanderers Stadium today:
Scores at the close of play on the fourth day of the fourth Test between South Africa and Australia at the Wanderers Stadium today: South Africa, first innings, 488 Australia, first innings, 221 South Africa, second innings (overnight 134-3) A. Markram c Handscomb b Cummins 37 D. Elgar c S. Marsh b Lyon 81 H. Amla c M. Marsh b Lyon 16 A. de Villiers c Paine b Cummins 6 F. du Plessis c Handscomb b Cummins 120 T. Bavuma not out 35 Q. de Kock lbw b Cummins 4 V. Philander not out 33 Extras: (b-4, lb-8) 12 Total: (6 wkts dec, 105 overs) 344 Fall of wickets: 1-54, 2-79, 3-94, 4-264, 5-266, 6-273 Bowling: Hazlewood 21-6-41-0, Sayers 14-2-68-0, Lyon 41-13-116-2, Cummins 18-5-58-4, M. Marsh 8-0-40-0, Renshaw 3-0-9-0 Australia, second innings M. Renshaw lbw b Morkel 5 J. Burns lbw b Morkel 42 U. Khawaja lbw b Maharaj 7 P. Handscomb not out 23 S. Marsh not out 7 Extras: (lb-1, nb-3) 4 Total: (3 wkts, 30 overs) 88 Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-34, 3-68 Bowling: Rabada 5-2-9-0, Philander 5-2-9-0, ...
Barcelona's Busquets back at training ahead of Roma clash
Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets was back at training on Monday, after a leg injury kept him sidelined for around three weeks, and is likely to play in two days' time against Roma in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
Morkel stars in final Test as South Africa close on victory
A heavily-strapped Morne Morkel made two breakthroughs as South Africa pushed for victory on the fourth day of the fourth Test against Australia at the Wanderers Stadium today. Australia, set an impossible 612 to win, were 88 for three when bad light ended play. The tall Morkel, playing in his final Test before retirement, dismissed both opening batsmen in an impressive eight-over spell. South Africa delayed their second-innings declaration until tea, with a team spokesperson citing concerns about injuries to all three of their fast bowlers. The main worry appeared to be the fitness of Morkel, who left the field and was unable to complete an over on Sunday with what was described as a side strain. But a later diagnosis was that the problem was a less severe abdominal strain. Morkel, with extensive strapping around his midriff, came on to bowl as second change and with his tenth ball trapped Matt Renshaw leg before wicket with a full-length delivery angled in to the ...
IPL-2018: Business as usual for fit-again Lynn, Johnson opts out of practice
Having recovered sufficiently from a dislocated shoulder injury he picked up during the recent T20I tri-series with England and New Zealand, it was business as usual for explosive opener Chris Lynn during Kolkata Knight Riders' first practice game ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) opener on Sunday.
Fit-again Lynn bats in full flow at KKR nets, Narine bowls
A fit-again Chris Lynn was seen batting in full flow along with Sunil Narine as two-time former champions Kolkata Knight Riders geared up for the Indian Premier League with a practice match at the Eden Gardens today. Having recovered sufficiently from a dislocated shoulder suffered during the recent T20I tri-series against Australia, Lynn headed to training less than 24 hours after he joined along with veteran speedster Mitchell Johnson, who opted to rest. Johnson's stocks have risen somewhat after an injury to Mitchell Starc has ruled the Aussie spearhead out of the tournament, forcing KKR to name named English medium pacer Tom Curran as the replacement. Lynn's history of shoulder problems has led to the Queenslander practising at the nets back home with a specially-designed shoulder stabiliser that rugby league star Johnathan Thurston has given him. "The docs and the physios are happy so that's all I can do Fingers crossed I can keep going in the right direction. I'm doing ...
Indian boxers cleared of doping charges at CWG
In a huge relief for India's Commonwealth Games contingent, its boxers were cleared of any doping violation, but they remained under the scanner for breaching the Games' strict 'no needle' policy. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) though continued to avoid naming the country involved in the matter, which is highly suspected to be India. The concerned Commonwealth Games Association has been summoned for a hearing tomorrow, said the CGF, but clarified that there was no doping offence involved in the matter. The CGF 'no needle policy' prohibits the administration of injections without strong medical support. The policy is relaxed only for athletes requiring prescribed medication or nutritional supplements under the supervision of a medical practitioner. However, the CGF insists that athletes should take prior permissions, failing which can result in unspecified sanctions. A hearing will now take place in front of the CGF's Federation Court, the organisation's disciplinary body, to .