Page 1822 - Sports
Legend Richards says World Cup place will boost Windies cricket
Legendary batsman Viv Richards says West Indian cricket will benefit from qualifying for the World Cup, and that it would have been a huge blow had they not made it to England in 2019. The West Indies -- whose fortunes have plummeted in recent years -- were in danger of missing out after the International Cricket Council (ICC) reduced the number of teams in next year's 50-over global showpiece from 14 to 10. The top eight teams in the ICC rankings qualified automatically, leaving the ninth-ranked West Indies having to come through a tournament against nine other nations in Zimbabwe for the final two places. The West Indies finally squeaked through when they beat Scotland last week in a controversial rain-affected showdown in Harare. "I won't say I am relieved because I felt that they had a strong enough team in order for them to win and qualify," Richards told AFP in Karachi at the weekend, where he was attending the final of the Pakistan Super League. The Antiguan, one of the ...
Matt Renshaw to join Test squad in Joburg as Warner replacement
Queensland opener Matthew Renshaw appears to be in line for a recall to Australia's Test side with the batsman set to fly to South Africa immediately after the Sheffield Shield final in Brisbane as a possible replacement of David Warner, who is set to face harsh sanctions, following the ball tampering controversy in South Africa. According to cricket.com.au: "Renshaw will fly to Johannesburg this evening to join the under-siege tourists ahead of Friday's final Test against South Africa in the wake of the Cape Town ball-tampering crisis." Test captain Steve Smith has been suspended by the ICC for the fourth Test and Cameron Bancroft copped three demerit points and a 75 per cent match fee deduction. Further sanctions from Cricket Australia could follow pending the outcome of an investigation led by Iain Roy, CA's head of integrity. Smith and vice-captain Warner were stood down from their leadership roles before day four of the third Test. Renshaw warmed up with the Bulls at AB Field on .
Vaughan 'pretty sure' Australia tampered with ball during Ashes
Michael Vaughan says he is "pretty sure" Australia were tampering with the ball during the recent Ashes series against England as cricket chiefs held crisis talks over the cheating scandal engulfing the sport. Australian captain Steve Smith has been suspended for one Test and docked his entire match fee by the International Cricket Council for his role in a plot that saw teammate Cameron Bancroft tamper with the ball during the third Test against South Africa. Smith said it was the first time time it had happened under his captaincy but Vaughan, who led England to Ashes glory in 2005, believes it has been going on for "quite a while". "I can't believe that this hasn't happened before," Vaughan told the BBC. "I look at the amount of tape some of the fielders have worn, particularly during the Ashes series, mid-on, mid-off. (You) don't have to name names but they know who they are. "I'm pretty sure that it was going on during the Ashes series. But it wasn't the reason why England lost ..
Ex-Zimbabwe official suspended from cricket for 20 years
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that it has suspended Rajan Nayer, the Treasurer and Marketing Director of the Harare Metropolitan Cricket Association, from all cricket activity for 20 years after he accepted a charge of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.Nayer was charged with the following three offences under the Code for approaching Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer:--Article 2.1.1 - being party to an effort to fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspects of an International match or matches;--Article 2.1.3 - offering Cremer US $30,000 to fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspects of an International match or matches; and--Article 2.1.4 - directly soliciting, inducing, enticing or encouraging Cremer to breach Article 2.1.1.Nayer accepted the charge of 2.1.4 and, on this basis, the ICC has agreed not to pursue any of the alternative charges based on the .
Romeo Fernandes extends stay with Delhi Dynamos
Winger Romeo Fernandes today signed a two-year contract extension with Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Delhi Dynamos that will see him stay at the club till the end of the 2019-2020 season. The 25-year old joins a host of Dynamos players who are on a long-term deal as the club looks to keep hold of the core from last season. Following a slow start to the season, Romeo steadily established himself as one of the mainstays in the playing XI following his impressive work rate from the right wing. The Goan midfielder made 12 appearances for the Lions under Head Coach Miguel Angel Portugal last season and contributed one assist. I am delighted to extend my stay with Delhi Dynamos for another two years. I improved a lot as a player last year and I am happy that the club believes in me as well. We want to improve from last season and I want to make sure that I win the Championship with Delhi, Romeo said. Delhi Dynamos Director Rohan Sharma said: "Our idea was to keep hold of the core of the .
Deeply troubled by events in 3rd Test, says Waugh
Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh on Tuesday said he is "deeply troubled" by the ball-tampering controversy in the third Test with South Africa in Cape Town.
Delhi Dynamos winger Romeo signs contract extension
Winger Romeo Fernandes on Tuesday extended his contract with Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Delhi Dynamos till the end of the 2019-2020 season.
Boult, Morkel surge to career-best in ICC Test rankings
New Zealand fast bowlers Trent Boult and Morne Morkel have made significant gains in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Player Rankings following their player of the match efforts in the Auckland and Cape Town Tests, respectively.New Zealand's new-ball bowler Boult has moved up five slots to seventh position after his match haul of nine for 99 helped his side defeat England by an innings and 49 runs to go 1-0 up in their two-match Test series.The left-arm bowler took six wickets as England were dismissed for only 58 runs in the first innings in Auckland, their sixth-lowest total ever.Morkel has similarly moved up five places to take sixth position, grabbing nine for 110 to help South Africa defeat Australia by 322 runs and take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series. Morkel has risen to 798 points, his best ever rating points tally with just one Test to go for retirement. Morkel's highest ever ranking position was third in November 2010.There is no change among the top five ...
Batsman Renshaw named in Australia squad for 4th Test
Cricket Australia (CA) on Tuesday recalled opening batsman Matthew Renshaw in their beleagured squad for the fourth Test against South Africa starting in Johannesburg on Friday.
Atletico Madrid's Gimenez suffers ankle trauma
Atletico Madrid defender Jose Maria Gimenez has suffered a severe left ankle injury, the capital football giants announced.
Dutch surprise Portugal 3-0 in friendly
The Netherlands defeated Portugal 3-0 here in a friendly football match where the favoured Iberian side didn't even manage a shot in the first half.
Next no perms? Chinese football fans slam tattoo 'ban'
Disillusioned Chinese fans blamed the country's football authorities for the national side's latest heavy defeats amid reports that the players have been banned from displaying tattoos. Several players in the 6-0 thrashing by Wales last week and in Monday's 4-1 defeat to the Czech Republic wore bandages or long sleeves on their arms, seemingly to hide tattoos. Media reports said the players had been told to cover up while playing for China, who are coached by the Italian World Cup winner Marcello Lippi. China's most heavily inked player, central defender Zhang Linpeng, did not feature in either of the two heavy home defeats in the China Cup despite normally being a first choice. He was officially left out because of injury, but some fans suggested he had been dropped because of numerous tattoos on his arms and on his neck. Chinese footballers are not generally as heavily tattooed as their international counterparts, but the growing trend has caught the government's attention as it ...
Australia Women eye revenge against England
After losing to England earlier in the series Australia will look to settle scores when they lock horns with their arch-rivals in the women's Twenty20 tri-series here tomorrow. With hosts India out of the reckoning after losing all three of their matches, tomorrow's game will serve as a dress rehearsal for the final to be played on Saturday at the Brabourne Stadium. But it would be an uphill task for Australia, who have defeated India twice in the tournament, to outplay England. In the first game between the two, England crushed the Southern stars by eight wickets, putting up an all-round show. All English batters are in prime form, especially Daniellie Wyatt, whose second T20 century against India helped the visitors pull off a record chase. Others like Tamsin Beaumont, Natalie Sciver will also look to pick up where they left against India and if all of them fire in unison then a high scoring match will be on the cards on a placid track. Meanwhile, England bowlers Tash Farrant, Ketie
Iran captain 'honoured' to return after ban for playing Israelis
Iran's football captain Masoud Shojaei said Today his ban for playing an Israeli club was the "worst incident that could have happened" and he was glad to return as "a soldier" for the national side. "This is a unique honour to be able to return to the national team," he said in comments carried by the Iranian Football Federation website. "Sometimes things happen in your life that are out of your control and for me this happened in my sporting life. Not everything is in your control all the time and that incident happened and for a while I was not in the national team. I think that was the worst incident that could have happened to me," he said. Shojaei, 33, was banned from the squad after appearing against an Israeli team for his Greek club Panionios last August along with his national teammate Ehsan Haji Safi. Iran does not recognise the Jewish state and bars its athletes from appearing against Israelis. Deputy Sports Minister Mohammad Reza Davarzani said at the time that the pair ..
Amir may curtail Tests to prolong int'l career
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir is mulling over the prospect of cutting down on playing a number of Test matches in a bid to extend his international career.Rubbishing rumours that he is thinking of giving up his career in the longest format of the game, the 25-year-old said that he had discussed the matter with Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur about managing his workload."I came to [an] agreement with Mickey and with so much cricket we need to follow a rotation policy so that everyone is fresh and fully fit for the country. His planning ahead of the 2019 World Cup is working very well. I didn't say I don't want to play Test cricket but that I want to weave myself in, resting for a few and playing the important games. This is being done by Australia and England, so why not us?," ESPNcricinfo quoted Amir as saying.Amir has been continuously playing for Pakistan in all formats of the game, ever since making a return from his five-year ban for his alleged involvement in various ...
Maracana pitch 'terrible', says ex-Brazil midfielder Diego
Flamengo midfielder Diego has bemoaned the poor state of the Maracana stadium playing surface as the Rio de Janeiro football giants prepare for their Carioca championship semi-final against Botafogo.
Dortmund's sporting director extends contract
Borussia Dortmund's sporting director Michael Zorc has extended his contract ahead of scheduled, signing on a contract extension, which will keep him with the German football club until June 2021.
Chopra eyes podium at Commonwealth Games (IANS Interview)
Having scripted history at the junior level, India's javlin star Neeraj Chopra is eying a podium finish as he prepares for next month's Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Gold Coast, Australia.
Australia PM calls for end to cricket sledging
Australia's prime minister called for an end to sledging in cricket today, saying it was "right out of control" as he urged the sport to clean up its image amid a ball-tampering scandal. Malcolm Turnbull described the cheating crisis in which captain Steve Smith admitted to masterminding a plot to change the ball's condition during the third Test against South Africa on Saturday as a "shocking affront to Australia". He demanded Cricket Australia act decisively in investigating the incident. The governing body is expected to provide an update tomorrow. Turnbull added that authorities needed to crack down on sledging -- verbal abuse involving players on both sides -- if it wanted cricket to "once again (be) held up as a role model". "I think there has to be the strongest action taken against this practice of sledging," he told reporters in Canberra. "It has got right out of control ... it should have no place (in cricket). "The game of cricket ... should be one that once again is held ..
ICC officials to visit Pakistan for Windies T20I series
The International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee and other officials would travel to Karachi to witness the upcoming three-match T20I series between Pakistan and West Indies.After successfully hosting the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) between eventual winners Islamabad United and Peshwar Zalmi, Karachi's National Stadium will now stage the West Indies's series against Pakistan.According to a source quoted by the Dawn, the West Indies-Pakistan series will be attended by the ICC officials, just as they witnessed the three-match T20 series against World XI staged in Lahore last September."The ICC has appointed David Boon as match referee for the three T20 Internationals against the West Indies. ICC general manager cricket, Geoff Allardice, and ICC senior manager umpires and referees, Adrian Griffith, will also be in Karachi for the series," said the source.Pakistan and reigning world T20 champions West Indies will play the opening match on April 1, which will be followed