Page 1886 - Sports

Reus pens contract extension at Borussia Dortmund

Borusia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus has put pen to paper on a contract extension, the Bundesliga club have announced.

Disappointed with Indian squad for CWG: Dutee Chand

Athlete Dutee Chand on Saturday expressed surprise why she was not selected for the Commonwealth Games.Talking to ANI over phone from Geneva, Dutee said, "I am disappointed with the selection of the Indian contingent for the Commonwealth Games."The Athletic Federation of India (AFI) on Friday named a 31-member squad for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games that will start from April 4.The ace sprinter and national champion expressed surprise that why she was not selected when she gave many medals to the county recently in the Federation Cup.When asked will she get in touch with the AFI, Chand said, "No. if they did not consider my name, it is okay. I am athlete and my job is to perform. Now my focus is on Asian Games and I will prepare myself for it."This is the second time when Chand has been dropped from the Commonwealth Games.In 2014, she was unceremoniously dropped from the Indian squad for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games for failing a hyperandrogenism test (commonly known as gender ..

Bangladesh pull off stunning win after Mushfiqur heroics

Bangladesh pulled off a memorable record chase to stun Sri Lanka by five wickets in the Nidahas Twenty20 Tri-Series here tonight, ending their recent run of reverses against the islanders owing to Mushfiqur Rahim's belligerent 35-ball 72. Chasing a mammoth 215 in the stipulated 20 overs, Bangladesh crossed the line in 19.4 overs for the loss of five wickets. This was the fourth highest run chase in T20 Internationals and Bangladesh's best. Blazing half-centuries by Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera had powered Sri Lanka to a formidable 214 for six after Bangladesh opted to bowl. When his time to bat came, Mushfiqur slammed four sixes and five boundaries during a smashing knock. Needing nine off the last over, Mushfiqur slashed Thisara Perera for a boundary to inch closer to victory. Before that, the experienced wicketkeeper hit a six after 19 were required in the last two overs. If the Lankans were off to a flyer, Bangladesh' start was blistering as they raced to 74 in just six under ...

Bangladesh shock Sri Lanka by 5 wickets

Bangladesh shocked Sri Lanka by five wickets in the Nidahas Twenty20 Tri-Series here tonight. Sent into bat, Sri Lanka notched 214 for six in the allotted 20 overs and then saw Bangladesh chase down the target of 215 with five wickets to spare. Brief scores: Sri Lanka: 214/6 in 20 overs (Kusal Perera 74, Kusal Mendis 57; Mustafizur Rahman 3/48) Bangladesh: 215/5 in 19.4 overs (Tamim Iqbal 47, Liton Das 41, Mushfiqur Rahim 72 not out).

Powell steers West Indies into Super Six of ICC WC Qualifier

An eye-catching maiden century by Rovman Powell steered the West Indies into the Super Six of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 with a convincing 52 runs victory over Ireland in a Group A match here today. Zimbabwe also maintained their unbeaten run in Group B and progressed to the next stage with an 89 runs victory over Hong Kong. In front of broadcast cameras and nearly 2,000 spectators at the Harare Sports Club here, Powell scored a dazzling less than run-a-ball 101 with seven fours and as many sixes to lift the Windies from 83 for five to 257 for eight. He featured in an 86-run sixth-wicket partnership with captain Jason Holder, who hit three fours and a six in a 71-ball 54. Fast bowler Tim Murtagh was the pick of the Ireland bowlers with figures of 10-2-41-4, while Andy McBrine picked up two for 45. West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach then picked up two early wickets of Paul Stirling (18) and Andrew Balbirnie (9) and then returned to dismiss the dangerous looking Ed Joyce .

Chennaiyin FC rally to hold FC Goa to 1-1 draw

Chennaiyin FC rallied to hold FC Goa to a 1-1 draw in the second semi-final of the Indian Super League here today with the visitors heading home with an away goal advantage. After a barren first half, FC Goa, who had lions share of possession and exchanges, took the lead in the 64th minute through Manuel Lanzorate. But Chennaiyin FC, who defended well and came up with dangerous counter moves, restored parity in the 71st minute through substitute Anirudh Thapa. With today's 1-1 draw, Chennaiyin FC, who are now heading home to play the second leg of the semi-final, have the away goal advantage and now need just a goalless draw against FC Goa March 13 to advance to the summit clash. Backed by a vociferous home crowd, FC Goa went into attacking mode from the start and enjoyed better share of ball possession. Mandar Rao Desai, who posed a lot of threat on the left, came up with a 25-yard shot which rival keeper Karanjit Singh did well to put the ball out by diving to his right. Chennaiyin .

Ronaldo double gives Real narrow win over Eibar

Cristiano Ronaldo came to the rescue again as Real Madrid followed up their thumping win over Paris Saint-Germain with a narrow victory against Eibar. Ronaldo scored twice, his second six minutes from the end, as Real won 2-1 and avoided another slip-up in La Liga. Ivan Ramis had equalised for Eibar shortly after half-time. His double means Ronaldo has now scored in seven consecutive games and has a remarkable 13 goals overall in that period. Real move four points behind second-placed Atletico Madrid, who will restore that gap to seven with a win over Celta Vigo today. Eibar stay eighth. After securing a 5-2 aggregate victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, Real swapped the Parc des Princes for the Ipurua Municipal Stadium, the smallest in La Liga with a capacity of just over 7,000. They were below their best and rode their luck late on when Eibar should have converted a pair of excellent chances. But Ronaldo proved the difference again, the 33-year-old taking his tally for the ..

Mourinho dimisses critics as Rashford double holds off Liverpool

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho railed against his critics after Marcus Rashford's flashing early double saw off Liverpool at Old Trafford with a 2-1 win, despite having just 32 percent of possession. Liverpool were left to rue a slow start as Rashford twice finished with astonishing verve to lift second placed United five points clear of the visitors after Romelu Lukaku had outmuscled Dejan Lovren. The visitors dominated after the break, but could only find a response via a United player when Eric Bailly turned into his own net 24 minutes from time. "If people don't think we deserved it, I don't care," Mourinho said. "We can split the halves. United first half and Liverpool second but in my opinion our first half was a half with goals and danger. "In the second half...was Liverpool controlling with the ball and United controlling without the ball." Just a second defeat in 21 Premier League games leaves Liverpool still in third, but they could drop to fourth if Tottenham win ..

De Villiers bats South Africa into lead

Australia fought back on the second day of the second Test but could not stop AB de Villiers taking South Africa into a slender first innings lead at St George's Park. South Africa were 263 for seven at the close, a lead of 20 runs after Australia were bowled out for 243 in their first innings. There was a flurry of wickets after tea but De Villiers counter-attacked to hit 74 not out off 81 balls with easily the most aggressive batting of an otherwise slow day. South Africa's quest for a series-levelling win was given added impetus by a pending disciplinary hearing which could result in fast bowler Kagiso Rabada being banned for the remaining two Tests after his shoulder made contact with Australian captain Steve Smith on Friday. Australia were able to take only one wicket before tea, that of nightwatchman Rabada, as Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla ground out half-centuries. But the scoring was painfully slow and Australia were right back in the game when both batsmen were dismissed in the

India to play shorter formats first before Test series in overseas tours

Having learnt a harsh lesson from the South Africa tour, India will from now on play the shorter formats first overseas to help acclimatise with the conditions before a Test series, the BCCI said today. BCCI's decision came after an under-prepared India lost 1-2 against South Africa in an away Test series recently. BCCI CEO Rahul Johri said the issue has now been addressed and when the team travels to England and Australia later this year, it would get used to the conditions by playing the shorter formats first. "Based on the feedback that we have got from the team management we had some serious discussions. What we are not doing is that in the summer India is going to England (and) before the first Test match actually starts, India would be in England for over a month and the team would get acclamatised to the conditions. India will play the shorter format first and them come to Test matches," he said. In the next winter, India will be in Australia and again what we have agreed with

Mumbai T20 League: Gavaskar asks players to play hard but fair

Cricket legend and T20 Mumbai League Commissioner, Sunil Gavaskar, today urged players and teams taking part in it to play the game hard but fair by upholding the spirit of the game. Gavaskar also urged the players to maintain the integrity of the game at all times. "There will be zero tolerance for anything that brings the game into disrepute. Its integrity should be maintained at all times", Gavaskar said at the League's opening ceremony here. "Play the game hard but fair. There should be no animosity between players and there should be respect for the opposition and umpires. You play to win but not at all costs," said the legendary opener. The inaugural edition of the League, featuring six teams carved out from different geographical zones of the megapolis, will be held at the Wankhede stadium from tomorrow till March 21.

Mumbai T20 League: Tendulkar all praise for Prithvi Shaw

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar was today all praise for the progress shown by young opener and India's ICC U19 World Cup winning captain Prithvi Shaw. "I saw Prithvi Shaw play in New Zealand (in the U19 World Cup). How he has progressed is remarkable", said Tendulkar at the opening ceremony of the inaugural T20 Mumbai League here today. Shaw, who will play under Ajinkya Rahane for North Mumbai Panthers, was present in the audience along with members of all six teams taking part in the tournament starting tomorrow at the Wankhede Stadium. Tendulkar, named the brand ambassador of the league, said the tournament will provide an ideal platform for young players and experienced ones to express themselves. "To me this tournament is the ideal platform for cricketers to express themselves. All sportsmen look for recognition and appreciation and this league will provide them the opportunity. This league is really important for Mumbai cricket", said Tendulkar. The league's ...

Kusals on rampage: Mendis, Perera power SL to 214/6

Blazing half-centuries by Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera powered Sri Lanka to a formidable 214 for six against Bangladesh in the Nidahas Twenty20 Trophy here today. Mendis (57) and Perera (74) toyed with the Bangladesh attack with a flurry of boundaries and sixes, to the delight of the home crowd at the Premadasa Stadium. Invited to bat after a drizzle delayed the toss by 15 minutes, Sri lanka were off to a flying start with Mendis putting on 56 runs for the opening wicket with Danushka Gunathilaka (26). Bangladesh pacers were guilty of bowling short and the Lankans took full advantage of that, pummelling them for 70 runs in the six mandatory powerplay overs. That the visitors persisted with bowling short despite getting smacked, too helped Sri Lanka's cause. Mendis hit 57 off 30 balls with the help of five sixes and two fours, Perera found the fence eight times and cleared it twice in his 48-ball knock. That set the tone for a big total and even though Mustafizur Rahman cleaned up ...

Ganguly bats for more hike for domestic cricketers

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly today batted for more raise in pay structure of domestic cricketers after the BCCI gave a reasonable hike recently. In the recently announced contracts, the match day fees of domestic cricketers have been hiked from Rs 10,000 per day to Rs 35,000. I think that is very commendable from Rahul (Johri) and the Board. And as he said I have been harping for it for the last one-and-half years, increase the money for first class players. I would still request him (Johri) to increase a bit more, because they are first class players, a lot of them will not become Ajinkya Rahane's and Virat Kohli's, Ganguly said at the India Today conclave here. Jobs are not very easy in modern day because times have changed. The culture has changed and I will push him (Johri) for one more season when I meet him and hopefully I can get it more for first class players, he added. The left-handed batsman was speaking after BCCI CEO Rahul Johri said that the focus of the ...

Sri Lanka score 214/6 against Bangladesh

Sent into bat, Sri Lanka made 214 for six against Bangladesh in the third match of the Nidahas Twenty20 Tri-Series here today. Brief Scores: Sri Lanka: 214 for six in 20 overs (Kusal Perera 74, Kusal Mendis 57; Mustafizur Rahman 3/48).

AFI names 31-member athletics team for CWG

The Athletics Federation of India today named a 31-member Indian track and field team (18 men and 13 women) for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. Junior World Champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is set to make his debut at the CWG. Neeraj recently won gold at the Federation Cp with an effort of 85.94m, which is the second best effort of his career. India has been offered a quota of 37 in athletics but the AFI selection committee, which met after the conclusion of the March 5-8 Federation Cup National Championships in Patiala, chose only 31. In the last edition in Glasgow in 2014, India had 32 track and field athletes and won three medals (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze). Besides Neeraj, promising Delhi high jumper Tejaswin Shankar, veteran discus thrower Seema Punia, triple jumper Arpinder Singh and new 400m hurdles national record holder Dharun Ayyaswamy were also named in the team. Punia, who will be taking part in her fourth CWG, had won a silver in the last edition in .

ISL semi-final: Bengaluru favourites as Pune get Popovic respite

Bengaluru FC will start as favourites in their own den but FC Pune City will heave a sigh of relief as their chief coach Ranko Popovic's interim suspension has been removed ahead of the second-leg semi-final of the Indian Super League, here tomorrow. Bengaluru will be eyeing to finish the match in regulation time after being held to a goalless draw in the first leg. For Pune, not having their coach and master tactician Ranko Popovic could have affected their morale but Pune City players will walk onto the turf with new vigour and enthusiasm. Popovic was suspended for his utterances against the decisions of the referee and match officials. He has had the habit of getting into trouble with the administrators. Popovic has made a big impact as he guide them to the semi-finals of the ongoing edition, despite not being involved in the any of the recruitment before the season. Young Indian players like Vishal Kaith, Sartak Golui, Isaac Vanmalsawma, Ashique Kuruniyan, Rohit Kumar and Sahil ..

Rahane, Ganguly confident of Indian team doing well in England

Ajinkya Rahane feels that India's stupendous bowling performance in South Africa will be a big boost to team's confidence ahead of their gruelling five-Test tour of England. Definitely, we all do believe that we have the team that can do well in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and England. It is important to start well. The preparations part will be really important as it will provide us with the momentum," Rahane said at the India Today Conclave here. Taking 60 wickets in South Africa was unbelievable. The way our fast bowlers and spinners bowled, we all believe that we can do well." Rahane, who was dropped for the first two Tests in South Africa, made a significant contribution to the team's win in Johannesburg. He said there was an opportunity for him to become a hero after the third Test in Johannesburg and he was happy to have delivered. When we go abroad, the teams come hard at us. There is challenge for an individual to do well overseas but we had discussed that from now ..

Nidahas Trophy: Bangladesh win toss, put Lanka to bat first

Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl first against Sri Lanka in the third match of the Twenty-20 tri-series, Nidahas Trophy at the R. Premadasa Stadium here on Saturday.Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have fielded the same teams who have played India in the series.Sri Lanka have earlier secured a thumping victory over India in the in the opening clash while Bangladesh will come to play the hosts after suffering a six-wicket defeat from India in the second match of the series.Bangladesh have recently lost the T20I home series 2-0 against Sri Lanka last month and moreover, they have not won an international match since January 23.The tourists are playing the series without their regular skipper Shakib Al-Hasan, who has been ruled out due to injury. Mahmudullah Riyad has been leading the charge in his absence.The 2018 Nidahas Trophy is a tri-nation series between Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. Each team will play each other twice, with two teams progressing to the final.Sri Lanka Playing

AIFF withdraws interim suspension on FC Pune City coach

All India Football Federation's disciplinary committee today provisionally withdrew the suspension imposed on Indian Super League franchise FC Pune City's coach Ranko Popovic. Ushanath Banerjee, disciplinary committee's chairman, in a revised interim decision, said, " in the interest of fair play and in particular forthcoming semi-final match of FC Pune City, the interim suspension imposed upon Mr. Popovic is provisionally withdrawn subject to FC Pune City providing in writing an undertaking that there would be not an iota of indiscipline on the part of Mr. Popovic nor there would be any scope of complain against him till final adjudication of the subject issue following hearing on 16/3/2018." The revised decision allows the Pune City coach to be on the technical line for the second leg of their semi-final match against Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru tomorrow.