Page 1940 - Sports
Super Cup can be unfair to I-League teams: Avram Grant
Indian Super League (ISL) franchise NorthEast United FC coach Avram Grant on Saturday echoed the sentiment of I-League clubs in having a level playing field for the upcoming Super Cup with the number of foreigners disparity.
Pune eye win to seal play-off berth
FC Pune City will look to seal a play-off berth when they take on a stuttering FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here tomorrow. Pune have won nine matches out of 16 so far and are placed in the second spot, below table-toppers Bengaluru FC with 29 points and a win or a draw will cement their position in the play-offs. Goa, on the other hand, are placed in the seventh spot with 21 points and if they are able to beat Pune at the latter's home, they will jump to 24 points and remain in the hunt for the last four. Pune had outclassed Jamshedpur FC (2-1) and blanked ATK (3-0) here but the hosts lost their last game at home against Kerala Blasters and they will be keen to erase the bad memories and come hard when they take on their Goan opponents. Pune have fired on all cylinders this season. Their star striker Marcelinho has been in scintillating form and he would look to continue his role in the team. Mid-fielders Diego Carlos, Baljit ...
Zimbabwe recall Williams, Zhuwao for World Cup Qualifiers
Zimbabwe have recalled spinner Sean Williams and all-rounder Cephas Zhuwao in the 15-member squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which will take place in Bulawayo and Harare from March 4 to March 25.Williams and Zhuwao were not named in the initial squad, but have been included in place of Ryan Burl and Tarisai Musakanda following the tour of Sharjah, where Zimbabwe lost the five-match series against Afghanistan by 1-4.Left-arm spinner and middle-order batsman Williams last played in an ODI in July 2017 against Sri Lanka in Hambantota.In 111 ODIs since February 2005, Williams has scored 2,947 runs and taken 52 wickets.Left-arm opener Zhuwao played in his only ODI a decade ago, when he featured against Ireland in Nairobi in October 2008, scoring 16 off 20 balls with three fours.Zimbabwe are in Group B along with Afghanistan, Nepal, Scotland and Hong Kong, and will open their campaign against Nepal at the Queens Sports Club on March 4.The Zimbabwe squad is as follows:Graeme ...
Stokes set for international return against Kiwis
England all-rounder Ben Stokes is set to make his international return in the first ODI of the five-match series against New Zealand on February 25.Stokes has not played for England since his arrest in Bristol last September.The former England vice-captain was charged with affray in connection with the brawl, but pleaded not guilty at Bristol magistrates court this month and then flew to New Zealand.England have not yet named the squad for the first ODI, but skipper Eoin Morgan has hinted that Stokes will be seen playing."We're expecting [him to play], providing there aren't any hiccups," the Guardian quoted Morgan as saying."He's pulled up well over the last couple of days. Providing he gets through a little bit of bowling these next two days of prep, then he'll be fit. If he's not, it's not a big decision for me to leave him out," he added.Stokes has not played any competitive cricket since his arrest in the Bristol incident, apart from the domestic cricket for Canterbury in New ...
Kerala, Chhattisgarh win National Inclusion Cup
Kerala and Chhattisgarh on Saturday emerged champions at the National Inclusion Cup football tournament here. Kerala hammered Vidarbha 8-3 in the men's final, while Chhattisgarh took the top honours in the women's final, beating Uttarakhand 5-3.
PyeongChang's closing ceremony to include preview of Beijing 2022
The closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics will include a preview of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, organisers said on Saturday.
Axelsen pulls out of All England Championship
Recuperating from an ankle injury, World No. 1 Viktor Axelson has pulled out of the prestigious All England championship scheduled to be held at Birmingham from March 14-18. "It's too big a risk for me to play the All England Open. I won't be able to make it in time and be fit. I was told by doctors after surgery that I have to play safe and take care of my body. So it is a big disappointment because I love playing in Birmingham, so it is tough," Axelsen said. The 24-year-old Danish star had been in sensational form last season, winning the World Championship and retaining the Dubai Super Series Final, besides clinching the Japan Open and India Open. He had made a rampaging start to the new season with a victory at the Malaysia Masters but retired in the second round of the Indonesia Masters after suffering an ankle injury. He missed the India Open and the European Team Championships and a few days back had to undergo surgery.
Canada's Toutant wins Olympic gold in snowboard big air
Canada's Sebastien Toutant won the gold in the men's snowboard big air event on Saturday at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Cape Town T20I: India look to end SA tour on high
India's long tour of South Africa will come to end when the they take on the hosts in the decisive third T20I at Newlands here on Saturday.Having won the five-match ODI series already, the Virat Kohli-led side will aim to return home with two trophies.The three-match T20I series is currently tied at 1-1.India won the first game by 28 runs in Johannesburg, but tasted six-wicket defeat in the second after extraordinary innings from Henrich Klaasen and JP Duminy.Coming to the decider game, Kohli will be again the player to watch, as the Indian skipper is just 17 runs away from becoming the first Indian to have 2000 runs in T20I format.If he achieves the milestone, the Indian will be only third overall after New Zealand opener Martin Guptill (2188 runs) and his former teammate Brendon McCullum (2140 runs).Meanwhile, it will be a T20I debut for the India at Newlands as the tourists have never played the shortest format cricket here.South Africa, on the other hand, have lost five of the ...
Schwartzman downs Monfils to reach Rio Open semis
Argentina's Diego Schwartzman edged Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-4 to enter the semi-finals of the Rio Open tennis championships.
Deportivo unlucky in goalless draw with Espanyol in La Liga
Deportivo La Coruna had to settle for a goalless draw here against Espanyol in a La Liga match that saw the home side hit the post twice and fail to convert on a penalty.
Napoli sign Milic to reinforce defence
Italian Serie A football league leaders Napoli have reinforced their defence with the signing of Croatian international Hrvoje Milic, a former Fiorentina right-back who has been without a team since last month.
Ledecka seals stunning double, Norway set medals mark
Ester Ledecka made history with an unprecedented snowboard and skiing double today, while Norway's all-conquering team set a new record for medals at a Winter Olympics. As President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka descended on the Games in Pyeongchang, world champion Ledecka reigned supreme with a confident victory in the women's parallel giant slalom. It came after last week's shock super-G win for Ledecka, daughter of a Czech rock star and composer, who has stunned ski purists and confounded logic by taking gold in two very different events. With Saturday's win, Ledecka joins Thorleif Haug and Johan Groettumsbraten as the only athletes to achieve a multi-sport double at the Winter Games. Both Norwegians won in cross-country and Nordic combined. As Ledecka rewrote the rule book, Norway took bronze in the inaugural alpine skiing team event to reach 38 medals, breaking the record of 37 set by the United States in 2010. Norway, led by their peerless cross-country skiers, have enjoyed a ..
IOC debates Russia's Olympic fate as clock ticks
Russia's fate hung in the balance as the International Olympic Committee met today to decide whether to lift its ban for mass doping before the Pyeongchang Winter Games closing ceremony. Russia's national Olympic committee were suspended in December over systemic drug-cheating that reached its apex at the Sochi 2014 Olympics. The IOC allowed 168 Russians deemed drug-free to compete in South Korea under a neutral flag, but despite extensive vetting, two of them failed drugs tests. The IOC will decide in the next 36 hours whether the country can be readmitted. Officials have pointed out that a "partial" lifting of the ban is one option for the IOC. The behaviour of the 168 Russian athletes over the past fortnight -- including the failed doping tests -- will form a major part of the considerations. The IOC was giving nothing away on Saturday as its executive board met behind closed doors to pour over the observations of a special panel scrutinising the Russians. "The executive board will
Brilliant Ledecka seals historic snowboard, ski double
Ester Ledecka sealed the first snowboard and skiing double victory in Olympic history today as she pulled off a stunning win in the women's snowboard parallel giant slalom. Ledecka, 22, beat Germany's Selina Joerg in a tense snowboard final. Germany's Ramona Hofmeister took bronze. The Czech world champion and hot favourite had earlier shocked the world of alpine skiing by capturing gold in last week's super-G skiing. The men's gold medal went to Nevin Galmarini of Switzerland, who beat South Korea's surprise finalist Lee Sang-ho. One week ago, Ledecka stunned a strong field including defending champion Anna Veith and American star Lindsey Vonn to win the super-G, becoming one of the stories of the Games. Ledecka started skiing aged two and snowboarding at five and has competed at world championships in both events, although she had never medalled on skiis before the Pyeongchang games. With Saturday's win, Ledecka joins Norwegians Thorleif Haug and Johan Groettumsbraten as the only ...
PM Trudeau participates in Delhi hockey event
Visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participated in a hockey event at the Canadian High Commission here on Saturday.Canadian ice hockey player and Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser was invited to practice with young Indian girls aspiring to play the sport.Trudeau attended the event along with his wife Sophie Gregoire. The two also distributed Canada's ice hockey jerseys to the Indian girls.Wickenheiser, who has represented Canada at the Winter Olympics on five occasions , capturing four gold and one silver medal, told ANI, "It was a great experience. We saw the best of Canada here at this court to play ice hockey which is symbolic of what our country is.""We believe in girls and women in playing sports and ice hockey is our number one sport in Canada. Having the Prime Minister care about a group of Indian women from Northern Himalayas is incredible," she added.A day ago, India and Canada also signed a Memorandum of Understating (MoU) on cooperation in sport.Talking about future
Sameer enter Swiss Open semis, Kashyap too shine in Vienna
Indian shuttler Sameer Verma advanced to the semifinals of the USD 150,000 Swiss Open after defeating former world no 2 Japans Kento Momota here. Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold champion Sameer notched up a 21-17 21-16 win in the men's singles quarterfinals to break Momota's unbeaten streak since returning to action in August last year. The 23-year-old from Japan was banned by Nippon Badminton Association in 2016 for visiting a casino. Sameer, who had reached the finals of 2016 Hong Kong Super Series, will face Thailands Kantaphon Wangcharoen next in the Super 300 badminton tournament. Momota, who won the 2015 Jakarta World Championship bronze medallist, had lost to compatriot Kanta Tsuneyama in the finals of 2017 Canada Open -- his only loss since coming back in July last year. He won two Grand Prix and three international challenge titles last year. However, Sameer showed his mettle in the 44-minute battle against Momota as he erased 3-5 and 14-16 deficits to pocket the opening game and ..
India lose to Jordan in FIBA World Cup qualifiers
Indian basketball team put up a spirited fight before losing 88-102 to higher-ranked Jordan in the Asian qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here. This was India's third defeat in as many games and Satnam Singhs men are now at the bottom of Group C. Aravind Annadurai carried his impressive form to led the Indian team with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Satnam Singh also maintained his consistency by dropping 20 points along with 8 assists and 4 powerful dunks. Debutant guard Justin Joseph also impressed in his first senior international game dropping 16 points but India couldn't convert the chances and went down fighting. India made a strong start but Jordan took the lead in the end of the first quarter and maintained it throughout the game. In the 3rd quarter, India were down 13 points but they showed some signs of a comeback, narrowing the lead to 61-66 but they couldn't keep up with the same intensity in the final quarter. For Jordan, Hussein (19pts), .
Indian eves aim T20I series win against Proteas
The Indian women cricket team will look to create history when they take on South Africa in the fifth and final T20I at the Newlands here on Saturday.The Indian eves will be eying to win two series in a single tour to South Africa for the first time ever.They had clinched the three-match ODI series, 2-1 recently.India, who are currently leading the series 2-1, could have achieved the feat on Wednesday, but the fourth T20I in Centurion was washed out due to rain.The Harmanpreet Kaur led-side have been quite efficient in the five-match T20I series.They have clinched the first two games convincingly -- by seven and nine wickets respectively -- but a five-wicket loss in the third match kept the series alive for the hosts.Veteran Mithali Raj has struck two half centuries in the series before being removed on duck in the third game.She has been well supported by her opening partner Smriti Mandhana who has figures of 28, 57 and 37 in the three matches.Skipper Kaur was dismissed on duck in ...
Winter Olympics: Austria beat S. Korea in alpine skiing
South Korea lost to Austria in the alpine skiing team event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Saturday.