Page 1972 - Sports
PCB exploring alternate 'home' venue outside UAE
Pakistan Cricket Board chief Najam Sethi has said that he is exploring alternate venues for hosting the national team's home series outside the UAE and Malaysia is one option. Talking to the media, Sethi said that with reports of more leagues to be held in the UAE emerging, it would not be possible for Pakistan to continue playing in Dubai, Sharjah or Abu Dhabi. We have started looking at alternate venues for our home and PSL matches and I am going in March to Malaysia to see the grounds and facilities there and if everything works out well then obviously we see Malaysia as a venue which can host our international home series and the PSL as well, he said. The PCB reportedly is not happy that the Emirates Cricket Board has given permission for the Afghanistan Cricket Board to launch its T20 league in Dubai and Sharjah. There are also plans to hold another edition of the T10 league in the UAE this year. Since 2010, Pakistan has virtually made UAE as its home venue after foreign teams ..
I-League: Chennai City face uphill task against Churchill Bros.
Chennai City will have to pull off an incredible coup to escape relegation when they lock horns with Churchill Brothers FC Goa in their I-League clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Coimbatore on Saturday.With just three games left, Chennai's fate depends on the results elsewhere as well but the Southerners could take advantage of Churchill Brothers' back-to-back defeats to obtain three points at their own home ground.Home ground is where Chennai City have struggled this season - they are yet to win at home."Tomorrow there is a chance for us because their (Churchill Brothers) team is very tired. It is a golden opportunity for us to win. We don't want to lose the chance as they are already tired," said Soundararajan, head coach of Chennai City.The fixture involving Churchill is Chennai's sixth straight match at home, a run that has so far yielded four draws and a loss. The Southerners are running out of time and that makes winning against a team that has just three points more than
Billings hopes to learn from Dhoni during CSK stint
England's limited overs specialist Sam Billings wants to use his stint with Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming Indian Premier League as an opportunity to learn the finer points of the game from none other than Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "I'm extremely excited to play in such a great side and learn a lot from all the experienced players that we have. I am very much looking forward to working with (MS) Dhoni, someone whom I have admired as a player for a long time as we play in similar roles (keeper-bat). So looking forward to learning from him, the 26-year-old Kent captain said in an interview to CSK's official website. Billings currently plays as a specialist batsman for his country (Jos Buttler dons the big gloves) and has made a name for himself as a superb fielder. About the pressure of expectation on turning out for high-profile CSK, Billings said there is pressure every time one walks to the crease but it would be exciting to be part of the franchise. Ultimately theres pressure every
Centurion ODI: Thakur picks four wickets as Proteas fold for 204
Shardul Thakur bagged a four-wicket haul as India bundled out South Africa for 204 runs in the dead-rubber sixth and final ODI of the six-match series here at the SuperSport Park on Friday.After being asked to bat first, South Africa made a slow start to their innings, losing stand-in captain Aiden Markram and opener Hashim Amla lowly for 24 and 10 runs, respectively off Thakur's deliveries.However, Khaya Zondo subsequently steadied the innings for the home side as he shared a crucial 62-run stand with first drop AB de Villiers for the third wicket to save his side's bushes.Soon after scoring his maiden half-century, Zondo (54) was dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal before the Indian bowler clean bowled de Villiers (30).Thakur then bagged his third wicket when he dismissed Farhaan Behardien (one) while Jasprit Bumrah scalped Heinrich Klaasen (22) in the 31st over.Subsequently, Andile Phehlukwayo and Morne Morkel scored 34 and 20 respectively before the home side were bundled out for 204 ...
I-League: Kerala confident to dent East Bengal's title hopes
After humbling Mohun Bagan in Kolkata, debutants Gokulam Kerala FC are gearing up for another major humdinger in I-League as they are set to host Kingfisher East Bengal at the EMS Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode on Saturday.Coming back from a major win, that too in an away fixture, coach Bino George said, "We have five matches left, we will try our best to do well."Meanwhile, it was the Kerala-outfit's second win on the road while the first one came against Indian Arrows, the youngest side of the league.Bino George lauded their newly-recruited Bahrainian midfielder Alajmi for his humongous effort of late."Alajmi was a replacement to Francis Ambane and he made the right impact on the team."Meanwhile, Kingfisher East Bengal have got the better of league leaders Minerva Punjab FC in their last outing which opened up the title race wide open.Bino George righty pointed that the Kolkata outfit will surely go out all guns blazing to garner a win tomorrow. On the other hand, Gokulam will ...
I-League: Chennai City face uphill task against Churchill (Preview)
With Indian Arrows and Gokulam Kerala immune to relegation this football season, Chennai City face an uphill task with three games left as they take on Churchill Brothers here on Saturday.
Chennai desperate for win against Churchill
Chennai City FC will have an uphill task of dislodging Churchill Brothers in their desperate bid to get out of the relegation zone when the two teams square off in an I-League encounter, here tomorrow. With debutants Gokulam Kerala and Indian Arrows provided immunity from relegation in their debut season, current wooden spooners Chennai, languishing at the bottom with 13 points from 15 matches, have a realistic chance of demotion. Churchill, currently seventh with 16 points from 14 games are expected to finish mid-table. Chennai's fate depends on the results elsewhere as well but what the Southerners can do as a first step is to take advantage of Churchill Brothers' current poor form. The back-to-back defeats of the Goan giants might just help them sneak in with an outside chance of victory. However, after a decent start to the year, Alfred Fernandes has seen his team succumb to two away defeats in their last two games. Indian Arrows stuck late to register a comeback win and NEROCA ...
Guptill's ton in vain as Aussies hammer world record chase
New Zealand's Martin Guptill's 49-ball century went up in smoke as Australia pulled off a world record run chase against the hosts at the Eden Park here on Friday.
I-League: Kerala look to dent East Bengal's title hopes (Preview)
After beating Mohun Bagan in Kolkata, debutants Gokulam Kerala FC will be looking to stage another major upset when they host title contenders East Bengal at the EMS Corporation Stadium here on Saturday.
Thakurs best restricts South Africa to 204
Young paceman Shardul Thakur made his first appearance in the series count with a four-wicket haul as India yet again choked the South African batsmen, dismissing them for a below-par 204 in the sixth and final One-Day International, here today. Thakur (4/52), playing in place of rested Bhuvneshwar Kumar, picked his best figures in ODI cricket in this third match. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav (1/51) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2/38) finished with 33 wickets together in this six-match series. Aiden Markram (24) and Hashim Amla (10) made another sedate start. Thakur was impressive in his first spell, even though Markram took him for two boundaries to start off proceedings. Jasprit Bumrah (2/24) kept a check on the scoring with his guile at the other end. The duo added 23 runs for the opening wicket before Amla was caught behind, pulling down leg side off a short ball from Thakur. The pacer struck for a second time within the first power-play as a clever change of pace foxed Markram completely and .
East Bengal face tricky Gokulam test
Title aspirants East Bengal will be aiming to ward off a stiff challenge from debutants Gokulam Kerala in an important away encounter of the I-League, here tomorrow. Currently placed third in the league table with 26 points from 14 matches, East Bengal are likely to face a tricky test from the minnows at their own backyard. Gokulam shocked Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan in their last game and can proved to be a proverbial banana peel for Khalid Jamil's men. But the red and gold brigade will be upbeat after beating Minerva Punjab in an away encounter and that result have now thrown the league wide open. NEROCA are on top with 31 points from 16 games while Minerva are second with 29 points with 14 games as the business end of the league has got very exciting. For Jamil, tomorrow's match will be "very vital" as their opponents are coming at them on the back of a hard-earned win. "This match is very vital one for us and they are playing very good football now. We have to be very cautious on ..
Sachin announced as league ambassador for T20 Mumbai League
Probability Sports India Private Limited, a consortium of the IIFL Group as Lead Member and Wizcraft, on Friday announced cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar as the League Ambassador of the Twenty-20 Mumbai League.
Karnataka beat Railways, qualify for Vijay Hazare Trophy knockouts
Karnataka beat Railways by 16 runs today to qualify for the knockout phase of the Vijay Hazare Trophy from Group A alongside table toppers Baroda. Mayank Agarwal continued his good form with a fine 89 off balls (15 fours) and shared a 132-run fourth-wicket partnership with Pavan Deshpande (65, 67 balls, 9X4, 1x6) as Karnataka made 257 all out in 48.1 overs. The home team slid from 182 for 4 to be all out in 49th after the fall of Deshpande as the Railways bowlers tightened things up. In response, Railways were in trouble straightaway as both the openers failed to open their account and the fall of a further four wickets left them tottering at 54 for 6. When a quick end looked possible, Anureet Singh (59), Ankit Yadav (51) and Avinash Yadav (40) launched a fightback. Anureet and Ankit were involved in a 91-run stand for the seventh wicket to revive Railways' hopes. However, young medium-pacer M Prasidh took three wickets to hasten a collapse and the visitors were dismissed in the 48th .
Bhambri, Thompson in Chennai Open final; Balaji-Vardhan duo
: India's Yuki Bhambri, seeded two, today set up a final clash with No.1 seed Jordan Thompson of Australia in the Chennai Open ATP Challenger tennis tournament. Bhambri got the better of Korea's Duckhee Lee, the third seed, 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 25 minutes while Thompson beat unseeded Spaniard Pedro Martinez 6-1, 7-6. Meanwhile, the second-seeded India duo of N Sriram Balaji and Vishnu Vardhan edged out Cem Ilkel and Danilo Petrovic, the Turkish-Serbian duo 7-6, 5-7, 10-5 in a thrilling final to capture the doubles crown. In the Bhambri-Lee match, the first set saw an even contest as the latter kept pace with the home favourite. Games went with serve till 5-all before the Indian number one, ranked 112 in the world broke through in the 11th with a superb forehand winner. He duly served out the set. Bhambri played well within himself from the baseline and made the occasional foray to the net to finish off points. The second set was one-way traffic as the Indian stepped ..
Chawrasia makes cut, Shubhankar misses out in Oman
Indian golfer SSP Chawrasia made a fine comeback on the back nine with a three-under 69, ensuring his weekend stay at the Oman Open here. Chawrasia, a two-time champion at the Hero Indian Open, is now two-under for 36 holes with rounds of 73 and 69, making him Tied-33rd. Shubhankar Sharma managed to add only a par 72 to his first round 73 and was one-over for the tournament. He finished Tied-71 and missed the cut by one shot. Chawrasia was happy with his fine comeback on the second nine, which was the front nine of the Al Mouj Course which is hosting a European Tour event for the first time. Chawrasia starting from the tenth, birdied 12th, but dropped shots on 13th and 16th to turn in one-over. On his second nine, he drained an excellent 15-footer for birdie on Par-5 third hole, which was his 12th. That changed the momentum and it was the turning point for me. All the four birdies that I had on my second nine were 12 feet and over. Then came the 30-footer on eighth, my 17th, to make ..
India restrict Proteas to 204 in sixth ODI
Khaya Zondo struck his maiden ODI fifty to steer South Africa to 204 even as the other batsmen failed to find an answer to the disciplined Indian bowling in the sixth and final One-day International (ODI) at the Supersport Park here on Friday.
Arrows rally to hold Vasco 2-2 in I-League
Young guns from Indian Arrows showed a lot of heart as they rallied twice holding defending defending champions Aizawl FC to a creditable 2-2 draw in an I-League encounter, here today. Interestingly, this was a home encounter for the Indian Arrows, who remained at 8th position with 15 points from 16 games while Aizawl, who are out of the championship race are placed sixth with 18 points from 14 games. For Aizwal FC, Afghan defender Masih Saighani struck in the 40th minute while while Ivory Coast winger Leonce Dodoz Zikahi scored in the 54th minute. Indian Arrows first restored parity through Edmund Lalrindika in the 48th minute and India's U-17 World Cup skipper Amarjit Singh Kiyam's 89th minute spot-kick conversion got them a point. The AIFF developmental side, which had stunned Churchill Brothers with two late goal in their last match, started positively and had an early chance to score with Edmund's shot off a Nongdamba Naorem assist being blocked by rival keeper Avilash ...
India bowl out South Africa for 204 in sixth ODI
Opting to field, India bowled out South Africa for a paltry 204 in the sixth and final One-day international, here today. Paceman Shardul Thakur, who replaced Bhuvneshwar Kumar, accounted for three South African batsmen while Khaya Zondo top-scored for the hosts with his 54-run knock. India are leading the series 4-1. Brief Scores: South Africa: 204 all out in 46.5 overs. (K Zondo 54, Aiden Markram 24; S Thakur 4/52, Jasprit Bumrah 2/24).
Lahiri is T-63rd at Genesis, and so is Tiger Woods; Cantlay leads
Anirban Lahiri gave away his hard-earned gains in matter of three holes to put himself in the danger zone at the end of the first round of the Genesis Open. He shot one-over 72 at the Par-71 at the firm Riviera course and was T-63. Lahiri, starting on the tenth was one-under for first nine holes with the solitary birdie, and he added a second on first hole, his 10th of the day. Three pars followed before he went into the rough and struggled and then missed a seven-footer for a bogey. That double was followed by another trip to the native area that cost him another shot. From two-under after 14, he ended being one-over after 16 and thats where he finished. Twelve players did not finish the round before darkness. Patrick Cantlay, once the No. 1 amateur in the world, birdied all the par 5s and played smartly the rest of the way around a firm Riviera course for a 5-under 66 to share the lead with Tony Finau. Starting with four birdies in five holes Finau finished with one last birdie for .
Raj, Mandhana fire India to 9-wicket win over SA
Veteran Mithali Raj and opener Smriti Mandhana hit stylish half centuries as India cruised to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over South Africa in the second women's T20 International here today. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team is now 2-0 up in the five-match series, having won the opening encounter by seven wickets. Chasing a modest 143, India cantered to victory in 19.1 overs as Mandhana hit a blistering 57 off 42 balls while Raj anchored the innings to perfection with her second successive half-century, remaining unbeaten on 76 off 61 balls. Raj was declared 'Player of the Match' once again. "The wicket was on the slower side and it wouldn't have been easy for a new batter to come in and start hitting straightaway. The century partnership (with Mandhana) was really important," Raj said at the post-match presentation ceremony. Her skipper Harmanpreet was equally ecstatic with the senior pro's performance. "We had discussed that if a player gets settled, she would have to bat ...