Page 1990 - Sports

We have now got measure of Indian spinners: Phehlukwayo

Pacer Andile Phehlukwayo today said South African batsmen will go into the fifth ODI as a more confident unit, having learnt from their mistakes against the Indian spinners. For the first time in the series, the Indian wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav took a beating and proved to be expensive in the fourth ODI. We have a good momentum now from the last game we played. We have come really far that victory because the guys have been working really hard in the nets and we have been very specific about our training (against spin), said Phehlukwayo. (In the last game) We were looking to be positive now. We got into good positions and tried to pick the ball, watch the ball and played really straight, he added. The pitch for this fifth ODI bore a brownish look on Monday, resembling more the wicket in Durban for the first ODI than Wanderers. Historically, this pitch helps spinners more. "We have been doing good analysis and have good game plans. Obviously the conditions were

Warner given mini-break before New Zealand trip

David Warner, Australia's stand-in captain for the triangular Twenty20 International series, was on Monday given a mini-breather before the Kangaroos' next encounter against New Zealand in Auckland on Friday.

I-League: Minerva ready for East Bengal clash in potential title-decider (Preview)

League leaders Minerva Punjab are set to welcome title-contenders East Bengal in their own backyard at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula here on Tuesday.

Bengaluru FC up against TC Sports Club for spot in AFC Cup group stages

Eyeing a group stage berth, coach Albert Roca said he expects nothing short of a stern test when Bengaluru FC take on Maldivian side TC Sports Club in the first leg of the AFC Cup Preliminary Stage game here tomorrow. The Blues arrived in the capital after becoming the first side to secure a play-off berth in the Indian Super League but the Spanish manager said it would count for nothing when they attempt to take an important step to make it to the group stages of a competition Bengaluru have enjoyed relative success in. The game against TC Sports Club is going to be a tougher challenge than the one we faced in Bhutan. They have made it to this stage on the back of two good games against the team from Bangladesh. "Their confidence along with being comfortable with the humid weather that we arent used to, makes the challenge bigger," Roca said. The side from Maldives rode on an Anatoliy Vlasichev hat-trick at home to get past Bangladeshi side Saif 4-1 on aggregate and book a date with .

ISL: Bengaluru qualified, test of nerves for other franchises

Sunil Chhetri-led Bengaluru FC became the first club to have confirmed their place in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) season four play-offs with three matches still to play.

Vijay Hazare Trophy: Andhra, Mumbai qualify for knockouts with

Andhra and Mumbai posted wins over Gujarat and Goa today to qualify for the national knockout phase of the Vijay Hazare Trophy from Group 'C' here. While Andhra trounced Gujarat by nine wickets to notch up its fifth straight victory, Mumbai won its fourth game to make sure of advancing. K S Bharat with an unbeaten 106 (132 balls, 4X4, 4X6) and Ashwin Hebbar (99, 108 balls, 11X4, 2X6) helped Andhra steamroll Gujarat reaching the target of 251 in 45.2 overs. Meanwhile, Mumbai rode on half-centuries by Surya Kumar Yadav (71), Prithvi Shaw (53) and captain Aditya Tare (59) to post a four-wicket win over Goa. Chasing Goa's score of 266 for 8, Mumbai secured the win in the 47th over as the top-order got going. Shaw,who led India to a memorable triumph in the under-19 World Cup in New Zealand recently, put Mumbai on track with a well crafted half century. He was involved in two important partnerships, first with Jay Bista for 64 runs and then with Surya Kumar Yadav (90 ...

10 medals assured for India at Asian Games Test event

India were assured of a staggering 10 boxing medals at the Asian Games Test event here after three fought their way into the semifinals while seven others got byes into the last-four stage. World youth champion Shashi Chopra (57kg), three-time King's Cup gold-medallist K Shyam Kumar (49kg) and Asian youth silver-medallist Ashish (64kg) advanced after contrasting wins. Moving ahead with first-round byes were India Open gold-medallist Manish Kaushik (60kg), Ritu Grewal (51kg), Pavitra (60kg), Salman Shaikh Anwar (52kg), Etash Khan (56kg), Pawan Kumar (69kg), and Ashish Kumar (75kg). Shashi notched up a comprehensive 5-0 triumph over Singapore's Nur Sabrina Binte, while Shyam Kumar clinched a close 3-2 triumph over Thailand's Samak Saehan. Ashish defeated Japan's Daisuke Narimatsu, a 5-0 verdict. The event will have a rest day tomorrow before the semifinals take place on February 14. Shashi will be up against local favourite Riza Pasuit, while Shyam will square off against Malaysian ...

Minerva ready for East Bengal in potential title-decider

League leaders Minerva Punjab are set to welcome East Bengal in a potential title-deciding I-League clash here tomorrow. The match at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium is a special affair for both the coaches, Khogen Singh and Khalid Jamil, who were former teammates in Air India and are now vying to outwit each other. The game, however, will not be easy considering the weather conditions in Chandigarh where it is raining continuously since yesterday night. Its a must win for Khalid Jamil's boys who are sitting on 23 points in 13 matches, 6 points behind their opponents and title favourites Minerva Punjab who are on 29 points playing as many matches. Minerva Punjab, on the other hand, will be cautious not to drop points which might shake their title-hope and could put cold water on their fairy tale title run. Khalid Jamil praised the home side for their superb run this season. They are playing very good especially, at their home. They have 100 percent record so this match will not be easy for ..

Tahir verbally, racially abused: CSA

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has revealed that leg-spinner Imran Tahir was verbally and racially abused by a cricket fan at the Wanderers Stadium this weekend.The alleged incident took place during the pink fourth ODI between India and South Africa which the home side went on to win by five wickets by Duckworth-Lewis method.Reflecting on the same, the CSA said that Tahir had reported the matter to the stadium security, who subsequently escorted the spinner to identify the man and eject him from the Wanderers.The CSA and the security team are now investigating the incident of racial abuse directed towards Tahir, ESPNcricinfo reported.Meanwhile, a video was also emerged on social media featuring Tahir talking to fans.The only words which could be heard from Tahir was him insisting "I have family too".And the CSA said that they are well aware of the circulated video footage, adding that Tahir had not made any physical contact with the offender or any of the children in the vicinity.South ..

Saurashtra, Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad keep QF hopes alive

A resurgent Saurashtra steamrolled Services by eight wickets to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive in the Vijay Hazare Trophy here today. Buoyed by their big win over Jharkhand yesterday, Saurashtra bundled out Services for 176 in 48.2 overs before knocking off the small chase in 21.4 overs. Samarth Vyas cracked an unbeaten 114 from 66 balls, an innings studded with 12 fours and eight sixes. Skipper Cheteshwar Pujara gave fine support at the other end with a 39-ball 45 not out (3x4, 3x6) as the duo stitched an unbroken 143-run partnership after Saurashtra lost two wickets inside eight overs. The partnership came off just 86 balls to give a huge boost to their net run-rate (0.854) as Saurashtra (0.854) jumped past Hyderabad (-0.197) to third place despite both having 12 points each. Saurashtra now take on leaders Vidarbha (16 points) in their crucial final group league match on February 14. Earlier left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja returned with figures of 4/26, while pace duo ..

I-League: Gokulam Kerala stun Mohun Bagan 2-1

Gokulam Kerala registered a memorable victory against Mohun Bagan when they beat the Kolkata giants 2-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium in their I-League clash on Monday.Mahmood Al Ajmi (77') and Henry Kisseka (90') found their names on the score-sheet for the visitors while Aser Dipanda Dicka (78') netted the consolation goal for the home side.Mohun Bagan made a single change from their goalless stalemate against Chennai City as SK Faiaz slotted in the place of Azharuddin Mallick.Shilton Paul retained his place under the sticks and had Kingsley Eze and Rana Gharami in front to marshall the defence. Cameron Watson and Raynier Fernandes had the keys to midfield whereas Aser Dicka partnered Lebanese striker Akram Moghrabi upfront.On the other hand, Bino George decided to make four changes for Gokulam Kerala as Balwinder Singh, M.D Dibin, Arjun Jayaraj and Laldampuia got replaced by Provat Lakra, Daniel Addo, Mohammad Rashid and Kivi Zhimomi.Kerala took the game by the scruff of its neck making

Oh Henry! Gokulam Kerala sink Mohun Bagan 2-1

Debutants Gokulam Kerala FC secured their biggest win of the season as Henry Kisekka's 90th minute blinder stunned former champions Mohun Bagan 2-1 in an I-League football fixture at the Saltlake Stadium here today. The Ugandan earlier set up Mahmood Al-Ajmi's peach of a goal in the 77th minute before Mohun Bagan took less than a minute to restore parity through season's leading scorer Dipanda Dicka who brought up his ninth goal with a calm and composed header. Just when it was meandering towards a draw, a world-class volley by Henry gave Mohun Bagan the heartbreak as the 2015 champions signed off their campaign at home with a shock defeat that will continue to haunt forever. This was Mohun Bagan's second defeat at home against two bottom-placed teams -- 1-2 defeat against Chennai City on January 2 -- as the Mariners (21 points) are virtually out of title race with four matches left in the league. The win lifted Gokulam from the bottom, going past Chennai City on better head-to-head ..

We aim to organise Ice Cricket every year: Promoters

The positive response garnered from the inaugural edition of St Moritz Ice Cricket tournament has encouraged promoters Akhilesh Bahuguna and Vijay Singh to think about making it an annual event. "The response has been phenomenal and we are happy that all the top cricketers of the world were convinced about the project and came on board. Our aim is to make it an annual event with a three-match series," Singh, a resident of Switzerland, who conceived the idea in 2016, told PTI after the completion of the event. Bahuguna, on his part, expressed his gratitude towards Virender Sehwag, who was the first cricketer to sign on the dotted lines. "I remember when we first spoke to Sehwag about our concept, he didn't even take five minutes to say yes. His only question was the kind of shoes that he needs to wear in order to field on ice," Bahuguna fondly recollected. They agreed that it would have been better had they managed to organise the matches on a weekend, which could have attracted more .

Olympians Khusbir, Irfan to headline race walking Nationals

Olympian race walkers Khushbir Kaur and Irfan Kolothun Thodi will on Sunday headline the women's and men's campaign in the 5th National Race Walking Championship here, which will also act as a qualification for the upcoming Commonwealth and Asian Games.

Wozniacki grips top spot in women's tennis rankings

Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki continued to maintain a firm grip on her place as the world's top-ranked player in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings released on Monday.

Nadal stays atop ATP rankings, Federer aims to overtake

Rafael Nadal continued to hold the top spot in the men's Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world singles rankings, released on Monday, while Switzerland's Roger Federer maintained a close second with a chance to overtake the injured Spaniard.

Crash, bang, wallop -- high winds disrupt Olympics

High winds caused havoc at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics today as the women's slopestyle snowboarding final descended into chaos and alpine skiing suffered its second postponement in as many days. Almost all competitors crashed in the women's slopestyle final at a windswept Phoenix Park, where strong gusts forced the cancellation of Sunday's qualifiers and delayed Monday's final by more than an hour. It came after ski chiefs called off the women's giant slalom and rescheduled it to Thursday -- the same day as the postponed men's downhill. The windy conditions contributed to an icy chill in Pyeongchang's mountains, where forecast temperatures of -15 degrees Celsius (5 Fahrenheit) were due to feel like -25. Several snowboarders voiced their unhappiness at the gusting conditions at Phoenix Park, and complained that the slopestyle final should have been postponed. "So many people got hurt because of the wind already," said Austria's Anna Gasser, calling the competition a "lottery". "I ..

Angry snowboarders hit out at 'dangerous' Olympic final

Angry snowboarders said the "dangerous" women's slopestyle final at the Pyeongchang Olympics should have been cancelled after vicious winds caused a string of crashes today. Nearly all the athletes, including American winner Jamie Anderson, tumbled at some point at the frigid Phoenix Park, where strong winds forced Sunday's qualifiers to be scrapped and also delayed the final for more than an hour on Monday. It was the latest event at the Games to be disrupted by the swirling wind, with the prestigious men's downhill skiing moved to Thursday. None of the snowboarders suffered major injury, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Ski Federation (FIS) faced questions as to why the final was not shelved. The FIS admitted that conditions were "challenging" but defended the decision to go ahead with the event, saying the safety of the athletes was their top priority. Enni Rukajarvi mastered the conditions better than most and took bronze behind defending champion ...

Tahi claims racial abuse by Indian fan, CSA launch investigation

South African spinner Imran Tahir has alleged that he was racially abused by an Indian fan during the fourth ODI against Virat Kohli's men, prompting the country's board to launch an investigation. Tahir did not feature in the rain-curtailed match that India lost by five wickets in Johannesburg on Saturday. South Africa team manager Mohammed Moosajee said the tweaker was abused while he was carrying out his duties as 12th man. "My understanding from Imran's perspective is that he was racially and verbally abused by a certain gentleman throughout the match. He reported to stadium security stationed in front of the dressing room and two of the security personnel accompanied him to identify the perpetrator," said Moosajee. "According to what Imran said, it was an Indian fan," Moosajee added. The verbal jousting allegedly took place when he was traversing up and down the passageway connecting the field and the players dressing rooms at the Wanderers. Tahir has told the CSA that the fan ...

No concerns over North Korea 'hijack', says Olympics chief

Olympics chief Thomas Bach today dismissed concerns that North Korea has tried to "hijack" the Winter Games for political purposes, as officials revealed he will visit the isolated country after the tournament in South Korea. Bach said he regarded North Korea's participation purely in sporting terms despite the rapid round of diplomacy between the two Koreas during the opening days of the Games. "This is about sport and this the IOC made very clear," Bach told AFP in an interview. "This is about the role of sport to build bridges, to open doors and nothing more. "It's just a symbol for sport and it's a symbol for the fact that when you go over these bridges you can come to a positive result." Brokering North Korea's involvement has been a proud achievement for Bach's International Olympic Committee, as the two Koreas marched together at the opening ceremony and formed a unified team in the women's ice hockey. It has also set the stage for a period of intense reconciliation efforts, ...