Page 1998 - Sports

Dhawan becomes first Indian to score ton in 100th ODI

Opener Shikhar Dhawan today became the first Indian cricketer to score a century in his 100th One-day International here. Dhawan reached the landmark during the fourth ODI of the six-match series against South Africa at the Wanderers. The 32-year-old, who made his ODI debut in 2010 against Australia, notched up his 13th century off 99 balls to become the ninth batsman overall to etch his name in record books. The left-handed batsman slammed two sixes and 10 fours during the course of his first century in South Africa. Former captain Sourav Ganguly came close to scoring a century in his 100th ODI before falling for 97 in the 1999 World Cup game against the same opponents. Dhawan had scored 35, 51 not out and 76 in the first three ODIs of the series, in which the visitors have already taken an unassailable 3-0 lead. Australian opener David Warner was the last batsman to achieve the landmark, scoring a ton against India in September last year.

Du Preez pulls off consolation win for South Africa over India

Mignon du Preez scored a valiant 90 as South Africa pulled off a consolation seven- wicket win over India to go down 1-2 in the three-match series, which was part of the ICC Women's ODI Championship. Needing 42 off the last 30 balls, du Preez took her team over the line in 49.2 overs after opener Laura Wolvaardt struck 59 to lay the foundation of a successful chase. India, who suffered their first loss of the tour, were 240 all out following half centuries from Deepti Sharma (79) and Veda Krishnamurthy (56). South Africa left-arm pacer Shabnim Ismail did the maximum damage with four wickets while conceding 30 runs in nine overs. After opting to bat, India decided to send Sharma at the top in the absence of Poonam Raut. The visitors also rested veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami for the dead rubber. India were dealt a big blow in the first over of the match when Ismail dismissed the in-form Smriti Mandhana (0). Mandhana had made a match-winning 135 and 84 in the first two ...

Vishnu Vardhan, Rawat post wins in ATP Challenger

Five Indian players, including Olympian Vishnu Vardhan today made it to the final qualifying round of the Chennai Open ATP Challenger tournament here. The fourth-seeded Vishnu Vardhan, ranked 512 currently, made short work of compatriot Ramakrishnan Rangaraju 6-3, 6-0. He will meet fifth-seed Sidharth Rawat for a spot in the main draw. Rawat routed fellow Indian Shahbaaz Khan conceding only three games. Little-known local lad Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam sprung a surprise, beating American Tyler Hochwalt first and then getting the better of eighth-seeded Aryan Goveas 7-6, 4-1 (retired). Shanmugam will meet Nikola Cacic of Serbia for a place in the main draw. Top seed in the qualifying Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul of Thailand, got past local player Gokul Suresh 6-2, 6-4. Haadin Salim Bava, the seventh-seed, ousted national champion Dalwinder Singh 6-0, 7-6(5). Yuki Bhambri, who will be the second-seed in the main draw, and other Indians including Sumit Nagal, Prajnesh ...

Indian Arrows stun Churchill Brothers

Substitute Abhijit Sarkar scored two injury-time goals in as many minutes as Indian Arrows rallied to pull off a stunning 2-1 victory over Churchill Brothers in the I-League here today. Sarkar struck in the first (90+1) and third minute (90+3) of added time at the Tilak Maidan Stadium. Dawda Ceesay had scored a first-half opener before a brace from Sarkar sealed three points for Indian Arrows. Arrows coach Luis Norton de Matos made two changes to his side as Nongdamba Naorem and Princeton Rebello came into the starting lineup. Match-winner Sarkar did not start the game and Raheem Ali was omitted due to an injury. Kalu Ogba came into the lineup in place of Bektur Talgat in what was the only change made by Alfred Fernandes to his team. Naorem threated in the eighth minute when he picked up Tangri's pass. His curler forced a very good save from James Kithan who had to dive to his left to keep the ball out. Despite the early threat from Arrows, it was Churchill who broke the .

I-League: Dicka complains of not receiving prize money

Former Shillong Lajong FC striker Dipanda Dicka will get his dues by end of March, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said after the Mohun Bagan marksman revealed that he's yet to be paid for being the top scorer of last season.

Could have been top of league had we converted our chances: Aizawl coach

A dejected Aizawl FC coach Paulo Menezes on Saturday rued the defending champions' profligacy in front of goal throughout the season, saying if they could have converted half their chances it would have made a world of a difference.

I-League: Chennai in must-win tie against Lajong (Preview)

Fighting to avoid relegation, Chennai City FC face a must-win situation when they take on Shillong Lajong FC in an I-League clash here on Sunday.

Ghosal gets past Scot Lobban into final

National champion and top seed Saurav Ghosal subdued a fighting Greg Lobban, the third seed from Scotland, to enter the final of the USD 35,000 Vedanta Indian Squash Open here today. Ghosal, 12-time winner of the national men's crown who is currently ranked 14th in the world, put his best foot forward and scored a 11-8 13-11 11-6 victory in 54 minutes over Lobban, ranked 33rd globally, in a hard-fought semi final tie in the PSA Tour event at the NSCI courts in Worli. In a repeat of the CCI International summit clash, Ghosal will meet second-seeded Swiss Nicolas Mueller tomorrow for the title following the latter's come-from-behind 9-11 11-6 13-11 11-4 victory in 54 minutes over seventh seeded English rival Chris Simpson. It was the second win over Lobban in as many face-offs for the 31-year-old Ghosal, who intends to play in singles and mixed doubles in the April Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, against the Scot. "It was a tough match. Greg's a very ...

Vignesh stuns seeded Manish to enter final

Unseeded Prenamallur Vignesh of Andhra Pradesh stunned third seed Manish Sureshkumar of Tamil Nadu in two straight sets to enter the men's singles final of the Rs 22-lakh JVPG Anirudh Desai All India Open Tennis tournament today. Vignesh subdued his much younger opponent Manish 6-3, 6-2 to earn a shot in tomorrow's final against seventh seed Siddharth Vishwakarma of Chhattisgarh who beat back a late challenge from fourth seed Kunal Anand of Delhi 6-2, 7-6(4) in the other semi final. The 30-year-old Vignesh, ranked 30th in the country, was in his element and quashed the aspirations of the 18-year-old Sureshkumar, ranked 17th, who was unable to put up a fight and caved in rather meekly. In the second semi-final, Vishwakarma too comfortably defeated his Delhi rival Anand in straight sets after trailing 2-4 in the second set tie-breaker before reeling off five successive points to clinch the set and the match. Top seed Mahak Jain of MP and no. 6 seed Humera Shaikh of ...

Juventus' Bernardeschi defends goal celebrations against Fiorentina

Juventus winger Federico Bernardeschi has defended celebrations after scoring against his former football club Fiorentina in their 2-0 victory in a Serie A match at the Artemio Franchi Stadium here.

CCI Snooker: Parikh defeats Sharma, Shah overcomes Dossa

Siddharth Parikh of the Indian Railways hogged the limelight hitting a big one, constructing a substantial break of 91, during his 3-1 win against Viren Sharma in the best-of-five frame third round match in the Rs 12.25 lakh prize-money CCI All India Open Snooker Championship 2018 here today. Parikh lost the opening frame before he came into his own and thereafter potted fluently to run away with the match. He tamely lost the first, but comfortably won the next two, before firing on all cylinders in the third, constructing a break of 91, the highest in the competition so far, to complete a 33-64, 61-2, 59-10 and 107-0 victory, a media release said. Earlier in a battle between Cricket Club of India cueists, Sidraj Shah staved off a spirited fight back from Nishant Dossa to clinch a hard-fought 3-2 win. Shah started on a promising note by winning the first two frames very convincingly and looked set to wrap up the game. But, Dossa proved to be a sticky customer as he, ...

Joint Olympic team makes history for two Koreas

North and South Korea competed together for the first time at an Olympics today as the first of 102 gold medals were decided against a fast-moving backdrop of diplomatic manoeuvring. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was among a high-level delegation in the stands as the joint Korean women's ice hockey team took on Switzerland in their opening match. The Games have triggered rapid reconciliation between the two Koreas, who are still technically at war. In talks on Saturday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in was invited to a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. There was joy for South Korea when short-track speed skater Lim Hyo-jun won the first gold for hosts on day one, claiming the men's 1500m in front of a near-capacity crowd. Earlier, Sweden's Charlotte Kalla won the first title of the Games in the women's skiathlon, followed by Germany's Laura Dahlmeier who triumphed in the women's 7.5km sprint biathlon. Five gold medals ..

Afridi asks fan to hold Indian flag properly, wins hearts

Shahid Afridi won many hearts on either side of the border with a touching gesture in which he promptly told an Indian fan to hold the national flag properly while posing for a picture. "Flag seedha karo apna (straighten the flag)," Afridi asked his Indian fan while posing for a picture on the sidelines of the St. Moritz Cricket Tournament here. Afridi was among a host of former cricketers who took part in the inaugural event which concluded today. The other big names to feature were Shoaib Akhtar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Graeme Smith, Andrew Symonds, Lasith Malinga and Mahela Jayawardene, among others. Afridi also had the social media abuzz with people from either side of the border lauding the all-rounder's gesture. A handful of Indian and Pakistani expats gathered at the venue to watch the former players in action. The tournament was played on a frozen lake in sub-zero temperatures. A matting wicket was used though the players fielded on ice. Pakistani players ...

Bolt wouldn't fancy bobsleigh, say Jamaica

Usain Bolt may have swept all before him in track and field -- but he probably couldn't cut it in a bobsleigh, Jamaica said at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The lanky superstar dominated sprinting for three straight Summer Olympics, claiming a 'triple-triple' before being stripped of 2008 relay gold when Nesta Carter failed a drugs test. However, Jamaica's chef de mission Leo Campbell said Bolt, who limped out of his final race at last year's world championships, wouldn't last long in bobsleigh. "This is a painful sport. Right now, for someone as accomplished as Bolt, he's quite comfortable, if you will," said Campbell. "It would be really nice to have Usain on the back of a bobsleigh, but we're not so confident he can manage more than two races because it's a really tough and long season. And he's retired and wants to relax now," he added. Jamaica's men's bobsleigh team of 1988 were immortalised in the comedy film "Cool Runnings", but the country is still making ...

Melbourne, Feb 10 (AFP) Scoreboard of the third Twenty20

Scoreboard of the third Twenty20 tri-series match between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, here today. England: J Roy c Carey b Richardson 8 A Hales c Finch b Stanlake 3 D Malan run out (Warner) 10 J Vince b Tye 21 J Buttler c Agar b Richardson 46 S Billings c Warner b Stanlake 29 D Willey c Warner b Richardson 10 C Jordan not out 1 Extras: (B-2, W-7) 9 Total: (for 7 wickets in 20 overs) 137 Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-16, 3-34, 4-70, 5-113, 6-133, 7-137 Bowling: Richardson 4-0-33-3, Stanlake 4-0-28-2, Stoinis 4-0-18-0, Tye 4-0-29-1, Agar 4-0-27-0 Australia: D Warner c Buttler b Willey 2 D Short not out 36 C Lynn c Buttler b Jordan 31 G Maxwell c Buttler b Jordan 39 A Finch not out 20 Extras: (LB-2, W-8) 10 Total: (for 3 wickets in 14.3 overs) 138 Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-51, 3-116 Bowling: Willey 3.3-0-30-1, Curran 2-0-23-0, Jordan 3-0- 26-2, Rashid 4-0-34-0, Dawson 2-0-23-0.

Shakib returns in new-look Bangladesh T20 squad

All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan returned from injury as Bangladesh Saturday made wholesale changes in their squad for the two-match Twenty20 international series against Sri Lanka. At least five uncapped players -- wicketkeeper-batsman Zakir Hasan, pace bowler Abu Jayed and all-rounders Ariful Haque, Mahedi Hasan and Afif Hossain -- have been included in the 15-man squad for the series, announced just after the conclusion of a Test series. Fast bowler Abu Hider has been recalled for the first time since the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 in India, while Tamim Iqbal and Mustafizur Rahman also returned after missing a two-match Twenty20 series against South Africa in October. Mominul Haque, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Nasir Hossain, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam and Taskin Ahmed, who were part of the Bangladesh squad for the South African T20s, have been dropped. Shakib will lead the side after missing out the just- concluded Test series due to a finger injury. Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by

Luger Keshavan placed 34th after two rounds

India's Shiva Keshavan finished 34th after two rounds of heats in the men's singles luge competitions in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics here today. Keshvan, who is taking part in his sixth and final Winter Olympics, was 36th at the end of first heat but recovered a bit in the second, where he finished 31st, to be placed 34th overall at the halfway mark of competitions at the Olympic Sliding Center. Two rounds of heats will be held tomorrow to decide the winners. The 36-year-old Indian was placed 36th at the end of first round of heats, clocking a modest 50.578 seconds to cover the 1,344 metre track and then clocked 48.690 seconds in the second heat to end 31st out of 40 competitors. A handful of supporters, including his family members, cheered Keshavan at the stands with Indian flags in their hands but he had a very bad start to his event. His sled glanced the side edges of the track -- left and right -- just after the start and though he had a comparatively smoother ..

Dutch medal sweep in women's 3,000m speedskating

Carlijn Achtereekte made her Olympic debut a golden one, leading a Dutch podium sweep in the women's 3,000-metre speed skating today at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The 28-year-old skated in the fifth of 12 heats, well before the favourites, but her dazzling time of 3:59.21 held up to win. Ireen Wust, the 2006 and 2014 champion, was a narrow second in 3:59.29 with Antoinette de Jong third in 4:00.02. Achtereekte was third at the Dutch Olympic trials and second in last month's European championships in 4:06.81, but was a shock winner when it matter most. Wust took her ninth Olympic speed skating medal, matching the all-time record total of Germany's Claudia Pechstein and tying the Dutch career record for Olympic medals by equestrian rider Anky Van Grunsven. But it was another near-miss for Wust, a four-time Olympic champion who also settled for second in the 1,000, 1,500 and 5,000 at Sochi in 2014. Wust missed out on becoming the first Dutch woman to defend a Winter ..

Australia hammer England by 7 wickets in T20 win

Australia cruised to a seven- wicket victory over England with more than five overs to spare to remain unbeaten after three games in the triangular Twenty20 series, here today. The Australians restricted England to 137 for seven off their 20 overs with paceman Kane Richardson taking three wickets and then the home team knocked up the runs off just 14.3 overs. A match-winning partnership of 65 between Glenn Maxwell (39) and D'Arcy Short (36 not out), plus cameos from Chris Lynn (31) and Aaron Finch (20 not out from five balls), got Australia comfortably home. The win ensured Australia will play in the tri-series final in Auckland on February 21 with preliminary matches now switching to New Zealand. The game-defining sequence came when Maxwell and Short accelerated the score from 65 for two at the end of the ninth over to 104 for two after the 11th, 39 runs flowing over just two overs. "Our players have been in tremendous form coming off the Big Bash League and they are ..

J'burg ODI: Dhawan hits 13th ton, takes India to 200 as bad weather stops play

Opener Shikhar Dhawan's fireworks continued as he struck his 13th One Day International (ODI) century to help India reach 200 in the fourth of the six-match series against South Africa, before the game was halted due to bad weather at the Wanderers here on Saturday.Opting to bat first, India lost opener Rohit Sharma on just 5, once again becoming the victim of Kagiso Rabada.However, India piled on the misery for injury-hit South Africa with the help of skipper Virat Kohli and Dhawan.Kohli, who is otherwise enjoying a rich form in the series, lost his wicket for 75 runs as Chris Morris gave the hosts the major breakthrough.Dhawan continued his brilliant inning to hit his 13th hundred in his 100the ODI appearance.The left-handed batsman achieved the feat off 99 balls. This was Dhawan's third consecutive half-plus score in the series.As the match was delayed due to bad weather, India reached 200 for the loss of two wickets, with Dhawan batting on 107 along with Ajinkya Rahane on 5.The ...