Page 2050 - Sports
I need time to rest and prepare for big events: Saina
Indian badminton great Saina Nehwal today said she is not getting any younger and needs more time to rest and prepare for the big-ticket events in a "killing" calendar. Saina, who reached the final of Indonesia Masters last week, had written to Badminton Association of India (BAI) to allow her to withdraw from Asia Team Championship scheduled from February 6 to 11 at Alor Setar, Malaysia. Playing the ABC will make it the third successive week for Saina, who is currently playing at the India Open following her final finish at Jakarta. The Indian ace wants time to train for the All England Championship to be held at Birmingham from March 14 to 18. "It is not about training, it is about giving time to my body. It is tough, it is a killing sport. It looks easy from outside that we are playing strokes. I dont want to just play. I want time to be fresh for tournaments," said Saina, who had reached the finals of All England in 2015. "I know people want me to play and want me to .
Nishikori-less Japan face Italian job in Davis Cup
Japan will be without talisman Kei Nishikori when they host Italy this week for a place in the Davis Cup quarter-finals. With Nishikori only just returning from a wrist injury that had sidelined him for five months, Japan's challenge in Morioka will be spearheaded by Yuichi Sugita, who won his first ATP tour singles title in Turkey last summer. Former champions Italy, making their first visit to Japan, have named world number 22 Fabio Fognini and 46th- ranked Paolo Lorenzi with Andreas Seppi, Thomas Fabbiano and Simone Bolelli also among Corrado Barazzutti's team. Japan captain Satoshi Iwabuchi has called up world number 100 Taro Daniel alongside the 41st-ranked Sugita in singles, with Go Soeda offering experience alongside Yasutaka Uchiyama and Kiwi-born Ben Mclachlan, who recently reached the Australian Open doubles semi-finals. Japan are looking to reach the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup for only the second time after Nishikori helped them reach the last eight in ...
About 1,000 athletes to feature in 8 test events for Asian Games
Indonesia will host test events in eight disciplines next month ahead of the Asian Games, attracting around 1,000 athletes and officials from Asia.
Udinese strike deal for Brazilian striker Vizeu: Reports
Flamengo have agreed to sell highly rated striker Felipe Vizeu to Italian football club Udinese, according to widespread media reports in Brazil.
Proteas demolish B'desh to claim fifth place at U-19 WC
Fast bowlers Fraser Jones and Akhonya Mnyaka ripped through Bangladesh's batting line-up as South Africa scored a comfortable eight-wicket victory at the John Davies Oval in Queensland to finish fifth at the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup on Wednesday.Jones, playing only his second match of the tournament, grabbed five for 33 and left-arm bowler Mnyaka took three for 27 as Bangladesh were bowled out for 178 in 41.4 overs after deciding to bat in the fifth-sixth position play-off match in front of broadcast cameras.The 2014 champions did not face any problems and reached 180 for two in 38.3 overs as captain Raynard van Tonder played a fluent knock of 82 (99b, 7x4, 2x6) to tally his total runs to 384 in the tournament, joining former captain Graeme Smith as the joint-third highest aggregate of runs for a South Africa batsman in an ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup. Dominik Hendricks (391 runs in 2010) and Aiden Markram (370 in 2014) are the individuals with more runs in a single edition from the ..
'Players are paraded like cattle in IPL'
The New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA) has said that the Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction is deeply humiliating for players."I think the whole system is archaic and deeply humiliating for players, who are paraded like cattle for all the world to see," ESPNcricinfo quoted Heath Mills, chief executive of NZCPA as saying.Mills reflected that players act as mere commodities for IPL franchises as the formers' destiny is in the hands of the latter."The players enter the auction not knowing where they are going, who their team-mates are going be, who's managing them, who the owners are -- no other sports league in the world engages players on that basis," Mills said.Peter Clinton, a former chief executive of Wellington Cricket had earlier also called the IPL player auction "ridiculous".He tweeted, "The IPL Auction is such an undignified, cruel & unnecessary employment practice. Ridiculous that it exists today, belongs in the medieval ages."In the recently concluded
Juventus beat Atalanta 1-0
Veteran Gianluigi Buffon marked his comeback from an injury with a goalkeeping masterclass as Juventus defeated Atalanta 1-0 away in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final clash.
Prithvi Shaw in Mumbai's squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy
Young batting sensation Prithvi Shaw has been included in the 16-member squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, an inter-state One Day International tournament to be played in Chennai from February 5. The Mumbai Cricket Association yesterday announced the squad, led by wicket-keeper batsman Aditya Tare. Apart from Shaw, who is currently leading the India U-19 side in the ICC Cricket World Cup, the squad includes opener Jay Bista, Mumbai's 'go to' man this season Siddhesh Lad, experienced batsmen Surya Kumar Yadav and Akhil Herwadkar. The bowling attack will be led by Dhawal Kulkarni, who has been named as the vice captain. Medium pacer Akash Parkar, who had a decent last Ranji Trophy season, is also in the squad. After failing to win the Ranji Trophy and Syed Musthtaq Ali tournament (T20 format), the Mumbai players would be keen to make a mark in the Vijay Hazare trophy, which will be played till February 14 in Chennai. Mumbai take on Madhya Pradesh in their opening game on .
Swansea escape EPL relegation zone with 3-1 win over Arsenal
Arsenal's continuing woes redounbled to the benefit of Swansea City, who upset the London football giants 3-1 to climb out of the English Premier League (EPL) relegation zone for the first time since early November.
12-yr-old boy reminds why we stand for national anthem: Trump
In a veiled shot at NFL players, US President Donald Trump today mentioned the importance of standing for the national anthem and reminded Americans of their civic duties as he delivered his first State of the Union address. In September last year, Trump had criticised National Football League (NFL) players for kneeling during America's national anthem - "The Star-Spangled Banner" - to protest the treatment of African-Americans by law enforcement agencies. He had said in a tweet that it was "very important that NFL players stand tomorrow, and always, for the playing of our national anthem. Respect our flag and our country". During his 80-minute prime time address before a joint session of Congress, Trump showered praise on a 12-year-old California boy named Preston Sharp for placing flags on the graves of veterans. "Young patriots like Preston teach all of us about our civic duty as Americans. Preston's reverence for those who have served our nation reminds us why we ...
Pakistan need mentor like Dravid for youngsters, says Ramiz
Ramiz Raja has praised the role of legendary batsman Rahul Dravid in developing the young Indian players, and said Pakistan needs someone like him to unearth talent. Lamenting the 203-run defeat at the hands of India in the semi-finals, Ramiz said he was pretty shocked at the margin of loss. He, however, said it was not surprising, given the fact that Indian youngsters were better groomed and prepared to handle pressure situations. "I am impressed with the temperament shown by some of the Indian players. They have a fine find in Shubman Gill and others. Rahul Dravid deserves lot of credit for preparing and grooming them so effectively," he said. Ramiz said having someone like Dravid as their coach and mentor was a big boost for the Indian youngsters. "They learn such a lot from him not just about cricket but about everything else. How to conduct oneself, how to develop game sense and so on," he said. Ramiz said he was disappointed with the lack of batting talent in the ..
Jones, Mnyaka shine as SA finish fifth in ICC-U19 World Cup
Fast bowlers Fraser Jones and Akhonya Mnyaka ripped through Bangladesh's batting line-up as South Africa scored a comfortable eight-wicket victory at the John Davies Oval to finish fifth at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, here today. Jones, playing only his second match of the tournament, grabbed five for 33 while left-arm bowler Mnyaka took three for 27 as Bangladesh were bowled out for 178 in 41.4 overs. The 2014 champions, put in to bat in the fifth-sixth position play-off match, quickly reached 180 for two in 38.3 overs as captain Raynard van Tonder played a fluent knock of 82 (99b, 7x4, 2x6) to tally his total runs to 384 in the tournament. He joins former Proteas captain Graeme Smith as the joint-third highest aggregate of runs for a South Africa batsman in an ICC U19 Cricket World Cup. "We did not play well in the quarter-finals, but the boys did well to come back strongly in the last two games," Van Tonder said. Bangladesh captain Saif Hassan said his team should .
India Open: Nehwal, Sindhu kick off campaign with thumping wins
Indian ace shuttler Saina Nehwal kicked off her India Open campaign on a promising note as she thrashed Danish player Sofie Holmboe Dahl in straight games in the opening match of the women's singles event here on Wednesday.The fourth-seeded looked dominant throughout the match as she eased past Holmboe Dahl 21-15, 21-9 in a one-sided clash that lasted for 41 minutes.Nehwal will now lock horns with Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt of Denmark in the second round.Meanwhile, Rio Olympic silver-medallist PV Sindhu also made a winning start by brushing aside Natalia Koch Rohde 21-10, 21-13 in a opening-round encounter that lasted more than 30 minutes.The top-seed will square off with either India's Vaidehi Choudhari or Bulgaria's Linda Zetchiri for a place in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
BCCI slaps domestic ban on Rayudu
Hyderabad captain Ambati Rayudu has been handed a two-match suspension for breaching the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) code of conduct during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Karnataka on January 11.
Butt back in spotlight after playing in dubious event in UAE
Pakistan's tainted former captain, Salman Butt, and some other Pakistani players are again in the spotlight after the International Cricket Councils Anti- Corruption unit confirmed it was investigating the Ajman All Stars T20 League held recently. Butt and Asif who have served five-year bans for spot- fixing between 2010 and 2016 were among a couple of Pakistani players who took part in the private tournament which apparently has caught the attention of the ICC after visuals of some matches were aired which contained some questionable dismissals and behaviour on part of the players. Former Pakistan players, Hasan Raza, Muhammad Khalil and some others are said to have taken part in the private league which has been disowned and termed as illegal by the Emirates cricket board and Ajman Cricket Council. The footage of the match which apparently was broadcast dont include any of the Pakistani players. Butt who was captain when the spot-fixing scandal broke out in England in .
Prannoy forced to play with foot corns; Saina, Sindhu win
Forced to take the court despite developing foot corns, H S Prannoy lost in the opening round even as compatriots Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu entered the second round of the USD 350,000 India Open Super 500 tournament, here today. Prannoy looked uncomfortable as he took the court against compatriot Shreyansh Jaiswal and handed over the match to his younger colleague 4-21 6-21. In womens singles, Indonesia Masters finalist Saina had to work hard in the opening game to get across Denmark's Sofie Holmboe Dahl 21-15 21-9, while defending champion Sindhu dumped another Danish girl Natalia Koch Rohde 21-10 21-13. Saina will face Denmark's Line Hjmark Kjaersfeldt, while Sindhu will take on either India's Vaidehi Choudhari or Bulgaria's Linda Zetchiri next. The new crammed BWF schedule makes it mandatory for top 15 singles players to play in 12 tournaments out of the Super 1000, Super 750 and Super 500 events and Prannoy said it left him with no option but to take part as he had
Hockey India names 21 players for junior women's camp
Hockey India on Wednesday named 21 players for the junior women's national camp, which is set to begin on February 1 at the Eklavya Sports Stadium, Agra, Uttar Pradesh.The players will train together till February 24, 2018.Among the national campers Bichu Devi Kharibam of MP Hockey Academy, Salima Tete of Hockey Jharkhand, Sangita Kumari of Hockey Jharkhand, Mumtaz Khan of Hockey Uttar Pradesh were part of the India 'A' Team that participated in the Australian Hockey League (AHL) in Perth last year.While Preeti and Chetan Rathi are from the National Hockey Academy based in Delhi, the rest of the 19 players were part of the junior core group.With the Youth Olympic Games Qualifiers slated to be held in April in Bangkok, Thailand, Hockey India will be watching the progress of these young women closely."This is a preparation camp for the Youth Olympic Games Qualifiers. Since the event will be five-a-side hockey, we will be looking at selecting a team of 12 players plus four stand-by ...
South Africa announces squad for 2018 CWG
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has announced a strong squad for the 2018 Commonwealth Games (CWG) to be held in Gold Coast, Australia in April.
Looking to get my momentum back, says Srikanth
World No 3 Kidambi Srikanth says he just wants to get his momentum back in a tough draw at the India Open after his start to the new season was delayed owing to a minor injury. Srikanth had suffered an abdominal muscle strain during the Premier Badminton League (PBL) forcing him to skip the Indonesia Masters which was supposed to kick start his campaign in the new season. "I think I have a tough draw keeping in mind the recent form I am in, so I really want to focus on getting back the momentum first," said Srikanth, who dominated the 2017 season winning four titles in five finals. Despite the top seed and world number one Viktor Axelsen pulling out at the last minute, second seed Srikanth feels it is still a difficult draw for him. "Even with Viktor pulling out, the men's singles still looks tough and challenging," he said. "I could not get match practice ahead of the tournament due to my injury. I started training only two weeks back, so I am not really looking at any .
HI name 21 players for junior women's national camp
Hockey India (HI) today named 21 players for the junior women's national Campcto commence tomorrow at the Eklavya Sports Stadium in Agra. The players will train together till February 24. Among the national campers Bichu Devi Kharibam of MP Hockey Academy, Salima Tete of Hockey Jharkhand, Sangita Kumari of Hockey Jharkhand, Mumtaz Khan of Hockey Uttar Pradesh were part of the India 'A' team that participated in the Australian Hockey League (AHL) in Perth last year. While Preeti and Chetan Rathi are from the National Hockey Academy based in Delhi, the rest of the 19 players were part of the junior core group. With the Youth Olympic Games Qualifiers slated to be held in April in Bangkok, HI will be watching the progress of these young players closely. "This is a preparation camp for the Youth Olympic Games Qualifiers. Since the event will be five-a-side hockey, we will be looking at selecting a team of 12 players plus four stand-by players," said David John, HI's High ...