Page 2053 - Sports
Sri Lankan curator under fire for slow wicket in Bangladesh
Bangladesh cricket authorities today sought an explanation from their Sri Lankan curator Gamini de Silva for preparing a slow wicket in Dhaka, where the hosts lost the tri-nation final against Sri Lanka. The islanders defeated much-fancied Bangladesh by 79 runs on Saturday to win the 50-over tournament, which also involved Zimbabwe. Bangladesh were bowled out for 142 while chasing 222 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, where they had posted 320 -7 in the league phase against the same opponents. "We wanted to know from Gamini why the wicket behaved like that," said Bangladesh Cricket Board media committee chairman Jalal Yunus. "It was a wicket of 320 runs. All of sudden it turned out to be a slow wicket. This is a routine explanation, which we can always seek from an employee," he said. Officials said the slow wicket was contrary to the requirements of home team with experts identifying it as one of the main reasons behind the hosts' debacle in the final. Former ...
BWF to review its crammed calender in May
The crammed international calender came under severe criticism from shuttlers across the globe and BWF today said it would review the schedule during its Annual General Meeting in May at Bangkok. The BWF launched a new calender in 2018, replacing the erstwhile Superseries and Superseries Premier with a 'World Tour', which comprises different grades and levels. The governing body also made it compulsory for the world's top 15 players in the singles events and top 10 pairs in the doubles to play a minimum of 12 tournaments, a move which was slammed by top players. The new format chalked out by BWF will be graded into Super1000, Super750 and Super500 categories. The top players need to play the mandatory 12 tournaments from these categories. BWF vice-president Vishu Toolan said:"I know there are lot of matches and we are not going to disregard the feedback of the players. We understand it is a tough tour and we are listening. We would be reviewing it." "We have brought in ..
ICC U-19 WC: BCCI to reward Indian team for reaching final
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will soon announce cash rewards for players of the Indian team for reaching the finals of the ICC Under-19 World Cup after beating Pakistan.Confirming the news, BCCI acting president CK Khanna said that the board would felicitate the Indian U-19 cricket team and will give cash rewards to the players for the phenomenal performance in the ICC U-19 World Cup.Earlier, three-time champions India stormed into the finals of the prestigious tournament for the sixth time following a massive 203-run victory over Pakistan in the second semi-final clash at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.Shubman Gill capitalised on his fine form to struck an unbeaten knock of 102, as India posted a challenging 272 for nine even as Pakistan bowlers Muhammad Musa and Arshad Iqbal bowled their hearts out to share seven scalps.In reply, Pakistan were bundled out for 69 in 29.3 overs, their lowest total to date in the tournament.None of the batsmen from Pakistan could ..
I-League: East Bengal rally to hold Minerva 2-2
East Bengal came from two goals down to hold leaders Minerva Punjab FC to a 2-2 draw in an entertaining I-League encounter at the Barasat Stadium here on Tuesday.
IOC 'concerned' about possible flaw in sample bottles
The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday it was "very concerned" about a possible glitch in the drug-testing kits to be used at the Winter Olympics opening in less than two weeks' time. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has already launched an investigation into suggestions that urine sample bottles manufactured by Swiss company Berlinger could be opened manually. WADA said it had been alerted by an accredited laboratory in Cologne that the bottles could be opened after being frozen. Berlinger told AFP that in tests, it had been unable to replicate the alleged problem and that any difficulties stemmed from the fact that the bottles had not been properly closed after use. "These investigations have revealed that the bottles concerned were not correctly closed after the sample had been provided," the company said in an email. The IOC said it was "very concerned about this issue". "From the moment we learned about it, we immediately turned to WADA and asked them ..
Liverpool don't need Aubameyang, says coach Klopp
Liverpool chief coach Jurgen Klopp said the club does not need Arsenal-bound Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, opining they do not "urgently" need another striker.
Rohit wishes luck to U-19s for the World Cup final
Senior team vice-captain Rohit Sharma today congratulated the Prithvi Shaw-led India colts team for reaching the ICC U-19 World Cup final and also wished them luck ahead of their summit clash against Australia. Rohit himself had been a part of an U-19 World Cup final in 2006 where they lost to Pakistan in the final. Interestingly, current Pakistan captain Sarfraz Khan was leading the junior side then. "We have been following their journey throughout the Test series. I think they have played some really good cricket and we always thought that this team has something special in them. With Rahul Dravid being the coach, we know these guys will do their best," Rohit said. "Every game they have played, they have destroyed the opposition and that is always good to see. Their fast bowling has been really impressive, and everybody's been talking about their bowling," the Mumbai Indians skipper said. "I just hope that they do the same in the final as well. I know it's not going to
Great if we play only one format during overseas series: Rohit
India's limited overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma today admitted that playing three formats at one go during an away series takes a toll on the body and would ideally prefer to play a single format during future overseas assignments. India are on a two-month long tour and have just finished a gruelling three-Test series with six ODIs and three T20 Internationals scheduled to be held through entire February. Asked about the scheduling, Virat Kohli's deputy and one of India's premier white ball players replied: "There have been talks about playing just one format and then going back home. For India, it's never been like that. India have always played the whole series whenever we have gone abroad. And yes it tends to take a lot out of your body more than anything else." However Rohit's take was not entirely researched because India now have a contract with Cricket Australia wherein they play Test matches and limited overs series on separate tours. However in case of England ..
Rohit on ODI vs Test form: No need to change for 5-day format
Rohit Sharma has not not been able to replicate his rich limited overs form in Test matches but he says it doesnt't mean that he needs to make drastic changes in his game for the five-day format. Rohit has smashed a double hundred in ODIs and joint- fastest century in T20s against Sri Lanka but runs deserted him in the first Two Tests in South Africa before he was dropped for the third Test. "Its not that I dont try much in Test cricket. I give the same effort in all the formats that I play, but sometimes it comes and sometimes it doesnt. But that doesnt mean that you have to change things too much," said vice-captain Rohit ahead of the first ODI on Thursday. "Youve got to believe in yourself, youve come so far and played and got success. Ive been in a difficult situation before many times, so for me its all about taking it one game at a time and responding to situations. "There will always be times when things are not going your way, and then when things are going your .
Jaiswal, Aakarshi among Indians to enter main draw
Shreyansh Jaiswal and Aakarshi Kashyap were among the four Indian shuttlers to enter the main draw of the singles event at the USD 350,000 India Open Super 500 tournament here today. In qualifying round today, young men's singles player Jaiswal defeated Karan Rajan Rajarajan 21-17 21-16 before seeing off Abhishek Yelegar 21-10 22-20 to set up a clash with World no 10 H S Prannoy tomorrow. Another youngster Kartikey Gulshan Kumar also qualified in men's singles after outplaying Siril Verma 21-17 15-21 21-7 and Bodhit Joshi 21-19 15-21 21-18 in the two qualifying rounds to earn a spot in the top quarter of the main draw. He will face promising shuttler Subhankar Dey tomorrow. In women's singles, two Indian qualifiers Aakarshi and Riya Mukherjee, qualified after notching up impressive wins in the qualifiers. While Aakarshi prevailed over Vrushali Gummadi 21-17 18- 21 21-15, Riya defeated Ira Sharma 21-11 21-15 in another match. In men's doubles and mixed doubles, all the ...
EB miss penalty, hold Minerva for a 2-2 draw
East Bengal bounced back from a two goal deficit to hold table leaders Minerva Punjab FC to a 2-2 draw in a thrilling top of the table I-League match here today. Sukhdev Singh put Minerva ahead in the 19th minute, scoring from a deflection off East Bengal goalkeeper CK Ubaid at the Barasat Stadium. The visitors doubled the lead with Bhutanese 'sniper' Chencho Gyeltshen fooled three East Bengal defenders for a calm and composed finish. East Bengal's tale of missed chances continued as their star Japanese Katsumi Yusa failed to convert a penalty in the 50th minute with Minerva's goalkeeper Kiran Limbu pulling off a fine save to be adjudged hero-of-the-match. Down and virtually out, East Bengal managed to fight back in an exciting second half with Joby Justin heading home a corner kick (58), and super sub Brandon Vanlalremdika finding the equaliser two minutes before stoppage time. Meanwhile, coming off from a four-match winning run in away matches, the Punjab outfit ...
ICC rates Wanderers Stadium pitch as 'poor'
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated the Wanderers Stadium pitch in Johannesburg, South Africa, as 'poor'.The Wanderers Stadium pitch, where the third Test of the three-match series between India and South Africa was played, was rated poor by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and, as such, according to the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, it has received three demerit points.The demerit points will remain active for a rolling five-year period and if during this five-year period the Wanderers Stadium reaches the threshold of five demerit points, then it will be suspended from staging any international cricket for 12 months.Pycroft, whose report has been forwarded to Cricket South Africa, said, "The pitch prepared for the final Test was a poor one. It had excessively steep and unpredictable bounce, and excessive seam movement.""It deteriorated quickly as the match progressed, which made batting extremely difficult and hazardous, ...
Indian shooting team for CWG 2018 announced
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) announced a 27-member Indian shooting team for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Gold Coast, Australia, in April.Commenting on the announcement, Raninder Singh, President, NRAI, said that they have selected the squad based entirely on merit."We have gone strictly by performance and merit as usual. For the Commonwealth Games, given the reduced quotas it was tough to have to leave out a few shooters who had shot consistently well over the considered period and we went for consistent top ranks across multiple events. We believe we have a quality squad to match up and even better our performances of yesteryears. There are some exciting and extremely talented youngsters who will rub shoulders with established seniors and I am sure they will come out better with the experience. We wish them all the very best," he said.For the Commonwealth Games, scheduled to be held in Brisbane, Australia on April 4, there are nine men's ...
BWF to review World Tour participation rule in May AGM
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) will review its decision of making it mandatory for top shuttlers to play at least 12 tournaments in a revamped schedule for 2018, association vice president Vishu Tolan said here on Tuesday.
Kohli's boys show courage in Bull Ring (Column: Just Sport)
Virt Kohli has all the answers for his critics and he stoutly defended his team's philosophy after India have won their third Test in South Africa in a dramatic manner.
Wanderers pitch rated poor, but escapes immediate ban
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday rated the underfire Wanderers pitch in Johannesburg as "poor", days after India won the third Test against South Africa.
Sindhu, Saina, Srikanth among favourites at India Open (Preview)
P.V. Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth will be among the favourites in the men's and women's singles categories at the $350,000 India Open World Tour Super 500 starting here on Wednesday.
PM Modi to launch Khelo India School Games tomorrow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the first Khelo India School Games at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here tomorrow. The week-long inaugural edition will be an Under-17 event where athletes have been invited to participate across 16 disciplines: Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Football, Gymnastics, Hockey, Judo, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Shooting, Swimming, Volleyball, Weightlifting, and Wrestling. There will be 199 gold, 199 silver and 275 bronze medals at stake. The Khelo India programme has been introduced to revive the sports culture in the country at the grass-root level. It is expected to help scout young talent from the schools in various disciplines and groom them as future champions. Talented players identified in priority sports disciplines by a High-Powered Committee will be provided annual financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh per annum for eight years.
Pitch fiasco: ICC rates Wanderers strip as 'poor'
The ICC today expectedly rated the Wanderers pitch used for the third cricket Test between India and South Africa as 'poor' and received three demerit points in the process. India came back from behind to win the Test by 63 runs as 40 wickets fell for 805 runs in almost 296 overs. However the 22-yard strip was the focus of attention as a number of batsmen from both sides received blows due to "steep unpredictable bounce and excessive seam movement". The play was in fact stopped by the on-field umpires on the third day as they found it dangerous to continue when Jasprit Bumrah's bouncer struck Dean Elgar's helmet. "Andy Pycroft of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees has rated the Wanderers Stadium pitch as "poor" and, as such, according to the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, it has received three demerit points, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced today," ICC stated in a media release. As per norms, one demerit point is awarded to venues whose ...
It is a matter of time that we beat Tai Tzu: Saina
World No 1 Tai Tzu Ying might have proved to be a nemesis for Saina Nehwal but the Indian shuttler believes the Taiwanese is not unbeatable and exuded confidence of defeating her in due time. Tai Tzu, who clinched five titles last year, has defeated Saina nine times in last 10 meetings with only three of them going into a decider, albeit for a lost cause. Last Sunday, Saina suffered her seventh straight loss to the Taiwanese at the Indonesia Masters final. "You see the number of tournaments she has been won last year, so it is not only the Indians who are losing to her. She is the best player right now, she is tricky, she is very focussed and consistently reaching the finals and we have to look upto her," Saina told reporters. "I think the top 15 players are doing well. There are some players who you are not comfortable against her but it is not that we can't beat her. "Tai Tzu almost lost to Michelle Li in the first round at Indonesia, so we will have to figure out a way