Page 2056 - Sports
MCG to host both men's, women's World T20 finals in 2020
Australia's biggest stadium Melbourne Cricket Ground will host the final match of both the men's and women's World Twenty20 cricket in 2020, the ICC said today. The women's World T20 will run from February 21 to March 8 while the men's tournament will be held from October 18 to November 15 in Australia. The eight host cities will be Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. "This will give the best female and male cricketers respective opportunities to capture the attention of the country and the world. The world's 10 best women's teams and 16 best men's teams will come to Australia to battle it out for the ultimate prize in T20 cricket," the ICC said in a release. "Both the women's and men's finals will receive equal billing, with both matches taking place at Australia's biggest stadium, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)," it added. The women's semi-finals will be hosted on consecutive days at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), while the .
My focus is on winning gold medal: Sarita Devi
Indian boxer Sarita Devi has said that her focus was on winning the gold medal in upcoming Commonwealth and Asian Games."My preparation is very good, and I am focusing on winning the gold medal in upcoming Commonwealth games and Asian games. My dream is to be an Olympian and win a medal in Olympics," Devi told ANI at the Indian Open Boxing tournament here on Monday.The inaugural of India Open boxing tournament took place on Sunday and will see as many as 223 boxers from 22 different countries eyeing the $100,000 prize money, the highest ever to be offered in the history of the sport.
'Class of 92' blueprint for Miami - Beckham
David Beckham wants to emulate Manchester United's tradition of youth development as he looks to build success with his new Major League Soccer franchise in Miami. The English football superstar was celebrating Monday after his four-year wait to own an MLS franchise came to end in a glitzy press conference in Florida. Good luck messages were beamed to the new team's excited "Southern Legion" fan group from the likes of Neymar, Tom Brady, Usain Bolt and Hollywood A-lister Will Smith. There is still no name for the team or logo, while controversy over the building of a 25,000-seater stadium in Overtown, a deprived area of downtown Miami where Beckham's ownership group have purchased a plot of land which will eventually cost in excess of $25 million. A legal case against the sale of one part of the land remains ongoing and won't be settled until June. "This is a positive story," said Beckham when asked about appeasing those who are against his plans. "We want to be good ...
U-19 WC: India storm into finals with 203-run win over Pak
India registered a mammoth 203-run victory over arch-rival Pakistan in the semi-final of the ICC Under-19 World Cup being played at Christchurch's Hagley Oval cricket ground here on Tuesday.After electing to bat first, India set a 273-run target with the help of Shubman Gill's 102-run innings, but Pakistan failed to inch even closer to the target as they were bowled out at 69 in just 29 overs.None of the batsmen from Pakistan could cross the 20-run mark, as Rohail Nazir became the highest scorer for the side with 18 runs.Gill, who became India's first centurion of this World Cup here, was declared the man of the match for his spectacular 102 runs of 94 balls.Earlier, skipper Prithvi Shaw and Manjot Kalra gave a solid start to India as they shared a partnership of 89 runs before the skipper was run out for 41.Following the skipper's dismissal, Kalra also departed on 47.However, unstoppable Gill, along with lower-order batsmen, brought the team back on track to take the team to 272 ...
India beat Pak by 203 runs in U-19 WC, play Aus in final
India entered the final of the U-19 cricket World Cup after thrashing arch-rivals Pakistan by a massive 203 runs in the semifinals here today. India will now meet Australia in the summit clash on February 3. Australia had beaten Afghanistan by six wickets in the first semifinals yesterday. Opting to bat first, India rod on Shubman Gill's 102 not out of 94 balls to pile on 272/9 in their allotted 50 overs and then bowled Pakistan out for a mere 69 in just 29.3 overs. Gill, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 1.8 crore in the Indian Premier League players' auction, had hit a match-winning 86 in the quarterfinals against Bangladesh. He is the team's leading scorer with 341 runs. The defeat was Pakistan's heaviest (in terms of runs) in a U-19 World Cup match. For three-time champions India, seamer Ishan Porel grabbed four wickets for 17 runs while spinners Shiva Singh and Riyan Parag took two wickets apiece to rock the Pakistan run chase. Pakistan were reduced to ..
India Open: Sindhu, Saina to kickstart campaign, Viktor pulls out
Defending champion P.V. Sindhu and London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal will kickstart their India Open campaign at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here on Tuesday.Rio Olympics silver medallist Sindhu has entered the tournament as women's top seed and will face Denmark's Natalia Rohde in her first match while fourth seed Nehwal will face Denmark's Sofie Dahl.Meanwhile, in men's singles, world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen has pulled out of the tournament at last minute, giving India's Shubhankar Dey a place in the top of the draw without having played the qualifiers.Indian ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth will also begin his new season here after missing last week's Indonesia Masters.Second-seeded Srikanth will lock horns with Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu.World No. 10 H.S. Prannoy and Commonwealth champion Parupalli Kashyap will also feature in the tournament.Among other Indians, B. Sai Praneeth will face England's Rajiv Ouseph of England, while Ajay Jayaram will face Indonesia's Tommy ...
U-19 World Cup: India set 273 as target for Pakistan in semifinal
India have set a target of 273 runs for Pakistan in the second U-19 World Cup semi-final match, being played at Christchurch's Hagley Oval cricket ground.India's Shubman Gill stood out amongst the batters and scored 102 runs in 94 balls, taking the team's score to well past 250.Earlier, both openers, skipper Prithvi Shaw and Manjot Kalra provided a solid start after the men in blue won the toss and elected to bat first.Both had shared a partnership of 89 runs before the skipper was run out for 41.Following the skipper's dismissal, Kalra also departed and India was 94/2After a brief stability, the men in blue again suffered a mini-collapse in the middle overs, when Harvik Desai, Riyan Parag and Abhishek Sharma departed in quick succession, leaving the team tottering at 166/5.However, Gill, along with lower-order batsmen, brought the team back on track and India finally summed up the inning at 272/9.India has so far been unbeaten in the tournament, while Pakistan's only defeat came in ..
U-19 World Cup: India start solidly against Pak in semifinal
India has started off to a solid start in the second U-19 World Cup semi-final match against Pakistan, reaching a score of 72 in 12 overs without losing any wicket.Both openers, skipper Prithvi Shaw and Manjot Kalra have given a solid start after the men in blue won the toss and elected to bat first at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.India have so far been unbeaten in the tournament, while Pakistan's only defeat came in their opening match against Afghanistan.Earlier, India coach Rahul Dravid had said a match against Pakistan could be a good learning curve for the players."It's exciting to play an India-Pakistan game because under-19 cricket is all about experiences, about giving them different learning environs. The last couple of years we haven't had a chance to play Pakistan at any level, so it's really nice that it has panned out the way it has."Irrespective of the result, at least the guys would get to feel what it is to play an India-Pakistan game. Maybe somewhere along the line ...
I-League: Neroca face tough Churchill challenge (Preview)
Surprise title-aspirants Neroca FC will be eager to recover from a slump in form when they take on an in-form Churchill Brothers in an I-League encounter here on Tuesday.
Was advised against changing my style: FC Pune City's Panwar
FC Pune City defender Sahil Panwar says that his teammates advised him not to change his playing style. Panwar (18) made his debut for the club on January 13 against Chennaiyin FC in an Indian Super League game. "The senior pros made him feel comfortable too. All players were happy to see me. Most of them told me to not change the way I play and maintain my form and shape," Panwar was quoted as saying in a media release issued here. "Initially for a week I could not match the level, but all my teammates rallied around me and got me to speed. And then coach also told me that you belong here, just maintain your shape and form. That was enough boost for me to pull up my socks," said Panwar, who hails from Dehradun. Panwar also heaped praise on head coach Ranko Popovic who picked him for the senior side. "He is known to back young talent. Be it Ashique (Kuruniyan), Vishal (Kaith), Momo (Rohit Kumar) or myself, he has given us a long rope and told us to not do anything to ...
SPSB, Bihar, Chandigarh, AP win in women's National hockey
Steel Plant Sports Board (SPSB), Bihar, Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh and Bengaluru registered wins in their respective pool matches on day 4 of the eighth Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2018 (B Division), here today. In a Pool A matches, SPSB registered their second victory of the competition as they triumphed 2-1 over Hockey Madhya Bharat in a close encounter, while Hockey Bihar defeated Telangana Hockey by an impressive 8-1 margin. In Pool B, Hockey Chandigarh registered their second victory of the tournament as they beat Hockey Uttarakhand 4-0, Kerala Hockey maintained their 100 per cent winning run by beating Hockey Andhra Pradesh 3-0. In Pool C, Bengaluru Hockey Association won their second match of the competition, defeating Bengal Hockey Association 4-1.
Padukone puts onus on BAI to make India a badminton superpower
India can emerge as a badminton superpower if appropriate systems are put in place, feels former All England champion Prakash Padukone, who put the onus on Badminton Association of India (BAI) to be more proactive and not sit on its laurels. "It is not the time to sit on laurels. There is always scope for improvement. BAI along with the state associations need to work pro-actively to encourage the abundance of talent that is available especially in smaller towns and cities," said Padukone, who was today conferred with the lifetime achievement award by the BAI here. "If appropriate systems are put in place India can be on par with other leading badminton nations of the world. Like China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan and Korea. "However if we do not achieve this, it will not be due to lack of talent in the country. It will be due to other reasons. I hope BAI will keep this in mind while charting the future course of badminton." Padukone, who had also won the Danish Open and .
Our U-19 boys would know about Indo-Pak rivalry: Dravid
He knows a thing about the Indo-Pak cricketing rivalry and no wonder Rahul Dravid wants his wards to get an essence of what it means to face the arch-rivals when they square off tomorrow in the ICC U-19 World Cup semi-finals. "Our preparation and our planning doesn't change at all. We don't approach this game any differently from how we would any other game. We still approach it to play good cricket, try and execute our skills and hopefully the result will fall our way," Dravid was quoted as saying in a video posted by the ICC. "But from an experience perspective, I am excited about it. The fact that, irrespective of the results, we get our Under-19 boys to understand what it's like to play an India- Pakistan game. At this level, it is all about experiences," the India U-19 coach added. The India senior team has had a great record against Pakistan in ICC tournaments barring last year's Champions Trophy final and Dravid knows that even the game at a junior level will be
Messi strikes late to down tough Alaves
Barcelona escaped a scare on Philippe Coutinho's first start as Lionel Messi struck with a trademark free-kick to drag the La Liga leaders back from a goal down to beat Alaves 2-1 and restore their 11-point lead at the top. Messi whipped home a beautiful free-kick six minutes from the end to down resilient Alaves, who are just two points from the drop zone in 17th despite John Guidetti silencing the Camp Nou with a shock breakaway opener in the 23rd minute. Luis Suarez had broken the away side's tough resistence with a sweet volley from Andres Iniesta's cross 18 minutes from the end, setting the stage for Messi's dramatic and stylish winner. The Argentine's strike ensures that Barca stay unbeaten in the league, and keeps Atletico Madrid 11 points back despite their 3-0 hammering of Las Palmas earlier. Barca coach Ernesto Valverdes said he was happy with Coutinho who had started Thursday's Copa del Rey clash with Valencia on the bench before making a second-half ...
Mehta, Advani confirm participation in CCI Open Snooker
Ace cueists Aditya Mehta and Pankaj Advani have confirmed their participation in the Rs 12.25 lakh prize-money CCI Open Snooker Championship 2018 commencing here from February 1. The tournament is titled 'The Clash of Tytans The top eight ranked Indians, including newly crowned National champion Sumit Talwar of Chandigarh and runner-up Malkeet Singh of Railways, and eight other leading cueists, who will receive wild cards, will be the main challengers for the winners' top prize of Rs two lakhs, a media release said today. The other major names include veteran cueists Yasin Merchant, a former two-time Asian Snooker Champion, and Sonic Multani, a former National Champion who has also played on the pro circuit for a couple of years before taking time out from the sport. Mumbai-based Mehta, who is currently playing on the professional circuit, will return to the city to specially participate in this event. Advani, a multiple champion in snooker and billiards at the ...
Shiva leads local charge at India Open boxing
Indias World No. 3 Shiva Thapa, Manish Kaushik and Sarjubala led the countrys charge into the next round of the India Open International Boxing tournament at the Thyagraj Indoor Stadium here on Monday.
Maharashtra make winning start, tame Andhra Pradesh 3-0
Maharashtra today made a winning start as they blanked Andhra Pradesh 3-0 in their opening Group-B league match of the AIFF Junior National Football Championship 2017-2018 (Tier-II) for the BC Roy Trophy, being played in Una, Himachal Pradesh. After a barren first half, Maharashtra came into their own, and showed complete dominance scoring three times during this period to come out worthy winners, a media release issued here said. Substitute Aryan Banerjee, who replaced skipper Bhuvan Jerpoth, scored the first goal in the 53rd minute before Johnson Mathews scored the second 10 minutes later to double Maharashtras lead. Five minutes later, Sandesh Kasar, who came in as a substitute for Shantanu Ningurkar, struck the third goal to complete the victory. Results Group-B: Maharashtra 3 (Aryan Banerjee, Johnson Mathews, Sandesh Kasar) beat Andhra Pradesh 0.
West Ham sells striker Sakho to French club Rennes
Senegal striker Diafra Sakho has joined the French Ligue 1 club Rennes from West Ham, the English Premier League side announced on Monday without disclosing the transfer fee.
Daredevils appoint Hopes as bowling coach
Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Daredevils announced on Monday that former Australian all-rounder James Hopes has been appointed as its new bowling coach for the upcoming season of the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.
West Indian Jofra Archer to play in PSL
Young West Indian all-rounder Jofra Archer, who fetched a USD 1.13 million bid at the weekend's Indian Premier League auction, will also play in next month's Pakistan Super League (PSL). Quetta Gladiators, the two time finalists of the PSL, has picked up Archer, who is making headlines in the Big Bash for Hobart Hurricanes with his all-round prowess as a replacement for Carlos Braithwaite. "Archer will play in some matches of the PSL because of his other commitments," a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said. Archer was the surprise signing at the IPL auction last week fetching a handsome price from Rajasthan Royals. The 22-year-old cricketer from Barbados has played for the West Indies Under-19 team but holds a British passport and wants to play for England for which he will be eligible in 2022. The third PSL which begins from February 22 in Dubai will miss some top stars as it was confirmed today by the PCB that number of players signed up by the six franchises in .