Page 2058 - Sports
Chance for India to climb to top in ODI rankings
India will have a chance to dethrone South Africa and climb to the top of the ICC ODI Team Rankings when both the sides face each other in the six-match series, starting in Durban on Thursday.To retain the top spot, South Africa will have to draw the series, while India can top the ODI table if they win the series by 4-2 or better.However, India will slip behind England by a fraction of a point if South Africa win the series by 5-1 or better.Meanwhile, world champions Australia have dropped two places to fifth, while the ICC Champions Trophy winners Pakistan have conceded three points in the ICC ODI Team Rankings following an action-packed month of white ball cricket, which saw 17 ODIs being played between seven sides in Australia, Bangladesh and New Zealand.While the 50-over tournament champions have slipped in the team rankings table, England and New Zealand have been rewarded for their impressive performances against Australia and Pakistan, respectively.England (116) have moved up .
AC Milan bag 3rd straight win, Sampdoria stun Roma in Serie A
AC Milan notched their third consecutive win in Italian Serie A football action, downing Lazio in a hard fought 2-1 match in Milan, while Sampdoria upset AS Roma 1-0 here.
A 4-2 win will see India replace SA in ODI top spot
The number one ODI status will be on the line when second-placed India and table-toppers South Africa clash in a six-match series, which starts in Durban on Thursday. The Virat Kohli led India can top the ODI table if they win the series by 4-2 or better, while to retain the top spot, South Africa will just have to draw the series. However, India will slip behind third-placed England by a fraction of a point if South Africa win the series by 5-1 or better. Meanwhile, India captain Virat Kohli continues to lead the ICC ODI Player Rankings for batsmen with 876 points, just above South Africa's AB de Villiers (872). Australia's David Warner is placed third with 823 points followed by Rohit Sharma (816), Pakistan's Babar Azam (813). Mahendra Singh Dhoni has slipped a place to the 13th spot just above another Indian Shikhar Dhawan. Amongst the bowlers, Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah (728 points) is static at the third spot behind leader Imran Tahir (743) of South Africa and New .
ICC U-19 WC: 'Unbeaten' India to take on Pak in semis
Three-time champions India will aim to book their place in the final of the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2018 when they face their arch-rivals Pakistan in the second semi-final of the tournament at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Tuesday.India and Pakistan will look forward to their semi-final after not getting to play each other in the Asia Cup in November.En route to the semi-finals, India had won matches against Australia, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe to top Group B before clinching a huge 131-run win over Bangladesh in the quarter-final of the tournament.Pakistan, on the other hand, lost their tournament opener to Afghanistan before winning three matches in a row including three-wicket win over South Africa in their last-eight encounter.Pakistan had beaten South Africa by 3 wickets in the quarters. The other semi-final will be played between Afghanistan and Australia. India have so far been unbeaten in the tournament, while Pakistan's only defeat came in their opening match.India ...
Federer closes in on Nadal after Australian Open win, Cilic 3rd
Switzerland's Roger Federer closed to within 115 points of top-ranked Rafael Nadal of Spain in the Association of Tennis Professionals men's singles rankings, released on Monday, after winning the Australian Open.
I-League: Minerva Punjab aim to consolidate lead against East Bengal (Preview)
Surprise league leaders Minerva Punjab FC will look to continue their dream run and consolidate their position at the top of the table when they take on third-placed city giants East Bengal in an I-League encounter at the Barasat Stadium here on Tuesday.
Young footballer Sarangi to train at Asipire Academy
Young Indian footballer Shubham Sarangi will train for four months at the renowned Aspire Academy in Doha, the player's Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Delhi Dynamos announced on Monday.
'Adam' wins the main race
'Adam' ably ridden by P Trevor won the Kakatiya Million (GradeIII) Trophy, the chief event of the Hyderabad Monsoon Races held here today. The winner was trained by Shroff. Trainer Faisal Hassann scored double while Jockies Akshay Kumar and P Trevor scored Triple and double Respectively. Three first favourites obliged in card of eight events.
Bangladesh recall Razzak for Sri Lanka Test
Bangladesh have included veteran spinner Abdur Razzak in place of injured Shakib Al Hasan for the first Test against Sri Lanka, a team official said today. Shakib was ruled out of the Test starting Wednesday in Chittagong after injuring a little finger during the tri- series final against the islanders last weekend. The 35-year-old Razzak, who bowls left-arm spin, was recalled to the side four years after he played his last Test against the West Indies in 2014. "It is not easy to find a replacement for Shakib. We need someone experienced to replace him. Sunzamul has yet to play any Test, so we recalled Razzak," said chief selector Minhajul Abedin. "Now we will see his fitness in training before we finally include him in the playing team," he said. Razzak, one of three Bangladeshis to take more than 200 wickets in one-day internationals, played only 12 Tests after making his debut in 2006. He picked up 23 wickets. He showed his form with the red ball in the ongoing ...
Spin-heavy Bangladesh to face upbeat Sri Lanka in 1st Test
Bangladesh are depending on their spin force led by veteran Abdur Razzaq to deliver the opening punch against Sri Lanka in the first of two Tests starting Wednesday. Razzaq, 35, was the third spinner added to the squad for the match in Chittagong after skipper and star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was ruled out with a finger injury. Uncapped left-arm orthodox spinner Sunzumul Islam and leg-spinner Tanbir Hayder are also part of the 16-man squad to be led by Mahmudullah Riyad. Razzak, who played the last of his 12 Tests against West Indies in 2014, is determined to prove that the selectors made the right call. "Shakib is the best player, not just in our team (but) he is also the best all-rounder in the world," Razzak told reporters in Chittagong on Monday. "It's difficult to replace him because you need to pick a bowler and batsman in his place and still there is no guarantee that they will perform equally good. "I will try to play my normal game without trying anything ...
Churchill face NEROCA challenge in I-League
Aiming to keep their unbeaten run in January intact, Churchill Brothers will be facing a stiff challenge when they take on NEROCA in an I-League encounter, here tomorrow. Churchill Brothers have remained unbeaten in their last four matches and now have 10 points from nine games. League debutants NEROCA have had an impressive run in this tournament are placed second with 21 points from 12 matches. Minerva Punjab other team who have made debut are leading the table with 25 points from 10 matches. Churchill Brothers assistant coach Alfred Fernandes said tomorrow's match is crucial as they are playing against second best team in the standing. "A win tomorrow will be a morale boost for us as we play next two matches at home against Minerva Punjab who are leading the chart and Aizwal FC. "If we manage to win all three matches at home, it will help us achieve our goal of moving out of relegation zone and also lay a platform to finish among the top-five at the end of the season.
Sumit, Sarjubala assured of medals, Shiva in quarters
Asian silver-medallist Sumit Sangwan (91kg) and world silver-medallist Sarjubala Devi (51kg) were among the four Indian boxers who assured themselves of medals after facile wins in the inaugural India Open tournament for men and women here today. Second seed Sumit defeated Jordan's Virender Kumar 5-0, while Sarjubala Devi (51kg) and Pinki Jangra (51kg) advanced to the semis in the women's competition of the USD 100,000 event. The heavyweight (91kg) top seed, Naman Tanwar, who claimed a bronze at the world youth championships, made an impressive debut in the senior circuit, defeating Jordan's Eishaish Hussein to enter the semifinals and be assured of a medal. Entering the quarterfinals with an easy win was top seed and three-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa (60kg), who produced a calculative performance to defeat Bhutan's Dorji Wangdi in his opening clash. Shiva will face Uzbekistan's Sherbek Rakhmatulloev. Another impressive win of the day was notched up by reigning ...
BFC face must-win situation against Transport in AFC Cup
Bengaluru FC have their task cut as they need a clear win against Bhutan's Transport United in the second leg of the preliminary stage clash here tomorrow, to progress to the second round of qualifiers in the 2018 AFC Cup. After a goalless draw against Transport United in the first leg in Thimphu last week, Bengaluru FC find itself in a must-win situation tomorrow. To their disadvantage, Bengaluru FC hardly have any information about Transport United, except for the fact that they played the Bhutan side last week in Thimpu. Bengaluru FC coach Albert Roca is in no mood to write off Transport United and considers the Bhutanese side a formidable outfit going by their recent performances. For record, Transport FC had remained unbeaten in 2017 Bhutan National League Championship. In comparison, Bengaluru FC's performance at AFC Cup has been encouraging as they had reached finals in 2016, but fell short in the regional final last year. It will be interesting to see how Roca ...
ICC U-19 WC: Edwards, Merlo take Aussies to fifth final
All-rounders Jack Edwards and Jonathan Merlo came up with determined performances as Australia kept themselves in line for a fourth title by registering a comfortable six-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the first Super League semi-finals of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup here on Monday.Edwards slammed a brisk knock of 72 (65b, 8x4, 2x6) as Australia coasted to 182 for four in 37.3 overs after Merlo's four for 24 had helped bowl out Afghanistan for 181 in 48 overs to end the Asian champions' title aspirations in a match played in front of broadcast cameras at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.Australia await the winners of the second semi-final between three-time champions India and two-time winners Pakistan at the same venue on Tuesday to see who they get to play in the February 3 day-night final in Tauranga.Afghanistan will play the losers of Tuesday's match in the third-fourth position match on February 1 at the John Davies Oval in Queenstown.Australia captain Jason Sangha said
Russia to field 30-35 athletes in Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics
Around 30 to 35 Russian Paralympians have been allowed to compete in the Winter Paralympic Games as "neutral athletes" in five sports disciplines, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said in a statement on Monday.According to TASS news agency, the IPC Governing Board considered the issue of restoring the status of Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) during a two-day meeting between January 26 and 27, based on the recent observations made by the IPC.This is the first time ever since the IPC suspended Russia from participating in the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics in 2016, after some of its athletes were found in doping violations.The five sports disciplines include- alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, snowboard and curling.Russia's membership was suspended by the IPC before the Rio Paralympics, as then IPC President Philip Craven referred Russia's winning a high number of medals as "medals over morals culture with endemic cheating."In December, Russian President Vladimir
GM Vidit Gujrathi wins Tata Steel Challengers 2018
Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi has won Tata Steel Chess Challengers 2018, held at Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands from January 12 to 28. The victory ensured that Vidit qualified for Tata Steel Masters 2019 where best chess players across the world including World Champion Magnus Carlsen would take part, a media release said today. With a rating of 2718, Vidit started as the first seed. His main competitors were Bassem Amin (2693) from Egypt, Michal Krasenkow (2671) from Poland and Anton Korobov (2654) from Ukraine. There were also many young talents like World Junior Champion Aryan Tari (2599) from Norway, Jeffery Xiong (2634) from USA and Jorden van Foreest (2629) from the Netherlands. Vidit played solid chess to score 9.0/13 with five wins and eight draws to remain unbeaten and finish first, the release added. It was a big fight between Vidit and his Ukrainian opponent Korobov until round 11 when both where tied on 7.5 points. But Vidit scored 1.5 points in the last two rounds,
Russia suspended from Paralympics, some athletes exempt: IPC
Russia's team will be suspended from the Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, but individual athletes will be allowed to compete under a neutral flag, the International Paralympics Committee said Monday. The agreement is similar to that put in place to allow able-bodied Russian competitors to take part in next month's Winter Olympics that precede the Paralympics. Russia was suspended by the IPC in August 2016 following revelations of widespread state-sponsored doping uncovered in a report by Richard McLaren on behalf of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). After a review, the IPC said in a statement Monday that "it is maintaining the suspension of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC)". "However, in recognition of the progress made by the RPC in improving its anti-doping activities, it will allow eligible Russian Para athletes who meet strict conditions to compete in five sports under the name Neutral Paralympic Athlete (NPA)," it said. Eligible Para athletes from ...
Abdur Razzak makes comeback in B'desh Test squad
Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak has been recalled in the 14-man squad as a replacement for injured Shakib Al Hasan for the first Test of the two-match series against Sri Lanka, beginning Chittagong on January 31.Shakib sustained an injury in his little finger of the left hand during the tri-series final against Sri Lanka, which Lanka went on to win by 79 runs.And now, Razzak, who played his last Test against the West Indies in 2014, had been recalled to the side after four years.Recently, Razzak became the first Bangladeshi bowler to take 500 first-class wickets.The 35-year-old also has the distinction of being the first Bangladeshi to reach 200 ODI wickets mark.He also leads in this season's wicket-takers' list with 40 scalps in nine matches, combined in Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) and National Cricket League (NCL), ESPNcricinfo reported.Left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam and all-rounder Tanbir Hayder have also been included in the squad against Sri Lanka.The second Test between the ..
Shubham becomes first Dynamos player to train at Aspire
Delhi Dynamos' new recruit Shubham Sarangi will head to Aspire Academy for a four-month long training stint at the state-of-the-art facilities in Doha, Qatar. 17-year old Shubham, who signed for the club earlier this month, will reap benefits of the famous training facilities and the coaching expertise that Aspire Academy brings with itself. "This is a wonderful opportunity for me and I want to make the most of these four months. I have been working under Aspire coaches here in Delhi Dynamos and I like the style of football that they are implementing at the club. "It's a good learning experience and it is something that not many Indian players have had a chance to experience," a delighted Sarangi said. Aspire - the Technical Partners of Delhi Dynamos; have one of the most sought-after facilities in the world with the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich also using it for their age group teams. This opportunity will help Shubham to develop into a leading footballer as .
PyeongChang 2018 to be biggest Winter Olympics in history
Around 3,000 athletes are set to participate in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, making it the largest Winter Olympics in history, the organising committee said on Monday at the close of nominations.