Page 2145 - Sports
Veer Marathas hatch up ambitious plans for wrestling
His team is making its debut in the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) this season, but Veer Marathas co-owner Ranjit Saxena has already started to chalk out ambitious plans to promote the traditional sport at the grassroots level.
Root fit to play in ODI series opener, Warner in doubt
Joe Root is set to play for England in tomorrow's opening one-day international here after recovering from a viral illness but Australia opener David Warner is troubled by a stomach bug. Root was hospitalised on the final morning of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney with gastroenteritis but England ODI skipper Eoin Morgan said he would play in the series opener in Melbourne. "Joe is good and should be fit to play tomorrow," Morgan told reporters on Saturday. "He's extremely important. He's been a fantastic leader within the group and, on top of that, there's the weight of runs he's scored and the manner that he's scored them. "He's obviously a key part. He's a very versatile player and can score in any strike-rate that needs to be required, given the situation." But while Root was in better health, Australia vice- captain Warner missed the team's final training session on Saturday and instead walked laps of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. "I think he's okay, he was having a ..
Boult destroys Pakistan as New Zealand take series
A withering spell by Trent Boult saw New Zealand destroy Pakistan by 183 runs in the third one-day international here today to comfortably wrap up the series in Dunedin. New Zealand have won all three matches so far and captain Kane Williamson said the target is a clean sweep of all five ODIs. Boult rocked Pakistan with three wickets in five balls to take out the cream of their top order on his way to figures of five for 17. After New Zealand made 257 batting first,boosted by 11 in the final over before Boult was dismissed on the last ball, Pakistan were all out for 74 in the 28th. "It was a big game for us. We wanted to get the series done," said man of the match Boult. "To score only 250 on the board we knew we had to fight hard and to come out like that was very satisfying." Williamson said the target now was to remain unbeaten. "That's the focus. The focus is trying to win each game. The guys were smart today and that's something we pride ourselves on," he said. "It ..
Yuvraj, Gayle, Watson among 1122 registering for IPL
A whopping 1122 players including the likes of Chris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh, Joe Root and Shane Watson have signed up on expected lines to be part of the upcoming IPL auction, the BCCI announced today. The auction, scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on January 27 and 28, will also see India's Gautam Gambhir, R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, mystery spinner Kuldeep Yadav and openers KL Rahul and M Vijay go under the hammer. The list, sent out to the eight IPL franchises, has 281 capped players, 838 uncapped players, including 778 Indians and three players from the Associate nations, a BCCI release said. About 282 overseas - 58 from Australia, 57 from South Africa, 39 each from Sri Lanka and West Indies, 30 from New Zealand, and 26 from England have registered for the auction. Again hoping to show his full range of strokes in this edition's IPL will be Glenn Maxwell along with Mitchell Johnson, who bowled Mumbai Indians to their third title last season with his final over ...
Saudi women attend football game for the first time
Saudi Arabia allowed women to enter a football stadium for the first time to watch a match yesterday, as the ultra-conservative kingdom eases strict decades-old rules separating the sexes. The new measure comes after Riyadh, long known for imposing harsh restrictions on women, announced it was lifting a ban prohibiting them from driving, as well as reopening cinemas. Women supporters, all wearing the traditional black abaya robe, arrived well ahead of yesterday's kick-off in the Jeddah stadium, some in sunglasses and others with loose-fitting veils. The Islamic kingdom has announced a series of reforms initiated by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman since last year. The first football match women are being allowed to attend is a clash between Saudi Premier League clubs Al-Ahli and Al-Batin in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. Alone or accompanied by their families, many women sat in reserved seats in Jeddah's Pearl stadium. Glass panels were set up to separate men ...
Sanchez future uncertain as United, City circle
Arsene Wenger admitted today that Alexis Sanchez's future is up in the air as Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola stayed tight-lipped over potential moves for the forward during the January transfer window. Guardiola's bid to buy Sanchez collapsed at the end of the summer transfer window and City were favourites to land him this time around but the club are apparently unwilling to meet Arsenal's reported 35 million ($48 million, 39 million euros) asking price. Mourinho's United are understood to have thrown their hat into the ring, bidding around 25 million to trump City's 20 million offer as they seek to bolster their forward options and deny their bitter rivals. When asked if United were interested in signing the 29- year-old Chilean international, who is out of contract at the end of the season, Wenger said "nothing is really concrete at the moment". Questioned as to whether there was any truth in the rumour, the Arsenal manager was coy. "You conclude that," he said. "You
Ribery strikes as Bayern go 14 points clear
Franck Ribery showed Bayern Munich why the Bundesliga leaders should extend his contract as the 34-year-old netted a superb goal today's 3-1 win at Bayer Leverkusen. The away victory -- Bayern's first at Leverkusen since 2013 -- leaves them 14 points clear and on course for a sixth straight Bundesliga title as the German league resumed after the winter break. Both Ribery and Bayern's other veteran winger Arjen Robben, 34, are out of contract in June and the pair hope to be offered extensions in the coming weeks. Ribery, who has spent a decade at Bayern, rolled back the years by scything through Leverkusen's defence and slamming home Bayern's superb second goal. Javi Martinez gave Bayern an early lead while Ribery's super second-half strike made it 2-0. Kevin Volland pulled a goal back for the hosts only for Bayern's James Rodriguez to slot home a late free-kick. The defeat broke Leverkusen's 14-match unbeaten run in all competitions, dating back to the end of September, ..
Federer impressed by Kyrgios form
Defending champion Roger Federer sees temperamental Australian Nick Kyrgios as a threat at the Australian Open -- if he can keep his focus. The 19-time Grand Slam winner, who is coming off an extraordinary 2017 in which he won two Grand Slams, will be up against a depleted field when the first Grand Slam of the year begins at Melbourne Park on Monday, with Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori out injured. Long-time rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have also been struggling in the lead-up, potentially leaving the door open to one of the so-called "NextGen". The volatile Kyrgios is among them and in good form, winning the lead-up Brisbane International last weekend, beating another young gun, Grigor Dimitrov, along the way. Federer said his recent title success had not gone unnoticed. "He's (Kyrgios) going through his things, whatever he needs to go through," the Swiss great told the Herald Sun newspaper Saturday. "But when he's on, he's on and he's really difficult to ...
Resurgent Kerala have tough task on hand against Mumbai
Gathering some momentum following a 3-0 drubbing of bottom-placed Delhi Dynamos, the resurgent Kerala Blasters FC have their task cut out when they take on Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League game here tomorrow. The visitors, who have changed their head coach recently with Englishman David James taking over from Rene M who departed after the 1-3 humiliation against Bengaluru FC, will require to do something extraordinary to tame MCFC in their home environs. Kerala's stuttering campaign in the league was given a shot in the arm in the national capital thanks to veteran Canadian Iain Humes goal-scoring skills with a timely hat-trick. However, Mumbais defense is much more solid with a back-line comprising defenders Gerson Vieira and Lucian Goian backed up by the alert goalkeeping of Amrinder Singh. A victory for the visitors against Mumbai, a tough ask after they stopped their winless seven-game run against Delhi, will boost Kerala's tally to 14 and bring them level .
Williamson, Taylor lift NZ as Pakistan fire in 3rd ODI
Half-centuries by Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor helped New Zealand to 257 in the face of a sharply improved performance by Pakistan in the field at the third one-day international here today. With the tourists needing to win to keep the series alive after losing the first two ODIs, they pinned New Zealand down at key times. In the last eight overs, when New Zealand needed to lift the run rate, they were restricted to 48 runs and lost seven wickets of which 11 runs came in the final over. Williamson, who uncharacteristically struggled to penetrate the field for much of his innings, made 73 but it took 101 deliveries to get there. Taylor made 52 off 64 for his 57th ODI half-century, equalling the New Zealand record held by Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle. Rumman Raees returned figures of three for 51, Hasan Ali took three for 59 and Shadab Khan took two for 51 with his wickets coming of successive balls. New Zealand made a flying start with Martin Guptill and Colin ...
Saudi women enter stadium for first time to watch soccer
For the first time, women in Saudi Arabia entered a sports stadium to watch a soccer match between two local teams in Jeddah.However, the women were segregated in the stands from the male-only crowd with designated seating in the so-called "family section" at King Abdullah Sports City stadium, ABC News reported.This easing of the strict gender segregation was announced in October 2017, as a part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious reforms to modernise Saudi society and boost the economy.The order opened the previously male-only venues of King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, and Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam to accommodate families.The Saudi General Sports Authority said that it had made all the necessary preparations to create an attractive sports environment for families and to ensure their privacy.Saudi Arabia, which was the only country in the world to forbid female drivers, last year also allowed women to drive in the country.
Players need to put in more efforts: Kohli
India skipper Virat Kohli on Friday said that the players need to put in more efforts as the team cannot afford to play loose shots."I don't think we need to panic because of collapses. People need to apply themselves much better, whether you are playing five batsmen or six. Even if we are playing six batsmen, you can't afford to go out there and play loose shots", he said."You still have to have a solid technique and go out there and be ready to face. Bowling spells which are going to be difficult, we need to embrace that", he added.However, Kohli didn't mention whether or not there will be a change in the playing eleven."So, I don't think anyone needs to panic on that front and as far as your opening combination goes, we are going to decide at the end of the practice session today", the skipper said."No need to panic as a batting unit. We played well for a long time. We also played away well in a recent couple of years. So, we just need to adapt and apply ourselves better when we go
ISL: ATK beat NorthEast with late strike
Zequinha scored a late winner as ATK defeated NorthEast United 1-0 in an Indian Super League (ISL) clash at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Friday.
ISL: ATK edge past NorthEast
Zequinha scored a late winner as ATK defeated NorthEast United 1-0 in an Indian Super League (ISL) clash at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Friday.
Hyderabad enter PBL final
Former world champion Carolina Marin came back from a game down to steer Hyderabad Hunters into the final of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium here on Friday.
Zequinha provides hope for ATK as NorthEast United suffer
ATK held their nerves to defeat NorthEast United FC 1-0 in a vital away victory in an Indian Super League encounter, here tonight. The victory lifts them to sixth place after nine matches and suddenly gives them hope, and takes some wind off the sails of NorthEast United FC, who had beaten FC Goa in their previous encounter. Zequinha was the star of the show, striking in the 73rd minute to give his side the lead and the winner. He had been threatening for a while before the ball graciously fell to him after a period of pressure from ATK. The Portuguese hammered in a volley into the far corner, his connection too sweet to not find the back of the net. If the first half was a slow affair, the second one started with a bang. Danilo Lopes made easy work of Jordi Montel before taking a stinging shot from outside the box. Debjit Majumder was equal to the task though, making a breath-taking fingertip save to deny the hosts. Montel made his presence felt at the other end though, .
Haryana Hammers beat Delhi Sultans for second win in PWL
Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sun Yanan of China steered last year's finalists Haryana Hammers to a comfortable 5-2 victory over Delhi Sultans in the Pro Wrestling League 3 here today. Yanan, taking on Maroi Mezien of Tunisia, was at her dominating best as she sealed the contest 11-2 even before the last bout was fought. This is Haryana's second consective win of the season. Sumit picked a hard-fought 4-2 win in the last bout of the day over his compatriot Hitender to make it 5-2 in the favour of the Hammers. With the scores levelled 2-2, Khetik Tsavalov of Russia sent Haryana ahead by eking out a convincing 10-0 victory over young Indian wrestler Vinod Omprakash in the 74-kg competition. Vinod, who replaced an injured Sushil Kumar in the line- up, could not mount a serious challenge to his much fancied rival and went down meekly. Earlier in the day, Delhi blocked Rio Olympics gold medallist Vladimir Khinchegashvili after winning the toss; Haryana used their card to ...
NAB passes orders to hold inquiry on corruption in PCB, PHF
The head of Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau (NAB), has passed orders for holding inquiry into alleged corruption and misuse of power in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) along with Pakistan Sports Board (PSB). In a major development, a statement issued by NAB on Friday said that its chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal has ordered the inquiry into alleged illegal use of resources in the three sports bodies. "The NAB Chairman has ordered that these inquiries be completed in two months time," it stated. Interestingly, earlier this week some top officials of the PCB including its COO also appeared before the Federation Investigation Agency (FIA) to record statements in allegations of misuse of power and resources in the board. Just few days back when the reports emerged about alleged corruption in sporting federations, Najam Sethi the PCB chairman had termed it as fabricated and false. The PCB is one of the richest sports body in .
Marin carries Hyderabad Hunters into Vodafone PBL final
Former world champion Carolina Marin came back from a game down to steer Hyderabad Hunters into the final of the third Premier Badminton League, here tonight. Marin, cheered on by a vociferous home crowd, overcame a fighting Sun Ji Hun 13-15, 15-10, 15-9 to dash the hopes of Delhi Dashers in a gripping semifinal. She picked up two points for her win as her teams Trump player. Earlier, another local hero B Sai Praneeth set up the victory by beating the Dashers Trump player Tian Houwei. The Hyderabadi was on song, rattling the Chinese World No. 22 with a flurry of down the line smashes. He raced away to a 15-9, 15-8 victory to get the crowds on their feet. The Hunters shot into a 1-0 lead on points, as the Dashers lost the point that they had won while also yielding a point. The Hunters began on the wrong foot, with the Hyderabad duo of Pia Zebadiah Bernadet and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy capitulating in the opening clash. They lost to Ashwini Ponappa and Vladimir Ivanov ...
David James is someone who is not even a coach: George
Gokulam Kerala FC coach Bino George today said former England goalkeeper David James, who was recently roped in to manage struggling Kerala Blasters in the ISL, is "someone who is not even a coach". George was speaking after his team's 0-1 loss to Indian Arrows in the I-League. George said that the residents of Kerala tend to show their support for the club only when the team is winning. "People of Kerala will support the team if the team starts winning games. Even Kerala Blasters were criticised for their performance. The blame always falls on the coach. Rene Meulensteen is one of the best coaches. David James is someone who isn't even a coach!" remarked George while signing off. Meulensteen was sacked after a sapte of defeats in the Indian Super League. Former Liverpool star James, who is in his second spell at Kerala Blasters having guided them to the final of the inaugural edition in 2014, has turned out for England 53 times during an international career spanning 13 .