Page 2179 - Sports
Crane takes comfort in Warne's Test debut
Young English leg-spinner Mason Crane was encouraged by his first bowling stint in Test cricket here today and is hoping for a better return than legendary Shane Warne's unflattering Test debut. Crane, who at 20 is the youngest specialist spinner to play for England in 90 years, made a creditable start to his Test cricket career with figures of no wicket for 58 off 17 overs on the second day. The Hampshire youngster had the daunting task of bowling to Australia's prolific scorers Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja, but he stuck to his guns and was unlucky not to snare a wicket. Crane, who took five wickets bowling for New South Wales in a domestic Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground last year, takes encouragement from Warne's one for 150 on his Test debut against India at the SCG in 1992. Warne went on to become the greatest Test leg-spinner with 708 wickets, second only to Sri Lankan world record holder Muttiah Muralitharan's 800. "I'm hoping for slightly ...
Cape Town Test: Proteas 107 for 3 at lunch
South Africa have fought back to score 107 for the loss of three wickets at lunch in the first Test being played against India at Newlands here on Friday.Earlier after winning the toss, South African skipper Faf Du Plessis chose to bat, and his team immediately suffered a batting collapse, losing three wickets to pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram and Hashim Amla lost their wickets to Kumar in first three overs of the match.AB de Villiers and Du Plessis have since forged a 95-run partnership with the former batting at 59 and the latter at 37.
De Villiers' 59 steers Proteas to 107/3 at lunch
Former captain Ab de Villiers' unbeaten half century steered South Africa to 107/3 at lunch on the opening day of the first Test against India at Newlands here on Friday.
Moscow to be nominated to host 2021 Beach Soccer World Cup
The Russian Football Union will nominate Moscow to host the 2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, its Deputy President Sergei Anokhin told Tass.
Russian PM signs decree to dismiss Mutko from 2018 World Cup organising committee
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree to exclude his deputy Vitaly Mutko from the supervisory board of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for Russia FIFA World Cup 2018, according to the legal information portal.
Bhuvi rocks top-order but AB 59 takes SA to 107/3 at lunch
Former captain AB de Villiers negated Bhuvneshwar Kumar's terrific first spell with a counter-attacking half-century as South Africa reached 107 for 3 at lunch on the opening day of the first cricket Test. After Bhuvneshwar (3/39 in 9 overs) wreaked havoc reducing South Africa to 12 for 3 inside the fifth over, De Villiers (59 batting) and skipper Faf du Plessis (37 batting) added 95 runs for the unbroken fourth wicket to steady the ship. De Villiers was in his element as he hit as many 11 boundaries in 65 balls while Du Plessis also showed positive intent hitting seven fours in 67 balls after opting to make first use of the wicket. Bhuvneshwar got India off to a rollicking start as he took three wickets in the first three overs. He had Dean Elgar (0) caught behind off the third ball of the match. An over later, he trapped Aiden Markram (5) lbw with a sharp inswinger. The ever-dependable Hashim Amla (3) too was caught behind off the Meerut speedster as his first spell ...
South Africa 107/3 at lunch on Day 1 of 1st Test
South Africa were 107 for three at lunch on the first day of the opening cricket Test against India, here today. AB de Villiers was batting on 59 , while giving him company was captain Faf du Plessis on 37. South Africa's all three wickets were picked by India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/39). Brief Scores: South Africa 1st innings: 107 for three in 26 overs (AB de Villiers 59 batting, Faf du Plessis 37 batting; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3/39).
Ashes: Khawaja, Smith hand Australia good start
Top-order batsmen Usman Khwaja (91 batting) and Steven Smith (44 batting) stayed unbeaten to help Australia post 193/2 against England on the second day of the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.
Kyrgios battles into Brisbane International semis
Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios produced a spirited performance as he bounced back from a set down against former finalist Alexandr Dologolov to book his place in the semi-finals of the Brisbane International here on Friday.After going down in the first set, Kyrgios, who had his left knee heavily taped, didn't appear to be hampered by his injury as he rebounded strongly to clinch a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over her Ukrainian opponent in a clash that lasted two hours and 11 minutes.The Australian tennis star will now face either defending champion Grigor Dimitrov or Kyle Edmund for a spot in the finals of the men's singles event.In another clash, teenage wild-card entry Alex De Minaur also stormed into the last-four, following his comfortable 6-4, 6-4 win over Michael Mmoh in a last-16 encounter that lasted one and a half hour.He will now face the winner of another quarter-final clash between Denis Istomin and Ryan Harrison.
Khawaja helps Aussies take hold of SCG Test
Australia are in a strong position in the fifth and final Ashes Test against England, thanks to Usman Khawaja and skipper Steve Smith.At the close of play on Day Two, Australia had scored 193 at loss of two wickets.Khawaja was unbeaten on 91 while Smith was on 44 at stumps.Earlier, opener David Warner had scored 56.Khwaja and Smith have laced together 107 run partnerships so far.Meanwhile, Smith created another history by becoming the second-fastest player to reach 6,000 Test runs - second only to Sir Donald Bradman.Should Khawaja get his century, it will be his first since November 2016.Earlier England have scored 346 runs in their first innings.
Ladakh inspiring young girls into sports
In order to boost the sporting spirit among the young girls of state in particular, the Ladakh Women Ice Hockey Foundation (LWIHF) has organised a training camp of ice skating and ice hockey in the Guphuks Pounds near Spituk Village of the region.As a part of their programme, free coaching is being provided to them, from January 1 to January 11.Reflecting on the same, Stanzin Zangmo, who is a member of Ladakh woman Ice hockey foundation, said that they have organised training camp, especially for girls, so that they can come forward and shine in sports."The Ladakh Women Ice Hockey Foundation (LWIHF) has organised coaching for girls here in Guphuks Pounds. The training will be held from January 1 to January 11. The training has been conducted especially for girls. It will help in motivating the girls to come forward and engage in sports, so that, there is no difference between the boys and girls. This camp shows that boys and girls can be at the same level. There are very few girls in .
Be as consistent as Indian selectors: Butt, Akmal to Pak panel
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and discarded wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal have called on Pakistan selectors to show the same consistency as their Indian counterparts do while picking the national team. Butt and Kamran feel that Indian selectors, compared to their Pakistani counterparts, show more consistency in giving chances to their players. "India shows more consistency in allowing their players to play top-level cricket," Butt noted. "Rohit Sharmas batting average was around 25 and 30 at one stage but the Indian selectors gave him consistent chances and today he has become a world class performer, Butt said. Butt and Kamran also felt that one reason for Pakistani not producing the same quality batting as India was because of the inconsistent nature of pitches used in the first class matches. "You need to have pitches in domestic cricket where batsmen can build their innings and stay for long. This is only way to give them confidence and prepare them for ...
Cape Town Test: Bumrah debuts, India asked to field
South Africa have won the toss and asked India to field first in the opening Test of the three-match series between the two sides at Newlands here on Friday.After being rested for the series against Sri Lanka, Virat Kohli is back in action to lead the Indian side against South Africa, which will be captained by Faf du Plessis.Following the toss, Kohli said that his side too would have opted to bowl first had they won the toss."Looking at the amount of grass, and the surface not hard, we would have bowled first. We saw four bowlers warming up, so we wanted to put them under pressure. Three quicks, Pandya and Ashwin as the sole spinner," he said.Faf du Plessis, on the other hand, said that the Proteas had an incredibly tough selection, but they are going with their strongest squad."My experience is a lot slower on day 1 and then it quickens up. I don't look too much at stats, conditions has changed here. Prepared a bit softer to keep the moisture. Incredibly tough selection, we went for
Mumbai's teen golfer dreams big, eyes Olympic medal
In sports, generally, the more you score the more it usually benefits the individual or the team. But in golf, it is exactly the opposite, the reason a teenage boy was inspired to take up the elite sport and is now dreaming to win a medal at the Olympic Games. This is the story of Mumbai-based 18-year-old Mayur Mistry, who considers ace golfer Tiger Woods as his hero. Mistry recently joined hands with The Golf Foundation, which will be looking after his career progression, coaching, tournament expenses and diet, among other things. Foundation officials said if Mistry continues and progresses well, they will look at sending him abroad to play in international tournaments, which will be sponsored. "I was playing football (since childhood), my dad brought me to the Bombay Presidency Golf Club to see how it is. My father told me to try for three to four days and I thought this game is something different from the others and that is why I started playing it regularly," Mistry .
Barcelona draw, Madrid win King's Cup ties
Reigning King's Cup holders FC Barcelona took a small step towards the defence of their title when they drew 1-1 away to Celta Vigo in the first leg of their last 16 round tie.
Forget about playing India in near future: Miandad to PCB
Pakistan's former captain and coach Javed Miandad has called on his country's Cricket Board to forget about playing India in the near future and instead focus on improving the game's structure here. "They don't want to play with us so be it. Our cricket will not die if we don't play with India. We should move on and forget about them," Miandad told the media at a function in Karachi. The veteran of 124 Tests said there was no need for the PCB to "beg" the BCCI for bilateral matches. "They haven't played against us since the last 10 years, so what? Has our cricket gone down? no we have done well. The Champions Trophy win is an example. Cricket cannot die in Pakistan. We have also survived without international cricket at home since 2009," he pointed out. India and Pakistan have not played bilateral cricket since 2012 owing to political tensions between the two countries after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The former captain urged the PCB to manage its finances ...
Sydney, Jan 5 (AFP) Scoreboard at the close on day two in
Scoreboard at the close on day two in the fifth Ashes Test between Australia and England here today: England first innings (overnight 233-5) A. Cook lbw b Hazlewood 39 M. Stoneman c Paine b Cummins 24 J. Vince c Paine b Cummins 25 J. Root c M. Marsh b Starc 83 D. Malan c Smith b Starc 62 J. Bairstow c Paine b Hazlewood 5 M. Ali c Paine b Cummins 30 T. Curran c Bancroft b Cummins 39 S. Broad c Smith b Lyon 31 M. Crane run out (M.Marsh/Bancroft) 4 J. Anderson not out 0 Extras (lb2, w2) 4 Total (all out; 112.3 overs) 346 Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-88, 3-95, 4-228, 5-233, 6-251, 7-294, 8-335, 9-346, 10-346. Bowling: Starc 21-6-80-2, Hazlewood 23-4-65-2, Cummins 24.3-5-80-4 (2w), Lyon 37-5-86-1, M. Marsh 7-0-33-0. Australia first innings C. Bancroft b Broad 0 D. Warner c Bairstow b Anderson 56 U. Khawaja not out 91 S. Smith not out 44 Extras (b1, nb1) 2 Total (2 wickets; 67 overs) 193 Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Bancroft), 2-86 (Warner) To bat: S. Marsh, M. Marsh, T. Paine, M. Starc, P. ...
Andre Villas-Boas ready for Dakar Rally challenge
Former Shanghai SIPG football club coach Andre Villas-Boas says he will be happy just to make it to the finish line when he fulfils a lifelong ambition of competing in the Dakar Rally.
Forlan joins Hong Kong's Kitchee SC
Former Uruguay international striker Diego Forlan, who has not played since ending a stint with Indian club Mumbai city in late 2016, has joined Hong Kong side Kitchee SC ahead of their debut appearance in the AFC Champions League.
Coach booked under POSCO for trying to rape minor athletes
A coach has been booked on charges of rape and also under the POSCO Act for allegedly attempting to rape two minor women athletes. Superintendent of Police (city) Rohit Sajwan today said, a case under the POCSO Act and for committing rape has been registered against the absconding coach Sahibe Alam. According to police, a woman athlete alleged that Alam had molested her and attempted to rape her during a tournament in Meeraganj. When the athlete resisted, the coach started harassing her. Another woman athlete also complained that during the monsoon marathon held in Nainital last month, Alam first showed porn films and then tried to rape her. After returning from Nainital, the athlete narrated her plight to family members. After this family members of both athletes lodged a complaint against the coach, and on the orders of SSP Bareilly Jogendra Kumar, a case under the POCSO Act and for committing rape was registered against the coach, police said.