Page 2188 - Sports
Hazard wins Belgian player of the year award
For his sterling performances this season and the last one, Chelsea star Eden Hazard has been named the Belgian football federation KBVB's "Devil of the Year", seeing off competition from Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne and Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku.
PTI EXCLUSIVE
Purav Raja won't read much into the defeat in the first match of the season but admitted they faltered in executing the '1-2' strategy, resulting in his ouster from the Tata Open Maharashtra along with Leander Paes. Raja was also candid in saying that he lacked consistency in his service on big points on Tuesday but was quick to point out that it was not one of his worst serving days. He also felt that Jeevan Neduncheziyan raised his game in the match and it did make a difference to the outcome. The 32-year-old Raja could not hold his serve even once in the match which they lost 3-6 2-6 to Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan in just 57 minutes. "It has to be '1-2' play in doubles. It was working on Leander's serve and on my serve we were going into 1-2-3-4 and losing the point. Normally, we win those points but credit to them. The key is to get 1-2 work. It has been solid in last few weeks. Taking a five-week break, you start one step back and it cost us the points," .
Proteas aim to regain Test top spot
South Africa will have a chance to join India at the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test team rankings when the two sides go face to face in the three-Test series, starting in Cape Town on January 5.Faf du Plessis' side is presently 13 points behind Virat Kohli's team, which is sitting on top of the table on 124 points.However, both the sides will finish on 118 points if the South Africa side makes a clean sweep of the series.Nevertheless, even in that scenario, India will be ranked above South Africa when the points are calculated beyond the decimal point.On the other side of the coin, if India win all the three Tests of the series, then they will move to 128 points while South Africa will slip to 107 points.India have earlier defeated the South Africa 3-0 the last time the two sides met in the longest format, back in 2015. But India played that series at home.On foreign pitches, India have a poor record as they have failed to win in South Africa in six Test series ...
Colin Munro guides Kiwis to T20I series win over Windies
After batsman Colin Munro smashed a record-breaking century, New Zealand bowlers came to the fore to help the home side crush West Indies by 119 runs and clinch the three-match T20I series 2-0 at the Bay Oval, on Wednesday.Chasing a target of 244 runs to win, West Indies failed to counter New Zealand's bowling attack and were eventually bundled out for 124 runs in 16.3 overs with Shai Hope absent hurt.Tim Southee was the pick of the bowlers for the Black Caps for his figures of three for 21 while Trent Boult and Ish Sodhi added two wickets each to their name.Meanwhile, Anaru Kitchen also chipped in with a wicket.For the Caribbean side, third drop Andre Fletcher was the highest contributor with his 46-run knock.Earlier, the Kane Williamson-led side had won the toss and elected to bat first.Opener Martin Guptill and Munro provided New Zealand with a perfect start, sharing a huge 136-run stand for the first wicket.While Guptill notched up a 63-run knock off 38 balls, Munro smashed a ...
Man City return to winning ways against Watford
The return of Spanish attacking midfielder David Silva to the Manchester City line-up played a big role in the English Premier League (EPL) leaders' 3-1 win here over Watford.
Monaco loan out Kongolo, Meite
French Ligue 1 outfit Monaco have loaned out Terence Kongolo to newly-promoted English Premier League side Huddersfield for the remainder of the season, while Souahilo Meite joined Bordeaux on loan until the end of the season on the second day of the winter transfer window of the major European leagues.
New Zealand regain top spot in T20I rankings
New Zealand have returned to the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20I Team Rankings after winning the three-match series against the West Indies by 2-0.New Zealand had entered the series against the West Indies in third place behind Pakistan (124 points) and India (121 points) on 120 points.New Zealand moved ahead of India after winning the first T20I by 47 runs and then leapfrogged Pakistan into the number-one position after clinching the third T20I by 119 runs at the Basin Reserve today. The second T20I was rained-off.New Zealand are now standing on 126 points, while the Caribbean side have dropped from 120 points to 115 points in fifth position.New Zealand had last held the number-one position in October 2017, before they slipped to third following their series loss to India in November.New Zealand will now put their number-one ranking on the line when they will take on Pakistan in the three-match series, beginning January 22.In order to retain the top spot, the ...
Munro blasts record century as New Zealand crush West Indies
Colin Munro smashed his way into the record books as New Zealand crushed the West Indies by 119 runs in the final Twenty20 here today to sweep the series. Munro, with a rollicking 104 off 53 deliveries, became the first player to hit three centuries in international Twenty20 cricket as New Zealand posted an imposing 243 for five, their highest Twenty20 total. The West Indies reply began disastrously with openers Chadwick Walton and Chris Gayle out without scoring in Tim Southee's opening over. Their innings folded at 124 for nine in 16.3 overs with Shai Hope unable to bat after being injured while fielding. It ended a disappointing tour for the West Indies with New Zealand winning both Tests, the three one-day internationals and two Twenty20s with one match washed out. With the West Indies two down for one run after five balls, Andre Fletcher did his best to rebuild the innings and ensured the tourists kept up with New Zealand's run rate for the first eight overs. But ...
Atalanta enter Coppa Italia semis after 21 years
Atalanta stunned Napoli 2-1 here to advance to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia football tournament for the first time in 21 years.
Munro becomes first man to hit three T20I tons
New Zealand's Colin Munro on Wednesday became the first cricketer to hit three hundreds in T20 internationals.Munro achieved the feat by smashing 104 off 53 balls with three fours and 10 sixes against the West Indies in last T20I at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui.With this, the 30-year-old moved ahead of four players, including the West Indies' Chris Gayle, on two T20I centuries.Bay Oval marked the second century of recently turned opener. Earlier he had scored 101 against Bangladesh in January last year.Munro's highest score is an unbeaten 109 in the series against India in November.Munro flying start helped the Kiwis to set a mammoth 244-run target for the Windies.Martin Guptill also added 38-ball 63 to the side while Tom Bruce (23), Anaru Kitchen (9) and Kane Williamson (19) made short cameos.New Zealand is already leading the series 1-0, after the second game was washed out on Monday and if the hosts win the concluding match, they will become the top-ranked T20 international team in ...
Hockey India names 33 players for men's national camp
After ending the year with a Bronze Medal at the Men's Hockey World League Final in Bhubaneswar, the Indian men's hockey team will report for a 10-day national camp to begin on January 4 at the Sports Authority of India, Bengaluru.With a busy hockey calendar in 2018 that features Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April followed by the Hockey Champions Trophy Breda 2018 in July, the Asian Games Jakarta in August, Asian Champions Trophy in October and the much-awaited Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 starting in November, Hockey India has named 33 Men's Players for this year's first national camp which is a mix of young and experienced players along with new faces inducted into the Senior fold.Goalkeeper Krishan B Pathak, part of the winning team of 2016 Junior Men's World Cup, finds himself in the group along with Akash Anil Chikte and Suraj Karkera who had promising outing at the Men's Asia Cup and contributed to India's success at the Odisha Men's Hockey World League ...
Mohun Bagan elevates Shankarlal Chakraborty to chief coach
Mohun Bagan today elevated Shankarlal Chakraborty to the chief coach's post till the end of season in less than 24 hours after Sanjoy Sen resigned. Chakraborty, who has been with the team as assistant coach since July 2014, was at the helm of affairs during the Calcutta Football League Premier Division 2017, where they were pipped to the title by bitter foes East Bengal. Mohun Bagan senior team will resume training tomorrow morning and post-training Chakraborty will interact with media, a statement read. Sen stepped down as the chief coach minutes after they succumbed to a 1-2 defeat to a 10-man Chennai City FC, their first defeat of the season that came at their home ground. "The club management would like to thank Sen for all the hard work he has done being in charge of the team for the past three years. We wish him all success for his future endeavors," the statement said. Mohun Bagan have slipped to fifth place in standings after three draws and a loss as they next ...
Qatar Open: Coric ousts Busta, Berdych crashes out
The draw of the Qatar Open tennis tournament has been broken wide open after the second and third seeds were beaten in long drawn out encounters here.
Mitchell Starc to play fifth Ashes Test
Australia pacer Mitchell Starc will play in the Sydney Test starting from Thursday.Starc will replace Jackson Bird in the squad.The 27-year-old returned home on crutches after bowling with a bruised right heel post the WACA Test, and missed the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne."I think the break he's had from bowling has helped his heel heal," ESPNcricinfo quoted Smith, as saying."It's coming along nicely so he's confident and you've also got to take the player's word sometimes. Hopefully, he gets through and he's fine," he added.Starc's comeback means left-arm spinner Ashton Agar, who was added to Australia's squad for the fifth Test, will not be in the playing XI for the fifth Test.Australia (probable): Cameron Bancroft, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith (c), Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.
Argentina coach Sampaoli observing '45 to 60' players for World Cup
Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli has revealed he is monitoring up to 60 players as he decides upon his squad for this year's World Cup in Russia.
Hockey India names 33-member squad for 2018 season
Fit-again PR Sreejesh made a return after recovering from a long-injury lay-off as Hockey India (HI) today announced a 33-member squad for the first national camp beginning here tomorrow. Sreejesh will be is vying to find top form after nearly eight months of break due to a knee injury. He had suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury during the Azlan Shah tournament earlier last year. After ending the year with a bronze medal at the Odisha Hockey World League Final, Indian men's hockey team will report for the 10-day camp at the Sports Authority of India here to prepare for the busy hockey calendar this season. Goalkeeper Krishan B Pathak, part of the winning team of 2016 Junior World Cup, finds himself in the group along with Akash Anil Chikte and Suraj Karkera who had promising outing at the Asia Cup and contributed to India's success at the Hockey World League Final. Nilam Sanjeep Xess, the young defender from Sundargarh, Odisha who led the Indian team to ...
Peru defender Rodriguez joins Colombian club
Colombia's Junior de Barranquilla football club have announced the signing of Peru international centre-back Alberto Rodriguez and forward Vladimir Hernandez for the 2018 season.
Mohun Bagan appoint Shankarlal Chakraborty as head coach
City football giants Mohun Bagan on Wednesday announced the appointment of Shankarlal Chakraborty as the head coach for the rest of the I-League season after the previous incumbent, Sanjoy Sen, resigned on Tuesday night.
Munro smacks record 3rd ton in N Zealand's 243 against WIndies
New Zealand's Colin Munro became the first player to hit three centuries in international Twenty20 cricket when he smacked 104 against the West Indies here today. New Zealand, looking to sweep the series, posted an imposing 243 batting first in the third T20, the seventh highest innings of all time in the format. Munro, with previous centuries against India and Bangladesh, moves ahead of four players, including the West Indies' Chris Gayle, on two T20 centuries. His rollicking 104 off 53 deliveries included 10 sixes and three fours. After New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat, Martin Guptill made a timely return to form in a century stand with Munro for the first wicket. Guptill, who struggled earlier in the series, found form from the first ball when he drove Jerome Taylor through cover for four. Munro hit Samuel Badree's first ball over the square leg boundary as New Zealand blasted away at 10-an-over. Rayad Emrit, selected to make his T20 debut two months short of
ICC announces match officials for U-19 World Cup
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced the umpire and match referee appointments for the U-19 World Cup 2018, which will begin from January 13 in New Zealand.The 12th edition of the tournament will see 14 members of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires officiating in the tournament - Robert Bailey, Gregory Brathwaite, Anil Chaudhary, Nigel Duguid, Shaun George, Shaun Haig, Mark Hawthorne, Ranmore Martinesz, C.K. Nandan, Ahsan Raza, Shozab Raza, Timothy Robert Robinson, Langton Rusere and Paul Wilson.Apart from them, David Odhiambo, Buddhi Pradhan and Ian Ramage from the ICC Development Panel will also be officiating in the tournament.Jeff Crowe of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, and Devdas Govindjee and David Jukes of the International Panel of ICC Match Referees, will also be officiating in the tournament.Shaun George and Ahsan Raza will be the on-field umpires for the match between defending champions the West Indies and hosts New ..