Page 2193 - Sports

Jaffer, more than a first-class player for first-class cricket

Turning 40 in less than two months, Wasim Jaffer has already achieved more than what many could in first-class cricket, but the batting crease remains the place where he feels most at home, most at peace with the world. As one of the three seasoned professionals in the side, Jaffer played a pivotal role in Vidarbha's maiden Ranji Trophy triumph -- astonishingly his ninth overall. The years of experience he gained representing Mumbai benefitted Vidarbha greatly and he willingly played mentor to the young players besides scoring nearly 600 runs. Though he concedes he doesn't have many years left in him, the former India opener says he will continue to play as long as fitness allows him. Jaffer has nearly 18,000 runs in first-class cricket. "Nobody probably believed that I'd play another Ranji final but here I am with my ninth Ranji Trophy title," he says. But being the exemplary team-man, Jaffer doesn't forget to acknowledge the others behind the concerted effort that made

Wolfsburg extend contract with midfielder Arnold

Maximilian Arnold and Wolfsburg have agreed on a contract extension, the Bundesliga club announced in an official statement.

Argentine keeper Armani returns home to chase World Cup dream

Argentine goalkeeper Franco Armani has announced his departure from Colombia's Atletico Nacional as he bids to make his World Cup dream a reality.

Stokes gets go-ahead for IPL

Ben stokes has been given a thumbs up to enter the Indian Premier League (IPL) draft, though the England all-rounder has been ruled out of the One Day International (ODI) squad against Australia.Meanwhile, Middlesex middle-order batsman Dawid Malan has been confirmed the replacement of stokes in the ODI squad.Left-handed batsman Stokes, the former England vice-captain, remains in limbo due to the delay on a decision on whether or not he'll be charged in the Bristol incident in September, which led to his arrest for allegedly inflicting bodily harm on a man.A statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) read, "England's selectors have added Dawid Malan to the one-day international squad for the series against Australia, starting on January 14.The board, however, clarified that Stokes has been given a go-ahead to enter the IPL draft and may be added to the squad at a later stage if he is cleared of any wrongdoings in the Bristol Incident, reports Sport24."ECB can also ..

Kirsten, Nehra join RCB's coaching team

Former India coach Gary Kirsten and recently-retired pacer Ashish Nehra have been named the Royal Challengers Bangalore's batting and bowling coach respectively for the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League. Additionally, Kirsten and Nehra will also play the role of mentors for the team during the league. Kirsten signed the contract last week and it will be his second stint with an IPL team after he had coached the Delhi Daredevils in 2015. RCB has retained former New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori, who has been at the helm since 2014, as the head coach. With the IPL auctions slated for January 27 and 28, RCB has realigned the roles of Trent Woodhill and Andrew McDonald. Woodhill has been assigned the new role of batting talent development, analytics and fielding coach. Additionally, during off season the Australian will also serve as the franchise's head of scouting. McDonald, who was the bowling coach earlier, will now be in charge of bowling talent development and

Mason Crane likely to debut in Sydney

England cricket team coach Trevor Bayliss on Tuesday hinted about giving novice leg-spinner Mason Crane a go in the fifth Ashes Test against Australia, beginning January 4 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).According to cricket.com.au, the young leggie will most likely win his maiden cap in the Ashes finale"We think he's a guy that has got the goods, and the more he plays at this level the better he will get," Bayliss told the media when asked if the 20-year-old was ready for Test cricket.Crane will most likely replace an out-of-form Moeen Ali, who has had a rather unforgettable tour."At the moment, the number of runs and wickets make (this series) one of his lows," said the coach about Ali's inclusion in the final Test."Mo is a free spirit, and one or two shots or wickets and he will be off and running. So I'm not concerned long term," he added.Australia is currently leading the five-match series 3-0 after the fourth Ashes Test ended in a draw on the final day at the Melbourne ...

United lift Mourinho, Liverpool leave it late

Manchester United put a smile back on Jose Mourinho's face as fine goals from Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard sealed a 2-0 win over Everton, while Liverpool left it late to snatch a 2-1 victory at Burnley. Martial started in the absence of the injured Romelu Lukaku and the United forward broke the deadlock in the 57th minute at Goodison Park. Paul Pogba teed up Martial on the edge of the area and he stroked a sublime finish into the top corner for his ninth goal of the season. Having struggled towards the end of 2017, United were more commanding in their first match of the new year and Lingard wrapped up the points with a superb solo strike in the 81st minute. The winger beat several Everton players before curling home from 20 yards for his fourth goal in his last five appearances. It was a welcome tonic for Mourinho amid reports the United manager is beginning to lose the support of his players after branding them "childish" and "immature" and admitting the squad ...

Salah named Arab player of the year

Liverpool and Egypt striker Mohamed Salah was named Arab Player of the Year for 2017 in a poll of around 100 sports journalists from several Arab countries. Salah, 25, has been an instant success at Liverpool since joining from AS Roma, scoring 17 goals in the Premier League already and 23 in all competitions. He also helped Egypt to qualify for this year's World Cup finals in Russia. Syrian winger Omar Khribin, who plays for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, came second and another Syrian player, Omar Al- Soma, of Saudi side Al Ahli, was third. Salah is also favourite to win the African Player of the Year title which will be announced in the Ghanaian capital Accra on Thursday.

Haryana dominates National Shooting C'ship

Haryana dominated the 61st National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC) for Rifle/Pistol that drew to a close on Monday, and the state's young woman pistol shooter Manu Bhaker emerged as the best shooter in Pistol events, bagging a total of 15 medals including 11 Gold, three Silvers and one Bronze medal.Mehuli Ghosh of West Bengal emerged as the best Rifle shooter winning eight Gold and 3 Bronze medals.In the open category, Haryana won 10 Gold, three Silvers and four Bronze medals, leaving far behind runner up Punjab that won four Gold, three Silvers and four Bronze medals for a tally of 10 medals overall.Haryana shined equally bright in the Team events, with 24 Gold, 21 Silvers and six Bronze medals. Punjab finished at the second place yet again with 18 Gold, 12 Silvers and 15 Bronze medals. The Army Marksmanship Unit came third in the Team category overall with 15 Gold and three Silver medals.In the overall competition, Haryana won 168 medals, followed by Punjab with 127 ...

Bengaluru thrash Mumbai in PBL tie

Bengaluru Blasters outclassed Mumbai Rockets in a Premier Badminton League (PBL) contest here on Monday to climb to the top of the points table.

World no 198 Lara stuns sixth-seeded Jiri Vesely at Tata Open

Spain's Ricardo Ojeda Lara's win over sixth seed Jiri Vesely from Czech Republic was the highlight of the first round of matches of the Tata Open Maharashtra's main draw here today at the Mhalunge Balewadi Stadium.The match between the two finished 6-3, 7-6 in Lara's favour as the Czech had to concede an early defeat at India's only ATP 250 World Tour event.The 24-year-old Spaniard had qualified for the main draw after winning two matches in the qualifiers and looked like the man-in-form as he won the first set.In the second set, Vesely tried to bounce back but could not win the set as Lara ran away with a surprise victory.However, seventh-seeded Mikhail Kukushkin from Kazakhstan did not let Moldova's Radu Albot also cause an upset as he defeated the latter 6-2, 7-6.Albot got the backing of the crowd but could not match the efficiency of world no. 74 Kukushkin as the player from Kazakhstan took the first set 6-2.In the second set, Albot tried to put up a fight but Kukushkin utilised ..

Bengaluru blank Mumbai in PBL tie

Bengaluru Blasters outclassed Mumbai Rockets 7-0 in a Premier Badminton League (PBL) contest here on Monday.

Ramkumar sets up 2nd round clash with world No. 6 Marin Cilic

Making a stupendous start to the fresh season, Ramkumar Ramanathan scalped higher-ranked Roberto Carballes Baena to set up a second round clash with tournament-favourite Marin Cilic at the inaugural Tata Open Maharashtra, here tonight. Coming into the season-opening ATP 250 tournament with some memorable wins in 2017, the 148th ranked Ramkumar prevailed 7-6(4) 6-2 over Carballes Baena, ranked 106th in the world. The 23-year-old Indian youngster looked in control of his game and the match even as he missed a few opportunities to put the Spaniard under pressure early in the contest. At 3-2, he could have broken his rival and nose ahead but did not convert the chance. Serving well, he closed the ninth game at love with an ace to take a 5-4 lead but Carballes Baena was up to the task as he too served at love to make it 5-5. Both Ramkumar and Baena mostly stayed at the baseline, relying on their solid forehands. The Indian's feeble backhand slices meant that the Spanish ...

TN's Bharathi, PSPB's Kumari are top seeds in Fed Cup carrom

K Sagaya Bharathi (Tamil Nadu) and Kajal Kumari (PSPB) are the top-seeded players in the men's and women's singles events, respectively, in the 24th All India Federation Cup Carrom Tournament 2017-18 starting here tomorrow. Shivdayal Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) and Mamta Kumari (Bihar) are the top seeds in the Sub-Junior Boys' and Girls' events in the 44th Sub-Junior Nationals & Inter-State Carrom Championships, to be hosted by the Maharashtra Carrom Association, also starting tomorrow. Youngsters from 22 states will fight for top honours in the cadet (Under-12) boys' and girls' and sub-junior (Under-14) boys' and girls' categories. Five World Champions and 40 Indian stars from 23 states and 12 institutions will showcase their playing skills as they will target to emerge champions in the Federation Cup.

Palestine aim to impress in AFC U-23 Championship

As one of the two debutants in the AFC Under-23 Championship, Palestine are ready to make their marks in the upcoming continental football tournament to be held in China from January 9 to 27.

Mitchell Marsh opts for county cricket over IPL in 2018

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has decided to skip the cash-rich Indian Premier League and play for English county side Surrey next season to improve his game in the longer format. "It was a fairly big decision from a money point of view but my ultimate goal is to play Test match cricket for Australia," said Marsh, who was signed for Rs 4.8 crore by Rising Pune Supergiant in the IPL auction last year, was quoted in ESPN Cricinfo. "That's the lure of the IPL - the money and playing in India, but I made the decision based on my cricket. "When I made that decision, I didn't really think I was going to be back there this quickly. But I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to play 14 red-ball games over there - if I can, and try and improve." Marsh, who had cracked his maiden Test hundred during the ongoing Ashes series, said he wants to give himself a better chance to play for Australia when they play in England in the next few years. "Looking forward we have ..

Axelsen guides Bengaluru Blasters to win in PBL

World champion Viktor Axelsen staved off a strong challenge from World No.5 Korean Son Wan Ho as Bengaluru Blasters defeated Mumbai Rockets with two matches remaining in the Premier Badminton League here today. Playing the trump match for the Blasters, World No 1 Axelsen dismantled Son 15-6, 15-13 to hand his team an unassailable 4-0 lead after three matches in the five-game contest at the BBD UPBA here. It was perfect platform for Axelsen as he came into the match with his side leading 2-0 after mixed doubles pair of N Sikki Reddy and Kim Sa Rang and women's singles player Kirsty Gilmour won their respective matches. Axelsen did not disappoint the crowd who had braved the chilly weather and swarmed to the stadium in numbers on the first day of the new year. Axelsen who has been in impeccable form throughout the season began on a sound note winning the opening game without facing much of a resistance. The Korean looked completely out of sorts and never could mount any ...

Mitchell selects Test cricket over IPL

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh wants to skip the Indian Premier League (IPL) in an attempt to prolong his Test career.

Lara advances at Maharashtra Open

Spanish youngster Ricardo Ojeda Laras win over sixth seed Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic was the highlight of the first round in the main draw of the Tata Open Maharashtra tennis tournament at the Mhalunge Balewadi Stadium here on Monday.

Vidarbha CA to reward Ranji squad with Rs 5 crore

Vidarbha Cricket Association president Anand Jaiswal announced that the Ranji champion team will be richer by Rs 5 crore, which will be distributed among the players as well as the support staff. "The players will be felicitated by the state association. The Vidarbha Cricket Association will be distributing Rs 3 crore among its players. Also the winners prize money of Rs 2 crore will also be distributed among the players," Jaiswal told reporters after the team's historic Ranji Trophy triumph. BCCI CEO Rahul Johri also congratulated the champion team. "Heartiest congratulations to Vidarbha on winning their first #RanjiTrophyFinal. Thank you MPCA for being such gracious hosts @BCCI," Johri tweeted. Acting president CK Khanna also congratulated the victorious team. "It has been a tremendous performance by the Vidarbha team. I congratulate them on their stupendous show," Khanna said.