Page 2216 - Sports
Ibrahimovic was not good at shooting at Juventus: Capello
Former Juventus head coach Fabio Capello revealed that Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was not good at shooting the ball when he plied his trade for the Italian football club.
Faf du Plessis doubtful for Boxing Day Test due to viral infection
South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis is doubtful for the inaugural four-day Test against Zimbabwe after picking up a viral infection in the week leading up to the game.The 33-year-old has not played any Cricket after sustaining an acute lumbar disc injury during the third ODI against Bangladesh late October and was subsequently sidelined for six weeks.During his injury lay-off, du Plessis laos underwent a surgery on a problematic shoulder during that period and, therefore, was forced to miss the recently-concluded Ram Slam. He was also not named in the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Invitation XI for a warm-up match against Zimbabwe.But now du Plessis confirmed that he has also been laid low recently due to a virus."My progress was really good over the last two weeks. But I picked up a virus last week which has slowed me down a little bit, so right now where we stand is trying to get to practice and see how it (the back) feels," Sport24 quoted du Plessis, as saying."I practiced yesterday ..
Serena to be back on track after maternity leave
American tennis idol Serena Williams will soon return to action after almost a year of absence due to maternity leave. The 23-time Grand Slam champion will participate in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi on December 30 against French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.
Du Plessis doubtful for Zimbabwe Test
Captain Faf du Plessis is a doubt to start South Africa's one-off day-night Test against Zimbabwe, starting at St George's Park on Tuesday. Du Plessis has not played since suffering a back injury during a one-day international against Bangladesh in October. He said he was still feeling some discomfort and would only play if he felt he was fully fit and that his progress had been slowed by a virus he picked up a week ago. "The professionals say that if there is still pain in the disc it's a little bit dangerous so that's why we're seeing how it works today," the 33-year-old said. "Last week I would have said my chances were 80-20, right now it is about 60-40." Du Plessis acknowledged that the match against Zimbabwe was a stepping stone towards a "big summer" which includes three Tests against India and four against Australia. He hinted strongly that he was setting his sights on being fully fit for the first Test against India, starting in Cape Town on January 5. "I'd rather
Dortmund almost rule out re-signing United midfielder Mkhitaryan
Borussia Dortmund have said that it will be difficult for them to re-sign out-of-favour Manchester United midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Bird to replace injured Starc in Boxing Day Test
Australian paceman Jackson Bird is all set to replace injured Mitchell Starc in the Playing XI for the fourth Test of the Ashes series to be held in Melbourne from Boxing Day.Starc returned home on crutches after bowling with a bruised heel on day four and five of the WACA Test, which Australia went on to win by an innings and 41 runs to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Ashes series.Bird, the Tasmanian fast bowler, will now replace Starc in the team to mark his first match this year and ninth Test appearance since making his debut in 2012.Confirming the news, Australian skipper Steve Smith said that Bird, who was the leading wicket taker in JLT Sheffield Shield with 25 scalps in four games for Tasmania this season, deserved the chance of selection."He's worked very hard. He hasn't played since this game last year and he's been on a few tours. Guys have come in and jumped him. When he goes back to Shield cricket, he's dominated," cricket.com.au quoted Smith, as saying."He's bowled .
New Zealand aim to whitewash Windies in third ODI (Preview)
After clinching victory in the initial two matches against the West Indies, New Zealand will aim to clean sweep the One-Day International (ODI) series at the Hagley Oval here on Tuesday.
Ponting knows nothing about England dressing room: Root
England skipper Joe Root hit back at former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and said he knows nothing about his team or what is going on in their dressing room.
Australia aim to extend domination over England in 4th Ashes Test (Preview)
Australia will aim to continue their domination, while a bruised England will look to restore some lost pride as the fourth Ashes Test begins at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here on Tuesday.
Handscomb released from Australia Test squad to play BBL
Australia batsman Peter Handscomb was on Monday released from the Ashes squad to play for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League (BBL) clash with Perth Scorchers on Boxing Day.
Smith, Afridi join other former stars for ice cricket
Graeme Smith and Shahid Afridi have joined a host of former stars for the inaugural St. Moritz Ice Cricket in Switzerland from February 8-9. While Afridi is playing regularly post his international retirement, the two-day T20 event in St. Moritz will be Smith's first since featuring in the Masters Champions League in February 2016. The other big names confirmed for the event are Virender Sehwag, Mohammad Kaif, Shoaib Akhtar, Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga, Michael Hussey, Jacques Kallis, Daniel Vettori, Nathan Mcullum, Grant Elliot, Monty Panesar and Owais Shah. "I don't know what to expect but I am really excited to play in a beautiful part of the world. I hope the event is a huge success," said former South Africa captain Smith. On playing against his contemporaries, Smith added: "There are lot of brilliant cricketers involved. I have played against all these guys in international cricket. It will be nice to spend some quality time with them and put up a good show
India surge to 2nd spot in T20I rankings post Lanka's drubbing
India have surged to the second spot in the ICC's latest T20I rankings after they completed a 3-0 clean sweep over Sri Lanka in the shortest-format on Sunday.The Men in Blue defeated Lanka by five wickets in the third and final T20I of the three-match series to complete series whitewash at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.India have moved up from their pre-series tally of 119 points to 121 points. They have leapfrogged England, New Zealand and the Windies to move from fifth to second position in the list, which is led by Pakistan with 124 points.In the T20I ranking for batsmen, Indian openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have made substantial gains following their superb performances in the recently-concluded series.Sharma's 162 runs in the series, which included a knock of 118 in the second match in Indore, have helped him gain six slots to reach 14th position.Meanwhile, Rahul has gained 23 slots to reach fourth position after scoring 154 runs in the series including two ...
Australia cricket coach Lehmann to step down in 2019
Australia cricket coach Darren Lehmann will step down from his position after his contract ends after the next Ashes series in 2019.
Serena Williams to return to tennis in Abu Dhabi
Serena Williams' maternity leave is set to get over as the American tennis star will make her much-anticipated competitive return to the tennis court with next week's Mubadala exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.The American tennis ace, who won this year's Grand Slam title at the Melbourne Park, while she was pregnant, is ready to make a comeback just four-and-a-half months after giving birth to her baby girl Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.Williams will play an exhibition match against defending French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in Abu Dhabi as she is set to make her first competitive appearance since she won her record 23rd Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open in January.Excited to make a return to the tennis court in Abu Dhabi, the former world number one said she was honoured to become the first woman to compete in the previously male-only event."I am delighted to be returning to the court in Abu Dhabi for the first time since the birth of my daughter in September. The Mubadala ...
PTI Exclusive: Steyn would be challenged by India: Harbhajan
Comeback from a career- threatening injury is never easy and that's why South African pace ace Dale Steyn might not turn out to be as big a threat for India in next month's highly-anticipated Test series, feels senior spinner Harbhajan Singh. Steyn was out of competitive cricket for a year after suffering a shoulder dislocation during a Test match against Australia last year. "Dale Steyn is unarguably the best fast bowler of the last 10 years but coming back into international cricket is not easy. A Test match against Zimbabwe will not exactly be an indicator of what he can do against India," Harbhajan told PTI during an interview on the upcoming South Africa series. "Look at the Indian batting line up. We have so much quality. Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma. This is perhaps among the best line-up in world cricket. "For both Steyn and Morkel, it will be a challenge to stop this line-up especially when they themselves will need .
Ashes: England seamer Curran replaces Overton for Boxing Day Test
The England Cricket Board (ECB) named Surrey seamer Tom Curran as the replacement of injured Craig Overton for the fourth Test against Australia on December 26.
Rohit steals the show in maiden series as captain
Stand-in India skipper Rohit Sharma ruled the limited-overs leg of the home series against Sri Lanka, finishing as the highest-run scorer in the two formats while leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal ended up as the top wicket-taker. Rohit was simply unstoppable in his first full series as captain. He toyed with the hapless Sri Lanka bowling unit to smash a third double hundred during the ODI series before recording the joint-fastest century in the shortest format during the following T20 series. The stylish batsman ended the series with 162 runs in the three T20s at an average of 54. Opener KL Rahul, who did not play the ODIs, was the other Indian batsman among the runs with 154 at 51.33. It was a prolific series for Chahal as well, as the spinner collected 14 wickets across three ODIs and as many T20s. However, he was a tad expensive in the T20s that got over yesterday, picking up eight wickets at a economy of 9.37 runs per over. Hardik Pandya was not so impactful with the ...
New kids on block shine, seniors maintain status quo
The ranges are bursting at the seams with young talent and Indian shooting's present state could be a harbinger of hope for a perfect future. The sound of shots fired from the rifles and pistols of junior shooters over the last 12 months is likely to reverberate long after 2017 gives way to 2018, and beyond. With big-ticket events like the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Championship lined up, the established shooters are seeking to crown their careers while the emerging ones look to make their mark. The sport, though, received a jolt towards the end as organisers of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham looked set to remove it from the roster due to logistical issues. Back home, the exploits of Elavenil Valarivan, Meghana Sajjanar, Mehuli Ghosh, Anish Bhanwala, Shapath Bharadwaj and the likes left the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Raninder Singh pleased. The outstanding levels of skill, commitment, motivation and courage displayed by .
Austin Waugh wants to make most of his potential at ICC U-19 WC
With just few weeks left to the commencement of ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup, Austin Waugh, son of former Australian captain Steve Waugh, has expressed willingness to make the most of his potential in the prestigious tournament."I'm aiming to test myself against the best players from around the world. I want to make the most of my potential and see how far it can take me. All three formats attract me as I enjoy testing my skills and being able to adapt from format to format," the junior Waugh said.Austin first burst into public consciousness when he hit an unbeaten 122 in the final of the Under-17 National Championships in 2016.Waugh likens his game to India all-rounder Hardik Pandya and admires late Australia batsman Phil Hughes for his "free flowing technique".In the same tournament, which is to be held from January 13 to February 3 in New Zealand, Makhaya Ntini's son Thando Ntini is also set to play the World Cup.Thando compares his approach to that of India captain Virat Kohli even .
Star cricketers' sons look to shine in U-19 World Cup
Past U-19 World Cups have seen quite a few sons of international cricketers in action and this time is going to be no different with Austin Waugh and Thando Ntini among those looking to display their potential in a tournament that showcases future stars every two years. Austin, the son of former Australia captain Steve Waugh, first burst into public consciousness when he hit an unbeaten 122 in the final of the U-17 National Championships in 2016 while Makhaya Ntini's son Thando grabbed four for 56 on his debut for the South Africa U-19 team against the Windies earlier this year. Austin, who likens his game to India all-rounder Hardik Pandya and whose favourite cricketer is late Australia batsman Phil Hughes for his "free flowing technique", wants to make the most of his potential in the tournament from January 13 to February 3 in New Zealand. "I'm aiming to test myself against the best players from around the world. I want to make the most of my potential and see how ...