Page 257 - Sports
Rain keeps Federer waiting in Rome
Roger Federer was among dozens of players kept off court by rain on a chilly Wednesday at the Italian Open as organisers refused to provide refunds in case of a total washout. The policy promises to create ill-will after officials last weekend doubled the price of Wednesday tickets after Federer's late decision to play in Rome. "If a session is postponed or cancelled due to weather or acts beyond our control, the Tournament Committee will attempt to accommodate the ticket holder at a subsequent session," the website statement read. "In the event of rain during play the Committee will determine whether a session is completed. However, no refunds will be given." The Swiss icon last appeared at the Foro Italico in the 2016 third round, losing to Dominic Thiem. He was due to begin on Wednesday against Portugal's Joao Sousa. Federer, a four-time finalist in Rome, returns to Italy after skipping the clay season for the last two years in order to concentrate on his grass game. Once he ...
Chinnappa holds on to the lead in PGTI Players Championship
Bengaluru's Trishul Chinnappa held on to the lead for the second day in succession but it was Greater Noida-based golfer Sudhir Sharma's exquisite eight-under-64 that hogged the limelight in round two of the TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship, here Wednesday. The 31-year-old Sudhir's magnificent effort eclipsed the long-standing course record at the Chandigarh Golf Club (CGC) and saw him return to form after a long gap. On day two, Sharma climbed 44 positions to tied fourth at eight-under-136. Chinnappa's three-under-69 gave him a one-shot lead at 10-under-134 at the halfway stage of the Rs 30 lakh event. The second position was shared by Patna's Aman Raj (68) and Bangladesh's Md Dulal Hossain (68) at nine-under-135. The previous course record of 65 was broken after 13 long years as it was first set by legend Mukesh Kumar in 2006. Thereafter, it was matched by the likes of Gaganjeet Bhullar, Gaurav Ghei, Ranjit Singh, Shiv Kapur and Chinnappa. Chinnappa had equaled it on Tuesday ...
Mary Waldron appointed to ICC's development panel of umpires
Ireland's wicket-keeper batswoman Mary Waldron was appointed to the International Cricket Council's (ICC) development panel of umpires on Wednesday.Waldron is one of only eight women in world cricket to have been appointed to the position and she is the first woman from Ireland to achieve this feat."I am delighted to be appointed to the ICC Panel. To be honest, I fell into umpiring almost by accident five or so years ago, when working as a community development officer at Malahide Cricket Club, but have developed a love for it since," ICC quoted Waldron as saying."I have spent a number of Irish winters heading out to play club cricket in Australia, and in 2015, I sought out an umpire training course with Cricket Tasmania and it went from there. I can't thank Roy Loh and Cricket Tasmania enough for the help they gave me starting out, and now SACA and Cricket Leinster for the continued support and opportunity to umpire at higher levels," she added.Waldron has played two sports for ...
Tare half ton in vain as Panthers beat Strikers
North Mumbai Panthers bowlers held their nerve as they defeated Eagle Thane Strikers by 6 runs in the T20 Mumbai league game here on Wednesday. Put in to bat, a late cameo by Karan Nande (50 off 23 balls) helped North Mumbai post a challenging 190 for eight at the Wankhede Stadium. Later, their bowlers restricted the Strikers to 184/5 despite a blazing 71 off 44 balls by rival skipper Aditya Tare. Tare's knock was studded with 10 fours, but he could not complete the job and fell in the penultimate over. Strikers needed 16 runs off the final over and Moondeep Mangela, despite conceding a four on the first ball, did well to hand his team a win. Brief Scores: North Mumbai Panthers 190/8 (Karan Nande 50, Sairaj Patil 46; Sarfaraz Khan 1-11) beat Eagle Thane Striker 184/5 (Aditya Tare 71, Kaushik Chikhalikar 56, A Attarwala 3-37) by 6 runs.
English cricket chiefs admit Hundred 'mistakes' as draft announced
English cricket bosses have accepted they made mistakes in promoting "The Hundred", their controversial new short-form tournament that is due to start next year. The England and Wales Cricket Board faced huge public criticism for suggesting the 100-balls-per-side competition was aimed at attracting a new audience as opposed to existing fans. Questions have also been raised about whether there is a need for another short-form event in an already congested calendar, given the success of Twenty20 matches and the new competition's potential impact on English cricket's existing 18 first-class counties. On Wednesday, the ECB confirmed that a televised player draft for The Hundred would be held on October 20, ahead of the inaugural competition, starting in July 2020. Yet more than two years on from when county bosses first discussed the eight-team city-based concept, the ECB has still to confirm team names and venues for the five-week event. "We've definitely made mistakes in the build-up, .
Gokulam end group stage with all win record in IWL
Gokulam Kerala FC finished their Group I campaign with a perfect record as they beat Hans Football Club of Delhi 3-1 at the Guru Nanak Stadium here on Wednesday. Anju Tamang (10th), Ranjana Chanu (35th) and captain Dalima Chhibber (68th) scored for Gokulam, while Anushka Samuel (23rd) netted the lone goal for Hans Women. Gokulam, who have already secured a spot in the semifinals, took the early lead with their forward Anju Tamang scoring in the 10th minute. However, Hans took just a little over 10 minutes to get back on level terms, when Anushka Samuel converted a chance. The Kerala side dominated play for most of the first half and eventually regained their lead when Ranjana Chanu scored an absolute blinder of a goal. Chanu got some space on the right, took a touch and curled a left footer above and around Hans keeper Vanshika Rana. Gokulam carried on much in the same vein in the second half as well, with captain Dalima Chhibber dominating in the middle of the park, while teenage ...
India lose 0-4 to Australia
After remaining unbeaten in their first three matches of the Australia Tour 2019, world no. 5 Indian Mens Hockey team slumped to a 0-4 defeat to the hosts in their fourth match at the Perth Hockey Stadium here on Wednesday.
Rabada and Steyn on track of achieving full fitness: Ottis Gibson
South African head coach Ottis Gibson on Wednesday said the injured fast-bowling duo of Kagiso Rabada and Dale Steyn are on track for achieving full fitness and they should recover ahead of the upcoming World Cup."We feel that those guys are on track. There's nothing that people should be alarmed about. They're going to both make full recoveries and be able to take their place at the World Cup," International Cricket Council (ICC) quoted Gibson as saying.Rabada has been an exceptional bowler for South Africa over the past two years and he was in good form in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL). He was able to take 25 wickets for Delhi Capitals, finishing as the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament.But, his stint at the IPL was cut short by a stiff back. Steyn also played two matches for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, but he went back to South Africa due to a troublesome shoulder.South Africa will take on hosts England in the opening match of the World Cup. ...
Pietersen compares England's current team with former Australian side
Ahead of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has compared the current England side with the 'great' Australia squad, who lifted two World Cups.The 38-year old, on Wednesday, took Twitter to share his opinion and wrote: "This England ODI side is like that great Aussie side...if (Matthew) Hayden didn't get you, then (Ricky) Ponting would & if they missed out, (Adam) Gilchrist would. This England team, the same, (Jason) Roy, (Jonny) Bairstow, (Jos) Buttler etc...SOOOOO good!"Pietersen has compared the former Australian batsmen-- Hayden, Ponting and Gilchrist -- with England's Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Butler. All three Australia veterans featured in the 2003 and 2007 World Cup, beating India and Sri Lanka, respectively, in the final match to clinch the title two times in a row.England is going to host the forthcoming quadrennial tournament and will try to justify the 'favourite' tag they have got since World Cup hype came into being.Apart
Josh Hazlewood wants to focus on Ashes
After missing out from Australia's 15-man ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 squad, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood expressed his intent to make use of the time to prepare himself for the Ashes series.The 28-year-old, who was part of the World Cup winning team in 2015, was overlooked twice. First, when the squads were announced on April 15 and second, when selectors called up Kane Richardson to replace injured Jhye Richardson last week.Hazlewood has not played a One-Day International match as he is nursing his back injury since November last year. The selectors want the fast bowler to be fully fit and focus on the Ashes, starting August 1."Having not played at the highest level for some time, we feel this will provide him with the best preparation to get some quality cricket under his belt. Our focus is to have Josh back bowling at his best for the commencement of a big Ashes tour," ICC quoted Australia chief selector Trevor Hohns, as saying.Hazlewood is part of a 14-man squad for the ...
'The Hundred': Squads for eight teams to be announced on October 20
The squads for eight teams for the upcoming tournament "The Hundred" will be finalised on October 20, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Wednesday.The players draft will be the first player draft for a British sport to be televised live in the country."The Hundred is an exciting new cricket competition that we hope will grow our wonderful sport even further. Fans can enjoy some of the world's biggest names playing for eight brand new cricket teams across men's and women's competitions," Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer said in an official statement."I'm sure there will be huge anticipation ahead of the first men's players draft in October, as each of the squads are finalised live on Sky Sports and across the BBC," he added.The new competition introduced by the ECB will feature city-based teams made up of 15-member squad with a maximum of four overseas players.The "Hundred" will be launched in July 2020 and it offers exciting 100 ball cricket featuring some of .
SRFI-HCL tie-up for improving Indian squash
The Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) on Wednesday announced a tie-up with HCL with an aim to improve the health of the sport in the country. Through 'HCL Squash Podium Programme', multiple tournaments will be organised at both the senior and junior level besides clinics for the existing coaches. SRFI president Debendranath Sarangi said they plan to conduct 12 PSA World Tour and Challenger Tour events every year across the country. No other Indian player has been able to make a major impact in professional squash in the last 10 years other than Saurav Ghosal, Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa, who continue to shoulder the responsibility. Ghosal and Chinappa recently won the Asian Championship in Kuala Lumpur. National coach Cyrus Poncha said there is a need to provide exposure to up-and-coming talent and organising more PSA tournaments in India would give the youngsters the required experience. The Indian team doesn't have a full-time coach since March 2018 and Poncha said ..
HCL, SRFI partner to transform India's Squash ecosystem
HCL, the multinational information technology service and consulting company, on Wednesday announced the launch of a Squash Podium Program in partnership with the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) to significantly improve the squash ecosystem in India.
England wickets are flat and good for batting, says Martin Guptill
New Zealand opener Martin Guptill on Wednesday stated that wickets in England, where the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 will be hosted, are reasonably flat and good for batting.The 32-year-old has scored 652 runs in 14 games in England; including 189 not out off 155 balls against England. Guptill reckoned that pitches would be favourable for batsmen."I guess the way the One-Day Cup's gone over there (England), it has been reasonably flat wickets and good for batting, so there could be a few high scores. But then again, at the end of the day, you have got to bat well to get those scores, so we have just got to go out there and prepare well and make sure that we come out firing," ICC quoted Guptill, as saying."I do love playing over there. It is very similar conditions to home and you can be at ease over there and you can go out and just chill out when you are away from cricket. It is quite a fun place to play cricket, and the fans are great over there as well," he ...
I will be available to play in any situation, says Imrul Kayes
Imrul Kayes, who did not find a spot in Bangladesh's 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World, said that he is working on his skills and will be available for his side if the need arises."It's good for me that I have been practicing my skills here. If the opportunity arrives, I will be available to play in any situation and any condition for the team," ICC quoted Kayes, as saying."Listen, it's not easy to handle the pressure if you call someone suddenly, but this camp will help you to prepare yourself. It's difficult to play well after a sudden call-up," he added.Recently, Bangladesh Cricket Board announced a 30-member camp and the aim for this camp is to keep the players available for a replacement in the World Cup squad if necessary.Kayes feels that domestic league matches are completely different from international matches and they will have to keep this cam seriously."Fitness required in an international match and in a domestic league match is totally different. I .
Wins over Pakistan will boost England at World Cup, says Morgan
The victories over Pakistan in the ongoing ODI series have boosted England's confidence going into the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019, beginning May 30, said captain Eoin Morgan.The Morgan-led team pulled off a total of 359 under 45 overs with the help of wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow, who played a knock of 128 off 93 balls. The win also marked England's second highest successful run-chase."When guys perform like this, it builds confidence within the changing room. With regards to looking ahead, that is a really positive thing for our group," ICC quoted Morgan, as saying.The captain, moreover, gave a hint that there could be changes and rotations in the last two of the five matches as England have already won the series."Hopefully, we'll see Mark Wood - his preparations have been really good. There will be more opportunity for Joe (Denly), hopefully, in the next two games. Being such a small ground, we only tend to play one spinner here - obviously, Moeen (Ali) played as ...
Satish Kumar edges out Anupama
V R Satish Kumar of TNCA edged out R Anupama by three frames to two in the N Manimaran & Kishan Kothari Memorial SVS Club Open Snooker Championship 2019 here Wednesday. Satish took the first two frames 69-40 and 42-36 before Anupama found her rhythm. She won the third and fourth frames to level the match before Satish ran away with the decider 57-17. Adesh Kothari, the current state snooker champion, got the better of Kamalakannan by three frames to one. In another match, Athul Kishore of Kerala beat Neena Praveen while Abhinav (Buddy) got the better of Kerala's Mithun in a close encounter. Results: V R Satish Kumar (TNCA) bt R Anupama (Mylapore Club) 3-2 (69-40, 42-36, 14-60, 27-64, 57-17); Madan (Cue Zone) bt Vijayram (Mylapore Club) 3-2 (72-12, 54-66, 32-68, 51-42, 73-61); Abhinav (Buddys) bt Mithun (Kerala) 3-2 (32-63, 42-67, 63-57, 57-46, 62-27); Deepadarshan (TNBSA) bt Harish (TNBSA) 3-1 (44-42, 28-60, 45-35, 68-43). Adesh Kothari (Q-lounge) bt Kamalakannan ...
Stimac's experience will benefit Indian football team: Chhetri
Talismanic Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri Wednesday gave a big thumbs up to the appointment of Igor Stimac as head coach, saying that the team will benefit from the experience of the Croatian World Cupper. The 51-year-old Stimac, who was part of Croatia's 1998 World Cup squad that finished third in France, was Wednesday officially announced as head coach of the Indian team. He comes with an experience of over 18 years in coaching, structuring, and developing football with players back home and internationally. As a coach, Stimac's major achievement was guiding Croatia to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Finals in Brazil. "I would like to extend a warm welcome to the new boss, @stimac_igor on his appointment as coach of the national team. He brings with him tremendous experience of having coached on some of the biggest stages in football. We will do well to benefit from it," Chhetri said on his Twitter handle. The 34-year-old Indian, who has played for more than 100 matches for India and
Sune Luus is all praise for her bowlers
South Africa's stand-in captain Sune Luus hailed her bowling attack saying they are the 'best in the world'."At this time of the year, the pitches in South Africa play mostly the same. The three pitches we played on [in the ODIs] were kind of the same. They're just flat wickets. I think we expect the same here. It's going to be a good contest for the batsmen to showcase their talent," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Luus, as saying."It's still going to be a bit tough for our pace bowlers, but we know how great they are. They're the best bowling attack in the world. The way they've stepped up so far has been really good," she added.Except for the first ODI against Pakistan women, South Africa's bowlers have shown amazing performances as they bundled off the Pakistan women's team back to the pavilion for 147 runs, and subsequently helped the team register an eight-wicket victory in the second ODI.In the third clash as well, South Africa bowlers got hold of nine players but the match ended in a ...
Griezmann exit leaves Atletico lost just as rivals get set to strengthen
Antoine Griezmann's decision to leave Atletico Madrid has plunged the club into chaos and fired the starting gun for a summer scramble among Europe's elite. Top scorer in each of his five seasons, Griezmann was the stardust of Atleti, offering spontaneity and craft in a team renowned for discipline and grit. But he grafted too, which is why he was the perfect fit. Griezmann would run and chase as much as he passed and shot, his willingness perhaps exceptional for one of the world's premium attackers, a class in which he now deservedly belongs. "I said it last season and I'll say it again - Griezmann is the best player in the world," coach Diego Simeone said in October. In a team that creates more chances and gives him a greater chance of converting them, Griezmann is likely to deliver an even better return than his 129 goals for Atletico in 256 games. One more against Levante on Saturday will edge the Frenchman clear of Fernando Torres but Torres left a hero. Griezmann's exit will ...