Page 275 - Sports
Hardik Pandya sounds warning ahead of IPL final
Hardik Pandya tweeted an image on Friday with a caption that said: "Ready for the battle royal." The post comes on a day when his IPL side Mumbai Indians will know who they will face in the final which is scheduled to be played on Sunday.
Smith got his timing and class back, says Finch
Australia skipper Aaron Finch praised Steve Smith after he played an unbeaten knock of 91 runs in the third clash with New Zealand XI in Brisbane on Friday."His [Smith] timing and class was back again. It was like he hadn't left. His drives down the ground on a really difficult wicket to time off the front foot was so impressive, just the amount of time he spent in the middle and how he went through the gears was very impressive," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Finch as saying.Australia XI, under the leadership of Alex Carey, won the match by five wickets (DLS method).As far as World Cup is concerned, Finch believes that it is a 'big advantage' to have six experienced players, who featured in the 2015 edition of World Cup as it will play a crucial factor when they will step out on the field to defend their title.Finch, Smith, Maxwell, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins featured in the previous edition of the quadrennial tournament and will be aiming to claim the tournament for the ...
Mexico's Olymic walker Gonzalez banned for doping
World and Olympic 20km walk silver medallist Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez of Mexico has been banned for four years for doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit said Friday. Gonzalez, 30, tested positive for the anabolic steroid trenbolone on October 17 last year and will be suspended until November 2022, said the independent body which polices drug abuse in athletics. However, she will retain her medals received in 2016 when she won silver at the Rio Olympics and 2017 when she was runner-up at the world championships in London. At a hearing, the unit rejected her defence argument that her positive test stemmed from the fact that she had increased her consumption of red meat to combat anaemia. The concentration of steroid was too great to come from meat consumption, the AIU concluded. Gonzalez has the right to appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Neymar banned for three matches for lashing out at fan
Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar was banned for three matches Friday with a further two-match ban suspended for lashing out at a fan following the club's shock defeat in the French Cup final. Announcing the ban, the French football federation said the sanction would go into effect from May 13 allowing the Brazilian superstar to appear for the French champions against Angers in Ligue 1 on Saturday. But he will miss the last two games of the domestic season and the French Champions Trophy pitting PSG against their cup final conquerors winners Rennes in Shenzhen, China in August. Neymar swung at an abusive opposing fan while climbing the steps to receive his French Cup final losers medal following the shock defeat to Rennes on penalties last month. On a nightmare night for PSG, Rennes came back from 2-0 down to 2-2 at the end of regulation time, forcing extra time and penalties. Meanwhile, Neymar has appealed against another ban, this time a three-match Champions League ban imposed by .
'It's only pain': Klopp hopeful on Salah for Premier League finale
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hopes to have Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Jordan Henderson fit for Sunday's Premier League finale against Wolves as the Reds aim to end a 29-year wait to win the title. Klopp's men trail Manchester City by one point at the top of the table and need the champions' 13-game winning run to come to an end at Brighton if they are to win the league. Liverpool are in high spirits after a stunning 4-0 win over Barcelona on Tuesday booked their place in a second consecutive Champions League final. Klopp confirmed Roberto Firmino remains out with a groin tear as Wolves visit Anfield. Klopp said he hopes the Brazilian will be ready for the Champions League final against Tottenham on June 1. Salah missed the Barcelona game after suffering concussion in a 3-2 win at Newcastle last weekend. "Mo looked good around the celebrations after the game, to be honest," said Klopp. "The day before yesterday and yesterday he was running outside and will be part of training
Don't mention Brexit! England rule Europe with historic sweep
The Premier League has marked its return to prominence on the European stage as stunning Champions League comebacks from Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur to make the final was followed by Arsenal and Chelsea booking their place in the Europa League final. For the first time ever all four finalists will come from the same country, prompting concerns on the continent over the Premier League's wealth and status thanks to huge television rights deals. The English sweep on the football field comes, ironically, as the United Kingdom wrestles with Brexit, the painful and protracted withdrawal from the European Union. Only twice before in European football -- the 1972 UEFA Cup and 2008 Champions League -- had two English teams contested a final. But now two will take place in the space of four days as Arsenal and Chelsea square off in a London derby, 4,500 km (2,800 miles) from home, in Baku on May 29 before Liverpool and Tottenham clash in Madrid on June 1. "A full English," ran the headline .
Djokovic into Madrid semis as Cilic withdraws ill
Novak Djokovic walked into the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters on Friday when ninth-seeded Marin Cilic withdrew before their match with stomach problems, officials said. Cilic tweeted his regrets. "I am sorry to announce that I must withdraw from today's match. I have had a terrible night dealing with a case of food poisoning," he wrote. "I am extremely disappointed to have my time in Madrid end in this way. Thank you for the support." In the semi-final on Saturday, top-seeded Djokovic will face either Roger Federer or 2018 finalist Dominic Thiem who meet later on Friday in their quarter-final. Cilic, winner of the US Open five years ago, entered Madrid with a 4-6 record and two clay losses but had started getting his game in gear. The Croatian saved four match points against Martin Klizan in his opening match on Monday and needed three sets to win each of his next two encounters. Djokovic won the Madrid title in 2016 and 2011.
Suarez to miss Copa del Rey final, doubt for Copa America
Luis Suarez will be out for four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on a knee injury, Barcelona announced on Friday. Suarez will miss the Copa del Rey final against Valencia on May 25 and also faces a fight to be fit for the Copa America in Brazil next month. Uruguay's first game is against Ecuador on June 16, just over five weeks after Suarez had the operation on Thursday. "Suarez was subjected last night to an arthroscopy on the right knee due to an internal meniscal injury," read a club statement released on Friday. "His approximate time out will be between four and six weeks." Suarez has a better chance of playing in Uruguay's second and third group games, against Japan on June 20, and defending champions Chile on June 24. But his absence from the cup final in Seville is a major blow to Barcelona, who can secure their second domestic double in as many years by beating Valencia. Suarez will also miss Barca's final two La Liga games at home to Getafe on Sunday and away to Eibar ..
Sterling preparing for 'biggest game of my life'
Raheem Sterling says he is preparing for the biggest game of his life after receiving the Football Writers' Association player of the year award. A stunning season with Manchester City and England has been backed up by impressive work off the pitch in the fight against racism. Sterling's form has earned him the Professional Footballers' Association young player of the year award and the writers' trophy, which he collected in London on Thursday. Manchester City head to their final game of the season at Brighton on Sunday a point clear of Liverpool, who host Wolves, at the top of the Premier League. In his acceptance speech at the FWA dinner he said: "Right now, being here and getting voted the writers' player of the year is amazing and on Sunday I have the biggest game of my life to go and win. It's very special." He added: "My mum is the biggest inspiration on my life, whenever something is going wrong I always think of my mum. She is always fighting, I have seen her fighting through .
Indian archers return empty-handed from WC Stage II
India returned empty-handed from the Archery World Cup Stage II here after the country's recurve and compound mixed pair teams crashed out in the second round, here Friday. Jagdish Choudhary and Preeti were 1-1 in the opening set but they failed to capitalise and went down to the American pair of Brady Ellison and Erin Mickelberry 2-6 in the recurve section. Later, the compound mixed duo of Praveen Kumar and Parveena, who got a bye in the first round, lost 151-155 to their lower-ranked opponents from Malaysia, thus ending their campaign without a medal. The Indians already exited from the individual and team events of both the recurve and compound categories on Thursday. The Archery Association of India fielded a second string side for the second stage of the World Cup and they were further handicapped by the absence of any coach in compound section due to internal wrangling in the parent body, Archery Association of India (AAI). Travel issues had prevented India's top team from ...
Mohun Bagan rope in Vicuna as head coach
City football giants Mohun Bagan on Friday announced the appointment of Spanish coach Jose Antonio "Kibu" Vicuna for the upcoming football season, the club said in a statement.
Mukesh Kumar wins PGTI Players Championship
Seasoned golfer Mukesh Kumar produced a spectacular and error-free last round of seven-under-65 to win the TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship here Friday. The 53-year-old from Mhow won by one shot with a total of 15-under-273 at Panchkula Golf Club. The old warhorse Mukesh (70-67-71-65), who has over 100 titles to his credit in a 35-year-long career, claimed a record 20th title on the TATA Steel PGTI and thus ended a two-year winless streak. The former Asian Tour winner had secured his last victory at the PGTI Cochin Masters in Kochi in April 2017. It was also Mukesh's first triumph at the Panchkula Golf Club. His winning cheque worth Rs 4,84,950 lifted him from 11th to fourth place in the PGTI Order of Merit. Panchkula's Angad Cheema (67-67-75-65), who was playing at his home course, delivered an equally impressive 65 in round four to finish runner-up at 14-under-274. Delhi-based teenager Kshitij Naveed Kaul, a recent winner on the PGTI, fired the tournament's best round of 64 on ..
Sony to broadcast archery events in Indian sub-continent
Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited on Friday announced that it will telecast all international archery events of this year, including next month's World Championships.
Mohun Bagan ropen in Spaniasr Vicuna as head coach
Mohun Bagan on Friday announced the appointment of 47-year-old Spaniard Kibu Vicuna as their head coach for the 2019-20 season. An UEFA Pro Licence holder, Vicuna was at the helm of Wisla Plock in the Poland First Division league 'Ekstraklasa', and he will succeed Khalid Jamil. Vicuna has a wealth of experience in coaching in Spain and Poland and won the Polish League and the Polish Cup in 2012-13 as part of Legia Warsaw coaching staff. "We have spoken with Kibu and he is happy and excited about the challenges of coaching in Mohun Bagan," directors of Mohun Bagan FC, Srinjoy Bose and Debashish Dutta, said in a statement. "Kibu has the ability, knowledge and experience. He promotes young players and has a style and a way of working similar to ours. He has a philosophy of the game that is very much like Mohun Bagan's philosophy and is a hard worker. Also, he is passionate about applying advanced technology to both training and matches." In 2015-16, Vicuna won the Polish Super Cup as ...
Wankhede to lead 'Mumbai Che Raje' at IPKL
Raider Shashank Wankhede will lead 'Mumbai Che Raje' in the inaugural edition of the Indo- International Premier Kabaddi League (IPKL) which will be held from May 13. The announcement was made at a media conference here Friday. It was also announced that Prakash Salunkhe and Sneha Karnale will be the head coaches of the Mumbai team. Wankhede said his team will aim to lift the trophy at the opening edition of the league. Mumbai Che Raje also has players like Rashid Shaikh and Devendra Kadam, who were part of the gold-medal winning team in All-India Police Kabaddi Championships. Sanjay Selukar, co-owner of Mumbai Che Raje, said no Pakistani player will be play in their team. He claimed that because of visa issues international players were currently not playing in the League. The IPKL is to be conducted across three cities - Pune, Mysore and Bengaluru - from May 13 to June 4.
Top players for snooker tournament in Chennai
: Top cueists from across the country are battling for honours in the SVS Club Open Snooker Championship 2019 which got underway here Friday. Leading players taking part include Yogesh Kumar, Anuj Uppal, Railways cueists Rafath Habib, Girish, Arvind Kumar, Pandurangaiah, Faisal Khan and Dilip Kumar, organisers said Thursday. The tournament would be played on a 15 red snooker, knockout format featuring a total of 128 players and concludes on May 21, chief referee R B Ganesh said. The winner of the championship, organised by Suguna Vilasa Sabha under the auspices of the Tamilnadu Billiards and Snooker Association, will receive Rs 60,000 and the runner-up Rs 30,000. Till the round of 64, it would be best of 5 frames. The round of 32 and pre-quarterfinals would be best of 7 frames. The quarterfinals and the semifinals would be best of 9 frames. The final would be best of 11 frames. Tamil Nadu would be represented by Prem Prakash, S A Saleem, Varun Kumar, Naveen, S ...
Smith in best physical condition of his life: Langer
Australia coach Justin Langer has said that Steve Smith is in the "best physical condition of his life." Smith showed ominous form in Australia's practice matches against New Zealand scoring an unbeaten 91 on Friday to lead Australia to victory. This was after he had scored an unbeaten 89 off 77 balls in the previous match.
Madappa tied 13 in tough conditions, Gangjee makes cut
Viraj Madappa played steady golf in tough conditions over the back nine for an even par 71 to move into tied 13th at the midway stage of the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup here Friday. Madappa, 21, who won his maiden Asian Tour title last year at home in Bengaluru at Take Solutions Masters, was one of the only two Indians to make the cut. Rahil Gangjee, winner of the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open in Japan last year, was the other one. Gangjee, who had a disappointing opening round of 76, fought back brilliantly for a bogey-free two-under 69 to make the cut at three-over. He was tied 33rd. The weekend cut fell at four-over par with 60 players making it into the final two rounds. The rest of the Indians, Khalin Joshi (73-74), Ajeetesh Sandhu (76-72), Shiv Kapur (77-72), Jeev Milkha Singh (77-75), amateur Anant Singh Ahlawat (81-79) missed the cut. S Chikkrangappa withdrew after the first round. Madappa has been going through a rough patch missing seven cuts in nine starts in 2019, including two
Smith has got his timing and class back: Aaron Finch
Steve Smith's "timing and class" is back and it seems that he had never left the Australian set-up, skipper Aaron Finch said Friday as the national team gears up for the World Cup on a war-footing. Back after a year's suspension for his involvement in ball-tampering scandal, Smith was scratchy during Indian Premier League but found his mojo back with unbeaten 89 and 91 against New Zealand in two warm-up games. "His [Smith] timing and class was back again," Finch was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo. "It was like he hadn't left. His drives down the ground on a really difficult wicket to time off the front foot was so impressive, just the amount of time he spent in the middle and how he went through the gears was very impressive," Australian skipper said. Finch is happy that both Smith and David Warner have done incredible work during their time off the field which is showing off. Warner finished his IPL campaign with 692 runs. "They are two of the best players in the world which is ...
I want to bat at number three position: Shakib Al Hasan
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan on Friday expressed his desire to bat at number three position in the limited-overs format ahead of the upcoming World Cup."There was a time when I had to come on to the crease before the first 10 overs even if I batted at No.5. But now things have changed, I don't get a chance to bat before 35-40 overs if I bat at the No.5 position," International Cricket Council (ICC) quoted Hasan as saying."For me, I think, the earlier the better. So, personally speaking, I want to play at No.3. I have also expressed my desire to the coach and the captain. But I don't have any problem to play anywhere for the team," he added.Hasan has batted at number three position for Bangladesh in 13 ODIs, scoring 492 runs at an average of 41.This average is higher than his career average of 35.45 and Shakib cited that playing at number three position would give him more opportunities to make an impact in the match.The player recently underwent a change in his training ...