Page 278 - Sports
Ronaldo terms criticism targeting Neymar 'unfair'
Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo has termed the criticism directed at Paris Saint-Germain player Neymar as 'unfair' and expressed his firm belief that the Brazilian will 'turn his situation around'."In football there has always been criticism. We cannot do anything about it. I see him as a very intelligent kid, an extraordinary talent, and wanting to have continuity again. He had two serious injuries that reduced his game time, and that opened the window of controversy to him when not being on the field," Goal quoted Ronaldo, as saying."The vast majority of criticism is unfair. I believe in him and I'm sure he will turn his situation around," he added.However, Ronaldo cleared the air on speculations about Neymar moving to Real Madrid."I do not know about Neymar. It has been dragging on for many years. There are many rumours, but I do not think there is anything concrete with Real Madrid," he said."He is an incredible player that anyone would like to have. But, from what I see, he's .
Women's T20 Challenge: Supernovas overpower Velocity to secure 12-run victory
Jemimah Rodrigues' unbeaten 77 helped Supernovas trounce Velocity by 12 runs in the ongoing Women's T20 Challenge at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Thursday.Chasing a decent target of 143 runs, Velocity had a poor start as both their openers, Hayley Matthews (11) and Shefali Verma (2), were sent back to the pavilion in the first four overs.Daniel Wyatt and skipper Mithali Raj then came out to bat and took control of the inning as they both played steadily and kept adding runs to the scoreboard.Wyatt played furiously as she walloped four boundaries and two sixes. However, in the 12th over she tried to swing across the line but missed the shot and the ball hit the stumps which ended her 43-run inning.Wyatt's dismissal brought Veda Krishnamurthy out on the field. Raj (40*) and Krishnamurthy (30*) played slowly and avoided playing risky shots. As both the batters relied more on singles and doubles, they failed to chase down the target and faced a 12-run defeat in the hands of ...
Supernovas beat Velocity by 12 runs
Despite valiant knocks by Danielle Wyatt (43 off 33) and skipper Mithali Raj (40 unbeaten off 42), Velocity failed to cross the line by 12 runs against the Supernovas in the third and final contest of the Womens T20 Challenge 2019 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Thursday.
Federer saves two match points to beat Monfils in Madrid
Roger Federer saved two match points to defeat France's Gael Monfils 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3) on Thursday to reach the Madrid Open quarter-finals. Federer trailed 4-2 in the deciding set before levelling at 4-4. The 20-time Grand Slam winner then saved match points in the 12th game before sweeping through the tiebreaker to record his 1,200th career win. Federer, playing his first clay court tournament in three years, will face Austrian fifth seed and recent Barcelona champion Dominic Thiem on Friday for a place in the semi-finals.
Rodrigues' unbeaten 77 helps Supernovas beat Velocity and enter final
Teenager Jemimah Rodrigues struck an unbeaten 77 to help Supernovas beat Velocity by 12 runs and enter the final of the Women's T20 Challenge here Thursday. The two sides will again face each other in the summit clash on Saturday as the third team, Trailblazers, who also secured the same two points as Velocity and Supernova, finished third on the basis of net run rate. Sent into bat in their must-win match, the Supernovas scored 142 for 3, thanks to 18-year-old Rodrigues' 48-ball 77 not out and then restricted Velocity to 130 for 3 to win the final round-robin league match of the tournament. After Thursday's result, all the three teams ended on two points each after one win by each side but Velocity and Supernovas ended with plus 0.25 and plus 0.045 net runs rates respectively while the Trailblazers secured minus 0.305. Trailblazers had beaten Supernovas by 2 runs in the opening match on Monday while Velocity had defeated Trailblazers by three wickets on Wednesday. Chasing 143 for a ..
CAB introduces 10 minutes added time to combat heat
The Cricket Association of Bengal's first and second division One-Day matches will have 10 additional minutes per session because of extreme heat and humid conditions, the state body said Thursday. "The safety of everyone involved with the execution of CAB matches, including players and officials is of prime importance. Such added time must only be used as drinks break," CAB joint-secretary Avishek Dalmiya stated in a release. "Supply of adequate quantity of Gatorade tablets to prevent dehydration; quantum of drinking water at local grounds to be increased; ambulances in more numbers to be made available so that no time is wasted in case of any injury or otherwise.
Our bouncing back ability makes us dangerous: Azhar Ali
Pakistan player Azhar Ali feels that their ability to bounce back from anywhere makes them dangerous."It's annoying for us to keep being unpredictable, but it's true. We know we can bounce back from anywhere and that makes us dangerous. We have done well in World Cups, even though no-one rates us that highly in the build-up. We always produce good performances so hopefully this will be a special one," ICC quoted Ali, as saying.Ali, who announced his retirement from ODI cricket last year, also commented over the speculation regarding Mohammad Amir saying that he might feature in the final group of 15 member World Cup squad if he performs well against England."It's up to the selectors but Amir is definitely a very good bowler. He's lacked form in a few ODIs and didn't perform up to his potential, but we all know he's world-class. It's up to the management and selectors to decide whether he's up to it or not. If he performs well against England, he might just get in the squad," Ali ...
Farah to run Chicago marathon as track talk fades
Mo Farah has confirmed he will defend his Chicago Marathon title, a decision that suggests he has ended his flirtation with a return to the track at this year's world championships. The marathon takes place on October 13, just a week after the 10,000 metres at the championships in Doha. That would appear to rule him out of defending his world title. Four-time Olympic champion Farah turned his back on the track in 2017 to concentrate on long-distance road running. He claimed the European record in two hours, five minutes and 11 seconds when winning his first marathon in Chicago last year. Earlier this year, the British athlete hinted at a potential return to the track at the world championships. The 36-year-old finished fifth in last month's London Marathon in a time of 2:05:39, well off the searing pace set by Kenya's world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge (2:02:37). "Winning the Chicago Marathon last year was very special for me," Farah said in a statement issued by the organisers on ...
No new contract for Cameron White, confirms Cricket Victoria
Cricket Victoria has decided not to offer a contract to Cameron White for the upcoming 2019-20 season."Cameron has been one of the great success stories in recent decades of Victorian cricket. He was recognised as a talented junior from Bairnsdale and went on to represent Australia at every level. He has been a terrific servant and leader in Victorian cricket over his career," Victoria cricket official website quoted Shaun Graf, Victoria's general manager of cricket, as saying."The list management decision-making process has not been an easy one. Naturally, we've looked at the depth in our squad, the talented youth emerging and the international availability of our senior players next season. As a result, we've had to make a very hard decision on Cameron's playing tenure with Victoria," he added.The 35-year-old finishes with six Sheffield Shield titles for Victoria, including three as captain, and a one-day title after debuting as an 18-year-old in 2001. Moreover, White was handed the
Hockey goalie Chitke's suspension reduced to 13 months
Hockey goalkeeper Akash Chitke's two-year dope suspension was Thursday reduced to 13 months after the National Anti-Doping Agency concluded that the player did not take the prohibited substance "intentionally". Chitke, a former India player, was provisionally suspended by NADA's Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) for a minimum of two years for using banned anabolic steroid (Norandrosterone) during an out-of-competition test during the senior team's hockey camp in Bengaluru on February 27 last year. But Chitke's punishment has been reduced by the Anti-Doping Appeal Panel (ADAP) following a hearing here Thursday. "The Disciplinary Panel after going through all the records concluded that the appellant had not committed the anti-doping violation intentionally," the ADAP said in its judgement. "We are therefore of the opinion that the ineligibility of 4 years (later reduced to a minimum of 2 years) imposed on the appellant is erroneous and must be substituted by the benefit available to
Tough day for Indians; invitee Jordan leads with 63
The three Indians on show at the British Masters -- Shubhankar Sharma, Gaganjeet Bhullar and SSP Chawrasia -- literally ran into rough weather with disappointing cards, even as a 23-year-old invitee, Matthew Jordan shot a stunning bogeyfree 63 to open up a two-shot lead on the opening day on Thursday. Tournament host Tommy Fleetwood, who won the pre-event Hero Challenge, also got off to a fine start with a 68, but was still five behind young Jordan, who is a member of nearby Links course, Royal Hoylake. Between Jordan and Fleetwood, there was a bunch of players. Swede Marcus Kinhult, another good Links-playing youngster, shot 65 and three players, including the battle-scarred 46-year-old veteran Lee Westwood were at six-under each. Westwood had six more holes to play. Chawrasia, playing in the first group on a cold, windy and wet day, wore three layers and had an umbrella open for 16 holes. His sole birdie was on the second, the 11th of the course, and he gave away five bogeys in the .
Rodrigues' unbeaten 77 guides Supernovas to 142/2
Jemimah Rodrigues' magnificent unbeaten 77-run knock rocketed Supernovas to 142/3 against Velocity in the third and final contest of the Womens T20 Challenge 2019 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Thursday.
There are India players with 50 strike-rate but they don't come in radar: Mithali
Mithali Raj's T20 strike-rate has always provided fodder for his critics but what India's ODI skipper can't fathom as to how some of the players with worse strike-rate never come under scanner like her. Still coming to terms with the biggest controversy in women's cricket involving her, former coach Ramesh Powar and CoA member Diana Edulji, whom she accused of trying to finish her career. However Mithali feels that she has always been unfairly targeted despite some of the other players also coming cropper in shorter formats. "In the first game [of Women's T20 Challenge], there were a couple of players whose strike rate was below 100. Was it made an issue? No. Because it doesn't come in the radar because it is not Mithali Raj," Mithali told 'Cricbuzz' in an interview. However without naming young Jemimah Rodrigues, Mithali pointed out at a top-order player, who had a strike of 50 against England. While Mithali didn't name the young Mumbaikar, but she had scored 11 off 22 balls in the ..
24,570 to run in TCS 10K marathon in Bengaluru
As many as 24,570 runners, including international track and field athletes, have registered to run in the 12th edition of the TCS World 10K marathon here on May 19, said an official of the Indian IT bellwether on Thursday.
Rodrigues' unbeaten 77 takes Supernovas to 142/3 against Velocity
Teenager Jemimah Rodrigues struck an unbeaten 77 to help Supernovas post 142 for 3 in their Women's T20 Challenge match against Velocity here on Thursday. Rodrigues struck 10 fours and a six from 48 balls in her aggressive innings after the Supernovas were sent into bat in their must-win match. Coming out to bat in the fifth over after the fall of opener Priya Punia (16) when the team score was 29 for 1, Rodrigues was involved in two substantial partnerships as she anchored the Supernova innings admirably well. She first had a 45-run stand with Sri Lankan Chamari Atapattu (31) for the second wicket before stitching another partnership of 50 runs with Sophie Devine (9) of New Zealand for the third wicket. The 18-year-old Rodrigues, a member of the semifinalist Indian side in the 2018 Women's T20 World Cup, was most severe against pacewoman Komal Zanzad (0/29) who was hit for four boundaries. Rodrigues hit the only six of her unbeaten knock off the bowling of Jahanara Alam (0/34) in the
Inspire Institute of Sport ties up with Tsukuba university
In a first-of-its kind partnership, the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences University of Tsukuba, Japan, which will see IIS athletes travel to Japan for training camps at the university and see the delivery of Olympic-Paralympic education programmes in India.
Gokulam Kerala beat SSB Women's FC 5-0 in IWL
Gokulam Kerala thrashed SSB Women's Football Club 5-0 to post their third win on the trot in the Indian Women's League at the Guru Nanak Stadium here Thursday. Anju Tamang scored a brace in the first and 89th minutes while Anita Rawat (39th), Ranjana Chanu (46th) and Bawitlung Vanlalhriattiri (74th) struck once goal each. Gokulam took the lead immediately after the start of the game. An intricate move was converted into a goal by India international Anju Tamang. The entire move took Gokulam just 14 seconds, which made this the fastest goal scored in the 2018-19 season of the IWL. The Kerala side doubled the lead when Anita Rawat scored minutes before the half time break. Sanju sent in a low cross from the left flank that was tapped in by Rawat. Ranjana Chanu made it 3-0 just after the restart before Bawitlung made it four goals up. Tamang then scored at the fag end of the match to complete the route. By virtue of this win, Gokulam took a big lead at the top of the Group II table with .
Ferrari new boy Leclerc maybe faster than Vettel, says Ecclestone
Bernie Ecclestone admitted Thursday that he misjudged the potential and speed of Charles Leclerc and hinted that the Ferrari new boy may be faster than team-mate and four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel. The former commercial supremo of Formula One had been a critic of Ferrari's decision to bring in Leclerc as a replacement for Kimi Raikkonen. But, he told La Gassetta dello Sport, he knows now that this was an error of judgement. "I was wrong, I thought that sending Raikkonen away was not a good move," said Ecclestone. "I will have to wait a while before making a final judgement, of course, but at the moment Charles seems to be super-fast. "He's got great car control and he is, perhaps, even faster than Vettel. Seb isn't old though so what's happening to him now is strange. "Maybe he had thought he had an easy life and he didn't realise how fast Charles could be, but now he knows -- and I still believe that Vettel can win the championship." Vettel and Ferrari are currently ...
Football agent Raiola vows to fight three-month Italy ban
Super agent Mino Raiola said Thursday he would be taking legal action to overturn a three-month ban imposed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) from brokering deals in Italy. The outspoken agent -- whose high-profile clients include Manchester United's Paul Pogba, Marseille's Mario Balotelli, and Juventus teenage striker Moise Kean -- was handed the FIGC suspension on Wednesday. The FIGC did not give a reason for the ban imposed on Raiola and his cousin Vincenzo Raiola, who is also an agent. The ban would prevent the powerful Italian-Dutch agent from doing business with clubs in Italy for most of the summer transfer window. But Raiola said he would take legal action, insisting the suspension follows his criticism of the Italian FA which he has called "weak and non-existent" and slammed over recent racism controversies. "This Italian ban is not a surprise, unfortunately," the 51-year-old said in a statement. "I guess the Italian Football Association has not forgiven me when I ...
Morgan credits Andrew Strauss for their resurgence
England is on top of the ICC One-day International Rankings and the England skipper Eoin Morgan has given credit to former player Andrew Strauss for this accomplishment.England made a plethora of changes to their one-day squad following their group-stage exit at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2015 which included the appointment of Strauss as the England and Wales Cricket Board director of Cricket."The appointment of Andrew Strauss, and the direction that he gave myself, the coach and the selectors in how we were going to play our cricket, we were certainly on board with that," ICC quoted Morgan, as saying."And then selecting a group of players who played in the manner that we wanted to play, and then trusting them and giving them plenty of time to adapt to the new style of play. I think those three key things were massive in our transformation," he added.Morgan also stated that he took some lessons from the last edition of the quadrennial tournament."It's been a long process. I think