Page 305 - Sports
KKR-Kings XI face each other in a must-win game
Staring at elimination, two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab will lock horns in a battle of survival in Friday's Indian Premier League (IPL) match, here. The two teams are languishing at the bottom half of the table and need to win tomorrow to keep alive their remote Play-off chances. Both KKR and Kings XI have 10 points from 12 matches but the Kolkata outfit is placed a rung above Punjab at sixth in the eight-team competition by virtue of a better net run-rate. Both KKR and Kings XI had a decent outing in the first half of the tournament before losing the plot in the all-important second phase. After registering four wins and one loss in the first five games, KKR suffered six defeats in a row that derailed their campaign. Although KKR return to winning ways against Mumbai Indians in their last game, the Dinesh Karthik-led side need to register victories in their final two games to have an outside chance of qualifying for the Play-offs. The KKR top-order -- ...
Messi shines as Barcelona thrash Liverpool
Barcelona vanquished Liverpool to register a 3-0 win in the first leg of the Champions League's semi-finals at Camp Nou on Thursday.In this much-anticipated battle, Luis Suarez scored the opening goal of the match in the first half of the match, giving Barcelona a one-goal lead over Liverpool.However, Barcelona did not stop there as their bigwig Lionel Messi added two more goals which brought the game to 3-0. Messi added these two goals in just a span of seven minutes as he scored the goals at 75' and 82'.Liverpool was unable to add any goal to their side which resulted in the game to conclude on the same. Hence, Jurgen Klopp's side faced a humiliating defeat from Barcelona.Messi had 598 goals under his belt when he had entered on the field, hence, with these two goals he touched the 600 goals milestone. It took 683 matches for the 31-year old to achieve this feat.Moreover, Messi, who has 12 goals in this Champions League, is the highest goal scorer and is followed by Ajax's Dusan ...
India, England retain top spots in ICC Test, ODI rankings
India and England have retained their top positions in the team rankings for Tests and ODIs, respectively, after the annual update in which series results from 2015-16 are removed, and outcomes from 2016-17 and 2017-18 are weighted at 50 per cent.
Sangakkara to take over as MCC president on Oct 1
Having impressed one and all with his speech that he delivered at the 2011 Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture, former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara will now become the first non-British president of the MCC on October 1.
Messi calls for unity after 3-0 win over Liverpool
Lionel Messi was the hero once again for FC Barcelona as he scored two goals to give his side a 3-0 win at home to Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal.
Boxers doing well, but can't sit on laurels: BFI chief
After a great outing by the Indian pugilist at the recently concluded Asian Championship in Bangkok, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) chief Ajay Singh wants the country to continue performing well at the global level but feels there is more to be done for improving the discipline in the domestic circuit.
Messi to lift LaLiga trophy for first time as Barca skipper
For the second year in a row, FC Barcelona are the champions of Spain. Ernesto Valverde has overseen another LaLiga Santander triumph, taking the Blaugrana onto 26 league titles. They're now just seven behind Real Madrid's record haul of 33 league trophies, a gap which has closed dramatically over the past decade; Barcelona have finished top of the pile in an incredible eight of the last eleven seasons.
PSG season ending in calamitous manner amid run of defeats
A season which started with 14 straight league wins is ending in a calamitous manner for Paris Saint-Germain. While the French league title has already been secured, a string of glaring individual errors, poor defending at set pieces and a lack of determination have seen PSG win just once in six games and concede 16 goals, including 11 in three straight away defeats. "We're making individual mistakes, and big ones," coach Thomas Tuchel said. "We're used to being the best team." Hired to bring Champions League success to the club, Tuchel instead finds himself mired in a domestic crisis. Lille scored five against PSG , while Montpellier won 3-2 on Tuesday and Nantes previously netted three . Rennes overcame a 2-0 deficit to win the French Cup last weekend on penalties. Never in the eight years since Qatari investors QSI took over has the club experienced such a bad run. Having already won the league, PSG in theory has nothing left to play for in the last four games, starting with Nice ..
Messi brace leads Barca to 3-0 win over Liverpool
Lionel Messi had a brace here Wednesday as FC Barcelona inflicted a 3-0 defeat on Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal tie.
Beautiful tracks for batsmen but bowlers won't get lateral movement at WC in UK: Tendulkar
Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendukar Thursday said the World Cup in the United Kingdom will offer beautiful batting tracks but he doesn't expect the ball to swing much in the hot conditions that will prevail there. The World Cup, which will kick-start on May 30 in the UK, will see all 10 participating nations face-off against each other. "I am told it's going to be a hot summer. Even in the Champions Trophy the wickets were superb when the sun was out. In the heat the wickets get really flat. I am sure they will give beautiful tracks to bat on," Tendulkar said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the MIG Club pavilion named after him. "I don't think there will be much difference in the conditions unless there is a heavy cloud cover. If there is a cloud cover, the ball might go around a bit. Even if that's the case I don't see that happening for a longer duration just the first over if at all," he added. Several Indian players, including captain Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and KL ...
Defeat to CSK reality check for us: DC captain Iyer
Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer has said that his sides 80-run defeat to Chennai Super Kings was a reality check for them.
Porto goalie Casillas suffers heart attack, out of danger
Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas suffered a heart attack but is out of danger, the Portuguese club said.
Dhoni's presence makes a huge difference, says Raina
The sheer presence of MS Dhoni on the pitch creates a lot of pressure for opposition teams and it is always difficult to fill the veteran stumper's boots whenever he is not around, said Chennai Super Kings' batsman Suresh Raina. Dhoni missed two games for CSK this season -- against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad -- due to fever and stiff back, and on both occasion they ended on the losing side. Besides, Dhoni has been in superb form with the bat this year and hit a 22-ball unbeaten 44 against Delhi Capitals to ensure a comfortable 80-run win for CSK. Asked Raina how challenging it was to lead CSK in Dhoni's absence, he replied: "I think losing him (Dhoni) as a captain is not an issue, losing him as a batsman is always difficult for us. That's what happened for us against Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians. "When he comes to the crease a lot of pressure is created for other teams. When he is not in the team, we see the difference." Raina also hinted that he might take up CSK ...
Dhoni says 'tennis-ball cricket' behind his glovework
M.S. Dhoni contributed with both bat and glove in Chennai Super Kings 80-run win over Delhi Capitals. His late surge propelled CSK to a total of 179/4 and later, he accounted for the wickets of Chris Morris and DC skipper Shreyas Iyer with two stunning stumpings in the same over.
I just watch ball and hit it: Dhoni reveals mantra
M.S. Dhoni led a late surge on Wednesday in Chennai Super Kings IPL match against Delhi Capitals at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium to help the defending champions set a total of 179. The CSK skipper was on 13 off 12 balls at the start of the 19th over and ended the innings on 44* off 22.
Dhoni credits tennis ball cricket for quick hands behind stumps
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is lightning quick behind the stumps and the veteran wicket-keeper batsman said it is a skill which he has developed from tennis ball cricket. Talking about his super quick stumpings, Dhoni said, "I think it's something that's come from tennis ball cricket. But you still have to do the basics and graduate to that level. If you want to keep like that you can make mistakes; so I still think basics are most important." Skipper Dhoni has been in super form in the ongoing IPL and after sitting out for a couple of matches due to fever and a stiff back, he smashed an unbeaten 44 off 22 balls to power Chennai Super Kings to 179 against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday night. CSK were struggling in the beginning but thanks to Dhoni, CSK scored 20 runs from the last over bowled by Trent Boult with the stumper finishing off with two sixes off the final two balls. Asked about his power-packed knock, Dhoni said he had spent enough time on the wicket to understand the bowling ...
Torino aim to honour past heroes in derby clash with Juve
Torino are pushing for a first-ever qualification for the Champions League as they face local rivals Juventus on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the air disaster that wiped out their all-conquering team of the 1940s. Eighteen Torino players and officials were among 31 people killed in the accident on May 4, 1949, when their plane crashed into the Superga hill near Turin. The 'Grande Torino' team, returning from a match against Benfica in Lisbon, had won the Serie A title five seasons in a row but won it just once after the crash, in 1976. Juve meanwhile have racked up 35 titles and recently secured their eighth in a row. Now they are closing in on the Champions League after a fine season that culminated last weekend with their first win over AC Milan since 2001, which put them just three points from the top four. "We mustn't think about the Champions League, what we need to do is to keep cool and keep our feet on the ground," said Torino president Urbano Cairo after the win. "In ...
Gameiro to torment Arsenal in Emery reunion
Kevin Gameiro has knocked Arsenal out of one Europa League semi-final and now he wants to do it again. Gameiro helped Atletico Madrid end Arsene Wenger's hopes of a glorious finale last season, a 2-1 aggregate win sending them through to the final, where they would sail past Marseille. Twelve months on, it is Unai Emery in charge of Arsenal and Gameiro leading the line for Valencia who, like their opponents, may well need to win the Europa League to play in the Champions League next term. "It's going to be a different game to last year, they have a new coach and he has brought his own style to the Arsenal team," Gameiro told AFP Sport. "We will have to be aware of all their strengths and weaknesses because they play a fast game, they control the ball and have players who can break quickly. It will need us to give everything to win." If Gameiro knows Arsenal, he knows Emery too, having played under the Spaniard at Sevilla, where together they won the Europa League three times on the ...
'Huge hunger' - Finch tips fired-up Warner to dominate World Cup
Australia captain Aaron Finch believes David Warner will enter this year's World Cup desperate to prove himself as the disgraced batsman prepares to rejoin his teammates after a ball-tampering ban. Warner has been in red-hot form in the India Premier League after completing a 12-month suspension for cheating, averaging 69.20 in 12 innings, including a century and eight fifties. Finch expected the fiery batsman to also dominate on the international stage, providing a massive boost for Australia as the reigning champions chase a sixth World Cup trophy. "He's coming back with a huge hunger, not just to perform well for his franchise, but to dominate international cricket again," Finch told Melbourne commercial radio Wednesday. "When you have your dream taken away from you for 12 months, I can imagine there's something inside you that burns really strongly." Finch said the ban, imposed after Warner masterminded the "Sandpaper-gate" scandal in Cape Town last year, had given the 32-year-old
Klopp hails 'unstoppable' Messi after Barca star shines in CL semi
Jurgen Klopp admitted Lionel Messi was "unstoppable" on Wednesday after he left Liverpool needing a miracle to reach the Champions League final. Luis Suarez poked in against his former club before Messi hit a late double, the second a stunning free-kick for his 600th Barca goal, as his team took a 3-0 lead from a pulsating semi-final first leg ahead of next week's return at Anfield. "He's unstoppable," said Klopp afterwards. "Obviously we couldn't defend the free-kick. What a strike. He's a world-class player but I knew that already. It's no surprise." Klopp could only smile after Messi's curling shot nestled in the top corner but this result was harsh on his side. They matched Barcelona in the first half, dominated them early in the second and could still have left with an away goal after Messi's brilliant brace, only for Mohamed Salah to hit the post. "I said to the boys I was proud of how we played against a side like this," Klopp said. "If you lose away it's not a massive problem .