Page 315 - Sports

Van Dijk not eying Messi's crown as world's best

Virgil van Dijk was crowned the Premier League's Player of the Year by his peers on Sunday, but the Liverpool defender insists he is not thinking of battling Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d'Or. Van Dijk will come up against the five-time Ballon d'Or winner when Liverpool travel to Barcelona for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday. Messi has scored 46 goals this season as Barca have wrapped up another La Liga title with three games to spare and remain on course for a treble of league, Copa del Rey and Champions League. "That's not something that's on my mind at all," said Van Dijk at the prospect of rivalling Messi. "There are currently players walking around in this football world that are out of this world basically and they've been doing it for many years. "I'm very happy how I perform at the moment, how consistent I'm performing, that I'm fit as well. I think I just need to not look too far ahead." Liverpool head to the Camp Nou on a run of 10 consecutive

Mercedes' Hamilton tells Ferrari to shape up

Lewis Hamilton has warned Ferrari to shape up and mount a serious title challenge after his Mercedes team swept the first four races of the season. The defending five-time world champion, who finished second behind his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, said the Italian team need to fight back hard to stay in contention to avert a similar Mercedes procession in next month's Spanish Grand Prix. "Until they start to perform at the level we are now, then this is how it's going to be," said Hamilton, who slipped a point behind championship leader Bottas on Sunday when Mercedes collected a record season-opening fourth straight one-two. "We definitely didn't expect to have this level of performance, but I am glad we do ... I think the team is out-performing itself. They're going to have to pick it up if they want to fight us." Ferrari's four-time champion Sebastian Vettel finished third and his team-mate Charles Leclerc fifth. "He is right," said Vettel, ..

Premier League top-four contenders limp towards line

Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United all failed to muster a win for the second consecutive Premier League weekend as the contenders for a place in next season's Champions League stumble towards the finish line. Spurs, in third place behind runaway pacesetters Manchester City and Liverpool, are best-placed to secure a fourth straight season of Champions League football. Their 1-0 win over Brighton on Tuesday is the only time in the past 10 games involving the four sides that one of them has won. Chelsea are in pole position for fourth, two points ahead of Arsenal, with United's chances now looking slim -- they are a point behind Arsenal with a significantly inferior goal difference. AFP Sports looks at why all four have hit the wall as the season reaches its climax. Tottenham - 70 points ===================== A first defeat at the club's new stadium, against West Ham on Saturday, means Spurs have now lost 12 times in the league this season. Yet it has still been a ...

Indians win 1 silver, 2 bronze at Asian Road para-cycling c'ships

Indian para-athletes came up with brilliant performance to secure a silver and two bronze medals at the Asian Road para-cycling championships at Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Divij Shah continued his remarkable record at this prestigious tournament by clinching his third consecutive silver medal in the C5 category during the April 23-28 tournament, which saw participants from 28 countries vying for top honours. Asian Para Games bronze medallist Gurlal Singh, who is the only Indian cyclist (able-bodied or otherwise) to win a medal at the Asian Games level, helped swell the country's medal tally further by grabbing a bronze in the C4 section. Hand cyclist Sudhakar Marathe from Maharashtra made a memorable debut as he claimed another bronze for India in H5 category. In the past two years, the Indian contingent won a silver and a bronze medal in each edition through Divij Shah and Harinder Singh respectively. Shah said it was a great feeling to have retained the silver medal for the third ...

India to bid for 2024 World TT Championships

Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has decided to bid for the 2024 edition of the biennial World Team Championships. TTFI secretary M P Singh, who was in Hungary for the World Championships which concluded on Sunday, said the time has come for India to host a high-profile event. The last time India hosted a World Championships was way back in 1987. "We will be bidding for the 2024 edition in which 32 teams will take part," Singh told PTI. Team Championships take place on even years and Individual Championships on odd years. The last big ITTF event that was staged in India was in 2012 when Hyderabad hosted the World Junior Championships. Singh also confirmed that TTFI has recommended three names to the sports ministry for the Arjuna award and they are Harmeet Desai, Sanil Shetty and Madhurika Patkar. Desai was recommended last year as well but the selection panel picked Manika Batra and G Sathiyan for the honour following their path-breaking showing in the Commonwealth and Asian ..

Ireland announces squad for England ODI and tri-series

Ireland have announced their squad for the one-off ODI against England and for the initial matches of their tri-series against Bangladesh and West Indies.The team will be led by William Porterfield and the fourteen-member team includes two uncapped players Lorcan Tucker and Josh Little."We have been delighted to watch the continued improvement of Josh Little and Lorcan Tucker - both of whom will now be in the running to make their debuts in one-day international cricket," Andrew White, Ireland's chair of national men's selectors said in an official statement on Monday."Josh gives us that left-arm pace variation and he has continued to impress with some consistent performances - we believe he can transfer his T20 skills into the one-day arena," he added.Gary Wilson who missed the Afghanistan tour due to medical issues, has been recalled back into the team. The player has played 99 ODIs for Ireland.Peter Chase has been dropped from the squad after struggling in the T20Is which preceded .

Victory over Pep's City required more than tactical approach, says Pochettino

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino revealed that it required more than just tactics to beat Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the Champions League's quarter-final."There is nothing concrete, it had to do with a lot of things. It goes beyond a tactical approach. It's about quality, overcoming the circumstances that are taking place, the different moments that a match has, and also having some luck," Goal.com quoted Pochettino, as saying."We should not get too proud, but we also have quality in our football. We face each game with courage," he added.Tottenham defeated Manchester City on away goals both the teams ended on an aggregate of 4-4 in the quarter-finals.Pochettino also stated that Champions League is only behind Premier League in terms of difficulty, hence, it is not easy to win."Everyone that does not win is labelled a failure too quickly, I do not like that word. It is not easy to win the Champions League, only Real Madrid won three (in a row) and that is incredible, ...

Shoaib Malik to return home from England tour for personal reasons

Experienced Pakistan middle-order batsman Shoaib Malik will return home for 10 days from the ongoing tour of England due to personal reasons, the PCB said on Monday. "The Pakistan cricket team management has given leave to Shoaib Malik so that he can return home to deal with a domestic issue. He is expected to rejoin the team in 10 days' time," the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement. "The PCB will not be making any further comments and fully expects all concerned to respect Shoaib's privacy," it added. Malik is part of the Pakistan squad currently in England to play the World Cup hosts in a five-match ODI series ahead of the game's showpiece event starting May 30. The announcement came just hours before Pakistan's second tour game against Northamptonshire. The break means Malik is set to miss the one-off T20I against England on May 5 and the first of the five ODIs against the hosts on May 8.

Raheem Sterling awarded with Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year

Manchester City's forward Raheem Sterling has been named as the Football Writers' Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year 2019.Sterling was a clear winner in the vote of over 400 FWA members. He took 62 percent of the votes and he acquired 100 more votes than Liverpool's defender Virgil Van Dijk.With this win, Sterling became the first Manchester City player to win the football's oldest individual award. The player also received praise for his courageous stance against racism in the game."Raheem Sterling is a player of style and a man of substance. More than 70 years ago Charles Buchan, one of the founding fathers of the Footballer Writers' Association, suggested there be an award presented to the player who by "precept and example" is considered the Footballer of the Year," newly-elected FWA Chair Carrie Brown said in an official statement on Monday."Raheem Sterling is an exemplar of the talent and values our founding fathers sought to reward when they established the FWA in 1947. ..

Individuals have to showcase what they can do: Neil McKenzie

Bangladesh batting coach, Neil McKenzie said that the team has done a lot of hard work ahead of the upcoming Cricket World Cup and now it is up to the individuals to showcase their talent."We have, hopefully, ticked all boxes. Now the individuals have to showcase what they can do. There's a lot of hard work that has gone into it. Passion, talent, skill, and knowledge is also not lacking. It is about enjoying the World Cup," ESPN Cricinfo quoted McKenzie as saying on Monday.The batting coach believes that the key for Bangladesh would be complimenting each other and being aware of each other's strengths. McKenzie highlighted the importance of strike rotation as well."I think a lot of the guys are enhancing their strength. We are challenging them to do a few things differently. We have asked a few questions about scoring options and rotation of strike, and batting for each other," McKenzie said."When you are batting on 80, you have to get your partner to 10 from naught. Rotation of ...

David O'Connor named as new Cricket Ireland President

David O'Connor, who was the former Fingal County council mayor, has been named as the new Cricket Ireland President, replacing former President Aideen Rice.O'Connor served as the mayor of Fingal from 2015-26 but he recently stepped down from his Council duties after serving for almost 19 years, to take up his new role for the 2019-20 season."I'm very proud to represent my club North County, Fingal and Leinster cricket by becoming president of Cricket Ireland. It will be an exciting year ahead, and one which I'm looking forward to watching Irish sides- men, women and underage - at home and on the world stage," Cricket Ireland quoted O'Connor as saying in an official statement on Monday.The former Cricket Ireland President Aideen Rice was appointed last year as Brian Walsh's successor for the 2018-19 period.She was the first woman to hold the position since the organisation's inception in 1923."While it's indeed a great honour personally, I'm very conscious of the footsteps I'm stepping

South Africa keep 'Plan B' ready in view of Dale Steyn's injury

South Africa's convener of selectors Linda Zondi has said that despite having a back-up plan, Dale Steyn's shoulder injury is a matter of concern for them."Dale Steyn is definitely a concern. We have looked after Dale ever since his injury in Australia and we have backed him. The way he bowled when he came back from injury was really encouraging," Sport24 quoted Zondi, as saying."We are waiting for our medical team to let us know. I'm aware that he has seen the specialist already and we will be guided by them. We do have our back-ups, but that decision will only be made when the team meets up. We have our 'Plan B'," he added.Steyn broke his shoulder on Test duty against Australia in Perth back in November 2016 and since then the 35-year-old has been struggling to recover completely.Moreover, Zondi admitted that the team has been informed and they are aware of the plans going forward."They have been informed ... we have communicated with them and they are aware of the plans going ...

Shoaib Malik to miss two England T20I matches

Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik will miss the first two matches of the England tour as the player has been given leave by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to deal with a domestic issue."The Pakistan cricket team management has given leave to Shoaib Malik so that he can return home to deal with a domestic issue. He is expected to rejoin the team in 10 days' time," PCB said in an official statement on Monday."The PCB will not be making any further comments and fully expects all concerned to respect Shoaib's privacy," the statement added.As a result of this leave, the player will miss the first T20I and first ODI against England on May 5 and 8.The player is expected to make his return for the second ODI against England on May 11.Pakistan will take on England in a one-off T20I and five ODI matches beginning from May 5.

After Virat, it is Rahul who will serve Indian cricket for long: Gayle

KL Rahul is a phenomenal talent who has the ability to emulate Virat Kohli's heady achievements if he remains in his "zone", feels none other than 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle. Rahul, 27, has overcome probably the toughest phase in his life and career which saw him endure a dismal run in the Test tour of Australia and an interim BCCI suspension for making sexist comments on a TV chat show alongside India teammate Hardik Pandya. Having put that phase behind, Rahul let his bat do the talking and alongside his Kings XI Punjab teammate Gayle, forged one of the most destructive opening combinations in the ongoing IPL. "KL is definitely one of the players that comes to my mind (when you talk about the current India players), I hope he produces the goods like Virat. After Virat, it should be him," Gayle told PTI in an exclusive interview. However, Gayle's advise for Rahul would be not take undue pressure. "But it is not necessary for him to put himself under that kind of pressure, he needs to

11 players retained for 2nd season of Mumbai T20 league

Young guns Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer were among 11 players who were retained by their respective franchises for the eight-team T20 Mumbai League season 2 commencing here on May 14. According to the information on the League's website, each team could retain two players, but the North Mumbai Panthers have hung on to only one player ahead of the May 4 players auction. Triumph Knights Mumbai North East, who won the inaugural edition, have retained batsman Suryakumar Yadav and medium pacer Akash Parkar. The Shivaji Park Lions have held on to all-rounder Shivam Dube and Mumbai Ranji skipper Siddhesh Lad. The NaMo Bandra Blasters have kept in-form batsman Iyer, who is currently leading the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, and wicket-keeper batsman Eknath Kerkar. The SoBo Supersonics have retained Jay Bista and Dhrumil Matkar, while North Mumbai Panthers have held on to only Shaw. ARCS Andheri have retained all-rounder Shubham Ranjane and medium pacer Tushar ...

Home advantage good thing, will speak to Ganguly: KKR CEO

While admitting that the Eden Gardens wicket hasn't exactly been what they wanted, Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore said they have themselves to blame more for the spate of losses this season. Mysore also ruled out the option of playing their home matches outside Kolkata.

Raheem Sterling named player of the season by football writers

Raheem Sterling was named the 2019 footballer of the year by the Football Writers' Association on Monday hours after missing out on the players' player of the year award. The Manchester City and England forward topped the poll of the 400-strong FWA membership as a clear winner, with 62 percent of the votes, more than 100 ahead of Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk. Sterling's team-mate Sergio Aguero was in third place. On Sunday, Sterling, 24, lost out to Van Dijk in the battle for the Professional Footballers' Association award but was announced PFA young player of the year. Sterling has been a key man in Pep Guardiola's side as they battle with Liverpool for the Premier League title and has received praise for the strong stance he has taken against racism in the game, having himself been subjected to abuse. Sterling has scored 29 goals for club and country, including a hat-trick for England in the opening Euro 2020 qualifier against the Czech Republic at Wembley, while also helping

Gloves are off in F1 free-for-all for Bottas, Hamilton

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff has confirmed that the victorious Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton are free to fight for success without the restraints of team orders, as they showed in their scrap to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The pair battled wheel to wheel on the opening lap on Sunday and were fighting hard again in the closing stages when defending champion Hamilton put Bottas under pressure as they closed out an unprecedented fourth consecutive season-opening one-two triumph. In contrast to Ferrari, where team orders have been used frequently this season, Mercedes have handed responsibility to the drivers and not felt any need to ask them to hold positions. "We let them race," said Wolff. "They are experienced. They know that the racing must be clean. Lap one was very clean -- and this is a track where we mustn't take crazy risks because you could lose both cars. "When we talk to them, it's always open and everyone can hear them, but then, obviously, you have the intercom ...

We didn't play to our potential, no point blaming pitch: KKR CEO Mysore

Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore admitted that the team didn't perform to its potential in the ongoing Indian Premier League, where they are in danger of losing out on a play-off spot. KKR are currently placed fifth after winning a high-scoring encounter against Mumbai Indians and will be aiming to sneak in as the third or fourth team in the play-offs. "In all fairness, we have probably not played to our potential. If some of the results had gone our way, we would not be talking about the conditions, pitch and all that," Mysore said when asked if the flat batting track at the Eden Gardens had been an issue. KKR had lost six straight games before winning the MI encounter and keeping play-off hopes alive. The two-time IPL champions main strength over the years had been their spin bowling but the pitch, which was re-laid two years ago, it has turned into a batsman's paradise. Mysore however didn't deny that they have been let down by the Eden track. "You build a team based on your .

Consider our legacy, 100-year existence and act accordingly: East Bengal to AIFF

Nearing a century of existence, East Bengal have pleaded with the All India Football Federation to consider their legacy and contributions before acting for pulling out of the Super Cup. Having skipped the Super Cup last month owing to "unfair treatment" by the federation, the I-League clubs have denied being at fault during the two-day AIFF disciplinary committee hearing that concluded here on Sunday. Along with the 1889-born Mohun Bagan, East Bengal (started in 1920) are the two oldest football clubs in India. "We pulled out of the Super Cup after our club's executive committee decided to do so as East Bengal wanted to stand in solidarity with other clubs," East Bengal's executive committee member Debabrata 'Nitu' Sarkar said. "Nonetheless we committed a mistake and other clubs also committed mistake. As national body of the game the AIFF is like our parents and just like parents treat their children the AIFF should not take action against the clubs in this case. "We are a legacy ...