Page 387 - Sports
CSA's austerity plans could lead to 70 players' contract loss: SACA
The South African Cricketers' Association (SACA) feels Cricket South Africa (CSA)'s austerity plans is likely to lead to at least 70 players losing their contracts. It will also lead to reduced earnings for many other franchise level South African cricketers. The austerity plans include restructuring of CSA domestic cricket from franchise to a first-class cricket system, re-organisation of domestic T20 competitions, optimising player contracts and delay or suspend any new project that do not have sound revenue-generation potential. SACA's chief executive Tony Irish said it wanted to play its part in dealing with the challenge but CSA went ahead with its plans without properly engaging with them. "CSA has instead gone ahead with the announcement of a restructure of domestic cricket, to effectively merge the franchise and provincial systems, as part of its austerity plan, without any meaningful consultation with SACA and despite the fact that this will directly affect the players," he ..
Williamson, Khaleel to be fit for the clash against Delhi Capitals
Tom Moody, the former Australian cricketer and current Sunrisers Hyderabad coach on Tuesday confirmed that both Kane Williamson (New Zealand cricket captain) and Khaleel Ahmed (Indian fast-bowler) will be fit for their next match against Delhi Capitals.Moody, the coach posted on Twitter to give the updates on these players."Yes, Kane will be fit for our next match!, as will Khaleel," Moody posted on his Twitter account.Williamson's return can prove to a blessing in disguise for the team, as SRH have been struggling with middle-order batting issues in this year's edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).SRH lost back to back matches against Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, and the loss was a result of poor batting performances.While the openers, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow have been in tremendous form in the tournament, the middle-order batsmen have failed to rise to the occasion.Meanwhile, the addition of Khaleel will give bowling depth to SRH, as they have been struggling ...
Liverpool defeats FC Porto in Champions League quarter-final
Liverpool defeated FC Porto 2-0 in the first leg of Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday (local time) at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool. With this win, they have moved one step closer of reaching the semi-finals of the tournament.Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino scored for Liverpool, enabling the team to register a 2-0 victory over FC Porto.Keita scored for the English club in the fifth minute of the match whereas Roberto Firmino registered a goal in 26th minute, giving the team 2-0 lead over Porto before the half-time mark.Liverpool were well below their best and Porto deserves credit for a determined display after going 2-0 down in the opening 26 minutes.For Porto, Moussa Marega created a couple of chances in the first half, but he was not able to convert his chances into goals for the team.Liverpool's defence got a bit laid-back in the second half after going 2-0 ahead, but Porto was not able to capitalise on the opportunity.Marega, kept on hovering around Liverpool's corner and ..
Russell played with a lot of maturity, says Karthik
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik said in-form Andre Russell batted with a "lot of maturity" after the all-rounder anchored his side in a losing cause against Chennai Super Kings. KKR were under pressure from the word go on Tuesday as Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine fell within the a space of five balls. By the 11th over CSK had the visiting team reeling at 47 for 6 when Russell walked in. The Jamaican, who has stolen the limelight this season so far with his hard-hitting abilities, took it upon himself to post a decent 108 when other batsman gave away their wickets cheaply. Russell refused to take singles to keep the tail-enders at the non-strikers' end. He finished the innings unbeaten on 50 with five fours and three sixes. "Credit to Russell, he showed a lot of maturity and I am pleased with the way he's shaping up. I like the way we tried defending a small total, especially the spinners with the wet ball," Karthik said after the seven-wicket loss on Tuesday night. Karthik ..
Sindhu, Saina sail into second round of Singapore Open
Star Indian shuttlers P V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal sailed into the second round of the Singapore Open with straight-game wins over their respective rivals in the women's singles event here Wednesday. Taking the court first, Sindhu, seeded fourth, took just 27 minutes to get the better of Indonesia's Lyanny Alessandra Mainaky 21-9 21-7 in a one-sided match. The Rio Olympics silver-medallist will next play Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark. Later, sixth seed Saina too tamed another Indonesian in Yulia Yosephin Susanto 21-16 21-11 to book her place in the next round. Saina, who won a bronze in the 2012 London Olympics, will next meet the winner of the match between young compatriot Mugdha Agrey and Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong. However, it was curtains for India in the opening round of the men's doubles competition. The pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy lost to qualifiers Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Kean Hean Loh of Singapore 13-21 17-21. The mixed doubles pair of Saurabh Sharma and ...
Rajasthan face litmus test against Chennai (Preview)
Having continued their superb form at home, Chennai Super Kings will now head to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur to take on Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League encounter on Thursday. On paper, CSK are favourites as they sit atop the points table, but then, this game is not played on paper.
Struggling Rajasthan Royals look to turn fortunes against in-form CSK
A struggling Rajasthan Royals will desperately seek to revive their campaign when they host formidable Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League encounter here on Thursday. Rajasthan are currently lying in the penultimate spot in the eight-team standings with just one win out of five games. Rajasthan's sole win came against laggards Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here and they would be banking on home comfort to upset defending champions CSK. In contrast, CSK are coming off a clinical seven-wicket thrashing of Kolkata Knight Riders and are sitting pretty at the top of the table with five victories from six games. Under the astute captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, CSK boasts of a perfectly balanced squad to excel on any surface and all conditions. The Royals, on the other hand, are still struggling to find their bearings. After losing their last match, they find themselves in a precarious position, and have to win almost all their remaining games to ..
Deepak Chahar creates the record for most dot balls in IPL
Chennai Super Kings' Deepak Chahar on Tuesday created the record for bowling the most dot balls in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL).The right-arm medium-fast bowler created the record against Kolkata Knight Riders as he bowled 20 dot balls.The player was at his lethal best as he dismissed Knight Riders' batsmen Chriss Lynn (0), Robin Uthappa (6) and Nitish Rana (0).The 26-year-old was also able to bowl five dot balls in the 19th over of the Knight Riders' innings and he was able to bog down the big-hitter Andre Russell.This spell by Chahar enabled CSK to reduce KKR to just 108 runs on the board for the loss of nine wickets.CSK were able to chase down the score relatively easily as they shrugged off the target in the 18th over by seven wickets and with 16 balls to spare.With this win, CSK goes to the top of the league standings. Out of the six matches played, the team has been able to record wins in five matches.CSK next take on Rajasthan Royals on April 11 at Sawai Mansingh .
Dhoni's sleepy moment at Chennai Airport
MS Dhoni, the Indian wicket-keeper batsman and the current Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, on Wednesday posted a picture with a witty caption on his official Instagram account.The former India skipper can be seen sleeping on the floors of Chennai airport."After getting used to IPL timing this is what happens if u have a morning flight," Dhoni posted as a caption on his picture.The matches being played in this year's edition of IPL are getting prolonged and the tournament is under heavy criticism for the duration of the matches. Several cricketers have voiced their concern regarding the issue.Slow over-rates has also hampered the tournament, as Ajinkya Rahane (skipper of Rajasthan Royals) and Rohit Sharma (skipper of Mumbai Indians) were fined for slow-over rates earlier in the league.Earlier, Mohammad Kaif the Delhi Capitals' assistant coach also voiced his concern regarding the duration of the matches."Every match is finishing at 12 in the night. Umpires need to ensure that the ...
I don't think we want to play on wickets like these, says Dhoni on Chepuk
Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni once again expressed concern over the pitch in Chennai after another low-scoring match between the hosts and Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL)."If you look it looks a good wicket to us. But, I don't think we want to play on wickets like these because it becomes too low-scoring and it becomes slightly difficult for our batters to get going. And also what happens is that it's slightly more difficult if you're batting first. As the dew comes in, it becomes slightly easier in the second half," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Dhoni as saying.Chennai seamer Deepak Chahar, who took three wickets in the match, too expressed displeasure over Chepauk track saying that nobody wants this type of wicket."I'm happy I performed well, but obviously we're looking for a better wicket. Nobody wants this type of a wicket. It's [because of] the soil and heat and you can't help it. It's very hot here and the pitch curators are doing their best job to
Harbhajan, Tahir are like old wine; maturing with time: Dhoni
Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir have proved that age is just a number, feels Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, equating the spinners with fine wine for the way they have matured. The inspirational CSK skipper, himself 37, was effusive in his praise for the duo after CSK's seven-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders here on Tuesday. The 38-year-old Harbhajan (2/15) and the 40-year-old Tahir (2/21) were the key performers for the home team. "Age is on their side (Harbhajan and Tahir). They are like old wine and they are maturing," Dhoni said after the win over KKR, their fifth out of six matches so far this season. "Bhajji (Harbhajan) has done well in whatever games he has played. I have fallen back on Imran (Tahir) whenever needed and he has come up with very good performances. "Overall, the bowling unit looks good. But once we play on better and flatter wickets with smaller boundaries, we will have to see what is the best combination to play with," he added. Dhoni ...
Ranveer Singh shares new still from sports saga '83'
Ranveer Singh, who recently wowed audiences with his remarkable rapping skills in 'Gully Boy', is all set to take moviegoers by storm with his upcoming film '83', which is based on India's iconic win at the 1983 World Cup.Ranveer, who will be portraying the role of Kapil Dev in the film, has been undergoing intense physical training to get into the skin of his character of a cricketer.The actor recently shared a glimpse from the training camp, set up in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh on his Twitter handle.He captioned it as, "Top of the world #HimachalPradesh @83thefilm."[{c4df3258-b244-49fb-842a-2427c26da38b:intradmin/ranveer_topapr10.jpg}]A few days back, Ranveer had shared pictures with Kapil Dev from the training camp. Adding to his fans' excitement, the actor has been actively sharing pictures with the film's entire star-cast on social media.As per media reports, Ranveer and the other cast members are in Dharamshala to continue with their cricket training. The film will go on ...
UP: 9 arrested for IPL match-fixing, Rs 4 lakh seized
Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday busted a cricket betting syndicate with the arrest of nine persons in Prayagraj.The group was involved in online match-fixing in Indian Premier League matches. Around Rs 4 lakh have been seized from them, said police."Nine persons from a cricket betting syndicate have been arrested. Rs 3,86,000, 20 mobiles, one laptop and two bikes have been seized from them," Allahabad Senior Superintendent of Police Atul Sharma told media persons. The accused have been identified as Ankit Jaiswal, Nitin Sahu, Mohan Sahu, Vivek Sahu, Navneet Rai, Sintu Kesarvani, Sachin Agreri, Kasar Soni and Ankur Gupta.An FIR has been registered.Further investigation is underway.
England deserve favourite tag, says Jason Gillespie
Former Australia pacer, Jason Gillespie, has stated that England deserve the 'favourite' tag for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's Cricket World Cup because of their aggressive and dynamic nature."There's been a lot of talk of England being favourites and playing at home and I certainly think they deserve that tag. They've played some wonderful 50-over cricket. They've been really innovative and shown a lot of aggression with bat and ball, they've been really dynamic in the field," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Gillespie as saying.Although the 43-year old praised the hosts, he also elucidated that Australia know how to win World Cups even after they may not be seen as favourites."Every other team in this World Cup knows that Australia know how to win World Cups. That is something that will be in every other country's mind, that Australia - while they might not be seen as favourites - they know how to win World Cups," he said.Undoubtedly, Australia has made a really strong comeback .
Sindhu sails into Singapore Open second round
Star Indian shuttler P V Sindhu sailed into second round of the Singapore Open with a straight-game win over Lyanny Alessandra Mainaky of Indonesia here Wednesday. Sindhu, seeded fourth, took just 27 minutes to get the better of her Indonesian rival 21-9 21-7 in a one-sided women's singles match. The Rio Olympic silver medallist will next play Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark. However, it was curtains for India in the opening round of the men's doubles competition. The pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy lost against qualifiers Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Kean Hean Loh of Singapore 13-21 17-21 in their opener. The mixed doubles pair of Saurabh Sharma and Anoushka Parikh too exited in the opening round after a 12-21 12-21 defeat against third seeded Thair pair of Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai. Sixth seed Saina Nehwal will open her campaign in the women's singles against Yulia Yosephin Susanto of Indonesia later in the day.
Super Cup 2019: FC Goa enters final after 3-0 win over Chennai City FC
FC Goa has become the first finalist in the Super Cup 2019 as they triumphed over Chennai City FC by 3-0 at Kalinga Stadium here on Tuesday.When the game was just in the 15th minute, Seriton Fernandes and Zaid Krouch came close to scoring, but Fernandes's shot at the goal was deflected wide, whereas Krouch's deflected shot from range needed just a fingertip save from Chennai's goalkeeper, Mauro Boerchio.But Ferran Corominas's impeccable performance gave Goa their first goal in the 26th minute and continuing with the same performance, he handed-over his team another goal in the 35th minute. Corominas's two goals in the first half provided his team two-goal lead and brought the opposition in immense pressure.Edu Bedia was out with a suspension and Hugo Boumous's introduction only added more threat to the FC Goa midfield.Goa started off the second half too in the same manner and Brandon Fernandes added another goal in the 69th minute to put his team on a much-stronger position.Chennai ...
We need a better wicket at home, says CSK pacer Chahar
Chennai Super Kings pacer Deepak Chahar has agreed with his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni that the team needs a better pitch at home despite winning all their games here so far. CSK captain Dhoni has criticised the Chepauk pitch after registering a seven-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday, terming it as "low scoring". And Chahar, who returned with impressive figures of 3 for 20 against KKR, blamed the nature of the wicket on hot and humid weather conditions. "I'm happy I performed well, but obviously we're looking for a better wicket," Chahar told reporters at the post-match press conference on Tuesday night. "Nobody wants this type of a wicket. It is because of the soil and heat. It's too hot here and the pitch curators are doing their best job to give us a good track. But, at the end of the day you can't help it," he added. Dhoni, while speaking at the presentation ceremony had earlier said "we don't want play on wickets like these" after CSK won another low-scoring ...
Warner's ego must be managed - South Africa's Smith
Former South African captain Graeme Smith has some advice for Australia coach Justin Langer -- make sure David Warner's ego is managed if he starts to "get bigger than everybody else". The polarising opener, on the comeback trail after a one-year ban for ball-tampering, has been in red-hot form in the Indian Premier League ahead of his expected recall to the national side for the World Cup in England and Wales. But some commentators believe Warner's return could be disruptive to the team, which is now resurgent after a run of poor results, and that he needs to managed carefully. Smith, who skippered his country for more than a decade, said that while he admired Warner's batting, he had "pissed a lot of people off" throughout his career. "I don't know," he told Fox Sports on Tuesday evening when asked if he would have any issue in welcoming Warner back to the Australian team. "It's difficult to know what it's like behind the scenes, but he's always been an incredible cricketer," added .
Stopping Messi not mission impossible for Man Utd, says Solskjaer
Lionel Messi has a history of terrorising Manchester United but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes it is not impossible to stop the Barcelona star inflicting more damage in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final. Messi scored in both of Barca's Champions League final victories over United, in 2009 and 2011, and is hungry to win the competition for a fifth time after crashing out at the last eight for the past three seasons. The Argentine has been in majestic form again this season, scoring 43 goals in 40 appearances to put Barca in position for a third treble in a decade. "He is a fantastic player and will go down in history as one of the best individual players ever," said United boss Solskjaer ahead of the first leg of the tie at Old Trafford. "He will be difficult to stop but it is never impossible. It's not like it's Messi against Manchester United. "There is (Luis) Suarez, (Philippe) Coutinho, (Ivan) Rakitic, (Arturo) Vidal, there are so many good players we can't just focus on ...
Discuss my game with Dhoni while playing TT: Chahar
Deepak Chahar was scolded by Mahendra Singh Dhoni for bowling two no-balls off the first two balls of the 19th over of the Indian Premier League game against Kings XI Punjab. Since then, it has been a magnificent show from the young pacer as he picked three wickets against Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday to derail their innings at the top.