Page 426 - Sports
There is very less margin of error for bowlers against in-form Warner: Rahane
Rajasthan Royals skipper Ajinkya Rahane Friday admitted that it is very difficult for bowlers to defend any total against an opposition which has an in-form batsman like David Warner up their ranks. Sanju Samson's (102 not out) second IPL ton was overshadowed by Warner's blistering fifty as Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan by five wickets to register their first win in the ongoing IPL here. Samson's first century of the ongoing IPL went in vain, as chasing a mammoth 199-run target, Warner set up the platform with a breezy 69 off 37 balls and together with Jonny Bairstow (45 off 28) added a century stand for the opening wicket as Sunrisers chase down the score in 19 overs. "I think first of all, we thought 190 plus was very good score. The wicket was stopping a bit and we were aiming to get 150 plus. But credit to Sunrisers for the momentum they got in the powerplay. When someone like Warner bats like that, it's very less margins for the bowler," Rahane said at the post-match ...
IPL: Warner stars as SRH pip Royals in thrilling tie
A whirlwind half-century by David Warner, coupled with cameos from Vijay Shankar and Rashid Khan, helped Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 5 wickets in a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) contest here on Friday.
Samson's ton goes in vain as Warner-Bairstow hand Sunrisers first win in IPL 2019
Sanju Samson's second IPL ton was overshadowed by David Warner's blistering fifty as Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets to register their first win in the ongoing edition of the tournament here Friday. Samson's first century of the ongoing IPL went in vain, as chasing a mammoth 199-run target, Warner set up the platform for Sunrisers with a breezy 69 off 37 balls and together with Jonny Bairstow (45 off 28) added a century stand for the opening wicket to spoil Rajasthan's day. Sunrisers needed the quick start if they fancy their chances of eclipsing Rajasthan's imposing 198 for two and Warner and Bairstow just provided that to give the impetus for the rest of the batsmen to follow as the hosts chased down the target in 19 overs. Earlier, Samson smashed the first century of the ongoing IPL and together with skipper Ajinkya Rahane stitched a century stand to guide Rajasthan to a mammoth total. Samson didn't spare a single Sunrisers' bowler and remained unbeaten on
Super Cup: FC Goa look to get past Arrows (Preview)
After having lost the final of the Indian Super League (ISL), FC Goa have been licking their wounds and would look to unleash themselves on the young Indian Arrows when the two sides lock horns in the Super Cup here on Saturday.
English FA hire new chief executive
The English Football Association named Mark Bullingham as the governing body's new chief executive on Friday. Bullingham joined the FA as commercial and marketing director in August 2016 before becoming chief commercial and football development officer in December. The marketing guru's appointment was rubber-stamped at an FA board meeting on Thursday before the official announcement. Bullingham will succeed Martin Glenn, who announced in December he would stand down at end of this season after four years in charge. Glenn's resignation was announced two months after the controversial proposed sale of Wembley to Fulham owner Shahid Khan fell through after objections from the FA council. "This is an incredibly exciting time to be at the Football Association and I'm delighted to be given this opportunity," Bullingham said. "I'm hugely passionate about the role the FA plays in improving the English game and our positive contribution to society. "I'm confident in the talent and ...
Guardiola, Sarri open to stopping matches to confront racist abuse
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola would consider taking his players off the field as an act of protest to racist abuse, while Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has called for matches to be temporarily halted. England players were subjected to racist abuse in an impressive 5-1 victory over Montenegro in Podgorica on Monday, including City's Raheem Sterling and Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi on his full international debut. Guardiola insisted that society's ills and not just football are to blame, but warned against the rise of racist incidents in recent times, including in England. Sterling was also the subject of alleged racist abuse at Chelsea in December, while Arsenal striker Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang had a banana skin thrown at him in the North London derby against Tottenham in the same month. Asked about the prospect of leading his side off the pitch, Guardiola said: "I would have to involve the club, the chairmen and CEOs and my captain and the team and the players, if we all ...
Struggling Williams summon founding father Head as consultant
Patrick Head has returned to work with the struggling Williams F1 team as a consultant, the team said on Friday. In a statement issued at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the team said the 72-year-old Briton, who founded the team with Frank Williams in 1976, had come back and was "offering some support to our engineering team on a short-term consultancy basis". The team has started the 2019 season poorly after arriving late at pre-season testing in Spain with their new car. The team's drivers Robert Kubica and British rookie George Russell have complained about the car and talked of fundamental problems and a shortage of spare parts. Head was the team's technical director during their halcyon days of drivers and constructors championships in the 1980s and 1990s. He retired in 2011, but kept a shareholding. The team finished last in the 2018 championship and parted with technical boss Paddy Lowe, who was recruited from Mercedes, after the late delivery of the car. Lowe took a "leave of absence"
IPL: Samson scores ton as Royals post 198/2
Rajasthan Royals rode Sanju Samson's brilliant unbeaten hundred to post 198/2 in 20 overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an Indian Premier League (IPL) game here on Friday.
Fitness levels of 2017 is not enough now: Srikanth
Kidambi Srikanth says the game has become very physical and he needs to match new fitness standards if he has achieve his goal of playing finals consistently and competing at the Tokyo Olympics. Srikanth said his fitness level of 2017 - when he won four titles - is not enough to get results now. "My goal is to play a lot of finals," Srikanth said after outwitting fellow Indian B Sai Praneeth 21-23 21-11 21-19 in a 62-minute pulsating contest to finally snap his series of quarterfinal finishes. "Players have become much fitter since 2017, they have grown from there. If I'm as fit as I was in 2017, I don't think that's enough for 2019." Asked about his progress, Srikanth said, "I've grown from 2017, I became world no.1, I've won a commonwealth medal, I'm thinking about 2020 now. "It's about doing well at the Olympics for me. It's a month from now, the qualification is going to start- it's about improving my fitness and doing well at the Olympics." Talking about his close match with ...
Samson's second IPL century powers Rajasthan to 198/2 against Sunrisers
Sanju Samson smashed the first century of the ongoing Indian Premier League and together with skipper Ajinkya Rahane stitched a century stand to guide Rajasthan Royals to a mammoth 198 for two against Sunrisers Hyderabad here Friday. Samson didn't spare a single Sunrisers' bowler and remained unbeaten on 102 that came off just 55 balls with the help of 10 fours and four hits over the fence. It was Samson's second IPL ton. His first century in the T20 tournament came in 2017. Opening the batting after winning the toss, Rahane led from the front with 49-ball 70 and together with Samson shared 119 runs for the second wicket to set the base for the total after the early dismissal of Jos Buttler. Introduced into the attack in the fourth over, Rashid Khan (1/24) struck with only his second ball, cleaning up dangerman Buttler around his legs. Rajasthan's decision to bat first didn't go according to plan, at least, in the powerplay as the visitors struggled against Sunrisers' disciplined ...
India Open: Srikanth, Sindhu enter semi-finals
New Delhi [India], Mar 29 (ANI): Former champions PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the semi-finals of the India Open badminton tournament at the KD Jadhav Hall, Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Friday.The 2017 champion Sindhu took home the match without dropping a game at 21-19, 22-20 to defeat Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark and book her semi-final berth against He Bingjiao of China in the women's singles.Sindhu took on the attack as she extended her lead 11-10 over Blichfeldt and then edged closer 18-16 to seal the first game. After securing a nervy first game at 21-19, Sindhu carried the momentum to take an early 4-2 lead in the second game. Olympic silver medallist Sindhu did not stop as she raced towards the victory and sealed the game at 22-20.Srikanth, who clinched the title in 2015, triumphed in a cliffhanger 21-23, 21-11, 21-19 over compatriot Sai Praneeth in the men's singles event. The world number seven Srikanth will next meet Huang Yuxiang of China in the ...
Sindhu, Srikanth & Kashyap seal semifinal places at India Open
Former champions P V Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth stayed on course to reclaim titles while a vintage Parupalli Kashyap too regained some form, sealing his place in the men's singles semifinals of the USD 350,000 India Open here Friday. Sindhu, a 2017 champion and 2016 finalist, edged out Denmark's eighth seed Mia Blichfeldt 21-19 22-20 in a closely-fought contest to set up a clash with China's He Bingjiao on Saturday. "I should have finished it earlier. I made too many errors. He Bingjiao and she is a tricky player. I have to be more patient," Sindhu said. Srikanth finally snapped his series of quarterfinal finishes, outwitting compatriot B Sai Praneeth 21-23 21-11 21-19 in a 62 minute pulsating contest, while Kashyap entered his first semifinals of a top-tier event (World Tour Super 500 or Superseries) in almost four years, beating Chinese Taipei's Wang Tzu Wei 21-16 21-11. Srikanth will face China's Huang Yuxiang, while Kashyap takes on former world champion and former world no 1 ...
Indian Open golf: Rashid, Shubhankar keep Indian hopes alive
Rashid Khan and Shubhankar Sharma shot contrasting second rounds of two-under-70 and one-over-73, respectively, but both managed to keep Indian hopes alive at the halfway stage of the Indian Open at the DLF Golf & Country Club here on Friday.
IOC punishes three athletes after London Olympic retests
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Friday it had stripped one athlete of his bronze medal and retrospectively punished two others after doping retests of samples from the 2012 London Games. The International Testing Agency (ITA) has been selecting competitors from the London Olympics for re-analysis before the statute of limitations is reached in 2020. Among the latest positives were Valentin Hristov of Azerbaijan, who finished third in the men's 56kg weightlifting, and becomes the ninth lifter from those Games caught by retests since last autumn. He tested positive for an anabolic steroid, Turinabol. The other positives came from two Belarusian track and field athletes who did not make it past the qualifying stages of their events. Anis Ananenka, eliminated in the men's 800 metre heats, also tested positive for Turinabol. Alena Matoshka, who came 25th in the women's hammer, tested positive for anabolic steroid Oxandrolone. All three can appeal, either to the Court for .
'No regrets' Van Dijk tells Liverpool to savour title pressure
Liverpool's talismanic defender Virgil van Dijk has told his teammates to have no regrets as they try to deliver a first league title in 29 years to Merseyside. Jurgen Klopp's men hold a two-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the table, but have played a game more so still need the champions to slip up in their remaining eight matches. "The most important thing is to enjoy it. We have to give it our all and make sure we have no regrets at the end of it," Van Dijk said. Van Dijk has been so instrumental in Liverpool's improvement from the side that finished 25 points adrift of City last season, he is being tipped to win the Premier League player of the year awards. The Dutchman cost a world record ?75 million ($98 million) fee for a defender last January and helped Liverpool reach the Champions League final last season. "It's definitely what I wanted," added Van Dijk on the 15 months since his move from Southampton. "You hope to be in this kind of position - challenging for .
Messi and Suarez fit to start 'fundamental' week for Barcelona
Lionel Messi has overcome a groin injury while strike partner Luis Suarez has sufficiently recovered from a sprained ankle to play in this weekend's derby against Espanyol, Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said on Friday. Messi and Suarez were included in the squad of 18 ahead of Saturday's La Liga game at the Camp Nou. Ousmane Dembele is still absent, suffering from a thigh problem. In his press conference, Valverde was cautious about Messi, who was forced to leave the Argentina squad last Sunday because of chronic groin pain. Asked if his captain was 100 per cent, Valverde said: "We think he is, but, hey, Leo has been carrying this problem for some time and we have been working to allow him to recover." "It flared up with his national team. He's had a rest and he is better. We'll be careful with Messi because of the fundamental importance of the matches." Suarez missed Uruguay's recent games after twisting his ankle but Valverde said "the rest did him good." Valverde said he could ..
New Spurs stadium 'best in the world' for Pochettino
Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino believes the club's state-of-the-art new stadium has been worth waiting for after months of delays. Spurs trained at the 62,000 capacity venue for the first time on Thursday and will play for the first time there on Wednesday against Crystal Palace. "I think it is amazing, everyone was surprised by the magnitude of the project," said Pochettino. "The stadium is the best in the world, we can confirm that now. Every space is the best I have seen in my life, you can't compare that with anything. "It's an amazing project, it is going to be fantastic for the future of the club. It is going to be a massive boost for our fans and it must be for our players too." Pochettino's future seems very much tied to Spurs' exciting new venture as talk of him being appointed Manchester United's next permanent manager was ended by the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Thursday. Solskjaer's impressive spell as caretaker boss included a 1-0 win over Pochettino's men
Maxwell misses hundred but Australia post 277-7 in fourth ODI
Glenn Maxwell missed a fighting hundred by two runs but still guided Australia to 277-7 in the fourth one-day international against an injury-hit Pakistan in Dubai on Friday. The dashing middle-order batsman knocked three sixes and nine boundaries in his 98 off 82 balls to lift Australia -- sent into bat by Pakistan -- from 140-5 to an imposing total on a slow Dubai stadium pitch. A new look Pakistan team -- with Imad Wasim as skipper after Shoaib Malik was ruled out with a rib injury -- had caught Australia napping at 101-4 when Maxwell walked in. He repaired the innings with a 134-run partnership for the sixth with Alex Carey who finished with 67-ball 55 for his maiden fifty with three boundaries. Maxell, bowled by fast bowler Usman Shinwari off a no-ball when on 76, was within a stroke of his second ODI hundred when he was run out while attempting a double run. Carey supplemented Maxwell well, as the pair beat the previous sixth wicket stand in Australia-Pakistan ODIs of 90 between
India Open: Srikanth, Kashyap storm into semis
Ace shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth and Parupalli Kashyap kept Indian hopes alive by advancing to the semifinals of the India Open, a BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament, here on Friday.
Indian-American Julian Suri leads; Shubhankar, Rashid best Indians
Julian Suri, an Indian-American who hails from the family that started the famous Buchi Babu cricket tournament in India, fired a second consecutive round of 67 to take lead into the weekend at the Hero Indian Open. Suri, who was born in the US to and Indian father and a Mexican mother, is playing just his second event of the season after undergoing surgery on an abdominal hernia. He picked up six shots in as many holes from the first nine to surge clear in the morning session. Last year he missed the cut at the same event, with 76-82 and this week he is 24 shots better than that. Shubhankar Sharma and Rashid Khan led a group of eight Indians into the weekend rounds. Shubhankar opened and closed the front nine with birdies and dropped shots in between on the Par-5s, fourth, where he had an eagle. He ran out of birdies after that. He also saved a couple, but dropped a shot on Par-3 16th and ended the day at 73. He was two-under and Tied-19th after two rounds. Rashid Khan (70-72) played