Page 430 - Sports
Higuain retires from Argentina duty with message for critics
Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain announced his retirement from international football telling critics "I gave everything" for the Albiceleste. He says he can devote more time to his family and more focus on his Premier League club Chelsea. The 31-year-old French-born forward stands down from national duty with 75 caps, the first coming in 2009 when he marked his debut in a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Peru with a goal. Last year's 2-1 win over Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup was to be his last appearance for his country. He leaves with a 35-goal haul. Higuain exits the international stage having lost out on World Cup glory in 2014 when Argentina fell to Germany in the final and defeats in the finals of the 2015 and 2016 Copa America. Despite coming so close to a major trophy he bows out his head held high. "To play in three finals and lose them is not a failure," he told TV Fox Sports Argentina on Thursday. And he had a message for critics of his performances playing for ...
Umpires making mistakes not good for the game: Rohit
Umpire S. Ravi's failure to spot the no-ball off the last ball of the Royal Challengers Bangalore innings might have helped Mumbai Indians win a humdinger of a match on Thursday, but MI skipper Rohit Sharma believes that these mistakes shouldn't happen as they are game changers. He even pointed at the wide that was given off Jasprit Bumrah in the 19th over which he felt was a bit harsh on the bowler.
Russian boxing boss offers to clear AIBA's multi-million debt
Russian boxing chief Umar Kremlev has offered to settle the International Boxing Federation's (AIBA) $16 million debt if it is allowed to remain in charge at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. His unorthodox approach comes with boxing's fate in next year's Games hinging on the outcome of the International Olympic Committee's investigation into the scandal-ridden AIBA. Kremlev, in a letter to the IOC, said he was "ready to close the debts of AIBA in full so long as our favourite sport remains on the Olympic programme". The IOC has frozen boxing's preparations for Tokyo as it seeks proof that the AIBA has cleaned up its act sufficiently after allegations of bout-fixing at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Its inquiry also covers AIBA governance and its anti-doping programme. Relations between the AIBA and IOC soured further when Gafur Rakhimov was elected its president in November. The controversial Uzbek businessman stood down last week, a move welcomed by Olympic rulers. Kremlev, an AIBA executive ...
We are playing at IPL level, not club level: Kohli miffed as Malinga gets away with no-ball on final delivery
Virat Kohli was left disappointed after Lasith Malinga got away with a no-ball off the final delivery of the match as Mumbai Indians defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match by 6 runs on Thursday."We are playing at IPL level, not club cricket. That is just a ridiculous call off the last ball. The umpires should have their eyes open, it was a no-ball by an inch. It is a completely different game altogether [if there was the extra delivery]. They should have been sharper and more careful out there," the RCB skipper said at the post-match ceremony.RCB required seven runs off the final ball of the match. If the team had managed to hit a six, the match would have gone to a super offer, but they could only manage a single, which resulted in Mumbai's win.The replays clearly indicated that the Sri Lankan bowler had overstepped. Had the no-ball been called, RCB would have had the chance to win as they would have got a free-hit."Honestly, I just got to ...
Kohli livid after umpire fails to spot no-ball
Needing 41 runs from 4 overs, Royal Challengers Bangalore looked to be cruising against Mumbai Indians at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday before the duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga tightened the screws on the RCB batsmen and won MI the game by 6 runs.
IPL 2019: Mumbai beat Bangalore in last-over thriller
Mumbai Indians cruised to a 6-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore to open its account in the 12th edition of the IPL at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday.Chasing 188, Bangalore got off to a brilliant start as openers Parthiv Patel and Moeen Ali charged their side with back to back boundaries before Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma threw a direct hit ball to run-out Ali for 13.Bangalore captain Virat Kohli along with Patel (31) and Ab de Villiers hammered Mumbai to pull his side closer to victory.Just after registering his 5000 runs in the IPL history, Kohli top-edged a Jasprit Bumrah bouncer and Hardik Pandya completed the catch to dismiss Kohli for 46.An in-form de Villiers, who brought up his 25th half-century in the tournament, recorded his 4000 IPL runs along the way. De Villiers and Shivam Dube tried to take Bangalore over the line but were left stranded on 70 and nine respectively and ended their side's innings on 181 for the loss of five in their 20 over ...
IPL: Mumbai pip Bangalore to clinch nail-biter
In a match going down the wire, an unlucky Royal Challengers Bangalore lost a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) contest to Mumbai Indians on Thursday by just six runs despite an all-out effort by AB de Villiers.
Umpires should keep their eyes open, this is not club cricket, says Kohli, Rohit agrees
An angry Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli came down heavily on ICC Elite Panel Umpire S Ravi after the final delivery of the match bowled by Mumbai Indians' Lasith Malinga turned out to be a 'no-ball', which was not awarded to the losing team. More importantly, winning captain Rohit Sharma was also critical of umpiring standard during the match. "We are playing at the IPL level. It's not club level, the umpires should have their eyes open. That was a big no-ball," a livid Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony. Incidentally, Ravi is the only Indian umpire in ICC's Elite Panel for a number of years now as none of the others have been good enough to be elevated. Needing 7 to win and six to take it to Super Over, Malinga's full toss yielded only one run but the big screen replay showed that the bowler had overstepped and a free hit should have been awarded. Had it been a free-hit, AB de Villiers batting on 70 would have faced with five needed to win. "We should
Umpiring howler creates controversy as MI beat RCB under controversial circumstances
An umpiring howler off the last deliver cost Royal Challengers Bangalore dearly as Mumbai Indians pipped the hosts by six runs largely due to Jasprit Bumrah's brilliant spell at the death in an IPL encounter on Thursday. Needing six to take the game into Super Over, Lasith Malinga's final delivery to Shivam Dube was a no-ball that was missed by the on-field umpires as RCB managed 181 for 5 in reply to 187 for 8 by Mumbai Indians. What hurt them more was AB de Villiers, who nearly took his team to victory with an unbeaten 70 off 41 balls would have faced the free-hit. Both umpires C Nandan and ICC Elite Panel's S Ravi bungled completely leaving Virat Kohli seething in anger. But nothing can be taken away from fit-again Bumrah's mastery at the death as he singlehandedly won it for MI with superb 17th and 19th overs. During chase, Kohli signalled his intentions at the beginning itself hitting Jasprit Bumrah for three consecutive boundaries in one over. Hardik Pandya was slashed through ..
IPL: MI beat RCB by 6 runs
Mumbai Indians beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 6 runs in an IPL encounter here Thursday. Batting first, MI scored 187 for 8 riding on Rohit Sharma's 48 off 33 balls and Hardik Pandya's 32 off 14 balls. In reply, RCB scored 181 for 5 with AB de Villiers scoring unbeaten 70 off 41 balls. Brief Scores: MI 187/8 (Rohit Sharma 48 off 33 balls, Hardik Pandya 32 no off 14 balls, Yuzvendra Chahal 4/38 in 4 overs) RCB 181/5 (Virat Kohli 46, AB de Villiers 70 no off 41 balls).
IPL: Kohli joins Raina in 5k club
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli achieved another feat on Thursday as he became the second player in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL) to amass 5000 runs.
Super Cup: Chennaiyin to take on Mumbai (Preview)
Chennaiyin FC will take on fellow Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Mumbai City FC in a round of 16 Super Cup tie amid the cloud of almost all I-League teams boycotting the meet, here at the Kalinga Stadium on Friday.
Shubhankar off to solid start in Indian Open golf
Golfers Shubhankar Sharma and Rahil Gangjee were the two bright spots for India on Day One of the Indian Open at the DLF Golf & Country Club here on Thursday.
Mumbai recover to post 187/8 after Hardik cameo
Some valuable top-order contributions followed by Hardik Pandya's blitzkrieg helped Mumbai Indians post a challenging 187/8 against Royal Challengers Bangalore even as leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal shined for the hosts with a four-wicket haul.
Five Russian athletes cleared to compete as neutrals
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said Thursday it had cleared five more Russian athletes to return to international events, albeit competing under a neutral banner and not representing Russia. Athletics' governing body banned Russia in November 2015 because of evidence of state-sponsored doping, but Russian athletes cleared by the IAAF can compete as neutrals. The athletes concerned are Elizaveta Kamenets, Alexander Komarov, Rail Kutuev, Liliia Mendaeva and Aleksey Shevchuk, and they take to 68 the number of Russians cleared to compete since the start of 2019.
Boxing body AIBA to discover Olympic fate in May
The under-pressure International Boxing Federation (AIBA), which is fighting to keep its sport on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic roster after a storm of corruption allegations, will have to sweat it out until May before the IOC decides on its fate. Boxing's inclusion in Tokyo depends on the outcome of an investigation into AIBA by the International Olympic Committee, which has presented the body with a list of 41 questions via audit firm Deloitte. "The matter is being studied and we will make no comment for the moment," IOC spokesperson Christian Klaue said on Thursday. "We will file a full report at the IOC Lausanne executive committee meeting on May 22," he added. Gafur Rakhimov stepped down as head of AIBA last week, which the IOC deemed as merely the first step in a long march towards the required standards. AIBA made a plea to the IOC on Wednesday saying significant progress had been made on their accounting and claiming that the body would collapse without IOC support. The IOC has ...
East Zone Sub-Junior Boxing Championship held to encourage young pugilists
There is no dearth of talent in sports when it comes to the youth of the northeast region whose energy and talent in the field of sport are commendable.With an aim to provide a platform to these budding players, the 1st boxing federation of India (BFI), east zone sub-junior boys and girls boxing championship, 2019 was successfully conducted in Probin Gogoi Indoor stadium in Golaghat district of Assam.The championship was held under the aegis of all Assam Amateur Boxing Association and it saw young boxers from almost all the states of the region.India is the hub of sports talent. The contribution of the northeast region of the country in the field of sports is exemplary as it has brought innumerable laurels.The region is a powerhouse of boxing talent and has given the country some of the best sparring sportspersons.Inspired by boxing sensation Mary Kom herself, many new generation boxers are taking baby steps to hone their skills to bring medals at the national and international ...
India Open: Sindhu, Kidambi, Praneeth, Kashyap advance to quarterfinals
Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, B Sai Praneeth and Parupalli Kashyap advanced to the quarterfinals of the India Open badminton tournament at the KD Jadhav Hall, Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi on Thursday.The 2017 champion Sindhu hardly broke a sweat to seal a 21-11, 21-13 victory over Joy Xuan Deng of Hong Kong in a women's singles match.Sindhu, world number six, exuded sheer class to won a total of 42 points against her opponent who could only bag 24 points.The 2015 winner Srikanth defeated Lu Guangzu of China in straight sets 21-11, 21-16 to book his seat in quarterfinals.The world number seven clinched 42 points over the Chinese who won only 27 points a the men's singles event.In other men's singles event, Praneeth came from behind to win 18-21, 21-16, 21-15 over his compatriot Sameer Verma, while Kashyap had an easy win 21-11, 21-13 over Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand.Riya Mookerjee bounced back only to go down again 8-21, 21-17, 13-21 against Mia ...
Hurricane Hardik takes MI to 187/8 after middle-order collapse
Hardik Pandya's muscled a couple into the stands and one out of sight as Mumbai Indians recovered from a middle-order collapse to post a decent 187 for 8 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in an IPL match on Thursday. Pandya hit three sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 32 off 14 balls after Yuzvendra Chahal (4/38 in 4 overs) reduced MI from a comfortable 124 for 2 to 147 for 7. MI lost five wickets in a space of 3.3 overs for only 23 runs. This was after a vintage Yuvraj Singh was raising visions of a six sixes over with three maximums in Chahal's 14th over. However he wasn't fourth time lucky as Chahal's courage to maintain flighting the ball yielded results. Chahal then removed Suryakumar Yadav (38 off 24 balls) and Kieron Pollard in quick succession to bring RCB right back in the match. It was then left to Hardik Pandya to score the bulk of the 30 runs in the final two overs to take MI to a fighting total on a placid batting track. In fact, Hardik's third and final six went out .
Hafeez undergoes second surgery, his World Cup selection in danger
Pakistan's experienced all-rounder Muhammad Hafeez could find himself out of the upcoming World Cup after he underwent a follow-up surgery on his fractured thumb in Manchester earlier this week. The 38-year-old Hafeez has been told to rest for two weeks before he can resume training of any sort. The problem facing the senior player is that the national team head coach Mickey Arthur has set April 14 as the deadline for the players to undergo their final fitness tests before considering for World Cup selection. The Pakistan squad is also due to leave early for England -- around April 24 -- to play practice games, a five-match ODI series against England and two warm-up matches against Bangladesh and Afghanistan before the World Cup kicks off on May 30. "Hafeez had to go for the second surgery as the fracture in his left thumb had not healed properly and the surgeon Mike Hayton had advised him for a follow-up procedure," one source close to the former skipper said. An official in the ...