Page 447 - Sports
Warner returns with a bang, takes SRH to 181/3
Making a stupendous comeback, David Warner produced a scintillating 85-run knock to propel Sunrisers Hyderabad to a competitive 181 for three against Kolkata Knight Riders in their IPL match, here Sunday. Putting behind the embarrassing ball tampering scandal, that kept him out last year, Warner smashed three sixes and nine boundaries in his 53-ball knock. Vijay Shankar also made a fine return to the Oragne Army with a quick-fire unbeaten 24-ball 40 (2x4, 2x6) after Warner departed in the 16th over. Warner's 37th IPL fifty also made him the first cricketer in IPL to have most 50-plus scores (40) ahead of Virat Kohli (38) as the Aussie also has three centuries. His new opening partner Jonny Bairstow complemented well by giving the rampaging left-hander the maximum strike as the duo raced to 100-mark in 10.5 overs in their massive 118-run opening partnership. Having opted to bowl, the otherwise disciplined KKR attack looked clueless against the rampaging Warner who was let off twice ...
Warner, Shankar lead Sunrisers to competitive 181/3 against KKR
Invited to bat, Sunrisers Hyderabad scored a competitive 181 for three against Kings XI Punjab in their IPL clash at Eden Gardens, here Sunday. Comeback-man David Warner struck 85 off 53 balls and shared a 118-run stand for the first wicket with wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow (39). Vijay Shankar contributed unbeaten 40 in Sunrisers' total. Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad: 181 for 3 in 20 overs. (D Warner 85, V Shankar 40 not out, J Bairstow 39; A Russell 2/32, P Chawla 1/23).
India concede last-minute goal, play out 1-1 draw against Korea
India's perennial problem of conceding goals at the fag end of a match hurt them again as Korea equalised in the final minute for a 1-1 draw in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament here Sunday. India took the lead in the 28th minute through Mandeep Singh and looked set to earn their second consecutive win of the six-team tournament, but a defensive error led to Jonghyun Jang scoring from a penalty corner just 22 seconds from the final hooter. The match was stopped in the fourth quarter due to heavy rains with around eight minutes left in the match. India had defeated Japan 2-0 in their opening match on Saturday. India made an attacking start with midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad creating space inside the striking circle within the first minute but the Korean defenders held strong to avert an early goal. The Koreans immediately launched a counter attack, entering India's circle, but defender Surender Kumar tackled well to clear the ball. India got two more scoring opportunities but
Malinga to miss first six IPL matches
Lasith Malinga has opted to rule himself out for at least the first six IPL matches for Mumbai Indians in order to qualify for the Sri Lanka World cup squad.Sri Lanka's selectors have told their players that they must play in the forthcoming Super Provincial one day domestic tournament if they are to be considered for the World Cup and Malinga has chosen to fulfill that requirement, ESPN Cricinfo reported."I had asked the board for the No-Objection Certificate for me to play in the IPL, and they had said that was fine, but that all players who want to go to the World Cup would need to stay back for the provincial tournament, so I told them I would play in the provincial tournament, and I asked the board to inform Mumbai Indians and IPL, since it was their decision. I am okay with losing those earnings from IPL. I'm doing it for the country," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Malinga as saying.Malinga was bought at the auction by Mumbai Indians for two crores.Mumbai Indians will play Delhi Capitals
Italy begin Euro 2020 campaign, beat Finland 2-0
Italy began their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Finland, thanks to goals by young Nicolo Barella and teenager Moise Kean.
Sathiyan settles for bronze as Archana claims maiden U-21 silver at Oman Open
G. Sathiyan had a very narrow chance of turning it around but could not overcome a tough Mattias Flack of Sweden in the men singles semi-finals of the ITTF Challenge Plus Oman Open Sunday. The fourth-seeded Indian lost 8-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 10-12 and settled for the bronze medal. The top-seeded Swede and the Indian had the measure of each other with the two winning alternate games to take the issue to the decider. But in the decider, the Swede had the slight advantage until deuce. But once he broke Sathiyan to go up, it was all over for the Indian as his opponent wrapped it up with the winner. The only Indian to survive so far, Sathiyan had ended Frenchman Emmanuel Lebesson in the quarterfinals 4-1 (11-9, 11-7, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10) after having dominated the first three games. But the seventh seeded Frenchman showed intentions of coming back but the Indian arrested any such possibility winning the fifth game. Earlier, in the round of 16, Sathiyan beat Anthony Amalraj 4-1. .
Sue Strachan to be new President-elect for Cricket Scotland
Sue Strachan has been announced as the new president of Cricket Scotland, becoming the first woman to head Scottish cricket in its 140-year history.Sue will serve the first year as President-elect and then she will become President in March 2020 for two years."Cricket Scotland is delighted to announce that Sue Strachan (pictured right) was elected President-Elect by its members at the Annual General Meeting on March 20th. After one year as President-Elect, Sue will become President in March 2020 for two years. Sue will be the first female President of Scottish cricket in its 140 years' existence," Cricket Scotland said through an official statement.Sue was elected onto the CSHL Board in 2016 and is not only a very keen cricketer but has also served on the board of the Scottish Women's Football Association as well as being a first XI hockey player for Dumfries and a current Scottish Masters squash champion.The members also approved the annual accounts for the previous year and the ...
Australia starts mental health service for athletes
Australia's apex sporting body has launched a mental health support service for top athletes.
Toss: KKR opt to field first against Sunrisers
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and chose to field against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) game at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday.
KKR invites Hyderabad to bat
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and elected to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL match, here Sunday. Hyderabad regular skipper Kane Williamaon misses out on today's game and will be led by India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Australia opener David Warner will play his first IPL match after the one-year ban imposed on him for his role in ball-tampering scandal. Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (C), David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Shakib ul Hasan, Vijay Shankar, Yusuf Pathan, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma and Siddarth Kaul Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik (C), Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson and Prasidh Krishna.
Focus on Smith as Rajasthan start campaign against Punjab
Australian batsman Steve Smith will embark on a redemption journey when Rajasthan Royals open their campaign against Kings XI Punjab in the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), here Monday. Smith was handed a one-year ban along with his then deputy David Warner exactly a year ago for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. Smith was last seen in action in a couple of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) matches late last year before an elbow injury ruled him out of the tournament. The ban was limited to state and international fixtures only and not domestic or club cricket. The IPL will be the actual start of his long road to redemption and Smith would be looking to make the most of it ahead of the World Cup, starting May 30 in England. Smith, though, is yet to recover fully from his elbow injury and may take a little time to get into the groove. With Smith in their ranks, the Royals have one of the best teams this season led by Ajinkya Rahane and they would .
Brazil denied victory by determined Panama
Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw against Panama in an international friendly played at Porto's Dragao Stadium. AC Milan's Lucas Paqueta claimed his first international goal for the five-time World Cup winners before captain Adolfo Machado responded for the side in 76th place in the world rankings. Injured Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar watched the game from the stands as he recovers from a fractured right foot. "The performance wasn't brilliant but it wasn't below par either," coach Tite said. "When we go to the Copa America we will make more accurate choices to be more efficient." The Selecao opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark. Midfielder Paqueta was on the end of a deep Casemiro cross to volley home at the back post. Skipper Machado brought the teams level four minutes later. Erick Davis' central free-kick found the centre-back near the penalty spot who lobbed his long-distance header over a stunned Ederson who appealed for offside. Everton attacker Richarlison came .
Another Olympics qualifying romp for Ghana
Ghana emphasised that they are a formidable force at home in 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games football qualifying by trouncing Gabon 4-0 in a second round first leg. In a previous home qualifier last December, Ghana overwhelmed Togo 5-1 with Kwabena Owusu scoring a hat-trick. Owusu managed only one against the Gabonese at the Accra Sports Stadium, opening the scoring after 15 minutes with the lone first-half goal. Benjamin Tetteh doubled the lead in the first minute of the second half and two late goals from Osman Bukari completed the rout. The teams meet again on Tuesday in Libreville and is difficult to imagine six-time Olympics qualifiers Ghana squandering such a commanding aggregate advantage. Algeria, who competed at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, also look set to reach the third round after forcing a 0-0 first-leg draw away to Equatorial Guinea in Malabo. The 13 second legs are scheduled for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with much interest centred on Nigeria, who have home advantage as .
Finger-spinners still have a role to play, says Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh, who had a key role in Chennai Super Kings' seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first IPL match on Saturday, has said finger-spinners are still important and that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja can be an X-factor in India's World Cup plans."You talk about Ravindra Jadeja, he is always in the game as long as he's looking to spin the ball. He is someone I feel could be a key member for India to win (the World Cup). He is a factor when he bowls, bats and he is a gun fielder. Finger-spinners should be given the responsibility and they will deliver," Harbhajan said while receiving the Man of the Match award."I feel finger-spinners have a role to play. Spinners need to back themselves to spin the ball rather than not spinning it. Most of the new generation whether you talk about an off-spinner or a left-arm spinner, they don't look to spin the ball," he said.Harbhajan claimed three wickets for 20 runs in the match.The spinner explained why wrist-spin has ...
Dhoni, Kohli unhappy with the quality of Chepauk track
The IPL 2019 opener turned out to be a low-scoring contest and rival captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli expressed their dissatisfaction over the slowness of the Chepauk track. Royal Challengers Bangalore were all out for 70 in 17.1 overs, a target that Chennai Super Kings achieved in 17.4 overs to win the match by seven wickets. Despite finishing on the winning side, Dhoni made it clear that he would expect better wickets in the upcoming games. "I never expected the wicket to play how it actually played. It was too slow. We were really surprised by how slow the wicket was. It reminded me of a Champions League wicket in 2011 after we won the IPL. "The wicket definitely needs to be much better, even with dew it was spinning big," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony here last night. Kohli, who is also the Indian captain, on his part said: "The wicket looked much better than it played. No one thought the wicket's going to play the way it played. We thought ...
Miami Open: Taiwan's Hsieh shocks Naomi Osaka
Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan staged a major surprise as she stunned world number one Naomi Osaka of Japan to reach the round-of-16 at the Miami Open for the first time in her career.
KL Rahul shouldn't let WC thoughts trap him: KXIP coach
After a torrid time in the longest format of the game, India batsman KL Rahul returned to form in the T20I series against Australia as he managed scores of 50 and 47 in the two games at home. But a tougher challenge awaits him over the course of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and a consistent show will ensure that he bags the all-important No.4 slot in the Indian batting line-up for the World Cup in England.
No one complains when so many runs are scored: Harbhajan
The slowness of the Chepauk track might be attracting a lot of criticism but veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said while the wicket was difficult to bat, it was not unplayable. Rival captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli expressed their disappointment over the wicket here after the opening match of the Indian Premier League turned out to be damp squib last night. After Royal Challengers Bangalore got bundled out for 70 in 17.1 overs. Chennai Super Kings achieved the target in 17.4 overs, winning by seven wickets. "See, it was a difficult pitch to bat on but it wasn't like it was unplayable. We're so used to watching matches on good wickets where no one complains when people score 170-180. But if it spins or seams a little, everyone has a problem, saying why is this happening?," Harbhajan said at the post match press conference. "No one has a problem with why so many runs are being made. So people actually forget that the bowler also has a job in cricket. Batsmen should ...
The Kohinoor of Indian cricket (Comment: Close-In)
The Kohinoor, the famous Indian diamond in Persian means, the 'Mountain of Light'. Presently, it is set in the crown of Queen Elizabeth and exhibited in the Tower of London. India has been vociferously asking for it to be returned, unfortunately, without much success. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the Kohinoor of Indian and World cricket and truly a mountain of light for any young aspiring cricketer.
Brazil held to 1-1 draw by Panama in friendly
AC Milan midfielder Lucas Paqueta scored his first international goal as a lackluster Brazil drew 1-1 with Panama in an international friendly.