Page 465 - Sports
We are ready for Test cricket: Mohammad Nabi
All-rounder Mohammad Nabi termed the efforts of Afghanistan as "outstanding" following his side secured their maiden Test series win over Ireland.Afghanistan have become the second quickest side to record a Test win, doing so in just their second game in the longest format, ICC reported."It's a very historic day for the whole of Afghanistan. Every format is different. Test cricket has a different flavour to it. The way our guys performed in batting and bowling, the kind of comebacks that we did, the way Rahmat Shah and Ihsanullah batted was outstanding. Rashid's spell yesterday, the first time taking five wickets, it was a matter of great pride. It shows we are ready for Test cricket," Nabi said.With the victory, Afghanistan have gained sufficient confidence considering how they struggled during their first Test, where India picked up all 20 wickets in two sessions.Nabi, however, pointed to Afghanistan's record in the first-class Intercontinental Cup competition, saying his side would
Zimbabwe to host UAE, travel to Netherlands
Zimbabwe are set to host the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and tour to the Netherlands for limited-overs series.Zimbabwe will play four ODIs against UAE in April, while contest with Netherlands for a pair of ODI and T20I series in June.The visiting side UAE will replace the cancelled five-match ODI series Afghanistan were set to play in the country.The series against UAE is scheduled to run from April 10 to 16.Zimbabwe will then travel to the Netherlands, where the sides will play two ODIs on June 19 and 21 followed by two T20Is on June 23 and 25.
Buttler one of the most destructive batsmen: Smith
Rajasthan Royals' Steve Smith, who is gearing up for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), praised his teammate Jos Buttler saying the England international is one of the most destructive batsmen around the world.
The long march of women's football
Women's football has fought a long battle for recognition -- but after several false starts the women's game has grown and grown in popularity and this year's World Cup in France promises to be the most-watched in history. The women's game first emerged in Britain after World War I and found a new wave of support again in the late 1960s, before receding only to emerge again in the 1990s. The emancipation movement after World War I triggered what many historians consider to be the golden age of women's football. As men were drafted to the front, women took their place on the factory floor, and in their breaks, some of them enjoyed a kick around in the yards, a tradition the male factory workers had previously enjoyed. The era had its great team, the "Munitionnettes", from Dick Kerr's munitions factory in Preston, northwest England, and their star player, Lily Parr, remains the sole woman in English football's Hall of Fame. She was inaugurated in 2009. On December 26, 1920, over 53,000 .
Gambling Germany boss Loew goes all-in ahead of Serbia friendly
Germany coach Joachim Loew hopes to prove his critics wrong and open 2019 with a win when his new-look team host Serbia in a friendly in Wolfsburg on Wednesday. Loew, who arrived in Wolfsburg later than expected due to a dental operation this week, is hoping to bounce back from a painful 2018, in which Germany suffered an early World Cup exit and were relegated from the top tier of the UEFA Nations League. The friendly against Serbia is a warm-up for Sunday's prestigious opening Euro 2020 qualifier away to the Netherlands with the Germans hunting revenge after a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of the Oranje last October at the Amsterdam Arena. Amid fears that German football is in decline, the 59-year-old Loew is under pressure to show that he can build a new era of success around a younger generation of players. Yet he has also faced fierce criticism for his decision to strike veteran World Cup winners Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng and Thomas Mueller from the national team set-up, falling .
No trophy, no regrets as Federer departs Indian Wells for Miami
Roger Federer departed Indian Wells empty-handed for a second straight year, but the Swiss great sees no reason he can't get back on track at the Miami Masters. "Sure, it's frustrating and disappointing and sad to some extent," Federer said after falling 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to Austrian Dominic Thiem in Sunday's final. Thiem, 25, denied Federer a record sixth Indian Wells title and returned to his career-high of fourth in the world -- bumping Federer down to fifth going to the second leg of the "Sunshine Double" of Indian Wells and Miami. But Federer, the 20-time Grand Slam winner who claimed a remarkable 100th career title in Dubai last month, can afford to take the defeat in stride -- especially when he's playing well and feels his 37-year-old body is fully fit. "It's just not as dramatic," he said of falling to a player who was "just a bit better when it mattered". "Whereas, when you're hurt and things are difficult, maybe those hurt more. "I'm going to Miami. The body is perfectly fine. .
Iran to drop tattooed footballers from team
The Iranian football federation has been asked to drop tattooed players from the national team, a media report said.
Thampi wants to win games for Sunrisers in IPL
Young Kerala pacer Basil Thampi is keen to perform well and swing matches Sunrisers Hyderabad's way in the IPL season 12 commencing on March 23. Thampi is part of the impressive Sunrisers' bowling stock that also includes experienced swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul and left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed. "This coming season I want to do well. The most important thing is if I get a chance, I want to do well for the team. I want to win matches for the team. From the last experience, I learnt a lot from this team," Thampi told PTI in an interaction. The 25-year-old pacer, who rose to fame during his stint with Gujarat Lions, feels he will stick to his stock delivery, which is the yorker. "No, I want to stick to my thing. Because I have good yorkers, I guess, and want to stick to it and, with that, some variations," the right arm medium pacer said. According to Thampi, the most important thing which he learnt from the senior pacers was how to ...
Argentina train in Madrid ahead of friendly
Lionel Messi was the protagonist here as the Argentine national football team began preparations for a friendly against Venezuela later this week here.
Imran Khan congratulates Afghanistan for maiden Test win
Pakistan Prime Minister and former cricketer Imran Khan on Monday heaped praises on the Afghanistan cricket team for registering its maiden win in the Test format after defeating Ireland in the one-off match."Congratulations to Afghanistan on their team's first ever win in test cricket. The Afghan cricketers have achieved amazing successes in such a short period of their exposure to international cricket," Khan tweeted.Afghanistan clinched their maiden Test victory by seven wickets against Ireland at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uttarakhand's capital Dehradun on Monday.Rahmat Shah scored a 122-ball 76 and Ishanullah Janat played an unbeaten knock of 65 off 129 balls as Afghanistan notched up a 147-run target on the fourth morning of the one-off Test match.Ireland began the day in the hope of picking up a couple of early wickets. However, Afghanistan batsmen were well-prepared to handle.The duo of Shah and Janat kept the boundaries flowing and it did not take long .
Advani, Mehta to clash in CCI snooker meet final
Star cueists Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta stormed into the final of the CCI All-India Open Snooker Championship here on Monday.
England women secure series win against Sri Lanka
England eves defeated Sri Lanka women on Monday by six wickets in the second ODI of the three-match series to take an unassailable lead in the series.Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first. The team was bogged down by regular loss of wickets and no batsman was able to stay at the crease for a long period of time.Their top eight batswomen made it into double figures, but only Harshitha Madhavi was able to go past 30-run mark. Sri Lanka was able to post just 187 runs on the board for the loss of nine wickets.Alex Hartley was the pick of England bowlers as she was able to pick up three wickets.Chasing a score of 188, England got off to a flying start as opener Amy Jones played a quickfire knock of 54 runs off just 39 deliveries.Tammy Beaumont and Lauren Winfield provided England team with stability to ease the chase for them.In the end, Heather Knight and Danni Wyatt remained unbeaten to guide England to a six-wicket win with 99 balls still remaining in the match.England with ...
East Bengal ready to take part in Super Cup, ISL
East Bengal's executive committee said here on Monday it will request Quess Corp chairman Ajit Issac to ensure the club's participation in the Super Cup and the Indian Super League (ISL).
Injured Suarez to miss China Cup for Uruguay
Barcelona forward Luis Suarez has been ruled out of playing in the China Cup with Uruguay after spraining his ankle for his club at the weekend. Suarez, 32, is expected to miss between 10 and 15 days after limping off late in Sunday's 4-1 win at Real Betis in La Liga. "He will... undertake his recovery with the FC Barcelona medical team, having been withdrawn from the Uruguayan national team squad," the club said in a statement Monday. Suarez's absence adds to that of Edinson Cavani for Uruguay after the Paris Saint-Germain striker failed to shake off a thigh injury for the trip to China. Oscar Tabarez's squad travel to Nanning to take on take on Uzbekistan on March 21, with the winner meeting China or Thailand in the final four days later. Suarez scored his 18th league goal of the season at Betis to draw level with Diego Forlan for the most goals scored by a Uruguayan in Spain's top flight with 128.
Prajnesh jumps to career-high ranking of 84
In-form tennis player Prajnesh Gunneswaran on Monday jumped to a career-high rank of 84 after his stellar show at the Indian Wells.
Thiem was better when it really mattered, says Roger Federer
Roger Federer lost the Paribas Open final against Dominic Thiem 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday (local time), but the Swiss legend has said that he is not that disappointed with the loss and is looking at the loss with perspective."I am not too disappointed. I feel like he had to come up with the goods, and it did feel like to some extent it was on my racquet, I just came up against somebody who was, on the day, a bit better when it really mattered," Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) quoted Federer, as saying."That's how it goes. Sure, it is frustrating and disappointing and sad to some extent. But look, I have been in these positions so many times that I get over it very quickly," ATP further quoted Federer, as saying."It is hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong [against Thiem]. The return he hits on the line at 5-all [in the third set], that is the one I needed, and I could not produce that. Why is that?," he said."You can start looking, digging so deep, and then you end up ...
Advani, Mehta to clash for CCI snooker crown
Ace cueists Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta, both of ONGC, stormed into the final of the CCI All India Open Snooker Championship here Monday. In semi-final encounters, the top-ranked Advani maintained his cool composure to overcome the challenge from Malkeet Singh of Railway, snatching a 6-2 victory in the best -of-11-frame match. Playing on the side table, India's third ranked Mehta struck top form to dash the aspirations of national runner-up and second ranked Indian Laxman Rawat 6-3 in the other semi- final. Advani, the national snooker champion and winner of multiple world titles, was tactical in his approach and compiled breaks of 68, 84 and 45 to register a 10-65, 75-36, 56-78, 63-21, 134-0, 56-19, 85-21 and 54-47 victory. Mehta was in cracking form and rolled in a break of 73 in the first frame and followed it up with another 73 effort in the fifth and 81 in the eight before signing off with a composed 71 in the ninth to pull off a 73-30, 67-45, 40-63, 44-71, ...
No threat to India-Pakistan WC clash, says ICC CEO
International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dave Richardson on Monday declined any threat to the India-Pakistan World Cup match, saying both the teams were bound by an agreement. India are scheduled to take on Pakistan in a group game in Manchester on June 16.
Namibia name squad, new captain for WC League
Namibia's senior men's cricket team will be led by new captain Gerhard 'Merwe' Erasmus when they start their ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 quest in the World Cricket League Division 2 (WCL2) tournament, slated for April.
If we bat well we can beat any side: Afghanistan's Nabi
Basking in glory following their maiden Test win in only their second appearance, Afghanistan's seasoned all-rounder Mohammad Nabi Monday said they are capable of beating any side if they bat well. Nabi's comments came after Afghanistan notched up a seven-wicket win over Ireland here. "We have the world's best spinners and we try to concentrate on our batting line-up. If we can put up a good score on board then we are confident of beating any team in the world," Nabi told reporters. The enormity of the achievement was not lost on Nabi. "It's a very historic day for whole of Afghanistan. Especially for those guys who bring cricket from zero to the Test cricket. We played two games and we won one. "When you win then teams will tell you to come and play with them. Nobody plays a weak team. They might think that Afghanistan is weak but not so much that we can't fight them," the 34-year-old said. By matches, Afghanistan are joint second-fastest to a maiden Test-match win, alongside ...