Page 517 - Sports
In England series, India to explore core group for T20 World Cup
The Indian women's team will aim to finalise a core group of players ahead of the T20 World Cup early next year when it takes on England in a three-match series starting here Monday. India have been doing well in the 50-over format but they have plenty to ponder about in the shortest form, having lost their previous series in New Zealand 0-3. The whitewash in New Zealand came after a historic win in the ODIs and India will be hoping to reverse that trend with the T20s against England. India beat them 2-1 in the preceding ODI series in Mumbai. Harmanpreet Kaur has not yet recovered from an ankle injury and in-form opener Smriti Mandhana will captain the side in her absence, providing her an opportunity to prove her as a leader. The southpaw continues to plunder runs, having scored two successive half centuries in ODIs against England. She was also in sublime touch in New Zealand last month. In Harmanpreet's absence, senior player and ODI captain Mithali Raj is expected to play a bigger
Lahiri tied 19th, 56-year-old Vijay bids to become oldest PGA winner
India's Anirban Lahiri hung in tenaciously for a one-over 72 but slipped to tied 19th at the Honda Classic as Vijay Singh, at 56, launched a bid to become the oldest PGA Tour winner. After rounds of 67 and 70 on first two days, Lahiri was two-under for three days in what has been a low-scoring week. Rookie Wyndham Clark (67), at seven-under, held a one-shot lead over Fiji's Vijay (65) who is trying to become the oldest ever winner on the Tour. Vijay was tied with Korean Kyoung-Hoon Lee (68) and Keith Mitchell (70). Rickie Fowler, who has one win this season already, was fifth at five-under. Lahiri did manage a majority of the fairways, hitting 10 of the 14, but he did not find as many greens as the first two days. He reached only seven greens in regulation out of 18. Yet, on the Par-4 395-yard fourth hole, he found a fairway bunker and still hit his second shot close enough for a birdie. On the very next hole, he missed a rare putt inside 10 feet this one was nine feet for par and .
Indian Oil, BPCL to feature in Bombay Gold Cup hockey
Defending champions Indian Oil and last year's runners-up Bharat Petroleum will renew their rivalry in the 53rd All India Bombay Gold Cup Hockey Tournament here from Monday to March 13. The tournament is being conducted by the Mumbai Hockey Association Limited under the auspices of Hockey India at the MHAL-Mahindra stadium, a release said on Sunday. A total of 12 teams, seven outstation and five local outfits, will fight it out to emerge champions. The teams have been divided into four pools of three each and the top team from each pool will qualify for the semi-finals to be played on March 12. The final will be held the following day. Besides, Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum, the other teams taking part from out of Mumbai are Army XI, South Central Railway, Punjab & Sind Bank, Uttar Pradesh XI and Rail Coach Factory, Kapurtala. The local challengers are Central Railway, Bombay Republicans, Bank of India, MHAL Academy and Killedar XI. The groupings: Pool-A: Indian ...
Preparation won't change much on becoming captain, says Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana, who is set to lead the India Women's cricket team after injured captain Harmanpreet Kaur was ruled out of the T20I campaign against England, says the captaincy would not need her to make many changes in her preparation."I think the preparation won't change much, I have been vice-captain for two years and I have been attending all team meetings. I knew already what we will do before the match when I was not the captain. It is just I will need to make extra effort to speak with the bowlers," Madhana told reporters.England's leg-spinner Alex Hartley has been springing good bowling performances for the team. She played alongside Mandhana for Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League. Mandhana was seen appreciating her and said he has followed her very closely."I think she has been really good. She had a good Challenger's trophy and I actually followed her when I was in Big Bash. When I played against her, I was really impressed with her".India struggled in getting a proper
Gardner, Perry shine as Aussies hand whitewash to NZ
Australia handed an ODI series whitewash to New Zealand with a dominant seven-wicket win in the third and final match of the Rose Bowl Trophy at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Sunday.With the victory, Australia consolidated their position at the top of the ICC Women's Championship table with 22 points from 12 matches, six above the second-placed India who have played three matches more.In spite of all-rounder Sophie Devine's fighting half-century, Player of the Match off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner (3-49) helped Australia restrict New Zealand on 231 for eight.In reply, all-rounder Ellyse Perry guided her side with an unbeaten 75-ball 54 after a solid 84-run stand put on by openers Rachel Haynes (46) and Alyssa Healy (46). The visitors got their breakthrough in the 17th over, when Leigh Kasperek dismissed Haynes. Within four overs, Healy followed suit but had added 24 with her skipper Meg Lanning to well place Australia.Lanning and Perry in the middle stitched 62-run stand, diminishing
Rahul wins Kenya Open Future Series
Rahul Bharadwaj clinched the Kenya Open Future Series badminton tournament, beating fellow Indian Aman Farogh Sanjay in the final in Nairobi. The 18-year old Bharadwaj, who had to come through the qualifying round, overcame a fighting Aman 21-23, 21-18, 21-18 in a thrilling summit clash on Saturday. He had won the Uganda International title last week.
Honour to wear West Indian crest: Gayle after his final home ODI
West Indies swashbuckling batsman Chris Gayle, who blasted 77 runs in 27 balls in his final home one-day international match reflected on his two-decade international career, and what it meant playing for the national side.
Lukaku scores brace, leads Man United to 3-2 win over Southampton
Striker Romelu Lukaku netted a brace to lead Manchester United to a thrilling 3-2 win over visiting Southampton in Premier League action at Old Trafford.
Sandhu fires final round 66 to finish T-23rd in NZ Open
Indian golfer Ajeetesh Sandhu compiled a superb six-under 66 on the final day to finish tied-23rd at the 100th New Zealand Open on Sunday. Australian Zach Murray claimed his first title since turning professional as he managed to hold on to the lead despite taking a bogey on the final hole. He shot 68 to get to a total of 21-under 266. He won by two shots over Ashley Hall (65) and Joshy Geary (69). Shiv Kapur, who started the day at Tied-13th, slipped on the front nine as he turned in two over with three bogeys against one birdie. A bogey on 10th meant he was three-over and way down and he stayed that till the 14th tee. Then he birdied 14th, 15th and 17th to salvage the week and end with an even par 72 and Tied-33rd. The third Indian in the fray, S Chikkarangappa (70) finished Tied-29th. Murray, a 21-year-old from Victoria, had his biggest test on the 18th where he hit a wild tee shot and his second shot flew well over the green, before he made an up and down for bogey to win by two ..
Cricket set for Asian Games return in 2022
Cricket is set for a return at the Asian Games after the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Sunday included it in the sports programme for the 2022 edition in Hangzhou. The decision was taken at the OCA's General Assembly here. "Yes, cricket has been included in the sports programme for 2022 Hangzhou Games," OCA honorary vice-president Randhir Singh told PTI. Cricket was dropped from the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia after featuring in 2010 and 2014, albeit without the presence of game's powerhouse India. India opted out of the quadrennial event owing to the team's congested scheduling. In all probability, the T20 format will be played at the Asian Games, like it happened during the 2010 and 2014 edition in Guangzhou and Incheon respectively. Since the mega event is still some years away, the BCCI has plenty of time to deliberate on the Indian team's participation. "There is a lot of time to go for 2022 Asian Games. In due time, we will discuss and decide," a BCCI official told PTI. The ...
River Plate beat Newell's, rise to fourth
River Plate climbed to fourth in the Superliga Argentina standings with a 4-2 home victory over Newell's Old Boys.
Diksha finishes T-29th as Van Dam wins fourth LET title
Indian golfer Diksha Dagar seemed set for a Top-20 finish before three bogeys in four holes pushed her back to Tied-29th on the concluding day of the Canberra Women's Classic here Sunday. She carded one-over 72, the only over par round she played this week at the Royal Canberra Golf Club. Dagar was the lone Indian to make the cut and she started with a bogey and ended with a birdie as she had four bogeys and three birdies. The stretch that pulled her back was between the 14th to 17th, holes when she had three bogeys. Anne Van Dam from The Netherlands surged home on the final nine to win by three strokes. It was her third Ladies European Tour title inside six months and her fourth overall. Van Dam began the day as joint leader on 11 under and out-duelled defending champion Korea's Jiyai Shin and Slovenian Katja Pogacar, the other overnight co-leader. Van Dam picked four shots in last four holes for a round of six under 65. Katja Pogacar (68) also came home strongly with two birdies in .
We did not adapt, says Eoin Morgan after poor batting performance
After posting 418 for the loss of six wickets in the 4th ODI, England were bundled out for just 113 in the final and fifth ODI at St Lucia against the Windies. Eoin Morgan, the captain of England has said the poor batting performance was because the team failed to adapt."We did not adapt, it was a terrible batting performance, which is a disappointing way to end the series. We need to learn from the experience, the International Cricket Council(ICC) quoted Morgan as saying."It (the conditions) was evident from the first two overs. You could see it from the changing room. We did have that conversation. But we did not adapt. Trying to curb your natural ability, to try to go from high-risk to low-risk and still get a score in the morning that will be good enough in the afternoon, is difficult."England were handed a seven-wicket loss as in the chase of 114 runs, Chris Gayle went berserk as he scored a 27-ball knock of 77. As a result, the five-match series was tied at 2-2 with one match ..
ICC to introduce age-group world tournament for girls
International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executives' Committee announced they will develop a plan to introduce an age-group world tournament for girls, aimed at creating more opportunities for young women around the globe to play the game.As part of the ICC's ongoing commitment to accelerating the growth of the women's game, the global governing body of cricket will develop a plan for the introduction of this event during the current commercial cycle.Additionally, the board agreed on a new composition of the Women's Committee that provides for a greater strategic focus for the group. The remit of the new committee will cover the driving growth in participation of women and girls, overseeing plans to grow the female fan-base and fans of women's cricket and promoting opportunities for women involved in the administration and leadership of the sport around the world.The committee will also look into creating cricket competitions, pathways and events which foster competitive women's ...
Barca edge Real Madrid 1-0 in bad-tempered Clasico
FC Barcelona got a first-half goal from Ivan Rakitic in a 1-0 La Liga victory over Real Madrid, who lost for the second time in four days to their arch-rival.
Lazio wins Rome derby 3-0
Goals from Ecuador's Felipe Caicedo and Ciro Immobile, as well as Dino Cataldi helped Lazio to a 3-0 win over Roma in the 26th round of the Serie A, Italy's First Division.
I want to test my game against Momota: Sameer
A season of highs saw him knocking on the door of world's top 10 and India's Sameer Verma believes a positive mindset and improved strategies will hold him in good stead at the All England Championship starting March 10. Sameer came out of the shadows of his illustrious colleagues last year when he reached the knockout stage of the World Tour Finals as a qualifier, riding on his title run at Swiss Open, Hyderabad Open and Syed Modi International at Lucknow. Two of these titles -- Swiss Open and Syed Modi -- were Super 300 events and Sameer, who had reached the finals of Hong Kong Super Series in 2016, hopes to achieve his dream of winning a higher level tournament when he steps out at the Arena Birmimgham for the All England Championship. "I want to win a big tournament and I want it to be All England," Sameer told PTI in an interview. The 24-year-old will open his campaign against former world champion Viktor Axelsen. "I have lost twice to him (Viktor Axelsen) but I am not too ...
Cricket set for Asian Games return in 2022: Reports
Cricket is set for a return at the Asian Games after it was included in the sports programme for the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, media reports said here Sunday . The decision was taken at the Olympic Council of Asia's General Assembly, sports website "insidethegames.biz" reported. Cricket was dropped from the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia after featuring in 2010 and 2014, albeit without the presence of game's powerhouse India. India opted out of the quadrennial event owing to the team's congested scheduling. In all probability, the T20 format will be played at the Asian Games, like it happened during the 2010 and 2014 edition in Guangzhou and Incheon respectively. Since the mega event is still some years away, the BCCI has plenty of time to deliberate on the Indian team's participation. "There is a lot of time to go for 2022 Asian Games. In due time, we will discuss and decide," a BCCI official told PTI. The decision to include cricket in the 2022 programme was on expected lines after ..
El Classico: Barcelona defeats Real Madrid 1-0
Barcelona handed a second damaging El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid in four days with a 1-0 victory in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Saturday.Barca defeated Real Madrid 3-0 on Wednesday as well in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal. Real was unable to salvage pride in the La Liga clash.The matters worsened for Madrid as Barca have edged ahead of them in the all-time list of wins for matches between both the teams.Barcelona now have 10 point lead over Atletico Madrid and a 12 point lead over Real Madrid and now the title race is looking very one-sided.Both the sides had many chances to score before Ivan Rakitic put Barca ahead in the 26th minute.This turned out to be the only goal of the game.Real's frustration was there for everyone to see when Sergio Ramos appeared to deliberately elbow Messi. Both the players squared head-to-head with players from Barca appealing to the referee to take strict action against the player who has been previously shown red cards five times ..
Roger Federer wins his 100th tour title
Roger Federer made history on Saturday at the Dubai Championship as he defeated reigning champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 to win his 100th tour-level title.The 37-year-old is just the second player to accomplish this feat, joining Jimmy Connors who has tour-level title 109 times."It has been a long, wonderful journey… I have loved every minute, It is been tough but the sacrifice has been very, very worthwhile and we will see how much more I have got left in the tank. Reaching 100 is an absolute dream come true for me," Association of Tennis Professionals(ATP) quoted Federer as saying.This was Federer's first appearance in a tour final since winning his 99th tour-level trophy last October in Basel.The Swiss player needed just 69 minutes to triumph in Dubai for the eighth time, making it four tournaments at which he has earned eight or more titles."I think this one has a deep satisfaction, an immediate one because I know what it means. I like these type of numbers or records, a lot .