Page 522 - Sports

Inter get Champions League jitters with Cagliari loss

Inter Milan's hopes of enjoying an untroubled run into the Champions League next season suffered a setback with a shock 2-1 defeat at Cagliari. Inter remain in third place but can slip to fourth -- and the last automatic qualifying spot for the Champions League -- if city rivals AC Milan see off Sassuolo at the San Siro on Saturday. Should fifth-placed Roma defeat Lazio on Saturday, then they will go level with Inter on 47 points. Inter, still without unsettled striker and skipper Mauro Icardi, slipped a goal down in Sardinia on Friday after 31 minutes when Luca Ceppitelli headed home. Lautaro Martinez levelled with another header seven minutes later from a cross by former Cagliari player Radja Nainggolan. But with half-time approaching, Leonardo Pavoletti restored his team's lead with a smart volley. Cagliari could have heaped further misery on Inter in stoppage time at the end of the game but Nicolo Barella missed a penalty kick. Friday's result represented another twist in a ...

You rule the skies and you rule our hearts: BCCI welcomes IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman

The entire country is rejoicing and celebrating the return of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as the Indian Air Force pilot crossed over the Indian border at around 9.20 pm on Friday.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and sports fraternity took to Twitter to welcome Wing Commander Abhinandan, who stepped on the India soil from Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar, Punjab, where thousands had been waiting for hours to have a glimpse of the brave IAF officer.Minutes after Abhinandan crossed the border and was received by Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army, the BCCI posted a special message for him on their official Twitter handle with has the name of the IAF pilot engraved on Team India jersey.Welcoming the pilot, the BCCI tweeted: "#WelcomeHomeAbhinandan You rule the skies and you rule our hearts. Your courage and dignity will inspire generations to come #TeamIndia."Former Indian skipper and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar also welcomed Abhinandan and tweeted, "A ..

ISL: NorthEast prove a point in Kerala stalemate

Ten-man NorthEast United FC stood firm and stayed resilient to play out a goalless draw and deny Kerala Blasters FC a chance to end their Indian Super League campaign with a win at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Wednesday.

I-League: Churchill beat Chennai to keep title race alive

Churchill Brothers FC dampened Chennai City's plan of securing their maiden I-League title with a dramatic 3-2 win over the table toppers at the Tilak Maidan here on Friday.

FIFA hits ex-Oceania president with six-year ban for corruption

FIFA has suspended former Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) president David Chung for six years for corruption, world football's governing body announced Friday. FIFA's Ethics Committee ruled that Chung, who resigned from the OFC in April, "offered and accepted gifts" and "acted under a conflict of interest", banning him and hitting him with a 100,000 Swiss franc (87,900 euros) fine. Chung is of Malaysian origin but holds a Papua New Guinea passport and was head of that nation's football association and a member of the FIFA Council. He resigned his presidency a few days before the OFC announced an investigation after a FIFA audit found "potential irregularities" in the construction of the confederation's headquarters in Auckland. Chung became OFC president in 2011 after his predecessor Tahitian Reynald Temarii was suspended by FIFA for corruption.

Ex-pacer Kulkarni hails 'Paddy' Shivalkar for his dedication

Veteran slow left-arm orthodox bowler Padmakar Shivalkar was a picture of dedication during his playing days and an inspiration for others, said former India pacer Raju Kulkarni Friday. Kulkarni said among other virtues, he learnt dedication from the former Indian First Class cricketer. He was speaking at the release of a Marathi book, "Ha Chendu Devagaticha", penned by Shivalkar, at a function here. "Two-three things I would like to share. It was my privilege that I played with him (Shivalkar) for the Tatas. "His focus, hard work and dedication, that we learned (from him). "We all used to work at Bombay House (headquarters of Tata Group in South Mumbai) and after lunch we used to leave for CCI (Cricket Club of India) for practice. "And (sometime) we used to be late, (but) we would see a single stump and 'Paddy' alone bowling. After that batsmen used to come and he used to bowl to them and then leave," recalled Kulkarni, now a member of the Cricket Improvement Committee ...

Churchill Brothers dabble Chennai City hopes of I-League title with a dramatic win

Churchill Brothers FC Goa dampened Chennai City's plan of securing their maiden I-League title with a dramatic 3-2 win over the table toppers here at the Tilak Maidan on Friday.Chennai City drew the first blood in the 29th minute through Sandro R before Willis Plaza (38′) restored parity for the hosts. The Red Machines took the lead through Christ Remi (50′) once again but it was Pedro Manzi (69′) who did no mistake to convert from the penalty spot.Their efforts went to waste as Hero of the Match Willis Plaza completed his brace (71′) to help his team secure a victory tonight.With this win, Churchill Brothers FC Goa elevated to third with 34 points while Chennai City FC continue to lead the table with 40 points, 4 points ahead of second-placed Quess East Bengal.Chennai City FC, with the urgency to clinch their maiden Hero I-League title with a win against hosts Churchill Brothers FC Goa, started on a safe note today. Unlike their normal attacking style, it seemed like they were trying

Ashton Agar signs up with Warwickshire for T20 Blast

Australian spinner Ashton Agar has joined Warwickshire County Cricket Club for this season of Vitality Blast T20 tournament.The 25-year-old, who will join the club ahead of their opening match against Worcestershire Rapids on July 19, said that Warwickshire is one of the top teams and he would love to play for them."I'm thrilled to sign for Birmingham Bears for this year's Vitality Blast and to make Birmingham my home for July, August and hopefully September! Whilst they missed out on qualification last year, the Bears have been one of the top teams in the Blast over the last five years and I would love to play a lead role in bringing them back home to Edgbaston for Finals Day this year," ESPNcricinfo quoted Ashton, as saying."Having played at Edgbaston for Australia in last summer's IT20 against England, I've certainly experienced its atmosphere and know just how passionate the supporters can be. I'm certainly looking forward to having them behind us when we start our Blast campaign .

ISL: NorthEast prove a point in Kerala stalemate

Ten-man NorthEast United FC stood firm to play out a goalless draw and deny Kerala Blasters FC a chance to end their Indian Super League campaign with a win, here Wednesday. Having already secured a spot in the playoff, NorthEast confirmed the fourth place in the standings with 29 points from 18 games and will now face Bengaluru FC in the semi-final. FC Goa will face Mumbai City FC in the other semi-final. Blasters ended their league season in the ninth spot with just two wins and 15 points after 18 matches. After a tentative first few minutes, a powerful shot from Courage Pekuson got Kerala going. Twelve minutes into the game, Matej Poplatnik dribbled forward down the left and chipped the ball to Pekuson at the edge of the box. The Ghanaian midfielder chested it down before hitting a fine volley that flew inches wide. Kerala pushed forward and threatened to take the lead. In the 21st minute, Seiminlen Doungel ran clear down the right and sent a dangerous cross into the box which was .

How cricket's original format is alive and kicking like never before

In some ways, Virat Kohli's sheer box-office value and presence on the field is what's driving Test cricket

I-League: Plaza's brace earn Churchill a 3-2 win over Chennai , keeps title-race alive

Willis Plaza struck twice as Churchill Brothers dampened Chennai City's plan of securing their maiden I-League title with a dramatic 3-2 win to keep the title-race alive, here Friday. Current I-League table toppers Chennai City drew the first blood in the 29th minute through Sandro R but Plaza (38th) restored parity for the hosts. The Red Machines took the lead through Christ Remi (50') once again but it was Pedro Manzi (69') who did no mistake to convert from the penalty spot. Their efforts went to waste as Hero of the Match Plaza completed his brace (71st) to help his team secure a victory at the Tilak Maidan here. With this win, Churchill Brothers elevated to third place with 34 points while Chennai City FC continue to lead the table with 40 points, four points ahead of second-placed East Bengal. East Bengal will now need to win their next match against Minerva Punjab on March 3 to stay afloat in the title hunt. Anything except a win for the Red and Golds would seal the title for ..

Spinner Alex Hartley added to England women's T20 squad

England women have added left-arm spinner Alex Hartley to their T20 squad for the upcoming three -match series against hosts India. "Alex Hartely (has been) added to the England's T20 squad," said the team's media manager in a message to the media Friday. The 25-year-old Hartley has so far just played three T20s, the last of which against India in Mumbai in March last year. Earlier, all-rounder Sophie Ecclestone, who was originally named in the England T20 squad, was ruled out of the third ODI and the T20 series after she suffered a fracture on her hand. Sophie also bowls left-arm spin. England, who lost the ODI series 1-2, are set to play three T20 matches against India, with the series opener getting underway in Guwahati on March 4. It was also announced that these games have now been rescheduled to start at 11 AM instead of the earlier announced 10 AM start. England women's T20 squad: Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley ...

2019 World Cup tournament director all for uninterrupted use of stump mics

Steve Elworthy, 2019 Cricket World Cup tournament director, said he would like to see stump mics being on at all times during the mega event in England starting May 30. In two separate incidents, Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed and West Indies pacer Shannon Gabriel recently courted controversy with their on-field comments which were caught by the stump mics. They both were handed four-match bans for their "offensive" on-field remarks and the incidents reignited the debate on use of on-field microphones. "From a fan engagement point of view, being able to do this for fans and spectators who are coming to the game or are watching on TV, these things need to be discussed, and need to be addressed," Elworthy told ESPNcricinfo. "People want to get close to their heroes. They want to understand what goes on in the heat of the battle. But you've also got to understand there are sensitivities around these things. So it is a fine balancing act. But I would genuinely like to see that ...

Turkish Women's Cup: Indian eves register massive 10-0 victory against Turkmenistan

Indian women's football team romped home to a massive 10-0 victory against Turkmenistan in their second match of the Turkish Women's Cup on Friday.Attacker Sanju was the highest scorer of the match, netting a hattrick as Maymol Rocky's team bounced back from the 0-1 defeat against Uzbekistan on Wednesday.Anju Tamang and Ranjana got a brace each to their name, while Dangmei Grace, Sumithra and Indumathi Kathiresan got a goal each to their name.India started off with a bang, as Dangmei Grace put the eves in front on the 7th minute itself. Around 10 minutes later, Sanju added yet another one, before making it 3-0 for India minutes before the half-time break.The team, led by Indumathi Kathiresan in this match, increased the tempo in the second half, as Grace and Ranjana combined again to add two more.Notably, the 71st-minute goal marked the hat-trick for Sanju, and also the third assist of the match for right-back Dalima Chhibber.Sumithra, Anju and captain Indumathi added three more goals

Alex Carey all set to play in opening ODI against India

Australia's wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey is all set to play in the opening ODI of the upcoming five-match ODI series against India, beginning March 2.Though the Australian squad for the first match is yet to be announced, skipper Aaron Finch said that the cricketer is likely to take the number seven spot in the team."Alex has done well when he's had his opportunities and I know he was really disappointed missing out on the T20 games. But Pete had done a good job for the Stars and gave us the luxury of playing that extra bowler as well, which was so important at the end of the day," Cricket.com.au quoted Finch, as saying."Going forward, (the keeper) is probably likely to be in that middle-order, No.7 spot," he added.Finch also praised Maxwell for his impressive batting display during the T20I series against India. He assured that Maxwell will be promoted up in the order."His two knocks here were unbelievable. Especially that last one, it was as good a T20 innings I've ever seen in .

Olivier took 'family decision', we should respect that: Morne Morkel

Retired South African cricketer Morne Morkel feels that Duanne Olivier's step to sign a Kolpak deal with Yorkshire County Cricket Club, effectively ending his international career, was a "family decision" which should be respected by all.Morkel said that the timing of the decision was not great as Olivier had really started settling himself in the Test cricket. He, however, added that he understands his decision and respect it."It's just unfortunate because Duanne had really settled in and is finding his feet … he knows what Test cricket is about. In terms of timing, it's not great. (But) I think that decision was made long before a couple of months ago. He weighed his options up and it was a family decision and you have to respect that," Cricket.com.au quoted Morkel, as saying."It's never nice to lose quality players, you always want to see them play for South Africa. But I understand it completely and I wish him all the best," he added.As a preventive measure for this trend, the ...

ICC mulls all-time-on stump mics for World Cup

Broadcasters in Australia recently made a small experiment where they allowed no commentary in cricket matches but the stump mics were turned on all the time. The International Cricket Council (ICC), now, is mulling to replicate the same for the upcoming cricket World Cup.The tournament director Steve Elworthy said that he is in favour of keeping the stump mics turned on all the times and asserted that the idea needs to be discussed."From a fan engagement point of view, being able to do this for fans and spectators who are coming to the game or are watching on TV, these things need to be discussed, and need to be addressed," ESPNcricinfo quoted Elworthy, as saying."People want to get close to their heroes. They want to understand what goes on in the heat of the battle. But you've also got to understand there are sensitivities around these things. So it is a fine balancing act," he said."But I would genuinely like to see that accessibility granted. I'd like to see it when players do ...

World Cup team will be sorted out before IPL, says Kohli

India captain Virat Kohli on Friday said the World Cup team will be decided before the Indian Premier League (IPL) starts and performances in the cash-rich domestic T20 tournament will have no bearing on team selection.

Rahul has to score runs away from home: Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Friday said K.L. Rahul has to get runs away from home, adding that Rishabh Pant is one for the future and has to fit in the World Cup squad.

ISL: Mumbai out for double over rivals Pune (Preview)

Mumbai City FC will be looking for a confidence-boosting 'Maharashtra derby' victory when they take on FC Pune City in an Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Saturday.