Page 526 - Sports

Finch will come good, just need to be patient, says Langer

Australia coach Justin Langer on Thursday promised unwavering support for out-of-form Aaron Finch, saying he has no doubts that the limited-overs skipper will soon find his mojo back. Finch's rough patch has extended to the T20s as he was out for zero and eight in the two T20Is which Australia won to claim their maiden series win in the shortest format in India. "He's such a good player, such a good person, captain of the team, we know he'll come good," Langer was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. "We just got to keep giving him plenty of care and support. We know he'll come good." Finch has not scored a fifty in his last 19 innings for Australia in limited overs cricket. However, Langer threw his weight behind Finch. "There's no more destructive player in the world we talk about 'Maxi' (Glenn Maxwell), Marcus Stoinis, a number of our players who can be so destructive but when he's going, he is as destructive as a player as there is in white-ball cricket," Langer said. "We know ..

SC reserves order on Sreesanth's plea against lifetime ban by BCCI

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on a plea by former cricketer S. Sreesanth challenging the lifetime ban imposed on him by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for his alleged involvement in match fixing during 2013 IPL.

Afghanistan beat Ireland by 5 wickets in first ODI

Gulbadin Naib shone with both bat and ball as Afghanistan produced a clinical performance to notch up a five-wicket win over Ireland in the first ODI to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series here Thursday. Electing to bat, Ireland were folded for 161 in 49.2 overs with Dawlat Zadran (3/35) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (3/14) returning with three wickets each. Gulbadin (2/20) also claimed two wickets. Paul Stirling (89) was the top-scorer for Ireland but they failed to put on partnerships with only three batsmen reaching double figures. George Dockrell (37) and Kevin O' Brien (10) were the other two contributors. Afghanistan's top-order and middle-order then fired with opener Mohammad Shahzad (43) and No. 5 Gulbadin (46) taking the team home, scoring 165 for 5 in 41.5 overs. Hazratullah Zazai (25) and Rahmat Shah (22) too contributed for Afghanistan. Boyd Rankin (2/48) scalped two wickets, while Simi Singh (1/19), Barry McCarthy (1/33) and Dockrell (1/31) were the other wicket takers for ...

Test cricket is not dying, it needs a bit of boost: ICC CEO

ICC CEO Dave Richardson doesn't believe Test cricket has lost its sheen but said the five-day format needs a lit bit of boost to keep the interest alive among fans. Richardson's statement came in defence of ICC Chairman Shahshank Manohar's recent statement that Test cricket is slowly "dying". "What he (Manohar) was meaning to say is Test cricket was calling out for more context," Richardson was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "Yes, there are some iconic contests that take place from time to time, but really, unless you are a part of or a fan of the participating teams that particular series had no real interest (to fans globally). "And with the introduction of the World Test Championship, that adds interest and helps to promote the Test game worldwide no matter who is playing. That is what he was saying: Test cricket needed just that added boost, it needed to be promoted and the World Test Championship hopefully is the answer to that," he added. ICC Chairman Manohar had recently ...

Monfils squeaks into Dubai last four after seeing off Berankis

Gael Monfils continued his charmed run at the Dubai Championships on Thursday after battling into the semi-finals with a 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 win over qualifier Ricardas Berankis. The Frenchman, who came into the tournament in good form after beating Stan Wawrinka in Rotterdam this month to win his eighth career title, will face one of Hubert Hurkacz and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Friday's semi-final after the unexpectedly tight win. Unseeded Monfils, 32, revealed that he needed to get angry with himself to get over the line after missing chances to close out a straight-sets victory when a set up and leading the second 5-4. "It was tough mentally, I was upset that I didn't finish it (then). I had to get angry to find the energy to come back," he said after coming from a break down to storm the final set. "I was playing flat, I knew I had to do something. "My opponent was very brave, he went for his shots, came to the net and made it difficult." Monfils' performance dipped drastically after .

Former Olympic and world champion DeGale hangs up his gloves

Former two-time super middleweight world champion James DeGale announced his retirement on Thursday days after he took a pummelling from fellow Briton Chris Eubank Junior. The 33-year-old, who as a middleweight won Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008, said he had been on an "amazing journey" but 10 years to the day of his first professional bout was an apt one to hang up his gloves. De Gale was the first British pugilist to progress from the Olympics to a world title after turning professional. He won the IBF world title belt in the United States in 2015 against Andre Dirrell before defending it three times across the Atlantic. "Today marks 10 years since my professional debut fight on February 28, 2009 and today is the day I am announcing my retirement from boxing," said DeGale in a statement. "It's been an unbelievable journey and I've had an amazing decade -- if I'm honest, the best years of my life." DeGale, who lost his world title in an upset points decision to American Caleb Truax .

Nadal blasts Kyrgios for 'lack of respect' after Acapulco defeat

Rafael Nadal accused Nick Kyrgios of lacking respect "for the public, the opponent and himself" after a stormy defeat to the Australian firebrand at the Mexico Open. Kyrgios survived three match points to beat top-seeded Nadal 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (8/6) on Wednesday and reach the quarter-finals. However, 17-time major winner Nadal was furious with Kyrgios who at one stage complained of being sick, served underarm late in the match before cupping his ear to the boos of the crowd at the conclusion of the second round tie. "He is a player with huge talent and could be winning Grand Slams or fighting for the number one ranking," said Nadal. "But he lacks respect for the public, the opponent and for himself." Kyrgios, ranked 72 in the world, hit back at Nadal. "I'm different, Rafa's different. He can focus on what he needs to do. He doesn't know the journey I have been on, he doesn't know anything about me," said Kyrgios who famously stunned Nadal as a teenager at Wimbledon in 2014. "I am ..

S.Africa's Van Niekerk working 'too hard' not to run in Doha

South African Olympic 400m champion Wayde Van Niekerk said on Thursday that he will "probably" compete at the world athletics championships in Doha in September as he returns from injury. Van Niekerk, who was injured in a touch rugby game at the end of 2017, also paid tribute to fellow South African athlete Caster Semenya and her fight against International Associations of Athletics Federations rules on testosterone levels. "Caster's super strong. She's fighting for women to have equal rights," he said at an event hosted by his sponsor, T-Systems South Africa, as it renewed their deal for three years in Midrand, south of Pretoria. On his hopes for Doha, Van Niekerk, a silver medallist at the 2017 world championships in London, said he was "working way too hard to not be there". "I think I'll be there and I think things are going my way. It's going quite good. My team is very patient with me. I honestly believe I will be there and I will be able to compete quite well," added the ...

Bhullar best among Indians at tied-30th in Oman

Gaganjeet Bhullar fired a modest one-under 71 to be placed tied 30th, the best among three Indians on the opening day of the Oman Open golf tournament here Thursday. Bhullar had three birdies on the front, but gave away back-to-back birdies on 10th and 11th as he finished at one-under 71. He was lying five shots behind the leader, Kurt Kitayama of the US. Shubhankar Sharma had two birdies against two bogeys while the third Indian in the field, SSP Chawrasia had a rough start with a five-over 77 and will need a strong second round to make the weekend. Meanwhile, Kitayama got off to another fast start as he fired a 66 to take the first round lead. The American, who came through all three stages of Qualifying School in 2018, was a winner in just his third European Tour start at the Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open at Anahita. He began that week with a 63 and his opening round at Al Mouj Golf was the fourth time he had gone sub-70 for his first 18 holes in 2019, although it was the first time .

Maharashtra, UP inch closer to Super League stage, Tripura registers first win

Samarth Singh (75), Akshdeep Nath (70) blasted fifties before Saurabh Kumar took a five-wicket haul to guide Uttar Pradesh to a huge 118-run win over Uttarakhand in a Group E match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here Wednesday. Put in to bat, Uttar Pradesh rode on Singh and Nath's knock to post a massive 209 for 6 in 20 overs and then returned to bundle out Uttarakhand for 91. Singh hit seven boundaries and three sixes, while Nath's innings was laced with 10 fours and a maximum. Saurabh Kumar shined with the ball for UP returning with the figures of 5 for 28. Uttarakhand failed to stitch together partnerships, losing wickets in regular intervals. Saurabh Rawat was the top-scorer with 30 runs. Uttar Pradesh sit on top of the table with 20 points. In Palam B stadium, Maharashtra captain Rahul Tripathi led from the front as his team thrashed Baroda by eight wickets to inch closer to the Super League. Set a target of 164 runs, Maharashtra openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tripathi provided a ..

BAI asks shuttlers to stay away from unauthorised Leagues

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has written to all its affiliated bodies to inform registered players to avoid participating in unauthorised tournaments. "We came to know that an Unauthorised Badminton League is getting organised in the month of March in Agra and June in Sonepat, Haryana," BAI Secretary (Events) Omar Rashid said in the letter. "You are advised to inform all registered players of your State not to participate not only in league but also not in any unauthorised tournament/league as per rules and regulations stipulated in the constitution." BAI said it will deactivate the IDs of players with immediate effect if any one is found to be associated in any unauthorised tournament. "It may please be noted that BAI ID of players will be immediately deactivated who will participate in any unauthorised league/event," Omar said. BAI secretary general Ajay Singhania had written a similar letter in November last year in this regard. "We are not against anyone hosting any ...

Maharashtra, UP inch closer to Super League stage, Tripura registers first win

Samarth Singh (75), Akshdeep Nath (70) blasted fifties before Saurabh Kumar took a five-wicket haul to guide Uttar Pradesh to a huge 118-run win over Uttarakhand in a Group E match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here Wednesday. Put in to bat, Uttar Pradesh rode on Singh and Nath's knock to post a massive 209 for 6 in 20 overs and then returned to bundle out Uttarakhand for 91. Singh hit seven boundaries and three sixes, while Nath's innings was laced with 10 fours and a maximum. Saurabh Kumar shined with the ball for UP returning with the figures of 5 for 28. Uttarakhand failed to stitch together partnerships, losing wickets in regular intervals. Saurabh Rawat was the top-scorer with 30 runs. Uttar Pradesh sit on top of the table with 20 points. In Palam B stadium, Maharashtra captain Rahul Tripathi led from the front as his team thrashed Baroda by eight wickets to inch closer to the Super League. Set a target of 164 runs, Maharashtra openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tripathi provided a ..

Tata Steel comes on board as PGTI's umbrella sponsor for three years

Global steel giant, Tata Steel will enhance its support to golf in the country through a three-year deal as the umbrella sponsor of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). "For more than a decade and a half, Tata Steel has hosted a tournament for the Indian pros at the Golmuri Golf Course in Jamshedpur. We decided it was time to extend our support to professional golf in the country as the lead partners for the entire tour," Tata Steel Vice President Sanjiv Paul said. "Tata Steel has a long and enduring commitment to Indian sport. From football to archery, from athletics to boxing, from hockey to chess, we have been in the forefront of nurturing and supporting sporting talent. "The association with the professionally-run PGTI is a natural outcome of our shared goal of promoting competition at the highest level among Indian players." PGTI Chief Executive Officer Uttam Singh Mundy, said, "We are delighted to welcome Tata Steel, one of Indian sports earliest and biggest benefactors, .

Tata Steel comes on board as PGTI's umbrella sponsor for three years

Global steel giant, Tata Steel will enhance its support to golf in the country through a three-year deal as the umbrella sponsor of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). "For more than a decade and a half, Tata Steel has hosted a tournament for the Indian pros at the Golmuri Golf Course in Jamshedpur. We decided it was time to extend our support to professional golf in the country as the lead partners for the entire tour," Tata Steel Vice President Sanjiv Paul said. "Tata Steel has a long and enduring commitment to Indian sport. From football to archery, from athletics to boxing, from hockey to chess, we have been in the forefront of nurturing and supporting sporting talent. "The association with the professionally-run PGTI is a natural outcome of our shared goal of promoting competition at the highest level among Indian players." PGTI Chief Executive Officer Uttam Singh Mundy, said, "We are delighted to welcome Tata Steel, one of Indian sports earliest and biggest benefactors, .

Brunt hands England consolation win, India win ODI series

England denied India their one-day international clean-sweep as fast bowler Katherine Brunt took a five-wicket haul to hand the visitors a consolation two-wicket victory at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.Playing her 50th ODI, player of the series Mandhana formed the spine of India's innings after captain Mithali Raj opted to bat. The southpaw formed a critical stand worth 129 runs with Punam Raut before Brunt, adjudged player of the match, rattled the middle order to pick five wickets and gave away only 28 runs in her 10 overs quota to restrict India on 205 for eight.England, in reply, suffered an early wobble at 5 for 49 as Goswami dismantled the top-order of the visitors. Their leading run-getter Natalie Sciver, who had played a lone battle in the second game, returned to the pavilion without disturbing the scoreboard much. The all-rounder departed for one on a return ball produced by spinner Deepti Sharma.Heather Knight, England captain, and Danielle Wyatt in the middle kept ...

I-League 2018-19: East Bengal knock Real Kashmir out

Real Kashmir's hopes of winning the I-league have come to an end as East Bengal defeated them 2-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Thursday.Enrique Esqueda scored the first goal for East Bengal in the 20th minute while Jaime Santos scored the second goal just two minutes before half time giving the side a 2-0 lead.Aaron Katebe scored for Real Kashmir in the 67th minute but after that Bengal was able to maintain a tight defence not allowing Kashmir to score another goal.David Robertson, the manager of Real Kashmir made two changes to the side that drew 2-2 against Indian Arrows in their last match. Gnohere Krizo and Farhan Ganie were made to sit out on the bench as Abednego Tetteh and Vicky Metei started ahead of them.East Bengal, on the other hand, made three changes to the team that dropped points against Aizawl. Manoj Mohammad and Salam Ranjan Singh were replaced by Kamalpreet Singh and Jhonny Acosta, Brandon Vanlalremdika came in place of a suspended Jobby Justin.With this win, ..

KL Rahul reaches sixth position in ICC T20 rankings

India's opening batsman KL Rahul has gained four berths to reach the sixth position in the International Cricket Council T20 rankings.The development came after Rahul played crucial innings of 50 and 47 in the first and second T20 international, respectively of their recently-concluded two-match series against Australia.Indian skipper Virat Kohli also jumped two places to attain the 17th position in the rankings list after playing knocks of 24 and 72 not out in the series against Australia.MS Dhoni also experienced a gain of seven places to position himself on number 56 after playing useful innings in both the matches.Australia's swashbuckling batsman Glenn Maxwell also rose to number three spot in the rankings after playing blistering knocks of 56 and 113 not out in two T20's against India.Opener D'Arcy Short also entered top 10 batsman rankings with an eight-spot jump to number eight on the rankings list.Afganistan's Hazratullah Zazai has taken a leap of 31 spots to achieve the ...

KL Rahul reaches sixth position in ICC T20 rankings

India's opening batsman KL Rahul has gained four berths to reach the sixth position in the International Cricket Council T20 rankings.The development came after Rahul played crucial innings of 50 and 47 in the first and second T20 international, respectively of their recently-concluded two-match series against Australia.Indian skipper Virat Kohli also jumped two places to attain the 17th position in the rankings list after playing knocks of 24 and 72 not out in the series against Australia.MS Dhoni also experienced a gain of seven places to position himself on number 56 after playing useful innings in both the matches.Australia's swashbuckling batsman Glenn Maxwell also rose to number three spot in the rankings after playing blistering knocks of 56 and 113 not out in two T20's against India.Opener D'Arcy Short also entered top 10 batsman rankings with an eight-spot jump to number eight on the rankings list.Afganistan's Hazratullah Zazai has taken a leap of 31 spots to achieve the ...

England, West Indies create many records in third ODI

England and West Indies cricket teams went on a record-breaking spree during third ODI of their ongoing five-match series.Both the squads put up a mammoth aggregate total of 807 runs, which is the third-highest combined score in ODI format.England who posted 418/6 batting first, posted their fourth 400+ total since their 2015 Cricket World Cup debacle. There have been just five occasions in which teams have posted 400+ total since 2015, and out of those five, four have been posted by England.Both these teams also shattered the record of most sixes in a single ODI as a total of 46 Sixes (24 by England and 22 by Windies) were hit by both the teams at Grenada. The previous record was of 38 sixes which was created during India and Australia clash in Bengaluru in 2013.England, by smashing 24 sixes, now hold the record of hitting most sixes by a single team in a match. The previous record was held by Windies who had smashed 23 sixes in the very first ODI of the ongoing series.The English ...

It's wrong to say Test cricket is dying: David Richardson

International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive David Richardson believes that the Test cricket has not lost its significance and maintained that in many countries the format is still followed closely.Quoting an ICC survey, Richardson said that out of one billion followers of cricket, 68 per cent are fans of all the three formats taking the number of Test cricket fans close to 700 million."In many countries Test cricket is still very closely followed. We have got more than a billion fans that follow cricket - 68% of them are fans of all three formats of the game, which means that close to 700 million people are fans of Test cricket. So it is wrong to say that Test cricket is dying. It is harder for people to go to five days of a Test match, spend every day sitting there for six hours," ESPNcricinfo quoted Richardson, as saying.The comment came in response to the statement of ICC chairman Shashank Manohar in which he had said that they have introduced Test Championship to generate .