Page 544 - Sports
Evans stuns Isner, enters Delray Beach tennis final
Britain's Daniel Evans stunned John Isner, defeating the second seed 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the Delray Beach Open final.
Pakistan should be isolated like it happened with South Africa during apartheid: Vinod Rai
Committee of Administrators chief Vinod Rai Sunday said the sporting community "needs to ostracise Pakistan" for fomenting terror activities just like South African was banned from international cricket due to the country's policy on apartheid. There had been calls to boycott India's June 16 World Cup group league game against Pakistan in Old Trafford in the wake of Pulwama terror attack in which more than 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The BCCI has already written a letter to the ICC urging "all nations to sever ties with countries from which terrorism emanates". But the former CAG wants to look at the bigger picture rather than just one match as there is a possibility that India may have to play them again in semi-final or final. "We would be shooting in the foot if we don't play Pakistan in the World Cup. Our aim should be to ostracise Pakistan as a cricketing nation," Rai told PTI. "As I have said earlier, all cricketing nations should sever ties with them," Rai said. He cited the
High jumper Tejaswin wins first Big12 title in USA, equals national record
India's Tejaswin Shankar won the men's high jump title at the Big12 collegiate athletic meet with a national record-equalling leap in Texas, USA. Appearing for the Kansas State University, Tejaswin cleared a season best 2.28m in his final attempt to equal his national record set in the 22nd Federation Cup in Patiala last year. However, Tejaswin's personal best is 2.29m, cleared in April last year at the Texas tech invite. Tejaswin, thus, became the sixth Big12 high jump champion from Kansas State University and eight in the history of the collegiate meet. "Another gr8 meet with a clutch final attempt jump to win the @Big12Conference title also equalling my Indian NR on its 1st anniversary! Chasing consistency which seems to be playing tag with me. But I'll get it soon as I am a 400m runner too!" the Indian tweeted. Tejaswin, 20, is a gold medallist at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games besides winning a silver at the 2016 South Asian Games. He rose to prominence when he broke Hari ...
Lost in transition: Indian badminton's not so smashing success story
India has no dearth of talent in junior badminton but most, to borrow an analogy by a doubles specialist, get drowned while making the transition from the "pond to a sea". Like their famed predecessors Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu, who are now seen as role models, the younger lot is struggling to translate their talent into success in seniors. Lack of proper guidance and maturity, high-level of competition, not respecting the physical aspects and failure to cope with initial adulation are cited as problem areas by the badminton fraternity. "It is lot more struggle in senior level, because in junior level you can be good but in senior, competition is higher and you have to work harder," says India's premier shuttler P V Sindhu, a 2012 Asian Junior Champion, who went on to clinch silver medals at Olympics and World Championships. "Everyday is a learning process. You have to constantly improve your standard," she adds. Men's doubles player Shlok Ramachandran believes it is about ...
Confident India women eyeing series-clinching win against England in 2nd ODI
Their tails up after a morale-boosting win in the opener, a confident Indian women team would look to seal the three-match series against world champions England when they meet in the second cricket ODI here on Monday. India women couldn't have asked for a better start to the series, defeating the current world champions by 66 runs in the opener at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday. The win not only gave a fillip to their confidence but also enabled India grab crucial two points in the ICC Women's Championship as the race for securing direct qualification spots for the 2021 World Cup heats up. India need to hold on to its position in top four of the world rankings till 2020 to get a direct berth in the 2021 World Cup and in this context, a second successive victory on Monday would do a world of good for the hosts. The hosts have a lot of positives to take from the win, especially the clinical performance of its bowling unit led by left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht. Bisht starred with the ball .
India assured of five medals at Iran boxing tourney
India were assured of five medals in the Makran Cup Boxing Tournament in Chabahar, Iran after Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Satish Kumar (+91kg) and four others advanced to the semifinals of the event. Satish, who is also a former Asian Games bronze-medallist, blanked Turkmenistan's Baky Toychyyev 5-0 to enter the last-four stage, where he will square off against Eeman Ramzan. Others who entered the semifinals were Manjeet Singh Panghal (75kg), Sanjeet (91kg), Lalit Prasad (52kg) and Deepak (49kg). Manjeet defeated Iraq's Ameer Mohaisen 5-0 to enter the semifinals, while Sanjeet (91kg), the gold-medallist from last year's India Open, got the better of Hungary's Adam Hamori. Lalit Prasad (52kg), the reigning national champion, had no trouble going past Mahdi Habibi 5-0. Deepak, on the other hand, beat Beigi Mir.
Cricket on the warpath (Comment: Close-in)
The attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)men in Pulwana by an Indian born and bred Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant has aroused a feeling of hatred and revenge in the mind of each and every Indian. The troubles in Kashmir, with no concrete solution in sight since the time of partition, has now reached a stage of anger, frustration and need for serious action. The thought of losing our soldiers, who selflessly protect us from our enemies, to be attacked on our own turf, is unthinkable.
Atletico coach apologises for controversial celebration against Juventus
Atletico Madrid's Argentine coach Diego Simeone has said he regretted the way he celebrated his team's first goal scored in the Spanish side's 2-0 win over Juventus in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
Bayern Munich puts Dortmund's lead in danger with win over Hertha
Bayern Munich has edged a 1-0 home win over Hertha Berlin in a Bundesliga contest held here.
Messi leads Barca to 4-2 win over Sevilla in La Liga
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has notched his 50th career hat-trick and assisted on another goal in FC Barcelona's 4-2 away win over Sevilla in the La Liga.
Madrid coach criticises league calendar ahead of cup clasico vs Barcelona
Real Madrid's head coach Santiago Solari has criticised the league calendar and said his team would have a day less to prepare than its historical rival Barcelona ahead of their Copa del Rey Clasico corresponding semis second-leg.
McLean double keeps Norwich top in five-goal thriller
Kenny McLean's first goals of the season secured a 3-2 win for Norwich in a thrilling encounter with Bristol City to keep the Canaries top of the Championship. Norwich once again showed their steely determination -- they have come back on several occasions this season -- trailing 1-0 and then 2-1 against their in-form opponents. However, 27-year-old Scottish international McLean brought them level at 1-1 on Saturday and then sealed the three points with a fabulous long range strike to bring to an end City's seven successive Championship wins. Norwich, who are bidding to return to the Premier League after a three-year absence, hold a two-point advantage over Sheffield United and Leeds United, who beat fellow promotion contenders West Bromwich Albion 1-0 and struggling Bolton Wanderers 2-1 respectively. "It was an unbelievably complicated game against a really in-form side and you could feel in each moment the confidence of Bristol," Norwich manager Daniel Farke told BBC Radio. "When ...
Messi hits 50th hat trick to give Barca 4-2 win at Sevilla
Just when Barcelona was at its worst, Lionel Messi gave one of his best performances of the season. Messi scored his 50th hat trick for club and country on Saturday in a 4-2 victory at Sevilla, helping Barcelona to take a big step toward retaining the Spanish league title. Sevilla went ahead twice, but Messi hit back each time before he netted a third goal with five minutes remaining. After taking his league-leading tally to 25 goals, Messi added an assist for Luis Suarez to round off the win before the whistle. It was Messi's 44th hat trick for Barcelona, to go with another six for Argentina, according to the club. "This doesn't mean the league is ours yet. There is a long way to go, but it was very important to win here to protect the advantage we have over our rivals," Messi said. "The game turned against us but we knew how to pull it out." Barcelona had drawn four of its previous five matches and its only goal in three games had been a penalty by Messi. A setback in Seville would .
Mbappe scores again as runaway leader PSG beats Nimes 3-0
Kylian Mbappe scored twice to take his league-leading tally to 22 goals as Paris Saint-Germain beat Nimes 3-0 on Saturday to move 17 points clear at the top. Mbappe has scored in all four games since PSG lost forwards Neymar and Edinson Cavani to injury, and the France star's second-half double took him to 51 goals in the league since bursting on the scene with Monaco three years ago. His 22 goals have come in 20 league games, and he's the youngest player to reach 50 league goals in French league history. "Every day I work hard to help my team as much as I can, and to enjoy myself as well," said Mbappe, who turned 20 in December. "Football's still about enjoying yourself, scoring goals, breaking records. That's what drives me so I'm very happy." Only Barcelona star Lionel Messi has more goals in Europe's top five leagues, after taking his tally to 25 with a hat trick Saturday . France's World Cup winner Mbappe scored his first goal in the 69th minute when he turned in Juan Bernat's ...
Sachin Tendulkar flags off New Delhi Marathon
Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar flagged off New Delhi Marathon at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Sunday.Thousands of people thronged the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to participate in the IDBI Federal Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon.The New Delhi marathon is being organised in four categories - 42.195 km long full marathon, 21.095Km long half marathon, Timed 10 Km run and 5 Kilometer long Swacch Bharat Run.According to the organisers, nearly 18,000 people are taking part in the marathon across all categories. As many as 2,000 runners are taking part in the full-marathon which was the first one to be flagged-off, followed by Half-marathon with nearly 6,000 participants and approximately 5,500 people and 4,500 runners in the Timed 10K and Swachh Bharat run, respectively.Before the flag-off of the marathon, a two-minute silence for fallen soldiers of Pulwama terror attack was observed.Speaking at the occasion, Sachin said, "India should become fitter and healthier. This is ...
Zazai's 162 leads Afghanistan to easy win; multiple records shattered
A power-packed performance by Hazratullah Zazai led Afghanistan to an easy victory over Ireland in the second T20 International here on Saturday.Much to the credit of the 20-year-old's jaw-dropping score of 162 not out in 62 balls, Afghanistan registered a series-sealing 84-run victory over Ireland.At 162, the left-handed opener has also become the second-highest T20I scorer after Aaron Finch's 172 against Zimbabwe last year.The match also witnessed many other records being shattered including Afghanistan making the highest-ever total in T20 Internationals with 278 runs for the loss of three wickets.Usman Ghani, with 73 runs in 48 balls, also contributed in giving this large target to opponents. Both he and Zazai shared a record 236-run partnership for the format. Zazai, playing in his fifth T20I, got lucky twice with George Dockrell dropping him in the deep when he was on 72 and Simi Singh spilling a chance to dismiss him on 113.In the 18th over, the partnership broke with Ghani ...
ISL: NorthEast qualify as JFC draw a blank in Chennai
Jamshedpur FC's hopes of reaching the Indian Super League play-offs went up in smoke after they played a goalless draw against bottom-placed Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Saturday.
Tendulkar beat Pak as 15-year-old: Pawar
NCP chiefSharad Pawar said Saturday that those who are slamming cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar for holding that India should not boycott the match with Pakistan in the coming World Cup should remember that he started his career by beating the neighbouring country. The issue of whether India should play with Pakistan is being raised after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed responsibility for the attack. Addressing a joint rally of Congress and NCP at Parli in Beed district of Maharashtra, Pawar, a former president of International Cricket Council as well as BCCI, said Tendulkar is a "Bharat Ratna" and Sunil Gavaskar is another cricket icon who brought laurels to the country. Gavaskar has echoed Tendulkar's views on the matter. "Both believe that India can beat Pakistan and emerge victorious in the World Cup. But Tendulkar is being criticised, saying he is favouring Pakistan. "He began ..
Historic triumph vs Proteas a dramatic turnaround for Sri Lankan cricket
Just a couple of months ago, the Sri Lanka cricket team were literally down in the dumps, having suffered a humiliating 0-3 whitewash in a home Test series to England.
Afghanistan seal series against Ireland after amassing highest score in T20 Internationals
Afghanistan on Saturday took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series against Ireland after amassing the highest total in T20 Internationals, 278 for 3, which led to an 84-run win in the second game here. Hazratullah Zazai (162 not out off 62) and Usman Ghani (73 off 48) set a new record for the opening-wicket partnership with a 236-run stand as Afghanistan surpassed Australia's 263 for 3 posted against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in 2016. In response, Ireland ended with 194 for 6 with skipper Paul Stirling (91 off 50) being with the top-scorer. Star spinner Rashid Khan ended with four wickets, conceding 25 runs in four overs. Hazratullah's unbeaten 162 was the highest score by an Asian batsman in T20 Internationals. It was also the second highest T20I score and the third fastest men's century. After Afghanistan elected to bat, Hazratullah blasted as many as 16 sixes and 11 fours in his unconquered innings, while other opener Ghani scored seven fours and three sixes. Afghanistan