Page 559 - Sports
No indication that any of WC matches will not go ahead as per plan: ICC Chief Executive Richardson
Amid speculation surrounding India-Pakistan World Cup clash owing to the Pulwama terror attack, the International Cricket Council Tuesday said it does not foresee any change in the schedule of the mega event starting May 30. In the wake of the terror attack, former India player Harbhajan Singh wanted the Indian team to call off their June 16 match against Pakistan in Manchester. However when asked about the matter, Richardson made it clear that there is no such indication as of now that the match will be cancelled. "Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this terrible incident and we will be monitoring the situation with our Members," Richardson said, offering his condolences on the ghastly terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were martyred. "There is no indication that any (of the) matches at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup will not go ahead as planned," Richardson said in a statement to PTI. "Sport, in particular cricket, has the wonderful ability to bring ...
Afghanistan to host Ireland for full series in Dehradun from February 21 to March 19
Afghanistan will host Ireland for a full series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here from February 21 to March 19. The series consists of three T20 Internationals, five ODIs and a lone Test. Both Afghanistan and Ireland were announced as the newest Test nations by the ICC after being awarded full membership last year. It will be Ireland's first overseas Test match, and the second for the two newest teams at the highest level. Earlier in 2018, Ireland made its Test debut at home against Pakistan, losing by five wickets, while Afghanistan went down by an innings and 262 runs against India in Bangalore in their maiden five-day game. This would also be the second time when Afghanistan and Ireland play a series against each other. In their last encounter when Ireland hosted Afghanistan, the visitors won both the T20 series as well as the ODIs. DSPORT, sports channel of Discovery Communications, will telecast the first and second T20 matches (out of the three) and the ...
Dubai Tennis C'ship: Kvitova beats Siniakova in second round match
Petra Kvitova on Tuesday managed to outclass her Czech compatriot Katerina Siniakova 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.Kvitova, the runner-up of the Australian Open, kept making unforced errors and the tennis star was plagued by nine double faults. But the player bounced back all guns blazing in the match that lasted for two hours and 34 minutes.The players have met twice before and on both the occasions, Kvitova triumphed over Siniakova. 28-year-old Kvitova looked out of sorts in the match initially, losing serve in the third game with two double faults. Siniakova's clever change of pace and solid serving saw the world number 44 build a 5-3 lead in the first set of the match.Kvitova bounced back in the second and third sets, not allowing her Czech counterpart to maintain the momentum she had created in the first set and completely dismantled her game in the last two sets of the match.Kvitova will next play either 14 seed Caroline Garcia or ...
High Court likely to hear plea of Minerva Punjab to postpone Srinagar match
The Delhi High Court is likely to hear a plea of the Minerva Punjab FC on February 22, seeking the postponement of an I-League match against the Real Kashmir FC.In the wake of Pulwama attack, a plea was filed by Minerva's counsels Abhimanyu Tewari and Amitabh Tewari, requesting the All India Football Federation (AIFF) league committee to postpone their match with Kashmir, which was scheduled to take place at the TRC Ground in Srinagar on February 18."The rejection is completely against all principles of equity and is violative of the I-League regulations 2018-19 and the FIFA safety guidelines," the plea said."The decision of the AIFF not to postpone the match is inequitable and has been taken without taking the situation into account and without accounting for the safety of the players and the spectators."The advocates said that Minerva's fears were well founded and a request to postpone the match would not affect any party in the light of the extremely volatile situation in the ...
Stoinis currently better than Hardik, says Hayden
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden rates his countryman Marcus Stoinis above India's promising all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Hayden, who turned out for his country in 103 Test matches, also feels that his compatriot and fast bowler Pat Cummins was likely to trouble India opener Shikhar Dhawan in the coming ODI and T20 between the two countries. However, he praised India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and predicted that the Haryana bowler will come out on top in his expected middle-overs battle against the hard-hitting Australia batsman Glenn Maxwell. The India-Australia series, comprising two T20s and five One Day Internationals, starts on February 24 with the first T20 to be held in Visakhapatnam. "Marcus Stoinis is developing into a world-class all-rounder. He is unlucky not to be playing a little bit more Test cricket. He has quality in his play, although Hardik is also a fine player," Hayden said, comparing the two pace-bowling all rounders. "Stoinis has adopted a ...
Afghanistan to host Ireland for full tour in India
Afghanistan and Ireland will play a full tour, comprising three T20 Internationals, five ODIs and a Test match, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket stadium here from February 21.
13 photos of Pakistani cricketers removed from HPCA stadium
Thirteen photos of Pakistani cricketers, including Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, that were hung inside the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium here were removed on Tuesday, an official said.
Never ever enjoyed setting goals, Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik has never "enjoyed setting goals" and would just like to put his best foot forward for Kolkata Knight Riders as he comes to term with the national team snub for the Australia ODI series. Karthik's refusal to take a single off the third ball of the final over during a T20 run-chase against New Zealand, had been widely criticised and it is believed that he lost his position to Rishabh Pant in the ODI squad ahead of World Cup, because of that. Asked about his personal goals, Karthik said: "I am not somebody who sets goals per se. For some strange reason it is not something I have enjoyed doing. Though I think if we can go out there and put our best foot on the park and the best we can I will be very happy." KKR will start their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 24 at the Eden Gardens. A hypothetical question was posed about the possibility of matches being shifted out of Eden Gardens as the election dates are yet to be announced and Karthik said that he will ...
NorthEast United look for maiden play-offs spot in match against Pune
NorthEast United FC would look to seal a maiden play-offs spot when they host FC Pune City FC in their Indian Super League match here on Wednesday. The Eelco Schattorie's team is one of the four who have lost just three matches this season. The Highlanders have picked up 27 points from 16 matches and sit third on the table. A 2-0 win over Mumbai City FC in their last game should give them the confidence to overcome the threat posed by a resurgent Pune. NorthEast have not qualified for the play-offs of the ISL in the earlier editions. "I didn't mention anything to the players about qualifying. I really take it game by game because if I look back at the last 10 games, the number of times I had to shuffle to make the best possible eleven, it was almost 10 games," said Schattorie. With 12 goals, Bartholomew Ogbeche remains the key player for NorthEast and he is two goals shy of equalling Ferran Corominas. He has the support of Federico Gallego, who is joint-second on the list of most ...
Uniformity in Training: Ranji team trainers may soon follow national team module
India captain Virat Kohli has always made fitness a non-negotiable subject while representing the country and very soon there could be a system where state team trainers have to follow the training routine of the senior national team. The aim is to bridge the gulf in fitness standards between the national team and the state outfits so that young players can make a smooth transition from domestic to international cricket. Recently, a workshop was held at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where Indian team's strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu held sessions with trainers of some of the state teams. The trainers were made to undergo various tests, including physiological and tactical training. India A coach Rahul Dravid and senior team fielding coach R Sridhar were also present during the workshop at the NCA. It is learnt that Basu has been entrusted with chalking out a comprehensive strength and conditioning module, which the trainers of all BCCI units may have to ...
ISL: NorthEast United a win away from play-offs (Preview)
NorthEast United FC will be eager to pocket full points as they host FC Pune City at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Wednesday and qualify for the Indian Super League (ISL) play-offs.
Semenya says gender rules 'do not empower anyone'
Double Olympic 800 metres champion Caster Semenya said Tuesday that proposed rules that would oblige her to lower her testosterone levels "do not empower anyone". The South African appeared Monday at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne at the start of a landmark hearing to challenge the rules proposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The controversial measures would force so-called "hyperandrogenic" athletes or those with "differences of sexual development" (DSD) to seek treatment to lower their testosterone levels below a prescribed amount if they wish to continue competing as women. A statement issued by Semenya's legal team said she believes "she and other women affected by the regulations should be permitted to compete in the female category without discrimination" and that they should be "celebrated for their natural talents as are all other athletes with genetic variations". The statement continued: "The IAAF's regulations do not ...
Nikhat, Meena Kumari strike gold at Strandja Memorial Boxing
Former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen and Meena Kumari Devi Tuesday became the first set of Indian women boxers to notch up gold medals at the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. Zareen, a multiple-time national medallist, claimed a 5-0 win in the 51kg category finals against Filipino Irish Magno, while Devi got the better of Aira Villegas 3-2, also from Philippines, in the bantamweight (54kg) summit clash. However, Manju Rani (48kg) settled for a silver after going down to another Filipino in Josie Gabuco in a split 2-3 verdict. In a commanding performance, Zareen out-maneuvered Magno with a rock solid defence. Although the bout seemed closer than the final score-line, Zareen pulled it off by denying her rival a clear shot. Devi, who won a bronze medal in the previous edition of the prestigious tournament, bettered her podium performance with a gritty show against Villegas. The Indian battled hard against her aggressive opponent and did well on the counter-attack to
Will miss playing at Eden if games are shifted out: KKR skipper DK
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik said here on Tuesday he would miss playing at the Eden Gardens terribly if some of their home games are shifted out to neutral venues because of the coming Lok Sabha polls.
Youngsters missing guidance of Smith, Warner: Hazlewood
In the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner, the Australian batting line-up has often crumbled under pressure in recent times, Test vice-captain Josh Hazlewood said and added youngsters are missing the guidance of the banned duo.
Minerva's petition at Delhi High Court likely to come up for hearing on Friday: Lawyer
Minerva Punjab's petition challenging the AIFF's refusal to postpone their I-League match against Real Kashmir FC in Srinagar is expected to come up for hearing on Friday at the Delhi High court, the club's lawyers said Tuesday, insisting that the team's "well-founded" fears have been ignored. Minerva did not show up for their clash against a ready RKFC in Srinagar on Monday after asserting that the home club and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) failed in providing written security assurances in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack. The I-League defending champions filed a writ petition at the Delhi High court, challenging AIFF's refusal to either move the match to some other venue or postpone it, on Monday itself. Amitabh Tiwari, the counsel for Minerva, said the club will not object if the court directs it to first go to the I-League committee to sort out the issue. "If the AIFF wants to settle the case at the court on the day of hearing, we are fine. But if the court ...
Issue of workload management may not arise due to 3-week gap: KKR CEO
Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore on Tuesday said that the IPL teams are yet to receive any guidelines on workload management from the BCCI with regards to World Cup hopefuls, asserting that the issue may not arise due to a three-week gap between the two events. KKR has Kuldeep Yadav and Dinesh Karthik in their roles with the former certain to be a part of India's World Cup squad. "We have not heard any such thing from them (BCCI). The tournament is finishing early enough. If May 12 is the final and India plays its first game on June 5, I think there is enough of a gap. But we have not had any such guidance or instruction," Mysore said on the sidelines of the Mayors Cup at Eden Gardens here. Mysore's statement came after national senior selection committee chairman MSK Prasad had recently said that the BCCI is in talks with various IPL franchises to manage the workloads of 18 core players. The IPL begins on March 23 in Chennai with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking ..
Coach exit no distraction, says NZ captain Amy Satterthwaite
New Zealand's White Ferns captain Amy Satterthwaite is strong-willed that absence of Coach Haidee Tiffen will not hinder the focus of her team ahead of the forthcoming ODI series against Australia, starting February 22.Tiffen had requested a leave of absence as she thinks she is not in the right frame of mind to travel with the team.The development came in the backdrop of team's World T20 campaign which recommended the coaching and support staff roles be advertised at the completion of their contract periods. The Kiwis suffered an ouster at the group stage, losing to India and Australia.Satterthwaite, who was surprised with Tiffen's decision, remains respectful of the process that New Zealand Cricket has committed to, throwing her full support behind interim coach Bob Carter, Cricket Australia reported."It was a challenging review for all of us involved. I think we acknowledge that our performances have not been where we had like them to be over the last 12 to 18 months and we have ...
Mangaluru-Yeshwantpur tri-weekly express from Feb 22
The new tri-weekly train between Mangaluru central and Yeshwantpur would begin its regular service from here on February 22, a South Western Railway (SWR) press release said Tuesday. Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel would flag off the inaugural special train at Mangaluru central on February 21 at 11 am. The train would run upto Kabakaputtur to open the path and innings. Train number 16585/16586 would run via Nelamangala, Shravanabelagola and Hassan from February 22, the release said. Train no. 16586 would depart from Mangaluru central at 7 pm on February 22 in its inaugural run to reach Yeshwantpur at 5 am the next day. On the return journey, the train would start from Yeshwantpur on February 24 at 4.30 pm and reach Mangaluru at 4 am the next day, the release said. The train would have one 2-tier AC coach, one 3-tier AC coach, seven second-class sleeper coaches, three general second-class coaches and two second-class luggage-cum-brake vans, it added.
Rain plays spoilsport in Rio Open
Rain washes out all the seven matches during the Rio Open.Only two matches were able to make it to the tennis court on Monday evening. Federico Delbonis of Argentina is currently leading seventh seed Malek Jaziri of Tunisia 5-3.Elsewhere, Spanish player Roberto Carballes Baena is leading eighth seed Nicolas Jerry of Chile 4-3.All the top four seeds will feature in 16 first-round matches.Top seed Dominic Thiem of Austria will take on Laslo Djere of Serbia.In another match, the defending champion and fourth seed Diego Schwartzman of Argentina will lock horns with former champion Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay.