Page 589 - Sports
Decline in talent, lack of passion saddens me: Muralitharan on Sri Lankan cricket
Sri Lankan cricket has hit an all-time nadir and the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan is blames it on the paucity of talent coupled with lack of passion among the current generation of cricketers for this steady decline. Sri Lanka has been losing to all Test playing nations whether at home or away. World cricket's governing body ICC has launched an investigation on charges of corruption levelled against country's cricketing establishment. Despite winning both ODI and T20 World Cup, Sri Lankan cricket has not quite had a smooth transition since the retirement of golden generation of players like Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara through the years. "I have not been associated with Sri Lankan cricket ever since I retired. The decline of Sri Lankan cricket saddens me. For a team that had reached the World Cup final three times and has a proud cricketing culture, it is a worrying sign," Muralitharan told reporters here on Saturday. Murali has observed that standard of ...
Guptill may return for Bangladesh ODIs
New Zealand opener Martin Guptill is likely to return from injury for the upcoming three-ODI series against Bangladesh, starting in Napier on Wednesday.
Ferit Cricket Bash to tap budding cricketers
: Budding cricketers hoping to make it big in the international stage now have a platform to nurture their dreams with Ferit Sports India Pvt Ltd Saturday unveiling the 'Ferit Cricket Bash' here for youngsters. The Ferit Cricket Bash would conduct trial matches to select individuals who need to be above the age of 15 years years, Ferit Sports India, co-founder Mitesh Sharma said. The company would pick 14 players from 25 cities across India. "The best ones will get selected and get the chance to represent their respective states in league matches," he said. He said each match will be of 15 overs and players would use a ball made of synthetic fibre instead of the regular leather cricket ball. "After the league matches the teams will be taken to Australia, where they will compete with local associations", he said, adding that matches would be aired live on Discovery Sports channel. Ferit Sports India has roped in several cricketers, including ace spinner Muttiah ...
Young Indian girls clinch 4 medals in Bahrain Open TT
India's young paddlers stole the limelight in the Bahrain Junior and Cadet Open, clinching a rich haul of four medals, including a gold, two silver and a bronze here.
BBL: Vettori quits as Brisbane Heat coach
Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) coach and New Zealand great Daniel Vettori has on Saturday announced his decision to part ways with Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Brisbane Heat.
Indians clinch four medals in Bahrain Open TT
India's young paddlers stole the limelight in the Bahrain Junior and Cadet Open table tennis tournament, clinching four medals, including a gold, in Manama. Besides the gold, India won two silver and a bronze. India fielded three teams in the cadet girls' team event and swept all the three medals on offer. India A team won the gold, the India B the silver and the India C the bronze. India B team of Yashaswini Ghorpade and Kavya Sree Baskar beat Egypt in the first semifinal while India A defeated India C in the other semifinal. In the final, the India A team of Suhana Saini and Anargya Manjunath proved too strong for India B and clinched the gold medal on Friday night. In the junior girls' competition, which was played in a round robin format, the Indian team of Manushree Patil and Swastika Ghosh beat three teams before losing to eventual champions Russia. The Indian team collected seven points to win the silver medal.
Harris shocks Gunneswaran in Challenger semis,Mukund bows out
Unseeded Australian Andrew Harris shocked top-seed Pranjnesh Gunneswaran 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 in the semifinal of the Chennai Open ATP Challenger tennis tournament here Saturday. The Indian challenge ended as 16th-seeded Sasikumar Mukund went down to second seed Corentin Moutet 6-3, 4-6, 2-6 in the other singles semifinal. Harris, a former junior doubles winner at Wimbledon and French Open, hit his groundstrokes with precision and attacked at opportune moments to take the first set. Harris, who had ousted fifth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a three setter on Friday, was also prepared for a long drawn out encounter. Gunneswaran, India's top singles player, clawed his way back into the match by raising his level of play and hitting some superb winners. He secured a break and took the second set but came a cropper in the decider, failing to win a single game, to crash out of the tournament. In the other semifinal, the good run of Mukund came to an end as the tenacious ...
Coulter-Nile suffers vertigo bout during BBL game
Nathan Coulter-Nile, who was picked this week for Australia's one-day and Twenty20 tour of India, was taken to hospital Saturday after a bout of vertigo during a Big Bash League game. The Perth Scorchers fast bowler had delivered the fifth ball of his final over late in the Twenty20 match against the Adelaide Strikers when he signalled that all was not well. After consulting with Perth captain Mitchell Marsh, he bowled the sixth ball, which was hit for six, before sinking to his haunches and sitting on the ground. Scorchers physio Chris Quinnell said Coulter-Nile had suffered a "bad bout of vertigo". "He was taken to hospital after the game as a precaution and will be monitored over the next few hours," Quinnell said on the BBL website. Coulter-Nile's inclusion in Australia's squad for the India tour came after he was left out of recent home limited overs internationals with back issues.
Matt Renshaw signs up with Kent for early season spell
Australian cricketer Matt Renshaw has signed up for Kent County Cricket Club for the first weeks of the 2019 season.The 22-year-old played for Somerset during last season of County Championship Division One where he scored runs with an average of 51.30 that includes two centurion knocks as well.His inclusion in the team will act as a cover for Joe Denly and Sam Billings who will not be the part of the due to their Indian Premier League (IPL) commitments. Kent Cricket Director of Cricket Paul Downton, while commenting on the development, said that Renshaw holds the ability to strengthen the batting line up of the team and hoped that he would prove to be a key player in the absence of Joe and Sam."Matt is a young talent who is very hungry for success. He has the ability to strengthen our batting line-up, which will be key at the beginning of the season with both Sam and Joe away playing in the IPL. We look forward to welcoming Matt into the squad," Kent Cricket official website quoted ..
Breakers claim 20th Women's National Cricket League title
The New South Wales Breakers have claimed a remarkable 20th Women's National Cricket League title with a 31-run win over the Konica Minolta Queensland Fire at North Sydney Oval.Having set Queensland 260 for victory, the Breakers had to wait until the eighth over before taking their first wicket, with Ashleigh Gardner (2-36) removing Fire captain Kirby Short (8).Fellow opener Beth Mooney (34) and Jess Jonassen (17) steadied the ship, but the loss of four middle-order wickets had them 5-102 and facing an uphill battle.Valuable contributions from Laura Harris (25) and Delissa Kimmince (44) gave the Fire hope, but the Breakers again took the ascendancy through Nicola Carey (3-39) and Rene Farrell (2-37).An unbeaten 36 from Jemma Barsby along with handy runs from Haidee Birkett (10) and Georgia Prestwidge (18) looked to have the Breakers on edge, but Gardner, Carey and Farrell removed the tail to hand the Breakers their 20th title in what was their 23rd straight finals appearance.After ...
Guptill set to return for Bangladesh ODIs
Opening batsman Martin Guptill is all set to make a comeback after recovering from a back injury as he has been named in New Zealand's 14-member squad for their upcoming three-match ODI series against Bangladesh.The 32-year-old was ruled out of the T20I series against India due to an aggravated disc in his lower back. But now that Guptill has recovered, he is likely to play the first ODI against Bangladesh after going through a fitness test on Wednesday.New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has been rested for the final ODI of the three-match series with Colin Munro named as his replacement. In the captain's absence, Tom Latham will be at the helm of the team in the final ODI.BlackCaps chief selector Gavin Larsen expressed delight over Guptill's comeback and acknowledged his "world-class" status as a player."We're delighted to have Martin back on the park for this series. He's a world-class player and an integral part of our one-day side," ESPNcricinfo quoted Larsen, as saying."He and ..
Mohammad Amir all set for Essex return
Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir is all set to re-join Essex County Cricket Club for the upcoming 2019 Vitality Blast.The 26-year-old, who helped Essex lift the first-class County Championship in 2017, will be available for eight games in the Vitality Blast tournament including their opening match against Middlesex at Lord's on July 18.Expressing delight over re-joining the team, Amir said that he thoroughly enjoyed his stint with the team in 2017 and is looking forward to be a part of the squad again."I am very excited to return to Chelmsford and re-join my Essex teammates. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here in 2017 and I'm looking forward to playing my role in the Club's success this season," Essex Cricket official website quoted Amir, as saying.Essex coach Anthony McGrath termed Amir as "one of the most exciting bowling talents" and hoped that his addition into the team would make their bowling attack "most dangerous" in the Vitality Blast tournament."Mo is one of the most exciting ...
Despite struggles, Choi staying positive in PGA Tour debut
The first two days of Ho Sung Chois PGA Tour debut havent gone quite according to plan. He is 5-over par through his first 36 holes and appears to be a longshot at making the cut into Sundays final round.
Bangladesh's Shakib ruled out of New Zealand ODIs
Bangladesh suffered a fresh injury blow ahead of next week's one-day international series against New Zealand Saturday, after the Bangladesh Cricket Board said all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan had been ruled out with a finger fracture. Shakib sustained the injury to his left ring finger while batting in the final of the sixth edition of Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament on Friday evening, said the BCB. An X-ray following the match confirmed a fracture, and the finger will "have to be immobilised for around three weeks," said senior BCB physician Debashis Chowdhury. This was the second injury blow for Bangladesh ahead of the visit, which featured three one-day internationals and three Tests. Pace bowler Taskin Ahmed was earlier ruled out for the entire series with a torn ligament and had been replaced by Shafiul Islam for the ODIs and uncapped Ebadot Hossain for Test series. Several Bangladeshi cricketers have already left Dhaka for the three-match ODI series that starts in ...
Need to give chance to youngsters: Anup (IANS Interview)
Having announced his international retirement mid-way during the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) recently, kabaddi legend and former World Cup winning India captain Anup Kumar said it was time to give chance to the youngsters, who are performing exceptionally at the global level.
Daniel Vittori steps down as Brisbane Heat coach
Former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vittori has stepped down as the coach of Big Bash League (BBL) team Brisbane Heat.The 40-year-old, who was associated with Brisbane Heat right from its inception had informed the team management about his decision to quit earlier this season. Vittori is the second cricketer from New Zealand to break links with Brisbane Heat. Earlier, it was former Black Caps opener Brendon Mccullum who had announced his retirement from the team.Brisbane Heat general manager Andrew McShea thanked Vittori for his services and termed his departure as "an end of an era" for the team. He further stated that they will take this development as an opportunity to review team's planning and structures."The Heat have been very grateful to Dan for his involvement, as a player from BBL|01, and then as our coach for the past four seasons. It's an end of an era for the Heat with both Brendon McCullum and now Dan leaving our club and we can only express our deepest gratitude to both .
Atletico Madrid coach singles out Madrid's Modric
Atletico Madrid's head coach Diego Simeone has praised Real Madrid and its Croatia midfielder Luka Modric ahead of a La Liga derby game that pits the bitter cross-town rivals against each other.
Roma beats Chievo Verona ahead of Champions League match against Porto
AS Roma scored a comfortable 3-0 away win at Chievo Verona in round 23 of Italy's Serie A (Primera Division), ahead of welcoming Porto to the first leg match of the Champions League round of 16, on February 12.
Villarreal victory drought goes on after draw at Valladolid
Villarreal remained winless in 10 consecutive Spanish league matches after a 0-0 draw at 14th-place Valladolid on Friday. The visitors, who are used to finishing much higher in the standings, stayed second from bottom with three victories from 23 games. It was Villarreal's second straight draw since re-hiring coach Javi Calleja in place of Luis Garcia Plaza, less than two months after he was fired. "We have to keep trying," goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo said. "I think we played a disciplined match and there are positive things we can take from it." Villarreal faces two tough matches next: at home against Sevilla and away to Atletico Madrid.
Brilliant Brandt fires Leverkusen to 5-1 rout of Mainz
Midfielder Julian Brandt scored twice and laid on two goals as Bayer Leverkusen shrugged off its German Cup exit by winning 5-1 at Mainz in the Bundesliga on Friday. Leverkusen, knocked out 2-1 by second division Heidenheim on Tuesday, racked up a third successive league victory and is firmly in the hunt for European qualification. The team is in fifth spot, four points behind fourth-place Leipzig, which hosts Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. Fifth and sixth in the Bundesliga qualifies for the Europa League while the top four advance to the Champions League. It was Leverkusen's third league win from four since Dutch coach Peter Bosz took over from the fired Heiko Herrlich.