Page 619 - Sports
Sole survivors: Qatar plot Japan ambush in Asian final
While Japan have the Asian Cup pedigree, Qatar's over-achieving players might just feel that their name is on the trophy after a record-breaking run to their first-ever final. Against the backdrop of simmering political tension, the Qatari players were pelted with plastic bottles -- and even shoes -- by furious local fans in a 4-0 semi-final thrashing of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi. After surviving that ordeal, the 2022 World Cup hosts believe they have nothing to fear from Japan. "We have already realised a dream that the whole country had," said striker Almoez Ali, who equalled Ali Daei's record of eight goals in a single Asian Cup against the hosts on Tuesday. "We will need patience in the final but if we are patient, we have a chance of being champions." Japan, who captured the last of their record four Asian titles in 2011, upset tournament favourites Iran 3-0 in Monday's first semi-final and appear to be peaking at just the right time. After threatening to bore crowds .
New Zealand put India to bat in 4th ODI
New Zealand won the toss and put India to bat in the penultimate fourth ODI at the Seddon Park here on Thursday.
Sports Schedule for Wednesday, January 31.
Sports Schedule for Wednesday, January 31. Cricket India's Tour of New Zealand Fourth ODI between India and New Zealand from Hamilton Other related to copies to India and international cricket Chess Tata Steel Chess from Wijk Aan Zee Football ISL Delhi Dynamos vs Kerala Blasters (Delhi) I-League Churchill Brothers vs Real Kashmir from Goa Preview of match between Indian Arrows and NEROCA FC in Bhubaneswar. Tennis World Group Play-Off tie: India vs Italy from Kolkata.
NZ win toss, invite India to bat in 4th ODI
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and invited India to bat first in the fourth and penultimate ODI here on Thursday. In the absence of Virat Kohli, who has been rested for the last two ODIs, Rohit Sharma will lead India. Young Shubman Gill will make his debut for India, while left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed has replaced Mohammed Shami. Veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni is still not fit and will miss the match. India are 3-0 up in the five-match series. Teams: India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Khaleel Ahmed. New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Colin de Grandhomme, Todd Astle, Matt Henry, Trent Boult.
De Kock assault sinks Pakistan in series decider
Opening batsman Quinton de Kock launched an assault on Pakistan's bowlers to set up a series-clinching win for South Africa in the fifth and final one-day international at Newlands on Wednesday. De Kock slammed 83 off 58 balls as South Africa chased down a target of 241 with seven wickets and ten overs to spare to seal a 3-2 series win. "Quinny made it easy for the rest of the batters," said South African captain Faf du Plessis, who said he was "extremely happy" with the way his team had played. "Our best performance came tonight in a crunch game," said Du Plessis. "The bowling was excellent and the fielding was really good. And when Quinny plays like he did tonight he's extremely difficult to bowl to." While man-of-the-match De Kock sealed the win with his dazzling strokeplay, South Africa's bowlers played a significant role by restricting Pakistan to 240 for eight despite an aggressive 70 by Fakhar Zaman. While Zaman was at the crease, Pakistan were on course for a big total. He was
ISL: Gurpreet stars as normalcy returns at Bengaluru FC
Bengaluru FC regained their position at the top of the Hero Indian Super League table with a closely fought 2-1 win against NorthEast United FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru, on Wednesday.
Surprised with magnitude of criticism, Lyon defends Starc
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon defended team-mate and pace spearhead Mitchell Starc, who has come under fire from a number of former cricketers for his performance, labelling criticism as "unfair.""I am a little surprised with the magnitude of the criticism that has come to him. I do not understand all the criticism, to be honest. Mitch is one of my best mates and I back him to the hilt. As I have said in press conferences before, if you want to take my gear and go face him in the nets, go for it," ICC quoted Lyon, as saying ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka."He is bowling fast, he is moving it and he had the ball reversing in the nets. Mitch is a good fella and an x-factor. He has got all of my support and that whole changing room's support so it is pretty unfair criticism in my eyes," he said.Starc had collected 15 wickets in five Tests during the four-match series against India and the opening game against Sri Lanka last week.The speedster, who entered his 50th Test one shy
Indian women's team logs second successive win over Indonesia in football friendly
Two goals, one in each half, gave Indian women's national football team their second successive victory over hosts Indonesia in a friendly match on Wednesday.While Sanju scored in the first half, Dangmei Grace netted the second just minutes ahead of the full-time whistle, ending the match with a 2-0 win.India started off with a great momentum right from the start with right-back Dalima Chhibber being the main initiator from the flank. A couple of early free-kicks from long range saw winger Sanju, and striker Anju Tamang missing narrowly.As Head Coach Maymol Rocky egged her team on, Sanju put India into the lead with a perfectly-placed shot into the top right corner after Ratanbala played her through into the Indonesian penalty area.This goal gave more gusto to the Indian side, as they attacked with more purpose. Indonesia nearly pulled level a few minutes later, as a cross from the right was met with a header, which hit the cross-bar and looped out of play.India, however, were not ...
ICC unveils uniform for 4,000-strong volunteer workforce of World Cup
International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday unveiled the uniform that will be worn by their volunteer workforce at the Men's Cricket World Cup 2019, beginning May 30.The uniform will be sported by more than 4,000 'World Cup Cricketeers' at this summer's much-awaited tournament.Volunteers, who will be the heartbeat of the tournament with their specially-designed kit, will receive a bespoke polo shirt, soft-shell jacket, trousers, belt, cap, backpack, and water bottle, as well as a pair of complementing trainers.Head of Volunteers at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019, Mary Cahill said: "The unveiling of the uniform is a major key moment for the volunteer programme. It lets the team begin to visualise their roles, which we are preparing them for in training from February.""We are delighted to be able to share the stand-out uniform designs with those who will be wearing them this summer and hope they share our excitement about being the face of this summer's World Cup.""The World .
Hockey India names 20-member junior women's team for matches against France
Hockey India on Wednesday named the Indian Junior Women's Hockey team for the upcoming matches against France to be held in Lucknow and Gorakhpur, beginning February 8.The team is slated to play a total of four matches. The first two will take place at Padma Shri Mohammad Shahid Synthetic Hockey Stadium in Lucknow on February 8 and 9 respectively. While the third match is scheduled to be played at the Veer Bahadur Singh Sports College in Gorakhpur on February 11.India and France will return to Lucknow for the fourth and last match, which will be played on February 13."The upcoming matches against the French Women's National team will be helpful for our team in gaining match-fitness and experience different match situations," Coach Baljeet Singh said."We will be up against a group of players who have played together for a considerably long time, and I feel our team's combination for the matches is such that it will give all the players an opportunity to contribute with their efforts on
Chencho's goal helps BFC pull-off 2-1 win over NEUFC
Chencho Gyeltshen's timely goal helped Bengaluru FC prevail over North East United 2-1 in an enthralling Indian Super League match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Wednesday. Chencho smashed the second goal for Bengaluru in 71st minute after United striker Federico Gallego got the equaliser in the 60th minute. With this win, Bengaluru FC pipped Mumbai City and perched themselves on top of the points table, with 30 points from 13 matches. Mumbai are placed second with 27 points in as many matches. The North East United are placed third with 23 points from 14 matches. Uruguayan's Gallego brought the equaliser for visitors in 60th minute after he pierced the right footer through Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's legs. Before he could finish it off, Gallego ran through Juanan and Rahul Bheke to get the ball. Gallego was nearly involved in another equaliser in 93rd minute after he passed the ball to Mascia, who swivelled to hit on the half volley with his knee, but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu dived .
Haryana hammer Delhi, set up PWL-4 final with Punjab Royals
In a repeat of last season, Haryana Hammers set up a date with Punjab Royals in the summit clash of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) Season 4, after beating Delhi Sultans 5-2 at the Gautam Buddha University Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday.
Haryana Hammers beat Delhi Sultans, to meet Punjab Royals in PWL final
In a repeat of last season, Haryana Hammers will take on Punjab Royals in the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) final following their 6-3 win over Delhi Sultans here on Wednesday. Local boy Rajneesh clinched the men's 65kg category bout against Andrey Kviatkovski of Ukraine 9-3 to give the last year's finalists an unbeatable 5-2 lead over Delhi Sultans with two bouts remaining. Rajneesh hit the final nail in Delhi's coffin after Ravi Kumar, Kiran, Anastasia Nichita and Aleksander Khotsianivski won four off the six bouts played. Ali Shabanov added one more win in Haryana's kitty when he got the better of Sanjeet Kundu 5-0 in the men's 86kg category after Sakshi Malik pulled one back for the Delhi Sultans beating Tatyana Omelchenko 6-2 in women's 62kg category. Earlier, World U23 Championships silver medallist Ravi Kumar put the Haryana Hammers ahead winning the men's 57kg bout against Pankaj 7-1 which included a beautiful four-point takedown in the first round. The 2018 CWG bronze medallist .
Sathiyan surpasses Sharath to become highest-ranked Indian at 28, Manika breaks into top-50
Leading Indian paddler G Sathiyan on Wednesday rose to a career-high 28 in the world rankings while compatriot Manika Batra became the first female from the country to break into the top-50. Sathiyan gained three spots to achieve a new career-high ranking while Batra moved up four spots to be 47th. Veteran Sharath Kamal, who was conferred with the Padma Shri last week, dropped three places to be 33rd in the men's singles standings. Indian table tennis experienced a historic 2018 when the men's team won the country's first medal at the Asian Games to end a 60-year-wait. Later in the competition held in Jakarta, Sharath and Batra combined to win a second bronze for India to cap off a memorable Asia campaign.
Williamson returns for India T20Is
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Wednesday recalled Kane Williamson for the three-T20I rubber against India after the skipper missed the solitary T20I against Sri Lanka.
Pakistan stall after Zaman aggression
Opening batsman Fakhar Zaman hit an aggressive 70 before Pakistan's innings stalled in the series-deciding fifth and final one-day international against South Africa on Wednesday. With the series at stake, Pakistan made 240 for eight after being sent in to bat at Newlands. While Zaman was at the crease, Pakistan were on course for a big total. He was fourth out after a 73-ball innings when the total was 128 in the 25th over. But the scoring rate slowed after his dismissal, with only 49 runs scored in the next 15 overs. Imad Wasim, batting at number eight, gave the innings late impetus, hitting 47 not out off 31 balls. He hit sixes off Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada in the last two overs. Medium-paced all-rounders Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo both took two wickets in a disciplined South African bowling performance. The left-handed Zaman hit ten fours in making his first half-century after a sequence of low scores in both the Tests and the one-day internationals. He was ...
Hope other teams also tour Pakistan: West Indies' stand-in captain
Stand-in captain of the West Indian women's team, Merrissa Aguilleira, on Wednesday hoped that the other cricket nations will follow her side and tour Pakistan in the near future. Aguilleira reached Karachi on Tuesday night with her team to play a series of three T20 internationals before the ODI series, which would be held in Dubai. However, their regular skipper Stafanie Taylor decided not to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns. This is the first visit by a West Indian women's team to Pakistan since 2004 when an unofficial Test and seven ODIs were played at a time when women's cricket was still developing in the country. "I think the Pakistanis are heading in the right direction when it comes to bringing back international cricket to Pakistan. We have come here with a positive mindset and we are emotionally, physically and mentally prepared for whatever challenge the home side can throw at us," Aguilleira told a media conference. "When I came off the flight the hospitality ..
Sharma, Bhullar relish playing top stars in new event in Saudi
Indian golfers Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar are excited to tee up in the company of world's top-three golfers at the Saudi International, a new event in the European Tour, beginning here Thursday. The field this week has four of the world's top-5 players, including No. 1 Justin Rose, No. 2 Brooke Koepka, No. 3 Dustin Johnson and for good measure, there is No. 5 Bryson DeChambeau as well. Justin flew in straight from Torrey Pines, where he won the Farmers Insurance for a 10th career win on the PGA, Koepka took two of the four Majors last year and Johnson has had at least three wins in each of his last three season, while DeChambeau had four wins in 2018 and also won last week in Dubai. The field also has the last two Masters champions -- Sergio Garcia, the 2017 winner and Patrick Reed, the 2018 champion; and the 2016 Open winner, Henrik Stenson and four-time Major champion, Ernie Els and Trevor Immelman, the 2008 Masters winner. An additional element this week is Rayhan ...
Tokyo Olympics ticket sales process to start in April
The organizers of the Tokyo Olympic Games said on Wednesday that ticket applications for the sports event in 2020 will start as early as April, local media reported.
ISL: Delhi, Kerala hunt for win and some pride (Preview)
Two Indian Super League (ISL) clubs, who find themselves on the wrong end of the table, will meet when Delhi Dynamos host Kerala Blasters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Thursday.