Page 622 - Sports
No room for excuses now: says Bhupathi ahead of Davis Cup tie vs Italy
Non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi on Wednesday said there is no room for excuses in the Davis Cup Qualifier against Italy starting here Friday, especially after India got whatever had desired. Bhupathi said home comfort and the X-factor of Calcutta South Club's grasscourts hold India in good stead in the tie. "We definitely feel that this is our best chance to beat Italy on grass. Hard or clay is their strengths," Bhupathi told reporters on the eve of the draw. Having lost in the away play-offs to Serbia, India, three-time Davis Cup runners-up, were drawn to play against Italy at home in the Qualifiers in their bid for a coveted place in November's 18-team Finals in Madrid. Italy, who had lost to France in the World Group quarters, will have the unfamiliarity of grasscourts, something the hosts are looking at capitalising. "We will know on Saturday if the advantage played out for us or not. So we've got the grass now I don't think we have any room for excuses anymore," Bhupathi ...
Former Mexico defender Salcido joins Veracruz
Former Mexico international defender Carlos Salcido has joined Veracruz on a free transfer as he extends his professional career to a 19th year, the Liga MX club said.
Shoaib Akhtar making personal attacks: Sarfaraz Ahmed
Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed has stated that former pacer Shoaib Malik is making a personal attack by criticising him following his suspension for hurling racial remarks at South African fast bowler Andile Phehlukwayo during their second ODI in Durban, last week.The 31-year-old further stated that he has accepted his mistake and is now looking forward to improving his performance."He [Shoaib Akhtar] is attacking me personally not criticising," Geo TV quoted Sarfaraz, as saying."I accepted my mistake and received the punishment. I want to thank PCB for handling this case and fulfilling requirements. I will improve myself and my performance in the future and I thank my supporters for their backing," he added.Akhtar had, reportedly, said that with four-match suspension for the incident, Sarfaraz has gotten off easily. The right-arm bowler had also criticised the captain's remarks saying that such comments are not acceptable in Pakistan."This [Sarafaz incident] is not acceptable as a .
Shoaib Akhtar making personal attacks: Sarfaraz Ahmed
he 31-year-old further stated that he has accepted his mistake and is now looking forward to improving his performance
Valencia reach Copa del Rey semis on Rodrigo hat trick
Rodrigo Moreno scored three times -- twice in stoppage time -- to power Valencia CF 3-1 over Getafe in the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal tie for a 3-2 aggregate win.
Garcilaso lets La Guaira qualify 2-1 in Copa Libertadores
Venezuelan club Deportivo La Guaira became the first team to qualify for the second stage of the 2019 Copa Libertadores despite losing 1-2 to Peru's Real Garcilaso.
Arsenal beat Cardiff 2-1, Sala remembered with tributes
Arsenal, with goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, beat Cardiff City 2-1 in the first game of the Welsh team since the disappearance of Argentine striker Emiliano Sala.
Daryl Mitchell, Blair Tickner get NZ call for India T20I series
All-rounder Daryl Mitchell and pacer Blair Tickner have got their maiden call to New Zealand's T20I squad as the Black Caps announced a 14-member team for their upcoming three-match T20I series against India beginning February 6.While Mitchell is in for the entire series, Tickner has been included for the last T20I as his fellow pacer Lockie Ferguson will be available only for the first two matches of the series. Ferguson has been given rest for the third T20I in order to manage his workload.New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said that Mitchell and Tickner were rewarded for their good performance in domestic cricket."Both Daryl and Blair have been rewarded for the strong form they've produced in domestic cricket. They've been there or thereabouts for most of the season and both featured in our New Zealand A short-format teams," ESPNcricinfo.com quoted Larsen, as saying."Daryl has shown his value with the bat and also tends to bowl at some tough times for the [Northern] Knights, and ...
4th ODI: Another Coveted 'double' awaits skipper Rohit as India eye biggest series win
His penchant for hitting double hundreds is universally acknowledged and skipper Rohit Sharma will be eager to make his 200th appearance for India a memorable one with a solid performance against a below-par New Zealand in the fourth ODI here Thursday. With the series already sealed, Rohit, who has a good record as stand-in captain and has three double hundreds in ODIs to his credit, would aim to tighten the noose around New Zealand in what could be another batting friendly track at Seddon Park. A 4-0 lead will be India's biggest series win (across formats) in their 52 years of touring New Zealand having first visited the country back in 1967. For India, the two remaining matches give the side an ideal platform to once again test the bench strength and give the younger men a feel of match situations. The status of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's hamstring injury is not known but according to team sources, there is nothing much to worry about. A decision on Dhoni's availability will be taken ...
'It's ridiculous': Australia Davis Cup captain slams new format
Australia Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has slammed Barcelona football star Gerard Pique over the tournament's controversial new format, saying it is "ridiculous" and would hurt the sport. Under a plan proposed by Pique's investment group Kosmos and adopted by the International Tennis Federation, the competition will bring together 18 nations for a week at the end of the tennis season for a championship finale. The 119-year-old Davis Cup competition is currently structured around a 16-nation World Group, contested over four weekends during the year. The remaining countries are then divided into three regional zones. "I haven't been a supporter since they first flagged the possible changes," Hewitt said ahead of Australia's Davis Cup qualifier against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Adelaide starting Friday, Adelaide's The Advertiser newspaper reported Tuesday. "I think it really hurts Davis Cup... In terms of the structure and format in going into the finals, I don't agree at all with ...
US lawmakers move to criminalize global doping fraud
US lawmakers introduced the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act on Tuesday with rare bi-partisan support to criminalize international doping fraud conspiracies, a week after the World Anti-Doping Agency decided against suspending Russia. The proposed law would attack US sponsorship and broadcast rights money for global sports events with US competitors to ensure fraud against Americans wouldn't go unpunished, with penalties up to a USD 1 million fine and 10 years in prison. "Now is the time to create stiff penalties for Russia's cheating and send a signal that Russia and other sponsors of state-directed fraud can't use corruption as a tool of foreign policy," US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said. WADA decided against re-imposing a ban on Russia for missing a deadline to provide data from drug tests in the wake of the 2016 report from Richard McLaren detailing Russian state-backed doping from 2011 to 2015 involving more than 1,000 athletes across more than 30 sports. "We know from experience we ..
Andy Murray undergoes hip surgery
Former world number one Andy Murray underwent hip surgery in London on Monday.The 31-year-old confirmed the same by posting a message on his Instagram handle along with two photos, including an X-ray picture."I underwent a hip resurfacing surgery in London yesterday morning...feeling a bit battered and bruised just now but hopefully that will be the end of my hip pain. I now have a metal hip as you can see in the 2nd photo and I look like I've got a bit of a gut in photo 1," Murray captioned the post.[{95d75d14-59e9-40fd-94ee-d286141112ea:intradmin/Murray_PhotoJan30_B8Gz53a.jpg}][{bac7b5f3-f587-4f01-857f-47aaaf28b2b2:intradmin/Murray_Photo2Jan30_fVh7SSN.jpg}]The surgery came two weeks after his first-round ouster from the recently-concluded Australian Open where he conceding a 4-6, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 2-6 defeat against Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in a gruelling contest.Murray had recently shocked the tennis world after announcing that he would retire this year, most probably after the .
Azarenka to play Kvitova after beating Gasparyan
Victoria Azarenka set up a meeting with Australian Open finalist Petra Kvitova at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy on Tuesday after a sometimes-shaky 6-4 6-1 win over Russian qualifier Margarita Gasparyan. Azarenka, herself a two-time Australian Open champion, struggled on serve at times and gave up three breaks to Gasparyan. However, the Belarusian won six straight games from 3-4 in the first set to 3-0 in the second to get the victory. Kvitova has a bye into the second round. Former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko won a see-saw match against Kristina Mladenovic 6-1 0-6 6-0. It was Ostapenko's first win of 2019 after starting the year with three straight losses, while Mladenovic is now 0-4 on the year, including qualifiers. Ostapenko will next face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who won 7-5 7-6 (4) over Alize Cornet. Earlier, Julia Goerges won the final four games of the match and beat Maria Sakkari 6-2 7-5 in the first round. The fifth-seeded German trailed 5-3 in the second set ...
Piatek scores twice as Milan beat Napoli to reach Coppa semis
Krzysztof Piatek said it was "just the start" to his AC Milan career after scoring twice on his full debut as Gennaro Gattuso's side beat Napoli 2-0 at the San Siro on Tuesday to reach the Coppa Italia semi-finals. Piatek, signed from Genoa last week as a replacement for Gonzalo Higuain, put the hosts ahead in the 11th minute before doubling the lead before the half-hour mark with a fine individual strike. It was the second time in four days that Milan had dealt a blow to Napoli's hopes of winning a trophy this season, after a goalless draw on Saturday at the San Siro ultimately left Carlo Ancelotti's men 11 points behind Serie A leaders Juventus. "I expected a night like this. I said that I was ready and I got a brace, but this is just the start," Piatek told Milan TV. "Both goals were great, even if they were different. I felt good tonight and it was marvellous playing at the San Siro." Five-time winners Milan will face either Inter Milan or Lazio, who play on Thursday, over two ...
Cricket has changed everything in Afghanistan: Rashid
Afghanistan star leg-spinner Rashid Khan on Tuesday said cricket has changed everything in his terror-affected country while insisting that his team will give their best in the ICC T20 World Cup next year.
Sala remembered as Cardiff make painful return to action
A minute's silence was held before Cardiff's first match on Tuesday since the plane carrying the club's record signing Emiliano Sala disappeared over the Channel Islands over a week ago. After completing a GBP 15 million (USD 20 million) move from Nantes on January 19, Sala was on his way from France to take part in his first training session with Cardiff two days later when the aircraft carrying the Argentine and pilot David Ibbotson lost contact. Visiting Cardiff fans at Arsenal's Emirates stadium unveiled a banner reading: "We never saw you play and never saw you score but Emiliano our beautiful bluebird we will love you forever more." The captains of both sides laid a bouquet of flowers on the pitch before kick-off, while Argentina shirts and flags were waved among the visiting support. Cardiff manager Neil Warnock described the past week as the toughest of his career having helped broker the deal that brought Sala to the club. "I've been in football management for 40 years and ...
Struggling Villarreal sack coach Luis Garcia
Spanish La Liga strugglers Villarreal have sacked coach Luis Garcia after less than two months in charge at the football club.
Atletico Madrid fitness coach arrested for domestic violence
The Spanish Guardia Civil on Tuesday confirmed they have arrested the fitness coach of Atletico Madrid on charges of domestic violence.
Punjab Royals beat UP Dangal to enter PWL-4 final
The 2018 European Championships silver medallist Mimi Hristova on Tuesday helped Punjab Royals make it to the final of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) Season 4 currently underway at the Gautam Buddha University Indoor Stadium here.
Hockey: Spirited Indian women outclass Spain 5-2
An improved attack and tactical defending saw the Indian women's hockey team convincingly beat 2018 World Cup bronze medallists Spain 5-2 in their third match of the tour here on Tuesday.