Page 647 - Sports
Paine tells bowlers to bounce out Sri Lanka after humbling loss
Australian captain Tim Paine said Wednesday that Sri Lanka should prepare themselves for a bouncer barrage when the first day-night Test gets under way in Brisbane this week. Paine said that Australia's much-vaunted pace attack hadn't used the bouncer effectively in their recent series loss to India. The Australians went into the Test series against India boasting one of the most formidable pace attacks in world cricket -- but Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were comprehensively outbowled by their Indian counterparts. To make matters worse, the three pacemen failed to get a single lbw decision as India claimed a historic series win. Paine said while praise should go to the Indian batsmen, his bowlers will be better prepared when the day-night Test against Sri Lanka begins Thursday. "India batted really well," he conceded. "Sub-continent players, when the wickets are good, like the ball being bowled at their stumps and they don't miss too many when they're in the form ...
Serena to 'keep soldiering on' in search of 24th Slam
Serena Williams vowed Wednesday to keep "soldiering on" in a bid to reach 24 Grand Slam titles, admitting her game needed work after a sensational collapse in the Australian Open quarter-finals. The 37-year-old American rallied back from a set down against Karolina Pliskova and was leading 5-1 in the final set before losing six games in a row to crash out 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. It was a cruel blow for a woman who has been chasing Margaret Court's 24 Slams since winning in Melbourne in 2017 while pregnant, then taking time off to have a baby before returning to Grand Slam action at the French Open last year. She insisted another major win was still achievable despite the clock ticking. "I mean, the big picture for me is always winning. I'm not going to sit here and lie about that," she said. "But it hasn't happened yet, but I feel like it's going to happen. Just keep taking it one match at a time, just keep soldiering on, I guess." Williams admitted that having a year off and then returning to
It's the fittest I have seen him: Kohli on Shami
Skipper Virat Kohli was Wednesday lavish in his praise for pacer Mohammed Shami, the fastest Indian to 100 ODI wickets, saying the injury-prone bowler is at his best in terms of fitness right now. Shami, who delivered a man of the match-winning haul of 3/19 in the first ODI against New Zealand here, failed the 'Yo-Yo' fitness test last year and was also bogged down by some personal issues. But putting all those troubles behind him, Shami reached the 100-wicket mark in his 56th game. On Wednesday, he dismissed openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro in the six overs he bowled. "The fast bowling group together believes they can knock any side over. And the belief in his (Shami) own ability and his fitness - this is the fittest I've seen him in his career. And his Test form has translated into one-day cricket," Kohli said at the post-match presentation. Besides his injury woes, the 27-year-old Shami was troubled by allegations of domestic violence by his wife last year. He failed the ...
1st ODI: All-round effort helps India thrash New Zealand
A brilliant all-round effort helped India thrash New Zealand by eight wickets via the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method in the first One Day International match at the McLean Park here on Wednesday.
CAP, Funngage tie up to provide cricket scholarship
The Cricket Academy of Pathans (CAP) has tied up with Funngage, a curated and integrated sports platform, to help players in cricket with scholarship, it was announced on Wednesday.
Napier ODI: All-round India blow New Zealand away
Magnificent spells by the Indian bowlers and Shikhar Dhawan's dazzling batting ensured a convincing eight-wicket victory over hosts New Zealand in the first ODI of the five-match series at McLean Park in Napier on Wednesday.Chasing a mere 158, India got off to a quick start with openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan scoring quick runs for India and putting the Kiwi bowlers under pressure. In the process, Dhawan completed his 5,000 ODI runs, becoming the second fastest Indian to reach the figure after skipper Virat Kohli.The opening visitors guided India to 41 without any loss of a wicket in nine overs at dinner break.Continuing their streak upon resumption, Rohit was dismissed for 11 before the match was peculiarly called off for a while, soon after Kohli and Dhawan complained of the setting sun hampering their vision, due to which they were unable to see the ball. Subsequently, the umpires and the players went off the field for over half an hour.Although an over was lost due to the
1st ODI: Kuldeep, Dhawan shine as India hammer New Zealand by eight wickets
An all-round display helped India register a comfortable eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the first contest of the five-match ODI rubber at the McLean Park here on Wednesday.
Pliskova stuns Williams to advance to Australian Open semis
In a stunning comeback, Karolina Pliskova advanced to the semi-final of the Australian Open here on Wednesday by beating Serena Williams 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.
India crush NZ by 8 wickets in first ODI after sun-induced stoppage
India produced cricket of the calibre that has become synonymous with Virat Kohli's men to crush New Zealand in the first ODI but a bizarre and unprecedented sun-induced interruption overshadowed the on-field action here Wednesday. Entering the five-match rubber following maiden Test and ODI series triumphs in Australia, India signalled their intent with a clinical display, which saw them chase down a revised target of 156 by eights wickets in 34.5 overs. The Duckworth-Lewis method came into the picture for an interruption which was not caused by rain for the first time. On a near-perfect day, the only thing that didn't go their way was the toss. But India made light of that by bowling out the home team for a paltry 157 in 38 overs. Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav was the most successful bowler, returning figures of 4/39 in 10 overs, while seamer Mohammed Shami finished with an excellent 3/19 in six overs. There were also two wickets for leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Captain Kane ...
India beat New Zealand by 8 wickets in first ODI
India beat New Zealand by 8 wickets in the first One-Day International to take 1-0 lead in the five match series here Wednesday. Electing to bat, New Zealand were bundled out for 157 at the McLean Park. In reply, India reached the revised target of 156 in 34.5 overs. Opener Shikhar Dhawan top-scored for the visitors with a fine 75 off 103 balls. Skipper Kane Williamson was the highest scorer for the hosts with his 64-run knock. Brief Scores: New Zealand: 157 all out in 38 overs (Kane Williamson 64, Ross Taylor 24, Kuldeep Yadav 4/39, Mohammed Shami 3/19 ) India: 156/2 in 34.
Indian women eye on-field success against NZ after end of off-field drama
The Indian women's cricket team will aim to put behind the off-field furores and bring the focus back on the game when it clashes with New Zealand in a three-match ODI series starting Thursday. The Indian women's team was at the centre of a huge controversy after its semi-final exit in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies owing to a bitter public spat between ODI captain Mithali Raj and the then coach Ramesh Powar. Mithali had accused Powar, whose interim tenure ended last year, of bias after she was dropped from the lost semifinal against England. She also accused Committee of Administrators' member Daina Edulji of trying to finish her career when the former captain backed her omission. Following the fiasco, WV Raman replaced Powar and this will be his first assignment at the helm. Mithali also had a fallout with T20 skipper and star batter Harmanpreet Kaur but asserted on the eve of the series that she has moved on from all the drama and is focussed on the task at hand. The side ...
IWF lifts provisional suspension on weightlifter Sanjita Chanu
International Weightlifting Federation lifted the provisional suspension imposed on two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Sanjita Chanu on Wednesday. Chanu had tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid and was provisionally suspended by the International Weightlifting Federation last year.Speaking to ANI, India Weightlifting Federation Secretary General Sahdev Yadav said: "Ban is not lifted, only provision suspension has been removed and the inquiry is pending. It is a good signal for her. She can come to the camp for training. We are hopeful it will go in her favour. We had confidence in her that she had not had anything. We have faith in her, she is a good lifter. The nation cannot afford to lose her. We are trying our best that the ban gets removed."Last year, the IWF had provisionally suspended Chanu in view of a potential anti-doping rule violation."IWF reports that the sample of Sanjita Chanu KHUMUKCHAM (IND) has returned an Adverse Analytical Finding for Testosterone ..
Play resumes in first ODI after setting sun stops proceedings
The first One-day International between India and New Zealand resumed after the setting sun interrupted play for nearly half an hour at the McLean Park Wednesday. Play was interrupted when the sun made it difficult for the batsmen to spot the ball, leading to an interruption that has never been seen in international cricket before. Chasing 158, India were cruising at 44 for one in 10 over when play was stopped. Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan were batting on 2 and 29 respectively.
Osaka beats Svitolina to reach semis
Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka outclassed Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in straight sets in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open here on Wednesday.
Porto beat Benfica 3-1 to reach Portugal League Cup final
Porto are through to the final of the Portuguese League Cup final after defeating Benfica 3-1 in the first semifinal.
After dinner, sun stops play at McLean Park
Sun stops play after dinner. Sounds bizarre? But this is what happened in the first India-New Zealand ODI at the McLean Park Wednesday. Play was interrupted when the sun made it difficult for the batsmen to spot the ball, leading to an interruption that has never been seen in international cricket before. The decision to halt play was taken keeping the players' safety in mind and sun stroke considerations, on-field umpire Shaun George said. "The setting sun is in the eyes of the players and we need to think of their safety as well as umpires. There was an awareness of it by the players (they didn't appeal)," said the umpire. Stoppages due to sun have been witnessed in the past here during the dometic competitions, and reportedly, also in few English grounds, but none of them were international matches. "We had talked about it in the pre-series chat. It's something different," said New Zealand star batsman Ross Taylor. Normally, the cricket pitches are positioned in the North-South ...
Youth Olympics silver-medallist Salima Tete named for junior women's hockey national camp
Youth Olympics silver-medallist Salima Tete was included in a 33-member core probable group for the junior women's hockey national camp, starting Thursday in Lucknow. The 24-day camp, to be held ahead of a four-match Test Series against France starting February 8, will be conducted with coach Baljeet Singh at the helm. "The upcoming camp gives us a perfect opportunity to nurture young talent and prepare them for a tough series against an experienced French team," said Singh. "We will be focusing on developing these players, emphasising on their fitness, speed, stamina, skills, and preparing them tactically as well as mentally, for bigger challenges that the team is going to face in the future including the Women's Junior Asia Cup," he added. Tete, who is currently travelling with with the senior team to Spain, will report for the camp in Lucknow upon her return. Goalkeepers Bichu Devi Kharibam, Khushboo and Simran Chopra have been called up for the camp along with defenders Priyanka, .
Getafe top Valencia 1-0 in Copa del Rey
Jorge Molina's goal in the 77th minute proved sufficient for Getafe to beat Valencia 1-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal tie.
Not Serena, Pliskova to meet Osaka in Australian Open semifinals
Former world number one Karolina Pliskova made a remarkable comeback to oust twenty-three times Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in a dramatic fashion on Wednesday, booking her Australian Open semifinal debut against reigning US Open champion Naomi Osaka.The Czech saved four match points, rallying from 5-1 down to defeat the American player 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in two hours and 10 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena.Serena kept the match close, but Pliskova dominated with her improved movement to seal the opening set and gain the first break of the second. The Czech served to stay in the set, but Serena made a solid comeback to break again and level the match. The American raced ahead by shrugging off a 0-30 deficit, taking the match to the decider with a double-break lead. Short of the finish line, Serena tweaked her ankle and Pliskova stepped up to engineer four match points at 5-4 and ultimately sealed the match.Osaka, the rising Japanese player, on the same day, dropped just four games in
Qatar edge out Iraq 1-0, to play South Korea in Asian Cup quarters
Qatar won 1-0 against Iraq in their 2019 AFC Asian Cup match, setting up a quarterfinal clash against South Korea.