Page 651 - Sports
Collins stuns Pavlyuchenkova to enter Australian Open semis
The United States' Danielle Collins entered the semi-finals of her first Australian Open after beating Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 7-5 and 6-1 after two hours and a quarter of play.
Tsitsipas defeats Bautista Agut to enter Australian Open semis
Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas stunned Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) on Tuesday to qualify for the Australian Open semi-finals.
Our focus is on how best we can combat Virat: Williamson
Expressing his admiration for Virat Kohli, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson Tuesday said that they will be primarily focussed on how to "best combat" his Indian counterpart in the limited overs series, starting here Wednesday. Returning the compliment, the Indian run-machine also lauded the prolific Williamson, calling him one of the best in the world. Williamson said, "Someone like Virat is certainly a player I admire and enjoy watching and he's pushing the boundaries of the game so that's brilliant," said Williamson on the eve of first ODI of the five-match series. He said Kohli was a passionate and world class cricketer. "He's a respectful guy and I've known him for a very long time but as a player, obviously, word class and our focus is more about that and his cricketing ability and how we can combat him as best as we can," Williamson said. Williamson felt that the passion with which Kohli approaches his cricket has made him a crowd puller around the world. "He's always a ...
BCCI announces Rs 20 lakh each for Indian selectors
The BCCI on Tuesday announced cash awards of Rs 20 lakh each for the senior selection committee members following India's maiden Test series win in Australia. Virat Kohli led India to a historic 2-1 win in the four-Test series before capping the Australian tour with a maiden 2-1 triumph in the ODI series. "It has been decided that the selection committee comprising five members will get a bonus of Rs 20 lakhs each," BCCI said in a release. The selection committee comprises chairman MSK Prasad , Devang Gandhi, Jatin Paranjpe, Gagan Khoda and Sandeep Singh. Committee Of Administrator (CoA) chairman Vinod Rai lauded the selectors for picking a balanced Indian squad during the Test and ODI series in Australia. "We are extremely proud of the way Team India have performed in Australia. We had announced cash rewards for cricketers and support staff earlier and are now rewarding selectors," he said. "The five men have played a crucial role in picking a balanced Indian squad and offering the ..
Langer calls on batsmen to step up against Sri Lanka
Coach Justin Langer on Tuesday said senior batsman Usman Khawaja must convert solid starts into hundreds, as Australia look to bounce back from a crushing loss to India when they face Sri Lanka this week. Australia axed Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb and the Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitch, after the India humbling. But Khawaja survived and Langer is looking for fireworks from his number three. "I had a good hit with him yesterday actually in the nets up here at Allan Border Field in Brisbane," Langer told SEN radio of Khawaja, who has a top score of just 72 this summer across Tests and ODIs. "He admitted he's been frustrated. "But he seems fine. He's in the best physical condition of his life, he's training hard, he's playing well, but that's often the way in Test cricket. "We need him to stand up. He knows that, he's our most senior batsman. He needs and we need him to turn some of those great starts into hundreds for us." Australia play two Tests against Sri Lanka, starting under ...
Djokovic concerned about Open's 'Big Brother' cameras
World number one Novak Djokovic has expressed concern about "Big Brother" surveillance cameras that capture behind-the-scenes footage of players at the Australian Open, making the season-opening Grand Slam resemble a reality television show. The cameras dotted around Melbourne Park, which show players walking the corridors and making their way to the courts, were introduced this year and are not seen at any other major. Many of the candid clips have gone viral, with social media users amused when security guards asked high-profile players such as Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova for identification. Others have been more personal, including Croatian 31st seed Petra Martic slumping to the floor and breaking down in tears after her third-round elimination. Djokovic, who is chairman of the men's player council, said he had privacy concerns, particularly for women players who were moving between the recovery centre and the locker rooms. But the Serb said if that issue was fixed he had to .
Kohli says he doesn't 'feed off' booing anymore
He remains as combative as ever but Indian captain Virat Kohli says he doesn't "feed off" booing anymore, channelising his energy and focus on the "greater responsibility" of leading the country's cricket team. Kohli has been on the receiving end of the Australian fans in the Test series Down Under recently, prompting even one of their own legends, Ricky Ponting, to express his disappointment. On the eve of the first ODI of the five-match series against New Zealand, there was a question for him on booing. "Well that used to happen in the middle phase of my career. It all started in 2014-15 series (in Australia). So I used to feed off those things then as I needed to boost myself up but now being the captain of the team, I really don't need to focus on those things," Kohli said. He has just led India to a maiden Test and bilateral ODI series triumphs in Australia. "I have a greater responsibility which I understand as it's an honour to play for the country. I necessarily don't need the
Virat Kohli sweeps three major ICC awards
Virat Kohli has become the first cricketer to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year, the ICC Men's Test Player of the Year and the ICC ODI Player of the Year awards following an extraordinary 2018.The Indian skipper had won the Sir Garfield Trophy and ICC ODI Player of the Year awards last year and was also the ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2012."It feels amazing. It is a reward for all the hard work that you do throughout the calendar year. I feel really grateful and very happy with the team doing well at the same time myself performing. Having recognition at the global level from the ICC is something you feel proud of as a cricketer because you understand that there are many players playing the game," the 30-year-old said on Tuesday."To be rewarded in this manner from amongst all of them is obviously a very proud moment for me and something that gives you more motivation to keep repeating the same things because you have to keep the standard of cricket up .
Rishabh Pant named ICC Emerging Player of the Year
Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was named Emerging Player of the Year by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday.The 21-year-old was picked by ICC's voting academy for scoring 537 runs with a century, two fifties in eight Tests, 40 catches and two stumpings during the voting period. In three ODIs, Pant scored 41 runs and took three catches, and in eight T20Is he scored 114 runs and pouched two catches.India registered their maiden ODI and Test series victory over Australia, both by 2-1 on Australian soil. The Virat Kohli-led side levelled the T20I series in November last year.The wicketkeeper-batsman ended the five-Test series as the second-highest run-scorer after Cheteshwar Pujara in Australia, notching 350 runs in seven innings. While behind the stumps, he broke the record for most catches (20) by an Indian wicket-keeper in a Test series.Pant, who made his Test debut against England last year, has cemented his place in the Test squad. In nine Tests, he has ...
We are forced to play third pacer whenever Hardik isn't available: Kohli
India captain Virat Kohli Tuesday stressed on the importance of all-rounder Hardik Pandya's presence in the ODI side in order to get the ideal bowling combination for the World Cup. Pandya has been suspended pending inquiry after his sexist comments on a TV chat show and already the Indian team have had issues with their third specialist pacer ahead of the five-match ODI against New Zealand starting Wednesday. Rookies Khaleel Ahmed and Mohammed Siraj both got a fair amount of stick against Australia in the first two ODIs before Hardik's replacement Vijay Shankar bowled a steady spell of six overs in the series decider in Melbourne. When asked if there can be an ideal bowling combination, the skipper said: "Depends on the all-rounder to be honest. If you see the strongest sides in the world, they have two all-rounders at the least, some sides have three, so that gives you a lot of bowling options." For Kohli, a third fast bowler is an option only when a specialist all-rounder is ...
Unheralded American Collins claws into Open semis
Unheralded Danielle Collins battled from a set behind to down Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Tuesday and take her dream debut at the Australian Open into the semi-finals. The unseeded American beat world number 44 Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 in a see-sawing match to set up a final four clash with either Czech eighth seed Karolina Pliskova or 15th seeded Australian Ash Barty. The little-known 25-year-old, who has mostly played on the US college circuit, grabbed the tennis world's attention with a 6-0, 6-2 drubbing of second seed Angelique Kerber in the fourth round. She was unable to repeat that sizzling form against Pavlyuchenkova but finished strongly in a feisty performance as her more experienced opponent wilted under pressure. Collins, ranked 35 in the world, who has ousted three seeds on her way to the final four, said she was relishing playing on the big stage. "Yeah it's my first time to play on Rod Laver (Arena)," she said. "I didn't even practice on here. It was quite the
Cool Tsitsipas flies into 'fairytale' first Slam semi-final
Greek sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas showed resilience and maturity to power into a fairytale Australian Open semi-final Tuesday after sweeping past Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut. Roger Federer's conqueror had to contend with dropping his serve early in each of the first three sets to the 22nd seed before coming through 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) in 3hr 15min. "It all feels like a fairytale almost," said the 20-year-old after holding his head in his hands in disbelief and sinking to the floor on Rod Laver Arena. "I'm just living the dream, living what I've been working hard for," Tsitsipas added. "I feel a bit emotional but not too much -- I know I really worked hard to get here, playing in semis of a Grand Slam. "I was asked my goals this year and said semis Grand Slam. And when I was answering this question, I thought I was crazy. But it is real. It just happened." Tsitsipas, who broke through in 2018 with his first ATP Tour title and won the NextGen finals, will face either world ...
Juventus cruise against last-place Chievo
Cristiano Ronaldo failed to convert a penalty but his Juventus side topped relegation-bound Chievo 3-0 to go 9 points clear of Napoli at the top of Serie A.
Eibar clobber Espanyol 3-0
Eibar climbed to 11th place in LaLiga with a 3-0 victory over Espanyol, the first win for the hosts since they thrashed Real Madrid by the same score on November 24.
I have moved on, Mithali on spat with Powar and Edulji
Asserting that her dispute with former coach Ramesh Powar and CoA member Diana Edulji is a thing of past, Indian women's ODI captain Mithali Raj said Tuesday cricket has helped her deal with the adversities of life. 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, with Raj accusing Powar of bias and Edulji of trying to finish her career. "What has happened has happened, I have moved on. Cricket has taught me to move on whether it's scoring a hundred or getting out on zero you have to be prepared for the next game, you need to tune in for the next day," Mithali said ahead of the series against New Zealand. "As professional cricketers everyone understands what it takes to play international level, we are here to represent the country and want the team to play as a unit and get the best result," she added. The Indian team's New Zealand tour begins on Thursday with the first ODI at McLean Park. The women ...
Novel algorithm can predict the next shot played in tennis
Scientists say they have created an algorithm that can predict where a tennis player will hit the next ball by analysing data of thousands of shots played by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in Australian Open. The finding by researchers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia could lead to new ways for professional tennis players to predict their opponent's moves. The algorithm called Semi Supervised Generative Adversarial Network architecture can also be used in virtual reality games, offering people the chance to go head-to-head with world's best players in an accurate but artificial grand slam. The researchers created the algorithm using Hawk-Eye data from the 2012 Australian Tennis Open, provided by Tennis Australia. They narrowed their focus to study just the shot selection of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer because they had the complete data to input into the system on how the players' shot selection changed as the tournament progressed. The ...
Team not dependent on me completely, but have to get batting unit together: Mithali
The team does not look on me completely but as an experienced batswoman I do have a responsibility to get the batting unit together to perform, said Indian women's team ODI captain Mithali Raj on Tuesday. Keeping aside the difference of opinion with T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Mithali said the team is in good form and every individual at some point or other has played a match-winning performance for the team."All of us are in good form whether Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur or young Jemimah Rodrigues whose been among the runs. We have got very good middle-order as well in terms of Dayalan Hemalatha and Deepti Sharma, who is an all-rounder. So, overall I think all of them at some point or other has played a match-winning performance for the team," India ODI captain said. "All of us are coming from match practices whether it is a domestic season or a couple of girls from the Women's Big Bash League. We came a week early to get adapted to the conditions. We had a practice game. ...
Kohli named captain of ICC's Test and ODI Teams of the Year
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday named Indian skipper Virat Kohli to lead both Test and ODI Teams of the Year. Kohli's 1,322 runs at an average of 55.08 with five centuries in 13 Tests and 1,202 runs at an astounding average of 133.55 with six hundreds in 14 ODIs saw him selected to both sides by every voting member of the Academy, with a majority of them also opting to name him at the helm of each."It has been an amazing year. I was able to play in a manner that I would not have imagined. If the intention is right and you keep working hard, the results are there in front of your own eyes. The intent has always to be helping your team at any cost, that is when these performances come by and you are pushing yourself to the limit, which you otherwise will not be able to. That is something I experienced in 2018 a lot," Kohli said.The 30-year-old ended last season as the top-ranked Test and ODI batsman in the ICC player rankings, while India finished the year as the ...
'King Kohli sweeps ICC awards; also named captain of Test, ODI Teams of the Year
Indian captain Virat Kohli Tuesday became the first cricketer to make a clean-sweep of individual honours in the ICC annual awards, claiming the Test, ODI and overall Player of the Year trophies besides being named captain of the world body's all-star teams. Kohli has become the first player in history to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year, his second consecutive, the ICC Test and the ODI Player of the Year awards following an extraordinary 2018. "Not only is Kohli the first player to win these three major ICC awards together but he has also been named the captain of the ICC Test and ODI teams of the year for a fabulous run in international cricket," the ICC said in a statement. Kohli scored 1,322 runs at an average of 55.08 in 13 Tests with five hundreds during the calendar year while in 14 ODIs he amassed 1202 runs at an astonishing average of 133.55 with six centuries. He also scored 211 runs in 10 T20Is. "It's a reward for all the hard work that you ..
Kohli named captain of both ICC Test, ODI Teams of the Year
India skipper Virat Kohli was on Tuesday named captain of both the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test and ODI Teams of the Year following his remarkable show in 2018 both as batsman and skipper.