Page 717 - Sports

Faf du Plessis suspended for one Test due to slow over-rate

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has been suspended for one Test and fined 20 per cent of his match fees for maintaining a slow over-rate during the second Test of their ongoing three-match series against Pakistan which they won by nine wickets. The South African players, on the other hand, were fined 10 per cent of their match fees.The suspension means that du Plessis would miss the third Test against Pakistan, which is slated to be held from January 11 to 15 in Johannesburg.David Boon of the Elite Panel of International Cricket Council (ICC) Match Referees imposed the suspension on du Plessis after South Africa were ruled to be one over short after time allowances were taken into consideration.In accordance with Article 2.22.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Players Support Personnel, which relates to minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double ...

Peter Siddle eyes World Cup after Aussie ODI call

Fast bowler Peter Siddle, who recently made a comeback to the Australian ODI squad for their upcoming India series, has now set his sight on the 2019 World Cup.The 34-year-old, while admitting that he never really thought of being picked up in the ODI squad, said that the ball is now in his court and he would give his best to book his berth in the World Cup squad."It's pretty amazing. I never really thought it'd come. To get another one-day game hadn't even crossed my mind. I know I'd worked hard and tried a lot of things to develop my white-ball game, but that was pretty much on the basis of trying to perform well for Adelaide, not so much thinking the one-day chance would come. I'm just as amazed as a young bloke getting his first call-up, that's what it feels like. It feels like I'm starting all over again, so I'm very thankful," Cricket.com.au quoted Siddle, as saying."(I haven't thought about it) since the last World Cup and I probably wasn't really a chance then. And that was ...

I-League: Real Kashmir stun Mohun Bagan 2-1

Real Kashmir FC snatched a stunning 2-1 win against Kolkata giants, Mohun Bagan, to move to the third spot in the ongoing 12th edition of the I-League here at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday.Centre back player Mason Robertson struck twice in the 33rd and the 74th minutes, ensuring that Real Kashmir FC remained unbeaten on the move so far in their debut season. Sony Norde's screaming free-kick in the 42nd minute was the only goal that the hosts could manage in the game, who are now placed sixth on the I-League points table.While Mohun Bagan made five changes in today's game, the most noticeable change was that of Sony Norde coming back into the starting list and Dipanda Dicka sitting on the bench. For Real Kashmir, Mason Robertson found his way into the starting list as an injury-ridden Krizo had to sit out.Real Kashmir FC, who have not lost an away game so far, as expected, started with their attacking football. Mohun Bagan, however, made attempts on the counter but the Real Kashmir ..

Banned Australians Warner and Smith make BPL debut

Banned Australian cricketers David Warner and Steve Smith made a low-scoring debut in the Bangladesh Premier League on Sunday, amassing just 30 runs between them as newly-minted skippers in the Twenty20 league. The duo, who are serving international bans for ball tampering, faced off in the BPL opener in Dhaka, with Smith's Comilla Victorians edging Warner's Sylhet Sixers by four wickets. Their debut as foreign stars in the lucrative T20 franchise came as Australia's Test cricketers in Sydney stared down defeat against a ruthless India. Warner hit off-spinner Mahedi Hasan for three sixes in one over at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium before a mix-up saw him run out for 14 off 13 balls. Warner ran for a single after his partner Towhid Hridoy pushed Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik towards square leg. But Hridoy did not respond and both batsmen were caught at the same end as Malik dismantled the stumps. The third umpire declared Warner out but replays indicated the Australian reached

South Africa skipper Du Plessis suspended for third Test

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis was on Sunday suspended for one Test because of his team's slow over rate as they beat Pakistan in Cape Town. The ICC announced the punishment in a statement after South Africa won the second Test by nine wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Du Plessis and his players were also fined a percentage of their match fees. South Africa picked an all-pace attack for the match. Their four bowlers shared just under 122 overs as they twice bowled Pakistan out. Half an hour was added to play the first three days because of the slow over rate. After the three umpires charged the home team, match referee David Boon, the former Australia batsman, ruled South Africa were one over short of the minimum target and imposed the punishments. Under ICC rules, players are fined 10 percent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double. Du Plessis had previously been found guilty of what the

Marin, Lakshya help Pune 7 Aces stay in contention for semi-finals

Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin and Asian junior champion Lakshya Sen powered Pune 7 Aces to a 5-0 win over struggling Delhi Dashers in the Premier Badminton League here Sunday. 2012 Olympic silver medallist Mathias Boe also made a comeback and gave his team a crucial win in men's doubles alongside Chirag Shetty in what was a dominant performance by the Aces. Pune moved up to the third position with 17 points from six matches and five trumps wins. However, with the fourth-placed Awadhe Warriors and the fifth-placed Bengaluru Raptors having played two ties less than Pune, the Aces' fate depends on the outcome of the Warriors and the Raptors matches. World No. 32 Evgeniya Kosetskaya was absolutely no match for Marin, the skipper and icon player of Pune. The Spaniard had pummelled the Russian in the European Championships final last year and Sunday was no exception as the match was wrapped up in 20 minutes. Marin had lost her last match to Sung Ji Hyun of the Chennai Smashers and ..

Yuvraj still hopeful of making World Cup squad

Veteran all-rounder Yuvraj Singh said on Sunday that he will still try and play the World Cup in May-June despite struggling to re-capture his form in recent times.

Not thinking of winning I-league yet: Real Kashmir coach

Real Kashmir coach David Robertson on Sunday said his side are not thinking of winning the I-League yet but have met their first goal of avoiding relegation after they stunned former champions Mohun Bagan here.

High-flying Bengal face star-studded Delhi

Buoyed by their splendid win over Delhi, Bengal face a star-studded Punjab in a do-or-die Ranji Trophy Elite Group B clash here on Monday. Abhimanyu Easwaran's unbeaten 183 helped Bengal seal a sensational 322-run chase by seven wickets, which moved them to the seventh spot in the combined group A and B standings. Punjab also won in their last round as they crushed Kerala by 10 wickets with opener Shubman Gill continuing his sublime form. Both Bengal and Punjab have secured two wins from seven matches this season and in desperation, the hosts shifted the venue from Eden Gardens to a rank-turner at the Jadavpur University Salt Lake campus ground. Bengal are unlikely to tinker the winning combination, going with two specialist spinners in Pradipta Pramanik and Aamir Gani, while Anustup Majumdar and skipper Manoj Tiwary could be seen in part-time roles with the ball. But the Bengal bowlers will have the exuberant of Shubman Gill standing in the way. The 19-year-old's performance in the ..

Future of Indian golf is bright, says Jeev Milkha Singh

Ace golfer Jeev Milkha Singh Sunday said Indian golf is headed towards a bright future but stressed the need to have public courses readily available to the masses. "The future of Indian golf is bright. It's great to see these young kids coming up, they have got a good mind, they are strong enough mentally to take on the world and play with best players," Jeev said on the sidelines of Habitat India charity golf tournament, organised to raise funds for widows of farmers in Maharashtra. "And Shubhakar (Sharma), Anirban (Lahiri) ,Chirag (Kumar) and Shiv (Kapur) have proven it. I can keep naming players who have done it and in the future we are going to see a lot more (golfers) coming through who are going to make the country proud," he added. Last year saw six professional wins for the country's golfers. Four of them were on the Asian Tour and two of them co-sanctioned by Europe and another by Japan. "I feel the performance by the Indian professional golfers is awesome. That's the word .

Wesley Kiprono of Kenya wins Vadodara marathon

Wesley Kiprono of Kenya won the eighth Vadodara International Marathon (VIM) here Sunday. While Kiprono finished the race in 2 hours, 21 minutes and 17 seconds, Yibgeta Mulugeta of Ethiopia stood second with the time of 2 hours, 21 minutes and 35 seconds. Another runner from Ethiopia, Kidane Mowgetatek, clocked 2 hours, 21 minutes and 47 seconds. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a message to Tejal Amin, chairperson of the VIM, said every person should take up at least one physical sport as a daily activity. "Let us all encourage and inspire each other to higher level of physical fitness, which will lead to a 'fit India'," Modi's message read. The marathon, flagged off by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, saw participation of 60 international athletes.

Manu, Saurabh and Jeremy to headline Khelo India Youth Games

Youth Olympics gold medallists shooters Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary and weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga will be among the cream of India's young sporting talent competing at the Khelo India Youth Games, beginning here on Wednesday. The Jaspal Rana-trained Saurabh was in red hot form last year when he shot his way to gold at the Asian Games, ISSF World Junior Championships, the Youth Olympics and the Asian Air Gun championships. Manu also added the Youth Olympics gold to her kitty after the success of the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and ISSF World Cup in Mexico last year. While Jeremy, who competed for Maharashtra in the first Khelo India Games, caught everyone's attention by becoming the first Indian to win gold at the Youth Olympic Games, finishing on top in the 62kg class in Buenos Aires. Youth Olympic silver medal winners, recurve archer Akash Malik and air rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh will also be competing. Other participants include boxers Sakshi Chaudhary, who won the ...

I don't want to show too much favouritism, coach Robertson on son

Real Kashmir coach David Robertson Sunday said the pressure was more on him than his son, Mason, who struck a double to help his team stun Mohun Bagan in the I-League. The 23-year-old midfielder quit Scottish FC Peterhead FC for a full-time contract with the I-League debutantes Real Kashmir, coached by his father, who joined the side in January 2017, after a stint in the USA. The 50-year-old helped his side secure promotion to the top flight, making them the the first team from Kashmir to do so. The father-son duo have able to weave magic together. The central defender Mason doubles up as an attacking midfielder and has scored four goals from 10 matches. "There's more pressure on me because he's my son. He fits in here. I always had doubts that whether he could play at this level and fit in. "He has to play 10 times better than any other player to stay in the team. I don't want to show too much favouritism," Robertson said. With their sixth win from 11 matches, Real Kashmir have ...

Mohun Bagan coach resigns after defeat to Real Kashmir

Owing "moral responsibility" for his team's disappointing performances in the on I-League, Mohun Bagan coach Sankarlal Chakraborty on Sunday resigned after the former champions lost to top division debutants Real Kashmir FC.

After victory, Du Plessis says he's a fan of Tests and lively pitches

Faf du Plessis said on Sunday that Test matches were cricket's most exciting format after his side clinched their series against Pakistan with a nine-wicket win on the fourth day at Newlands on Sunday. The South African captain disagreed with Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur's criticism of the pitches for the first two Tests, both won by South Africa in less than four days. South Africa needed just 48 minutes and 9.5 overs to score the 41 runs needed on Sunday to score a second successive win - and a seventh successive home series victory. Du Plessis said lively surfaces and an attacking mindset, encouraged by Twenty20 cricket, had helped make Test cricket exciting. "There are not a lot of Test matches that are going five days around the world any more," he said. "The speed of play has gone up tremendously. Test cricket has evolved and it is great for the fans. They are getting fours, sixes, lots of wickets and pace bowlers bowling. Test cricket for me the last few years has been the most

Pliskova overhauls Tsurenko to win Brisbane title

Karolina Pliskova used all her big match experience as she came from a set down to overhaul Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko and win the Brisbane International on Sunday. The unseeded Tsurenko looked headed for the biggest win of her career when serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set, only for Pliskova to come storming back to win 4-6,7-5, 6-2 and claim her second Brisbane title. Pliskova, the tournament's Czech fifth seed, started slowly and paid the penalty against Tsurenko, who was serving superbly and winning the battle from the baseline. "I just felt somehow tired from the beginning of the day," Pliskova said. "I was missing my shots, just not feeling the timing perfectly. I was sleeping bad. So everything was somehow going the other way." Tsurenko took the first set in 38 minutes, firing 10 winners and making 81 percent of her first serves. She took that form into the second set and broke Pliskova early. However, serving for the match at 5-4, she tightened up and Pliskova won 13

Aussie horror show as Jordan stun Asian Cup champs

Defending champions Australia made their worst ever start to an Asian Cup on Sunday when they lost 1-0 to Jordan in front of a partisan crowd in Al Ain. Graham Arnold's youthful side had expected victory in their Group B opener but they were undone by Anas Bani-Yaseen's powerful first-half header from a corner. It leaves the injury-hit Aussies with much to ponder ahead of Friday's game against Palestine, when they will need a win to get their title defence on track. Australia started confidently but their Brighton 'keeper Mat Ryan made the first save when he kept out Yousef Rawashdeh at his near post after a mistake by Massimo Luongo. Shortly afterwards, Australia's former South Sudanese refugee Awer Mabil, in his first competitive international, nearly opened the scoring but his close-range shot was blocked by Amir Shafi. The youthful Socceroos had more than 70 percent of first-half possession but rarely threatened, while Jordan were intent on harassing in midfield and seeking ...

Bayern Munich sanctions Ribery over insulting tweet

Bayern Munich has fined French forward Franck Ribery over words he posted on social media in response to criticism sparked by a video of him eating a steak covered in gold at a Dubai restaurant, the Bundesliga club announced on Sunday.

Vietnam GM Tran takes sole lead

Vietnamese GM Tran Tuan Minh (ELO 2524) grabbed the sole lead after a crucial win over India's IM Visakh N R (2491) in a seventh round clash of the EKA | IIFL Investment Managers 4th Mumbai International Chess Tournament on Sunday. Visakh, playing with the white pieces, was unable to consolidate his position and had a dismal day as he went down to the Vietnam player on the top board. The full point earned for this win has propelled the Vietnamese GM to 6.5 points which is one point clear of his closest rivals. Tran will now look to pick up more points in the remaining two rounds to emerge champion and add to his success at the Bhopal International GM Tournament last month. Visakh is now in fourth place and will be looking to gain at least 1.5 points in the last two games to make his third and final GM norm from this tournament. GM Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh moved up six places in the rankings after his win over Australias IM Rishi Sardana on Board 3 and is now ranked ..

Brilliant Nishikori claims Brisbane title

Japanese star Kei Nishikori claimed his first title since 2016 when he downed Russia's Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in the final of the Brisbane International on Sunday. The Japanese star had not won a tournament since Memphis in 2016 and was hampered by a wrist injury the following year which forced a break from the 2018 tour. He was runner-up in Brisbane in 2017 but went one better this year in a superb final. Nishikori dominated his Russian rival throughout, despite a slight hiccup when one poor service game cost him the second set. The second seed started slowly and went down 0-3 to the Russian. But he recovered to break back and then seized the advantage at 3-3 when he broke Medvedev again, taking the first set in 42 minutes. Nishikori was all over the Russian in the second set, his powerful and well-directed groundstrokes forcing Medvedev into errors. Medvedev held on against Nishikori's multiple chances to break at 2-2 and 3-3 and took advantage of his opponent's poor service