Page 735 - Sports
Ashwin Confusion: Team management keeps off-spinner in 13 after Kohli says "bowler yet to recover"
The status of Ravichandran Ashwin's injury caused some confusion Wednesday with the team management naming the off-spinner in the final 13 for the fourth Test against Australia minutes after skipper Virat Kohli said that the senior player "has not recovered in time". Over the past year, the Indian team's communication has time and again come under the scanner with the latest being the Ashwin injury before the all-important decider at the SCG. During this series only, Ravindra Jadeja was first named in the initial squad for the second Test at Perth and wasn't played despite Ashwin's injury. Later coach Ravi Shastri, prior to the game in Melbourne, said that Jadeja was suffering from a shoulder stiffness and wasn't 100 percent fit at the start of the Perth Test. The BCCI went on a damage control mode and gave a detailed update on Jadeja's injury with his latest fitness status, late on January 23. Ditto with injury updates of Wriddhiman Saha and Bhuvneshwar Kumar before India's tour of ..
Shenzen Open: Sharapova edges past injured Wang Xinyu to enter quarters
Former world number one Maria Sharapova on Wednesday reached the quarter-final round of the ongoing Shenzen Open after her Chinese opponent Wang Xinyu retired from the clash owing to an injury.The 31-year-old Russian moved past impressive teenage opponent 6-7(4), 5-2 before the match came to an end due to latter's injury.Xinyu gave a tough fight to Sharapova with her powerful hitting and stunned the five-time Grand Slam champion by registering the first set 7-6 to her name. The set was an interesting one as, after a hard fought battle, both the players went into the tie-breaker round.A proficient display of forehand play by the Chinese player and a couple of double faults from Sharapova's side helped the former to register the tie-break round to her name.The second set also witnessed Xinyu playing at the top of her game. She clinched the initial lead by breaking Sharapova in the opening game using her stunning backhand strikes.After holding the Russian player at a score of 3-2, Xinyu .
Sao Paulo target Chinese club Shanghai Shenxin winger Biro
Sao Paulo are in talks to sign Shanghai Shenxin winger Biro Biro, according reports.
Real Madrid suffer Llorente injury blow
Real Madrid's central midfielder Marcos Llorente will be out of action for around three weeks due to a groin injury, according to the club's official website.
Murray wins Brisbane International first round tie
The former World No. 1 Andy Murray claimed a 6-3, 6-4 win over local favourite James Duckworth at the Brisbane International.
Djokovic claims first 2019 win in Qatar Open
Novak Djokovic beat Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-2 in the Qatar Open first round, grabbing his first win of 2019 in just 55 minutes.
Fourth Test: Injured Ashwin, Ishant to miss out as India chase history
India's unwavering pursuit of history hit a minor glitch in 11th hour injury concerns but Virat Kohli's men will still walk in as overwhelming favourites against a faltering Australia in the fourth and final Test starting Thursday. Leading 2-1 in the four-match series, India remain firm favourites to make it 3-1 at the Sydney Cricket Ground despite the injury-forced omission of premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and senior pacer Ishant Sharma, who has not been named in the 13-member list. Australia have hosted India since 1947-48, and barring three occasions in 1980-81, 1985-86 and 2003-04 which were drawn the visitors have lost the Test series on seven occasions -- 1967-68, 1977-78, 1991-92, 1999-2000, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2014-15. Virat Kohli, thus, is in a unique position as the only Indian captain to go into the final Test on the Australian soil with the cushion of a series lead. A series win in Australia will certainly put Kohli on a different pedestal even though the quality of .
Injured Del Potro to miss 2019 Australian Open
Argentine tennis player Juan Martin del Potro will not be participating in the upcoming 2019 Australian Open due to a fractured patella.The 30-year-old has sustained the injury during the 2018 Shanghai Masters tournament when he fell on his right knee while taking on Borna Coric of Croatia in the third round of the competition. He is still recovering from the injury.The confirmation regarding his unavailability for the first major Grand Slam of the year was made by the tennis player himself on his Twitter handle."I hope you have a great 2019. Recovery is going great and I will tell you later where I will be making my comeback. Unfortunately, it won't happen in Australia, I'll miss you @AustralianOpen, but I'm happy with my progress. Happy New Year! Enjoy!" he wrote.Potro_TweetJan1.jpgLast year, Del Potro had gone till the third round of the tournament where he was defeated by Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic.The 2019 Australian Open is slated to be held from January 14 to 27 in ...
Valencia open practice draws huge crowd
Some 2,500 Valencia supporters packed into the club's training facility to watch the first practice of 2019.
Valverde uncertain about his future with Barcelona
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has said he doesn't know if he will still be with the reigning LaLiga champions next season.
Arsenal start 2019 with 4-1 victory over Fulham
Arsenal has started the new year with a 4-1 win over Fulham to move within two points of Chelsea in the battle for fourth place in the Premier League.
Kiwis face probability of slip in ODI ranking
New Zealand cricket team face the prospect of slipping down the International Cricket Council (ICC) men's ODI team rankings in their upcoming three-match home series against Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to start on January 3.Having leap-frogged South Africa to third position in the Test rankings only last week with a 1-0 series win over Sri Lanka, they could now see South Africa overtake them to third place in the ODI table if they did not win all three matches against Sri Lanka.New Zealand, currently ranked third with 112 points, will slip to 111 points if they win by a margin of 2-1 while a 3-0 win will lift them to 113 points. Sri Lanka will gain four points in the scenario of blanking the opposition but will remain 10 points adrift of seventh-placed Bangladesh even with such a huge verdict.In the ICC men's ODI Player Rankings, New Zealand's experienced batsman Ross Taylor is holding the third position and would be looking to bridge the gap with the leading India pair of Virat ...
Fourth Test: Injured Ashwin, Ishant to miss out as India look to create history
India's unwavering pursuit of history hit a minor glitch in 11th hour injury concerns but Virat Kohli's men will still walk in as overwhelming favourites against a faltering Australia in the fourth and final Test starting Wednesday. Leading 2-1 in the four-match series, India remain firm favourites to make it 3-1 at the Sydney Cricket Ground despite serious fitness issue pertaining to their premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and senior pacer Ishant Sharma, who has not been named in the 13-member list. Australia have hosted India since 1947-48, and barring three occasions in 1980-81, 1985-86 and 2003-04 which were drawn they have lost the Test series on seven occasions -- 1967-68, 1977-78, 1991-92, 1999-2000, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2014-15. Virat Kohli, thus, is in a unique position as the only Indian captain to go into the final Test on Australian soil with the cushion of a series lead. A series win in Australia will certainly put Kohli on a different pedestal even though the quality of
Australia to decide Sydney Test squad after final look at pitch
Australian skipper Tim Paine has opted to wait and have a final look at the pitch before announcing their final squad for the last Test of the ongoing four-match series against India.The 34-year-old said that they just want to have a balanced team which could win the final Test."It's just team balance really. There's an ongoing discussion for the last day or two but we'll have a final look at the wicket and we'll have our last chat then," Paine said at a press conference."We're not too far away. As I said all along, we'll be looking to pick the best XI that we think is the best combination to win this Test and the wicket will play a part in that," he added.Talking about right-hand batsman Peter Handscomb, who was dropped from the third Test of the series, Paine said that the player is good when it comes to playing spin bowling and could prove useful for them if India went ahead with two spinners in the match."If we think India were to play two spinners Pete could be a really important
Afridi blocked my return to Pakistan team, claims Butt
Disgraced former captain Salman Butt has claimed that Shahid Afridi blocked his return to the Pakistan team for the 2016 World T20 despite him serving the five-year ban following the 2010 spot-fixing scandal. Butt said he was close to being selected for the World T20 in India after he had resumed playing domestic cricket following the completion of his ban in 2015 but Afridi resisted his selection. "I was called to the NCA by head coach, Waqar Younis and batting coach, Grant Flower and they took me to the nets and checked my fitness," Butt said on the Gsports show on GTV News channel on Tuesday night. "Waqar bhai asked me if I was mentally ready to play for Pakistan again and I said yes very much." The 34-year-old said everything was cleared for his comeback to the Pakistan team before Afridi, who was the captain then, stepped in and blocked his return. "I don't know what prompted him to do this but no I didn't go to him or speak about it. I didn't feel it was right. But what I know ..
Pakistan need strong domestic structure like India for Test success: Butt
A strong domestic structure is key to India's Test success and Pakistan can not expect a similar performance from their players when most tend to avoid the four-day cricket in the country, said former Test captain Salman Butt. Last month Pakistan lost the three-Test series against New Zealand 1-2 and also suffered a six-wicket defeat against South Africa in the first Test at Centurion last week. India, on the other hand, defeated Australia by 137 runs in the third Test at Melbourne to take an unassailable 2-1 lead and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. "Look when India won the recent Test against Australia, Virat Kohli credited India's domestic cricket for the success in bowling and batting," said Butt, who played 33 Tests and 78 ODIs in his international cricket career. "India is doing well because their players are only allowed to play in the IPL T20 cricket and have to play Ranji Trophy unlike us where most players tend to avoid four-day domestic cricket. "Look most of them ...
Sydney Test: Umesh Yadav replaces Sharma, Ashwin remains doubtful
Indian spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin's availability remained doubtful for the final Test of the ongoing four-match series against Australia as the 32-year-old is not "100 per cent fit". Though Ashwin has been included in the 13-man squad for the Sydney Test, the decision related to his participation in the Test will be taken on the morning of the match.In another major development, Indian pacer Ishant Sharma has been ruled out of the Sydney Test and is replaced by Umesh Yadav in the squad.Ashwin had missed the second and third Test of the series as well, due to an abdominal strain. Skipper Virat Kohli has expressed disappointment at the development saying that the right-arm bowler is "a vital part of the team in Test cricket".Speaking at a press conference, Kohli said, "it is unfortunate that he's had two niggles that are quite similar in the last couple of away tours. It's something he will focus on to correct. The physio and trainer have spoken to him about what he has to do. He's
Record-equalling Kane keeps Spurs in title hunt with Cardiff romp
Harry Kane got himself into the record books again as Tottenham Hotspur started 2019 in style outclassing Cardiff City to prevail 3-0 on Tuesday. Kane's third-minute opening goal is the fifth successive New Year's Day he has scored in the Premier League, equalling a record held by Andy Cole and Steven Gerrard. Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-Min added further goals as Spurs had the win wrapped up before half-time and reclaimed second place, a point above Manchester City, and six behind leaders Liverpool. This performance marked Mauricio Pochettino's side out as still being live title contenders and a stark contrast to the limp way they lost to another promoted side Wolverhampton Wanderers at home on Saturday. They toyed with Cardiff at times, and the third goal killed the game, with the 'Ole' chants going up from the visiting fans after half an hour. Cardiff's poor record against the top teams continued, losing their last 15 Premier League matches against the 'big six' sides, ...
Emery finds it hard to put case for Gunners defence
Arsenal manager Unai Emery was happy with his team's attacking play after Tuesday's 4-1 victory over Fulham but admitted their defending has plenty of room for improvement. The score suggests a straightforward win against a Fulham team who performed as poorly on the road as they usually do but it was exactly what Emery's men needed to restore confidence after their 5-1 thrashing by Liverpool. But Emery knew the score did not tell the whole story. Ryan Sessegnon missed two good chances to give the visitors the lead in the first 20 minutes and had either gone in, Arsenal's resolve would have been sorely tested. Instead, typically slack Fulham defending allowed the unmarked Granit Xhaka to score from Alex Iwobi's measured cross after 25 minutes, and Arsenal were rarely troubled after that. "Our challenge now is to improve defensively," Emery admitted. "Today was the first time we could play with Sokratis, (Skhodran) Mustafi and (Laurent) Koscielny. We are very happy with the attacking ...
Hibernian's Boyle out of Asian Cup in Socceroos blow
Defending Asian Cup champions Australia were dealt a blow Wednesday with Hibernian striker Martin Boyle ruled of action for "an indefinite period" with a knee injury. The Scottish-born attacker was shaping as a key member of the team after scoring two goals in three appearances since switching allegiances to Australia in November. But he picked up a knock in their 5-0 rout of Oman in a warm-up game on Sunday and will miss the tournament. "We sent Martin for a scan yesterday and the outcome of that assessment is that he will be out of action for an indefinite period," said Australia coach Graham Arnold. "Martin was desperate to stay with us but we've decided that the best thing for his long-term career for both his club and country is for him to return to Scotland where he can receive great care at Hibernian FC." Boyle, who qualifies to represent the Socceroos as his father was born in Sydney, said he devastated. "The Socceroos have become a big part of my life in a short period of ...