Page 741 - Sports
Dinesh Chandimal heaps praises on Kusal Mendis
Sri Lanka Test captain Dinesh Chandimal on Monday said that he is satisfied with wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Mendis' performance in the recent concluded New Zealand Test series."He (Mendis) thinks a lot about his game off the field from day to day, and he is a player with a big future. I have congratulated him on getting 1000 runs, and that he did it at such a young age. That is a big achievement. I hope he can play just as well going forward," ICC quoted Chandimal, as saying.Ever since making his debut in 2015, the 23-year-old Mendis had shown a lot of promise. He made noteworthy contributions in the two-Test series against New Zealand; his unbeaten 141 runs in the first Test helped his side save the game from a dire position. While he scored 67 runs in the second Test.Mendis has amassed 1023 runs from 12 matches at 46.50, comfortably making 2018 as his most productive year in the longest format.Sri Lanka have won just four of their 12 Tests, including an overseas series win in ...
Ranji: Advantage Vidarbha as Mumbai trail by 342 runs
Vidarbha piled up a mammoth 511 in their first essay and then reduced Mumbai to 169/6 on the second day of their Elite Group A Ranji Trophy Game here on Monday. For Vidarbha, veteran Wasim Jaffer (178) and one-down Atharva Taide (95) had laid foundation of a big score at the Vidarha Cricket Association stadium. Resuming at 389/4, Ganesh Satish added 13 runs to his overnight tally and fell at 90 as he missed a deserving hundred. Satish became pacer Shardul Thakur's second victim. But a determined Mohit Kale struck a patient 68 in 126 balls. And contributions from lower order batsmen -- Apoorv Wankhede (25), Akshay Wakhare (20 not out) and Aditya Sarwate (16) -- helped the hosts cross the 500-run mark. For the visitors, slow left-arm bowler Dhurmil Matkar ended with a five-wicket haul but had to concede 141 runs. However, 41-time Ranji champions Mumbai, who need an outright win to stay alive in the tournament, had a disastrous start. They lost opener Vikrant Auti (7), ...
Real Madrid end 2018 with special session for fans
Real Madrid on Monday finished 2018 with a special training session at the club's sports city in Valdebebas cheered on by fans and supporters.
Pat Cummins 'happy' with current role
Australian pacer Pat Cummins on Monday insisted that he is "happy" with his current role as the first-change bowler and playing at number eight.The 25-year-old claimed a terrific six-wicket haul in India's second innings and scored 63 off 114 balls in Australia's second innings at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).However, in spite of his heroic efforts, the hosts fell to a 137-run defeat to go 2-1 down in the ongoing four-Test series."I am happy operating first change. (Mitchell Starc) Starcy and (Josh Hazlewod) Joshy probably present a better seam and swing the ball a bit more than me so wherever they need me I am happy," International Cricket Council (ICC) quoted Cummins, as saying."I think they are doing a good job there. I am pretty happy at No.8. It is a bit easier when I walk in and the bowlers have already bowled a few spells and the ball is a bit older. It is a much tougher job at the top of the order," he added.Cummins, who had claimed 8/119 against England in the 2017/18 ..
Delhi gain upperhand after lacklustre Bengal batting
Seamer Subodh Bhati triggered a middle-order collapse in the second session as Delhi gained upperhand against Bengal with a slender 20-run first innings lead after the second day in a Ranji Trophy group league encounter. In a nippy five over spell, Bhati took three wickets as Bengal lost five wickets in the post-lunch session before being all out for 220 in reply to Delhi's first innings score of 240. Bhati got a good support from Kulwant Khejroliya (3/86) as the left-arm medium pacer dealt a big blow dismissing skipper Manoj Tiwary (15), whose wrong judgement proved to be costly in the context of the innings. Tiwary shouldered arms to an incoming Khejroliya delivery that moved in a shade after pitching to take the off-stump for a walk. At stumps, Delhi were 41/2 in their second essay, with an overall lead of 61 runs at close on day two. Ashok Dinda (2/22) took both the wickets in a spirited bowling display and was the only Bengal bowler to make an impact, something that kept Bengal's
Serena claims lone US win at Hopman Cup
Former world No. 1 Serena Williams on Monday earned a solitary victory for the United States against Greece in the Group B women's match at the Hopman Cup tennis tournament held here.
Uttar Pradesh beat Haryana by 6 wickets
Left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar overall took 14 wickets as Uttar Pradesh thrashed hosts Haryana by six wickets in their Elite Group C Ranji Trophy game inside two days here. For Uttar Pradesh, Saurabh Kumar, was adjudged the Man of the Match as he ended the game with figures of 14-65 at the Chaudhry Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, picking seven wickets each in both the innings. The visitors grabbed 6 points with the thumping win. On Sunday, as many as 20 wickets had fallen on the opening day. Haryana were bundled out for 110 in their first essay with 25-year-old Saurabh taking 7-33. The visitors then managed to take a slender-first innings lead after they posted 133 on the board. Resuming on overnight score of 10 for no loss, Haryana batsmen again meekly surrendered to Saurabh, who ended the second innings with brilliant figures of 7-32. Haryana was shot out for paltry 129. For the hosts, opener Amit Kumar top-scored with 51, but other batters faltered in the second innings ...
Anderson all for on-court coaching
On-court coaching in tennis is a reality which the game's stakeholders need to accept and embrace the change in near future, advocates Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson, The historic US Open title win for Japan's Naomi Osaka was overshadowed by the code-violation penalty handed to Serena Williams for receiving guidance from her coach Patrick Mouratoglou in the summit clash. There were accusations of sexism even as Wimbledon Chairman Philip Brook said they were open to discussion on the issue. The Grand Slams and the ATP do not allow on-court coaching even as WTA allows the coaches to converse with the players once per set. On an experimental basis, players were allowed to talk with their coaches, sitting in players' box, during the ATP Next Gen finals, using headphones. "There are two sides. Tennis is one-on-one sport but at the same time it is also team work. You travel with your team, you talk about matches a lot. It's very difficult to draw a line between coaching and just the ...
Raonic in Brisbane International 2nd round
Canada's Milos Raonic on Monday secured a spot in the second round of Brisbane International after his straight-set victory over Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene.
Finch dropped from Steve Waugh's XI for Sydney Test
Former Australian cricketer Steve Waugh on Monday picked up the 'batting order from the selected squad' leaving Aaron Finch out of the side ahead of the fourth and final Domain Test against India, starting January 3.The middle-order batsman took to his Instagram to post Waugh's XI for the Sydney Test, which saw a reshuffle of the squad. "My batting order from the selected squad for the Sydney test. #baggygreen #indiavsaustralia #leveltheseries @ourscg #marshtoplaygilchristrole," Waugh captioned.Waugh wants Marcus Harris and Shaun Marsh to open the innings, followed by Usman Khawaja. The number four is occupied by Australia's leading run-scorer in the series against India, Travis Head, while Captain Tim Paine has been moved up two spots to bat at number five.Next in the line comes Marnus Labuschagne, who has been added to the squad after the defeat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), followed by Mitchell Marsh at number seven, who has been criticised for his performance in ...
Serena wins Perth season-opener ahead of Grand Slam tilt
Serena Williams overcame a sluggish start to win her opening match of the new season in Perth Monday, two weeks out from 2019's first Grand Slam. The 37-year-old was a long way off her commanding best and was visibly frustrated with her own game early in her Hopman Cup singles match, but still did enough to beat Greece's Maria Sakkari in straight sets. However, it was Sakkari and her team-mate Stefanos Tsitsipas who had the last laugh as Greece beat the USA 2-1 in the mixed doubles Group B tie. In her first tournament outing since the controversial loss to Naomi Osaka in the US Open final in September, Williams struggled early and her groundstrokes were erratic in the first set. Sakkari, ranked 41st in the world, gained an early break and served for the first set but couldn't capitalise despite several gilt-edged opportunities. That opened the door for Williams, the bookmakers' favourite for the upcoming Australian Open in Melbourne, to power back and ultimately win 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 in .
Dimitrov in Brisbane International 2nd round
Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov on Monday beat Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3 6-4 to qualify for the second round of Brisbane International.
Subrata Bhattacharya proud of son-in-law Chhetri for following his footsteps
Mohun Bagan legend Subrata Bhattacharya was a key member of the Indian team in the 1984 Asian Cup and he will be keenly following his son-in-law and captain Sunil Chhetri during the showpiece event starting in the UAE on Sunday. Bhattacharya and Chhetri form a rare father-in-law and son-in-law duo to play for the country. For Chhetri, this edition will be his second Asian Cup participation, having played in 2011 in Doha. "It is a very proud moment for our family to have two members to have played in the AFC Asian Cup. I played in 1984, and Sunil in 2011. Now he will represent India in his second Asian Cup a feat which not many Indians have been able to achieve. It makes us three times prouder," Bhattacharya said. Chhetri, who married to Bhattacharya's duaghter Sonam in 2017, is set to become the first-ever Indian to play in two editions of an AFC Asian Cup. In fact, it was Bhattacharya who had "handpicked" Chhetri for Mohun Bagan when he was the coach of the famous Kolkata club. ...
Feel like a soap opera director, says Langer on Smith, Warner controversy
"I feel like a soap opera director" said Australia cricket coach Justin Langer on Monday as debate around the future of banned Steve Smith and David Warner grew this past week. Smith and Cameron Bancroft recently opened up about the infamous ball-tampering incident in March that shook Australian cricket. The former captain as well as Bancroft made it clear in their interviews that Warner was the chief instigator of the ill-fated plan in Cape Town. "It's all just part of the soap opera we're in every day. I feel like a director of a soap opera at the moment, I honestly do," Langer told reporters. The interviews have taken the sheen off the Boxing Day Test between India and Australia which ended with the host losing by 137 runs. Asked about the interviews Langar said: "That's part of coaching - it's man management, looking after people and caring for people. That was just another distraction last week. There's different ways you can look at those interviews." "It's just another part of .
Phenomenal Kohli, Rabada end 2018 on top spots
It turned out to be a glorious 2018 for India captain Virat Kohli and South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada as both maintained their respective pole positions in the year-end ICC Test Player Rankings. Kohli dropped three points despite a first innings score of 82 in the third Test against Australia in Melbourne, but still enjoys a 34-point lead over nearest rival Kane Williamson of New Zealand. Kohli, who attained a career-high 937 points during the year, which is the highest ever by an India batsman, scored 1322 runs in all. He overtook Steven Smith in August and has now held the top position for 135 days. Rabada, who split the top ranking with England's seasoned fast bowler James Anderson during the year, is just six points ahead of his adversary. Rabada, who became the youngest to take top position among bowlers during the year and held the spot for 178 days during the year, grabbed six wickets in the opening match at Centurion that South Africa won by six wickets to finish with ..
Kohli ends year as top-ranked Test player
Indian captain Virat Kohli ended the year 2018 as a top-ranked player in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test ranking.According to the recently updated rankings list, the 30-year-old dropped three points despite a first innings score of 82 in the third Test in Melbourne, but still enjoys a 34-point lead over Kane Williamson.The right-hand batsman, who attained a career-high 937 points during the year, which is the highest ever by an India batsman, scored 1322 runs in all. He overtook Steven Smith in August and is now holding the top position for 135 days.Indian middle-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has maintained the fourth position in the Test ranking after a first-innings century in Melbourne. While wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has gained 10 slots to reach a career-best 38th position, debutant opener Mayank Agarwal has entered the batsmen's list at an impressive 67th place after scores of 76 and 42 which helped his side register a 137-run victory to take a 2-1 lead in the ...
Rohit to rejoin ODI squad on January 8
Rohit Sharma, who flew back to India after the third Test against Australia, will rejoin the One Day International side on January 8, the BCCI announced on Monday.
Kohli, Rabada maintain top spot in Test Player rankings
India captain Virat Kohli and South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada have maintained their top positions in the ICC Test Player rankings which was announced on Monday.
Smriti Mandhana named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year
India's stylish opener Smriti Mandhana has been named as the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women's Cricketer of the Year.The 22-year-old, who has also been named as the ICC Women's ODI Player of the Year, achieved the feat by giving some exceptional performances throughout the year. She scored 669 runs at an average of 66.90 in 12 ODIs and 622 runs at a strike-rate of 130.67 in 25 T20Is from January 1 to December 31, 2018.Mandhana played a crucial role in India's semi-final appearance at the ICC Women's World T20 in the West Indies, scoring 178 runs in five matches at a strike-rate of 125.35. She is currently ranked fourth in the ICC Women's Players Rankings for ODI Batters and 10th in the ICC Women's Players Rankings for T20I Batters.The left-hand batter becomes only the second India woman player to win an ICC award after fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, who was named the ICC Women's Player of the Year in 2007.Reacting to the news, a delighted Mandhana said, "The awards are pretty ..
Smriti Mandhana wins Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award
Indias left-handed opener Smriti Mandhana has won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for the ICC Womens Cricketer of the Year and also been named as the ICC Womens ODI Player of the Year, the International Cricket Council announced on Monday.