Page 768 - Sports
Ethiopian runners triumph in Hainan Danzhou Marathon
The 2018 Hainan Danzhou International Marathon concluded here on Sunday, with Ethiopia's Mazengiya Ayalew Meseret and Tsehynesh Tsale Tsenga claiming the title in the men's and women's group respectively.
Iran sees Yemen match in AFC Asian Cup as "crucial"
The Iranian national football team's coach Carlos Queiroz said that his team's first match in the AFC Asian Cup against Yemen will be a key match in the tournament.
Don't get fooled by grass on MCG pitch: Harris
Australia opener Marcus Harris has warned against getting carried away by the grass on the MCG pitch, saying the track does offers runs to those who show patience. Harris cited example of a Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and New South Wales on the same pitch, where he thought the match would be over in "a day and a half" but ended up raising an unbeaten 250. "Pre-match when I saw the wicket I was really freaked out and I thought 'this game's going to be over in a day and a half and we've got blokes trying to vie for Test spots', so I went into the game with no expectations on myself and the wicket actually played pretty well," Harris told ESPNcricinfo. "It was relatively slow and stayed together." "I saw this morning the wicket will probably be more similar to the South Australia game, where it had a bit more green grass on it, nipped around a bit but it was one of those wickets where if you play well you can make runs but if you bowl well you can take wickets." Harris ...
Bayer Leverkusen fires coach Herrlich, appoints Bosz as replacement
Bayern Leverkusen has fired German coach Heiko Herrlich over the team's poor results and appointed Dutchman Peter Bosz to replace the former with a contract linking him to the Bundesliga side until 2020, the German club announced on Sunday.
Rawat century puts Delhi in command vs MP
Anuj Rawat hit a brilliant counter-attacking hundred to nullify Avesh Khan's six-wicket haul as Delhi looked set for an outright win against Madhya Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy group league encounter here Sunday. Wicket-keeper batsman Anuj scored 134 off 183 balls as Delhi scored 261 in their first innings in reply to MP's modest 132. A first innings lead of 129 may well ensure full points for the home team. The day belonged to left-handed Anuj, who played by far the most impressive innings of his nascent career so far. The way he attacked under pressure, Rawat felt the pinch having missed out on an IPL contract. "The innings came a few days late," he smiled sheepishly. "I felt bad but IPL snub has taught me that I need to work a lot harder. This is by far my best innings in senior cricket," said the former India U-19 keeper. Delhi were reduced to 36 for 5, courtesy Avesh (6/51), who worked up brisk pace to unsettle the likes of Kunal Chandela (0), Dhruv Shorey (0), Nitish Rana (0) and ..
I will play Boxing Day Test unless if someone cuts my finger off: Finch
Injured Australia opener Aaron Finch says the only way he can miss out on the home Boxing Day Test against India is, if someone were to "cut off" his finger. Finch was batting on 25 in Australia's second innings during the second Test in Perth when he was hit on his right index finger by a Mohammed Shami delivery. The impact of the hit was so serious that bones were literally visible in his finger from a deep cut. Incidentally, it was the same finger which he had broken earlier and the Australian ODI and T20 captain said the impact so severe that he felt "it was going to explode". "It was a bit of a shock, just the initial pain was the thing that got me. It felt like it was going to explode, which was quite funny. I think just being hit a few times in the last month, a couple times by Starcy (Mitchell Starc) at training then Shami out in the game, but it's also an old break. "I broke the same finger in Sri Lanka a couple of years ago, so I've got to start either catching them or use ..
Need to develop world class drag-flickers: Tirkey
Rueing the lack of good drag-flickers at the moment, former India captain Dilip Tirkey on Sunday said they had a good chance of winning the just concluded Hockey World Cup.
Shakib makes big gain in T20I rankings
Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has made rapid strides in the International Cricket Council (ICC) men's T20I player rankings after fine efforts with both bat and ball in a recently concluded three-match series against West Indies which his team lost 2-1.Shakib's 103 runs in the series, which included a knock of 61 in the opening match in Sylhet and an unbeaten 42 in the next one in Dhaka, has seen him move up seven slots to 37th position in the list for batsmen.The left-hander has also moved up among bowlers after taking eight wickets in the series, from 10th to the seventh position. Shakib, the top-ranked all-rounder in Tests and second in ODIs, is now also placed second in T20Is.Shakib's team-mate Mahmudullah has similarly gained in all three lists. His 66 runs in the series have helped him gain two positions to reach 31st position among batsmen while he also finished with five wickets in the series, helping him to advance 17 places to 51st rank. He has moved from fifth to the ...
West Indies captain Brathwaite rails at Bangladesh umpires
West Indies Twenty20 skipper Carlos Brathwaite blasted the match umpires for giving "50-50 decisions" to Bangladesh even though his side won the third Twenty20 international to wrap up the series. West Indies, who won Saturday's match by 50 runs, were victims of an erroneous no-ball call that could not be overturned by review and Braithwaite was critical of the umpiring throughout the tour though he insisted he was not alleging "cheating". In the fourth over of the Bangladesh innings, Bangladesh umpire Tanvir Ahmed called a no-ball against West Indies paceman Oshane Thomas when batsman Liton Das spooned a catch to Shimron Hetmyer at mid-off. A television replay showed the delivery had been legal, and Brathwaite and his teammates were furious after seeing the big screen images in the Dhaka stadium. Brathwaite asked for a review and ran to the boundary for talks with match referee Jeff Crowe, halting the game for around 10 minutes. The match officials had to uphold the decision despite .
Fight on for 1st innings lead after Saurashtra restrict Mumbai
Table toppers Saurashtra and former champions Mumbai were involved in a keen tussle for the first innings lead on day two of their Elite Group A Ranji Trophy match at the Wankhede Stadium here Sunday. Saurashtra bowled out Mumbai for 394 in the first innings in the morning and then replied with 213 for five wickets at close,still adrift of the home teams total by 181 runs after weathering an early collapse that saw them slumping to 37 for three. Mumbai struck in the final over by picking up the prize wicket of Saurashtras experienced batsman Sheldon Jackson, who was out five short of a well-deserved century after facing 144 balls in which he struck 8 fours and 3 sixes. At stumps, Prerak Mankad (56 in 106 balls) was at the crease after putting on a stand of107 runs for the fifth wicket with Jackson who was dismissed by Minad Manjrekar with the penultimate ball of the 65thover. Dias and Manjrekar have shared four wickets among themselves with all-rounder Dube picking up ...
Travis Scott to perform at Super Bowl with Maroon 5
Travis Scott is set to perfom at Super Bowl LIII alongside headliners Maroon 5 on the popular halftime show. According to Billboard, the "Sicko Mode" rapper will make an appearance during the band's set at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 3, 2019 in Atlanta. The marquee event for the National Football League (NFL) has been in the eye of storm regarding players kneeling during the playing of national anthem in a peaceful protest against police brutality and racial inequality. Case in point being quarterback Colin Kaepernick who has not played since 2016 and last year filed a grievance against the league and its owners, accusing them of colluding to keep him off the field. In October, Amy Schumer urged Maroon 5 to pull out from the Super Bowl in an attempt to support Kaepernick. Artistes such as Rihanna, Jay-Z and Pink also turned down the offer to headline the show.
Kalsi, Dhawan duo steer HP to strong 340/5 against Tamil Nadu
Ankit R Kalsi (99) closed in on his third first class century as Himachal Pradesh put up a strong batting show to extend their lead to 117 after ending day two of their Ranji Elite Group B fixture against Tamil Nadu at 340 for five, here Sunday. Kalsi (99 batting), Raghav Dhawan (71) and Rishi Dhawan (71 batting) helped Himachal Pradesh seize the advantage after their side lost early wickets. Tamil Nadu had scored 225 in their first innings. Raghav (191 balls, 11X4) held firm after the hosts resumed at 25 for 1, as the visitors looked to pick up quick wickets. G K Singh (8) was the first to go this morning as T Natarajan had him caught by B Indrajith. Ankush Bains fell after after putting on 26 runs with Dhawan as he was bowled by Abhishek Tanwar for 8 to leave HP at 57 for 3. Opener Raghav and N R Gangta (43) forged an important partnership for the fourth wicket to steady the ship. They added 74 runs in over 23 overs. The exit of Gangta brought Raghav and the left-handed Kalsi ...
Manipur maul Arunachal Pradesh inside two days
Manipur crushed Arunachal Pradesh by 112 runs to wrap up the issue inside one and a half days in an early finish to their Ranji Trophy Plate Group fixture, here Sunday. A day after 23 wickets tumbled at the 22 Yards School of Cricket Ground at Saltlake, Manipur made 253 in their second essay to set a 273-run target for Arunachal Pradesh. Shot out for their lowest total of 66 in the first innings, Arunachal Pradesh put up another insipid show with the bat to fold for 160, succumbing to their fifth defeat in six matches. That their no 11 batsman Deendyal Upadhyay top-scored for 52 summed up the batting plight of Arunachal Pradesh. The Arunchal Pradesh frontline seamer Upadhayay stood in their highest partnerhsip of 74 runs with Licha Tehi (26 not out) before being cleaned up by Thokchom Singh. Upadhayay's stroke-filled 52 came off 50 balls with nine boundaries. This was Manipur's third victory from six matches as they have 18 points, while Arunachal Pradesh who are yet to win a match ...
Need to develop world class drag-flickers: Tirkey
Former captain Dilip Tirkey Sunday said India missed a golden chance to rewrite history in the just-concluded Hockey World Cup and stressed on the need to develop world class drag-flickers. In the absence of Rupinder Pal Singh, India had three dragflickers in young Harmanpreet, Amit Rohidas and Varun Kumar but their conversion rate was poor, recording just 30.7 per cent. India failed to convert three of the five penalty corners they got in their 5-0 mauling of South Africa in their World Cup opener in Bhubaneswar last month. "We need to have world class flickers. We presently have Harmanpreet, Amit Rohidas and Varun. We have to pay focus on them. We have to have a 60-70 per cent conversion rates in important matches," Tirkey said on the sidelines of the Beighton Cup hockey tournament here. Having topped their pool featuring eventual champions Belgium, the hosts made a quarterfinal exit, going down to the Netherlands 1-2 in the World Cup. Tirkey said the youngsters failed to live up to
I-League: Champions Minerva play goalless draw vs Neroca
Champions Minerva Punjab FC and Manipurs Neroca FC played out an exciting draw at the latters home in Khuman Lampak stadium, to deny both a chance to improve their league standings considerably.
WBBL: Claire Polosak, Eloise Sheridan make umpiring history in Australia
Umpires Claire Polosak and Eloise Sheridan have become the first all-female umpiring team to officiate a competitive game on Australian soil during the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) on Sunday.This is not the first time Polosak is part of a historic milestone. A member of Cricket Australia's Supplementary Umpire Panel, Polosak a had become the first on-field female umpire to officiate a men's domestic game in Australia last year, International Cricket Council (ICC) reported.She had also marked the first instance of a woman officiating in the final of the recent ICC Women's World T20 history.Meanwhile, Sheridan, who took up umpiring as a career after drawing curtains on her playing career, is the the first female to be appointed to the South Australian State Umpire Panel."Claire (Polosak) and Eloise (Sheridan) have established themselves as two of Australia's leading female umpires and it is fantastic to see all their hard work continue to pay off," the Cricket Australia CEO Kevin ...
Neroca-Minerva Punjab FC play out goalless draw
Defending champions Minerva Punjab FC and Manipur's Neroca FC played out an exciting goalless draw in an I-League match at the Khuman Lampak stadium here on Sunday. The draw denied both the teams a chance to improve their league standings considerably. The home-side dominated possession and created chances, even missed a penalty, but could not get past a solid Minerva defence. The result meant that Neroca stayed at fourth place in the 12th Hero I-League standings with 15 points from nine games while Minerva moved up by one spot to be sixth after 10 games with 13 points. The game maintained a high tempo throughout with both the teams displaying an urgency to score. Neroca, however, outscored the visitors 64-36 in possession, 12-5 in shots taken, 11-2 in corners and 4-2 in the shots on target. While the hosts had fielded an unchanged eleven, Minerva went for as many as seven changes, the crux of them being fielding nine Indian players and just two foreigners in William Opoku and Lancine
Women sportspersons in Pakistan demand better financial support and exposure
Prominent women sportspersons in Pakistan have demanded better financial incentives and more exposure at the domestic and international level on par with men. In a first of its kind development, Pakistan's top women tennis players recently wrote a letter to the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) demanding a raise in the prize money given to them in national tournaments. "How can we continue to play tennis if the women's tournaments' prize money is kept low," the letter said. The letter sent to the PTF President was signed by the likes of Ushna Sohail, Isha Jawad, Mansha Babar, Shamza Naz, Sara Mehboob, Mehak Khokhar, Sara Mansoor and Aleena Aftab. These players said, in the letter, that they were not getting a conducive environment to play and improve their performance. "Tennis is the world's most expensive sport. First of all, we don't have a conducive environment to play tennis in the country, secondly no female player has a future in the sport," the letter said. In a related ...
PCB chief Mani to visit South Africa to convince CSA for short trip to Pakistan
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani will travel to South Africa on Monday on a mission to convince Cricket South Africa (CSA) to support the return of international cricket to the troubled nation. Mani has said that his main priority remains to see the return of full international cricket to Pakistan and the country again hosting ICC events. An official source in the board told PTI that Mani would also be persuading the South African cricket officials to continue their support for the return of international cricket to Pakistan as last year the World Eleven included several South African players. "Mani will request them to also play a short limited over series sometime in 2019 in Pakistan, the source said. Mani is also due to meet with the Pakistan team players and management before the first Test from Boxing day in Centurion and is expected to have a meeting with head coach Mickey Arthur about plans for the coming World Cup in England. The PCB is already keeping its .
Devine pips Perry to become leading T20 wicket-taker
New Zealand and Adelaide Strikers' all-rounder Sophie Devine on Sunday became the leading wicket-taker in the T20 format.After scoring a brilliant 95 off 60 balls, which featured eight fours and five sixes, Devine claimed a five-wicket haul for Strikers in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), thus piping Australia and Sydney Sixers' Ellyse Perry's tally of 180 T20 wickets as the all-time leading female wicket-taker with a record of 181 wickets in the shortest format.The 29-year-old's half-century coupled with her five-for was also the first such instance in the league. Her effort powered Strikers to a 19-run victory over Melbourne Stars.With the win, Strikers are now placed at the sixth spot on the points table.Adelaide Strikers will next meet Sydney Sixers on December 26, while Melbourne Stars will clash against Melbourne Renegades on December 29.