Page 785 - Sports
Australia announce unchanged squad for remaining Tests
Cricket Australia Tuesday announced an unchanged 13-man squad for the remaining two Tests against India in Melbourne and Sydney. The only noticeable change is that uncapped pacer Chris Tremain, who did not travel to Perth for the second Test either, has been released from the list. The Australian team management feels that they have sufficient back-up in Mitchell Marsh and Peter Siddle should they need to bolster their four-man bowling attack for the remaining two Tests. The hosts levelled the four-match series 1-1 with a 146-run win after India were bowled out for 140 runs in 56 overs in their second innings on the fifth and final day. Starting from overnight 112 for five, India lost their last five wickets for 28 runs and it was all over within 65 minutes of play. Starc (3-46) and Lyon (3-39) finished with three wickets apiece, while Josh Hazlewood (2-24) and Pat Cummins (2-25) took a brace each. This was Australia's first Test win since the ball-tampering scandal broke out in South
It was pleasing to see our bowlers bowl: Kohli
Despite being on the receiving end in the second Test against Australia, India skipper Virat Kohli has praised the effort of his bowlers and hopes they carry the momentum to the next games as well.
Juventus coach motivated after Champions League last-16 draw
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has said that his team has been driven by ambition to achieve big things, as he commented on facing Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
Martino named Mexican national football team coach
Mexican Football Federation president Yon de Luisa confirmed over the weekend that Argentine Gerardo "Tata" Martino would be the new coach of Mexico's national team in the World Cup cycle leading to Qatar 2022.
Lloris ready for Tottenham's revenge mission
Hugo Lloris has warned Arsenal that Tottenham are determined to avenge their recent north London derby despair when the rivals clash again in the League Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday. Mauricio Pochettino's side make the short trip the Emirates Stadium just over two weeks after crashing to a 4-2 defeat at the hands of their bitterest of neighbours in the Premier League. Tottenham led 2-1 on that occasion but fell apart in the second half as Arsenal hit back to claim their second successive home win in the north London derby following last season's 2-0 success. The fiery encounter featured a brawl between players from both teams after Tottenham's Eric Dier enraged Arsenal with a provocative goal celebration. Tottenham fans were also in trouble after a banana skin was thrown at Arsenal's Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as he celebrated his goal in front of the away end. Adding to the toxic mood around the clash, Arsenal's stars weren't shy about taking to social media to brag ..
Mendis, Mathews defy NZ with epic stand to give Sri Lanka hope
Angelo Mathews celebrated with push-ups on the pitch after joining Kusal Mendis in passing 100 Tuesday as Sri Lanka batted the whole day without losing a wicket to give themselves hope of an unlikely first Test draw in Wellington. Mendis was 116 not out at stumps on day four and Mathews 117, with their record-breaking unbroken 246-run partnership setting a Sri Lankan record against New Zealand. It was also the first time in New Zealand that a full day's play has been completed without a Test wicket falling and the first time anywhere since South Africa achieved the feat against Bangladesh in Chittagong in 2008. The pair's epic vigil meant the tourists ended the day at 259 for three after starting in a seemingly hopeless position with three wickets down for just 20 in their second innings after conceding a first-innings deficit of 296 to New Zealand. Sri Lanka still need a further 37 to avoid an innings defeat but with a flat pitch offering nothing to New Zealand's seam attack and rain
No line was crossed in second Test: Kohli
India captain Virat Kohli Tuesday said there was no swearing or personal attacks during his verbal duel with Australian skipper Tim Paine and no line was crossed in the second Test here. The second Test, which India lost by 146 runs, turned out to be a heated affair with Kohli and Paine engaging in a never-ending war of words, which even prompted umpire Chris Gaffaney to step in on the fourth morning on Monday. "Well, it is definitely nothing compared to 2014 to be honest," said Kohli referring to the 2014 Test series where he was engaged in heated exchanges with some Australian players. "As long as there is no swearing on the field, and there's no personal attacks, the line doesn't get crossed. That's it!. "But look, in competitive spirit it stays on the field. I am not going to go into details but to be honest it's not of importance for me to speak on and it's something that's done," he said after India were dismissed for 140 in the second innings. Kohli had scored a 123 in the ...
Kohli defends four-pacers move, rejects criticism around not playing spinner
Captain Virat Kohli Tuesday firmly backed his decision to play four pacers in the second Test against Australia, rejecting criticism that India erred in not playing a spinner. Team selection has been at the heart of issue for the past five days, with Kohli's decision to play four pacers backfiring spectacularly, leading to a 146-run defeat. "We didn't have that control particularly in the first innings, not to the extent that we wanted. But in the second innings for sure, especially yesterday (day four) the first session, giving away only 56 odd runs without getting a wicket. "I think it was outstanding bowling and obviously Mohammed Shami did what he did in the next session with the ball, which was again wonderful to see. I think they executed their plans to 95 per cent of what we expected. I think you definitely can be happy with that. The India skipper added, "In the past when we have played four quicks, we definitely haven't been as consistent as we were in this game. So, I think .
Landmark year for weightlifters but no getting away from dope shame either
Records shattered, a teen star discovered and a best-ever medal haul at a marquee event -- it could well have been the perfect year for Indian weightlifting but for a dope case that took some sheen away. If world champion Mirabai Chanu stood for a secure present, Jeremy Lalrinnunga emerged as the one for the future in what was a memorable 2018 if not for Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Sanjita Chanu's failed dope test. The 16-year-old Lalrinnunga scripted history by giving India its first ever Olympic gold in the sport with his Youth Games gold. Before that, the senior lifters produced the country's best ever Commonwealth Games performance with records to boot. A medal-less below-par performance at the Asian Games was a blip but it was never expected to be otherwise. The big moment came in October when Lalrinnunga etched his name into history books when he scooped the gold in the men's 62kg category at Buenos Aires. The Mizo sensation lifted a total of 274kg (124kg +150kg) in the ...
Kerala Blasters coach David James quits
Kerala Blasters football club coach David James quit on Tuesday, T. Varun, chief executive of the club said and wished him all the best for his future.
Australia played better cricket with consistency: Kohli
Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday credited the Australian side for playing better cricket in the recently-concluded Perth Test where the hosts registered a 146-run victory over the visitors. He said that though they were fully committed and determined in the match, it was Australia who were more consistent throughout the course of the game.Emphasising that the Indian team is still in a good space, the 30-year-old said that a little bit more composure from their side could help them repeat what they did in Adelaide."We were committed and determined in the match. There was no lacking in that area but Australia played a better cricket. They were more consistent. As a team, we are in a good space because we know we are playing good cricket. If we show composure, we can encore our Adelaide Test victory," Kohli said at a post-match press conference.When quizzed about the disappointing performance of the Indian openers in both the innings of the second Test, Kohli stressed on the need to
WTA confirms reforms for returning players' rankings
A series of rule changes making it easier for women to return after pregnancy or injury was ratified by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Players making their way back to competition after being out for 52 weeks or longer will be able to use their previous ranking to enter 12 tournaments over a three-year period. Serena Williams was at the centre of a controversy at the 2018 French Open as the former world number one was not given a seed status after missing more than a year of competition to give birth to a daughter. But a month later, she was given a seeding of 25 for Wimbledon despite being ranked 181st in the world. The WTA also announced women will be allowed to wear leggings or compression shorts without a skirt, dress or shorts over them. Williams, who has 23 Grand Slam titles to her name raised eyebrows with an outfit dubbed as a 'cat-suit' at Rolland-Garros this year, and the French Open later said it would introduce a dress code.
Australia defeat India in second Test
Australia defeated India by 146 runs in the second Test to level the four-match series at 1-1 here on Tuesday.
Pakistan seek batting form in South Africa tour opener
Pakistan's batsmen will seek form when they open their tour of South Africa with a three-day match against a South African Invitation XI at Willowmoore Park in Benoni Wednesday. It is the only game for the tourists before the first of three Tests starts in Centurion on December 26. Pakistan twice suffered fourth-innings batting collapses in losing a recent Test series against New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates. Both captain Sarfraz Ahmed and coach Mickey Arthur acknowledged on arrival in South Africa that posting competitive totals was crucial if they are to match the hosts in what is shaping as a battle between two teams with strong bowling attacks. With the warm-up match clashing with the resumption of South Africa's four-day franchise competition, the Invitation XI is drawn from the country's second-tier provincial competition. The opposition is unlikely to be especially challenging, but it is an opportunity for the Pakistanis to get used to local conditions at a ground just ..
We never thought about spin option: Kohli
Skipper Virat Kohli Tuesday said the thought of having a spinner for the second Test against Australia never crossed his mind as he believed India's four-pronged pace attack would do the job. India lost the match by 146 runs. The visitors were outdone by a second successive eight-wicket haul by off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who was adjudged the man-of-the-match, on a pitch that favoured the seamers. "When we looked at the pitch, we didn't think about the (Ravindra) Jadeja option. We thought four quicks would be enough," said Kohli after India were bowled out for a paltry 140 in their second innings on the fifth and final day. "Nathan Lyon bowled really well. We never thought about the spin option to be honest." Asked about his 123-run innings in the first innings, Kohli said: "When you don't win you don't really rank your performances so it's irrelevant because we didn't get the result we wanted. "I am focused on the next game and I hope I can contribute on a winning note." The India ...
Perth Test: India stumble to 146 runs defeat, Aussies level score
A poor batting in the second innings led India to a crushing 146-run defeat against Australia as they were bowled out at a total of 140 runs on Day Five of the second Test here at the Perth Stadium on Tuesday.With the victory, Australia have leveled the four-match series 1-1.Chasing a target of 287 runs, India resumed the play at their previous day's total of 112 with five of their top-order batsmen already back in the pavilion. India did not get the best of the start on the final day as they lost wickets in quick succession with no solid partnership to keep their hopes of saving the match alive.Middle-order batsman Hanuma Vihari, who started his innings at yesterday's total of 24 runs, could only add four more runs to his individual score before being departed back to the pavilion by Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, over a beautiful short length delivery.Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant (30) was now the only main batsman left for the visitors. He, along with pacer Umesh ...
Umpire didn't need to involve in Kohli-Paine verbal spat: Ponting
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting believes that there was no need for the on-field umpire to get involved in the verbal spat between Indian captain Virat Kohli and his counterpart Tim Paine on Day Four of the second Test at Perth.Kohli and Paine were seen locked in a heated conversation as the hosts strengthened their position on Day Four of the second innings of the match. Ponting, however, stated that whatever happened on the field was "lighthearted" and "quite funny at times.""A lot of the banter we've heard since has been quite funny. I know the umpires got involved but they probably didn't need to," Cricket.com.au quoted Ponting, as saying."It was a conversation, a bit of banter between the two captains and whatever we heard today has been pretty lighthearted and quite funny at times," he added.Ponting, while asserting that it is the skill set that matters the most, said that if a team is playing good cricket then they don't really need to involve in such banter. He further
Scoreboard on the fifth and final day of the second Test between India and Australia ...
Scoreboard on the fifth and final day of the second Test between India and Australia here on Tuesday. Australia first innings: 326 India first innings: 283 Australia 2nd Innings: 243 India 2nd Innings: K L Rahul b Starc 0 Murali Vijay b Lyon 20 Cheteshwar Pujara c Paine b Hazlewood 4 Virat Kohli c Khawaja b Lyon 17 Ajinkya Rahane c Head b Hazlewood 30 Hanuma Vihari c Marcus Harris b Starc 28 Rishabh Pant c Handscomb b Lyon 30 Umesh Yadav c & b Starc 2 Ishant Sharma c Paine b Pat Cummins 0 Mohammed Shami not out 0 Jasprit Bumrah c & b Pat Cummins 0 Extras: (B-6, LB-0, W-3) 9 Total: (10 wkts, 56 Overs) 140 Fall of Wickets: 0-1, 13-2, 48-3, 55-4, 98-5, 119-6, 137-7, 139-8, 140-9, 140-10. Bowler: Mitchell Starc 17-3-46-3, Josh Hazlewood 11-3-24-2, Pat Cummins 9-0-25-2, Nathan Lyon 19-3-39-3.
India crash to 140 all out, Australia level series
India crumbled in the face of Australia's remarkable metamorphosis and crashed to a 146-run defeat in the second Test here Tuesday, surrendering a rare hard-earned ascendancy in a series Down Under. The hosts levelled the four-match series 1-1 after India were bowled out for 140 runs in 56 overs in their second innings on the fifth and final day. India had won the opening game by 31 runs to go in front. Starting from overnight 112 for five, India lost their last five wickets for 28 runs and it was all over within 65 minutes of play. This was Australia's first Test win since the ball-tampering scandal broke out in South Africa earlier this year. Mitchell Starc (3-46) and Nathan Lyon (3-39) finished with three wickets apiece, while Josh Hazlewood (2-24) and Pat Cummins (2-25) took a brace each. Hanuma Vihari (28) and Rishabh Pant (30) had continued their overnight partnership, and batted out only six overs before the first wicket fell on this day. Overall, they added 21 runs for the ...
Australia beat India by 146 runs in second Test, series levelled at 1-1
Australia defeated India by 146 runs in the second Test to level the four-match series 1-1 here Tuesday. Batting first, Australia scored 326 and then bowled out India for 283 for a 43-run first-innings lead. In the second essay, Australia were all out for 243 to set the visitors a target of 287. However, the Indian innings folded for 140 in 56 overs at the Optus Stadium. Brief scores: Australia: 326 and 243 India: 283 and 140 all out in 56 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 30, Rishabh Pant 30; Nathan Lyon 3/39, Mitchell Starc 3/46).