Page 821 - Sports
Those who don't perform will go home: Inzamam tells Pak players
With Pakistan suffering a 1-2 loss in the Test series against New Zealand, chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq has issued a stark warning to the national team, saying non-performing players will be sent home. "I wouldn't single out and just blame the captain. The fact is that thrice our batting collapsed under pressure in the series which is unacceptable," Inzamam told reporters in Lahore. "All the players have to realize their responsibilities and perform to their roles in the team otherwise they will go home now and there will be changes in the team." Inzamam, who appeared in 120 Tests and close to 400 ODIs, said he was very disappointed at the outcome of the series against New Zealand. New Zealand took the series after winning the final Test in Abu Dhabi by 123 runs after another Pakistan batting collapse on the final day on Friday. "We should have won all three Tests but we lost two of them only because of our own mistakes. This is a national level team and players are not selected for .
PKL: Mumbai register comfortable victory over Bengal
U Mumba once again demonstrated why they are serious contenders for this year's title with a 31-20 hammering of Bengal Warriors in an inter-zonal challenge match of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Saturday.
U Mumba beat Bengal Warriors 31-20 in PKL
U Mumba produced a solid all-round performance to beat Bengal Warriors 31-20 in the Inter Zone Challenge Week of Pro Kabaddi Season 6 here Saturday. The defensive trio of Fazel Atrachali, Surender Singh and Dharmaraj Cherlathan picked up 11 tackle points and tormented Bengal Warriors raiders throughout the match at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Siddharth Desai was the top scoring raider for U Mumba as he scored 7 points. Maninder Singh had a quiet match for Bengal Warriors but still ended up being their top scorer with 5 raid points. Both teams' defence began brightly as they picked up tackle points to get going. Bengal Warriors held the early advantage as they led 5-2 after five minutes. U Mumba fought back in the next couple of minutes with Rohit Baliyan picking up a few raid points. It was all square at 5-5 after 10 minutes of action. U Mumba shifted gears, scoring five points in three minutes to lead 10-7. Siddharth then sprung into action and picked up three points in two ...
Hockey World Cup: India hammer Canada to enter quarters in style (Roundup)
India demolished Canada 5-1 in their last Pool C match to earn a direct quarter-final berth at the men's hockey World Cup here on Saturday.
Hockey World Cup: India hammer Canada to enter quarters in style
India demolished Canada 5-1 in their last Pool C match to earn a direct quarter-final berth at the men's hockey World Cup here on Saturday.
Ranji Trophy: Gambhir ton puts Delhi ahead of Andhra
Gautam Gambhir, the architect of India's 2011 World Cup triumph, came up with his 43rd and final first-class ton to help Delhi secure at least three crucial points after the hosts took a slim 29-run first innings lead over Andhra in a Group B Ranji Trophy Round 5 game here on Saturday.
I-League: In-form Churchill take on Aizawl FC (Preview)
An in-form and unbeaten Churchill Brothers will take on former champions Aizawl FC in an I-League game at the Tilak Maidan here on Sunday.
Pakistan's Ammad Butt, coach Danish let-off with reprimand
In a major relief for Pakistan, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has let-off vice-captain Ammad Butt with a reprimand for carelessly running into a Malaysian player during their last match, clearing the striker to play the crucial last Pool D match against Netherlands on Sunday. Besides Butt, assistant coach Danish Kaleem too escaped with a reprimand after the FIH initiated an inquiry against him on Hockey India's complaint for allegedly breaching security protocol and wondering around the stadium without his accreditation card. Pakistan's campaign at the ongoing men's hockey World Cup went from bad to worse after the team suffered a twin blow Thursday. While skipper Muhammad Rizwan Senior was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with an injury, his deputy Butt was banned for their last Pool D match against Netherlands because of a serious on-field offence against Malaysia's Faizal Saari. The suspension was, however, revoked after Pakistan appealed against it with the
Impressive India maul Canada 5-1 to book quarterfinal berth in WC
An impressive India thrashed Canada 5-1 to top Pool C and seal a direct berth in the quarterfinals of the men's hockey World Cup in front of a capacity crowd at the Kalinga Stadium here on Saturday. India scored four goals in the fourth quarter through Chinglensana Singh (46th minute), Lalit Upadhyay (47th, 57th) and Amit Rohidas (51st) after Harmanpreet Singh gave home team the lead in the 12th minute. Canada's lone goal came from the sticks of Floris van Son in the 39th minute. By virtue of this win, India finished on top of Pool C with seven points ahead of world no.3 Belgium on account of better goal difference. Belgium, too on seven points, finished second ahead of third placed Canada after thrashing South Africa 5-1 in the other Pool C game earlier in the day. South Africa crashed out of the tournament. While India qualified directly for the quarterfinals by being the toppers, Belgium and Canada will play in the cross-overs for a place in the last-eight round. Canada too ...
Salah hat-trick sends Liverpool top of Premier League
Liverpool delivered a clear sign they intend to push Manchester City all the way in the Premier League with an emphatic 4-0 victory at Bournemouth on Saturday that was capped by a hat-trick from Mohamed Salah. This victory, the Reds' fifth consecutive league win, secured with the additional help of a Steve Cook own-goal, extended Jurgen Klopp's side's unbeaten start to the league season. It also moved them one point ahead of City at the top of the table, hours before Pep Guardiola's side take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Salah's contribution was central to Liverpool's success -- the Egyptian has struggled to match his outstanding levels of last season but with 10 league goals to his name, he is now hitting his stride. He may have benefited from a close offside decision for the 25th-minute opener that gave Liverpool a half-time lead, but the finishes for his two second-half goals were outstanding. Overall, Liverpool manager Klopp could be satisfied with the manner in which his side ..
Hockey WC 2018: Proficient Belgium in line to earn direct entry into quarters
Belgium showed some skillful play against South Africa to register a 5-1 win in their last Pool C match of the ongoing men's Hockey World Cup here at the Kalinga Stadium on Saturday. They can now qualify directly for the quarter-final round of the prestigious tournament if India fails to score against Canada in the second Pool C match of the day.A goal in the very first minute of the match by South Africa was something not many people were expecting but the world number 15 side unsettled the opposition with the initial cracker. A cross from the left wing was quickly grabbed by Nicholas Spooner of South Africa who smashed the ball right into the opposition goal post to give his side a 1-0 lead.Rattled Belgium made a strong comeback and scored the equaliser in the 13th minute of the match as Alexander Hendrickx converted a penalty corner into a perfectly executed goal right before the end of the first quarter. The Belgian dominance continued on the field as they scored two more goals, ..
Hockey WC: FIH reprimands Pakistan coach for security code violation
Pakistan assistant coach Danish Kaleem on Saturday received an official reprimand from the FIH Technical Delegate for violating security code during his side's Pool D match against Malaysia on December 5 in the ongoing Men's Hockey World Cup.During the Pakistan-Malaysia match, Kaleem moved within the stadium without wearing the mandatory tournament accreditation and had an inappropriate behavior towards security officials. At the hearing, Danish Kaleem admitted the breach of conduct and apologised.The decision of the FIH Technical Delegate also includes that, if any further misconduct happens regarding the security rules which are set up for this tournament, it is likely that this will result to a suspension for the rest of the tournament and the removal of the accreditation.The proceedings of the hearing had been initiated by the FIH Technical Delegate.
I-League: East Bengal beat Gokulam to snap losing streak
East Bengal snapped a three-game losing streak with a dominant 3-1 victory over a somewhat below par Gokulam Kerala FC in an I-League encounter at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Saturday.
Bumrah tips Ashwin to shine in fourth innings
Seeing off-spinner Nathan Lyon make the most of the rough patches during the ongoing third day of the Indian second innings, India pacer Jasprit Bumrah said Ravichandran Ashwin will have a greater role to play during Australian's second essay.
Hockey: Belgium thrash South Africa in last pool match
Belgium thrashed South Africa 5-1 in their last Pool C match of the men's hockey World Cup here on Sunday.
Manipur, Bihar post big wins
Skipper Yashpal Singh grabbed a five-wicket haul to complement debutant Mayank Raghav's double century as Manipur thrashed hosts Nagaland by seven wickets in their Ranji Plate Group fixture here Saturday. The medium pacer returned with 5/46, running through the tail to bundle out Nagaland for 334 after they resumed the day on 150/4. Chasing 125, Manipur's opener Lakhan Rawat struck 55, while Yashpal remained unbeaten on 35 to seal the win with a day to spare. Man-of-the-match Raghav's 228 had helped Manipur take a 210-run first innings lead. Nagaland showed fight in the second innings with KB Pawan (131) and Arbar Kazi (90) putting on 186 runs for the fifth wicket. Yashpal finally gave the breakthrough, getting Kazi stumped before the lunch break as Nagaland's last five batsmen folded for 64 runs to set an easy 125-run target. At the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna, left-arm spinner Ashutosh Aman returned with a match haul of 11 wickets as Bihar secured an innings and 317-run victory ...
West Indies seek to end ODI series drought in Bangladesh
The West Indies are looking to end their four-year wait for a one-day international series win when they take on hosts Bangladesh starting Sunday. Stand-in skipper Rovman Powell said winning the three-match series in Bangladesh would give his side the perfect boost ahead of the World Cup next year, for which they had to qualify after failing to secure one of the eight automatic berths. "We haven't won an ODI series in a long time," Powell told reporters on Saturday ahead of the first game in Dhaka. "The guys are upbeat and raring to go. No better opportunity to change it in Bangladesh." "It will be good to get the series win under our belt" before the World Cup, Powell added. The West Indies were humiliated by Bangladesh in the preceding Test series, with the home side wrapping up both matches inside three days. The Caribbean side last won an ODI series in 2014 when they beat Bangladesh 3-0 at home. They have since lost 11 series and drew against minnows Afghanistan last year. The ...
Gambhir scores ton, Delhi take first innings lead vs Andhra
Gautam Gambhir scored the 43rd and final first-class century of his career as Delhi ensured at least three points by virtue of first innings lead against Andhra on the third day of a group B encounter in the Ranji Trophy on Saturday. At stumps, Delhi ended the day at 409 for 7 in reply to Andhra's 380 but every other details was of little consequence because of one man playing his last game. The entire focus was on Gambhir, who is set to hang his boots on Sunday, made it memorable for the 500-odd spectators, who were present at the Feroz Shah Kotla to cheer every run that he scored. A streaky boundary through the slips took him to 98 and then he square drove pacer Bandaru Ayappa to scamper home for a double to complete one of his more emotionally exhausting hundreds. While the 100-odd youngsters sporting "Miss you Gauti' T-shirts were overwhelmed with emotion, the former India opener was muted in his celebrations as he didn't even bother to open his helmet. He added 113 runs for the ..
Arthur calls on beaten Pakistan to toughen up for Tests
Disgruntled coach Mickey Arthur demanded his players toughen up and seize key moments in Test matches after sloppy batting handed New Zealand an away series win over Pakistan for the first time in 49 years. New Zealand pulled off a come-from-behind 123-run victory in the third and final Test in Abu Dhabi on Friday to end their long wait for a 2-1 series win. Pakistan had dismissed the Kiwis for 153 in the first innings of the first Test in Abu Dhabi only to lose by a narrow four-run margin. Pakistan bounced back by winning the second Test in Dubai by an innings and four runs but again failed to build a sizeable lead in the first innings of the third Test, a fact Arthur believes cost them the series. "We missed opportunities and despite winning most of the sessions in the two losses we could not grab the moments to force a win," Pakistan coach Arthur told AFP. "It was our series to win but we ended up as the losing side and that's highly disappointing." Arthur said Pakistan not gaining
Sri Lanka appoint Rixon as fielding coach
Struggling Sri Lanka on Saturday announced the appointment of former Australian cricketer Steve Rixon as their fielding coach, in a bid to boost preparations for the world cup next year. The 64-year-old will begin his new assignment later this month and join the team in New Zealand where, starting December 15, Sri Lanka are scheduled to play two Tests, three one-day internationals and one Twenty20. They will later play two Tests in Australia from January 24. "We are happy to welcome Steve into the team," Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva said. "I am sure he will be able to help the team moving forward, with his expertise in the area of fielding which is a vital component of the game." De Silva said Rixon will work with the national team until the end of the 2019 World Cup. Sri Lanka have been struggling for form recently, losing the home ODI and Test series to England. They have also been hit by crisis off the field. Bowling coach Nuwan Zoysa was suspended by the International ...