Page 824 - Sports
Simona Halep bags WTA Fan Favourite for second straight season
The world number one Simona Halep secured the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Fan Favourite Award for a second straight season on Friday night.Reflecting on winning the fan-based poll, the 27-year-old tweeted: "Ahhh thank you so much guys. I love you too."The Romanian, who retained her year-end spot at the top of the WTA rankings, also reached a third career major final at the Australian Open before winning her maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. She also picked up trophies at the Rogers Cup and the Shenzhen Open."They are coming everywhere I play, so that is amazing. There are many, many people in the crowd, so it's just amazing. It is really nice to hear your name between the points. It is nice to have people supporting you everywhere," WTA quoted Halep, who was indebted to her vocal and loyal supporters in 2015, as saying.Apart from Halep, only four women have been named Fan Favourite in the ten-year history of the award.Russians Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva each ...
Australia would be 'worst blokes in the world' if they celebrated like Kohli, says Langer
Australian coach Justin Langer says if his players were to celebrate wickets like Indian captain Virat Kohli does, they would now be seen as "the worst blokes in the world". Langer also took umbrage at Sachin Tendulkar's "defensive mindset" tweet following Australia's slow batting on the second day of the opening Test against India. Kohli was his usual animated self on Friday, celebrating Australian wickets with gusto. Langer said he "loved seeing that passion" but felt Australia players would be judged differently if they did the same. "He's (Kohli) a superstar of the game and he's the captain. We've talked for as long as I can remember in Australian cricket teams that you want to keep the opposition captain down as much as possible. You love seeing that passion in sport," Langer told Fox Cricket. "Mind you I think if we did that at the moment we'd be the worst blokes in the world. It's a fine line isn't it? "That's the truth of it, but I love seeing the passion, that is great ...
India dismiss Aussies for 235; take 15-run lead
India gained a slender 15-run first innings lead after dismissing Australia for 235 in a truncated first session of Day 3 of the opening Test at the Adelaide Oval here on Saturday.
Rain hampers India's progress, lead by 15
Rain hampered play on day three of the opening Test before India took a 15-run lead in the first innings by bowling out Australia for 235 runs here on Saturday. The visitors had scored 250 runs in their first innings. Inclement weather first delayed play by 45 minutes in the morning session, and then there were two more delays in the first session before lunch was taken at 1.12 pm local time. During the first 20 minutes of play, starting from overnight 191 for seven, Australia crossed 200 in the 91st over but India managed to sneak in a breakthrough before rain came again. Mitchell Starc (15) was caught behind off Jasprit Bumrah (3-47) as covers came on. Play was held up for 55 minutes thereafter, and the number of overs for the day were reduced to 79. On resumption, the remaining one-hour session was cut short again after 40 minutes but this time India made good used of the overs. Both Bumrah and Ishant Sharma (2-47) were guilty of bowling shorter to the tail-enders, and it didn't ...
Shubhankar becomes youngest Indian to win Asian Tour Order of Merit
Shubhankar Sharma Saturday became the youngest Indian to clinch the Asian Tour Order of Merit after a groundbreaking year of achievements. He won it even before the finish of the last two events of the 2018 season. Sharma, who has led the Habitat for Humanity Order of Merit from February this year kept his nose ahead all the time. After finishing tied sixth at the Hong Kong Open, which was his 11th start in a row and 15th in 16 weeks from the Open de France in June-July, Sharma skipped the Queen's Cup, Mauritius Open and the South African Open, despite a late challenge being mounted by South African Justin Harding. This week as Harding missed the cut, any chance of him overtaking Sharma also ended and the Indian added another feather to his well-adorned cap. Sharma, 22, became the fifth and the youngest Indian to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit. He joins Indian golfing legends like Jyoti Randhawa (2002), Arjun Atwal (2003), Jeev Milkha Singh (2006 and 2008) and Anirban Lahiri ...
Australia all out for 235, give India 15-run first-innings lead
Australia were all out for 235, giving India a first-innings lead of 15 runs on the third day of the opening Test here Saturday. India were bowled out for 250 in their first innings on the second morning at the Adelaide Oval. The start of third day's play was delayed by rain and there was also one interruption in between after the heavens opened up again. Brief scores: India 1st innings: 250 all out in 88 overs Australia 1st innings: 235 all out in 98.4 overs (Travis Head 72; Jasprit Bumrah 3/47, Ravichandran Ashwin 3/57).
'Sloppy, careless', says Spalletti as Inter's Serie A title hopes fade
Coach Luciano Spalletti blasted Inter Milan's "sloppy and careless" performance as the fallen Serie A giants hopes of capturing this year's title faded with a 1-0 loss to Juventus on Friday. Chinese-owned Inter, who finished fourth last season, had looked a serious rival to reigning seven-time champions Juventus with summer signings such as Radja Nainggolan, Matteo Politano, Sime Vrsjalko and Keita Balde. But despite their spending spree Spalletti's side proved to be no match for Juventus, even with Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo not as omnipresent as usual on the night for the Turin giants. Inter sit third, but are now 14 points behind Juventus, and risk losing ground on second-placed Napoli, who are three points ahead of Spalletti's side, and play lowly Frosinone Saturday. City rivals AC Milan, just behind in fourth, could also close the gap when they host Torino. Mario Mandzukic's diving header after 66 minutes was enough to settle the Derby d'Italia with Inter's Roberto ...
Rebooted Libertadores final a treat for Madrid soured by regret
Six thousand miles away and 15 days later than planned, the Copa Libertadores final between Boca Juniors and River Plate will be concluded. There have been refusals, complaints and threats to go to court, but the players of Boca and River, Argentina's two greatest football rivals, landed in Madrid and all indications are the second leg will be played. Both teams trained on Thursday, Boca at the Spanish national team's base at Las Rozas and River at Real Madrid's Valdebebas, with the players appearing in good spirits, laughing and joking, jumping on each other's backs. There was even a smattering of fans waiting outside, some holding flags or notebooks open for autographs, even if it was a world away from the rocking Bombonera, packed out for an open training session before the original fixture was due last month. That game had to be postponed, three times, after River fans injured Boca players during an attack on their team's bus. It could have been cancelled, or awarded to Boca, but .
Guardiola confident Man City will avoid UEFA ban over spending
Pep Guardiola is confident that Manchester City will not be banned from the Champions League at the end of an ongoing Financial Fair Play investigation after speaking with the club's senior figures. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has promised that there will be action "very soon" regarding its assessment of allegations that City broke FFP rules. The German magazine Der Spiegel, using material purportedly obtained from the whistleblowing outlet Football Leaks, reported in November that City had set up sponsorship deals to circumvent regulations limiting how much money owners can put into a club. City responded to that report by saying there had been an "organised and clear" attempt to damage the club's reputation and that the emails that allegedly informed the accusations had been obtained illegally. A ban from UEFA competitions, including the Champions League, is a potential punishment if City are found guilty of FFP breaches. The club were fined 60 million euros (USD 68 million) ..
Mourinho says Man Utd need Financial Fair Play to compete
Jose Mourinho says it is vital that UEFA clamps down on Financial Fair Play infringements to level the playing field and enable Manchester United to become serious Premier League title contenders again. Mourinho's comments appear to be aimed at Manchester City, who are the subject of an ongoing investigation by European football's governing body into alleged FFP breaches. In November, German magazine Der Spiegel said the Premier League champions had broken rules that dictate how much money owners can put into a club, having purportedly obtained documents from the whistleblowing outlet Football Leaks. City have dismissed those reports as an "organised and clear" attempt to damage their reputation, while UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said on Tuesday UEFA's investigation would be concluded shortly. UEFA could ban City from next season's Champions League in the event of discovering breaches it believes to be serious enough. Mourinho did not mention City directly but made clear he ...
Mandzukic scores as Juve beat Inter to go 11 points clear
Mario Mandzukic scored the only goal as Juventus killed off Inter Milan's challenge to move 11 points clear in Serie A on Friday. Luciano Spalletti's third-placed Inter fall 14 points adrift of the leaders with the Derby d'Italia defeat a grave blow to their hopes of challenging for a first title since 2010. Unbeaten Juventus have 43 points from 15 games -- 11 points ahead of second-placed Napoli who host lowly Frosinone on Sunday -- with their only points dropped coming in a home draw against Genoa. World Cup runner-up Mandzukic's diving header after 66 minutes off a cross from former Inter player Joao Cancelo was enough to decide the outcome at the Allianz Stadium. "Mandzukic is one of those players who even on an off day can bring his physicality to the game and that can make the difference," said Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri. "We knew the championship wouldn't end today, but we still absolutely had to avoid defeat. "I asked the lads to be efficient and effective. We were ...
1st Test: Rain stops play on Day 3; Australia 204/8 vs India
Australia were 204/8 against India when rain stopped the play on the third day of the first Test at the Adelaide Oval here on Saturday.
Bumrah removes Starc before rain stops play in Adelaide
Rain has stopped the third day's play in the opening Test match between India and Australia here on Saturday. Australia were 204 for eight when the heavens opened up again after a delayed start at the Adelaide Oval, prompting the groundsmen to bring the covers on. Travis Head was batting on 66 with Nathan Lyon slated to join him at the fall of Mitchell Starc's wicket. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah was the wicket-taker, tempting the batsman to go for a big drive before inducing an edge. Australia were overnight 191 for seven, replying to India's first-innings total of 250 all out. The hosts were trailing by 46 runs with two wickets remaining when play was stopped.
Polish political leader rejects converting to euro currency
The leader of Poland's ruling party has spoken out against having Poland convert to using the European Union's shared currency, the euro. Jaroslaw Kaczynski suggested that as the Poles aspire to western European living standards, sticking with the local zloty currency would protect them during international financial crises. At the same time, this strong critic of the EU said that Poland's strong position in the 28-member bloc will help improve Polish living standards. Kaczynski spoke at the party's parliamentary policy meeting Friday. An EU member since 2004, Poland has been ambivalent about converting to the euro, saying it first needs to meet all the necessary criteria. Nineteen European nations currently use the euro.
Hockey WC: England pip Ireland with 4-2 win
England knocked out Ireland in a thrilling 4-2 victory in their Pool B encounter to cruise past the knockout stages of the ongoing Men's Hockey World Cup here on Friday.In the first half, England took the lead when David Condon smashed the first goal for his team. Liam Ansell, on the other hand, continued his fine form by dribbling the ball and ensuring smart passes to his teammates to keep the Irish team at bay. He had a chance of scoring two goals, along with Mark Gleghorne, but their shots went off target.In the second half, the script of the match became more intense as both the teams played aggressive hockey to gain an upper hand in the game. While Ireland desperately tried to search for an equaliser, England continued to keep Ireland at bay. Ultimately, in the 35th minute, Chris Cargo netted a goal to make it 1-1.Ireland's brief respite was short-lived as Ansell once again came to the fore and gave England their second goal to maintain their dominance in the game. However, ...
NZ register first away Test series victory against Pak in 49 years
New Zealand spectacularly snatched the decider of the three-match Test series against hosts Pakistan from the jaws of defeat to register a first away victory in the longest format of the game in 49 years.In a series that disapproves the alleged slowly eroding charm of Test cricket, familiar fragilities of the Pakistan batting line-up were exposed by the 'Black Caps' on two decisive occasions as they bounced back from desperate positions to pull off stunning victories.In the first innings of the series, the visitors were sent packing for a total of 153 runs, with star pacer Hasan Ali and spinner Yasir Shah, who finished the series as the top wicket-taker with 29 scalps, picking up fivers each. The hosts scored 227 to establish a 74-run lead, with New Zealand amassing 249 runs in reply to set a target of 176 for Pakistan.Needing 46 runs for victory with six wickets in hand, the Pakistan middle order tumbled like a pack of cards, as the Kiwis registered an improbable victory after Azhar .
PKL: Patna hammers Pune 53-36
Skipper Pardeep Narwal's stunning 27-point raid guided Patna Pirates to a thumping 53-36 victory over Puneri Paltan in an inter-zonal challenge match of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) here on Friday.
Real Madrid Casemiro resumes field training, Nacho not so lucky
Real Madrid Brazilian midfielder Casemiro on Friday began to work out on the pitch as he continues to recover from a sprained ankle that has kept him on the sidelines for nearly a month, the La Liga club announced.
PKL: Gujarat pip Titans 29-27 in thriller
In an edge-of-the-seat match, Telugu Titans suffered a narrow 27-29 defeat against Gujarat Fortunegiants in an inter-zonal contest of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season 6 at the jam-packed Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Friday.
Cesare Prandelli appointed new head coach at Genoa
Cesare Prandelli became the new head coach of struggling Genoa CFC, replacing Croatian coach Ivan Juric, the Serie A side announced Friday.