Page 828 - Sports
First Test: Australia trail by 59 runs at stumps on Day 2 vs India
Australia were at 191/7, trailing by 59 runs at stumps on the second day of the first Test match against India here on Friday.
Ashwin's strikes dent Australia to 117/4 at tea
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin struck twice in the second session to restrict Australia to 117/4 at tea on Day 2 of the opening cricket Test at the Adelaide Oval here on Friday.
Australia 191/7 at close on Day 2
Australia were 191 for 7 at close of play in their first innings on the second day of the opening Test against India here on Friday. Travis Head and Mitchell Starc were batting on 61 and 8 respectively on the draw of stumps. Australia still trail by 59 runs with 3 first innings wickets in hand. Brief Scores: India 1st Innings: 250 all out in 88 overs (Cheteshwar Pujara 123; Josh Hazlewood 3/52). Australia 1st Innings: 191 for 7 from 88 overs (Travis Head batting 61, Peter Handscomb 34; Ishant Sharma 2/31, Ravichandran Ashwin 3/50).
CA wants India to play day-night Test in Adelaide during next tour
With the turnout in the opening Test not quite up to their expectation, Cricket Australia have urged India to reconsider their opposition to day-night Tests and play under lights in Adelaide in their next tour Down Under. Officials in Australia said they were worried after a modest 23,802 turned out for the opening day of the Test series in Adelaide on Thursday, the lowest day-one attendance since the venue was redeveloped in 2013. There were 55,000 for day one of the Ashes opener in Adelaide last year, 32,255 on the corresponding day against South Africa a year earlier and 47,441 for the first year against New Zealand, the CA stated. Thursday's attendance was also lower than the 25,619 who turned up for an India-Australia clash here four years ago (which was a day match). Asked if the poor crowd attendance had convinced him that the Adelaide Test should be day-night, Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts said: "Absolutely. It matters what the fans think and they've voted ...
Ashwin keeps Australia in check
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took 3 for 38 as Australia were restricted to 117 for 4 at tea on day two of the first Test against India here on Friday. At the break, Peter Handscomb was batting on 33 while Travis Head was unbeaten on 17 runs. Australia still trail by 133 runs, after India made 250 in their first innings. Post lunch, Ashwin bowled an incisive spell that tied down the Australian batsmen. First up, Shaun Marsh (2) gifted his wicket immediately after resumption of lunch break. In the very first over, he went for a wild slash against Ashwin, but ended up playing on as Australia were reduced to 59/3. Usman Khawaja (28) and Handscomb then added 28 runs for the fourth wicket. The latter played some loose strokes at the start of his innings, but got some streaky boundaries off Mohammed Shami (0/26) to help the scoring rate move along. The big moment came in the 40th over, when Ashwin got Khawaja's wicket. The left-hander had been tied down, but he was content eating up ...
Australia 117/4 at tea on Day 2
Australia were 117 for 4 at tea in their first innings on the second day of the opening Test against India here on Friday. Peter Handscomb and Travis Head were batting on 33 and 17 respectively at the tea break. Earlier in the morning, India's first innings lasted just one delivery on Friday with Mohammed Shami being dismissed the first ball of the day bowled by Josh Hazlewood. The visitors were 250 for 9 at close on Thursday after opting to bat. Brief Scores: India 1st Innings: 250 all out in 88 overs (Cheteshwar Pujara 123; Josh Hazlewood 3/52). Australia 1st Innings: 117 for 4 from 55 overs (Usman Khawaja 28, Peter Handscomb batting 33; Ishant Sharma 1/17, Ravichandran Ashwin 3/38).
Henry, Vieira clash postponed amid 'yellow vest' protest concerns
Four more Ligue 1 games scheduled for this weekend, including the clash between Thierry Henry's Monaco and local rivals Nice, have been postponed, the French league (LFP) said Thursday, amid fears of more violent "yellow vest" protests in France over rising living costs. The LFP said Friday evening's game at the Stade Louis II had been called off following a request by the government in the Mediterranean principality, "in collaboration" with authorities in the neighbouring French Alpes-Maritimes prefecture, which includes Nice. Sunday night's encounter between Saint-Etienne and Marseille and Saturday's meeting of Angers and Bordeaux have also been postponed on the request of local authorities. Later, Nantes' visit to Nimes scheduled for Saturday was also called off. The latest postponements come after Paris Saint-Germain's game against Montpellier and Lyon's trip to Toulouse -- scheduled for Saturday -- were both called off due to security concerns, and the possibility remains that ..
Boca and River train in Madrid for 'weird' Libertadores final
Boca Juniors striker Carlos Tevez conceded playing a Libertadores Cup final in Madrid on Sunday will be "weird" but rejected suggestions River Plate have been put at a disadvantage. The second leg was moved to Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu after the original fixture at River's El Monumental stadium was postponed last month, following an attack by their fans on Boca's team bus. South America's football federation, CONMEBOL, ruled River should lose the chance to play at home, with the game moved abroad amid fears of further fan violence. "It is a weird final," Tevez said Thursday after Boca had trained at Las Rozas, the base of the Spanish national team. "To play a match between Boca and River in Madrid, it's weird. But as a player, it is important to stay focused on the match." Argentina's two greatest football rivals competing for South America's most prestigious club prize out of the country, and in Spain, has proven controversial, with both clubs expressing their disapproval. Boca
Mayweather to stage "entertainment" spectacle in Japan
Boxer Floyd Mayweather says his New Year's Eve bout with Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa will be "all about the entertainment". The nine-minute exhibition in Japan will have no official winner or loser if it goes the distance, and Mayweather said at a press availability at his training base in Las Vegas on Thursday that he was looking forward to the event as a chance to sample "something different". The contest will take place at the Saitama Prefecture Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, Mayweather said. Saitama is 16 kilometres (10 miles) north of Tokyo. Mayweather added that there and won't be any judges present and the bout would not count on the combatants' official fight records. "It is all about the entertainment," Mayweather said. "Nine minutes of entertainment .... I'm in the entertainment business." Besides three-minute rounds, the exhibition will take place at 67kg (147 pounds), feature "straight boxing rules" and eight-ounce boxing gloves. "This will be full contact ...
Schalke out to add to Dortmund's recent derby misery
Schalke 04 plot to become the first Bundesliga side to beat Borussia Dortmund this season and extend the German league leaders' recent misery in Gelsenkirchen in Saturday's Ruhr derby. This is the first time in six years Dortmund go into the derby top of the table, but they last won at the Veltins Arena half a decade ago. A gulf of 19 points and 12 places in the table separates the clubs, who are only 33kms (20miles) apart, but Schalke are itching to get one over their high-flying neighbours and bitter rivals. "Since Monday, the pulse of the derby beats in the region. Everyone is talking about it," Manuel Neukirchner, director of the German Football museum in Dortmund, told AFP. "Here, you can't be neutral. "It reminds me a bit of the Beatles and Rolling Stones in the 1960s - you have to support one or the other." Dortmund have not won any of the last five derbies and Schalke ran out 2-0 winners in Gelsenkirchen last April. The Royal Blues will be holding an open training session for .
Do Liverpool have squad depth to compete on two fronts?
Naby Keita has started to show he can add creativity to Liverpool's midfield but Jurgen Klopp may question his squad's strength in depth despite securing two Premier League wins in four days. Klopp is likely to revert to his tried-and-trusted first choices at Bournemouth on Saturday, having been a little lucky on Wednesday to emerge with a 3-1 win at Burnley after making seven changes to his line-up. There were good reasons for so many changes -- the match came hot on the heels of Sunday's dramatic late derby victory over Everton, at the start of a frantic month that features home games against Napoli, Manchester United and Arsenal. In addition, full-back Andy Robertson and forward Sadio Mane were injured, and so Klopp would have had to shuffle his players around even if rotation had not been on his mind. Yet Liverpool were second-best for the opening hour at Turf Moor against opponents without a victory since September 30, and only turned the match around in the final 30 minutes, ...
Tale of two Belgians exposes gulf between Chelsea and Man City
Chelsea's Premier League title challenge to Manchester City has faded dramatically in recent weeks as Eden Hazard's goals have dried up to leave Maurizio Sarri's men 10 points adrift of the champions ahead of Saturday's clash between the sides at Stamford Bridge. Even in the midst of an 18-game unbeaten run after City eased past the Blues 2-0 in the Community Shield in August, Sarri insisted Chelsea wouldn't be able to last the pace against a team he considers the best in Europe. However, the Italian admitted his concern at the scale of his side's downturn in recent weeks as defeats at Tottenham and then at Wolves where Chelsea capitulated from 1-0 up to lose 2-1 on Wednesday. Those losses as well as a goalless home draw with Everton mean Chelsea are hanging onto their top-four place only on goal difference. "City are the best team in Europe, maybe the best in the world," said Sarri. "Manchester City are in another category. We have to play and to fight to be in the top four." It is ..
Gunners firing on all cylinders poses questions over Ozil's future
Mesut Ozil has missed Arsenal's last four matches and may be absent again when the Gunners host Huddersfield Town on Saturday. The 30-year-old playmaker is being treated for a back problem and manager Unai Emery has hinted that he could be passed fit on Friday if he comes through sessions with the club's physiotherapist unscathed. The German had been on the training ground on Thursday "running and touching the ball", Emery told a press conference. But even if Ozil is given the green light to return there are no guarantees that Emery will pick the club's highest earner, even for the bench. That despite being a World Cup winner in 2014, and a player with skills few others on the planet can reproduce, especially when it comes to setting up colleagues to score. Emery, it seems, had already decided he could do without the former Germany international in his comprehensive overhaul of a squad that had forgotten how to win trophies under previous manager Arsene Wenger. It was the Frenchman ...
Isco and Asensio lead Madrid into Copa del Rey's last 16
Marco Asensio and Francisco "Isco" Alarcon were the big winners in a match that had little at stake for Real Madrid. The pair made the most of their chances in a second-string Madrid team on Thursday, scoring two goals each in a 6-1 rout of third division Melilla in the Copa del Rey. Javi Sanchez and Vinicius Junior also netted as the European champion advanced to the last-16 stage 10-1 on aggregate after having won the first leg 4-0 in the small Spanish enclave in Africa. Asensio and Isco used to have bigger roles for Madrid but haven't been getting many first-team opportunities under new coach Santiago Solari. "I'm very happy for Isco and I'm also very happy for Asensio and Vinicius," Solari said. "They could all be starters for us, otherwise they wouldn't be here." Vinicius played well throughout and claimed his second goal for Madrid with a shot from inside the area in the 75th minute at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Isco was a starter for the first time under Solari and was named ...
Real Madrid face last-place Huesca in battle of large and little
Luka Modric has been voted the best player on the planet and Real Madrid crowned European champions three times in a row but in Huesca on Saturday they will meet a team from the opposite end of the ladder. Madrid's stars gathered in Paris on Monday, dressed in shiny black suits and bow-ties, to watch their midfield magician collect the Ballon d'Or, ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. "He is at his peak," Real coach Santiago Solari said. "That makes it even more beautiful." From the Grand Palais on the Champs-Elysees, they head this weekend to northern Spain and Alcoraz, Huesca's recently-expanded stadium with a capacity of just over 7,000, in a town of little more than 52,000 people. There, they face La Liga's bottom club, on seven points from 14 games, but Huesca's ascent began far lower down than that. The majority of their 58-year history has been spent between the third and fourth tiers. They were languishing in Segunda B as recently as 2015. Promoted to the top flight ...
Hockey WC: One-match ban for Pak vice-captain
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Thursday handed a one-match suspension to Pakistani midfielder and vice-captain Ammad Butt, ruling him out from the last Pool D match against the Netherlands in the ongoing Men's Hockey World Cup.Butt was suspended after he was in a rough tackle with Malaysia's Faisal Saari while rushing to defend a penalty corner in the 40th minute of the game. The Malaysian team then lodged a complaint to the FIH against Butt. The match had ended in a 1-1 draw.However, Pakistan hockey team manager Hasan Sardar expressed discontent over the FIH's decision and termed it an "afterthought"."It's an afterthought. If we see the video, it's clear he didn't do a harsh dash. We've appealed to the FIH and hoping that it would be accepted", Sardar said.The Pakistan hockey team also suffered a major blow when skipper Muhammad Rizwan Sr was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after sustaining a finger injury.
Australia reach 57/2 at lunch on Day 2 of Adelaide Test
Australia lost both the openers before reaching 57/2 at lunch on Day 2 of the opening Test against India at the Adelaide Oval here on Friday.
India bowled out for 250, then scalp two Australian wickets before lunch
Australia made a slow but steady start to reach 57 for 2 from 27 overs at lunch on day two of the first Test against India here on Friday. This was after India were bowled out for 250 from 88 overs on the very first ball of the morning session. At the break, Usman Khawaja was unbeaten on 21 runs (off 86 balls), while Shaun Marsh was batting on 1. Australia still trail by 193 runs. Mohammed Shami (6) showed no patience at all, and went after a short delivery from Josh Hazlewood (3/52) only to be caught behind down leg side, as India's first innings came to a quick end. Mitchell Starc (2/63), Pat Cummins (2/49) and Nathan Lyon (2/83) finished with two wickets each. Thereafter, Australia did not have the best of starts as Ishant Sharma (1/9) bowled Aaron Finch (0) with a fuller, inswinging delivery on only the third ball of their innings. It was a hectic start to the day's play, but Khawaja and debutant opener Marcus Harris (26) settled down to provide a solid start for the hosts. The ...
Following is scoreboard at lunch on the second day of the first Test between India and ...
Following is scoreboard at lunch on the second day of the first Test between India and Australia here on Friday. India 1st Innings: Lokesh Rahul c Finch b Hazlewood 2 Murali Vijay c Paine b Starc 11 Cheteshwar Pujara run out 123 Virat Kohli c Khawaja b Cummins 3 Ajinkya Rahane c Handscomb b Hazlewood 13 Rohit Sharma c Harris b Lyon 37 Rishabh Pant c Paine b Lyon 25 R Ashwin c Handscomb b Cummins 25 Ishant Sharma b Starc 4 Mohammed Shami c Paine b Hazlewood 6 Jasprit Bumrah not out 0 Extras: (LB-1) 1 Total: (All out in 88 overs) 250 Fall of Wickets: 3/1 15/2 19/3 41/4 86/5 127/6 189/7 210/8 250/9 Bowling: Mitchell Starc 19-4-63-2, Josh Hazlewood 20-3-52-3, Pat Cummins 19-3-49-2, Nathan Lyon 28-2-83-2, Travis Head 2-1-2-0. Australia 1st Innings: Aaron Finch b Ishant 0 Marcus Harris c Vijay b Ashwin 26 Usman Khawaja batting 21 Shaun Marsh batting 1 Extras: (B-1, LB-7, NB-1) 9 Total: (For 2 wkts in 27 overs) 57 Fall of Wickets: 0/1 45/2 Bowling: Ishant Sharma 6-3-9-1, Jasprit Bumrah ...
Australia 57/2 at lunch after bowling India out for 250
Australia were 57 for 2 at lunch after bowling India out for 250 in their first innings on the second day of the opening Test here on Friday. Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh were batting on 21 and 1 respectively at the lunch break. Earlier in the morning, India's first innings lasted just one delivery on Friday with Mohammed Shami being dismissed the first ball of the day bowled by Josh Hazlewood. The visitors were 250 for 9 at close on Thursday after opting to bat. Brief Scores: India 1st Innings: 250 all out in 88 overs (Cheteshwar Pujara 123; Josh Hazlewood 3/52). Australia 1st Innings: 57 for 2 from 27 overs (Marcus Harris 26, Usman Khawaja batting 21; Ishant Sharma 1/9, Ravichandran Ashwin 1/15).