Page 831 - Sports
Ton-up Williamson foils Pakistan after Yasir's record
Leg-spinner Yasir Shah became the fastest cricketer to take 200 Test wickets, breaking an 82-year-old record as Pakistan sought to clinch a series win in the third and final Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. Yasir trapped nightwatchman Will Somerville leg before for four to reach the milestone in his 33rd Test, beating Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett's record of 36 Tests set against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1936. But that was the only highlight for Pakistan as Kane Williamson (105 not out) aided by Henry Nicholls, unbeaten on 54, took New Zealand to 199-4 at tea on the fourth day. That gave New Zealand a lead of 125 with six wickets intact and an outside chance of forcing a win in the series currently tied at 1-1. Pakistan had hopes of an emphatic win once Shaheen Shah Afridi had Ross Taylor caught hooking for 22 with the total at 60-4. But Williamson and Nicholls defied the bowling during their unbroken 139-run stand for the fifth wicket. Williamson, ..
One of my top five innings, says centurion Pujara
Rating his knock of 123 as one of his top five innings, Indian batting star Cheteshwar Pujara on Thursday admitted that the top order should have batted better in the first innings of the opening Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval here.
Cancer-hit Lee eyes badminton return, Olympic qualifying
Malaysia's former world number one Lee Chong Wei could return to the badminton training court within a fortnight after fighting back from nose cancer, an official told AFP on Thursday. The three-time Olympic silver medallist, who has spent nearly five months on the sidelines, is already doing light fitness work after receiving a clean bill of health from doctors, Malaysia's badminton chief said. "He sounded cheerful," said Norza Zakaria, president of the Badminton Association of Malaysia, after speaking to Lee on the phone. "Yes I think so," he added, when asked to confirm reports that Lee would resume playing in training in two weeks. Norza also told the Star Online: "I'm sure he will be ready by the time the Olympic qualifying period commences on May 1." Lee, now down at 15th in the Badminton World Federation rankings, last played competitively at the Indonesian Open in July. After losing to world champion Kento Momota of Japan in the semi-finals, he flew to Taiwan for specialist ...
Start is good, need to carry momentum: Sardar
Impressed by the good start of the Indian team in the ongoing men's hockey World Cup in Bhubaneshwar, former captain Sardar Singh Thursday said the team needs to keep the momentum going and play as a collective unit. "The start has been good. In the tournament, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Argentina and Australia are some of the best teams. We have started off well and need to keep the momentum going and continue with same energy," Sardar said. He was speaking to reporters here on the sidelines of a promotional event of preventive healthcare firm, GOQii with whom he has signed up. India began their campaign by thrashing South Africa 5-0 and then drew 2-2 with against a strong Belgium side in Group C. The P R Sreejesh-led team is inching closer to a quarter-final berth with a game in hand against Canada, the fourth team in the group, on Saturday. Sardar, who retired from the game prior to the mega event, wants the Indian squad to play as a cohesive unit once they make the .
We'll take 250-9 but got a bit wrong in end: Starc
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc was overall satisfied with his team's bowling efforts on day one but rued that it allowed India to wriggle out of a precarious position in the opening Test here Thursday. India were reduced to 127 for six in the 50th over before a gritty Cheteshwar Pujara hit a 246-ball 123 to bail out the visitors, reaching 250-9 at stumps. The pace trio of Starc (2/63), Pat Cummins (2/49) and Jose Hazlewood (2/52) shared six wickets, while spinner Nathan Lyon accounted for another two as India limped their way on a good batting surface. "I thought we bowled really well for four hours, probably pretty well for another hour and probably got it a bit wrong at the end there," Starc told reporters. "Cheteshwar Pujara batted a lot of time. He's someone who likes to absorb pressure and bat a long time, and credit to him he scored a fantastic hundred today. "I think if you asked us at the start of the day if we'd take losing the toss and India being 9 for 250 at stumps I ...
It's one of my top-5 Test knocks: Pujara on hundred
Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara Thursday said his gritty hundred in the opening Test against Australia ranks among the top five of his 16 centuries in the longest format. This was the second overseas hundred for Pujara this year, after his effort in Southampton against England. He also scored fighting half-centuries in the two Test wins at Johannesburg (against South Africa) and Nottingham (against England). "It (Thursday's knock) is one of my top innings in Test cricket, I could say top five. I can't rate if it was one of the best but the teammates were appreciating, they were saying it was one of the best," he said at the end of day's play here with India at 250/9 thanks largely to his effort. Pujara scored 246-ball 123 to pull India out of trouble in the ongoing match here. The 30-year-old said although a majority (10) of his 16 hundreds are at home, it in no way suggests that he is more effective on Indian pitches. Only three of Pujara's overseas hundreds have come outside the ...
Olympic gold medallist David Lee to headline first Pro Volleyball League auction
Olympic gold medallist David Lee will headline the first Pro Volleyball League draft and auction which will see participation from hundreds of Indian and international stars on December 14 here. The league, which is an initiative of Baseline Ventures and Volleyball Federation of India, will kick-start its first season in February 2019. For the auctions, a total of 117 Indian players have been categorised in four categories icon players, Indian senior international players, domestic players and under-21 players. The international players will be picked by the six franchises through a draft process. The international stars include Canada's Rudy Verhoeff, USA's Paul Lotman and Carson Clark, Serbia's Novika Bjelika and Turkey's Tomislav Coskovic. The list of Indian icon players include Akhin, Ukkra Pandian, Deepesh, Gurinder Singh, Vinit Kumar, Jerome Vinith and Prabhagaran S. The first season will see 12 players in each team, with the provision of a maximum of two reserve players. ...
Barça advance in Copa del Rey
FC Barcelona's subs made the most of their chance during the second leg of a Copa del Rey round of 32 tie against humble Cultural Leones, powering the hosts to a 4-1 victory (5-1 on aggregate).
Paranaense, Junior in hard fought draw
Brazil's Atletico Paranaense achieved a valuable 1-1 draw against Colombia's Junior F.C. which missed a penalty in the second half and lost the opportunity to take the lead in the Leg 1 final of the Copa Sudamericana.
On Vijender's US wishlist: debut at Madison Square Garden, showdown with Canelo
A debut at the Madison Square Garden and a showdown with Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez are top of Vijender Singh's wishlist as he ventures into the US professional boxing circuit with Manny Pacquiao's coach Freddie Roach to assist his training. The 33-year-old, an icon in Indian boxing with his path-breaking bronze medals at the Olympics and the World Championships, is unbeaten since turning pro in 2015 but did not compete at all this year. After a stint of 10 fights in the UK and India, Vijender is set to foray into the US territory after signing up with the legendary Bob Arum's Top Rank Promotions. His debut across the Atlantic is being planned for February-March next year. "The relationship (with Arum) goes back to two years and finally it's a formal contract now," Vijender told PTI in an interview here. "I have told him (Bob Arum) about my dream to debut at the Madison Square Garden. After winning an Olympic medal, I had spoken about a desire to fight at the MSG arena and when .
Top-order should have batted better: Pujara
India's first innings hero Cheteshwar Pujara on Thursday conceded that the top-order should have batted better on day one of the first Test against Australia. Pujara's 16th Test hundred and first in Australia helped India recover to 250-9 at stumps, after they had been reduced to 127-6 at one stage. "We should have batted better but they also bowled well in the first two sessions. I knew that I had to stay patient and wait for the loose balls. The way they bowled, they bowled in the right areas. I also felt that our top order should have batted better but they will learn from the mistakes," he said on Thursday. "Hopefully we will bat well in the second innings. As far as my innings is concerned, I had prepared well and overall I have the experience of first-class and Test cricket and that came in handy today," he said. Pujara put on vital partnerships with R Ashwin and Ishant Sharma in the end, as the Australian pacers tired. He opened up and played a few more shots to take India to ..
Yasir Shah becomes fastest bowler to take 200 Test wickets
Breaking an 82-year-old record, Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah on Thursday became the fastest bowler in the world to reach the milestone of scalping 200 Test wickets.Shah achieved the feat on Day Four of the ongoing third Test against New Zealand. It was the opposition's night watchman Will Somerville who became his 200th Test wicket, GeoTV reported.Earlier, the record was held by former Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett who had scalped 200 wickets in 36 Tests. Shah, on the flip side, did the same in just 33 Test matches.The right-arm bowler had produced a rich vein of form during their second Test against New Zealand where he scalped a total of 14 wickets helping his side to level the series 1-1. His figures of 14 for 184 in the match were the second best for Pakistan in Test cricket after their legendary pacer Imran Khan who had scalped 14 wickets for 116 runs against Sri Lanka in 1982.Shah is also the fastest Pakistani bowler to take 50 Test wickets (nine Tests). He achieved
Adelaide Test: Pujara's ton help India reach 250/9 on Day 1
Indian right-hand batsman Cheteshwar Pujara played a centurion knock of 123 runs to take his side's total to 250 runs at the loss of nine wickets by the end of Day One of the ongoing first Test against Australia here at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.Having lost four wickets at the meagre score of 56 by the lunch, India were in deep trouble with almost all of their top-order batsman back in the pavilion. Pujara, along with middle-order batsmen and tail-enders, knitted small partnerships to take India's score to a respectable total.Resuming at the score of 56 after lunch, right-hand batsman Rohit Sharma and Pujara stitched a 45-run partnership to keep the scorecard ticking at a slow pace. Just when India seemed to be overcoming the initial jolts, Sharma chose to go for an attacking shot targeting the short square boundary. Ryan Harris committed no mistake and took an easy catch at the deep square area. Sharma departed at the score of 37 runs.The momentum shifted on the Australian side ..
ISL 2018-19: Chencho's overhead equalizer denies NorthEast points
A late overhead strike from forward player Chencho Gyeltshen earned Bengaluru FC a 1-1 draw against NorthEast United FC in the ongoing fifth edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) here at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium on Wednesday.Given the form of both sides so far, one would expect an explosive start to the match. However, neither side was able to muster up any real chances in the first ten minutes. NorthEast were given a scare in the 11th minute when Pawan Kumar failed to properly control a back pass. Sunil Chhetri nearly pounced on his mistake, but the ball went out for a goal-kick.A couple of minutes later, the NorthEast United almost broke the deadlock after some fine play by Robert Lalthlamuana. The defender found Redeem Tlang who took one touch before firing at goal. However, Gurpreet Sigh Sandhu was there to thwart the danger by rushing out to save the shot.As the half wore on, chances were few and far between as the majority of the play was spent in midfield. Towards .
Yasir Shah fastest to 200 Test wickets, breaks 82-year record
Pakistan's leg-spinner Yasir Shah Thursday became the fastest cricketer to take 200 Test wickets, breaking an 82-year-old record on the fourth day of the third Test against New Zealand. The 32-year-old trapped nightwatchman Will Somerville leg before for four -- his second wicket of the New Zealand second innings -- to reach the milestone in his 33rd Test, beating Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett's record of 36 Tests achieved against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1936. Yasir, whose 14 wickets helped Pakistan level the series 1-1 in Dubai, now has 27 wickets in the three Tests against New Zealand. His 14 for 184 were the second best match figures in a Test for Pakistan, behind former captain and current prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, who bagged 14 for 116 against Sri Lanka in Lahore in 1982. New Zealand, resuming at 26 for 2 on Thursday, fell to 37 for 3 after Yasir removed Somerville and were still needing 37 runs to make Pakistan bat again. Yasir began the Abu Dhabi .
Yasir smashes 82-year-old record as Pakistan eye series win
Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah became the fastest cricketer to take 200 Test wickets on Thursday, breaking an 82-year-old record and putting Pakistan within sight of a series win in the third and final Test against New Zealand. The 32-year-old trapped nightwatchman Will Somerville leg before for four -- his second wicket of New Zealand's second innings -- to reach the milestone in his 33rd Test, beating Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett's record of 36 Tests set against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1936. Yasir's strike left New Zealand fighting to save both the match in Abu Dhabi, and the series -- currently tied at 1-1 -- as they reached 112-4 at lunch on the fourth day. Skipper Kane Williamson was batting on a pugnacious 55 for his 29th fifty -- and second in the match -- and with him Henry Nicholls unbeaten on a chancy 20, as New Zealand led by 36 runs with six wickets intact. The two have added 52 runs for the fifth wicket but Nicholls was lucky to overturn a leg-before ..
1st Test: Poor batting leaves India struggling on opening day (Roundup)
Cheteshwar Pujara fought his way to a gritty century even as familiar batting woes on foreign soil left India struggling at 250/9 on the opening day of the first cricket Test against Australia here on Thursday.
Pujara's maiden hundred in Australia bails India out of trouble
Cheteshwar Pujara rose to the occasion with a maiden century in Australia, pulling India out of a deep hole to a respectable 250 for nine on day one of the first Test here on Thursday. Pujara showed the same grit and gumption that is typical of him en route a 246-ball 123 that kept India in the game after being reduced to 127 for six in the 50th over. It took a brilliant direct from Pat Cummins to remove him on what happened to be the final ball of an absorbing day one of the four-Test series. Skipper Virat Kohli opted to bat in ideal conditions but the top-order once again failed to apply themselves against the potent pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Cummins. Anything close to 250 looked a mountain to climb with India reeling at 56 for four at lunch. But Pujara stood tall amid the ruins to save India from embarrassment on way to his 16th Test ton. His fighting effort comprised seven fours and two sixes. The 30-year-old put on two crucial partnerships with the ...
Icardi eyes Ronaldo match-up as Inter bid to halt Juventus
Mauro Icardi said he was relishing the chance to measure himself against Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time as Inter Milan travel to Turin on Friday looking to inflict the first defeat of the season on Italian champions Juventus and keep the Serie A title race alive. Juventus have set a frenetic pace this season since signing Ronaldo, making a record start with 40 points after the first 14 games in Serie A. Napoli are second -- eight points behind Juventus -- with Inter Milan 11 points adrift of the champions in third. A defeat for Inter in the 'Derby D'Italia' between the two northern giants would likely be a killer blow to their ambitions and leave Juventus free to claim an eighth consecutive title. "I've played (Juventus) many times but this is the most important since I've been here," said Icardi. "I won't settle for a draw. We must go there without fear. "I can't wait to play against Cristiano Ronaldo, it will be a pleasure to have him up front. But he's not my problem, ...
Atletico, Barcelona, Sevilla power through in Copa
Atletico Madrid was so poor in the first half against fourth-division visitor Sant Andreu that a shock Copa del Rey elimination wasn't a far-fetched possibility. But three goals in the opening 10 minutes of the second period guided Atletico's second-string team to a 4-0 victory at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on Wednesday. Barcelona and Sevilla also beat lower division clubs, while Villarreal recorded an 8-0 rout of second tier Almeria with four goals by Cameroon striker Karl Toko-Ekambi. Thomas Lemar scored for Atletico in the 48th minute, Nikola Kalinic in the 53rd, Angel Correa in the 55th and Victor "Vitolo" Machin in the 81st to secure Diego Simeone's team a place in the last 16 following a 5-0 aggregate victory. "We struggled in the first half. We weren't able to play with quick transitions," said Simeone after his 400th Atletico match. "Everything changed in the second half. After the first goal the team played more freely." Atletico was without Diego Costa because of injury, ..