Page 832 - Sports
Rashid Latif backs Hafeez's decision to quit Test cricket
Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif has backed the decision of all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez to take retirement from the Test cricket. He said that Hafeez was, anyway, facing "technical issues" in the longest format of the game adding that he took the right decision by calling it a time on his Test career.Latif further stated that the right-hand batsman would be a crucial team member for the upcoming 2019 cricket World Cup and that his presence would provide a good balance to the side."Hafeez will be an important member of the team's world cup squad. His presence will have a good impact on the overall balance of the side," the Express Tribune quoted Latif, as saying."He took the right decision by announcing retirement from Test cricket. He was facing technical issues in the longest format of the game," he added.Hafeez on Tuesday had announced his retirement from the Test cricket saying that he wants to focus more on the limited-overs format especially the 2019 cricket World Cup. He ..
Dinesh Karthik wants to evade World Cup pressure
Indian wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik is not thinking about his prospects in the 2019 cricket World Cup as he believes that it would put him under pressure.The 33-year-old, who had played a match-winning knock in the final of the Nidahas T20 Trophy in Sri Lanka, said that the year has been phenomenal for him and that he is looking forward for the upcoming competitions."It has been a phenomenal year. Very happy to be in the place that I am. There's a lot to look forward to in the coming year. Actually, it is interesting times. I am not thinking so far ahead. Because as soon as I start thinking about the World Cup and all that there will be more pressure than what is already there," ICC quoted Karthik, as saying."There is obviously the Australia series, New Zealand series. There is a lot of cricket coming up, I need to focus on that . the best I can do and take it from there," he added.The right-hand batsman, who is currently participating in the Ranji Trophy, said that he has no .
Cavani rescues PSG in Strasbourg stalemate
Edinson Cavani saved a point for Paris Saint-Germain as the Ligue 1 leaders slipped for the second time in a week with a hugely entertaining 1-1 draw at Strasbourg. The Uruguayan striker fired home a 71st-minute penalty to maintain PSG's unbeaten record after 16 games despite a disjointed performance without injured star attacker Neymar, equalising Kenny Lala's own spot-kick for the spirited hosts four minutes before the break on Wednesday. However, Thomas Tuchel's side, who also drew at Bordeaux at the weekend and started without Kylian Mbappe and Thiago Silva, remain way ahead of the rest after a night in France full of late goals, incident and VAR. Champions PSG are 14 points ahead of Lille, who moved second on Tuesday after beating Montpellier 1-0 and stayed there thanks to Hatem Ben Arfa and Jordan Siebatcheu leading Rennes to a 2-0 win at Lyon on Wednesday. Bruno Genesio's Lyon are fourth, 15 points behind PSG, while inconsistent Marseille are a further two points back after a ..
Spurs show new Southampton manager size of his task
Tottenham bounced back from their derby defeat against Arsenal to sweep aside struggling Southampton 3-1 and show new Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl the size of the task he faces. The Austrian was named as Mark Hughes's successor earlier in the day and took a watching brief at Wembley on Wednesday but for the first hour it was painful viewing. Hasenhuttl, who will take over from interim Kelvin Davis, who becomes the new manager's number two, will have been encouraged by the final 30 minutes as Southampton were the better side and got a late consolation through Charlie Austin. But by then they were already three goals down, with Harry Kane, Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min on the scoresheet for Spurs. The writing was on the wall as early as the third minute when Son was fed by Kieran Trippier's header and his sweet first-time volley crashed into the post. Lax defending allowed Spurs to take a ninth-minute lead. As the hosts played a corner short, Matt Targett did not match Kane's run to ...
Sarri slams Chelsea's complacency in defeat at Wolves
Maurizio Sarri accused his Chelsea players of over-confidence after throwing away a lead to lose 2-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Chelsea looked to be on course for victory thanks to Ruben Loftus-Cheek's early opener as the visitors dominated the first-half on Wednesday, but two goals in four second-half minutes saw Wolves secure their first win in seven games and inflict just Sarri's second defeat since taking charge in the summer. Next up Chelsea face the daunting task of halting Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and Sarri suggested a jolt to their confidence could be a blessing, but declared himself "worried" by the manner of their defeat at Molineux. "After this match we are less confident but maybe it's better because sometimes my players show me that they have too much confidence," said the Italian. "We played well for 55 minutes. After the goal for 1-1, which was an accident because we were in full control of the match, we were suddenly another team without the ...
Liverpool fightback at Burnley to maintain unbeaten start
Roberto Firmino came off the bench to score with his first touch as Liverpool came from behind to maintain their unbeaten Premier League start after Jurgen Klopp's decision to ring the changes almost backfired. Two goals in the space of seven minutes midway through the second-half sealed a hard-fought 3-1 win at struggling Burnley on Wednesday after Jack Cork's 54th-minute effort had given the hosts an unexpected lead against a side they've now beaten just once in the last 12 attempts spanning 44 years. It means Liverpool remain second, cutting Manchester City's advantage at the summit to two points with a 12th victory of the campaign, and in the process posting the club's best start to a top flight season after 15 games. They were pushed all the way by a Burnley side now anchored in the relegation zone after an eighth game without victory. A totally different outcome looked possible when Cork pounced from close range after keeper Alisson twice failed to gather the ball after ...
Pakistan football body faces another FIFA suspension
The World Football Federation (FIFA) has warned that the sport's governing body in Pakistan could face another ban if its elections are held on the directives of the country's Supreme Court. A FIFA spokesperson confirmed that the world governing body viewed the elections being held on the directives of the court as third-party interference in affairs of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), which is in contravention of the FIFA constitution for member countries. Football, which has been a victim of politicking and internal strife in Pakistan since 2015, is set to undergo fresh elections with the SC appointing a Returning Officer to conduct the electoral process. FIFA has said that sitting PFF President, Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, should be allowed to complete his tenure without any "third party" interference. The problem now is that the third party is the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Hayat, who might have the backing of FIFA under its constitution, has lost considerable popularity and ..
Ranji Trophy: Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah to retire after Karnataka match
Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah will retire from all forms of cricket after their upcoming match against Karnataka in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.The 35-year-old, who is a son of former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Niranjan Shah, has captained his team for 111 matches which is highest for anyone in the Ranji Trophy, ESPNcricinfo reported.One of the defining moments in his career came during the 2007-08 Ranji Trophy when the left-hand batsman led his side to their maiden title victory in the domestic cricket. As a reward for the victory, Shah was handed over the captaincy of India A team during their short tour to Israel in 2008.Under Shah's leadership, Saurashtra made it to the final of two seasons of Ranji Trophy that is 2012-13 and 2015-16.Shah, who made his first class debut in 2002-03, played a total of 119 first class matches scoring 5253 runs with an average of 29.67.
1st Test: Poor batting leave India struggling (Tea Report)
Poor shot selection by Indian batsmen coupled with excellent bowling by Australia left the visitors struggling at 143/6 at tea on the opening day of the first cricket Test here on Thursday.
IPL 2019: Kings XI Punjab appoint Ryan Harris as bowling coach
Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kings XI Punjab have appointed former Australian pacer Ryan Harris as their bowling coach. The 39-year-old has replaced Venkatesh Prasad who had resigned recently from the position.The Punjab-based team also roped in former New Zealand batsman Craig McMillan as their fielding coach.Team's head coach Mike Hesson said that the inclusion of Harris and McMillan in the coaching team would prove to be an asset for them. "Having quality coaches like Harris and McMillan will be a great asset to the team. They have both performed as players on the big stage and have made the transition into quality coaches. They will be excellent additions to the coaching team," Kings XI Punjab official website quoted Hesson, as saying.The franchise, which finished at number 7 in the last edition of the IPL, made some other appointments in order to increase the strength of their support staff. While former Australian cricketer Brett Harrop has been appointed as the team physio,
The scoreboard at tea on day one of the opening Test between India and Australia here on ...
The scoreboard at tea on day one of the opening Test between India and Australia here on Thursday. India first innings: Lokesh Rahul c Finch b Hazlewood 2 Murali Vijay c Paine b Starc 11 Cheteshwar Pujara batting 46 Virat Kohli (c) c Khawaja b Pat Cummins 3 Ajinkya Rahane c Handscomb b Hazlewood 13 Rohit Sharma c Marcus Harris b Lyon 37 Rishabh Pant (wk) c Paine b Lyon 25 Ravichandran Ashwin batting 5 Extras 1 (lb 1) Total 143 (6 wickets, 56 overs) Fall of Wickets 3-1, 15-2, 19-3, 41-4, 86-5, 127-6. Bowlers: Mitchell Starc 11-2-30-1, Josh Hazlewood 14-3-28-2, Pat Cummins 13-3-31-1, Nathan Lyon 17-1-51-2, Travis Head 1-0-2-0.
Man Utd fight back again but Arsenal extend unbeaten run in four-goal thriller
Jose Mourinho accused his Manchester United players of shooting themselves in the foot as he saw his under-strength team gift Arsenal two goals in a 2-2 draw that extended their winless Premier League run to four games. United, who started with Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku on the bench, showed great spirit to twice come back, with equalisers from Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard earning a much-needed point. But, after a defeat at Manchester City and dispiriting draws with Crystal Palace and Southampton, United are now 18 points behind leaders City and actually closer to the relegation positions than they are first place. United also trail Chelsea and Arsenal, who are now unbeaten in 20 games, by eight points in the battle for a place in the top four. And Mourinho, who saw a bad David de Gea error and Marcos Rojo own goal twice hand Arsenal the lead, believes the performance continued their run of self-inflicted harm. "We scored four goals and we drew 2-2," joked Mourinho. "But we ...
Adelaide Test: Indian batters stumble, manage 56/4 at Lunch
Indian top-order batsmen produced a disappointing performance in the first Test of the ongoing four-match series against Australia as they could only manage 56 runs at the loss of 4 crucial wickets in the opening session of Day 1 here at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.Opting to bat first in the scorching morning at Adelaide, India sent their right-hand batsmen KL Rahul and Murali Vijay to open the innings. With some accurate bowling and brilliant fielding efforts, Australian bowlers easily unsettled the opening pair who looked tentative on the crease.India lost their first wicket in the form of KL Rahul who played a loose shot off Josh Hazelwood's delivery and was caught by Aaron Finch at the third slip. Rahul departed at a meagre score of 2 runs.Right-hand batsman Cheteshwar Pujara walked on to the crease at number three and India now had two of their best Test batsmen to take the innings forward. Pujara and Vijay started to build the innings but the Australian pacers came into the ...
1st Test: India 56/4 at lunch vs Australia on Day One
A disciplined bowling attack by Australia left India at 56/4 at lunch on the first day of the first Test of the four-match series at the Adelaide Oval here on Thursday.
Maradona better than Messi, says Pele
Argentine legend Diego Maradona was a better footballer than the country's modern-day idol Lionel Messi, according to Pele.
Adelaide Test: India win toss, elect to bat
India won the toss on a scorching morning at the Adelaide Oval and elected to bat first in the opening Test of the four-match series with Australia on Thursday.At the toss, Australian skipper Tim Paine hoped the pitch will offer some assistance to pacers in the early stages of the first day, as the home team will have to endure demanding conditions.Having lost the prodigal teenager Prithvi Shaw to an injury in the warm-up match against Cricket Australia XI, India have selected K. L. Rahul and Murali Vijay as the two openers for the first Test, with Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper) comprising the rest of the batting order.25-year-old Hanuma Vihar, who made his debut at the Kennington Oval against England, was called up to the 12-member squad, although India decided to field Sharma instead. The Mumbai Indians captain played his last Test in January 2018 against South Africa scoring 10 and 47 runs in the two innings of
1st Test: India opt to bat against Australia
India skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat against Australia in the first test of the four-match series at the Adelaide Oval here on Thursday.
India opt to bat in first Test
India won the toss and opted to bat in the first Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval here on Thursday. Out of the final 12 picked on the eve of the game, Rohit Sharma made the cut in the Indian playing eleven ahead of Hanuma Vihari. Opener Marcus Harris is the debutant for Australia. Teams: India: Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami . Australia: Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Tim Paine(captain), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.
No talks to share World Cup with other countries, says Qatar
Qatar has not held talks with any other countries to share football matches at the 2022 World Cup, a senior tournament organiser in Doha said on Wednesday. Despite coming under pressure from FIFA president Gianni Infantino to expand the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams -- which could mean some matches being played elsewhere in the Middle East -- Nasser al-Khater said no such negotiations had taken place. "We haven't had any discussions of sharing," said the assistant secretary general of Qatar's World Cup organising body, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy. Governing body FIFA is currently carrying out a feasibility study to see if the first World Cup in the region could be expanded. Infantino has said that if any tournament enlargement is agreed, it would likely mean matches being played in neighbouring countries, as it would increase the total number of tournament games from 64 to 80. He has even suggested that could help Middle East peace, at a time when Qatar is at the ..
Hockey WC: Malaysia, Pakistan play out 1-1 draw
Malaysia and Pakistan shared honours as they played out a 1-1 draw in the ongoing Men's Hockey World Cup here at Kalinga Stadium on Wednesday.Muhammad Atiq's 49th minute goal for Pakistan was cancelled out by Faizal Saari's drag-flick in the 55th minute of the match.In the first quarter, Malaysia won two penalty corners in a row, but the first one was blocked by the runner. As the Malaysian side went for the second shot from the right edge of the circle, Pakistan's goalkeeper Imran Butt positioned himself to stop the flick. In the fourth minute, Pakistan too won a corner at the other end but Aleem Bilal's drag-flick was blocked by Malaysian goalkeeper Kumar Subramaniam. In the 15th minute, Muhammad Irfan tried to enter the Malaysian circle from the right side, but he got hounded by four Malaysian defenders.The Malaysian side seemed more committed in its defence, while its forwards looked at winning a penalty corner. However, both the sides remained unable to break the deadlock at the .