Page 906 - Sports
BCCI offered us to pay whatever we were losing: Bravo recalls contracts fallout debacle
Former all-rounder Dwayne Bravo says the BCCI "offered to pay" his players who threatened to pull out of the 2014 ODI series in India after a contracts fallout with the West Indies Cricket Board. He said that a message at 3 am from the then BCCI chief N Srinivasan prompted him to convince his team to play the first ODI after threatening to pull out. Then, in the middle of the fourth ODI, in the hill town of Dharamsala, the WICB informed the BCCI that it had decided to call off the remainder of tour after a "contracts fall" with players. Big money was at stake but Bravo said the BCCI understood their problems. "Yeah, they understood, of course. Because they were very supportive of all of us. Actually they even offered to pay us whatever we were losing. We was like, 'we don't want you to pay us. We need our board to sort out our contracts'," Bravo told 'i955fm'. "The BCCI was very, very supportive and that is one of the reasons why most of us were still able to continue playing without .
Howell stretches lead at PGA Tour RSM Classic
Charles Howell fired six birdies in a six-under par 64 to stretch his lead to three strokes in the PGA Tour RSM Classic in Sea Island, Georgia. Howell, a two-time US PGA Tour winner but chasing his first title in more than a decade, kept the accelerator down on the par-70 Seaside course, a day after nabbing eight birdies on the par-72 Plantation course. He goes into the weekend 14-under on 128, three shots ahead of rising star Cameron Champ, 23, who won his first title at the Sanderson Farms Championship last month, and Jason Gore. Both signed for 63s on the Seaside course to share second on 131. Howell said another wind-whipped day felt "a little bit like survival" but that he benefitted from the focus the conditions required. "It sort of forces you to play so much in the present," he said. "It's kind of hard to get too far ahead of yourself because you know there's plenty of hard ones coming up." Howell, whose most recent title was at Riviera in 2007, knows there is plenty of work .
Southgate aims to end England's year to remember with Croatia revenge
Gareth Southgate has challenged England to end their "brilliant year" in memorable fashion by beating their World Cup conquerers Croatia at Wembley to reach the Nations League Finals on Sunday. Southgate's side defied expectations earlier this year by reaching the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1990, where they were beaten by Croatia after extra-time in a gruelling clash. The England manager created a vibrant young group that revitalised the country's relationship with a national team that had been much maligned for their serial underachievement. "It has been a brilliant year. Whatever happens on Sunday, we've had real shoots of progress and achieved some outstanding results and really good performances and blooded a lot of new players," said Southgate on Friday. "It's given us a real depth to the squad and competition for places." Although England's World Cup run ended in heartache in Moscow against Sunday's opponents, the momentum from the tournament has carried over
Neymar penalty punishes Uruguay in feisty friendly
Neymar kept his cool to score the controversial penalty that fired Brazil to a 1-0 win over Uruguay in a full-blooded friendly. Brazil captain Neymar was subjected to some ferocious fouls from Uruguay as the clash between the South American rivals boiled over at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. But the Paris Saint-Germain striker had the last laugh, netting from the spot late in the second half after Diego Laxalt was harshly ruled to have fouled Danilo. Brazil are now unbeaten in their last 10 meetings with Uruguay, who haven't defeated the five-time world champions since 2001. Brazil, building towards hosting the Copa America next year, take on Cameroon in another friendly in Milton Keynes on Tuesday. It will be their last match of 2018, having recorded five successive friendly victories since losing in the World Cup quarter-finals against Belgium. "It was a typical South American derby. We have respect for Uruguay. They have dangerous players," Brazil boss Tite said. "We managed to ...
Chess stars neck and neck at mid-point of world championship
Three-time defending champion Magnus Carlsen was neck and neck with American Fabiano Caruana after eking out a draw in their sixth world championship game. "I made many mistakes," the 27-year-old Carlsen -- nicknamed the "Thor of Chess" -- said after a gruelling six-and-a-half hour match with 80 moves. "I just got way too casual," the Norwegian added. Carlsen is seeking to cement his reputation as one of history's greatest players, while Caruana is the first American to compete in the championship since the legendary Bobby Fischer in 1972. Playing white, reigning world champion Carlsen narrowly avoided a defeat to his 26-year-old American challenger. A draw fetches half a point and a win one point. The first to get 6.5 points in the 12-game contest wins. Both players now have three points after six draws. The seventh game in the 12-match tournament will begin on Sunday. If the two are still level after 12 games, the title will be decided by a series of tiebreakers.
Shrubsole hat-trick helps England close on World T20 semis
Anya Shrubsole took a hat-trick as England thrashed South Africa by seven wickets in Saint Lucia to boost their hopes of reaching the Women's World Twenty20 semi-finals. Hosts and reigning champions West Indies could send themselves and England into the last four if they beat Sri Lanka later on Saturday. It was a must-win game for World Cup champions England after their opening game against Sri Lanka was washed out, but a tame effort with the bat from South Africa ensured the match was never a real contest. "Anya's bowled brilliantly for us, and to have so few runs to chase was nice," said England captain Heather Knight. The usually big-hitting Lizelle Lee crawled to a 26-ball 12 before being trapped by Natalie Sciver, who ended with incredible figures of three for four from four overs, as South Africa mustered a paltry 85 all out. Shrubsole, the star of England's thrilling World Cup final win over India last year, wrapped up the innings by becoming only the second woman from her ...
Loew says Germany must accept 'painful' Nations League relegation
Head coach Joachim Loew said that Germany must move past their "painful" relegation from the top tier of the inaugural Nations League. The Netherlands' 2-0 win over world champions France in Rotterdam ensured that the 2014 World Cup winners will slip into League B no matter the result of their clash with the Dutch in Gelsenkirchen on Monday. "For us, this result is obviously painful, but we must accept it," Loew said Friday. The Germans beat Russia 3-0 in a friendly on Thursday, with youngsters Leroy Sane, Niklas Suele and Serge Gnabry scoring the goals, and Loew insisted his side has a bright future. "Our eyes remain fixed on Euro 2020, for which we will qualify and where we want to send a strong team again," he added. "We will continue to make room for our young players and to gradually integrate them into the national team." Ronald Koeman's Netherlands will pip France to a Nations League semi-final spot with either a draw or a victory over Germany in three days' time, after having .
Cilic upbeat ahead of Davis Cup final
Marin Cilic said that playing against some of the top players in the world at the ATP Finals had given him a boost ahead of next week's Davis Cup final against France. The Croatian crashed out of the tournament at London's 02 Arena in the group stage, winning one of his three round-robin matches against John Isner. But the world number seven said he would approach the Davis Cup final, being held on clay courts in the northern French city of Lille, in good heart. "Just playing against top guys just maybe lifts your level a bit, focus-wise," he said Friday after his 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 defeat against world number one Novak Djokovic. "Playing-wise, you have to play every single point on a high level. I feel that might help me." Cilic, 30, will be joined by Borna Coric, ranked 12th in the world, as well as Franko Skugor, Mate Pavic and Ivan Dodig at the final, which takes place from November 23 to 25. It will be Croatia's third final after winning the 2005 title and losing in 2016 to ...
Thompson seizes three-shot lead in LPGA Tour Championship
Lexi Thompson fired a bogey-free five-under par 67 to grab a three-shot lead midway through the LPGA Tour Championship in Naples, Florida. Thompson, without a victory in 2018, capped her round with three straight birdies at Tiburon Golf Club Friday to pull away from overnight leader Amy Olson and fellow American Brittany Lincicome. Her 36-hole score of 12-under par 132 tied the tournament record set by Lydia Ko in 2016 and matched by Park Sung-hyun in 2017. Thompson is the only player without a bogey through 36 holes and is on the way to expunging the memory of a missed two-footer that cost her victory here last year. A victory would extend her streak to six consecutive LPGA seasons with at least one win. "I gave myself the birdie opportunities I wanted," said Thompson, who missed just one fairway and found all 18 greens in regulation. "Wish I would've made a few more, but definitely not complaining with the five-under round and the finish I had." Lincicome was atop the leaderboard ...
Bulgaria's Petkov becomes oldest European international goalkeeper
Bulgarian Georgi Petkov became the oldest European international goalkeeper when he started against Cyprus, BNT state television reported. Petkov, who is 42 years and eight months old, also became Bulgaria's oldest player in their Nations League match in Nicosia on Friday. BNT reported that he beat the record of former Liverpool goalkeeper Elisha Scott, who was aged 42 years and six months when he made his last appearance for Ireland in 1936. "Well, I take it as something normal. This is not something to be astonished with... I have said before that I am always ready to help Bulgaria," Petkov told BNT before the start of the game. Petkov, who was born in 1976, debuted for the Bulgarian national team in 1998 and last played for Bulgaria in a 2009 friendly against Switzerland. As goalkeeper of Slavia Sofia, he is also the oldest player in the Bulgarian League. Essam El Hadary was 45 years and 161 days old when he played for Egypt, and saved a penalty, against Saudi Arabia in June at ...
AIBA Boxing C'ship: Sarita Devi dedicates victory to people of Manipur
Former world champion Sarita Devi, who defeated Sandra Brugger of Switzerland in women's 60kg category at the ongoing International Boxing Association (AIBA) Women's World Boxing Championship, said she would like to dedicate her victory to the people of Manipur.Speaking to media after her victory, an elated Sarita said, "I would like to dedicate this victory to the people of Manipur, who contributed financially to pay the fine and help me come back into the ring after I was banned for one year in 2014."The boxer also took the opportunity to thank the government for the support and facilities being provided. "When I started off, there was no funding. However, once I was recognised publicly, I got a lot of support from the government and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), I would like to thank the government for this," she said.Acknowledging the pressure of performing in India, Sarita noted that while a pressure was built during the match, the constant crowd support helped keep her ...
Venezuela stymies Japan's winning streak
A late equaliser scored by midfielder Tomas Rincon secured a 1-1 tie for Venezuela against host Japan in a friendly football match on Friday, which ended the Asian team's winning streak.
Petrucci fastest in Valencia MotoGP's 2nd free practice
Danilo Petrucci of Italy (Alma Pramac Racing) on Friday set the pace in the second free practice for the Valencia Moto Grand Prix, however the Spaniard Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) is still the fastest in the overall standings after the two sessions.
PKL-6: Gujarat open home leg with handsome win over Bengal
Gujarat Fortunegiants got off to a flying start to their home leg as they crushed Bengal Warriors 35-23 in an inter-zonal clash of the Pro Kabaddi Season 6 at The Arena by Transtadia here on Friday.
Zverev sets up Federer last-four clash at ATP Finals
Alexander Zverev set up a last-four clash against Roger Federer in the ATP Finals after seeing off John Isner 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 on Friday while Novak Djokovic will take on Kevin Anderson. Zverev played American giant John Isner at London's O2 Arena knowing a win by any scoreline would take him through to the semi-finals of the season-ending tournament. The turning point in the round-robin match came at the end of the 12th game, when the 21-year-old German saved a set point on his own serve with an ace, going on to force a tie-break. The players swapped mini breaks but the giant Isner then faltered again on his own serve to hand the set to Zverev -- meaning he no longer had any chance to qualify for the last four. In the second set a single break of serve in the eighth game proved decisive as Zverev served out the match. "I am unbelievably happy to be through to the semi-finals," he told Sky Sports. "John is such a tough opponent. The last two matches for him against (Marin) Cilic and me .
Bumrah will be x-factor for Indian attack: Damien Fleming
Former Australian pacer Damien Fleming termed Jasprit Bumrah as the "x-factor" in the Indian bowling line-up which will take on Australia in the four-Test series, starting December 6. "He (Bumrah) is the real X-factor - 28 wickets in six Tests. I have seen him in the IPL. He has that unorthodox action, a stuttery run-up, a weird run-up but I think for batsmen you don't get a real good sight of the ball but he has got pace and bounce and has a great yorker that I think he will utilise particularly against the tail," Fleming was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald. "That's the factor they probably haven't had before - a pace battery that could unsettle tails. Just with that weird action, I have noticed he can swing the ball away from right handers now. He has actually upskilled himself as well." Fleming, who has played a lot of limited overs and a few Test matches against India, like most of the pundits agreed that India never had such a potent pace attack "That's as impressive a .
Wrestler Ravi in final of U-23 World Championship
Indian wrestler Ravi Kumar on Friday defeated Uzbekistan's Jahongirmirza Turobov to enter the finals of 57kg freestyle event at the Senior U-23 World Championship in Bucharest. According to information received, the Indian outwitted Turobov 10-8 in the semifinals and will face Japan's Toshihiro Hasegawa in the final on Saturday. Toshihiro defeated China's Wanhao Zou 5-2 in the another semi-final. In the quarterfinals, Ravi had outclassed Ukraine's Taras Markovych 12-4, while getting past Razvan Marian Kovacs of Romania in the round of 16.
Gujarat Fortunegiants beat Bengal Warriors 35-23
Gujarat Fortunegiants crushed Bengal Warriors 35-23 in Inter Zone Challenge Week of Pro Kabaddi League Season 6 here on Friday. K Prapanjan led the scoring charts for Gujarat as he scored 9 points and was ably supported by Ajay Kumar and Parvesh Bhainswal. Bengal Warriors were only in the match for the first 10 minutes but never recovered after being all out in the first half. Maninder Singh and Jang Kun Lee couldn't live up to their high standards as Bengal Warriors suffered a second consecutive defeat. Ajay and Maninder got a couple of raid points to get their teams going in the first five minutes. Prapanjan's two-point raid gave Gujarat 6-5 lead in the sixth minute. Both teams were jostling for points and refused to give an inch in what was a closely contested first half. Maninder Singh scored another raid point in the ninth minute to give Bengal Warriors 9-8 lead. In the 14th minute, Gujarat grabbed the advantage as they inflicted an all out to lead 14-11. At the half time, ...
Muzaffarnagar ITF Meet: Tereza to meet Kostic in final
Tereza Mihalikova of Slovakia will meet Serbian Natalija Kostic in the final of USD 25,000 Bhawna Swaroop Memorial ITF Women Tennis Tournament. In the semi-final on Friday, Tereza struggled past Nastja Kolar 4-6 7-6(2) 7-5 while Kostic easily defeated top seeded Japanese Hiroko Kuwata by 6-1 6-2 in straight sets. In the women's doubles, Japanese pair of Kyoka Okamura and Michika Ozeki beat the Indo-Russian pair of Anna Makhorkina andNatasha Palha 3-6 6-2 10-7. In the second semi-final played in the evening sessionthe pair of Tereza and Kostic lost to Alidila Sutjiadi of Indonesia andDan Ni Wang of China in2-6 4-6.
Indian pace attack's performance will be followed with lot of intrigue: Gilchrist
Indian pace attack has shown the ability to rip through batting line-up but its performance against Australia will be followed with a lot of intrigue, said former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. The current Indian pace attack is being considered as the best India have ever had as a group and Gilchrist feels that they have shown tremendous potential. "Hard to tell (how they will fare) as they haven't been here as a group and we have to find that out. That's going to be an intriguing part of the series. Because Australian pace bowling unit has proven they are exceptional in Australian conditions," Gilchrist told ESPN Cricinfo. "But I am really excited from an Indian point of view about that pace bowling unit and they have shown glimpses in England about their ability to rip through potential batting line-ups. They are fit, strong, aggressive young men so they have all virtues to take on Australia in Australia," Gilchrist stated. Gilchrist, one of the greatest keeper-batsman to ..