Page 945 - Sports
Herath gets 100th Galle scalp as England struggle
Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath, the most successful left-arm spinner in history, claimed his 100th scalp at Galle on Tuesday in his farewell match as England struggled 113 for 5 at lunch in the first Test. Only two other bowlers have achieved 100 wickets at the same ground -- Herath's compatriot Muttiah Muralitharan who achieved it at Galle, Kandy and SSC Colombo, and England paceman James Anderson at Lord's. Herath notched up the milestone with none other than England captain Joe Root, who came down the wicket and missed after a breezy 35. Root had steadied England after the visitors found themselves 10 for 2 after debutant opener Rory Burns was caught behind off Surange Lakmal for nine and Moeen Ali was bowled next ball. Surrey left-hander Burns had been given the tough task of replacing stalwart Alastair Cook following his retirement in September. After Root, Dilruwan Perera skittled Keaton Jennings four short of his 50 before bowling Ben Stokes around his legs for seven as he ...
Buffon says Champions League return against Napoli like electric shock
Italian goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon said that making his European debut for new club Paris Saint-Germain at home in Italy against Napoli was like an electric shock for him. "I know the San Paolo Stadium very well and above all I know the feeling that there is between the team and its fans," said the 40-year-old former World Cup winner ahead of Tuesday's game. "Being able to return to the Champions League after my disqualification in a match so important in Italy and Naples is something that inevitably gives some major shocks. "It's very emotional! If I chose to continue to play at 40 years it's because football generates emotions like nothing else. "I'm really lucky to be able to return in Italy, against Naples, in a Champions League match." Buffon was suspended for PSG's opening three European games for his behaviour and comments towards the referee during Juventus' quarter-final loss to Real Madrid last April. Napoli and PSG played out a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Paris, ..
US Olympic to dissolve USA Gymnastics
The United States Olympic Committee said it had begun moves to disband the country's governing body for gymnastics in the aftermath of the sport's devastating sexual abuse scandal, a statement said. USOC chief executive Sarah Hirshland on Monday said in a statement Olympic chiefs had started proceedings to revoke USA Gymnastics' status as the official governing body for the sport in the United States. In an open letter addressed to US gymnasts, Hirshland said USA Gymnastics had failed to "change its culture, to rebuild its leadership, and to effectively serve its membership." "You deserve better," Hirshland told gymnasts in the letter. The USOC bombshell comes after a series of humiliating body blows to USA Gymnastics, which has lurched from one self-inflicted crisis to the next as it struggles to rebuild in the aftermath of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal. Former US team doctor Nassar was jailed for life earlier this year after abusing more than 250 athletes, including several .
Paris Saint-Germain challenges UEFA in court
Paris Saint-Germain has challenged UEFA in court after a club finance panel reopened its investigation into the French champion, and can assess transfer deals for superstar forwards Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said on Monday the appeal case is confidential at the request of PSG and UEFA and gave no further details. Qatar-owned PSG has long been a target of UEFA rules designed to curb so-called financial doping by wealthy backers of clubs which qualify for the Champions League or Europa League. The Financial Fair Play program requires clubs to approach break-even on soccer-related business, such as player trading and wages, and also assesses the fair market value of sponsorship deals. PSG forfeited 20 million euros (USD 22.8 million) of Champions League prize money in a 2014 settlement. Then, Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City got the same deal from UEFA in signature cases from the first round of FFP sanctions. Details of tough 2014 negotiations between ...
Fernandinho the glue binding surging Man City together
Among a dazzling array of midfield options, it is the often unheralded Fernandinho who Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has relied on most in another stunning start to the season for the Premier League champions. The Brazilian will face old club Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday as City seek to make amends from the only blip of their campaign so far, a shock 2-1 defeat to Lyon in their last Champions League home game. If any reminder was needed over Guardiola's influence, he was banned from the touchline that night. Since his return, City have won nine and drawn one, a 0-0 stalemate away to Liverpool, of their last 10 games, scoring 29 goals and conceding just two in the process. Although fulsome in his praise of the maturing centre-back pairing Aymeric Laporte and John Stones, Guardiola's defensive philosophy is dependent on a team effort to keep the ball as far away from City's goal as possible. "Always we try to convince our players as far away the ball is from our goal, we are ...
Embattled Bayern hunt Thiago replacement
Bayern Munich are struggling to fill the creative hole left by Thiago Alcantara's injury as they host AEK in the Champions League on Wednesday trying to secure a last 16 berth with trouble brewing for head coach Niko Kovac. Bayern can reach the knockout stages if they beat the Greek champions AEK at Munich's Allianz Arena and Benfica lose at Ajax in the other Group E match. However, Bayern have been struggling for creativity since Thiago tore ankle ligaments ten days ago and Joshua Kimmich, usually a right-back, has struggled to replace him in the central midfield role. Kimmich lost 14 of his 16 challenges for the ball and several passes went astray in Saturday's lethargic 1-1 draw against Freiburg, which left Bayern third in the league table, four points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund. Kovac has other central midfield options to replace Thiago against AEK in James Rodriguez, Renato Sanches or Leon Goretzka. However, bigger problems are brewing off the pitch with pundits warning ...
Sanchez gives Man United options at Juventus
Alexis Sanchez has endured a torrid start to his Manchester United career but hinted at better things to come with an impressive display in a central role ahead of the Champions League match against Juventus. The injured Romelu Lukaku missed the 2-1 win at Bournemouth on Saturday and Marcus Rashford started on the bench as Jose Mourinho opted for a three-man forward line, with Anthony Martial and Juan Mata deployed either side of Sanchez. The former Arsenal man was instrumental in United's first-half equaliser, setting up Martial, and will be disappointed to have been substituted towards the end of the game. The match, won by substitute Rashford in injury time, was a rare high point for the Chile international, who has struggled to find his feet since arriving at Old Trafford in January -- it was his first league start since September 22. Following the much-needed win against Bournemouth, Mourinho praised Sanchez and spelt out his preferred system, saying he did not need a traditional
Bale under scrutiny again as Madrid feel the love for Vinicius
"Bale es fantastico", Real Madrid's interim coach Santiago Solari said, but still took him off in the 71st minute against Real Valladolid on Saturday. Madrid were drifting towards a 0-0 draw at their Santiago Bernabeu home and, searching for inspiration, it was Bale's number 11 that came up. He departed to whistles from the fans even if Solari, perhaps deliberately, spared him being being replaced directly by Vinicius Junior. Nevertheless, the 18-year-old came on two minutes later and made the difference, his shot deflecting in to give Madrid the lead. "Another day, Gareth will score," Solari said. "And everyone will celebrate." But those quickest to criticise Bale are circling again ahead of the trip to Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League on Wednesday. Support for Vinicius has been intense and Bale is seen as the one standing in the way. "Vinicius puts Bale in trouble," read the frontpage of AS on Monday. One week into his still-temporary tenure at Real, Solari is confronting the .
Nadal confirms absence from ATP finals after ankle operation
Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has confirmed he will miss the ATP finals in London and not play again this season after undergoing an operation on his right ankle in Barcelona.
Lucknow cricket stadium renamed after Atal Bihari Vajpayee
The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday rechristened the newly-built Ekana International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow in honour of former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.The proposal to rename the stadium was approved by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik. The official name of the cricket ground, which is set to host the second T20I of the ongoing three-match series between India and West Indies today, is now 'Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Cricket Stadium'.According to a state government notice issued by Housing and Urban Planning Department Principal Secretary Nitin Ramesh Gokarn, it read, "As per the Article 17.5.1 of the concession agreement between Lucknow Development Authority (LDA), Ekana Sportz City Pvt Ltd and GC Constructions and Development Industries Pvt Ltd, the Governor has accepted the proposal to change the name of the international cricket stadium to Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Cricket Stadium situated in Sector 7 of Gomti Nagar
World Junior Badminton C'ships: India beat Lanka in opener
The Indian shuttlers made a positive start to their campaign at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships, beating Sri Lanka 3-0 in their opening tie of the mixed team event here on Monday.In their Group E match, the Indians took just 83 minutes to dispose of their opponents as the men double's pair of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Dhruv Kapila combined well to beat the Sri Lankan duo of Chirath Illepuerumachchi and Gavin Dulsith Moragoda 21-11, 21-10 in just 27 minutes.However, it was a bit of struggle in the women single's event as Malvika Bansod was stretched by her rival from the island nation, Dilmi Dias, who started well to take the first game off the Indian.But then Malvika came back strongly in the second to level the score before finally wrapping it up in the next to clinch a 14-21, 21-11, 21-16 win in 39 minutes to put India 2-0 up.It was a bit of a shock start for Malvika as nothing initially went right for the shuttler with Dilmi mixing her shots cleverly to put the Indian .
AIBA Women's World Championships registers highest-ever participation
Close to 300 boxers from 70 countries are set to participate in the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) Women's World Championships, registering the highest participation for the competition so far.Boxers from 16 countries including Germany, USA, England, Ukraine, Panama, Australia, Thailand, Bulgaria, Somalia have already arrived in Delhi to get acclimatized to the Indian conditions, with the remainder of the participants set to arrive in the coming days.The tournament will be held from November 15 to 24.Among the boxers that will be most watched apart from India's Mary Kom, who is seeking her sixth world champion title, include Italy's Alessia Mesiano, who will be the standout woman in feather weight category.The Italian will look to repeat her gold medal-winning performance in the 2016 edition of the tournament once again.Kazakhstan's Nazyum Kyzaiba, with a gold medal in the 2016 championships, will give a good fight to retain it as she will take to the ring in the 51Kg ...
India beat Sri Lanka in World Junior Badminton
Indian shuttlers made a positive start to their campaign in the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships which got underway here Monday, beating Sri Lanka 3-0 in their opening tie of the mixed team event. In their Group E match, the Indians took just 83 minutes to dispose of their opponents as the men doubles pair of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Dhruv Kapila combined to beat the Sri Lankan duo of Chirath Illepuerumachchi and Gavin Dulsith Moragoda 21-11, 21-10 in just 27 minutes. However, it was a bit of struggle in the women singles as Malvika Bansod was stretched by her rival from the island nation, Dilmi Dias, who started well to take the first game. But then, Malvika came back strongly in the second to level the score before finally wrapping it up in the next to win 14-21, 21-11, 21-16 in 39 minutes to put India 2-0 up. It was a bit of a shock start for Malvika as nothing initially went right for the shuttler with Dilmi mixing her shots cleverly to put the Indian in some ...
Nadal confirms season finished due to injury
Rafael Nadal confirmed on Monday he will miss the ATP Finals in London this month and that his season is over due to injury. Nadal said he needed an operation on his right ankle and is also yet to recover from the abdominal problem that kept him out of the Paris Masters last week. It means Novak Djokovic is guaranteed to end the year top of the world rankings while John Isner, the world number 10, comes into the field for the ATP Finals on Sunday. "I am writing to you to signal the end of the season," Nadal said. "It has been a complicated year, very good in terms of tennis when I was able to play and very bad in terms of injuries." The 32-year-old won a record-extending 11th French Open title in June and reached the semi-finals both at Wimbledon and the US Open. He was forced to retire mid-way through his US Open semi-final with Juan Martin Del Potro in September due to pain in his right knee and has not been able to play a competitive match since. "I have done everything possible to
Djokovic top of the world after completing remarkable turnaround
Novak Djokovic's return to the world number one spot, just five months after slumping to his lowest ranking in 12 years, leaves little doubt that he is one of the sport's greats. The Serb is back on the top of the pile for the first time in two years, at the end of a roller-coaster season for the 14-time major winner. Djokovic, 31, underwent elbow surgery in January and slipped to 22nd in the world after a depressing quarter-final exit at Roland Garros in June, which left him briefly threatening to skip Wimbledon. But he regrouped, romped to a fourth Wimbledon title the following month, a 32nd Masters in Cincinnati and then a third triumph at the US Open in September. Despite his loss in the final of the Paris Masters to Karen Khachanov on Sunday -- which ended a 22-match win streak -- his record since the start of Wimbledon stands at 31-2. "Reflecting on what I've been through in the last year, it's quite a phenomenal achievement," said Djokovic, who has knocked Rafael Nadal from the
14 junior national records created in Athletics Nationals
As many as 14 junior national records and 24 meet marks were created in the four-day 34th Junior Athletics Championships which concluded at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium here on Monday. Avantika Narale of Maharashtra set a new meet record in the U-16 girls 200m sprint on the final day on Monday. Narale, a 15-year-old from Pune, ran past the rest of her field to claim gold with an impressive time of 24.96 seconds. Jeevanji Deepthi of Telengana was second in 25.09 seconds. Up and coming 14-year-old Shaili Srivastava claimed the bronze medal for Uttar Pradesh with a time of 25.60 seconds. Narale was no stranger to the track, having won a gold medal in the 100m sprint at the Khelo India School Games earlier this year. In Ranchi, Narale shaved 0.02 seconds off the previous meet record of 24.98 seconds set by Asian Games silver medalist Dutee Chand nine years ago at the Warrangal edition of the Junior National Championships in 2009. Another sprint meet record was set by Nisar Ahmed of ..
Bengaluru FC beat Kerala Blasters in ISL tie
Bengaluru FC kept their perfect record against Kerala Blasters FC intact in the Indian Super League (ISL) with a 2-1 win at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Monday.
UP renames venue hosting India-Windies T20I after Vajpayee
Ahead of the first-ever international cricket match in the state capital -- the T20 International between India and West Indies on Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh government on Monday rechristened the Ekana International Cricket Stadium as "Bharat Ratan Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Cricket Stadium", an official said.
Bengaluru maintain perfect away record
Bengaluru FC kept their all-win record against Kerala Blasters FC intact in the Indian Super League football with a 2-1 win here on Monday. Captain Sunil Chhetri opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a neat finish past Naveen Kumar. Kerala equalised from a spot-kick by Slavisa Stojanovic in the 30th minute but an own goal by Nikola Krcmarevic in the 80th minute settled the tie in favour of the visitors. The win meant Bengaluru FC have now won all three of their away matches on the trot to maintain a perfect record. They have also recorded wins in all the three matches they have played against Kerala Blasters in the ISL till now. The home side could have earned an early lead had C K Vineeth kept his shot on target from Prasanth Karuthadathkuni's low cross from the right. The forward sneaked into the box from the right but sent his effort over the bar. Erik Paartalu had the goal at his mercy at the other end minutes later. Dimas Delgado's delivery from a free-kick was headed by ...
India bag 4 medals in Asian Air Rifle Shooting Championship
India clinched four medals - three silver and a bronze - on the second day of the 11th Asian Air Rifle Shooting Championship here, on Monday.India's Divyansh Singh Panwar secured an individual silver medal in 10m Air Rifle men junior event, while Elavenil Valarivan settled for the bronze medal in 10m Air Rifle women junior event.Meanwhile, men's junior team comprising Hriday Hazarika, Arjun Babuta and Divyansh Singh Panwar clinched the team silver medal logging cumulative scores of 626.2, 622.9 and 619.2 respectively in the qualification round.After scoring 104.9, Panwar succeeded into the second stage of the finals. He started the medal round with some consistent shots scoring an average of around 10.5 but had to settle for the second position due to unlucky last two shots of 10.3 and 10.4. The gold went to Yuefeng Wang of China who registered 252.3 while the bronze was bagged by his compatriot Xiangyu Tian.Valarivan, in women's junior event, scored 104.9 to qualify for the ...