Page 959 - Sports

Constantine announces list of 30 probables for Jordan friendly

National football coach Stephen Constantine on Friday announced a list of 30 probables for India's forthcoming international friendly against Jordan to be held in Amman on November 17. This will be the first time the senior teams of the two countries will meet each other in an international friendly. As per the latest FIFA Rankings, India are currently ranked 97, while Jordan are at 112. Besides 14 U-23 players, who have been named in the list of 30, Constantine has also recalled three others -- goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharjya, defender Nishu Kumar and winger Jackichand Singh for the camp. The players will be assembling at the preparatory camp from November 11 in New Delhi. The final squad for the match will be announced later. "We expect to play our game and try to win. When we play against the likes of China and Jordan, you need to understand that we are facing good teams. We will have to build on our previous result," Constantine said. "Our main focus will be to stay in shape with

India are favourites to steamroll Oz without Smith, Warner: Thomson

Fast bowling great Jeff Thomson Friday said India are favourites to "steamroll" Australia in the Test series Down Under due to the absence of the experienced duo of Steve Smith and David Warner. Thomson, arguably the fastest bowler in Test cricket history, said the Australian batting looks ordinary in the absence of Smith and Warner, who both were handed 12-month bans for their involvement in the infamous ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town. "You (India) have a solid team, a very good fast bowling unit and you should win if you play hard in the upcoming series. There is no reason why you should not steamroll Australia which will be without Smith and Warner. Without these two, the Australian batting line-up is very average," said the 68-year-old Thomson. He was speaking during a discussion at the Ekamra Sports Literary Festival here on the topic 'The Death of Test Fast Bowler', which the organisers claimed as Asia's first such initiative. "You see the footwork of the Australians during

India coach Constantine announces 30 probables for Jordan football friendly

India football team head coach Stephen Constantine on Friday announced a list of 30 probables for Indias forthcoming friendly against Jordan.

I have to prove myself, I am ready: Sony Norde

Although he is not expected to start against Aizawl FC on Saturday, fit-again Sony Norde said he is ready to shine again for Mohun Bagan in the I-League but has to prove himself in a squad brimming with talent.

Shehzad's comeback delayed after PCB adds 6 weeks to his doping ban

Pakistani batsman Ahmed Shehzad's hopes of making a comeback next week have been dashed after the country's cricket board added six weeks to his four-month ban for failing a dope test. The four-month's ban under the anti-doping clauses was to end on November 10, which would have allowed Shehzad to resume his cricket career by appearing in the super eight stage of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. But the colourful opener got himself into trouble when he played nine friendly matches for his Lahore club, Muslim Gymkhana, during the period of his ban. The PCB said on Friday that although Shahzad has apologised for breaching the terms of his anti-doping ban and has also shown remorse but being a professional cricketer there is no excuse for him not being aware of rules and regulations. "Mindful that the instant decision will also serve as a constructive lesson to Ahmed Shahzad and other cricketers, that strict adherence to applicable rules and regulations is mandatory, a new period of ...

I quit so that I can focus on preparing Bajrang for Olympic gold: Yogeshwar

Yogeshwar Dutt says it was not a difficult decision to quit the mat since he did it for his favourite student Bajrang Punia, who he thinks can go on to become India's first wrestler to win an Olympic gold. Yogeshwar is only the third Indian wrestler to win an Olympic medal a bronze at the 2012 London Games after KD Jadhav and Sushil Kumar. In his successful career, Yogeshwar also won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in 2014. The Haryana wrestler, who is celebrating his 35th birthday today, said he is focused on preparing Bajrang for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "It's important that Bajrang is prepared and supported for an Olympic medal. He is good but can do much better. I can't compete in 2020, so it is better, we help Bajrang. He will be a strong medal contender for gold in Tokyo," Yogeshwar told PTI. "I had a good career. I played four Olympics. In our second line of wrestlers, Bajrang is doing well and can be better. So it's important to give him that chance

Combiphar Players Championship: Nitithorn eyes Asian Tour Order of Merit

Young Thai talent Nitithorn Thippong hopes to put up a strong show at the penultimate US$100,000 Combiphar Players Championship in his bid to inch closer to the top rankings of the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit.The 22-year-old Nitithorn trails Merit leader Miguel Carballo of Argentina by about US$9,103 in second place. He will get a chance to boost his ranking when he takes the centre stage at the New Kuta Golf in Bali from November 6 to 9.With Carballo opting not to play in the event which offers a winner's prize purse of US$17,500, Nitithorn will take aim at narrowing his gap on the money list.He had previously held the top spot for 13 weeks in a row after his maiden win in May. American duo Han Lee and Sam Gillis, as well as Itthipat Buranatanyarat of Thailand placed third, fourth and fifth respectively on the Order of Merit, also have a slight chance of overtaking the Merit lead should they emerge victorious in the event next week.They will be rubbing shoulders with .

World Weightlifting C'ship: Indians put up strong show

Two Indian lifters topped the tables in the 73 kg men's and 49 kg women's category at the 27th World Weightlifting Championship (WWC), here on Friday.Odisha's Jhili Dhalabehera lifted 174 kg to take the pole position in 49kg of group C, while, West Bengal's Achanta Sheuli lifted 301 kg to take numero uno spot in 73kg of Group D. Both the players had suffered a failure in snatch.Jhili had earlier won the bronze medal in the Junior World Championships in July, earlier this year. She became only the second female lifter after Saikhom Mirabai Chanu to win a medal in the Junior World Championships. Mirabai had completed the feat in 2013. The 19-year-old is the Asian Junior silver medallist in 48kg amassing 166 kg.Meanwhile, Sheuli had finished fifth at the Asian Junior Championships. Sheuli's performance will be of interest to chief coach Vijay Sharma as this is an Olympic category.The President of Turkmenistan also sent a congratulatory letter to all the participants of the World ...

Atletico Nacional win Copa Colombia, earn Libertadores spot

Daniel Bocanegra scored with a 91st-minute free kick as Atletico Nacional secured a berth in next year's Copa Libertadores by completing a 4-3 aggregate victory over Once Caldas in the Copa Colombia final.

Tottenham's Lamela earns Argentina recall

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Erik Lamela has been recalled to Argentina's national squad for friendlies against Mexico this month, the Argentine Football Association said.

Chahal reaches career high 8th in ICC rankings, Dhawan drops four places

India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal broke into the top-10 of the ICC rankings while Shikhar Dhawan dropped four places in the batsmen standings following a lean home series against the West Indies. India captain Virat Kohli completed 10,000 ODI runs on his way to a series aggregate of 453 runs and has consolidated his position as the top-ranked batsman. He earned 15 points, which has lifted him to 899 points, 28 ahead of second-ranked team-mate Rohit Sharma, who has collected 29 points following his series total of 389 runs. His points tally of 871 is his highest to-date. Dhawan, who failed to register a half century in the five innings against the West Indies, has slipped four places to be ninth. In the bowlers' table, Chahal, Akila Dananjaya and Ravindra Jadeja have made big impacts, while number-one-ranked Jasprit Bumrah has achieved a career-high 841 rating points, which is the highest in ODI bowling since Shaun Pollock had 894 points in 2008. Bumrah leads third-ranked Kuldeep ...

Kromah stands in way of Bagan's first win of season

Former striker Ansumana Kromah will stand in the way of Mohun Bagan's maiden win of the season when the Kolkata giants take on Aizawl FC in the I-League match here Saturday. Once a vital cog in the Mariners attack, the Liberian became out of favour with the Shankarlal Chakraborty side because of his 'bad influence' on the team. Donning the Peerless SC colours, Kromah headlined the recently-concluded Calcutta Football League by becoming the top-scorer with 11 goals that helped his side finish runner-up. Kromah also scored a stoppage time goal to deny Mohun Bagan a victory and followed it up with a muted celebration. The 26-year-old playmaker will again look to prove a point against his former team. Mohun Bagan, who are playing their first home game of the season, will eye victory with the crowd behind them. They were held to 1-1 draw by Gokulam FC. Aizawl FC, on the other hand, have lost their first encounter of the season against Shillong Lajong FC 1-2 in a match Kromah scored from a .

I-League: Mohun Bagan eye first win against Aizawl at home (Preview)

City football giants Mohun Bagan will aim to record their first win when they take on Aizawl FC in an I-League encounter at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Friday.

Almeria battle to hold Villarreal 3-3 in Copa del Rey clash

UD Almeria and Villarreal drew 3-3 in a Copa del Rey match that saw five goals in the final 25 minutes, setting the stage for high drama in next month's second leg of the round of 32 tie.

ICC Women's T20 WC: WCI rope in Richards as Ambassador

West Indies cricket legend Sir Vivan Richards was roped in by Cricket West Indies (CWI) for its Ambassadors' programme ahead of International Cricket Council's (ICC) Women's World T20, on Thursday.The 66-year-old former Windies skipper is the fourth person to become a CWI ambassador. The others include Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sir Andy Roberts and Daren Sammy. They will promote the women's marquee tournament to be played in Antigua, Guyana and St Lucia from November 9 to November 24.Richards, who was ecstatic on his inclusion, said, "I am truly honoured to be an Ambassador and play my part in supporting the women's game. This is a huge event to have come to our shores. I am doing this on behalf of Antigua & Barbuda and Cricket West Indies and all the stakeholders involved in women's cricket."While exuding confidence in the Windies women's side, Richards stated, "I really like the way our West Indies team is looking. We have the power of Deandra Dottin, the class of Hayley Matthews .

Dhoni paved way for Pant in T20Is: Kohli

Indian captain Virat Kohli has backed former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, after the wicket-keeper's omission from the T20I squad against Windies and Australia. Kohli stressed that he (Dhoni) has been dropped to make a slot for Delhi swashbuckling batsman Rishabh Pant.Dhoni, who is going through a lean patch in his career, was dropped from the squad by MSK Prasad-led selection panel for the T20Is against West Indies and Australia. Pant was picked up in his stead and Dinesh Karthik has been included as a back-up.Kohli while speaking at the post-match conference of the final ODI against Windies stressed that Dhoni is still an integral part of the ODI team. "He's still a very integral part of this team and he just feels that in the T20 format, someone like Rishabh can get more chances," ICC.com quoted Kohli saying.Kohli while supporting Dhoni, stated, "He anyway plays the ODIs for us regularly, so, from that point of view, he's only trying to help the youngsters; nothing that anything ...

Cadiz beat Espanyol in Copa del Rey clash

Cadiz prevailed 2-1 over Espanyol in the first leg of their Copa del Rey round of 32 tie.

Symonds says 'monkeygate' triggered his slide in international cricket

Former Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds says the 'monkeygate' incident during the home series against India in 2008 triggered his downfall in international cricket and even led to bouts of "binge drinking". Symonds accused Harbhajan Singh of calling him a 'monkey' in the Sydney Test, a claim that the Indian spinner denied. The infamous incident led to Harbhajan being banned for three games but it was overturned after the Indian team threatened to pull out of the tour. The 43-year-old recalled how the entire episode affected him. "From that moment on that was my downhill slide. I started to drink heavily as a result of it and my life was starting to dissolve around me," Symonds told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "I felt the pressure and the weight of dragging those mates of mine into the cauldron of this cesspit that should never have got to this sort of point where we felt guilty. "I was dealing with it the wrong way. I felt guilty that I'd dragged my mates (teammates)

Bolt leaves Australian club after trial period ends

Retired sprint world record holder and eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica has ended his trial with the Central Coast Mariners, the Australian football club announced on Friday.

Chennaiyin FC eye first win of season against Mumbai City

Defending champions Chennaiyin FC will look to notch up their first win of the season when they lock horns with Mumbai City FC in their Indian Super League match here Saturday. CFC have made the worst possible start to their title defence losing four of their five games. They lie ninth in the points table with the solitary point coming from a 0-0 draw against Delhi Dynamos. Defensive lapses by the reining champions has seen them lose at home, much to the chagrin of fans and coach John Gregory will look to plug the holes in the misfiring backline. The absence of defensive midfielder Dhanapal Ganesh, owing to injury, has hurt the team's plans and the move to try Inigo Calderon hasn't paid off. For a side known to have a strong defensive unit, CFC has already conceded 10 goals this season and Gregory would certainly be looking to repair his side's defensive lapses. Carlos Salom, who scored against ATK, has been preferred to an off-colour Jeje Lalpekhlua in recent games. Wingers Thoi ...