Page 98 - Sports
IOA cannot take unilateral decision to pull out of 2022 CWG, must consult govt: Rijiju
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju Tuesday said the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) cannot take a unilateral decision about pulling out of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games following the omission of shooting from the event's roster. Last week, the Commonwealth Games Federation left out shooting from the 2022 Birmingham Games in its Executive Board meeting while recommending the inclusion of three new sports. The decision is a big blow to India which had won as many as 16 shooting medals out of a total haul off 66 in the 2018 Gold Coast CWG and the IOA said it is mulling to withdraw from the 2022 event. However, Rijiju said his ministry will discuss the issue in details with the shooting federation (NRAI) and IOA before taking a decision. "I haven't discussed with the shooting federation. Officially I don't know about their position. If you have to boycott, you have to ask the government because these decisions are not to be taken unilaterally, it has to be done through proper ...
Will provide all the support for Olympic qualifiers, Rijiju assures women's hockey team
Newly appointed sports minister Kiren Rijiju Tuesday interacted with the recently crowned women's hockey team members and assured that the government will provide all the support required for the Olympic qualification. The Indian women's hockey team had outplayed hosts Japan 3-1 to clinch the FIH Women's Series Finals on Sunday. The world number nine Indian team will now compete at the the FIH Olympic Qualifiers to be held later this year. The 14-team tournament will be a bilateral two-match series, from where the winners of each of the seven matches will qualify for the Olympics. "The Indian women's hockey team has played very well, and made us proud. The ministry will extend all support to players, both individually and as a team. I will visit their training center in Bengaluru to meet their coaches and discuss the requirements of the team. India has a good chance of qualifying for the Olympics and winning a medal in hockey," Rijiju said. India remained unbeaten throughout their ...
Nadal says Wimbledon seeding system disrespects world rankings
Rafael Nadal has complained about Wimbledon's seeding system after the Spaniard was placed at number three, behind Roger Federer, for next week's grand slam in London. The other three major tournaments all match their seeding to the official world rankings but Wimbledon uses its own formula to dictate the order, combining ranking points with form in grass-court competitions. It means Nadal will be seeded three and Federer two at the All England Club this year, despite their positions being the reverse in the rankings list. "Wimbledon is the only tournament of the year that does it like this," Nadal told Spanish television channel Movistar on Monday night. "Obviously it would be better to be two than three but if they think I have to be three I will accept three and fight to win the matches I have to win. "Having said that, the only thing that doesn't seem right about this issue is that it is only Wimbledon that does it. If they all did it, it would seem more correct. "It's not only ...
Brian Lara hospitalised after complaint of chest pain
Former West Indies cricketer Brian Lara was hospitalised on Tuesday and underwent angiography after he complained of chest pain.The cricketer has been admitted to Global Hospital in Parel and the hospital will be releasing a statement on his health later in the day.According to media reports, doctors at the hospital performed angiography of Lara but did not go for angioplasty as they did not see any risk in angiography report.The cricketer is currently in Mumbai for doing commentary for Star Sports for the ongoing World Cup.Lara is viewed as the greatest batsman to play for West Indies. He currently holds the record for the highest individual Test match score. He had scored 400 runs against England in 2004.He also has the highest individual score in first-class cricket as he scored 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994. Lara has 11,953 runs to his name in the Test format and 10,405 runs in the ODI format.
CWC'19: Warner has a warning for England spectators
Ahead of England-Australia clash in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, Shane Warne has urged England fans to not jeer David Warner and Steve Smith as it could motivate the Australian duo into playing better."Lastly, re the fans at Lords & booing Smith and Warner. I don't like any players being booed in any sport, but if the fans who pay their $$ want to, then they are entitled too - go for it. But do it at your own peril as I know this will not effect them - but could inspire !!!!!!," wrote Warne, the former Australian spinner, on Twitter.Smith and Warner made their comeback in the Australian team after serving their year-long ban, which was handed out to them for their involvement in the ball tampering scandal last year.The English cricket fans booed Smith and Warner at many occasion during the premier tournament. However, it did not thwart their performance as the duo displayed impeccable performances during the quadrennial tournament.Moreover, Warner is the second highest ...
Summer of 83: An identity for some even after 36 years
They remember most of the things, may forget a few just like senior citizens tend to but then comes June 25 and they are all back in that Lord's balcony. They are 'Kapil's Devils', who brought a nation to a standstill on a Saturday night, which remained young forever. Thirty six summers have gone by and Kapil Dev's toothy grin with the Prudential Cup remains the most defining moment in Indian cricket. It refuses to fade away. On TV, one gets to watch it every four years. On YouTube, one can indulge in repeat telecast in a loop. If that balmy evening in Lord's wouldn't have been there, India can't be sure if it would have had that 'starry starry' April night at Wankhede 28 summers later. A Sunil Gavaskar was needed for a Sachin Tendulkar, without a Kapil Dev, there possibly wouldn't have been a Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Krishnamachari Srikkanth possibly was a mini prototype of a player called Virender Sehwag. A generation took to cricket and made it their passion because of that ...
Copa America: Japan plays draw with Ecuador 1-1
Japan played a 1-1 draw against Ecuador in their last match of Group C in Copa America on Monday.Japan started scoring early in the game. Shoya Nakajima scored the opening goal in the 15th minute of the first half, giving his team a lead of 1-0.But the team could not sustain their lead for long, as Ecuador's Angel Mena scored the equaliser in the 35th minute.Ecuador came back stronger in the second half and searched for scoring opportunities but could able to fire a second goal.Both Japan and Ecuador looked for a win but ended up playing out a draw that suited neither team as they bid to reach the quarter-finals.Japan, playing as a guest nation in the tournament, were not able to register a single win.
England opt to field against Australia
England won the toss and opted to field against Australia in their World Cup clash here on Tuesday. Australia made two changes in their playing eleven, bring in Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Lyon in place of Nathan Coulter-Nile and Adam Zampa. England did not make any changes to the team that lost to Sri Lanka. Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch(captain), Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Jason Behrendorff. England: James Vince, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(captain), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood.
Jason Roy absence is biggest loss for England: Brad Hogg
Ahead of England's clash against Australia, former Australia spinner Brad Hogg said that the hosts are going to face a major setback due to the absence of their destructive batsman Jason Roy in the match."I think the biggest loss here is Jason Roy. He is explosive, got a high run rate, gets big scores on the board and he gets England off to a good start 75 per cent of the time and they are missing that and the middle order is struggling because of that," Hogg said in a video he shared on his Twitter.Roy displayed an astounding performance in the tournament when he smashed 153 runs during his team's match against Bangladesh. However, on June 14, Roy suffered a hamstring tear during the match against the West Indies.England, who atop the ICC ODI team rankings, faced a 20-run defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka on June 21 after they failed to chase down a modest total of 232 runs. Hogg feels that England is struggling to chase targets and the loss against Sri Lanka will affect them ...
Copa America: Uruguay defeat Chile 1-0, finish on top in group C
Uruguay defeated Chile 1-0 in their last game to finish on top in group C in Copa America on Monday.Edinson Cavani's late header snatched the top spot from Chile as he directed Jonathan Rodriguez's cross into a net and scored in the 82nd minute of the game.Chile held more possession in the opening 45 minutes, as Charles Aranguiz and Alexis Sanchez forced Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera into diving saves.With Monday's match, Uruguay became the first nation to play 200 Copa America matches.Both teams have qualified for the quarter-finals. Chile will face Colombia on June 29, while Uruguay will play against Peru in Salvador on June 30.
Won't ask for exemption from Worlds trials: Bajrang
His dominance is undisputed in the 65kg at the global level but Bajrang Punia, focussed on shoring up his leg defence, would not ask for an exemption from the World Championship trials next month. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is expected to organise the trials for the Worlds in the last week of July. In the last 10 international tournaments, Bajrang has lost just one bout -- the World Championship final (2018) -- where Japan's Takuto Otoguro bothered him with leg attacks throughout. The only other bout (invitational) Bajrang lost was at the iconic Madison Square, to the local grappler Yianni Diakomihalis. The world number one in 65kg, Bajrang is aiming to seal an Olympic berth with a medal at the World Championship, scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan in September. Asked how he has not been able to master the leg defence as yet, the 25-year-old said it's due to 'old habits.' "Old habits die hard. I grew up competing on mud, where you mostly stand and compete. But on the mat,
Australia ready to face 'ultra-aggressive' England
As ashes rivals, Australia and England, are going to lock their horns in the World Cup, Australia skipper Aaron Finch said that they are fully prepared to compete against 'ultra-aggressive' hosts."If you look at their trend, they tend to bounce back and go ultra-aggressive as well. We are ready for that, we are expecting them to come ultra-hard, which is being one of their main traits over the last couple of years," Finch said in a video shared by ICC.Australia has won five out of six matches in the premier tournament and is placed on the second position in the points table.Finch denied changing their game plan according to their competitors and said that they are going to focus on what they have already been doing."We are focusing on what we are doing well and what we can improve in our game," he said.The game does hold an extra ecstasy among cricket fans but Finch revealed that it is just another game for them in the tournament and they will aim to add another two points to their ...
Shakib is a legend, says Bangladesh spin coach
Bangladesh's spin bowling coach Sunil Joshi was in awe of star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan's phenemonal run in the World Cup and described him as a "legend" of the game. Shakib scored 51 off 69 balls to help Bangladesh post a competitive total of 262/7 and then took five for 29 to hand Afghanistan a 62-run defeat here on Monday. Joshi expressed satisfaction at the way the spin trio of Shakib, Mehidy Hasan and Mossadek Hossain bowled to the Afghan batsmen. "As a spin coach you cannot ask for more," said Joshi, who has played 15 Test and 69 ODIs for India between 1996 to 2001. "Shakib is a legend, no doubt. It is a source of great pride that we have a player like that in the Bangladesh side. He is Mr Consistent for us be it with the bat, the ball or in the field. "He has really focused on his fitness and lost between five and seven kilos recently. You can see how that has paid off with his running between the wickets, you can see the hunger in his cricket. His presence is really helping
Rejuvenated Pakistan faces battle of survival against rampaging New Zealand
Their campaign revived by a win over South Africa, Pakistan will continue their battle of survival when they face an unstoppable New Zealand in a must-win World Cup clash here Wednesday. Pakistan faced severe criticism after their loss to arch-rivals India but their 49-run win over South Africa breathed life into their campaign but the road ahead is a tough one. With just two wins and three losses, Pakistan are at the seventh spot with five points in six games. Sarfaraz Ahmed and his men will now not only have to win the remaining three matches, starting with New Zealand, but also hope that the results in other matches favour them to salvage any hopes of a semifinal berth. While pacer Mohammad Amir has been their biggest star, claiming 15 wickets to top the list, none of the other bowlers have backed him, which has affected their campaign. Their batting line-up too lacked spark before left-handed batsman Haris Sohail, who was dropped after the opening game, made a strong comeback with
CWC'19: Key players to watch out in England-Australia clash
Arch-rivals England and Australia will lock horns in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup at Lord's on Tuesday.Host England lost their last match to low-ranked Sri Lanka and are now placed in the fourth position with eight points. They have won four games and lost two. England have never lifted the World Cup.England are yet to bag a semi-final spot. After Australia, they will face India and New Zealand which have not lost any game in the tournament so far.On the other hand, defending champion Australia stands at the second position with ten points. They have only lost to India in their World Cup campaign.Here are the key players to watch out in the England-Australia match:David Warner: He has returned to the Australia team after a year's ban for involvement in a ball-tampering scandal. Warner was the leading run-scorer in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) with 692 runs in 12 innings. In the six World Cup matches the Australian team has played so far, Warner has ...
Philippe Coutinho uncertain about future
Amid all the speculation regarding Barcelona exit, attacker Philippe Coutinho said he does not know anything about his future."I have a contract with Barcelona, it was always my will to succeed in this club, but now I am totally concentrated here [with Brazil] and about the future [with Barca] we do not know what will happen. Many things that come out in the media are simply not true but as for my future we do not know what is going to happen, that is the truth," Goal.com quoted Coutinho as saying.Coutinho scored just five La Liga goals in his 34 appearances. Reflecting on his performance, the 27-year-old said: "Honestly, it wasn't a good season. It didn't produce what I wanted, it didn't go as I hoped."However, Coutinho wants his substandard performances serves as an example so that he can succeed in the future."But I hope it serves me as an example, as a lesson so that I want more, concentrate even more to be able to succeed," he said.The Brazilian international is currently playing
Bangladesh 'capable enough' to beat India: Shakib Al Hasan
After securing a massive 62-run victory against Afghanistan, Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Ahsan stated that they are 'capable enough' to beat India, their upcoming opponents in the ongoing World Cup."We have a very important game coming up against India, they are the top side and they are someone who is looking at the title. It is not going to be easy but we will give our best shot. We have to play our best cricket to beat India, they have got world-class players who can take the matches on their own hands. We have to at our best and I believe we are capable enough team," Shakib Al Hasan said in a video posted by ICC.Shakib displayed a scintillating performance during Bangladesh's victory over Afghanistan on Monday as he scored 51 runs with the bat and took five wickets during his 10 overs spell.Shakib said that they managed to implement their plans properly as they wanted to post more than 240 runs on the board."We thought we had enough runs on the board. It was not a wicket ...
Bangladesh are capable enough to beat India, we'll have to give our best: Shakib
Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan believes Bangladesh have the wherewithal to create an upset against India but they will need to produce their absolute best to outwit the title favourites and keep their World Cup semifinal hopes alive. Shakib produced a brilliant allround display, scoring a fifty and returning with a five-wicket haul as Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 62 runs here on Monday to grab the fifth spot in the points table. Bangladesh will need to beat India (July 2) and Pakistan (July 5) in their final two group matches to salvage any hopes of a knockout stage. "India are the top side, someone who is looking at the title, it is not going to be easy but we will give it our best shot," Shakib told reporters. "Experience will help, we have to play our best cricket to be able to beat India. They have got world-class players who can take the match in their own hands. We have to be at our best but I believe we are a capable enough team." Bangladesh's spin bowling coach Sunil Joshi
Naib feels poor fielding took match away from them against Bangladesh
Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib believes that it was their sluggish fielding which thwarted them from winning their first game in the ongoing World Cup.Afghanistan, on Monday, faced a 62-run defeat at the hands of Bangladesh after they failed to chase down the target of 262 runs."If you look at the match, we missed a couple of catches and gave away around 30, 35 runs with misfields. Without those, maybe the total is not that much. The wicket was slow, and it's good for batting. Because of misfielding, we missed the opportunity again," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Naib as saying.Naib also admitted that Rashid Khan is giving his 100 per cent but he too is disappointed about the fielding. Khan failed to pick any wicket in the match but Naib said that because of the fielding, Khan might have missed his momentum."If we look for Rashid, where I want him, he is trying hard. He giving his 100 per cent, but he's also disappointed about the fielding. One time he's very angry in the field. That's why .
Manchester Divided: A 'City' United by its love for beautiful game
"You know when you lose all your hair? When your wife of 41 years is a United fan simply because she used to babysit two of Denis Law's five kids for a brief period," chuckles Dave Oldham, one of Manchester City's veteran tour guide. A few minutes drive at the Old Trafford, you meet 20-something Oliver, who works at the Manchester United museum. Do you know Oliver, how to go to Etihad Stadium from Old Trafford, you ask hoping for a reply. "Etihad Stadium? Now what's that? We don't know which club you are talking about. We don't know where it is," he answers with a straight face before you get a sly grin. They are not just employees of the two clubs, they is a die-hard fan in each one of them as well. And when in Manchester, you are either a 'Red Devil' or a 'Citizen'. They are separated by 16 years, United is now 141 years old while City is celebrating its 125th year. However, there is no love lost between the two neighbours and their fans can't stand each other. They take potshots at