Sport (Page 284)

Rajasthan Royals players participated in an intra-squad match ahead of IPL 2020.© Twitter Aiming to give final touches to their IPL 2020 preparations, the Rajasthan Royals players participated in an intra-squad match. The players were divided into two teams led by Robin Uthappa and Sanju Samson. While it was just a warm-up match, players replicated the same intensity as they would in an IPL match. Batting first, Uthappa’s side posted 204/6, thanks to a quick-fire half-centuries form Manan Vohra (56 off 27) and Rahul Tewatia (59 off 32). For Team Sanju, fast bowler Ankit Rajpoot picked up 2/29 in his four overs, while 2020 Under-19 World Cup star Kartik Tyagi returned figures of 1/29. Chasing the huge target, Yashasvi Jaiswal,Continue Reading

Sourav Ganguly visited Sharjah Stadium to review the preparations ahead of IPL 2020.© Instagram The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly on Monday visited Sharjah Cricket Stadium — one of the three venues for IPL 2020 — to review the preparations, with only few days left in the start of the cash-rich tournament. The IPL 2020 was moved overseas to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to rising coronavirus cases in the country. Ganguly was accompanied by some of the local dignitaries and former IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, among others. Satisfied with the arrangements made by the local authorities, the former India skipper shared a few pictures from his visit and wrote: “Famous Sharjah stadiumContinue Reading

Timo Werner’s pace and astute movement made him a handful for Brighton’s defence even with the injury.© AFP Timo Werner insisted he will be fit to face Liverpool on Sunday after Chelsea’s new striker finished their 3-1 win at Brighton with an ice pack on his thigh. Werner marked his Premier League debut by winning a penalty that Jorginho converted to put Chelsea ahead, but the Germany star took a whack on his leg as he was tripped by Brighton keeper Mat Ryan in the incident. The 24-year-old close-season signing from Leipzig was able to play the entire 90 minutes despite the knock and was one of Chelsea’s standout performers. When he was interviewed after the final whistle with theContinue Reading

Lewis Hamilton wore a T-shirt with a message against police brutality at the Tuscan Grand Prix.© AFP Formula One’s ruling body is reported to be considering action against world champion Lewis Hamilton after he wore a t-shirt highlighting police brutality at Sunday’s Tuscan Grand Prix. The six-time world champion and series leader, who won the race, wore a t-shirt bearing a message that said “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” before and after the race, during an anti-racism ceremony and television interviews. A spokesperson for the International Motoring Federation (FIA) told the BBC that the case against Hamilton is “under active consideration”. Hamilton had previously worn a “Black Lives Matter” t-shirt at every race without any comment from theContinue Reading

Naomi Osaka with the US Open trophy© AFP The US Open title win has lifted Naomi Osaka back into the top 3 in the latest WTA Rankings on Monday. The 22-year-old won the US Open title on Sunday after securing a win over Victoria Azarenka in the final. She climbed six spots to sit on the third position. Osaka had registered a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 win in the decider over Azarenka. The 2018 champion had overcome an inspired assault from Azarenka in the opening set to win her third career Grand Slam crown after one hour and 53 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Every time Osaka has progressed beyond the fourth round of a major, she has ended up winningContinue Reading

Rafael Nadal will play the Italian Open in Rome as he returns to tennis action.© AFP Spain’s clay-court king Rafael Nadal called for caution on Monday with the French Open set to be played in front of spectators later this month despite coronavirus concerns. Nadal, who will bid for a 13th French Open title in Paris, returns to competition this week on clay in Rome for the first time in six months due to the pandemic. “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what’s the situation’s going to look like in Roland Garros,” the 34-year-old told journalists when questioned about the French Open. “Let’s see how the virus evolves the next couple of weeks. Hopefully in a goodContinue Reading

Bangladesh cricketers have begun to practice at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium© Twitter Bangladesh’s forthcoming Test series in Sri Lanka was thrown into doubt Monday after its cricket chief rejected the coronavirus restrictions imposed by the hosts. The three Tests in October-November were meant to mark the two nations’ return to international cricket after a months-long lockdown halted professional sports worldwide. But Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan said Sri Lanka’s conditions, which include 14 days of isolation for players after arrival — during which practising would be forbidden — were unacceptable. “The proposal we received is… not even close to what we agreed upon,” Hassan told reporters in Dhaka. “Under these conditions, it is not possible for us toContinue Reading

Chelsea have signed top young talents in Timo Werner and Kai Havertz this summer.© AFP After a series of lucrative signings, Chelsea will begin their Premier League campaign away at Brighton on Tuesday. Chelsea have been one of the most active clubs in the ongoing transfer window with the signing of Germany’s Timo Werner from RB Leipzig and Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen in the attacking department, while have also strengthened their defence bringing in experienced centre-back Thiago Silva on a free transfer. Lampard, who guided Chelsea to fourth place and the FA Cup final in his first season in charge, said his spending should be put into context, given that when he replaced Maurizio Sarri the club was under aContinue Reading

Cancelling the October 3-11 event would be a major blow to badminton’s restart.© AFP Badminton’s showpiece Thomas and Uber Cups were hanging in the balance Monday after several countries withdrew due to the coronavirus and a top player expressed concerns about safety. The twice-postponed men’s and women’s world team championships are set to take place in Denmark next month, and would be the first international tournaments since the pandemic halted badminton in March. But Indonesia, 13-time Thomas Cup champions, and South Korea withdrew over the weekend, following Thailand, Australia and Taiwan in deciding to skip the event. Heavyweights China and Japan are among teams that have not yet announced a pull-out but with some of Asia’s top talent missing, doubtsContinue Reading

India beat Pakistan in a thrilling bowl-out after the match ended in a tie.© Twitter It was on September 14, 2007, when India defeated Pakistan through a bowl-out in a group stage match of the inaugural World T20. The inaugural edition of the tournament was played in South Africa and this group stage match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan was played at Kingsmead, Durban. The match between both the sides ended in a tie, and as a result, the game went into a bowl out, and India defeated Pakistan 3-0. For India, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, and Robin Uthappa were able to hit the stumps while Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Yasir Arafat all missed hitting the stumps. In the normalContinue Reading