#5ASideFootballLeagues

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England vs West Indies: Ben Stokes Becomes Second-Fastest All-Rounder To Test Double Of 4,000 runs And 150 Wickets

Ben Stokes picked up four wickets on Day three of the Test at Southampton.© Twitter England's stand-in skipper Ben Stokes on Friday became the second-fastest all-rounder to reach the Test double of 4,000 runs and 150 wickets. He achieved the feat during the third day of the first Test match between England and West Indies at the Ageas Bowl. With the dismissal of Alzarri Joseph, Stokes joined former England all-rounder Ian Botham and four other greats of the game in the club of 4,000 Test runs and 150-plus wickets. He finished with the figures of 4-49 in his 14 overs including five maiden overs. The 29-year-old all-rounder reached the milestone in 64 games. Only former West Indies great Gary Sobers is ahead of him, who achieved the feat in 63 Tests.Apart from Sobers and Stokes, former South African cricketer Jacques Kallis, India's Kapil Dev and ex-New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori are also on the list.Earlier in the first innings, Stokes played a knock of 43 runs, the highest for his side, and guided them to 204 runs.PromotedWest Indies were wrapped up for 318, taking a 114-run lead.England will resume their play from 15/0 on day four with Rory Burns and Dom Sibley unbeaten on 10 and 5 runs respectively. Topics mentioned in this article Read the full article

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Coronavirus: Novak Djokovic "Personally Against Vaccination" If Made Compulsory For Tennis Players

Novak Djokovic has said he would be against a compulsory coronavirus vaccination if it became a requirement for tennis players to travel to tournaments. "Personally I'm against vaccination. I wouldn't like that someone forces me to get a vaccine in order to be able to travel," the world number one said late on Sunday. The Serbian star was speaking from Spain, where he is in lockdown with his family, in a video conference held on his Facebook for Orthodox Easter. "We (players) will have to travel. I think it will be the number one challenge," the 32-year said."If it (vaccination) will become compulsory what will happen? I will have to take a decision," on whether to get a vaccine or not, he said."This is my opinion at the moment. Whether it will change I don't know."There is currently no vaccine for the virus that has claimed some 165,000 lives around the globe, though labs around the world are racing to develop a treatment. Like the rest of the sporting world, tennis has been on pause since early March, with the ATP and WTA Tours suspended until mid-July at the earliest and Wimbledon cancelled for the first time since World War II.Djokovic estimated tournaments would not restart "before September or October"."The season will officially restart when everyone will be 100 percent certain that people can return, that there is no risk, that people are resistant to the virus and this takes time."Tournaments with travel limited to one country or a region could be possible, he said. Read the full article

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Coronavirus: WWE's 'Wrestlemania 36' Goes Ahead Behind Closed Doors

Despite all sporting action coming to a grinding halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, the WWE decided to go ahead with its trademark show 'Wrestlemania' as a two-day event. The day one of the show took place on Saturday (local time) and it saw major stars taking the ring with no spectators around. Wrestling fans were expected to fill the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida but now the event is being held at closed sets at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando and other, unnamed, locations, with only essential personnel.On day one of 'Wrestlemania 36', the Undertaker battled it out with AJ Styles, and the former made his entry in his trademark style, giving fans some major nostalgia.The Undertaker and AJ Styles battled it out in a 'Boneyard Match' and it was the former who came out triumphant, cementing his almost perfect Wrestlemania record.Seth Rollins battled it out with Kevin Owens, and later on, the clash got converted into a 'No-disqualification match'.For the 'Universal Championship', Goldberg and Braun Strowman battled it out, and it was the latter who won the title in under three minutes.Earlier, the WWE had decided to go ahead with Wrestlemania behind closed doors."We believe that in this time, especially right now with all this uncertainty ... that there is a need for escapism and for people to be able to get away from all this and put it behind them," Levesque had told CNN."We feel an obligation in some way to try and continue to provide entertainment to people. It''s our company mission to put smiles on people''s faces, and we are continuing to try to do that," he added.The day two of the show will be held on Sunday (local time), and stars like Brock Lesnar, Edge and Randy Orton will be headlining the show.As WWE went ahead with the Wrestlemania, the company has received mixed reviews as many have criticised the decision as the USA continues to battle the coronavirus crisis. Read the full article

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2011 World Cup: Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh Relive Moments From Famous Victory

Suresh Raina, the Indian middle-order batsman, was an integral part of India's triumph in the 2011 World Cup win. The left-handed batsman took to Twitter to share an image in which the whole team was celebrating with the trophy. Raina captioned the post saying, "Things end but memories last forever. Remembering the rush, excitement, the thrill of it all, of the fantastic moments leading up to us lifting the world cup. Irreplaceable.Unforgettable.Thankful to have been part of this iconic moment in the history of cricket. #worldcup2011". Things end but memories last forever. Remembering the rush, excitement, thrill of it all, of the fantastic moments leading up to us lifting the world cup. Irreplaceable. Unforgettable. Thankful to have been a part of this iconic moment in the history of cricket. #worldcup2011 pic.twitter.com/qIISLuzS0k — Suresh Raina???????? (@ImRaina) April 2, 2020 The left-handed batsman played a crucial role in the quarter-final of the 2011 World Cup against Australia. Raina alongside Yuvraj Singh helped India beat Australia in what was one of the most memorable partnerships of the tournament.India had lost half their side chasing 260 against Australia. However, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina kept their nerve and stitched a 74-run partnership for the sixth-wicket which turned out to be match-winning for India. Suresh Raina scored a valuable 34 off 28 balls which included two boundaries and a six to help India win the match. India's win knocked the defending champions out of the tournament in Ahmedabad.Yuvraj Singh also took to Twitter to share the memory and wrote, "Words will never be able to describe what a moment for every Indian it was, this is what we live for !! jai Hind". Words will never be able to describe what a moment for every Indian it was , this it what we live for !!jai Hind ???????? pic.twitter.com/rsldfWv79E — yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) April 2, 2020 In the final of the 2011 World Cup, Gautam Gambhir, and MS Dhoni scored 97 and 91 respectively to help India lift the World Cup for the first time since 1983. Yuvraj Singh was adjudged player of the tournament for his brilliant performances throughout the 2011 World Cup. Yuvraj scored 362 runs and took 15 wickets in the 2011 World Cup and helped India lift the trophy. Read the full article

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‘Incredibly kind gesture’: Morgan on Buttler’s decision to auction World Cup final shirt - cricket

England ODI skipper Eoin Morgan has praised his team-mate Jos Buttler’s decision to auction off his 2019 World Cup final shirt to raise funds for two London-based hospitals to combat COVID-19. England had managed to defeat New Zealand in the finals of the 2019 50-over World Cup by the barest of margins as both normal 50 overs-action and super over ended in a tie.The Three Lions managed to win the trophy on the basis of boundary-countback rule, and it was Buttler who broke the stumps during the super-over, denying New Zealand their first World Cup win.“It’s an incredibly kind gesture. We have seen people donate during the Australian bush fires; we saw Shane Warne auction his Baggy Green cap for a million dollars or something absolutely ridiculous,” ESPN Cricinfo quoted Morgan as saying.“The impact that can have on many lives as opposed to sitting in someone’s drawer as a bit of a trophy... personally, it’s something I don’t understand. People have come out and said they would never do it. Justin Langer said he could never see a situation where he would do something like that but I find that hard to believe,” he added.On Monday, Buttler posted a video message on Twitter and captioned the post as: “I’m going to be auctioning my World Cup Final shirt to raise funds for the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity. Last week they launched an emergency appeal to provide lifesaving equipment to help those affected during the COVID-19 outbreak”.The United Kingdom on Wednesday reported 563 deaths in a day, bringing the total number of patients in the country who died in hospitals to 2,352.Some 29,474 people have now tested positive, a jump of 4,324 over the previous day, according to Al Jazeera.The World Health Organisation had termed coronavirus as a pandemic on March 11. Read the full article

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Coronavirus: India's Olympic Bound Athletes Welcome Tokyo Games Postponement

"I think this was a welcome decision for us athletes in the circumstances and not something that came as a surprise. While we were looking forward to Tokyo2020, the environment wouldn't have been appropriate for the event to be celebrated the way it should be," the Commonwealth and Asian Games champion said in a statement."I would say we should look at this positively as it would allow us a year more to plan and train for the Olympics, which is the biggest sporting event for many athletes."There will be some impact on preparations over the next few months till the situation is brought under control, but that is something that all athletes are facing equally," he added.Two-time Olympian boxer Vikas Krishan Yadav (69kg), who is also an Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist, also felt the same.Yadav has returned to amateur boxing after an unbeaten stint in the pro circuit."At the end of the day, humanity has to trump sport, so I'm happy that the decision was made to postpone the Olympics amidst the coronavirus situation," he said referring to the outbreak which has claimed close to 19,000 deaths the world over."Obviously, the postponement will affect our preparation, but I think the extra time can help me prepare even better for my goal to win an Olympic Gold for India," he addedOn Tuesday several top Indian athletes such as MC Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal had welcomed the move and lauded the International Olympic Committee for prioritising athletes' health and well-being.The Olympics was scheduled from July 24 to August 9 this year.The IOC took the decision after its head Thomas Bach spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over a telephone call. Before this, Canada and Australia had announced pullouts if the showpiece went ahead as originally scheduled.  Read the full article

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Tottenham Defender Jan Vertonghen's Family Robbed At Knifepoint

Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac last year were targeted by armed moped riders. © AFP Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen's family was held at knifepoint at their London home during a burglary when the Belgium star was away on Champions League duty with his club. The incident happened on March 10 when four men wearing balaclavas held Vertonghen's wife and two children at knifepoint at their home. They stole electrical items before fleeing but left the family unharmed, reports goal.com. The incident occurred when Vertonghen was away with Spurs for the 0-3 Champions League loss to RB Leipzig.Police later carried out a scene examination, including door-to-door checks, and found that Vertonghen's family was not the only one targeted during the burglary."We have been supporting Jan and his family through this terribly traumatic time and we encourage anyone who has any information to come forward to help the police with their investigation," a spokesman for Hotspur said.A statement issued by the Metropolitan Police read: "Police were called to a residential address in NW3, at 19.49hrs on Tuesday, March 10 to report of a burglary. Officers attended."Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac last year were targeted by armed moped riders while driving through north London. Read the full article

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Rohit Sharma Asks Fans To Be "Little Smart" To Fight Coronavirus Pandemic

Stay safe everyone. pic.twitter.com/2ABy1XUeTP — Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) March 16, 2020 "The only way we can come to normalcy is by all of us coming together. We can do this by being a little smart, a little proactive, knowing our surroundings and as and when we get any symptoms inform your nearest medical authorities."The coronavirus outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, China, has claimed over 6,000 lives and has infected close to 160,000 people world over. In India, the infected cout has crossed 100 and the death toll is two for now.Various state governments in the country have ordered closure of schools, malls, and cinema halls in a bid to avoid large gatherings while also asking people to practice social distancing."It's because we all want our kids to go to school, we want to go to the malls and we all want to watch movies in the theatres," Rohit said.The 32-year-old also commended the efforts of doctors and the medical professionals who have risked their lives to treat those infected."I appreciate the efforts of all the doctors and the medical staff across the world who have put their lives on risk while taking care of the people who have tested positive with coronavirus.""Last, but not the least, my heart goes out for people who have lost their lives and their families. Take care, be safe," he added.On Saturday, India skipper Virat Kohli had called on people to "stay safe and vigilant" amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak."Let's stay strong and fight the #COVID19 outbreak by taking all precautionary measures. Stay safe, be vigilant and most importantly remember, prevention is better than cure. Please take care everyone," he tweeted.The virus outbreak has led to either cancellation or postponement of all sports events across the world. India's series against South Africa was called off as was Australia's ODI rubber against New Zealand. Both series were to be held without spectators before being scrapped.England's tour of Sri Lanka was also cut short before the beginning of the two-match Test series while the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was due to start on March 29, has been suspended till April 15. Read the full article

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Mohun Bagan I-League champions with four rounds to spare - football

A goal somehow and let the celebrations begin! That is what the 17,000 at Kalyani Stadium here wanted. It didn’t come easy.Aizawl FC put Mohun Bagan through the wringer, having the better of exchanges and locking them down with smart defensive organisation. Till Joseba Beitia’s give-go with Nongdamba Naorem after which his outstep found Babacar Diawara who fired into the bottom corner.The stadium shook after the 80th minute goal executed by three players whose influence have been crucial in Mohun Bagan winning the 2019-20 I-League with four rounds to spare. Like Dempo, Mohun Bagan have been India champions five times since the National League began in 1996-97.No edition has been this one-sided since Dempo’s title win in 2009-10. On four occasions including 2014-15 when Mohun Bagan were champions, the first two teams were separated by less than three points. The time hasn’t come to measure that this term but don’t blame Mohun Bagan, on an unassailable 39 points after 16 rounds, if they don’t care.So, to the tune of Dwayne Bravo’s ‘Champion’, Daniel Cyrus, the Trinidad and Tobago international and Mohun Bagan central defender, swayed and the full house clapped.“Football and life is about emotions and to be able to play a part in making so many people happy is a very good situation to be in,” said Mohun Bagan’s Spanish coach Kibu Vicuna, his face streaked with green powder, one day after the festival of colours here, and with his name reverberating around the stadium.Mohun Bagan and Aizawl FC, champions in 2016-17, were locked in a 0-0 draw in the opening match on November 30. Next match, at home, when Mohun Bagan lost 2-4 to Churchill Brothers an ending like this would have been difficult to believe.That game against Churchill Brothers turned out to be Mohun Bagan’s only loss. They embarked on a four-game winning run after that and improved that to seven successive victories beginning with the win that matters almost as this title --- against East Bengal on January 19. Mohun Bagan have won eight of the nine game since.The staggering statistics don’t end there. Mohun Bagan have won 12 of their 16 rounds. The next best is six. On way to the title since 2014-15 only Chennai City FC have won as many --- in 2018-19. “I had said at my first press conference that this team needs time. I was very happy with how the players trained at the beginning and now we are getting the results,” said Vicuna, 48.Appointed last May Vicuna, who was on the staff of Legia Warsaw and Osasuna’s youth set-up, reached here on June 27 and got down to work with a team that had retained only eight players. Crucially, Mohun Bagan had sorted out the bulk of their foreign players by July. They looked like a work in progress in the Calcutta League, were runners-up in the Durand Cup and eliminated in the semi-final of the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup in Bangladesh.Then, the I-League started with one point from two games. Mohun Bagan beat TRAU 4-0 in their third match and followed that with a 2-1 win against Gokulam Kerala FC. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.“Except the first two games, Mohun Bagan were the most consistent team of the league. Credit to their coach for the transformation and, of course, they had quality players. Diawara made all the difference,” said Aizawl FC coach Stanly Rozario.Diawara, 32, got 10 goals scoring in each of the last nine games having joined in January. “Never had such a successful run of goals. I dedicate this to the fans and to my three daughters,” said the player from Senegal who played three years and 30 games for Sevilla (2012-15). It took Diawara three games since starting against Real Kashmir away on January 5 to get off the mark. He hasn’t stopped since and with 10 goals in 12 games is joint-second in the race for the golden boot.Another player on an unstoppable run is Beitia, Mohun Bagan’s No. 10. This was his ninth assist in the competition. No one has that many.“This team worked well. The dressing room was very nice and that is why are performing this well,” said Diawara. Crucial to keeping it that way was Spaniard Fran Gonzalez, the team’s leader on the pitch even if he didn’t wear the armband.Gonzales didn’t stand out on the pitch because of his Mohawk hair-do but because he could marshal the defence and also score 10 goals. He even writes his name in Bengali on his Twitter handle.Celebrations have been put on hold because there is a Kolkata derby on Sunday. By then, their new partners ATK will have played the Indian Super League final. ATK-Mohun Bagan sure seem to be in a league of extraordinary footballers. Read the full article

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PSG v Dortmund Champions League tie behind closed doors - football

Paris Saint-Germain were ordered to play Wednesday’s home Champions League tie against German club Borussia Dortmund behind closed doors because of the coronavirus outbreak, police said.The match will be held without spectators in order to conform with measures adopted by the government to cope with the spread of the virus, a police statement said on Monday.France, with more than 1,100 cases and 19 deaths, has banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people to try and slow the spread of COVID-19, the health minister said. Read the full article

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Bayern go clear at top as Bundesliga faces virus threat - football

Thomas Mueller scored as Bayern Munich opened up a four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga with a 2-0 victory over Augsburg at the Allianz Arena on Sunday, while the spread of the coronavirus threatened to curtail the season.Bayern lacked fluency in the opening stages despite scoring 13 goals in their previous three Bundesliga games, but did enough to edge closer to an eighth straight title.German health minister Jens Spahn on Sunday called for the cancellation of all gatherings of more than 1,000 people in the country over fears surrounding the spread of the new coronavirus.But the German league immediately reacted, insisting that it was “out of the question” that the season would be delayed beyond its scheduled finish on May 16, a week before the German Cup final.Cases of COVID-19 in the country reached close to 850 on Sunday.Bayern extended their unbeaten run to 15 games despite starting slowly.It was not until near the end of the first half when the home side looked like troubling the scorers, with Mueller shooting over the crossbar with just the keeper to beat.Mueller made no mistake in the 53rd minute however, collecting a long ball from Jerome Boateng and side-footing into the net.The goal, reminiscent of the prolific Mueller of a decade ago, continued his recent strong form under manager Hansi Flick.Since Flick took over, Mueller has scored six Bundesliga goals and assisted 12 more in 15 games.Augsburg had several chances to equalise on the counter. Their best opportunity came when Florian Niederlechner had two bites at the cherry just two yards from goal in the 80th minute.He had his first effort saved by Manuel Neuer and was unable to take advantage of a fortunate bounce from the rebound, shooting straight into the desperate Bayern defence.Niederlechner found the back of the net in the 89th minute, but the goal was later ruled out for a marginal offside near the halfway line.Leon Goretzka put the game beyond doubt with a goal in second-half stoppage time after being expertly fed by Serge Gnabry before dribbling the ball past keeper Andreas Luthe.Mueller blamed his side’s slow start on “a failure to invest in running - both on and off the ball” but praised his teammates for coming out “more forcefully in the second half”.“We didn’t show the killer mentality that we’ve shown in recent weeks. We can thank Manu (Neuer) that it didn’t go to 1-1 in the 80th minute,” Mueller told Sky.Flick echoed Mueller’s sentiments. “We knew that it was going to be a difficult game - and the first half proved that,” he said.“Augsburg stood deep and worked hard to close all available space.” In Sunday’s other game, 16th-placed Fortuna Duesseldorf head to 15th-placed Mainz in a crucial game in the clubs’ relegation battle. Read the full article

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‘It’s impossible,’ Lebron James says won’t play in empty arenas as NBA mulls coronavirus strategy - other sports

Basketball superstar LeBron James said he won’t play if his Los Angeles Lakers have to hold games behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak.The NBA has reportedly told teams to look into strategies on how to play without fans in the arena amid concerns over the spreading virus.“Nah. It’s impossible,” James said after the Lakers’ 113-102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.“If I show up to the arena and there ain’t no fans in the crowd, then I ain’t playing.” The league sent a memo to each team on Friday asking them to develop contingency plans to combat the spread of the virus. One of the alternatives is playing games behind closed doors.“I ain’t never played the game without no fans,” James said. “Ever since I started. This ain’t Europe.“I play for my teammates and I play for the fans. That’s what it is all about.” James and Anthony Davis scored all but one of the Lakers’ points in the final quarter Friday as they rallied to beat the NBA-leading Bucks and clinch their first playoff spot since 2013.- No high-fives -As fears grow over the spread of the virus, and sports leagues formulate contingency plans, the NBA’s Friday memo told teams to start “developing” plans on how to play games with only “essential staff” in attendance, American sports broadcaster ESPN reported.The NBA had sent out a previous memo to teams earlier this week, recommending players to use fist-bumps instead of high-fives with fans. It also said to avoid taking items such as pens, balls and jerseys from fans to sign.“The health and safety of our employees, teams, players and fans is paramount,” the NBA said in a statement on Monday.The NBA said it has been taking advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).“We are coordinating with our teams and consulting with the CDC and infectious disease specialists on the coronavirus and continue to monitor the situation closely.” The global spread of COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the international sporting calendar with Formula One motor racing, golf and athletics among the sports canceling or postponing events.In Italy, the hardest-hit European country with 148 deaths from the novel coronavirus, all major sports events, including football matches, will be played behind closed doors until April 3. Six Nations rugby games in Italy have been postponed.Davis Cup tennis ties in Italy and Japan are being played behind closed doors this weekend.The World Health Organization has called the spread of the virus “deeply concerning” as a wave of countries reported their first cases of the disease -- which has now killed nearly 3,500 people and infected more than 100,000 across 92 nations and territories. Read the full article

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Burnley vs Tottenham: Dele Alli Rescues Point For Spurs

The draw leaves Tottenham in eighth place, just four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, who play on Sunday, and two behind fifth-placed Wolves. Burnley are a further two points adrift.Fifth spot could be enough to secure Champions League football next season depending on the outcome of Manchester City's appeal against their European ban."There was a lot of aggression at half-time, we knew we were not good enough," Alli told Sky Sports."If you switch off for a second they can punish you. Going in at half time 1-0 down, it was a sticky changing room to be. But we did better and created enough opportunities to win."Spurs, again without the injured Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, started brightly but Burnley were quickly into their stride and deservedly took the lead in the 13th minute.Jay Rodriguez shot straight at Hugo Lloris from the edge of the box but the Tottenham goalkeeper spilled the shot and Wood pounced to tap home the rebound.Burnley continued to carry more of a threat, regularly unsettling the Spurs defence and Dwight McNeil forced a flying save from Lloris from a free-kick.Ashley Westwood fired wide eight minutes before the break while Wood was narrowly off target from Westwood's free-kick.Spurs changesMourinho made two substitutions at half-time to lift his flat team, bringing on Lucas Moura and Giovani Lo Celso for Oliver Skipp and Tanguy Ndombele.The Spurs boss was strongly critical of midfielder Ndombele, who arrived from Lyon for a club-record 60 million euros ($68 million, 52 million pounds) last year."He's a player with great talent," said Mourinho. "He has to know he has to do much better and know I cannot keep giving him opportunities to play because the team is much more important."The visitors were given a lifeline when Ben Mee clumsily tripped Erik Lamela in the 48th minute.Alli stepped up and sent Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope the wrong way, burying the ball in the bottom right corner.The goal lifted Spurs, who were suddenly playing with more confidence but Burnley's players believed they had a case for a penalty minutes later when Davinson Sanchez made a robust challenge on Wood.There were chances for both sides as the second half wore on.Wood shot straight at Lloris while Lo Celso curled just wide at the other end. Minutes later Burnley substitute Matej Vydra saw his close-range shot saved by the sprawling Spurs goalkeeper as they pushed for the winner.Dyche was happy with his side's performance, despite the disappointment of conceding an equaliser."A very rare mistake from Ben Mee and you wonder how it would affect things, but we gripped the game and I was really pleased with it," he said."We build slowly, we are not the real deal yet. But I think everyone saw a good Burnley side here."Liverpool are just three wins away from guaranteeing their first top-flight title since 1990 and Manchester City look secure in second place, seven points clear of Leicester.But just six points separate Chelsea from Crystal Palace in 11th spot. Read the full article

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Vikas Krishan Enters Quarters Of Asian Olympic Qualifiers

Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Vikas Krishan (69kg) entered the quarterfinals of the Asian Olympic Qualifiers of boxing with a thumping win over Kyrgyzstan's Nursultan Mamataly in Amman on Friday. Krishan clinched a 5-0 triumph to make the last eight stage, where he will square off against third seed and Asian silver-medallist Sewonrets Okazawa of Japan. Okazawa, who won a gold medal at last year's Olympic test event in Tokyo, defeated Taiwan's Pan Hung-Ming in his pre-quarterfinal bout. Krishan came into the event after claiming a gold medal at the South Asian Games in December last year. The SAG was his first amateur event after an undefeated stint in the professional circuit. In a near-perfect display of his trademark defensive game, Krishan was consistently impressive. The Indian slowly built up the tempo and struck a particularly hard right hook in the second round to assert his dominance. The Kyrgyz boxer was left quite frustrated by Krishan's control over the proceedings. Earlier, Sachin Kumar (81kg) advanced to the quarterfinals after notching up a comprehensive 5-0 win over Samoa's Dee Iaopo. A semifinal berth in the ongoing event would assure the competing boxers of a spot in this year's Tokyo Olympics. On Saturday, London Olympic bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom (51kg) and World Championships silver medallist and top seed Amit Panghal (52kg) will begin their campaign for a Tokyo Olympics berth. Six-time world champion Mary Kom, who has been seeded second, will face New Zealand's Tasmyn Benny in her opening bout. Panghal, an Asian Games and Asian Championships gold-medallist, will start his campaign against Mongolia's Enkhmanadakh Kharkhuu after getting a first-round bye. In another pre-quarterfinal bout, Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Gaurav Solanki (57kg) will take on top-seeded Uzbek Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov. Mirzakhalilov is a reigning world champion besides being a gold medal winner at the Asian Games and the Asian Championships.  Read the full article

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AUS vs SA: Australia Beat South Africa By 5 Runs To Book Final Showdown Against India

Defending champions Australia powered into their sixth Women's T20 World Cup final Thursday to meet India after ending South Africa's dreams in a rain-hit semi-final. Set a revised 98 from 13 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method after Australia made 134 for five off their 20 overs, the South Africans managed 92 for five to just miss out on a first-ever final. The Proteas won the toss and put Australia in to bat at the Sydney Cricket Ground after rain that soaked the city all day finally cleared.Their total was spearheaded by skipper Meg Lanning's 49, while Nadine de Klerk took three wickets for just 19 runs.Set a revised chase, big-hitting South Africa opener Lizelle Lee smacked a huge six off spinner Sophie Molineux to get the run chase underway, but then holed out to Ashleigh Gardner on the boundary ropes.Skipper Dane van Niekerk looked dangerous but pace spearhead Megan Schutt clean-bowled her for 12, then Lanning took a difficult catch to remove Mignon du Preez and leave South Africa struggling at 26 for three after five overs.  Laura Wolvaardt (41 not out) and Sune Luus (21) got them back on track with some power-hitting to set up an exciting finale with 32 runs needed off the last three overs -- only to fall five runs short.Earlier, Beth Mooney and Alyssa Healy aggressively set about building a big total for Australia.Healy was dropped in the fourth over by wicket-keeper Trisha Chetty after smacking two successive fours from Nonkululeko Mlaba.But she didn't make the most of her second life, falling in the next over after a quickfire 18 off 13 balls.In-form fellow opener Mooney blasted 28 and looked in fine fettle until she was clean-bowled by Nadine de Klerk.South Africa successfully put the brakes on the run rate with Jess Jonassen gone after three balls as Australia reached 70 for three at the halfway mark.Ashleigh Gardner then went without scoring to de Klerk, getting an outside edge as the collapse continued.Rachael Haynes made a battling 17 in a 32-run stand with Lanning before she too departed to de Klerk, as the captain was left to carry her team to what became a winning total. Read the full article

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ICC Test Rankings: Virat Kohli Keeps Hold Of 2nd Position, India Retain Top Spot Despite New Zealand Drubbing

New Zealand opener Tom Blundell and his Indian counterpart Prithvi Shaw and debutant paceman Kyle Jamieson were among the biggest movers in the rankings, released on Tuesday.Blundell had a successful series against India, scoring 117 runs in four innings, with one half-century, which put him among the top two run-scorers in the series. The performance meant he was rewarded with a jump of 27 places to No. 46.Shaw, who returned for his first series since his Test debut against West Indies in 2018, and made a punchy 54 in the first innings of the Christchurch Test, rose 17 places to No.76.Australia's Steve Smith retained his top spot, holding a 25-point advantage over Kohli.Smith's apprentice Marnus Labuschagne jumped one spot to round off the top three, taking the place of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.England all-rounder Ben Stokes and India opener Mayank Agarwal moved a spot each and swapped places to break into and fall out of the top 10 respectively.Among bowlers, Tim Southee's Player of the Series winning performance against India took him into the top five, with a jump of two places to No.4, while Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult returned to the top 10, gaining four places each to occupy the seventh and ninth positions respectively.But the biggest gainer was Jamieson, who rose from No. 80 to 43. There was only one change in the top ten among all-rounders, with Southee dropping a spot to No.10 and team-mate Neil Wagner falling out of the top 10 with a drop of four spots.As with the bowling rankings, Jamieson, who frustrated India with handy lower order runs, gained big on the all-rounders' table, rising 26 places to No. 22. Read the full article