#5sportsawardsinindia

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Coronavirus: Track Legend Carl Lewis Wants Tokyo Olympics Postponed For Two Years

"The best part about that is they're creating some solidarity in their message," Lewis said."I just think it's really difficult for an athlete to prepare, to train, to keep their motivation if there's complete uncertainty. That's the hardest thing."Because it's a health issue, it's beyond everyone's control. I think most athletes are accepting that."The Tokyo Olympics are set to start July 24 while US swim and athletics trials to determine the nation's two largest delegations for the event are set for June.Many athletes have struggled to continue training while being forced to stay home to avoid spreading the deadly virus."The athletes cannot prepare for an Olympic Games if they don't have an Olympic Trials, if they don't have competition," Lewis said."I think USATF, in this case, stepped up. I think they're creating a voice that puts the athletes first and I think the athletes appreciate it."Lewis called upon the International Olympic Committee to consider pushing back the Olympics to 2022, after the scheduled 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics."If we delay what should we do?" Lewis said. "I think a more comfortable situation would be two years and put it in the Olympic year with the Winter Olympics and then make it kind of a celebratory Olympic year."There are some athletes who are right on the edge of retiring that that may hurt, but in reality, you have to focus on what (will best serve) the masses."2022 Tokyo, 2024 Paris?For Lewis, that would mean staging a Tokyo Olympics only two years ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics."Two years isn't a big deal, and then two years later we have the summer (Olympics) again. I think that that would kind of give them time to re-prepare," Lewis told the TV station."I just think there's a way to put sports in its perspective, understand the athletes' lives and their dedication and give them a second chance they deserve in a way that they can be respected and also have a chance to be the best they can be."Lewis, an assistant coach for the University of Houston track team, knows the pain of missing an Olympics. He missed out on the 1980 Moscow Games after qualifying in the long jump and 4x100m relay when the United States boycotted the event.Lewis said any idea to cancel the Tokyo Olympics outright was wrong."That would be devastating and what happens is, then all of a sudden you take the athlete's voice out of the conversation," Lewis said."Canceling to me would be a non-starter for the athletes. It's just not fair. If you delay and say this is what we're going to do, then it gives the athletes a chance to make a positive out of a negative." Read the full article

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Chinese football star Wu Lei has coronavirus in Spain - football

Chinese football star Wu Lei, who plays for Espanyol in Spain, has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said on Saturday. “Wu Lei has mild symptoms and is currently undergoing treatment,” the CFA said in a statement, adding that they had been given the news by La Liga strugglers Espanyol.ALSO READ: UEFA admit error over ‘Euro 2020’ name for 2021 tournament“The Chinese Football Association has maintained close communication with Wu Lei and the club, and will provide all necessary assistance as appropriate. “We wish Wu Lei a speedy recovery.” The 28-year-old striker, China’s best-known player, is in self-isolation at home in Barcelona, Xinhua news agency said.Wu is the only Chinese playing in one of Europe’s five top leagues, having moved to Espanyol from Shanghai SIPG in January last year. The coronavirus emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and has since turned into a pandemic that has killed thousands around the world. Read the full article

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On This Day In 2012, Sachin Tendulkar Scored His 100th International Century

Sachin Tendulkar scored 114 off 147 deliveries against Bangladesh in the 2012 Asia Cup. © Twitter March 16, 2012, will be etched in the minds of cricket fans across the globe as the day when legendary India batsman Sachin Tendulkar scored his 100th international century. Popularly known as the 'God of Cricket', Tendulkar's record remains unbroken. During the Asia Cup clash against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Tendulkar played a brilliant knock of 114 to bring up his 49th ODI century. The maestro already had 51 hundreds to his name in the longest format of the game. His century was also special in the sense that Tendulkar breached the three-figure mark after a gap of one year.However, Tendulkar's knock was not enough to seal victory for India as they were unable to defend a target of 290 and the hosts won the match with four balls to spare.The century record of Tendulkar, who bid adieu to international cricket in 2013, still stands untouched. The 47-year-old also has 164 fifties to his name while he amassed a whopping 34,357 runs during his stellar career.Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting, with 71 hundreds, comes second in the list of players with most international centuries. Current India skipper Virat Kohli is at the third spot with 70 international hundreds and he is the only one who seems to be in line to break Tendulkar's record of 100 hundreds. 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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Coronavirus: Fist Bumps Replace Handshakes, Sweaty Towels Off Limits In Davis Cup

Two of Friday's encounters had to be staged behind closed doors with spectators banned in Miki, where Japan are hosting Ecuador, and in Cagliari as Italy faced South Korea."Conditions were strange," said Italian number one and world 11 Fabio Fognini after cruising past 251-ranked Lee Duck-hee 6-0, 6-3 in just over an hour at the Circolo Tennis venue."It was not difficult to focus but it was a bit strange to play in front of 100 people. But safety first and then sport," Fognini told daviscup.com.Italy has been the worst-hit European country with 197 deaths from the coronavirus.As a result, all sporting events are being played behind closed doors for the next month.On Friday, only teams, media and support staff were allowed into the arena where world number 79 Gianluca Mager then extended the Italian lead to 2-0 overnight after a 6-3, 7-5 debut win over Nam Ji-sung."There's too much silence for a Davis Cup crowd," said Italy skipper Corrado Barazzutti after a day in which players and backroom staff exchanged fist bumps rather than the traditional post-match handshake in an effort to reduce the risk of a virus spread.In Miki, Japan, without their top two singles players Kei Nishikori -- who hasn't played Davis Cup since 2016 -- and Yoshihito Nishioka, slipped 2-0 down to Ecuador.Emilio Gomez defeated Go Soeda 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) while Roberto Quiroz shrugged off a gap of 186 places in the rankings to beat Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 7-6 (10/8).'Do not touch'Ball boys and girls wore gloves to handle the balls and used baskets for players to toss their towels.Japan has reported 360 confirmed cases of coronavirus and six deaths.It all added to a miserable day for Japan who were without Nishikori, still recovering from an elbow injury which has sidelined him since the US Open, and Nishioka.World number 48 Nishioka decided not to join the national team to avoid the possibility of being quarantined on his return to the United States ahead of next week's ATP event in Indian Wells.Elsewhere, 28-time Davis Cup champions Australia were 2-0 up on Brazil in Adelaide.Jordan Thompson saw off Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 6-4 before John Millman recovered from a set and 5-3 down to defeat last week's Santiago ATP champion, 19-year-old Thiago Seyboth Wild 4-6, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2."That's what Davis Cup is all about, never giving up," said Millman.In Zagreb, 2005 and 2018 champions Croatia were 2-0 up on India after Borna Gojo beat Prajnesh Gunneswaran 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 and former US Open winner Marin Cilic saw off world number 182 Ramkumar Ramanathan 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (10/8).In Bratislava, three-time champions Czech Republic were 2-0 ahead of Slovakia in their first meeting since the countries split into two independent nations in 1993.Sweden were 1-1 with Chile in Stockholm on a contrasting day for the home side's Ymer brothers.Mikael beat Marcelo Tomas Vera 6-2, 6-3 but older brother Elias lost to Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 6-3.Other ties were also locked at 1-1 -- Kazakhstan v Netherlands, Austria against Uruguay, Hungary at home to Belgium, Germany's tie with Belarus and Colombia v Argentina.Later Friday, record 32-time champions the United States hosted Uzbekistan in Honolulu.The qualifying round will be completed on Saturday when each tie will feature a doubles clash and reverse singles. Read the full article

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Italian Sport In Quarantine Over Coronavirus Outbreak

"Now more than ever we have a duty to be prudent and responsible," Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora said."It is necessary to act seriously and determinedly, while maintaining calm and not taking any unnecessary risks."For this reason, we have suspended sports competitions in areas where there may be even the possibility of spreading the virus."AC Milan also announced on Sunday the postponement of their women's team's match against Fiorentina, while five Serie C games programmed for next Wednesday have been postponed.Juventus confirmed that the museum within their Allianz Stadium would remain closed until February 29.Other sports were also hit with the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) confirming that in line with government instructions, all events in the Lombardy and Veneto regions would be postponed.These two regions in the north of the country are those where the majority of new infections have been identified."We agree and align with the government's provisions," said CONI president Giovanni Malago."I believe that at this moment the world of sport should not go its own way. Health is the primary concern."Tennis, rugby hitIn tennis, the final of the Bergamo Challenger event was cancelled with Ukraine's Illya Marchenko and Enzo Couacaud of France splitting honours, with both receiving finalist points and prize money for the week, organisers confirmed.The women's Six Nations rugby clash between Italy and Scotland, scheduled to take place in Legnano, north of Milan, was been postponed to a later date.On Saturday more than 40 amateur and youth matches in the regions were called off because of virus fears with the Serie B game between Ascoli and Cremonese also postponed.Italian football chiefs face a scheduling headache in an already congested calendar, in particular for Inter Milan.FIGC president Gabriele Gravina has convened a task force of federation doctors for Monday morning to advise on the situation.Inter's home Europa League match scheduled for Thursday against Bulgarian club Ludogorets could be played behind closed doors, according to Italian media reports.The Chinese-owned club also have an Italian Cup match while the season cannot be pushed beyond May 24 because of the start of Euro 2020.Juventus also host Inter Milan next weekend with AC Milan and Genoa scheduled to play in the San Siro.Next week's Champions League games are not at risk for now as the game between Napoli and Barcelona takes place in southern Italy.Eleven towns -- 10 in Lombardy and 1 in neighbouring Veneto -- are under lockdown, with some 50,000 residents prohibited from leaving. Regional authorities have ordered gathering spots, such as bars, restaurants and discos to close.  Schools throughout the affected areas are to remain closed next week. Read the full article

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Karolina Pliskova, Garbine Muguruza Restore Order, Reach Dubai Quarters

Karolina Pliskova and Garbine Muguruza re-established order among seeds on Wednesday as both reached the quarter finals of the WTA Dubai Championships. While number two Czech Pliskova strolled in barely an hour to a 6-1, 6-2 defeat of qualifier Kristina Mladenovic, it took number nine Muguruza almost two and a half hours to get past Russian Veronika Kudermetova 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. The pair of victories came a day after three major names made exits, with holder Belinda Bencic, third seed Elina Svitolina and Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin all going out. Tournament number one Simona Halep was making her start later, facing sentimental fan favourite Ons Jabeur of Tunisia. Pliskova pegged back Mladenovic after the Frenchwoman earned only her first main draw win of the season in the first round. "It's always a tough one against her. We played in Australia, so I knew what to expect," Pliskova said. "I was not playing amazing but still, even with a couple of mistakes, I didn't give up. "The score looked a little bit easier than it really was, we had a couple of tough games." Muguruza had to struggle two days after ending the current comeback of Kim Clijsters as Spain's double grand Slam champion grappled with her world number 39 opponent. "There's a lot of things that I could have done better," Muguruza, quarter-finalist in 2015 and 2018, said. "But I'm excited that I gave myself another opportunity to be in the quarters." Last month's Australian Open finalist added: "I'm just happy that I get these tough matches. "Honestly, the difference is very, very small, I'm just pleased to go through." Muguruza secured her place with a break in the final game as she converted on her first match point. The ninth-seeded Spaniard will bid for the semi-finals on Thursday, taking on Jennifer Brady, a 4-6, 6-4, 6-21 winner against Marketa Vondrousova.  Read the full article

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Ranji Trophy: Sarfaraz Khan Falls Short Of Double-Century But Mumbai In Control

Sarfaraz Khan's 177 took Mumbai to 427 runs on day 2 of their Group B match against Madhya Pradesh here on Thursday. Sarfaraz, whose last five innings include a double ton and a triple ton, shared a 275-run stand with Aakarshit Gomel, who scored 122. Captain Aditya Tare then anchored the tail to take Mumbai to 427 before the bowlers reduced Madhya Pradesh to 200/7. Delhi scored 623 against Rajasthan, thanks to tons from Kunwar Bidhuri and Kshitiz Sharma and their 196-run stand for the seventh wicket. Rajasthan ended the second day at 115/4.Bengal managed to dismiss Punjab for 151 after ending their first innings at 138. They then reached 199/9 at the end of the second day, thus building a lead of 186 runs.Baroda also reduced Karnataka's advantage, after it totalled a paltry 80 in the first innings. Karnataka were dismissed for 233, with Soyeb Sopariya taking five wickets and Baroda building a lead of 60 runs with five wickets in hand at the end of the day.Jaydev Unadkat took six wickets but Narayan Jagadeesan's 183 took Tamil Nadu to 424.Saurashtra are 107/3 at the end of the day.Jammu and Kashmir took a lead of 49 runs after dismissing Haryana for 291 while Himachal Pradesh fought back with Rishi Dhawan's fifer to dismiss Uttar Pradesh for 119. HP lead by 283 runs at the end of the day.Gujarat continue to dominate Andhra Pradesh, taking a lead of 177 runs while Vidarbha trail Hyderabad by 30 runs with six wickets to spare.Among the Plate group matches, Goa managed to beat Mizoram in a match that lasted just under two days. Goa raced to 490/4 on Day 1 before dismissing Mizoram twice on Day 2 and recorded a victory by an innings and 211 runs.Manipur face an uphill battle in trying to avoid an innings defeat as they trail Chandigarh by 576 runs in their second innings. They were dismissed for just 63 in the first.Pondicherry have taken a lead of 341 runs against Nagaland with three wickets in hand. Read the full article

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FIH Pro League: India Stun World Champions Belgium 2-1

Ramandeep Singh scored the decisive goal in the 47th minute via a penalty corner to give world number four India a victory in front of a frenzied crowd at the same venue where the home side beat the Dutch twice. With this sensational victory, India consolidated their ranking from No. 5 to No.4 for the first time since the world ranking system was introduced in 2003. The two sides meet again on Sunday at the same venue. After getting off to a rollicking start in their maiden FIH Hockey Pro League with a 5-2 and 3-1 shoot-out (3-3 in regulation time) win against the Netherlands, India did well to halt Belgium's winning streak in the ongoing FIH Pro League. Coming into this match with identical 4-2 wins against Australia and 6-2 and 3-1 triumph against New Zealand, Belgium struggled to convert their chances against India. Despite dominating with ball possession, making as many as 38 circle entries, taking 24 shots on goal and 12 penalty corners, the Belgian unit could not muster much success inside the circle. The Belgians were denied thanks to stand-out performance by Indian goalkeepers PR Sreejesh and Krishan Pathak who lived up to the billing hooter-to-hooter, backing India's defence by knocking off pretty much every opportunity created by the visiting team strikers. Pathak, who was named Player of the Match, said, "We started well and worked very hard. We are very proud of our defence of our penalty corners." Belgium skipper Thomas Briels rued his team's missed chances. "It was a tough match and playing India at home is never easy. We could not convert our chances. There have been many times when PCs have saved us but today the Indian goalkeepers were outstanding and hopefully we can seek revenge tomorrow," he said. The Indians were quick to get off the blocks with debutant Raj Kumar Pal setting up a fantastic goal within 90 seconds of play as he passed from the left flank to Dilpreet Singh on top of the circle. Young forward Dilpreet, making his comeback in the Indian squad after over a year, took a powerful shot on goal which found a perfect deflection from Mandeep Singh who was positioned in front of Belgian goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch. It was Pathak who ensured Belgium did not bounce back. He was kept busy all of 15 minutes in the first quarter with Belgium creating plenty of opportunities which included as many as five penalty corners. Belgium's wait to convert a goal ended only in the third quarter when they made a good variation of a penalty corner, opening up the angle to trick India's rushers and made enough space for Gauthier Boccard to put the ball past Pathak to level scores in the 33rd minute. With scores reading 1-1, it was a tense final quarter but India pushed back Belgium by scoring another goal. It was Ramandeep, who after injecting the ball during a penalty corner battery, picked up a rebound off Belgium's first rusher to score the goal. Though Belgium created penalty corners in the dying minutes of the match, India held their nerves and experienced goalkeeper Sreejesh ensured India sealed the game to stay at second position in the points table. Belgium are still on top with 11 points from five games. The victory was also India's 50th win against Belgium. Read the full article

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Winning Champions League would salvage Man City’s season: Wright - football

With Liverpool set to take over as Premier League champions, Manchester City should prioritise Europe and can still have a “great season” if they win the Champions League, former England striker Ian Wright has said.City’s 2-0 loss at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday was their sixth league defeat of the season, two more than in the whole of the previous campaign, and left them 22 points behind Liverpool, who are set to end a 30-year wait for a league title.But Wright said City, who meet Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League this month, can still salvage their season.“You feel if they don’t win the Champions League then it’s not a good season. But if they do win it, it’s a great season,” Wright told BBC Radio 5 Live.“I would start saving players for it because that’s what City have got to start focusing on.”Pep Guardiola, who won two Champions League titles at Barcelona, has not managed to take City beyond the quarter-finals of the competition.“With the team he assembled, we thought it would happen in his tenure,” Wright added.“He’s three years in with a team that has played at a really high intensity and City have not been able to stay up with a Liverpool side that have kicked on.”City return to league action on Sunday against 18th-placed West Ham United. Read the full article

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Ronaldo scores for ninth game in row as penalty double lifts Juve - football

Cristiano Ronaldo stretched his scoring streak to nine consecutive league games with a penalty double as Serie A leaders Juventus bounced back from their defeat to Napoli with a 3-0 win over Fiorentina whose owner said Sunday’s result left him feeling “disgusted”.Lazio moved second, five points behind the reigning champions after Serie A top scorer Ciro Immobile and Felipe Caicedo both scored a brace in a 5-1 win over rock bottom SPAL.Inter Milan, one point behind the Romans in third place, travel to Udinese later on Sunday looking to reclaim second spot.Ronaldo slotted in his goals in either half in Turin with Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt heading in a third in injury time.Juventus had fallen to just their second defeat of the season last weekend at coach Maurizio Sarri’s former club Napoli.“Cristiano Ronaldo continues to score repeatedly and for him it’s important psychologically,” said Sarri of the player who turns 35 next Wednesday.“Physically he’s good and making a difference.” Fiorentina, in 14th position, have had a resurgence since Giuseppe Iachini took over on December 24, but suffered their first league defeat this year.Club president Rocco Commisso was furious at the penalty decisions.“I am disgusted with what I saw today,” blasted the Italian-born US businessman who bought the Tuscany club last year.“Juve are very strong, a team with a wage bill of 350 million doesn’t need help. Referees cannot decide matches.“Today they gave two penalties against us, maybe the first was there but the second certainly wasn’t.” Juventus vice-President Pavel Nedved hit back, declaring he was “a bit fed up of these controversies”.“Juve won with merit. Teams have to stop trying to look for excuses and accept defeat.” Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo slotted in the opener five minutes before the break after German Pezzella’s handball was confirmed by VAR.His second came 10 minutes from time for a disputed Federico Ceccherini foul on Rodrigo Bentancur, making it 14 goals in nine games to bring his tally to 19 this season, including seven penalties.He also becomes the first Juventus player to achieve a run of goals in nine consecutive league games since David Trezeguet in December 2005.The former Real Madrid player has now scored 50 goals in 70 games since moving to Juventus in 2018. De Ligt nodded in a Paulo Dybala cross in stoppage time for his first goal for Juventus at the Allianz Stadium.- Lazio maintain title push -Ronaldo is second only this season to Immobile who now has 25 goals as Lazio kept alive their push for a first Scudetto since 2000.Immobile volleyed in after just three minutes, with Caicedo finishing off a rebound less than quarter of an hour later.Immobile’s second came before the half hour mark with a deflected shot and he then played a role in Caicedo’s second seven minutes before the break.Substitute Bobby Adekanye came on after the break with the former Liverpool player tapping in his first Serie A goal.“Caicedo, Immobile and (Joaquin) Correa are untouchable,” said Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi.The race for Champions League and Europa League places remains tight.Atalanta moved fourth despite being held 2-2 by struggling Genoa, going ahead of Roma on goal difference after the side from the capital fell 4-2 at Sassuolo on Saturday.Behind Cagliari, Parma and AC Milan have 32 points.Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed AC Milan’s game with flu, with the eighth-placed northerners held 1-1 by 10-man Hellas Verona.For Milan, midfielder Daniel Maldini, 18, made his Serie A debut to follow in the footsteps of his father, club legend Paolo, and grandfather Cesare.Torino plunged further into crisis, following last weekend’s seven-goal thrashing by Atalanta with a 4-0 defeat to lowly Lecce, to sit 12th.Lecce earned their first home win this season to move three points clear of the relegation zone, with new signings Alessandro Deiola and Antonin Barak getting the first two goals. Read the full article

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Australian Open 2020: Indian challenge ends as Rohan Bopanna bows out - tennis

The Indian challenge at the Australian Open ended after Rohan Bopanna and his Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok were knocked out in straight sets in the quarterfinal of the mixed doubles event here on Thursday.The Indo-Ukrainian pair went down 0-6 2-6 to fifth seed Nikola Mektic and Barbora Krejcikova in a 47-minute encounter.Bopanna and Kichenok struggled from the beginning and failed to hold their serve. The Croatian-Czech pair completely dominated the proceedings from the word go, easily taking the first set.In the second set, Bopanna and Kichenok managed to hold their serve in the first game but were easily broken in the second and the seventh, meekly handing over a semifinal spot to Mektic and Borbara.On Tuesday, veteran Leander Paes’ last Australian Open outing came to an end after he and partner Jelena Ostapenko made a second round exit in the mixed doubles event. Read the full article

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Australian Open 2020: Dominic Thiem stuns Rafael Nadal to set-up semis date with Alexander Zverev - tennis

Austria’s Dominic Thiem stunned Rafael Nadal Wednesday to send the world number one tumbling out of the Australian Open and set up a semi-final against Alexander Zverev. The fifth seed, beaten by Nadal in the last two French Open finals, battled past the Spaniard 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (8/6) to deny him a crack at a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title. He will now meet German seventh seed Zverev who shattered the dreams of veteran Stan Wawrinka 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to book a maiden place in a Grand Slam last four. Also Read: Australian Open quarterfinals highlights, as it happenedAwaiting the winner of that clash will be either seven-time champion Novak Djokovic or six-time winner Roger Federer, who meet in the other semi-final.“All the match was on a very good level, I think we are both in great form,” said Thiem, only the second Austrian to make the Melbourne semis after Thomas Muster -- the man he sacked this week as an advisor.“Today I had the feeling I was lucky in the right situation ... it is necessary because he is one of the greatest of all time. You need some luck to beat him.”Top seed Nadal had a 9-4 record over Thiem and had beaten him in all their five previous Slam meetings.But the last time they played on hardcourts -- at the 2018 US Open quarter-finals -- it was a five-set marathon. Also Read: ‘Humare legends ke khilaf bakwas mat kare’: Ex Pak pacer ‘warns’ SehwagAnd the signs pointed that way again, with the opening set on serve to 2-2 before Thiem, gunning for a first Grand Slam title, worked a break point but couldn’t convert.Both baseline-huggers, it became a slugfest before Nadal managed to open some doors on the Thiem serve in game eight and he broke with a perfect lob from the back of the court.But Thiem came roaring back, breaking back with a ripping crosscourt return. He saved a set point to take it to a tie-breaker where he stunned Nadal to seal a one set lead.- Famous victory -Nadal, dripping in sweat on a steamy Melbourne night, attacked in the second set and Thiem lost his serve to love to go 3-2 behind.But the Spaniard, the 2009 champion, became riled when issued with a warning for taking too long to serve and it rattled him, sending down a double fault as Thiem squared the set at 4-4.Also Read: After Federer last year, Nadal encounters tight Australian Open securityNadal saved a set point and it went to another tie-break where Thiem prevailed at the crunch thanks to a lucky net cord.The third set was similarly tight, with no breaks until Nadal teased some errors from Thiem as he served to stay in the set, pumping his fists in celebration.But when Nadal shanked a forehand in the third game of set four to be broken the momentum swung back to the Austrian. He lost his nerve serving for the match at 5-4 before finally getting over the line in a tie-break for a famous victory.He now faces Zverev, who bounced back after being demolished in the first set by 2014 champion Wawrinka to take control and run out a comfortable winner.Also Read: Navratilova, McEnroe apologise for Margaret Court Arena protestLong touted as one of the next generation capable of breaking through to end the Grand Slam dominance of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, Zverev credited a more relaxed approach for his success in Melbourne.“I’m doing much more things outside the court,” he said, adding that after a poor performance at the recent ATP Cup he did not have high expectations.“Maybe this is a stepping stone. Maybe this is how it should happen.” Read the full article

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Kobe Bryant death: Other sporting stars who died in air crashes - other sports

NBA legend Kobe Bryant died on Sunday when a helicopter crashed and burst into flames in suburban Los Angeles. Here is a look at six other air tragedies which claimed the lives of sporting heroes:1958: Manchester UnitedThe plane carrying members of Manchester United’s ‘Busby Babes’ crashed in Germany as it returned from a European Cup match in Belgrade. Eight players died following the incident as well as three staff members. Matty Busby’s side went on to win the trophy in 1968 and a passage under United’s Old Trafford stadium was named the ‘Munich Tunnel’ on the 50th anniversary of the accident.1961: US Figure SkatingAll 18 athletes in the US figure skating team lost their lives on their way to Prague for the World Championships as their aircraft crashed on approach to an airport in Brussels. The competition was cancelled and the whole squad and their coaches were inducted into the US Skating Hall of Fame in January 2011.1972: Old Christians Rugby Club The Uruguayan outfit lost 12 team members when the plane set for Santiago in Chile crashed in a remote part of the Andes mountain range. After they ran out of food on the glacier, survivors resorted to eating the flesh from the dead bodies and they were found 71 days after the crash. Books, films and documentaries have been made about the accident and hikers still visit the site at 3,570 metres to pay tribute.2016: ChapecoenseA charter flight from Bolivia to Colombia carrying 77 people claimed the lives of 19 members of the Brazilian side’s squad travelling to the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final. The title was awarded to the club following a request from their opponents Atletico Nacional. Spanish club Barcelona organised a friendly against Chapecoense less than a year later to raise funds as one of the survivors Alan Ruschel played his first match since the incident.2018: Vichai SrivaddhanaprabhaLeicester City owner Vichai was killed as the helicopter carrying him and four other people crashed outside the club’s King Power stadium hours after a league game. Thousands of Foxes supporters took part in a walk in remembrance of the victims before their next match and the Thai billionaire’s son Aiyawatt took over control of the English side.2019: Emiliano Sala The Argentinian striker was travelling by plane from Nantes to Wales to finalise a move to then Premier League club Cardiff City when his aircraft crashed in the English Channel. There are still unresolved issues surrounding the player’s death, such as the payment of the 17 million euros ($18.85 million) fee agreed for his transfer. Read the full article

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Sourav Ganguly Says New Selection Panel Will Pick Indian Squad For South Africa ODIs

"The Test squad for New Zealand has already been picked by the old committee and new committee's first meeting will be held before home ODI series against South Africa. The interviews for short-listed candidates will happen soon," Ganguly said.The BCCI President also informed that while Madan Lal and Sulakshana Naik are the members of Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), Gautam Gambhir is being replaced as he can not hold any position being a Member of Parliament."We have decided on Gautam's replacement and the announcement will be made soon. Madan Lal and Sulakshana are there," he said. Meanwhile Ganguly also informed that all-rounder Hardik Pandya has still not attained match fitness after his back surgery. "He can't play right now. It will take some time before he gets fit," the BCCI president said.Hardik had recently failed the fitness test in his bid to make a national come back.His trainer S Rajnikant had claimed that Pandya can pass YoYo Test, it is understood that the Baroda all-rounder is nowhere close to attaining international match fitness. Read the full article

[bigyack-com]

Sourav Ganguly Says New Selection Panel Will Pick Indian Squad For South Africa ODIs

"The Test squad for New Zealand has already been picked by the old committee and new committee's first meeting will be held before home ODI series against South Africa. The interviews for short-listed candidates will happen soon," Ganguly said.The BCCI President also informed that while Madan Lal and Sulakshana Naik are the members of Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), Gautam Gambhir is being replaced as he can not hold any position being a Member of Parliament."We have decided on Gautam's replacement and the announcement will be made soon. Madan Lal and Sulakshana are there," he said. Meanwhile Ganguly also informed that all-rounder Hardik Pandya has still not attained match fitness after his back surgery. "He can't play right now. It will take some time before he gets fit," the BCCI president said.Hardik had recently failed the fitness test in his bid to make a national come back.His trainer S Rajnikant had claimed that Pandya can pass YoYo Test, it is understood that the Baroda all-rounder is nowhere close to attaining international match fitness. Read the full article