Friday, May 9

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Shipley makes injury return for New Zealand XI

Shipley makes injury return for New Zealand XI

SPORTS
Christchurch, Dec 20 (IANS) All-rounder Henry Shipley will continue his long-awaited return from injury when he lines up for New Zealand XI in a one-off T20 warm-up against Sri Lanka on Monday at Lincoln University, the New Zealand Cricket said on Friday. Shipley, who has represented New Zealand in eight ODIs and five T20Is, has faced a sustained period on the sideline since suffering a stress fracture in his back while playing for Sussex in the English County Championship in July last year.He last featured in a competitive match in last season’s Ford Trophy final for Canterbury against Auckland, but a recurrence of the injury saw him sidelined for the New Zealand winter and the start of the 2024-25 New Zealand domestic summer.NZC high-performance coach Bob Carter said he was delighted to ...
India enter U19 Women’s Asia Cup final with 4-wicket win over Sri Lanka

India enter U19 Women’s Asia Cup final with 4-wicket win over Sri Lanka

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Kuala Lumpur, Dec 20 (IANS) Left-arm spinner Aayushi Shukla picked a brilliant four-wicket haul to set the base for India entering the final of the U19 Women’s Asia Cup with four-wicket win over Sri Lanka at the Bayuemas Cricket Oval on Friday.Aayushi, who picked three wickets in India’s previous Super Four win over Bangladesh, clinched figures of 4-10 and play a pivotal hand in restricting Sri Lanka to 98/9 in their 20 overs.She was well supported by fellow left-arm spinner Parunika Sisodia, taking two wickets, while Shabnam Shakil and Drithi Kesari took a scalp each, as barring Manudi Nanayakkara’s 33, none of the Sri Lanka batters managed to reach 25.In the chase, despite losing Ishwari Avasare and Sanika Chalke early, G Trisha and G Kamalini ensured India’s quest for chasing down 99 wa...
CLOSE-IN: Is there a rainbow for the Indian cricket side after all? (IANS Column)

CLOSE-IN: Is there a rainbow for the Indian cricket side after all? (IANS Column)

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Rain saved India from what looked like an imminent defeat against the Aussies in the third Test match at the Gabba in Brisbane. Several cricket series in the past have shown teams being saved by the Almighty through rain and thereafter, have been blessed with a series win!May be this Indian side has that element of luck and blessing too, having escaped from the hell hole they had dug themselves into. The series stands 1-1 at present, evenly balanced with 2 Test matches to go.Australia, one feels, may have lost the upper-hand due to two very specific outcomes that took place in the last Test match. One was not being able to enforce a follow-on by allowing the Indian lower order batters flourish. The elation that one saw on the faces of the Indian coach and players when India passed the magi...
ICC planning an event that will benefit both India-Pak: Rashid Latif

ICC planning an event that will benefit both India-Pak: Rashid Latif

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New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Rashid Latif gave his take on India-Pakistan matches at ICC events that will now be played at neutral venues and said such a settlement should have been made after the 2017 Champions Trophy. He also mentioned that the ICC is working on a formula that will benefit both nations.The executive board of the International Cricket Council on Thursday confirmed that matches between India and Pakistan in upcoming ICC events till 2027, including next year's Champions Trophy 2025, will be played at neutral venues."This settlement should have been made after the 2017 Champions Trophy, as per ICC rules, because Pakistan had visited India in 2016. In 2023, Pakistan also visited India and played in the ODI World Cup. We want both Pakistan and I...
BGT: McSweeney dropped, Konstas added to Aus squad for final two Tests against India

BGT: McSweeney dropped, Konstas added to Aus squad for final two Tests against India

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Melbourne, Dec 20 (IANS) Young opener Nathan McSweeney has been dropped while uncapped Sam Konstas earned maiden call-up to the Australia Test squad for the last two matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Melbourne and Sydney.Konstas has been added at the expense of opener McSweeney, whose spot in Australia’s XI was being heavily debated following two single-digit scores during the drawn third Test at the Gabba.McSweeney, who had never opened in professional cricket before this season, has made 72 runs at 14.40 in the first three Tests.Konstas has made a blazing start to his first full summer in senior career cricket after starring at the under-19 World Cup in South Africa early this year.He scored 152 and 105 in New South Wales' Sheffield Shield opener against South Australia, th...
Pickleball’s rapid growth, global appeal make it strong candidate for Olympics: Arvind Prabhoo

Pickleball’s rapid growth, global appeal make it strong candidate for Olympics: Arvind Prabhoo

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Mumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) Considered by many as the fastest-growing sport in the country in terms of registered players, pickleball got noticed by mainstream media in the country. With many medals and honours at the international level, Indian pickleball players had a successful year.As the year 2024 draws to a close, the unique racquet sport that is an amalgamation of tennis and table tennis but has its own specific rules and court, which has attracted many players to switch to pickleball.With the sport looking for another giant leap in India with the launch of the World Pickleball League in 2025, IANS got Arvind Prabhoo, president of the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA), to analyse the year that has gone by, pointing out the highlights and narrating plans for the next year. Excerpts f...
Friedkin Group completes Everton takeover after receiving Premier League OK

Friedkin Group completes Everton takeover after receiving Premier League OK

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London, Dec 19 (IANS) The Friedkin Group on Thursday completed the takeover of Premier League club Everton, ending the ownership of Farhad Moshiri and years of uncertainty over the club's future. The deal, which makes Everton the 10th club in the Premier League under American control, is thought to be worth more than 400 million pounds (502 million U.S. dollars) and comes before the club moves to its new 60,000 capacity 'Everton Stadium' for the 2025-2026 season.The Friedkin Group is owned by Dan Friedkin, who has a personal worth of almost eight billion U.S. dollars and also owns the historic Italian club AS Roma."I take immense pride in welcoming one of England's most historic football clubs to our global family, the Friedkin Group. Everton represents a proud legacy, and we are honoured ...
World Tennis League: Paolini, Ruud, Halep guide Kites to a 25-20 win over HonorFX Eagles

World Tennis League: Paolini, Ruud, Halep guide Kites to a 25-20 win over HonorFX Eagles

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Abu Dhabi, Dec 19 (IANS) The opening day of the World Tennis League Season 3 concluded spectacularly on Thursday as the Kites secured a convincing 25-20 victory over the HonorFX Eagles in the second match held at the iconic Etihad Arena here on Thursday.In the mixed doubles, Alexander Shevchenko and Paula Badosa secured an early break in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead for the HonorFX Eagles. However, Jasmine Paolini and Casper Ruud, after taking some time to find their rhythm, turned things around to win the set 6-4, putting the Kites ahead in the match.In the men's singles, Ruud maintained his impressive form as he cruised to a comfortable 6-4 victory and further extended the Kites' lead to 12-8.Iga Swiatek and Paula Badosa came out strong for the HonorFX Eagles in a star-studded wome...
PKL 11: U Mumba inch closer to Playoff berth with win against Patna Pirates

PKL 11: U Mumba inch closer to Playoff berth with win against Patna Pirates

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Pune, Dec 19 (IANS) The U Mumba were in fine form with Ajith Chauhan leading the way in attack and Sunil Kumar pulling the strings from the defence as they swatted away the challenge of Patna Pirates in a Season 11 clash of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) in the Badminton Hall of the Balewadi Sports Complex here on Thursday. The U Mumba side won by 43-37.Incidentally, if Jaipur Pink Panthers can avoid defeat against the Bengal Warriorz on Friday, then U Mumba and the Season 10 champions will clinch the final two playoff berths.Manjeet and Devank got the U Mumba and Patna Pirates off the mark, respectively. And after that Manjeet’s two-point raid, coupled with a solid tackle from Lokesh Ghosliya, helped U Mumba pick up a 3-point lead in the early exchanges. Rohit Raghav also got his act going,...
Richa’s joint-fastest fifty, Radha’s four-fer help India Women thrash West Indies, win T20I series 2-1

Richa’s joint-fastest fifty, Radha’s four-fer help India Women thrash West Indies, win T20I series 2-1

SPORTS
Navi Mumbai, Dec 19 (IANS) Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh smashed the joint-fastest half-century and Radha Yadav claimed a four-fer as India Women thrashed West Indies Women by 60 runs in the third and deciding T20I match, winning the series 2-1 at the DY Patil Sports Academy here on Thursday. Asked to bat first, Richa slammed an 18-ball half-century, the fastest fifty by an Indian women batter in the shortest format, while compiling a 21-ball 54 which helped India post a massive 217/4 in 20 overs. Skipper Smriti Mandhana hammered a 47-ball 77, her 30th fifty-plus score in the format, while Jemimah Rodrigues (39) and Raghvi Bist (31 not out) made vital contributions as the hosts rode on a brilliant performance by their top order to score their highest total in women's T10Is.In reply, the ...