New Delhi: Indian men suffered a 0-3 thrashing at the hands of a much superior Singapore as the hosts settled for a silver medal in the team event at the 19th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships here on Wednesday. The Indian paddlers displayed flashes of brilliance to create some excitement among the home supporters at the Thyagaraj Stadium here but the difference in class between the two teams proved decisive at...
08:45 PM, May 08, 2013
Dubai: South Africa will have to make a strong start against India in their opening match of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy if they want to lay hands on a piece of ICC silverware, a feat the country has not achieved since 1998, South Africa captain AB de Villiers said. De Villiers feels that the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy is a golden opportunity for South Africa to shed their tag...
06:42 PM, May 08, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq believes his team is mentally stronger after defeats in South Africa and ready for next month's Champions Trophy in England. South Africa swept Pakistan 3-0 in the Test series but Misbah's team proved tougher opposition in the one-day series before losing it 3-2. Misbah says his players benefited from "playing tough cricket in tough South African conditions as you mentally get more focused" for difficult conditions....
05:30 PM, May 08, 2013
Karachi: Emphasising the importance of hard work, former captain Javed Miandad told the Pakistani players to look up to Sachin Tendulkar, who he says is an embodiment of commitment to the game of cricket. Miandad while talking to Pakistan players, preparing for the Champions Trophy in Abbotabad, said there was no replacement for hard work. "It has been a good experience working with these players and I have told them...
09:11 PM, May 07, 2013
Bangalore: After a three-year interval, the much-diluted senior men's National Hockey Championship for the Rangaswamy Cup will commence here on Wednesday with defending champions Mumbai taking on hosts Karnataka in the opening fixture. The week-long tournament that concludes on May 16, will see zonal winners Punjab (North), Mumbai (West), Karnataka (South), Jharkhand (East), Uttar Pradesh (Central) and Manipur (North-East) playing one another on a single league basis followed by classification...
04:37 PM, May 07, 2013
Madrid: Real Sociedad's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in a decade suffered a setback when they surrendered the lead and lost 2-1 at fellow European hopefuls Getafe in La Liga on Monday. The Basque club's reverse at Getafe's Coliseum stadium in Madrid means they still occupy fourth and Spain's final qualification berth for Europe's elite club competition but their lead over fifth-placed Valencia has...
09:39 AM, May 07, 2013
New Delhi: Magnus Carlsen has expressed "deep disappointment" at world chess governing body FIDE's decision to award the World Championship final to Viswanathan Anand's hometown Chennai accusing them of "lack of transparency." "I'm deeply disappointed and surprised by the FIDE decision to sign a contract for the 2013 match without going through the bidding process outlined in the WC regulations, and for not choosing neutral ground," Carlsen was quoted as...
08:42 AM, May 07, 2013
Mumbai: West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo, who has been named as the team's captain for the ICC Champions Trophy, said that he is learning a lot from his Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "The way you have MS carry himself on and off the field, I have learnt a lot from him. I spend a lot more time talking to him about cricket. Obviously, India will come up...
08:09 AM, May 07, 2013
New Delhi: Indian paddlers continued to impress as both men's and women's teams assured themselves of at least two bronze medals by progressing to the semi-finals of the 19th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships, here on Monday. Both teams have common rival in England in their respective semi-finals, to be played on Tuesday. Men paddlers topped their group by winning all the three matches while women finished second behind Singapore. Women...
10:16 PM, May 06, 2013
New Delhi: Indian women paddlers put up a brave fight before going down 1-3 to Singapore in a league match of the second stage at the 19th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships, here on Monday. However, India made a positive start to their campaign overwhelming Scotland 3-0 in the opening match of the day. The eves will now take on Wales to seal a spot in the last four round. Against...
07:20 PM, May 06, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal has recovered from a suspected hernia scare and lost five kilograms in weight to prepare for next month's Champions Trophy in England. The 35-year-old Ajmal felt pain in his lower abdomen after Pakistan's series against South Africa in March. "I am fine now, but I will go for another checkup when the team goes to England," Ajmal said in the northern town of Abbottabad where...
06:04 PM, May 06, 2013
Berlin: France winger Franck Ribery Monday said he is eager to extend his Bayern Munich contract past 2015 having already spent nearly six years at the Champions League finalists. The 30-year-old joined Bayern in July 2007 from Marseille and has scored 51 goals with 74 assists in his 154 league games for the Bavarians to become a fan favourite at the Allianz Arena and was a key factor in Bayern...
05:57 PM, May 06, 2013
Karachi: Former Pakistan captains Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram are hopeful that the national team can win the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in England. The PCB has asked Miandad to assist the batsmen in the national training camp underway in Abbotabad while Akram is also there to work with the pace bowlers. Both the greats have spent hours working with the players since reaching Abbotabad two days back. According to...
10:41 AM, May 06, 2013
Karachi: Pakistan's vice-captain Mohammad Hafeez feels the success rate the team enjoyed over the last few years after being forced to play away from home, makes it a strong contender for the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy in England. Hafeez told reporters during the national training camp in Abbotabad that despite being forced to play the home matches at neutral venues, Pakistan still had a 60 to 65 percent success rate...
10:01 AM, May 06, 2013
New Delhi: Viswanathan Anand will defend his World Chess Championship title against world number one Magnus Carlsen in his home city as FIDE on Monday chose Chennai as the venue for the prestigious match. Even as it has been reported that Carlsen was not keen to play in Chennai and instead preferred Paris as the venue, the FIDE Presidential Board confirmed Chennai as the venue during a meeting at Baku,...
09:11 AM, May 06, 2013
New Delhi: Indian paddlers made a fine start at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships topping their respective groups in Stage I on Sunday. The men's team, led by Sharath Kamal, first saw off Australia 3-1 and then blanked South Africa in Group B matches played at the Thyagaraj Stadium. The women too had it easy in Group C, beating Sri Lanka and Canada with an identical 3-0 margin. They got...
08:54 AM, May 06, 2013
Jaipur: Picked in the Indian squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is confident of making the opportunity count and says the seamer-friendly conditions in England and Wales will "assist" his style of bowling. Bhuvneshwar on Saturday was included in the 15-member squad for the 50-over tournament, to be held from June 6 to 23. "I am feeling very happy for my selection. I am confident of doing well...
06:16 PM, May 05, 2013
Twenty20 cricket is money-spinning and popular but for Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews, nothing comes close to the thrill of playing Test cricket. "Test is the ultimate format. I really enjoy playing Test cricket. It's not always as easy as you think, but Test is the ultimate form. And we (Sri Lankans) always enjoy playing Test cricket," Mathews, who leads the Test and ODI side of the country, said. Mathews,...
05:31 PM, May 05, 2013
Phil Mickelson and Nick Watney survived some late-round misadventures to emerge from Saturday's third round tied for the lead in the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mickelson topped the leaderboard for most of the day and Watney took his turn alone in first place during the final stretch before both players fell back with double-bogeys to head into Sunday's final round knotted at eight-under-par 208....
10:20 AM, May 05, 2013
