Tuchel won’t take risks with Neymar
Neymar, Thiago Silva and Marquinhos are unlikely to be risked against Monaco in Saturday’s Trophee des Champions clash, according to Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel.The Brazil trio all joined up with PSG this week after an extended break following their World Cup exploits.Neymar has not played for PSG since breaking his foot at the end of February, an injury which brought an early conclusion to his season and initially put his World Cup participation in doubt. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! For a few months after his injury, it was widely reported Neymar’s PSG career was over, before he moved to silence rumours linking him with Real Madrid.He is together again with his team-mates in Shenzhen ahead of Saturday’s traditional season curtain-raiser, although Tuchel is wary of rushing him back.”I am already very happy that they are here, with the group,” Tuchel told a news conference in China on Friday.”It’s very important. Thiago arrived first. I will not take any chances with them; it is my duty to take care of them. I must be very careful with them.”I have an idea of what [team] I want to face Monaco, but I will not tell you. I will talk with the players. @neymarjr back in training #PSGAsiaTour pic.twitter.com/fd4HRGZMxJ— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) August 2, 2018″I have to take into account the training this afternoon [Friday], but also their journey, jet lag and also the quality of their sleep. They are able to play, but I do not know how long for.”Club captain Silva acknowledged that PSG are not 100 per cent ready physically to face Monaco.”The Trophee des Champios is special for starting the season,” he added. “We are used to winning it and we will try to do it again.”We will have to give everything because it will be very difficult. We are not 100 per cent physically, but mentally we are strong.”Monaco is a problem for us and it will be worse [on Saturday] because we are not 100 per cent ready.”
Kostas Manolas has a €36 million (£32m/$42m) release clause in his contract and admits he could be tempted to leave Roma if Real Madrid or Barcelona come calling.The Greece international committed to fresh terms in the Italian capital last season, with that deal set to take him through to 2022.He insists he is not looking for a way out, but concedes that La Liga giants would be difficult to turn down – even if Roma icon Francesco Totti was able to do so during his distinguished career. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! Manolas told Gazzetta dello Sport: “If a club like Real Madrid or Barcelona were to come along, apart from Francesco Totti who turned them down, I think everyone would think about it.“We’d then have to evaluate the conditions, because I can assure you that it’s not easy for anyone to leave Roma.“Totti was fundamental in convincing me to stay. I spoke to him more than I did [director of sport] Monchi.“I don’t feel like a leader and I am not the captain. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been here for many years. We are all the same in the locker room. Now talented young players have arrived and they need our help. All I can pledge is that I’ll give my all.”Manolas also claims that he could shun a switch away from Roma even if a suitor agreed to meet his buyout fee.
It would take a special challenge to lure him away from Stadio Olimpico and, despite sparking plenty of transfer talk, would be happy to leave any exit call in the hands of his current club – with a number of potential moves having already been turned down.The 27-year-old defender added: “I renewed my contract and I think I deserved it. I could’ve left two or three times last season, but I didn’t do it and I had my best campaign here.“I’ve never been asked to remove the clause. In any case, I don’t think the clause is that low. Football prices have gone through the roof and beyond normality, so if Roma consider it inadequate as a sum, they can call me to discuss it.“I had been very close to Zenit St Petersburg, but I saw the figures were all in Rubles. I asked them to change it to dollars and they refused. When they changed their minds days later, I’d already made my decision. It was destiny.”Manolas has been with Roma since 2014 and is into his fifth season with the club.If he manages to steer clear of injuries and remain a regular, then he should pass the 200-appearance mark for the Giallorossi at some stage in the current campaign.
Luciano Spalletti has hailed Roberto Gagliardini and Joao Mario for their professionalism after the duo starred in Inter’s 5-0 win over Genoa.Gagliardini scored twice and Joao Mario claimed two assists in the rout at San Siro, as Inter made it seven Serie A wins in a row to move into second place.While Joao Mario has come in from the cold in recent weeks, having failed to secure a transfer away from the club in the off-season, Gagliardini has made seven Serie A appearances. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! However, just four of those have been starts, and the midfielder was left out of Inter’s squad for the Champions League, which was restricted to 21 players due to financial fair play restrictions.And Spalletti has praised both Gagliardini and Joao Mario, as well as back-up full-back Dalbert, for their commitment and attitude despite not featuring consistently.”When I left Gagliardini out against Lazio, he was clearly disappointed,” Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia.”He is off the Champions League squad list too, but he showed how much he wants to help the team and give his contribution.”If Gagliardini had come to training with that disappointment and lowered his head, then he wouldn’t have performed like this.No wonder he’s smiling!@gaglio94 has scored his first Serie A brace today! #InterGenoa 3-0 pic.twitter.com/jtLyR7SJJK— Inter (@Inter_en) November 3, 2018″He was rewarded for his professionalism and we have several players like that, most evidently Joao Mario, but also Dalbert who did well today.”Dalbert can get anxious and make mistakes with the easiest of moves, but I am glad he had a strong performance today and I hope that’ll help.”Inter’s victory provides the perfect warm-up for their next clash, with Barcelona travelling to San Siro in the Champions League on Tuesday.
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Gujarat Lions skipper Suresh Raina blamed his bowlers for their seven-wicket defeat against Delhi Daredevils in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium here. (Rishabh Pant’s success mantra: See ball, hit ball)Chasing a mammoth 209, the left-right combo of Rishabh Pant (97) and Sanju Samson (61) plundered the Gujarat bowlers all over the park to raise a 143-run stand of mere 63 balls to overhaul the target on Thursday. (Pant’s innings won the the best in IPL: Tendulkar)With this win, sixth-placed Delhi kept their hopes of qualifying for the play-offs while Gujarat, languishing in the penultimate spot, are already out of the race. (I like to play aggressively: Pant)”We didn’t bowl really well. We don’t have that experience with the old ball. (Andrew) Tye has done well, Bravo isn’t there,” Raina said after the match.”Important to bowl dot balls, we tried everything, slower balls, the ball was reversing but that time, the game was over,” he added.Raina also praised Samson and Pant for their brilliant innings which helped Delhi to outplay Gujarat.”It was Pant’s day, he batted very well. They (Pant and Samson) are the future of the Indian team,” Raina said. (Pant consoled by Raina after heartbreak at 97)
Bengaluru, May 29 (PTI) Aiming to hit peak form in next months Hockey World League Semi Final, the Indian team today left for a three-nation invitational tournament in Germany starting June 1. The 18-member squad, led by Manpreet Singh, left from the Kempegowda International Airport in the wee hours this morning after a two-week national camp at the Sports Authority of India campus here. At the tournament in Dusseldorf, India will play two matches each against Germany and Belgium. “Playing top teams like Germany and Belgium (both Rio Olympic Medalists), will help us a lot ahead of the Hero Hockey World League Semi Final (Men),” stated Manpreet ahead of the departure. “If we play well against them, we will gain a lot of confidence and it will give us a little more time to make minor changes in our game and iron out any mistake. We will be able to assess our performance and get ready for the bigger challenge in London,” he added. Right after the invitational tournament, the team will arrive in London on June 9 for the Hero Hockey World League Semi Final (Men) where it will play practice matches against Olympic Gold Medalists Argentina and Great Britain. “We always take practice matches seriously because doing well in a practice match means gaining the required momentum for the start of the tournament. We will also get the feel of the pitch to get a good sense of how to take penalty corners.” said the 24-year-old Manpreet. India will play their first match against Scotland (June 15), followed by Canada (June 17), Pakistan (June 18) and the Netherlands (June 20) in the pool stage. “We cannot single out any one team as a tough team to beat because every team will play their best considering this is a prestigious tournament and also a World Cup qualifier. “We cannot take any team lightly and our aim will be to start on a winning note and earn those three points,” he added. PTI PM PMadvertisement
Virat Kohli heaped rich praise on man-of-the-match Yuvraj Singh, whose 32-ball 53 turned out to be the game-changer for India in their opening Champions Trophy 2017 clash against Pakistan.India were also aided by half-centuries from openers Rohit Sharma (91) and Shikhar Dhawan (68) besides an unbeaten 81 from Kohli himself. However, the captain was not as fluent as he generally is in limited-overs cricket and it was Yuvraj’s blitz that helped take off some pressure.Kohli and Yuvraj came together with India 192/2 off 36.4 overs and they had raced to 285/3 in 58 balls by the time Yuvraj fell to Hassan Ali.Kohli appeared to be somewhat rusty for the first half of his innings but India were never really stuck as Yuvraj clobbered eight fours and a huge six.The 28-year-old skipper conceded Yuvraj’s knock allowed him to breathe a little easy when the going got tough in the middle.”Yuvraj was outstanding. He took all the pressure off me, when I was not hitting it well. I felt like a club batsman in front of him. He is a game-changer with the bat and that’s why he plays in the team,” Kohli said while also acknowledging the role of Dhawan and Rohit at the top of the order.It was a clinical performance from India, who batted brilliantly despite the constant rain stoppage and then turned on the heat with the ball, bowling Pakistan out for 164.But Kohli was far from pleased with his team’s fielding effort and stressed that the players needed to raise the bar in a challenging tournament.advertisement”We were 9 out of 10 with the ball, we were right up there. In the field, we were 6 out of 10. If we tune that up to 8 or 9, we will be a very strong side in the tournament.”I think this was a complete performance to start the tournament. We took the momentum that we gained from the practice games into this game. Skill wise, we were really very good. This is a tournament of all champion teams, where you can’t relax at any stage,” he said.India will next take on Sri Lanka at The Oval on Thursday.
Coimbatore, Jun 9 (PTI) Bengaluru?s Aishwarya Pissay (Apex Racing) took pole position in the girls section (Stock 165cc) as the Rolon round of MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship began at Kari Motor Speedway, here today The 21-year old Aishwarya astride a Yamaha R15 bike, overcame her nervousness ahead of the qualifying session and put in the fastest lap of 1 minute, 28.161 seconds, which put her in front of the grid ahead of Kalyani Potekar from Madhya Pradesh (Team Speed Up Racing) and the experienced Alisha Abdullah of Alisha Abdullah Racing Academy. Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing began the defence of his title by finishing in pole position in the premier Super Sport India (up to 165cc) class. Close behind Jagan, who clocked a best lap of 1 minute, 15.820 seconds in the sixth lap after a sedate start in the qualifying session, was Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing while TVS Racing?s K Y Ahmed came in third. Team Honda Ten10 Racing had much to cheer about as its riders Mithun Kumar, Soorya PM and B Aravind occupied the top three slots in the Pro-Stock (up to 165cc) class. PTI SS APR
Guwahati, Jun 17 (PTI) Assam Police today said that it would recruit nearly 9,000 people by the end of this year against the current vacancy of over 12,000 posts in the force.”We currently have a total vacancy of 12,000 posts of non-gazetted officers, of which 8,000 are constable ranks. Besides, 79 posts of DSP and 154 inspector ranks are lying vacant,” State Level Police Recruitment Board chairman Pradeep Kumar said.Assam Police was currently completing the pending recruitment process for 3,980 posts which would be over by the next month, he added.”The government has also asked us to recruit 5,013 persons for various posts. During July-August, we will bring out the advertisement for these posts and the appointment process will be completed by the end of this year,” said Kumar, who is also the Director General of Home Guards.”We are waiting for the new recruitment policy. We have suggested some new provisions like 10 per cent reservation for backward regions, two per cent for sports quota and two per cent for surrendered militants. The government has not finalised these yet,” Kumar said.For sports quota, he said, Assam Police has suggested direct recruitment to DSP for Olympic gold medallists, direct appointment as inspector for winning Olympic silver or bronze or gold in Asian or Commonwealth Games and a special two per cent quota for national and state players.”We have also sent a proposal to the Centre to raise three India Reserve battalions. If that is sanctioned, we will be adding 3,000 more personnel in the force,” Kumar said.advertisementAssam Police has a sanctioned strength of 74,000 people, of which 12,000 are lying vacant at all levels.”The representation from different areas are also not symmetrical. The hill districts have only 0.2 per cent representation in Assam Police, while it is just 1.67 per cent from BTAD (Bodoland Territorial Area Districts) areas. Tinsukia and Sadiya have less than six per cent people in the force,” Kumar said, adding these anomalies are likely to be addressed in the new recruitment policy.On police public ratio, he said Assam has 107 personnel for every one lakh population, while the UN norm is 210 for every one lakh people. PTI TR NN
Olympique Lyonnais have signed Chelsea’s Burkina Faso forward Bertrand Traore on a five-year contract for 10 million euros ($11.18 million), the French club said in a statement on Monday.The 21-year-old was on loan last season at Ajax Amsterdam, who finished runners-up in the Dutch top flight, scoring nine goals in 24 league games.Ajax also reached the Europa League final where they lost to Manchester United having knocked Lyon out in the semi-finals when Traore scored twice.He joined Chelsea from Burkina Faso’s Association Jeunes Espoirs De Bobo-Dioulasso in 2013 and went on loan to Vitesse Arnhem the following year.Traore returned to make his Chelsea debut just after his 20th birthday in a Champions League game against Maccabi Tel Aviv in September 2015.He netted four goals in 16 appearances for the west London club including scoring in three consecutive games in 2016.Lyon finished fourth in Ligue 1 last season to qualify for the Europa League.
A bitter pay dispute between Australia’s cricketers and the national board appears set to remain unresolved by a Friday deadline, leaving more than 200 players unemployed and upcoming series against Bangladesh and England in jeopardy.Eleventh hour talks have failed to produce a breakthrough this week and relations have soured to the point that the players’ union is refusing to deal with Cricket Australia’s (CA) lead negotiator.The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) has demanded CA’s long-serving chief executive James Sutherland step up to the dealing table and help end a standoff that could ultimately trigger a damaging round of player boycotts.The existing pay deal, known as the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), will expire at midnight on Friday, two days before players selected for an Australia A tour of South Africa are to report for a training camp in Brisbane.CA has remained silent on Sutherland’s intentions but high performance boss Pat Howard has made the board’s position clear.Howard warned players in an email on Wednesday not to sign with other sponsors or play in “disapproved” cricket in case it put them “at risk” of a potential, future CA contract.The sticking point remains the argument over a revenue share scheme which has underpinned contracts for 20 years.The model has helped make Australia’s cricketers among the best paid in the world but CA says it no longer fits commercial realities and is robbing the grass-roots of vital funding.”Things have changed. Cricket has changed significantly,” the board’s former chief executive Malcolm Speed told local media this week.advertisementSpeed was in charge of the governing body, then named the Australian Cricket Board, when it reluctantly struck the original revenue-sharing model with players in 1997.”It doesn’t make sense for the cricketers to say, ‘We like this model, we want to stick with it come hell or high water’.”CA made a revised offer to players last week, its first concession in six months.Its pledge to share “international surpluses” with all domestic players fell short of the union’s demand for a share of overall revenues, however, and was quickly rejected.Prominent players, including captain Steve Smith, have been vocal in backing the ACA’s hardline stance, but their resolve will not truly be tested until they wake up on Saturday morning with no deal on the table.The ACA’s integrity is also threatened by the diversity of its membership, which involves differing priorities for men, women and international players versus domestic cricketers.While about 230 players may be uncontracted by Saturday, some 70 will still be tethered to state contracts, News Ltd media reported, and will be still expected to train and play regardless of whether a new MoU is struck.A number of state-contracted players were selected for the Australia A tour, opening up a potential rift between players who stand to gain nothing from touring South Africa and those who would still be paid and motivated to press their claims for selection at international level.The ACA is expected to hold a meeting on Sunday to discuss the road ahead, including whether players would go ahead with the Australia A tour.From there, the stakes get progressively higher, with a two-test series in Bangladesh starting in August, a one-day international series in India in October and the five-test Ashes series at home to England kicking off in November.The last two competitions are vital sources of revenue for CA, and the dispute will be dimly viewed by local rights holder Channel Nine which is set to market the Ashes to advertising clients next week, according to Fairfax media.Australia’s top players may be able to weather a lockout indefinitely and carve out lucrative careers as free agents on the global Twenty20 circuit.But there is far less security for the lower tier of domestic players, some of whom could be tempted to break ranks if offered a chance to secure a baggy, green cap, even with its prestige dimmed by the absence of the most deserving cricketers.A more likely outcome may be that players and the board strike agreements on a series-by-series basis until an overarching MoU can be settled.That could take time in the current climate of distrust.”During the process a whole heap of trust has been lost, it’s pretty hard to recover that,” former players’ boss Tim May, an architect of the ACA and the original revenue-sharing model in 1997, told Reuters.
India women cricket team’s skipper Mithali Raj has called on her side to improve their fielding, especially catching, ahead of their much-anticipated clash against arch-rival Pakistan in the ICC Women’s World Cup at County Ground, Derby, on Sunday.Fielding was also the watch word for Raj after her team overcame the West Indies by seven wickets at Taunton.The Indian spinners led the way with seven wickets between them and while Smriti Mandhana also chipped in with a brilliant run-out of Stafanie Taylor – before hitting an unbeaten century, the Indian skipper Raj was frustrated at some late fielding lapses from her team.”We need to work on our catching, fielding is very crucial and it can win us matches,” said Raj.”I’m very pleased with the way the girls responded with crucial run-outs against the West Indies even though there were a couple of lapses in the field (drops).””We still have a couple of games more before we can look to the semi-finals and looking at how Sri Lanka has played and how Pakistan has played, every match is going to be crucial for us,” she added.The Indian eves made a dream start to the tournament by stunning hosts England by 35 runs before trouncing West Indies by seven wickets in their next encounter.Meanwhile, Pakistan all-rounder Asmavia Iqbal has backed her team to beat India and get off the mark in the tournament.Back-to-back defeats by South Africa and England have left Pakistan in must-win territory before it faces its biggest rivals this weekend.advertisementIn ODIs, Pakistan has never beaten India in nine attempts, but last year it claimed an historic two-run victory in the ICC World T20, on Indian soil.Asmavia is confident that Pakistan can build on the first two games and beat its rival, particularly if opening batter Ayesha Zafar can kick on after an unbeaten fifty against England.She said, “Playing against India there is always pressure. It is a big game but I am very hopeful of doing much better against India.”We beat India in India in the last T20. I believe in my spinners that they will bounce back and take wickets, and we will win the match.”Ayesha batted well and gained confidence, which is important before the game against India.”We are looking forward to the next game, whole Pakistan. In Pakistan they say that you have to win against India, it is very important. We took some positives (from the game against England).”Our fast bowling did well, Ayesha played well. But there are many areas to improve, especially fielding, which is letting us down. If we field well, we can beat any team.”Victory for India would take it to the verge of the semi-finals, Raj’s pre-tournament expectation of the side.Squads:India: Mithali Raj (captain), Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Jhulan Goswami, Mansi Joshi, Harmanpreet Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy, Smriti Mandhana, Mona Meshram, Nuzhat Parween, Shikha Pandey, Punam Raut, Deepti Sharma, Sushma Verma and PoonamPakistan: Sana Mir (captain), Asmavia Iqbal, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Ghulam Fatima, Iram Javed, Javeria Wadood, Kainat Imtiaz, Marina Iqbal, Bibi Nahida, Syeda Nain Fatima Abidi, Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Yousaf, Sidra Nawaz and Waheeda Akhter.
New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) Para-sports coach Satyanarayana Shimoga today claimed that he has been wrongly denied the Dronacharya Award by the government as he has not been chargesheeted in the defamation case, pending at a Delhi court. Satyanarayana, who has coached Rio Paralympics gold medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu, has been dropped from the list of this years Dronacharya awardees due to a criminal case pending against him before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Saket in Delhi. It has been learnt that several people had raised objections when Satyanarayanas name was recommended for the Dronacharya Award. “I have been wrongly denied an opportunity to receive the Dronacharya Award. Some people jealous of my achievements have made false allegations against my nomination for Dronacharya Award,” Satyanarayana told PTI from Bangalore on phone. “I am shocked to hear these media reports that my name has been struck down on the basis of this defamation case. “This case relates to a private complaint by someone who wanted to exact revenge for ousting him from Paralympic Committee of India. Moreover, the case has not reached chargesheeting/chargeframing stage and only summons were served. If I am going to be denied the Dronacharya Award on this basis, I feel it is not correct,” he added. The case in question is related to a complaint filed by the former PCI chief Rajesh Tomar, who was ousted by the national para-sports body in 2015 on allegations of mismanagement and misappropriation of funds. For many years, the PCI has been embroiled in factional fights and allegations of misgovernance and misappropriation of funds which has led to its derecognition and disaffiliation by the world body, the International Paralympic Committee, and the Sports Ministry on two occasions in the past. Asked if he will legal recourse on this issue, Satyanarayana said: “I am not the person to go to a court to get an award. I will respect the decision of the Sports Ministry. But I want to tell the world that I have done nothing wrong and I have been denied the award despite my achievements.” Satyanarayana, who has earlier served as PCI Secretary, said that he had written to Sports Minister Vijay Goel and Dronacharya award committee chairman Pullela Gopichand to allow him to present his side of the story but he did not get a reply. “I secured highest number of points on my achievements for the Dronacharya Award as a Para-athletics coach,” he said in the letter to Goel, sent on August 17. “I would like to request your goodself to kindly provide me an opportunity for self appraisal with supporting documents on the complaints against my nomination for Dronacharya Award,” he added. In the letter sent to Gopichand, Satyanarayana said that the complaint filed by Tomar at the Saket court was of private nature. The complaint was filed in order to take revenge from the then office bearers of the PCI and his name has been dragged without any rhyme or reason. He said Tomar only wanted to harass the office bearers of the then PCI who had passed a resolution to suspend/expel him in a meeting in Bangalore. He said he had not supported Tomar and that why he was made a party. “The court had issued summons only under Sections 500 and 501 of the Indian Penal Code. No notice/charge under Sections 500 and 501 of the IPC has been issued/framed against me or against other persons made as a party to the complaint. “In such scenario, my name be considered for Dronacharya Award (Life Time Achievement) for the year 2017,” he had said in the letter written to Gopichand on August 17. PTI PDS CM CMadvertisement
Unbeaten Manchester City opened up a two-point lead at the top of the Premier League table with another demonstration of bewildering brilliance in their 7-2 thrashing of Stoke City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.Pep Guardiola’s title favourites looked irresistible as goals from Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and David Silva in the opening half-hour put the seal on their dazzling football and made a sixth straight league win a seeming formality.Yet against all odds, Mame Biram Diouf pulled one back just before the break and soon after halftime his header deflected off Kyle Walker’s thigh into the net.City then went into overdrive, with Jesus’s second — his seventh goal this season — Fernandinho, Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva getting in on the act to ensure they scored at least five goals at the Etihad for the third successive league match.They also became the first English top-flight team to score 29 goals in their first eight league games of the season since Everton achieved the feat in 1894-95.
On this day back in 1984, one of India’s most promising cricketer — Irfan Pathan was born in Vadodara.Junior Pathan’s love for the game came from a very early age and he was coached by former Indian captain Datta Gaekwad. He was selected in the U-14 Baroda cricket team and then he went onto represent Baroda at the U-15 level in a national tournament.Pathan, who turns 33 today, performed fantastically at every given opportunity and in 2003-04, he was selected for India Emerging Players for a series of limited-overs matches against counterparts from Pakistan and Sri Lanka.He returned with seven wickets at an average of 11.00 from three matches, including 4/22 and 3/35 in two matches against Pakistan. He was then selected for the India Under-19 team to compete in an Asian youth ODI competition in Pakistan, where he ended up as the leading wicket-taker with 18 wickets, averaging 7.38 and an economy rate of 3.54. He made the headlines when he picked up 9/16 against Bangladesh to help India bowl them out for 34.Later that year, he received a call-up to the national side for the Australian tour in 2003. He made his debut in Adelaide and took just one wicket but his ability to swing the ball both ways was there to be seen and soon he became one of Sourav Ganguly’s main weapons. Along with Zaheer Khan, he would rock batsmen with swing and pace and India finally had a lethal pace attack.Photo Credit: Reuters Two years later, he became the only pacer and second Indian after Harbhajan Singh to take a Test hat-trick. Pathan removed Salman Butt, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yusuf to rock Pakistan early in the third Test in Karachi on January 29, 2006.advertisementHowever, his form dipped thanks to Greg Chappel’s idea of turning Pathan into a batting all-rounder and injuries didn’t help him either and he was dropped from the side. He made a comeback here and there but the left-arm pacer hasn’t played a single ODI since 2012 and his last Test came in 2008 against South Africa. The last time he represented India was on October 2, 2012 against South Africa in Colombo.The 33-year-old has represented India in 29 Tests and has picked up 100 wickets, with his best figures being 7/59. In ODIs, he has picked up 173 wickets from 120 matches. His best figures is 5/27. In T20Is, he has bagged 28 wickets from 24 matches.In the Indian Premier League, he has played for Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils, Rising Pune Supergiant, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Lions. He has picked up 80 wickets from 103 matches.Currently, Pathan has no team to represent as the Gujarat Lions are defunct. He might be gone from the national cricket scene for a while now but surely not been forgotten. People from the cricketing fraternity wished the all-rounder on his 33rd birthday.Many, many happy returns of the day, @IrfanPathan! Have a fantastic season. Do well! ?? pic.twitter.com/uHJn318CSt- sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) October 27, 2017Wishing you a very happy birthday @IrfanPathan ! Have a good one!- Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) October 27, 2017His only Test century came in 2007 against Pakistan; he also took 301 wickets for India across all formats!Happy Birthday @IrfanPathan! pic.twitter.com/dkVB2LBBlK- ICC (@ICC) October 27, 2017May you have a fulfilling & great year ahead. Happy birthday @IrfanPathan!- Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) October 27, 2017May your destiny take you to every single place that you have always dreamt of!! Happy Birthday @IrfanPathan ??????Have an awesome birthday. pic.twitter.com/qLhVf6ZHfH- Suresh Raina (@ImRaina) October 27, 2017To one of the BEST MEN in my life!Happy birthday @IrfanPathan!I cherish you?? #brothersforlife #bestman #canbeanasssometimes #lovehimstilltho pic.twitter.com/AG7uRwakC6- Robin Aiyuda Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) October 27, 2017Here’s wishing @IrfanPathan happy birthday! pic.twitter.com/0hatekCcK6- BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) October 27, 2017Many many happy returns of the day @IrfanPathan. Have a great year and enjoy your day bro ?? pic.twitter.com/jAyXy7rXBp- Manoj Tiwary (@tiwarymanoj) October 27, 2017Happy Birthday to one of the best allrounders and a wonderful person, @IrfanPathan bhai. Allah Allah bless you with smiles and success! ??- Iqbal abdullah (@iqqiabdullah) October 27, 2017
Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli celebrated his 29th birthday with his teammates after the 2nd ODI against New Zealand in Rajkot on Sunday.The country’s biggest sports and youth icon is probably one of a kind as far as Indian sports is concerned. Virat’s friends, fans, colleagues, including both former and current cricketers did not miss an opportunity of showering their love and wishing him on this special day.BCCI uploaded photos of the celebration through its official Twitter account.(BCCI Photo)Kohli has scored 49 international centuries (32 in ODIs and 17 in Tests) out of which 28 have come away from home (outside India) – in which 10 Test hundreds have come away from home as well. Not only hundreds, he’s played a few fighting innings helping the team in difficult positions.Indian team’s captain is expected to travel with the team for the series decider on Tuesday.New Zealand hit back hard in the second T20I and defeated India by 40 runs to level the series 1-1 at Rajkot.Opting to bat first on winning the toss, the visitors rode on an unbeaten quickfire century by opener Colin Munro to post 196/2 in their allotted 20 overs.Munro batted through the innings, smashing 109 runs off 58 deliveries. This is his second century in 34 T20Is. He also became the fourth batsman to score two centuries in T20Is.In reply, the hosts could only manage to post 156/7.Fast bowler Trent Boult was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with figures of 4/33.Thank you everyone for all the love and the wishes.God Bless you all. ??? pic.twitter.com/DTzlyRiZEMadvertisement- Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) November 4, 2017Revenge no. 1?? ???Happy birthday, skipper- @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/mkv5KV08gH- hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) November 4, 2017
Recently retired India pacer Ashish Nehra believes Virat Kohli’s Team India needs MS Dhoni in the dressing room, especially in the T20 format.Dhoni was criticised for his low strike-rate in the T20I series against New Zealand. Some former players even suggested that Dhoni should focus only on ODIs ahead of the 2019 World Cup.”Everyone is entitled to his opinion. But I personally feel that there is no better judge on this issue than MS Dhoni himself. Definitely, you cannot expect Dhoni to play the way he used to at 26 – he’s 36 now. But since I was part of that dressing-room till 5-6 days ago, I believe that this team needs Dhoni,” Nehra told India Today in his first interview after retiring from competitive cricket at the end of the first T20 International against New Zealand in Delhi last week.”There’s a saying in Hindi – ‘ghar mein ek bada-boodha bhi hona chahiye’. That is Dhoni’s role in this team,” Nehra added. “He will definitely play the 2019 World Cup. And if his body can take the toll, he can, he should play the 2020 World T20 in Australia,” asserts Nehra.Kohli has also thrown his weight behind Dhoni, saying that critics were conveniently singling out the former captain and ignoring other players who have sometimes failed too. Nehra echoed Kohli’s viewpoint.AP Photo”See, if there’s anybody better than him, you can pick him. But Dhoni has earned his spot. Nobody is doing him any favours. He is good enough. He is there, scoring so many runs. I know that in our system, if we lose one or two games and Dhoni scores 15 off 15 balls, then people will talk about him more than anyone else.advertisement”That shouldn’t be the case. MSD is a very, very important member of this team. Just see his rapport with Virat, he even sets the field. So, I think MS Dhoni should play T20 cricket for India till the time he is performing. That is the case not just for him but for everyone. Maybe at the age of 36, people talk a lot more about him. Judgment should be performance based, fitness based and not age based.”Dhoni is one guy who knows when he wants to retire, so we should leave him alone and let him enjoy his cricket. He will take a call whenever it is needed. Who knows he might be playing the next World T20 too. He will be 39 then. I am almost 39 and as a fast bowler if I can play then Dhoni can too.”
ATHENS – After being down 2-0 in their best-of-five Euroleague quarter-final basketball tourney, Greece’s Olympiakos and Panathinaikos have rallied to force deciding games after winning two at home.Olympiakos, the two-time defending champion and Panathinaikos, the 2011 champion, showed real spunk and didn’t throw in the towel after finding themselves in a deep hole.Olympiakos had an easier time of in on April 23, beating CSKA Moscow 71-62 at Peace and Friendship Stadium in Pireaus while Panathinaikos won a drama in overtime, beating Real Madrid, 73-72.They now will have to win away on April 25 to advance to the Final Four in Milan and try to keep the European crown in Greece for a fourth straight year.Olympiakos, an underdog against a star-laden Spanish team, dug in hard on defense to stifle their rivals and have five players scoring in double digits, teamwork like the 1960’s Boston Celtics dynasty.Olympiakos led 37-30 at the half before Real Madrid came back to even the score at 49-49 before the Greek team went on a fourth quarter rampage, scoring 22 points in the last nine minutes to run away with the win.The Reds were led once again by an ever-improving Bryant Dunston from New York who scored 13 points, collected nine rebounds and earned eight fouls.Panathinaikos was in a nail-biter with the Moscow team in a game that changed leads constantly before the Greek team opened a 63-54 lead that seemed to seal a victory before the Russians forced an OT.Panathinaikos jumped out 71-68 in the extra time with only 45 seconds left and hung on behind an Antonis Fotsis three-pointer and two free throws from captain Dimitris Diamantidis. TweetPinShare0 Shares
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs have been here before.Tony Parker scored 22 points, Danny Green added 21 on seven 3-pointers, and San Antonio used a dominant third quarter to pummel Oklahoma City 112-77 May 21 and take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.The Spurs were in the same position in 2012 before the Thunder won four straight to capture the series and stun a Spurs team that appeared to have its best days behind it.Well, San Antonio is back in the conference final with a commanding lead, wiser and even older.“I know after the game, nobody is very happy in the locker room,” Parker said. “Everybody is very focused, and we respect that team. We know they’re very capable of a comeback, and they did that against us in 2012. We’re just very focused and nobody is satisfied.”Game 3 is May 25 at Oklahoma City, where the Thunder will try to bounce back from the worst playoff loss in franchise history.“It definitely doesn’t feel good, and it shouldn’t,” Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. “I hope our entire locker room doesn’t feel good. You shouldn’t feel good. We got our butts kicked.”Playing without Serge Ibaka and given two days to adjust to dropping Game 1 by 17 points, the Thunder performed even worse.Parker and Green each had eight points in the third quarter and San Antonio outscored Oklahoma City 33-18 in the period.Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook each finished with 15 points, but the third-quarter barrage made spectators of both in the fourth — not that they accomplished much when they did play. The star duo combined to shoot 13 for 40, including 4 for 14 in the third quarter.“If they had won this game by one point, we’d still be down 0-2,” Durant said.“(We) lost by a lot two games in a row. It’s hard for you to stay together, but we have a group of guys that are not front-runners and we’ll figure it out. That’s all we’ve got to do.”An attempt to do that resulted in an argument between Durant and Westbrook as they walked off the court at halftime.“I was just getting on Kevin about some stuff and he got on me right back,” Westbrook said. “And that’s what teammates do, that’s what leaders do, we get on each other. We came back and we talk about it and then we come out like nothing ever happened.”That didn’t help in the second half.Durant made his first two field goals of the third quarter, but did not have another for the rest of the half.Oklahoma City has yet to find a consistent third option on offense through two games. After combining to score just five points in the opener, fellow starters Nick Collison, Kendrick Perkins and Thabo Sefolosha had just four in Game 2.Durant said he and Westbrook didn’t stop trusting their teammates, but during a 17-minute stretch spanning the second and third quarters, they took shots on 27 of 38 possessions.Asked why, Durant said, “Because we’re the focal point of the offense.”And the Spurs realize that, which is why, as a team, they have made them work hard for every point.“Work, work for everything,” Duncan said of the Spurs’ defensive strategy. “Keep them off the free throw line, make their shots as tough as possible. Those guys are great scorers, we know that, but we want to make them score over a hand and work for everything they get.”Duncan added 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili and Boris Diaw had 11 points apiece off the bench.Oklahoma City went scoreless for two minutes midway through the third quarter as San Antonio built a 76-50 lead on a pair of free throws by Duncan with 6:20 remaining.It was a shocking turn for the Thunder, who started well after making some adjustments following a loss in the series opener.Oklahoma City opened more aggressive on both ends, especially defensively. The physicality disrupted the Spurs early and frustrated them emotionally.Duncan was issued a technical with about 5 minutes left in the first quarter after complaining when Ed Malloy ruled he threw a hip into Durant.It turned out the Spurs veteran had little to worry about. The Thunder have to find a lineup that works without Ibaka, but can take solace in knowing they have been in this position before.“That’s all we can say,” Durant said. “We’ve really got to figure it out on how we need to get better, and we’ve always done that.” Just not after such a decisive loss.(RAUL DOMINGUEZ) TweetPinShare0 Shares
TORONTO — Even though it couldn’t make up for that Game 7 loss in last season’s playoffs, beating Brooklyn sure felt good to the Raptors.Kyle Lowry had 20 points and 12 assists, Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Toronto used a big fourth quarter to top the Nets 105-89 on Dec. 17.Amir Johnson and Patrick Patterson each scored 13 and Lou Williams had 10 in the first meeting between the teams since Brooklyn’s one-point win in Game 7 of the first round last May.“That Game 7 was definitely on my mind from the time I woke up this morning to even now,” Patterson said. “I’m definitely happy that we won the game, that we handled our business out there. It was a bit of revenge in my eyes.”Patterson and Williams each scored eight points in the fourth and Lowry had six as Toronto outscored the Nets 29-16, taking advantage of six Brooklyn turnovers.“Throughout the season our fourth quarters have usually been great,” Johnson said. “That’s when we really lock down and that’s what we did tonight.”Mason Plumlee scored a career-high 23 points, Joe Johnson had 17 and Mirza Teletovic 14 for the Nets, who made only five of 13 field goal attempts and five of 13 free throw attempts in the fourth.“We gave them a battle for three quarters and then we kind of fell apart,” Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. Brooklyn, which lost 95-91 at home to Miami on Dec. 16, dropped to 2-3 on the second night of back-to-backs.At one point in the fourth, with the sellout crowd jeering loudly, Joe Johnson missed all three free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer.Plumlee refused to blame fatigue for Brooklyn’s poor finish. “A lot of mistakes, turnovers and defensive breakdowns,” he said. “I don’t think it was being tired or anything.”Plumlee notched his fourth straight double-digit scoring performance and reached 20 points for the second consecutive game after doing so just once in his first 95 NBA games.Toronto, which leads the Eastern Conference at 20-6, reached 20 wins before Christmas for the first time in its 20-year history. The Raptors needed 36 games to reach 20 wins in the 1999-00 and 2001-02 seasons.“My hat is off to (the players),” coach Dwane Casey said. “But everybody in that room knows there are a lot of areas where we can get better.”The Raptors held their opponent below 100 points for the fourth straight game, matching a season-best streak. Toronto is 12-0 this season when its opponent does not score 100.Plumlee and Teletovic each scored eight points in the first, and the Raptors missed 13 of 21 field goal attempts as Brooklyn led 30-22 after one.Terrence Ross scored six consecutive points in a 10-2 run as Toronto tied it 46-all late in the second. Amir Johnson scored seven points in the quarter as the Raptors took a 53-52 lead at halftime.Plumlee scored eight points in the third but Valanciunas had 10 for Toronto, including eight straight during one stretch, as the Raptors took a 76-73 edge into the fourth.___(IAN HARRISON)TweetPinShare0 Shares