Category: SPORTS

Jason Roy says England’s stinging defeat by Australia in the World Cup group phase gave the hosts a “good kick” and helped them rediscover their mojo.England will step out at the “home of cricket” on Sunday as favourites to lift the trophy for the first time against a New Zealand side also looking to make history.Last time they were at the ground they were pushed to the brink of a group-stage elimination by a 64-run loss to 2015 World Cup winners Australia. Jolted by that result, England tapped into a…

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Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer believes the “stars have aligned” as he attempts to become the oldest Grand Slam winner of modern times in Sunday’s final against Novak Djokovic.The 37-year-old Swiss can clinch a record-extending 21st major if he manages to break free of the world number one’s stranglehold.Four-time Wimbledon winner and defending champion Djokovic enjoys a 25-22 edge in career meetings, stretching back 13 years.The Serb has won 14 of their last 20 meetings and eight of the last 10.Federer has lost all four of their most recent meetings…

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Hamburgers are out, going to the gym is in. With skateboarding set to make its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, top skateboarders are settling down and preparing as athletes in the bid to qualify.”Now we are athletes, within quotation marks, urban athletes,” joked 24-year-old Spaniard Danny Leon, who sports surfer style hair, at a skateboarding competition in Barcelona.Decked out in jeans, a loose dark shirt and the almost obligatory baseball cap, Leon is well positioned to fly the flag for Spain in Tokyo — and he is taking…

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Roger Federer can rack up his 100th win at Wimbledon on Wednesday and set-up a blockbuster semi-final against Rafael Nadal.In a quarter-final line-up which features five players over 30, there is a growing anticipation of a potential 40th career match-up between the sport’s two most successful players.If it does happen, it will be their first at the All England Club since 2008 when Nadal triumphed in what is widely regarded as the greatest final ever played at the tournament.However, before they reach that stage, eight-time champion Federer has to get…

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Lockie Ferguson is in “good shape” and expected to play in the World Cup semifinals, said New Zealand coach Gary Stead, who has put his faith on the tearaway quick to make the difference against India on Tuesday.Ferguson, who has emerged as New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament, had missed their last league match against hosts England at Chester-le-Street due to a hamstring strain. “I absolutely expect Lockie to play. If the last game was a semi-final or final, we probably would have played him, so it was more…

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The Pakistan team is scheduled to return home from the UK on Sunday morning after their exit from the World Cup and captain Sarfaraz Ahmed along with a few other players are set to face the media. Pakistan failed to make the semi-finals of the 50-over showpiece despite having same points as the fourth qualified team, New Zealand, having lost out on the basis of the net run-rate. Sarfaraz and Co. faced robust criticism after they managed to win just one out of their first five matches but they made a strong…

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From young Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi’s steely determination after his terrible car accident to Anil Kumble’s dignity and Virat Kohli’s level headed approach, Jeffrey Archer’s pristine love for Indian cricket remains intact.The best selling English author is keenly following the World Cup. For him, current Indian skipper Kohli is level-headed and intelligent and Kumble’s dignified stance during the ‘Monkeygate scandal’ is a lesson for one and all.Archer, the creator of the famous ‘Kane and Abel’ series, had also written a short story ‘Century’, whose main protagonist many believed, was based on…

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Their semifinal chances reduced to just a mathematical possibility, former champions Pakistan will need an improbable win over Bangladesh to have a shot at making the semifinals of the World Cup when the two sides clash here on Friday. Pakistan’s resurgence in the World Cup looked eerily close to the 1992 Cup-winning edition before India’s loss to England dented their hopes of a semifinal spot and when New Zealand went down to the hosts last night, it was almost over for them. The road to the knockout stage for Sarfaraz…

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West Former India opener Gautam Gambhir Wednesday blasted the MSK Prasad-led senior selection panel after middle-order batsman Ambati Rayudu decided to retire from all forms of cricket, saying the five selectors combined would not have made the runs Rayudu has scored in his career. Ignored for the ongoing ICC World Cup Rayudu announced his retirement from all forms of the game without specifying his reasons for calling it quits in his email to the Board of Control for Cricket in India.”According to me, the selectors have been a complete disappointment…

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India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar Monday joined the players in backing Mahendra Singh Dhoni and expressed surprise that the veteran is frequently criticised for his strike rate.Dhoni scored 42 off 31 balls against England in the World Cup on Sunday, but many questioned his lack of intent during the death overs of a game that India lost by 31 runs.”I’m surprised that this question continues to come up every now and then. He’s doing the job for the team and overall we’re very happy with the intent he’s batting with,”…

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