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Ranchi
Kohli, 4 others appointed
World Cup ambassadors
Dubai: India's vice-captain Virat
Kohli was Thursday appointed
one of the ambassadors of the
International Cricket Council
(ICC) World Cup 2015 to be
held in Australia and New Zealand, Feb 14-March 29. Apart
from Kohli, who is the stand-in
captain for the ongoing OneDay International (ODI) series
against Sri Lanka, Australia's
Mitchell Johnson and Shane
Watson, New Zealand skipper
Brendon McCullum and Sri
Lankan veteran batsman Kumar Sangakkara have also been
named as ambassadors for the
prestigious quadrennial tournament, according to an ICC
release. "The ICC Ambassadors
will add their support and considerable profile in the build-up
to and during the World Cup
2015, including involvement in
the ICC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme
and event promotions," ICC said.
Kohli, 26-year-old right-handed
batsman who recently became
the quickest batsman to score
6,000 runs in ODIs, was also part
of India's successful campaign in
the 2011 World Cup. "It is a matter of pride to be selected as the
ambassador of the World Cup.
I thank ICC for bestowing this
honour upon me. As a cricket-
er, I wish to spread the passion
of cricket to grassroot levels and
I look at this as an opportunity to unify global initiatives for
cricket throughout the world,"
said Kohli. Australian fast bowler Johnson was also delighted
to be part of the elite group that
will be supporting the event.
“As Australia and New Zealand
gear up to host the World Cup
2015, I am extremely proud and
delighted to be associated with
the competition as an ambassador. I look forward to helping
promote what is set to be a fascinating tournament with some
outstanding teams gearing up
to claim cricket’s most coveted
prize," the 33-year-old left-arm-
er said. The World Cup will start
with New Zealand taking on Sri
Lanka in Christchurch, while on
the same day in Melbourne, cohost Australia will go head-tohead with England. A total of 49
matches will be played across 14
venues and Melbourne will host
the final. New Zealand captain
McCullum, who has featured
in the past three World Cups,
said: “With the World Cup just
months away, no doubt all countries will be actively plotting and
planning their campaigns. "In
1992, our sport captivated the
nations of both New Zealand
and Australia, and I have no
doubt the 2015 edition will do
just the same."
14 NOVEMBER 2014
FRIDAY
Social media abuzz
with Rohit Sharma's
record-breaking feat
Kolkata: Praise poured in from
various distinguished personalities for Rohit Sharma, who
Thursday bludgeoned his way
into the record books by becoming the first batsman to score two
double-tons in One-Day International (ODI) cricket -- and to add
another feather to his cap, his 264
runs is also the highest individual score in the 50-over format.
The 27-year-old, who scored 209
against Australia in November
last year, thrashed a mediocre
Sri Lankan bowling line-up to all
parts of the ground in the fourth
ODI of the five-match series at
the Eden Gardens here. Indian
captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni
was among the first to congratulate the right-handed batsman.
"Very well batted Rohit. That's
Rohit for everyone, sheer talent.
Enjoy and witness the class in
action," Dhoni tweeted. Left-arm
swing bowler Zaheer Khan wrote
on his twitter handle: "Well done
brothaman @ImRo45 (Rohit's
twitter handle) !!! Really enjoyed
watching u bat ! Way to go buddy." "Record at Eden! Great knock
@ImRo45! Take a bow! Made up
for lost time! Batting at its best!,"
former Indian skipper Anil Kumble wrote on the social networking site. Rohit was run out on the
final ball of the Indian innings
Washington: The facial appearance of a football player may
give us vital clues about his performance on the field - including
his likelihood of scoring goals,
making assists and committing fouls, says a new study. For
the study, the scientists studied the facial-width-to-height
ratio (FWHR) of about 1,000
players, from 32 countries, who
competed in the 2010 World
Cup. Midfielders, who play
both offence and defence, and
forwards, who lead the offence,
with higher FWHRs were more
likely to commit fouls, pointed
out the study. FWHR is the distance between the cheekbones
divided by the distance between
the mid-brow and the upper lip.
Forwards with higher FWHRs
also were more likely to score
goals or make assists, showed the
study. "Previous research into facial structure of athletes has been
primarily in the United States
and Canada," said Keith Welker,
Researcher at the department of
Psychology and Neuroscience at
the University of Colorado in the
US. "No one had really looked at
how facial-width-to-height ratio
is associated with athletic performance by comparing people
from across the world," Welker
added. Scientists have several
ideas about how FWHR might
be associated with aggression.
One possibility is that it is related
to testosterone exposure earlier
in life and how it can affect a variety of physical traits, including
bone density, muscle growth and
cranial shape, Welker said. The
results appeared in the journal
Adaptive Human Behavior and
Physiology.
Kenya's Cheruiyot ready to
return after maternity leave
Nairobi: Olympic 5,000 metre silver medallist Vivian Cheruiyot of
Kenya feels she is ready to test her
body in local competition before
moving on to the international
circuit after two years out on a maternity leave. With her focus on Rio
Games in 2016, Cheruiyot is keen
to use the Beijing World Championships in August 2015 as a springboard in her bid to finally secure
an Olympic gold medal, reports
Xinhua. "I am about 50 percent
ready for the competition. It is still
far, however, and I have no doubts
I will be 100 percent fit when the
time comes. "Now the focus is to
shake off the excess fat and regain
my fitness. The World Championships and the World Cross Country
Championships are ideal competitions for my progress," she said
Wednesday. Despite featuring in
three Olympics -- Sydney (2000),
Beijing (2008) and London (2012),
Cheruiyot is yet to clinch the ultimate prize of any athlete's dreams,
the gold medal. In Sydney, just aged
17, Cheruiyot was a distant 14th
in the 5000m race. Poor form and
injuries locked her out of Athens
2004 Games, but she returned in
Beijing four years later and was a
distant fifth in the 12-lap race. But
in London 2012, a decision to double up in both 5,000m and 10,000m
might have drained her energies
and she was a pale shadow of her
powers as she returned second in
5,000 and third in 10,000 with Ethiopians Meseret Defer and Tirunesh
Dibaba stealing the show, respectively. But Cheruiyot believes she
will get her revenge in Rio in 2016.
"I have achieved much in athletics,
winning medals in almost all world
competitions, but I miss the Olympics gold medals in my trophy cabinet. I have hope that in the coming
Olympics I will win one," she said.
Indian eves draw 2-2 against Kiwis, lose
series 0-3
Hafeez reported for suspected illegal
bowling action
after facing 173 deliveries. His record-breaking innings comprised
33 fours and nine sixes. Former
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal also joined the chorus.
"Congratulations to Rohit Sharma for his record breaking innings. You made us proud!," he
tweeted. Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was of the opinion
that Rohit's score of 264 would
not be broken. "A record which
is going to stay !! A delight 2
watch! Well done bro for creating history!," he commented on
tweeter. "Incredible innings and
record by @ImRo45 ! Wow ! well
done boy! Many congrats on your
achievement," former Pakistani
all-rounder Azhar Mahmood
tweeted.
Dubai: Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has been reported for suspected illegal bowling action during the first cricket Test
against New Zealand, which Pakistan won by 248 runs in Abu Dhabi
Thursday. The match officials’ report, which was handed over to the
Pakistan team manager Moin Khan, cited concerns about the legality of the 34-year-old’s bowling action, according to an ICC release.
Hafeez’s bowling action will now be scrutinised further under the
ICC process relating to suspected illegal bowling actions reported in
Tests, ODIs and T20Is. He is required to undergo testing within 21
days, and, during this period, Hafeez is permitted to continue bowling
in international cricket until the results of the testing are known.
Former Bengal cricket captain faces
dowry charges
Kolkata: Former Ranji winning Bengal captain Sambaran Banerjee along with his son and wife has been accused of torturing his
daughter-in-law Anindita Banerjee for dowry. She has filed a police
complaint under the relevant anti-dowry laws, police said Thursday.
In her complaint filed with the Jadavpur Police Oct 24, Anindita has
accused her husband Sayantan, father-in-law Sambaran and mother-in-law Apu of physically and mentally torturing her and demanding dowry. We have registered a case against the trio under various
sections of the Dowry Prohibition Act, Officer-in Charge of Jadavpur
police station V.K. Singh told IANS. "We have initiated investigation
in the matter but the complainant currently is out of the country. When
she comes back we will record her statement and if need be we will
make arrests," added Singh. Married to Sayantan in 2008, Anindita
has alleged that her husband repeatedly assaulted her physically
during their stay in Dubai in 2009 and the ordeal continued even after
coming back to the city.
Australia women beat West
Indies by 53 runs
Melbourne: Australian women's cricket team, also called the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars, defeated the West Indies women
by 53 runs in the second One-Day International (ODI) at Hurstville
Thursday. After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Australian
side was bowled out on the last ball of their innings for 256, a total
which the West Indies side failed to chase down, finishing 203 for
eight from their 50 overs. Ellyse Perry was named player-of-thematch for her 72 runs and bowling figures of three for 42. Opener
Nicole Bolton notched her second half-century in as many matches,
building an innings of 76 before she lost her wicket in the 32nd over
thanks to a brilliant catch at short mid-wicket by Anisa Mohammed.
Perry also scored her second straight half-century in the series, with
her innings of 72 including seven fours. Deandra Dottin (4-42) and
Hayley Matthews (3-42) were the pick of the West Indies bowlers.
West Indies opener Matthews, who only made her ODI debut in the
previous match, was the standout of her side’s innings. The 16-yearold notched up 89 runs, including 12 fours, before she sliced one to
Meg Lanning at mid-off.
South Africa can break World Cup jinx:
Du Plessis
medal winner Suo Di of China.
Suo defeated United States' Iris
Wang 11-21, 21-15, 21-16. In
the match between Kashyap and
Hue, the World No.17 Indian was
surprised by the World No.60
Hue's tenacity. Hue didn't give
any chance to Kashyap in the first
game, winning it 21-11. In the
second game, Kashyap improved
his game and played with much
more precision and purpose. He
was alert from the beginning and
always had the upper hand. After
taking a 9-7 lead, he upped the
ante and won six straight points
after which it was a formality for
him. In the third game, Kashyap played aggressively from the
start. He raced to a 11-2 lead in
no time before Hue tried to control the damage. The Chinese
earned five straight points to reduce the deficit to six points at
15-9. Kashyap, though, was in
no mood to give away freebies
and finished the game 21-13. In
the quarter-final, the 28-yearold Indian will face Germany's
World No.25 Marc Zwiebler, who
stunned World No.2 Chen Long
of China 13-21, 25-23, 21-19 in
a pulsating encounter that lasted
an hour and 26 minutes.
Difficult to bid for hosting rights
of FIFA Club World Cup: AIFF
New Delhi: India are not favourably placed to bid for the
hosting rights of FIFA 201718 Club World Cup, All India
Football Federation (AIFF)
general secretary Kushal Das
admitted here Thursday. FIFA
will name the host for the
2017-18 editions of the tournament at its executive committee meeting in December
in Morocco. India are yet to
bid for the hosting rights for
the event. "It’s probably a little difficult to bid for the
NEWS IN BREIF
Stratford (New Zealand): The Indian junior women's hockey team
was held to a 2-2 draw in the sixth and last match against New Zealand who won the series 3-0 at the TET Multisports Centre Thursday.
There was plenty of action right from the beginning as both teams
played aggressively. Felicity Reidy opened the scoring for the home
team before Lilima Minz provided the equaliser for India. India mounted further pressure on New Zealand and took a 2-1 lead with a goal
by Navjot Kaur. New Zealand's Deanna Ritchie breached the Indian
defence and scored her team's second goal. With this draw, the Neil
Hawgood-coached India failed to win a single match in the series.
Football players' Saina, Kashyap, Srikanth in
China Open quarters
performance written
on their faces
Fuzhou (China):
London
Olympic bronze medallist Saina
Nehwal along with male shuttlers
Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi
Srikanth, reached the quarter-finals of the $700,000 China Open
Super Series Premier at the Haixia Olympic Sport Center here
Thursday. While women's World
No.5 Saina was made to work
hard for her 21-18, 21-18 win
over World No.239 Qin Jinping of
China, Commonwealth Games
champion Kashyap beat China's
Xue Song 11-21, 21-11, 21-13 in
54 minutes in the men's singles
second round match. In the other match, World No.16 Srikanth
overcame China's World No.43
Gao Huan 21-17, 19-21, 21-14
in a marathon encounter which
lasted an hour and 18 minutes
to progress to the next round.
In the match between Saina and
Jinping, the Hyderabadi started
the first game slowly, conceding
a 0-4 lead to Jinping before fighting her way back to equalise 7-7.
The 24-year-old Indian gradually began to take control of the
proceedings. The Chinese battled hard but Saina managed to
win the game 21-18. The second
game was a neck-and-neck contest till both the shuttlers reached
the 12-point mark. Jinping rattled Saina by taking four straight
points. The Indian took one point
and also conceded one to trail
13-17. Later, Saina staged a brilliant comeback to equalise 17-17
and sprung into rhythm to take
the next four points quickly as
Jinping added only one to remain
at 18 points. In her next match,
Saina will meet 2010 World Junior Championships bronze
7
hosting rights. We will talk
to FIFA regarding this,” Das
said on the sidelines of AIFF’s
technical collaboration tie-up
with Brazilian club Atletico
Paranaense for the Under-17
team here Thursday. “The
commercial commitments and
infrastructure required to host
such an event are very huge. I
don’t know if we are in a position to do it,” Das said. Buoyed
by FIFA’s decision to award
the right to host the 2017 Under-17 World Cup to India,
the AIFF was preparing an
ambitious bid to host the Club
World Cup. But Das said that
after considering all parameters involved, coupled with
the requirements demanded
by FIFA and the cost involved,
AIFF was contemplating revising its earlier thinking.
AIFF president Praful Patel
had earlier declared that India
will not only bid for the 201718 Club World Cup but also
place its bid for the Under-20
World Cup.
Sydney: South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis believes they have a
team that can win the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC)
World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand Feb 14-March
29. Talking about his team's chances in the quadrennial One-Day
International (ODI) tournament, du Plessis said, "It's too hard to judge
on past experience. For me, it's the team you have and the results
you have been getting. We have got a really good team at the moment and we've been winning a lot of games." South Africa reached
semi-finals in 1992, 1999 and 2007 editions of World Cup. "In the
past, we went to a World Cup where we probably weren't the best
side. People judge you on not winning the World Cup. This time I
feel we've got a really good side and we've been winning, so everything is stacking up nicely for us now," he was quoted as saying by
Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday. South Africa, being coached
by Gary Kirsten who coached India too in 2011 and helped them win
the World Cup, are getting ready to face Australia in a five-match ODI
series starting Friday.
Turner to lead CA XI in a two-day match
against India
Melbourne: Ashton Turner will lead Cricket Australia (CA) XI to face
India in the first of two, two-day tour matches at Gliderol Stadium
in Adelaide, starting Nov 24. The two matches will serve as a tour
match for the Indian side ahead of the Commonwealth Bank Test Series, beginning at the Gabba in Brisbane Dec 4, the CA announced
Thursday. Commenting on the squad, CA’s national talent manager
Greg Chappell said: "India is a strong international team so it will be
a great experience for this CA XI, which includes some of the most
exciting young cricketers in the country." “This will be another great
opportunity for captain Ashton Turner, who has great leadership potential. He recently captained a CA XI side to victory over South Africa in a T20 tour match, in which he also performed admirably with
the bat." “Gurinder Sandhu is a highly-regarded fast bowler who has
performed consistently well at domestic level and underage international level. He was very impressive in the two four-day matches
against South Africa A in August this year and we expect that he will
perform well against this high quality team," Chappell added. CA’s
Bupa National Cricket Centre (Bupa NCC) head Troy Cooley will
coach the side, with Bupa NCC High Performance coach Graeme
Hick as assistant coach. Chappell will accompany the side as team
manager. The CA XI squad: Ashton Turner (captain), Ryan Carters,
Alex Gregory, Sam Grimwade, Sebastian Gotch, Josh Lalor, David
Moody, Jonte Pattison, Gurinder Sandhu, Matthew Short, Kelvin
Smith, Nick Stevens.