A disciplined all-round effort saw Afghanistan thrashing Bangladesh by 136 runs in their last group match of the Asia Cup here on Thursday.

Chasing 256, Bangladesh were bundled out for 119.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan picked up two wickets each to hand Afghanistan a comfortable victory.

Chasing a decent target, Bangladesh never looked in the contention as they lost their wickets at regular intervals.

Shakib Al Hasan (32), Mahmudullah (27) and Mosaddek Hossain (26 not out) mainly contributed to the Bangladeshi score. No other batsman clicked and went back to the pavilion one after another, posting single digit individual scores.

Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain scored towards the end but the lack of support denied the run chase.

Earlier, Afghanistan rode on some brilliant batting by Rashid Khan (57 not out), Gulbadin Naib (42 not out) and Hashmatullah Shahidi (58) to post a decent score.

Besides the trio, opener Mohammad Shahzad (37) also played handsomely.

For Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan took four wickets while Abu Hider Rony scalped two wickets.

Brief scores: Afghanistan 255/7, (Hashmatullah Shahidi 58, Rashid Khan 57 not out; Shakib Al Hasan 4/42) against Bangladesh 119/10 (Shakib Al Hasan 32; Rashid Khan 2/13)

(IANS)

The Sports Ministry on Thursday approved the names of Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and ace weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu for the country’s highest sporting honour — Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna — ard, which will be given away by President Ram Nath Kovind at a specially organised function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Tuesday.

Both Kohli and Chanu will be presented a cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakh each apart from a medal and a citation.

The ministry also released the names of 20 Arjuna awardees for the year which includes star woman cricketer Smriti Mandhana, sprinter Hima Das, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and table tennis star Manika Batra, among others.

Apart from these four, the others are Indian hockey stars Manpreet Singh and Savita Punia, long distance runner Jinson Johnson, shuttler N.Sikki Reddy, boxer Satish Kumar, golfer Shubhankar Sharma, Ravi Rathore (Polo), shooters Rahi Sarnobat, Ankur Mittal, Shreyasi Singh, paddler G.Sathiyan, tennis star Rohan Bopanna, wrestler Sumit and Pooja Kadian (Wushu).

Para athletes Ankur Dhama and Manoj Sarkar will also be awarded the Arjuna award, that includes a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each.

Among the winners of the Dronacharya awards are boxing coach Chenanda Achaiah Kuttappa, Vijay Sharma (Weightlifting), A. Srinivasa Rao (TT) and Sukhdev Singh Pannu (Athletics).

The ministry also named Clarence Lobo (Hockey), Tarak Sinha (Cricket), Jiwan Kumar Sharma (Judo) and V.R. Beedu (Athletics) for the Dronacharya Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Satyadev Prasad (Archery), Bharat Kumar Chetri (Hockey), Bobby Aloysius (Athletics) and Chougale Dadu Dattatray (Wrestling) have been named for the Dhyan Chand Award.

(IANS)

North and South Korea on Wednesday agreed to prepare a joint bid for hosting the 2032 Summer Olympics, as part of agreements reached during the third inter-Korean summit of the year.

The proposal, presented during the meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, was first put forward by the South Korean Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan during a visit to Tokyo on September 12 and could mean a joint hosting of events by Seoul and Pyongyang, reports Efe.

“The two Koreas agreed to jointly take part in international competitions, including the 2020 Summer Olympics, and to seek to jointly host the 2032 Summer Olympics,” said the joint declaration signed by the two leaders on the second day of the three-day summit.

Sports have been symbolic of the diplomatic thaw between the two countries this year, starting with Kim’s New Year address, in which he announced that his country was ready to participate and send a delegation to the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

Both the Koreas participated in the event under the same unification flag, a first since Turin 2006 Winter Olympics, and later repeated the gesture at the Asian Games, held in Indonesia in August.

The two Koreas reiterated on Wednesday that they would keep sending joint teams to sports events as was done in the Jakarta 2018 and the Pyeongchang 2018 games.

IANS

Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and part-time off-spinner Kedar Jadhav took three wickets each as India restricted Pakistan to a paltry 162 in their Group A clash of the Asia Cup cricket tournament here on Wednesday.

The lynchpins of a strong Indian bowling performance, Bhuvneshwar returned figures of 3/15 while Jadhav got 3/23.

Jadhav removed Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed (6) around the halfway mark of the first innings before accounting for Asif Ali (9) and Shadab Khan (8) as Pakistan, who were relatively comfortably placed at 85/2 at one point, collapsed to 121/7.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav triggered Pakistan’s slide with a brilliantly executed wrong un’ that outfoxed Pakistan’s best batsman Babar Azam (47) when he was looking good along with Shoaib Malik (43).

The pair had stitched together a 82-run stand for the third wicket after openers Imam Ul Haq (2) and Fakhar Zaman (0) departed early with fit-again Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/15) sending them back.

From then on, Pakistan could never recover as Mohammed Amir (18 not out) and Faheem Ashraf (21) joined hands for a 37-run partnership towards the end before Jasprit Bumrah (2/23) dismissed Ashraf and Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah got rid of Hasan Ali (1) and Usman Khan (0) respectively.

Electing to bat first, Pakistan got off to a slow start and could only manage 25/2 in the first 10 overs, losing two wickets.

Malik and Azam then got going well and negotiated the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal, who went wicketless, and Kuldeep well.

Malik hit the first six of the innings in the 13h over off Kuldeep and three overs later got a reprieve when Mahendra Singh Dhoni dropped him behind the stumps off Hardik Pandya

Moments later, Pandya had to be stretchered off after suffering what turned out to be a lower back injury during his follow through. Pandya clutched the floor and could not get up, needing attention from the medical team.

Just when the partnership seemed to be growing, Kuldeep once again underlined why he is a wily customer and can be unplayable at times with a ripper of a googly that pitched on middle and turned away from the batsman at the last moment to knock over his off-stump.

Malik then was dropped again at deep midwicket off Kuldeep as Bhuvneshwar failed to read a slog sweep in which the ball went high up in the air with the pacer misjuding the direction and over-running.

Captain Sarfraz, who had joined Malik at the crease, did not stay long as Manish Pandey took a superb catch at wide long-on off Jadhav.

Malik was run out soon after, failing to convert his start into a big one as the slide started for Pakistan.

Jadhav then added to his rivals’ misery by picking up the wickets of Asif Ali and Shadab Khan as Pakistan failed to string together partnerships.

Amir and Ashraf tried hard to get important runs towards the end but could not bat out the full 50 overs.

Brief scores:

Pakistan: 162 in 43.1 overs (Babar Azam 47, Shoaib Malik 43; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 47, Kedar Jadhav 3/23) vs India.

(IANS)

 Stand-in captain Rohit Sharma praised his bowlers after India thrashed arch rivals Pakistan by eight wickets in their Group A clash of the Asia Cup cricket tournament here on Wednesday.

Asked to field first, three-wicket hauls from pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and part-time off-spinner Kedar Jadhav enabled India to restrict Pakistan to a paltry 162.

Bhuvneshwar returned figures of 3/15 while Jadhav got 3/23. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah also picked up a couple of wickets.

“Right from the start, we were quite disciplined. We wanted to learn from the mistakes which we made in the last game. Today was a great game for the bowling department because I knew the conditions weren’t great for it. But we kept the conditions aside and did the job. We stuck to our plans,” Rohit said after the match.

“Lots of improvements from the last game, spinners kept it tight, got the odd breakthroughs. The bowlers took wickets early as well. It was important to do that because we wanted to make sure not to make things easy for them. We spoke about not giving room to the batsmen and it worked,” he added.

“The first few overs were disciplined and the spinners took over. Once they had a partnership, we discussed not to panic and it was important to just stick to the plans.”

Rohit, who took over the captaincy after regular captain Virat Kohli decided to skip the tournament, picked out Jadhav for special praise.

“He (Jadhav) has been working on his bowling, takes his bowling very seriously. Every now and then, he does the job which is crucial,” he said.

Rohit also played a crucial role in India’s victory. He smashed a quickfire half-century and his 86-run opening stand with Shikhar Dhawan saw India overhaul the target with a whopping 21 overs to spare.

Rohit plundered 52 runs off 39 deliveries, hitting six boundaries and three sixes along the way.

“Enjoyed the little innings that I played, got out to a great delivery. We haven’t played here much and we have understood how to plan on such pitches. Opening partnership sets the key on such tracks and it was a fine finish by Dinesh and Rayudu,” he said.

IANS

A strong bowling performance followed by some power-packed batting saw India thrash arch rivals Pakistan by eight wickets in their Group A clash of the Asia Cup cricket tournament here on Wednesday.

Asked to field first, three-wicket hauls from pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and part-time off-spinner Kedar Jadhav enabled India to restrict Pakistan to a paltry 162. Bhuvneshwar returned figures of 3/15 while Jadhav got 3/23.

In reply, a quickfire half-century by Rohit Sharma and his 86-run opening stand with Shikhar Dhawan saw India comfortably overhaul the target with a whopping 21 overs to spare.

Rohit plundered 52 runs off 39 deliveries, hitting six boundaries and three sixes along the way.

Dhawan scored 46 runs off 54 balls before a loose shot to a Faheem Ashraf delivery handed an easy catch to Babar Azam at point.

Following the duo’s departure, Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthick ensured that India crossed the line without losing any more wickets.

Earlier, the Pakistan batsmen never really found any momentum as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Pakistan got off to a slow start and could only manage 25/2 in the first 10 overs.

Bhuvneshwar sent back openers Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman early on to leave Pakistan struggling with two wickets down after 4.1 overs with just two runs on the board.

Shoiab Malik and Babar Azam then got going well and negotiated the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal — who went wicketless — and Kuldeep well. The pair stitched together an 82-run stand for the third wicket.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav triggered Pakistan’s slide with a brilliantly executed wrong un’ that outfoxed Pakistan’s best batsman Babar Azam (47) when he was looking good along with Shoaib Malik (43).

Jadhav removed Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed (6) around the halfway mark of the first innings before accounting for Asif Ali (9) and Shadab Khan (8). That saw Pakistan, who were relatively comfortably placed at 85/2 at one point, collapsing to 121/7.

From then on, Pakistan could never recover as Mohammed Amir (18 not out) and Faheem Ashraf (21) joined hands for a 37-run partnership towards the end before Jasprit Bumrah (2/23) dismissed Ashraf and Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah got rid of Hasan Ali (1) and Usman Khan (0) respectively.

Malik hit the first six of the innings in the 13th over off Kuldeep and three overs later got a reprieve when Mahendra Singh Dhoni dropped him behind the stumps off Hardik Pandya.

Moments later, Pandya had to be stretchered off after suffering what turned out to be a lower-back injury during his follow through. Pandya clutched the floor and could not get up, needing attention from the medical team.

Just when the partnership seemed to be growing, Kuldeep once again underlined why he is a wily customer and can be unplayable at times with a ripper of a googly that pitched on middle and turned away from the batsman at the last moment to knock over his off-stump.

Malik then was dropped again at deep midwicket off Kuldeep as Bhuvneshwar failed to read a slog sweep in which the ball went high up in the air with the pacer misjuding the direction and over-running.

Captain Sarfraz, who had joined Malik at the crease, did not stay long as Manish Pandey took a superb catch at wide long-on off Jadhav.

Malik was run out soon after, failing to convert his start into a big one as the slide started for Pakistan.

Jadhav then added to his rivals’ misery by picking up the wickets of Asif Ali and Shadab Khan as Pakistan failed to string together partnerships.

Amir and Ashraf tried hard to get important runs towards the end but could not bat out the full 50 overs.

Brief scores:

Pakistan: 162 in 43.1 overs (Babar Azam 47, Shoaib Malik 43; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3/15, Kedar Jadhav 3/23) lost to India: 164/2 in 29 overs (Rohit Sharma 52, Shikhar Dhawan 46) by eight wickets.

(IANS)

Amsterdam (Netherlands) Nicolas Tagliafico scored two goals to lead Ajax to a 3-0 home victory over AEK Athens in Group E action in the Champions League, Europe’s premier club football competition.

The score on Wednesday night was an accurate reflection of the action on the field at Johan Cruyff Stadium, with AEK doing its utmost to keep Ajax in check in the first half but falling by the wayside after Tagliafico opened the scoring just after the intermission.

The hosts were in attack mode from the outset, using quick passing in midfield and seeking out combinations that – particularly in the second half – led them to AEK’s penalty box, reports Efe news.

The visitors, meanwhile, looked for Ezequiel Ponce to lead them on the counter-attack when Ajax’s defensive line crept too far forward, but the Argentine forward was mostly unaccompanied on the opposing team’s side of the field and unable to convert any opportunities.

Ajax’s first goal came when Tagliafico took advantage of a failed off-side trap and volleyed home a pass into the area from David Neres in the 46th minute.

The home side then got a further lift when Donny van de Beek came on as a substitute for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar at the one-hour mark and scored 15 minutes later by volleying home a pass from Serbian midfielder Dusan Tadic.

With the game already decided and time winding down, Tagliafico scored on the full run from the left edge of the penalty box on a long-range, dipping shot over the outstretched arms of AEK goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas.

Ajax is currently in first place in Group E with three points. AEK, which is back in the Champions League group stage for the first time in 12 years, is in the last place with zero points.

(IANS)

The India U-16 girls football team beat arch-rivals Pakistan 4-0 in the ongoing AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Qualifier at the MFF Stadium here on Wednesday.

While Avika Singh (22nd minute) opened the scoring for India, the Pakistani goalie Ayesha (43rd) conceded an own goal at the stroke of half-time.

Sunita Munda (82nd) added another to get herself on the scoresheet, whereas skipper Shilky Devi (88th) wrapped it up in style.

Following the win, India are firmly seated at the top of Group B, having collected six points from two matches.

Sunita, Shilky and Avika combined well to wreak havoc on the arch-rivals but the Pakistani defenders soaked in the pressure until the 22nd minute when Avika notched the opening goal for India.

Sunita breezed past the left-back to deliver a low cross for Avika, whose well-timed tap-in earned India the lead.

Pakistan were happy to sit back in their own half and defend. Goalkeeper Ayesha made some exquisite saves during the course of the game but a miscued effort from her in the 41st minute landed inside the goal to hand India a 2-0 lead.

After the changeover, India continued to mount more pressure on Pakistan. The third goal came in the 82nd minute when Sunita, the architect of Avika’s goal, got her name on the score sheet.

Six minutes later, skipper Shilky latched on to another attack down the middle and kept her calm to score the fourth goal of the game.

India are scheduled to take on hosts Mongolia in their next match, two days later.

(IANS)

Pakistan have won the toss and have opted to bat first vs India. Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya return to the playing XI in place of Khaleel Ahmed and Shardul Thakur.
This is the same surface on which the India-Hong Kong game was played but there doesn’t seem to be any signs of wear and tear. It will be a slow pitch still but the batsmen should enjoy batting on it. The spinners might get a bit of help and the pacers with the new ball. Overall, a really good deck to bat on says Sunil Gavaskar

India and Pakistan last met in the Champions Trophy final in England in 2017. India have won three of their last 5 matches while Pakistan have won all their last 5 ODIs.

Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) franchise Puneri Paltan on Monday announced opening of online ticket sales for their home leg, starting from October 18 for the upcoming season.

The tickets can be obtained from BookMyShow and franchise’s official website. The offline ticket sales counter will start their sales two days prior to the beginning of the matches at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, according to a statement.

The first match in the home leg will be against Gujarat Fortune Giants.

Commenting on the occasion, CEO of Puneri Paltan Kailash Kandpal said: “We are privileged that we have such strong fan base who turn up in the stadium, in huge numbers, season after season.

“Puneri Paltan is ‘their’ team and we are a family of 1 million plus and growing. Last season, all the matches in Pune were houseful.

“We recognise their love and thank them for the unrivalled and solid support. As Vivo PKL has grown bigger and grander, the Paltan’s home matches would be one of the major sporting events that Pune would witness this year,” he added.

The sixth edition of the league will begin from October 7 in Chennai.

(IANS)