[Nasheman news] LondonEngland football great, goalkeeper Gordon Banks, whose safe pair of hands helped the Three Lions to their only World Cup final victory in 1966, has died at the age of 81, his family said on Tuesday.

One of the all-time-great keepers alongside the likes of Russia’s Lev Yashin, Banks’ split-second, acrobatic block to deny Pelé’s rocketing header in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico by scooping the bouncing ball over the crossbar is still widely regarded as one of the best saves ever made.

“Gordon Banks, the goalkeeper who made the save of the century against Pelé, has died,” mourned Spain’s sports newspaper As, reports Efe news.

In an interview following the game, which Brazil went on to win 1-0, Banks said Brazil’s famous number 10 approached him and said: “I thought that was a goal,” to which he replied: “You and me both.” 

He said he could be seen laughing as he took his position for the ensuing corner as fellow England great, and captain at the time, Bobby Moore turned and said: “You’re getting old, Banksy, you used to hold onto them.” 

Tributes from the world of football rolled in for the late goalkeeper.

“We’re deeply saddened to hear that Gordon Banks, our World Cup-winning goalkeeper has passed away,” England’s national team wrote on Twitter adding: “Our thoughts are with Gordon’s friends, family and supporters at this difficult time.” 

Gary Lineker, another England legend who played for the national team between 1984 and 1992 said: “England’s World Cup winner was one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time and such a lovely, lovely man.” 

Banks of England, as he came to be known, had spells at English clubs Leicester City and Stoke City before his career was cut short when he lost the sight in one eye in a car crash in 1972, just two years after his famous save in Guadalajara. 

He had attempted to overtake another car on a sharp bend when he collided with an oncoming vehicle and ended up in a roadside ditch. He required hundreds of stitches to his face but would never regain binocular vision. 

Despite attempts to resume his career, he retired from professional soccer in the United Kingdom and later went on to have spells in the North American Soccer League. 

Banks had a brief managerial career at Telford United. 

In 2015, it was announced the former goalkeeper was undergoing treatment for kidney cancer.

[Nasheman news] New Delhi Two cricket World Cup wins in 44 years, yet the flame carried in the hearts and minds of savants in India burns. As a top tier team, India once again is in search of the Golden Fleece.

Workload management of the stars will be on top of the mind when the selectors meet in Mumbai on Friday to pick the squad for the white ball series against Australia. 

The Indian team is set to play two T20Is and five ODIs against the Aussies in what is set to be the last set of international games that the boys get before going into the 2019 World Cup in England, starting on May 30. The only practice they will get after this is in the Indian Premier League. 

The Selection committee will look at keeping the right balance as they would not only wish to give the senior guys ample rest before going into the showpiece event, but also wouldn’t want to give the Australians the upper hand in what will be the last series before the World Cup. India has been playing incessantly overseas and the fast bowling wolf pack has had no real rest. 

BCCi sources said: “Workload management of the senior players will definitely be the main area of discussion as we all know that the Indians have been on the road and the selectors and team management have made a conscious effort to ensure that the players get ample rest between games and series. Like you saw, regular skipper Virat Kohli was rested for the back end of the New Zealand series. You might see Rohit Sharma rested for some games here.

“But it is also important to note that the Indians would want to keep the foot on the pedal and ensure that they don’t give the Australians any momentum going into the World Cup. A good series against India would mean a confidence booster for the team. So, there has to be a balance so that the composition of the team is not affected,” he explained.

While Rishabh Pant is almost certain to get more game time, it will be interesting to see if someone like Ajinkya Rahane gets one last go to seal a place in the World Cup squad. In the bowling department too, Jasprit Bumrah is almost certain to make a comeback after a well-earned rest during the New Zealand series.

In fact, head coach Ravi Shastri has already made it clear that players will be monitored even during the IPL.

“We’ve been in touch with the BCCI and CoA in this regard. We have certain plans in place and we’ll be looking to follow them. Usually, the two months of IPL are seen as relatively free months for me and I can just sit down and enjoy the cricket, watch out for new, young talents that keep emerging. But this IPL will be about monitoring the players, keeping the World Cup in mind,” he said in a recent interview.

[Nasheman news] Tokyo The organizers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Tuesday said that they were confident that the new venues would be completed in time for test competitions to be held later this year, despite problems in many projects.

The organizers on Tuesday showed the progress made in the construction of the new sports facilities in the Tokyo Bay area to reporters and evaluated the status of the work — with less than a year and a half to go before the Olympics, reports Efe news.

One of the biggest projects is the new Aquatics Center, which has been embroiled in a scandal about the falsification of technical data related to its anti-earthquake systems by a Japanese company.

The arena would have to replace or repair 32 such units used in its structure, which are mandatory according to Japanese law, after the company KYP admitted to using irregular material in its seismic protection systems.

Takahiro Otani, the head of planning and development of the venues, told Efe in a statement that this unexpected change would not affect the original schedule, which aims to complete the Aquatics Center by February 2020 and host test competitions in April.

He added that earthquake protection was “100 percent guaranteed” in this facility, which would have a capacity of 15,000 and host the Olympic competitions in swimming, synchronized swimming and diving.

Around 55 percent construction is complete for the Aquatics Center, which means that the work is progressing at a slower rate than the other projects due to its enormous size: 65,000 square meters, two Olympic-size swimming pools and another one for diving.

Other facilities which have witnessed delays include the new Ariake Tennis Park, where the organizers had to find a new construction company after the first contractor went bankrupt.

Work is progressing as per schedule for the 15,000-capacity Ariake Arena stadium, which will host volleyball, and the Olympics Gymnastics Center – with a capacity of 12,000 – as well as the venues for kayaking, canoeing and archery.

All these facilities are located on artificial islands in the Tokyo Bay, the area with the biggest concentration of Olympic venues, where the 18,000-capacity Olympic Village is also being constructed.

The organizers said that all the venues will be ready in time for a series of test competitions before the Games, to be held in three rounds: the first this summer, the second between October 2019 and February 2020 and the third in spring 2020.

The second Summer Olympics in the Japanese capital – 56 years after the Tokyo 1964 Games – will be held between July 24 and August 9, 2020, while the Paralympic Games will start on August 25 and finish on September 6.

Nasheman News : National-level kabbadi player Vikesh Kumar Rawat died after being run over by a truck in Jharkhand’s Deoghar district on Tuesday.

Rawat died instantly near the Blooming Buds school situated on the Deoghar-Dumka highway. The body was sent for post-mortem.

Expressing grief, kabbadi players in Deoghar said Rawat had to participate in the recruitment of the Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) at Bokaro on Wednesday. 

Rawat had represented Jharkhand from junior to senior level in kabbadi games from 2011 to 2014.

Nasheman News : Two cricket World Cup wins in 44 years, yet the flame carried in the hearts and minds of savants in India burns. As a top tier team, India once again is in search of the Golden Fleece.

Workload management of the stars will be on top of the mind when the selectors meet in Mumbai on Friday to pick the squad for the white ball series against Australia. 

The Indian team is set to play two T20Is and five ODIs against the Aussies in what is set to be the last set of international games that the boys get before going into the 2019 World Cup in England, starting on May 30. The only practice they will get after this is in the Indian Premier League. 

The Selection committee will look at keeping the right balance as they would not only wish to give the senior guys ample rest before going into the showpiece event, but also wouldn’t want to give the Australians the upper hand in what will be the last series before the World Cup. India has been playing incessantly overseas and the fast bowling wolf pack has had no real rest. 

BCCi sources said: “Workload management of the senior players will definitely be the main area of discussion as we all know that the Indians have been on the road and the selectors and team management have made a conscious effort to ensure that the players get ample rest between games and series. Like you saw, regular skipper Virat Kohli was rested for the back end of the New Zealand series. You might see Rohit Sharma rested for some games here.

“But it is also important to note that the Indians would want to keep the foot on the pedal and ensure that they don’t give the Australians any momentum going into the World Cup. A good series against India would mean a confidence booster for the team. So, there has to be a balance so that the composition of the team is not affected,” he explained.

While Rishabh Pant is almost certain to get more game time, it will be interesting to see if someone like Ajinkya Rahane gets one last go to seal a place in the World Cup squad. In the bowling department too, Jasprit Bumrah is almost certain to make a comeback after a well-earned rest during the New Zealand series.

In fact, head coach Ravi Shastri has already made it clear that players will be monitored even during the IPL.

“We’ve been in touch with the BCCI and CoA in this regard. We have certain plans in place and we’ll be looking to follow them. Usually, the two months of IPL are seen as relatively free months for me and I can just sit down and enjoy the cricket, watch out for new, young talents that keep emerging. But this IPL will be about monitoring the players, keeping the World Cup in mind,” he said in a recent interview.

Nasheman News : An all-round show by Sophie Devine helped New Zealand defeat India by two runs to sweep the three match women’s Twenty20 International series here on Sunday.

India required 16 runs off the final over and Mithali Raj needed to hit a four off the final ball but Leigh Kasperek held her nerve to concede just one run, according to the ICC’s website. 

A tight 19th over from Devine was as vital, as she conceded just seven runs in their defence of 161/7, as India, despite an entertaining 86 from Smriti Mandhana, finished short on 159/4. 

Devine, having made 72 off 52 balls, got the big wickets of Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues to finish with 2/21.

It was Mandhana’s second fifty of the series as well, and her fourth fifty-plus score in the last six matches across formats. Her second wicket partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues set the tone. 

They kept the boundaries coming, never letting the required run-rate get out of control, and adjusting well to the constant bowling changes to reach 76 in nine overs.

When Mandhana was finally dismissed, caught by Lea Tahuhu off Devine in the 16th over, the equation was down to 39 needed off 27. However, in the face of tight bowling, it proved too much for India.

The experienced Mithali, recalled to the side to provide some stability in the middle order, did exactly that after the wickets of Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur, adding 24 not out off 20. Deepti Sharma did her bit with 21 not out off 16, including a six, but they couldn’t take their side over the line.

Earlier, opting to bat, New Zealand scored 161/7.

Brief scores: New Zealand 161/7 (Sophie Devine 72; Deepti Sharma 2/28) against India: 159/4 (Smriti Mandhana 86; Sophie Devine 2/21)

Nasheman News :  New Zealand defeated India by four runs in the third and final Twenty20 International (T20I) to clinch the series 2-1, here on Sunday.

Chasing the 213-run target, India could score only 208/6 in their 20 overs.

India suffered their first blow early when opener Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed by Mitchell Santner in the first over. 

Rookie all-rounder Vijay Shankar and Rohit Sharma came together to add 75 runs between them before the former was dismissed after mistiming an attempted slog sweep off Santner’s bowling.

Shankar was the top scorer for India. He hit five boundaries and two sixes in a quickfire 28-ball innings that produced 43 runs.

The visitors were plunged into deeper trouble soon afterwards as Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma were dismissed in successive overs.

Rohit, who scored 38 runs off 32 balls, was looking good for a big score. But he went after a Santner delivery that was a bit wide outside the off-stump only to offer an easy outside edge to New Zealand wicket-keeper Tim Seifert.

Hardik Pandya smashed 21 runs off 11 deliveries before he was sent back to the pavilion by Scott Kuggeleijn. When Daryl Mitchell claimed the prized wicket of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the next over, the Kiwis were well and truly on top.

Although Dinesh Karthik and Krunal Pandya made a valiant attempt with a late 63-run stand off the last 28 balls, it did not prove to be enough.

Karthik remained unbeaten on 33 runs off 16 balls while Krunal was not out on 26 off 13.

For the hosts, Santner and Daryl Mitchell bagged two wickets each.

Earlier, a brilliant top-order batting display helped New Zealand post a big total of 212/4 in 20 overs.

Colin Munro’s 72 off 40 balls and Tim Seifert’s 43-run knock set up a perfect platform for the other batters, which helped them post a big total. 

Apart from the duo, Colin de Grandhomme (30) and Kane Williamson (27) also contributed handsomely.

Put in to bat, New Zealand openers Seifert and Munro got off to a flying start, slamming 80 runs in just 7.4 overs before Seifert was stumped by Dhoni off chinaman Kuldeep Yadav. In his 25-ball stay, Seifert hit three boundaries and as many sixes.

Unperturbed by the fall of the opener’s wicket, Munro and skipper Williamson joined hands for a 55-run stand for the second wicket to help New Zealand get past the 130-run mark in 13 overs.

Just when things seemed good in the middle, Munro was dismissed by Kuldeep in 13.2 overs. He slammed five boundaries and as many sixes, which also included some beautifully crafted shots.

Grandhomme and williamson then tried to maintain the flow of runs at the same pace. But in the process, Williamson departed. The skipper was sent packing by pacer Khaleel Ahmed in 14.4 overs when scoreboard was reading 150 runs.

Despite the wicket, Grandhomme kept on playing his shots before his stay was cut short by pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the penultimate over.

Daryl Mitchell (19) and Ross Taylor (14) remained unbeaten and finished off the proceedings.

For India, Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets, while Bhuvneshwar and Khaleel took a wicket each.

Brief scores: New Zealand: 212/4 (Colin Munro 72, Tim Seifert 43; Kuldeep Yadav 2/26) against India: 208/6 (Vijay Shankar 43, Rohit Sharma 38; Mitchell Santner 2/32, Daryl Mitchell 2/27).

[Nasheman news] Hamilton New Zealand defeated India by four runs in the third and final Twenty20 International (T20I) to clinch the series 2-1, here on Sunday.

Chasing the 213-run target, India could score only 208/6 in their 20 overs.

India suffered their first blow early when opener Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed by Mitchell Santner in the first over. 

Rookie all-rounder Vijay Shankar and Rohit Sharma came together to add 75 runs between them before the former was dismissed after mistiming an attempted slog sweep off Santner’s bowling.

Shankar was the top scorer for India. He hit five boundaries and two sixes in a quickfire 28-ball innings that produced 43 runs.

The visitors were plunged into deeper trouble soon afterwards as Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma were dismissed in successive overs.

Rohit, who scored 38 runs off 32 balls, was looking good for a big score. But he went after a Santner delivery that was a bit wide outside the off-stump only to offer an easy outside edge to New Zealand wicket-keeper Tim Seifert.

Hardik Pandya smashed 21 runs off 11 deliveries before he was sent back to the pavilion by Scott Kuggeleijn. When Daryl Mitchell claimed the prized wicket of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the next over, the Kiwis were well and truly on top.

Although Dinesh Karthik and Krunal Pandya made a valiant attempt with a late 63-run stand off the last 28 balls, it did not prove to be enough.

Karthik remained unbeaten on 33 runs off 16 balls while Krunal was not out on 26 off 13.

For the hosts, Santner and Daryl Mitchell bagged two wickets each.

Earlier, a brilliant top-order batting display helped New Zealand post a big total of 212/4 in 20 overs.

Colin Munro’s 72 off 40 balls and Tim Seifert’s 43-run knock set up a perfect platform for the other batters, which helped them post a big total. 

Apart from the duo, Colin de Grandhomme (30) and Kane Williamson (27) also contributed handsomely.

Put in to bat, New Zealand openers Seifert and Munro got off to a flying start, slamming 80 runs in just 7.4 overs before Seifert was stumped by Dhoni off chinaman Kuldeep Yadav. In his 25-ball stay, Seifert hit three boundaries and as many sixes.

Unperturbed by the fall of the opener’s wicket, Munro and skipper Williamson joined hands for a 55-run stand for the second wicket to help New Zealand get past the 130-run mark in 13 overs.

Just when things seemed good in the middle, Munro was dismissed by Kuldeep in 13.2 overs. He slammed five boundaries and as many sixes, which also included some beautifully crafted shots.

Grandhomme and williamson then tried to maintain the flow of runs at the same pace. But in the process, Williamson departed. The skipper was sent packing by pacer Khaleel Ahmed in 14.4 overs when scoreboard was reading 150 runs.

Despite the wicket, Grandhomme kept on playing his shots before his stay was cut short by pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the penultimate over.

Daryl Mitchell (19) and Ross Taylor (14) remained unbeaten and finished off the proceedings.

For India, Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets, while Bhuvneshwar and Khaleel took a wicket each.

Brief scores: New Zealand: 212/4 (Colin Munro 72, Tim Seifert 43; Kuldeep Yadav 2/26) against India: 208/6 (Vijay Shankar 43, Rohit Sharma 38; Mitchell Santner 2/32, Daryl Mitchell 2/27).

Nasheman News :  Cricket Australia (CA) on Friday announced the appointment of three-time World Cup winner Ricky Ponting as assistant coach as the Kangaroos prepare to defend their title in the upcoming ICC World Cup in England and Wales this year.

Ponting’s appointment comes a day after David Saker resigned as Australia’s fast-bowling coach with immediate effect.

The former skipper will work alongside coach Justin Langer as part of CA’s “changes to the coaching structure (that) will see him focus on working closely with the ODI batting group”.

Batting coach Graeme Hick has been tasked with supervising the side for the Ashes campaign, that starts soon after the World Cup in June and July.

“This appointment also provides an opportunity for Graeme Hick to focus on preparation for the Ashes,” Interim High Performance Executive General Manager Belinda Clark said in a CA statement.

“With two major events back to back we believe it is important to focus a number of staff specifically on one event. The appointment of Ricky is a part of this overall strategy.”Ricky will assist Justin across a number of key areas including strategy and game-plan, but he will also work closely with and mentor the batting group as they prepare for the English conditions,” she added.

Ponting, who will coach the newly renamed Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in April and May, will join Australia’s pre-tournament camp in Brisbane in May before their first World Cup game against Afghanistan in Bristol on June 1.