Sports

Sydney, Nov 16 (IANS) The Australian Badminton Open 2022 kicked off at Sydney's Quaycentre on Tuesday, seeing China's Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping advance to the second round of mixed doubles with ease.

The Chinese pair opened the match against Australia's Xing Huong Goh and Pitchaya Elysia Viravong by scoring 10 consecutive points, ending the first set at 21-3. In the second set, Feng and Huang only conceded four points before making it 21-4, reports Xinhua.

"The Australian Open is our fourth tournament playing as a pair, and we are much better in communication and cooperation," Huang said, adding that they will be well-prepared for the next round.

The Japanese pair of Yujiro Nishikawa and Saori Ozaki defeated Aussies Jason Hong and Victoria Tjonadi 21-3, 21-11 while Chinese Taipei's Ye Hong Wei and Lee Chia Hsin too advanced in the mixed doubles section, beating Andika Ramadiansyah and Mia Dian Nurlia 21-8, 21-7.

Meanwhile in the men's singles qualifying rounds, local Australian players Yuran Zhang got the better of Lok Yee Chang 21-12, 21-11 while Peter Yan defeated Xing Huong Goh 21-10, 21-9.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) England head coach Matthew Mott has expressed his desire to see star all-rounder Ben Stokes reversing his ODI retirement in order to strengthen their squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

Stokes had announced his decision to call curtains on his ODI career earlier this year, citing the difficult workload of playing in three formats as the reason behind it.

The 31-year-old is the captain of the England Test side, which has seen a change in fortunes ever since he took charge a few months back alongside coach Brendon McCullum.

But Stokes' heroics in the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 against Pakistan, where he played an unbeaten knock of 52 to guide England to their second title in the history of the tournament, once again led to calls for reversing his ODI retirement.

The England coach spoke to the reporters after England's World Cup win in Melbourne and expressed his desire to see Stokes coming out of his ODI retirement for the sake of the team.

"When he spoke to me about his ODI retirement, one of the first things I said was that I'd back any decision he made, but I said to him he didn't necessarily have to retire, he could just not play 50-overs for a while," Mott said.

"I'll let him dust off today. He's his own man and he'll make his own decisions. He'll do what's right for English cricket and he always has. That was part of his decision to retire from ODI cricket. He didn't think he could give it his all and credit to him for making that decision because he's such a special commodity for English cricket. We want what's best for the whole system as well," he added.

The ODI World Cup in India is less than 12 months away and there aren't a lot of T20Is to play during this period. Mott hopes that the lack of T20Is will help him to persuade Stokes to return to the ODI fold.

"It's going to be a World Cup year and we don't play much T20 cricket for a while, but it will be up to him. The more we can get him is great. He's doing an amazing job with the Test captaincy but he is a very big cog in the wheel when he comes back to white-ball."

Mott also went on to praise Stokes for his all-round ability, calling him a "three-dimensional player" and "the glue" that held the team together.

"I think we have a lot of guys who can do extraordinary things but he was the player you knew that if he was in you'd win the game," Mott said.

England are already scheduled to play three ODIs in Australia, starting just three days after the T20 World Cup final. The series ends on November 22 and they will again gear up for a Test series in Pakistan, starting December 1. If Stokes decides to play in the Indian Premier League on top of that, the schedule could become pretty demanding for him.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) The reigning Asian youth champion Vishwanath Suresh and Deepak gave India's campaign a winning start on the opening day of the IBA Youth Men's and Women's World Boxing Championships 2022 in La Nucia, Spain on Tuesday.

Both Vishwanath and Deepak emerged victorious after clinching thrilling opening-round wins.

Vishwanath defeated Ireland's Patsy Joyce Thady by a split 3-2 decision in 48 kg while Deepak beat Useid Nika of Albania by Referee Stops Contest (RSC) verdict in 75kg to give India a rousing start in the competition.

Vishwanath, the 17-year-old Chennai boxer, shifted gears impressively in the deciding three minutes after the intensely fought first two rounds of men's 48kg bout which saw equal resistance from both ends. Vishwanath was among the seven Indians to secure gold medals at the ASBC Asian Youth Boxing Championships, held in Jordan earlier this year.

Later on Tuesday night, India's Vanshaj (63.5kg) will take the ring against Uzbekistan's Boltaev Shavkatjon.

Indian boxers produced a historic show in the last edition of the prestigious event when they clinched 11 medals, including eight gold. This year's 25-member contingent consists of 13 men and 12 women pugilists.

Reigning Asian champions Vishwanath, Vanshaj, Tamanna and Muskan will spearhead India's challenge at the ongoing championships which will witness the participation of the world's top boxing nations. The tournament will go on till November 26.

Most of the boxers in the men's category will start in the Round of 32 while Mohit (86kg) and Rhythm (+92kg) will kickstart their campaigns in the pre-quarterfinals. In the women's category, on the other hand, Muskan (75kg) and Kirti (+81kg) will open their campaigns directly in the quarterfinals whereas others will begin their challenge in the Round-of-16 with only Preeti Dahiya (57kg) starting in the Round-of-32.

--IANS

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Turin (Italy) For his maiden victory in the ATP Finals, Felix Auger-Aliassime could not have chosen a better victim. The Canadian, whose red-hot streak may have hit a recent blip stunned top seed, Rafael Nadal, in straight sets here on Tuesday.

The fifth seed bounced back impressively from his opening defeat to Casper Ruud at the season finale in Turin, where he defeated Nadal 6-3, 6-4 to notch his maiden victory in the prestigious season finale.

Auger-Aliassime said having played at the same court earlier helped him overcome Nadal.

"I think having one match here, I got used to the conditions on centre court," Auger-Aliassime was quoted as saying in a report on the ATP Tour's official website. "It helped me a lot. I felt my game was better today. My serve was great and return and backhand was much better. I was hitting it with my more consistency and quality. When I am playing like this, I have proven I can compete and beat some of the best players in the world."

With this win, Auger-Aliassime moves to the top of the standings in Green Group with one win and one loss. Taylor Fritz of the United States and Casper Ruud of Norway have played one match and won their respective match. Nadal is at the bottom of the four-team group after losing both of his matches.

Despite the loss, Nadal has not been eliminated from contention for year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings. If Ruud wins a set against Taylor Fritz on Tuesday evening, Nadal will be eliminated from semifinal contention in Turin and therefore Carlos Alcaraz will clinch year-end World No. 1.

Auger-Aliassime withstood some early pressure from the top-seeded Nadal, recovering from 15/40 to hold serve in both the first and seventh games of the first set. The Canadian produced precise serving and struck the ball cleanly off both wings at important moments throughout, saving five of five break points to improve his record in Green Group to 1-1. He will take on Taylor Fritz in his final round-robin match at the Pala Alpitour as he seeks to reach the semi-finals on his tournament debut, said a report on the ATP Tour website.

The quality of Auger-Aliassime's serving performance is reflected in his INSIGHTS Serve Quality numbers for the match. He fired 15 aces and won 81 percent (39/48) of points behind his first delivery in the one-hour, 57-minute encounter.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) Ace Indian archer Akash Malik who won silver medal at the youth Olympics is all set to represent India in the Asia Cup archery tournament to be held in Sharjah from December 25.

The three-day trial was a knockout tournament held in Sonipat, Haryana in which Akash secured his participation for the Asia Cup.

Apart from Akash, the other three players who have been shortlisted are from Maharashtra, Services Sports Control Board and Jharkhand.

Commenting on the same, Akash said, "I am very pleased with my performance in the trial. This will motivate me to train harder and give my best at the Asia Cup. Representing my country is a pride moment and I will give my hundred per cent in the tournament."

--IANS

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Melbourne, Nov 13 (IANS) England's leg-spinner Adil Rashid continued his stellar run in the final of Men's T20 World Cup, delivering a fantastic spell of 2/22 at an economy rate of just 5.50 to keep Pakistan to 137/8 at the MCG and revealed that getting wickets via slower balls gave him the confidence to keep bowling at that pace.

"I did slow the ball up and getting wickets gave me the confidence to bowl it slower, which is my strength. It's not an individual game, it's about the collective, and as long as the team is happy with every bit, that's the main thing. If the wickets come, great, but it's all about the team," said Rashid in a mid-innings chat with the broadcasters.

Post power-play, Rashid made an immediate impact in the middle overs as he deceived Mohammad Haris with flight on his first ball of the night and the right-handed batter gave a simple catch to long-on.

In the 12th over of the innings, which was a wicket-maiden, he had cramped captain Babar Azam for a slice on a googly through the off-side, and the ball came back to Rashid for a low catch to his right.

Rashid joined Pakistan's former left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir (2009), Sri Lanka's pace all-rounder Angelo Mathews (2012) and West Indies' leg-spinner Samuel Badree (2016) in the list of bowlers bowling a maiden over in the final of the T20 World Cup.

He advised England to rely on running between the wickets to chase down the total successfully. "Just assess the pitch and conditions, they may like the ball a bit quicker, so slowing it up was my strength."

"There are lots of twos and threes out there so running hard is a big one and really sticking to our strengths and being positive and courageous. Hopefully we can now do the job. If we'd been offered 137, so we'd have been very happy."



--IANS
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Melbourne, Nov 13 (IANS) Left-arm pacer Sam Curran and leg-spinner Adil Rashid bowled brilliant spells as England's bowlers put out a marvellous bowling performance to restrict Pakistan to 137/8 in 20 overs in the final of Men's T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Electing to bowl first in overcast conditions, Curran (3/12) was impressive upfront and in death overs while Rashid (2/22) was stunning in the middle overs as England's meticulous planning and tactics, especially in the second half of the innings, meant they never let Pakistan get away at any stage.

Both teams were off to a nervy start - Ben Stokes kickstarted the final by bowling England's first no-ball of the tournament. He then bowled a wide down the leg-side and ended up conceding eight runs in the opening over.

Pakistan were no less - Mohammad Rizwan was on the verge of being run-out, but Chris Jordan's throw from mid-off went wide of the stumps. After no boundaries in the first three overs, Rizwan got Pakistan going with a six slog-swept over deep backward square leg on a Chris Woakes slower ball.

But in the next over, Rizwan shaped for a drive off Curran, but chopped on to his stumps. Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris took a four each off an off-colour Woakes in the final over of power-play. But England had the upper hand at the end of power-play, bowling 18 dot balls to keep Pakistan at 39/1.

Post power-play, Rashid made an immediate impact as he deceived Mohammad Haris with flight on his first ball of the night and the right-handed batter gave a simple catch to long-on. Azam fought back by whipping Chris Jordan over long leg, while Shan Masood used his feet well to hit a four and six over Liam Livingstone's head.

But England made a quick comeback - Azam's slice on a googly through the off-side went back to Rashid for a low catch to his right in a wicket-maiden over. In the next over, Stokes got some away movement and extra bounce to find the outer edge of Iftikhar Ahmed.
Masood and Shadab Khan hit some fours, but just as their 36-run partnership started to grow, the former pulled straight to deep mid-wicket off Curran in the 17th over. In the next over, Shadab sliced a back-of-a-length ball from Jordan to mid-off.

Harry Brook shelled a tough catch of Mohammad Wasim Jr. at backward point off Jordan. But Curran picked his third wicket of the match by having Mohammad Nawaz chip straight to deep mid-wicket in the 19th over. Wasim Jr. holed out to the deep off Jordan in the final over as England picked four wickets while conceding only 31 runs in the last five overs.

Brief Scores: Pakistan 137/8 in 20 overs (Shan Masood 38, Babar Azam 32; Sam Curran 3/12, Adil Rashid 2/22) against England

--IANS
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Melbourne, Nov 13 (IANS) England captain Jos Buttler has won the toss and elected to bowl first against Pakistan in the final of the Men's T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Both England and Pakistan, who featured at the venue in the 1992 ODI World Cup final 30 years ago, are entering the title clash with unchanged playing elevens from their respective blazing wins in the semifinal.

While Pakistan registered a seven-wicket victory over New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground, England thrashed India by 10 wickets at the Adelaide Oval.

"Huge game, good nerves, good energy around the team and in the stadium. Looking forward to the challenge. I think it is a good wicket and hopefully it will stay the same throughout. Both teams in red-hot form, looks a good wicket, a bit of weather around which is why we bowled first. We start fresh today, we bring confidence from the other day but we know it counts for nothing today," said Buttler after winning the toss.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam said he would have bowled first if he had won the toss. "We'll try to put runs on the board and put pressure on them. We have good momentum with us and will try to continue with it. The way the team is playing is outstanding.

"We lost our first few games but have come back strongly and want to continue that in the final. A win always gives you confidence and with the way the team is playing we will give our 100 percent. Yes, History repeats (from 1992), we'll do our best to win this game and hold the trophy."

Apart from winning the crown of T20 World Cup 2022, the winner will also join West Indies as the second two-time championship-winning side in the shortest format of the game. Pakistan won the trophy in 2009, while England emerged triumphant in 2010.

If England, the 2019 ODI World Cup champions, win over Pakistan in the final, they will become the first side in men's international cricket to hold two World Cup trophies at the same time. Fans will be hopeful that heavy rain stays away from the title clash.


Playing XIs

England: Jos Buttler (captain & wicket-keeper), Alex Hales, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan and Adil Rashid.

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.


--IANS

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By Mukesh Sharma
Doha, Nov 13 (IANS) With just a week left for the FIFA World Cup 2022, hosts Qatar have announced the final list of the national team players for the tournament.



Qatar, popularly called Al Annabi, will make their World Cup debut in the opening match against Ecuador at 7pm on November 20 at Al Bayt Stadium, which is about 30 km from Doha.

Qatar will play Senegal in their second match of the World Cup on November 25 and meet Netherlands four days later.

Spanish coach Felix Sanchez's 26-man squad does not include Abdelrahman Mustafa.

The Qatar squad: Akram Afif, Boualem Khoukhi, Pedro Miguel, Saad Al Sheeb, Hassan Al Haidos (captain), Tariq Salman, Abdul Karim Hassan, Ali Asad, Muhammad Waad, Mishaal Barshim, Musab Khader, Salem Al Hajri, Mustafa Tariq Mishaal, Ismail Muhammad, Bassam Al-Rawi, Asim Madbo, Karim Boudiaf, Al-Moez Ali, Muhammad Muntari, Ahmed Alaa, Hammam Al-Amin, Youssef Hassan, Abdulaziz Hatem, Nayef Al-Hadrami, Khaled Munir and Jassem Jaber.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) Former India head coach and 1983 ODI World Cup winner Ravi Shastri is expecting middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh to shine in the side's upcoming T20I series against New Zealand, starting from November 18.

Suryakumar was one of India's bright spots in their Men's T20 World Cup campaign, making 239 runs in six innings with his jaw-dropping 360-degree style of play.

Arshdeep, on the other hand, stepped up admirably in Jasprit Bumrah's absence to pick 10 wickets in the tournament. Apart from the duo, Shastri also expects opener Shubman Gill, in the T20I squad for the first time, to do well in the upcoming three-match series.

"Expect some fireworks from Suryakumar Yadav, who is at the top of his game. Arshdeep Singh, has been a revelation and is expected to shine in the series, as he becomes India's highest wicket-taker at the Men's T20 WC. The young Shubman Gill is already a star on the horizon when he gets going with his wide range of strokeplay and rotation of the strike in T20I cricket," said Shastri in a statement issued by Prime Video.

Shastri will be a part of the English commentary team for India's white-ball tour of New Zealand, alongside Anjum Chopra, Murali Kartik, Simon Doull and Harsha Bhogle. "It gives me great pleasure to come on-board the Prime Video commentary team to call the live action from India's limited-overs tour to New Zealand.

"This is even more significant because it will give a new crop of India players a chance to be tested by the very best. I have watched some of these youngsters from close quarters, and believe this team is one of the best in the world in the short formats of the game.

"But make no mistake, this will be a hard-fought battle as India will not only have to face a tough bunch of Kiwis but also the conditions, grounds and the pitches that will most likely to have a tinge of the green. I am looking forward to a cracker of a contest and sure the commentary will be top-notch, matching the action on the field across the five languages," he added.

Apart from English, the commentary for the series will be provided in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Former India batting legend Gundappa Viswanath, who will be a part of the Kannada commentary team, feels that from his experience of playing previously in the country, the Hardik Pandya-led side full of youngsters will be tested very well in challenging conditions while facing off against a strong New Zealand side.

"For any visiting team, playing in New Zealand comes with its own set of challenges. The conditions are similar to that of England which tests the mettle of even the best of teams; and this will not be lost on the two limited-overs Indian teams which travel to New Zealand later this month."

"From experience, I know the weather and pitches will prove challenging for both of the teams especially during this time of the year. Conditions apart, New Zealand have always been a formidable opposition for any team. They are self-driven, motivated and know how to play to their strengths even when their resources are limited.

"Having exited the ICC T20 World Cup in the semi-finals, the New Zealanders will be hurting and will look to bounce back against the Indian teams to be led by Hardik Pandya (T20Is) and Shikhar Dhawan (ODIs)."

India and New Zealand, both crashing out of the Men's T20 World Cup at the semifinals stage, will face off in a white-ball series featuring three T20Is and as many ODIs from Nov 18 to 30. The series will be broadcast on Prime Video in India.


--IANS

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