Sports

Nov 14: Italy failed to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1958 as they were held to a 0-0 draw in the second leg of their play-off at the San Siro by Sweden, who qualified with a 1-0 aggregate victory. The four-time champions dominated possession but struggled to create enough clear-cut chances, as Sweden secured a first appearance at the finals since 2006 courtesy of Jakob Johansson's

Nov 14: Saeed Ajmal, Pakistan's spinner, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Monday, two years after losing his wicket-taking bite with a remodelled bowling action that was twice deemed illegal. During a successful but controversial career, Ajmal was once celebrated as the world's number one bowler in one day internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 cricket, and was almost as

Dubai, Nov 13: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the legendary former India captain has launched his first global cricket academy in the effervescent city of Dubai. The academy, jointly launched by Dubai-based Pacific Sports Club and Aarka Sports Club, has been in operation for a couple of months at the Springdales School in Al Quoz. The facility named the MS Dhoni Cricket Academy (MSDCA) will have coaches

Madrid, Nov 13: Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Sunday that he had become a father for the fourth time after girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez gave birth to a baby girl, Alana Martina. "Alana Martina has just been born! Both Geo and Alana are doing great. We are all very happy," the beaming 32-year-old footballer wrote on Twitter, posting a photo of himself, Rodriguez, his seven-year

Doha, Nov 13: Ace Indian cueist Pankaj Advani sunday clinched his 17th world title after he thrashed his arch-rival Mike Russell of England in the IBSF World Billiards Championship. Advani beat Russell 6-2 (0-155, 150-128, 92-151, 151-0, 151-6, 151-0, 150-58, 150-21) to defend the 150-up format title he had won in Bengaluru last year. The Indian did not have an ideal start to the best-of-11 summit

Kathmandu, Nov 13: Nepal registered a historic 19-run win over India in the ongoing ACC U-19 Youth Asia Cup on Sunday. After skipper Dipendra Singh Airee displayed an impressive all-round performance scoring 88 runs and claiming four wickets, Nepal produced first-ever win against India in its cricket history. In the Group A match at Bayuemas Oval Cricket ground, India won the toss and invited

Dubai, Nov 12: Mahendra Singh Dhoni's voice had the usual air of calm as he played down criticism and calls for his retirement from T20 Internationals, saying "everybody has their own views in life". A few former India cricketers, including Ajit Agarkar, recently raised questions about Dhoni's T20 future, creating quite a storm in the country's cricketing circles. Even former batsman VVS Laxman

Muscat, Nov 12: A cricket player, hailing from from western Indian city of Mumbai, died of heart attack during a practice game at Al Amerat in Oman on Saturday. According to a statement issued by Oman Cricket, Mohammed Ashfaque Shaikh (39) was bowling his slow medium pacers and collapsed when he was preparing to bowl his next ball. “His teammates saw him fall down when he went back to his bowling

Nov 11: US women's football star Hope Solo accused Sepp Blatter of sexual assault on Friday, claiming the disgraced former FIFA president groped her backside at the 2013 Ballon d'Or ceremony. The 36-year-old Solo, her country's standout goalkeeper, claimed the 81-year-old Blatter pounced as she was about to present an award to her teammate Abby Wambach. "Sepp Blatter grabbed my ass, it was a few

New Delhi, Nov 11: There have been constant cries from former Pakistan players for a bilateral series between India and Pakistan, but with the mounting political tensions, the idea looks far-fetched. Legendary pacer Wasim Akram has lashed out at ICC for not being able to strike a deal between BCCI and PCB. Speaking to Geo TV, Akram said, “I don’t think ICC has the power to pursue BCCI, but again I