ENGLAND pacer Jofra Archer said reassuring words from team-mate Ben Stokes helped him to keep his calm in the Super Over of the World Cup final against New Zealand at the iconic Lord’s here. Hosts England lifted their maiden World Cup trophy on Sunday night by defeating New Zealand in the Super Over in the heart-stopping final...

CZECH Barbora Strycova completed a memorable Wimbledon as she partnered Hsieh Su-wei to the women’s doubles title on Sunday, beating Canada/China duo Gabriela Dabrowski and Xu Yifan 6-2, 6-4...

LEWIS Hamilton made the most of a favourable safety car intervention on Sunday to claim a record sixth British Grand Prix victory at a packed Silverstone...

 By R Kaushik: MANCHESTER NZ pip India by 18 runs to enter final   RAVINDRA Jadeja produced an innings for the ages, a spectacular collection of the cleanest stroke-making on a difficult surface. But not even his breathtaking brilliance could make up for a horror start as New Zealand surged to the final of the World Cup for a second successive edition, with a thrilling 18-run win over India. Matt Henry and Trent Boult had left India in tatters within 19 deliveries of the start ..

 LONDON: Roger Federer chalked up another monumental milestone to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals on Wednesday, recovering to beat Japan’s Kei Nishikori 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 and become the first man to record a century of singles wins at any Grand Slam. The eight-times champion thus won his 100th singles match at Wimbledon. Number two seed Federer was so poor in the first set that the eighth-seeded Nishikori may have felt the 37-year-old Swiss’s advancing years had finally caught ..

 Porto Alegre (Brazil): Peru stunned defending champions Chile 3-0 to reach the final of the Copa America for the first time in 44 years. Goals from Edison Flores, Yoshimar Yotun and Paolo Guerrero handed Peru a deserved win which sends them into a final against Brazil at the Maracana Stadium on Sunday. The stunning upset prevented Chile’s golden generation from challenging for a third straight title, following their wins over Argentina in 2015 and 2016. Instead the finalists from ..

 Vijay Shankar                                                                                          Mayank Agarwal  BIRMINGHAM: INDIAN all-rounder Vijay Shankar was Monday ruled out of the ongoing World Cup due to a toe injury and will be replaced ..

 PEAKING at the right time, Australia will resume their Trans-Tasman rivalry at the World Cup stage when they take on a New Zealand side low on confidence after its first defeat of the tournament, here Saturday. Barring the defeat against India, defending champions Australia have done nothing wrong in this tournament, becoming the first team to qualify for the semi-finals.  The Aaron Finch-led side is in roaring form and would look to continue the winning momentum at the hallowed Lord’..

 SOME are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. Such is the eternal universality of Shakespeare’s insights that Malvolio’s musings in Twelfth Night could easily apply to the Australian captaincy instead.  If that was the case then Aaron Finch would certainly fall into the third of those categories. Incidentally, Malvolio’s preceding line is “be not afraid of greatness” and that neatly epitomises Finch’s attitude ..

 BIRMINGHAM:  PAKISTAN captain Sarfaraz Ahmed says incidents like the one in which he was compared to a “pig” by a fan are hurtful but there is nothing he can do to prevent them and can only plead for civility in criticism. Pakistani fans have severely criticised the national team after its 89-run loss to arch-rivals India in a World Cup encounter in Manchester.   In a recent video that went viral on social media, Sarfaraz, walking in a mall in England with his son, ..

 RAFAEL Nadal has complained about Wimbledon’s seeding system after the Spaniard was placed at number three, behind Roger Federer, for next week’s Grand Slam in London. “Wimbledon is the only tournament of the year that does it like this,” Nadal told Spanish television channel Movistar on Monday night. “Obviously it would be better to be two than three but if they think I have to be three I will accept three and fight to win the matches I have to win. “Having ..

 MANCHESTER: WEST Indies captain Jason Holder urged Carlos Brathwaite to “bring it together more often” after his remarkable hundred so nearly led to a stunning World Cup victory over New Zealand. The West Indies were down and out at 164-7, chasing a target of 292 to beat the Black Caps at Old Trafford. Thanks to Brathwaite’s blistering 101 of 82 balls — his maiden one-day international century — however, they got to within a six of a win with just one wicket ..

 Birmingham: Ashleigh Barty said it was in “another realm” to become only the second Australian woman to top the world rankings when she won the Birmingham WTA title on Sunday, beating Julia Goerges 6-3, 7-5. The 23-year-old French Open champion emulates Yvonne Goolagong Cawley — like her an indigenous Australian — who held it for a fortnight in 1976. Barty — the first Australian to win the French Open since Margaret Court in 1973 — displaces Japan’s ..

Valenciennes: Marta said she was representing women in football after becoming the leading scorer in the history of the men’s and women’s World Cups by firing home the penalty that downed Italy and secured Brazil’s place in the last 16 of this year’s tournament in France.  Australia beat Jamaica 4-1. The 33-year-old, widely considered the best player in the history of the women’s game, slammed home from the spot in the 74th minute against Group C winners Italy ..

 SOUTHAMPTON: JOS Buttler says he is ready to step up and captain England in the World Cup if injured skipper Eoin Morgan fails to recover in time to face Afghanistan on Tuesday. Morgan had to leave the field with a back spasm during the West Indies innings in Southampton on Friday, with opening batsman Jason Roy also forced off the field due to a tight hamstring.  Vice-captain Buttler himself was unable to keep wicket in the team’s previous match against Bangladesh but said he ..

  By R KaushikRISHABH Pant, the left-handed middle-order batsman, will arrive in England in the next couple of days to join the Indian team as cover for the injured Shikhar Dhawan. Dhawan, who sustained a fracture in his left hand during his century against Australia at The Oval on Sunday, faces a spell on the sidelines with Sanjay Bangar, the assistant coach, saying his condition will be assessed 10-12 days hence. Just for the record, Dhawan has not yet been ruled out of the tournament, ..

 CARDIFF: STAR Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan says he is relishing his promotion to number three in the batting order, having scored three half-centuries and a hundred in his last four ODIs. Shakib, who also opened the bowling against England here on Saturday, said he had to convince everyone else in the squad he was worthy of the batting promotion.  “Yeah, (I needed to convince) everyone. Because if I don’t score runs in a single match, they would think he should ..

  LONDON: CAPTAIN Kane Williamson urged his batsmen to play more responsibly after a string of soft dismissals pushed New Zealand on the brink of defeat against Bangladesh. The Kiwis though got their act together to eke out a two-wicket victory. Opting to field, the Black Caps bowled beautifully to restrict Bangladesh to 244 in 49.2 overs at the Kennington Oval. While chasing, New Zealand lost two early wickets but looked comfortable at 160 for two. However, the wickets of Williamson ..

 PARIS: A fresh face will win the women’s title at the French Open after champion Simona Halep crashed out to fast-rising teenager Amanda Anisimova on Thursday, but it was business as usual on the men’s side as Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem raced though. America’s Anisimova dazzled in a crushing 6-2 6-4 win over third seed Halep, who was looking to become the first woman to retain the title since Justine Henin’s three consecutive triumphs from 2005-07. Instead, ..

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza heaped praises on his team’s all-round performance which saw them defeat South Africa by 21 runs in their World Cup tie at the Kennington Oval on Sunday. “The first match always sets the tone. We have been positive, won in Ireland and the momentum helped us set the tone here,” said Mortaza at the post-match presentation ceremony. A wonderful batting display led by the experienced duo of Shakib Al Hasan (75) and Mushfiqur Rahim (78), supported by eye-catching cameos ..

 BRISTOL: AUSTRALIA has warned Chris Gayle and company to be ready for for ‘chin music’ when it takes on West Indies in its second ICC World Cup game at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Thursday. Australia pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile said they are ready to give West Indies a taste of its own medicine — bouncers — to keep Gayle and company in check.  “You’ve got to give it (bowl bouncers) to the Windies, otherwise they just get on the front foot and pogo ..

 PARIS: Roger Federer made short work of Argentinian Leonardo Mayer to become the oldest man in 28 years to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final at the French Open on Sunday, while Rafael Nadal claimed his 90th Roland Garros win. The 37-year-old Federer, playing at Roland Garros for the first time since 2015, claimed a 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 win over world number 68 Mayer in a sweltering 32 degrees. Reigning champion Nadal continued his bid for a record-extending 12th Roland Garros title by beating Grand ..

 Paris: Naomi Osaka staged a second successive Roland Garros great escape on Thursday as fellow top seed Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams strolled into the last 32. World number one Osaka, bidding to add the French Open to her US and Australian Open titles, came back from a set and 2-4 down to defeat former world number one Victoria Azarenka 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. Her win came on the back of being just two points from defeat in her tournament opener against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.  Siniakova, ..

 NEW DELHI:  History beckons England  A BUNCH of once-in-a-generation specialists, armed with a new cricketing philosophy, would strive to translate hopes into result for hosts England, in what is deemed their best chance to win a maiden ODI World Cup title. Cricket is no longer the top sport in game’s original home but the declining popularity could get a much-needed fillip if Eoin Morgan stands with the trophy on the Lord’s balcony on July 14. There was a sea-change ..

 NEW DELHI;  RAHI Sarnobat Monday booked an Olympic quota place for India with a gold in women’s 25m pistol event but it was teenager Saurabh Chaudhary who stole the limelight by setting a new world record en route to a yellow metal at the season’s third ISSF World Cup in Munich.  Saurabh bagged his second World Cup gold of the year in men’s 10m Air Pistol event, shattering both the senior and junior world records in the process. India now top the Munich World Cup ..

 PARIS: ROGER Federer marked his return to Roland Garros after a four-year absence with a straight sets win over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego on Sunday, admitting he “felt on edge”, as Angelique Kerber’s hopes of completing a career Grand Slam suffered a quick kill. Federer, a 20-time major winner, hadn’t played the tournament since 2015 when he reached the quarter-finals. However, on Sunday, it was as if the 37-year-old had never been away as he swept to a 6-2, 6-4, ..

  Turin (Italy) Juventus lifted the Italian Champion’s trophy at the Allianz stadium in Turin moments after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Atlanta late Sunday night. The pool toppers, enjoying a points tally of 90 have merely one match to play next week and are beyond doubt the champions with Napoli their nearest competitors being at 79 and in no position to surpass them, also having only their last match to play next week. Juve’s opponents of Sunday’s match, Atalanta, ..

 Jincheon (Republic of Korea) A determined Indian Women’s Hockey Team overcame the challenge posed by hosts Republic Of Korea as they beat them 2-1 in their opening match here at the three-match Bi-lateral Series which began today at Jincheon, Republic Of Korea. The team backed by good results in their previous tournaments in Spain and Malaysia earlier this year exhibited confidence as they made a strong start against the hosts. After missing out on an opportunity to score through ..

  ROME Rafael Nadal won a record 34th ATP Masters 1000 title with a 6-0 4-6 6-1 victory over Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open final on Sunday. The Spaniard, who had shared the record of 33 Masters titles with the Serbian world number one, warmed up for the defence of his French Open crown by securing his ninth Rome title.  Nadal got off to a flying start by whitewashing a shellshocked Djokovic in the opening set. It was the first time there has been a 6-0 set during a meeting ..

 Bethpage (United States); Masters winner Tiger Woods, chasing a 16th major title, and defending champion Brooks Koepka lead a powerhouse field into Thursday’s opening round of the PGA Championship at rain-drenched Bethpage Black. Woods, who ended an 11-year major title drought last month at Augusta National, and Koepka, who held off Woods to win last year’s PGA crown, join reigning British Open champion Francesco Molinari of Italy in the feature group of the first two days. ..

 London; Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola edged out Jurgen Klopp to a trophy for the second time in three days as the Catalan claimed the League Managers’ Association manager of the year. Guardiola’s City retained the Premier League title on Sunday, beating Klopp’s Liverpool by a single point at the end of a thrilling title race.  Having also won the League Cup earlier in the campaign, Guardiola’s side could complete a first ever domestic treble in English ..

 Rome: Matteo Politano and Ivan Perisic scored in either half as Inter Milan reclaimed third spot in Serie A with a 2-0 win over already-relegated Chievo to close in on Champions League football next season. Politano opened after 39 minutes in the San Siro with Perisic adding the second four minutes from time, as Chievo played the last fifteen minutes a man down after Nicola Rigoni was sent off for a second yellow card on Monday. Inter move back one point ahead of Atalanta as both teams ..

 Amsterdam; Lucas Moura’s last-gasp strike took Tottenham Hotspur to the Champions League final for the first time in their history on Wednesday, completing his hat-trick and sealing an incredible 3-2 win over Ajax to leave the Dutch side heartbroken. Ajax’s improbable European run seemed set to go on all the way to the final as they led 3-2 on aggregate deep in stoppage time in the second leg of the semi-final at the Johan Cruyff Arena. That was when the ball broke to Lucas ..

  By Paritosh Pramanik: NAGPUR INDIAN goalkeeper Akash Chikte, who was suspended by Hockey India for a dope violation, is a relieved man. He was banned for two years by National Anti Doping (NADA) for inadvertently taking banned substance in February 2018. After appealing the decision, the anti-doping panel, on Thursday reduced the ban to 13 months. The star India goalkeeper, who works with BEG Pune, had contested the duration of the ban as he claimed that he took the banned substance ..

   Auckland: Saina Nehwal will be keen to put behind the disappointment of losing in the quarter-finals of just-concluded Asia Badminton Championship and train her eyes on winning the New Zealand Open beginning here Tuesday. The 29-year-old from Hyderabad, seeded second, will begin her quest for the second title this year when she will take on China’s Wang Zhiyi in the first round of the women’s singles.   World no. 9 is the only Indian to have won a title ..

   Burnley: Manchester City remain in control of the Premier League title race as the finest of margins earned Pep Guardiola’s men a 1-0 win at Burnley on Sunday. Sergio Aguero’s 31st goal of the season crossed the line by millimetres before being hacked clear by Matthew Lowton, but goal-line technology awarded the goal and kept City a point clear of Liverpool with two games left for both sides to play. For the first time in months, City’s elimination from the ..

   Xi’an (China): India wrapped up their campaign at the Asian Wrestling Championships on a resounding note with 16 medals after Greco-Roman grapplers added a silver and a bronze on the concluding day here on Sunday. Harpreet Singh settled for a silver in 82kg while Gyanender won a bronze in 60kg on the final day of competitions. India’s overall tally of 16 medals included eight — one gold, three silver and four bronze — won by men’s freestyle wrestlers, ..

  Wuhan (China): Ace India shuttlers Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu and Sameer Verma registered victories in their first round matches on Wednesday to advance to the pre-quarterfinal Badminton Asian Championship. However, it was the end of the road for Kidambi Srikanth who made an early exit. Rio Olympics’ silver medallist Sindhu defeated World No 13 Sayaka Takahashi of Japan in straight games and will face Choirunnisa of Indonesia in the next round. Sindhu knocked out her opponent ..

  LONDON: CHELSEA accused Burnley of time-wasting and playing “anti-football” after Blues boss Maurizio Sarri was sent off before a touchline skirmish marred their frustrating 2-2 draw on Monday. Sarri’s side fell behind to Jeff Hendrick’s fine finish before N’Golo Kante equalised moments later. In a frantic opening 24 minutes at Stamford Bridge, Gonzalo Higuain put Chelsea ahead, only for Burnley’s Ashley Barnes to punish more dismal defending from ..

  WUHAN (China):  A WEEK’S rest after three back-to-back tournaments, Olympic medallists PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will now train their eyes on ending India’s 54-year-old title jinx at the Asia Badminton Championship beginning here Wednesday. It was Dinesh Khanna, who had become the men’s singles champion at the Asian Championship in 1965. Last year, HS Prannoy and Saina Nehwal won bronze medals in their respective categories.  The two-time Commonwealth ..

   Bangkok; Kavinder Singh Bisht (56kg) upstaged reigning world champion Kairat Yeraliyev, while Amit Panghal (52kg) edged past familiar foe and Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov, assuring themselves of medals at the Asian Boxing Championships here Monday. In the women’s draw, world silver-medallist Sonia Chahal (57kg) advanced to the last-four stage at the continental showpiece. Bisht clinched a split verdict over Yeraliyev, who hails from Kazakhstan, in a high-intensity contest ..

Juventus turn the page on yet another Champions League disappointment as they focus on sealing an eighth consecutive Serie A title at home on Saturday. Massimiliano Allegri’s side host Fiorentina needing just one more point to lift the Scudetto for a 35th time, days after a shock 2-1 defeat (3-2 on aggregate) to Ajax. The Turin giants have won the Scudetto more than any other team in Italy with AC Milan and Inter Milan trailing second best with 18 each. Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano ..

 Porto:  Jurgen Klopp might be steeling himself for some sleepless nights as he tries to work out how to stop Lionel Messi, but for now the German can be delighted at seeing his Liverpool side extend their outstanding record in European ties under his management. Having won 2-0 at home in the first leg, Liverpool always knew that an early away goal in the second leg of their quarter-final against FC Porto at the Estadio do Dragao would effectively kill the tie. So it proved, as after ..

   Barcelona: Lionel Messi pounced on two Manchester United mistakes to score twice and end their hopes of another comeback at Camp Nou as Barcelona breezed into the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday. After an excellent start, United were undone twice in four minutes by Messi, who first nicked the ball off the careless Ashley Young and then watched as a weak shot from distance squirmed underneath David de Gea. Philippe Coutinho, in perhaps his best performance of the season, ..

  Monte Carlo, Rafael Nadal charged out of the blocks Wednesday to hammer Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1, 6-1 in his opening match at the Monte Carlo Masters. The 11-time champion showed no sign of the knee problems which forced him to quit ahead of an Indian Wells semi-final against Roger Federer a month ago. The 32-year-old had expressed pre-tournament caution regarding the health of his knee -- a worry which appeared to be groundless after a 76-minute masterclass. “I’m happy for ..

  LONDON: Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling struck twice as the Premier League champions beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park on Sunday to go top of the table and heap pressure on title rivals Liverpool.Victory left City on 83 points from 33 matches, one point above Liverpool although the Merseyside club can leapfrog Pep Guardiola’s team with a win over third-placed Chelsea later on Sunday. The victory was the ninth straight win for City in the Premier League.  Having ..

  SINGAPORE: THE Indian trio of PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth continued their impressive run and progressed to the singles quarterfinals of the USD 355,000 Singapore Open here Thursday. The fourth-seeded Sindhu, a Rio Games silver medallist, took 39 minutes to get the better of world number 22 Mia Blichfeldt 21-13, 21-19, her second straight win over the Danish shuttler, who had clinched the Spain Masters earlier this year. World number 6 Sindhu will next face China’s ..

  Milan,  Napoli drew 1-1 with ten-man Genoa on Sunday to ensure that Juventus will have to wait another week to seal an eighth consecutive Serie A title. The champions have a 20-point advantage on second-placed Napoli, who they have beaten in both their head-to-head clashes, with seven games to go. Juventus, who beat AC Milan 2-1 on Saturday, needed Napoli to lose to win the Scudetto for the 35th time, ahead of their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Ajax next week. ..

   New Delhi: From Ric Charlesworth to Roelant Oltmans, most of India’s foreign hockey coaches had a tumultuous ride and the newly-appointed chief coach Graham Reid’s biggest desire is to have a “stable environment” for himself as well as his players. “What I want is a stable environment for me as well as the players,” Reid told PTI during an exclusive interview from Amsterdam. In fact, it was the legendary Charlesworth, who goaded him to apply ..

 Barcelona,    Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi scored twice in two minutes as Barcelona broke the resistance of 10-man Atletico Madrid to go 11 points clear of their La Liga title rivals. Diego Costa was sent off in the 28th minute at Camp Nou after insulting referee Gil Manzano but while Atletico held on for almost another hour, Suarez and Messi struck late to seal a pivotal 2-0 win. The victory leaves Barca almost out of sight with seven games left to play and maintains momentum ..