Gayle ton fires KXIP to 193/3

Agencies
April 20, 2018

Mohali, Apr 20: Chris Gayle gave a fitting answer to the sceptics with a blistering hundred as Kings XI Punjab overpowered Sunrisers Hyderabad by 15 runs in an IPL encounter, here on Thursday.

Gayle’s unbeaten 63-ball-104, his 21st hundred in shortest format propelled KXIP to 193 for 3 in 20 overs and they then restricted Sunrisers to 178 for 4, recording their third win in the tournament.

For Sunrisers, it was their first defeat after three successive wins. A cornered tiger can be dangerous and Gayle showed why he has taken the initial lack of interest of franchises to his heart.

“A lot of people thought I’m too old. After this innings, I have nothing to prove,” Gayle said immediately after his knock. While chasing, Sunrisers were dealt with a blow at the onset when Shikhar Dhawan was hit on the elbow off the very first delivery that he faced from Barinder Sran.

Wriddhiman Saha (6) tried a cross-batted heave only to be clean bowled in the process by Mohit Sharma. Yusuf Pathan (19) got two reprieves with Ashwin and Yuvraj Singh dropping sitters off Mohit and Barinder Sran’s bowling respectively. Mohit, however, had the last laugh as the former India player dragged one back to his stumps.

Pacer Andrew Tye (2-23 in 4 overs) and rookie mystery spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman (0-26 in 4 overs) then stifled Sunrisers in the middle overs despite Kane Williamson’s 54 off 41 balls and Manish Pandey’s unbeaten 57 off 42 balls.

In between themselves, Tye and Mujeeb bowled 15 dot balls, which proved to be crucial in the end. Even Barinder Sran (0/22 in 4 overs) was economical opening the bowling.

Earlier, Gayle scythed through Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack with a blistering hundred firing Punjab to big total.

Gayle showed that he is far from finished en route his magnificent knock that had 11 towering sixes and a solitary boundary.

Gayle’s 58-ball-hundred incidentally is the first of this edition of IPL and also against a bowling line-up that is being touted the most balanced of all eight teams.

Gayle moved to 99 with his 11th six off Bhuvneshwar Kumar over long-off. In Siddarth Kaul’s next over, he dabbed the ball towards point to complete a quick single. As a mark of celebration, Gayle gestured rocking a baby in a cradle, with his wife and daughter in the VIP box. The first 50 came off 39 balls and he took a mere 19 balls to complete the second 50.

It was the 14th over of the innings when Gayle actually turned the heat on. Already batting on 51, he smote leg-spinner Rashid Khan for four consecutive sixes. The first was over long-off, followed by a couple down the ground hits landing into sightscreen. The fourth six was slogged in the deep mid-wicket region.

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Agencies
April 12,2020

London, Apr 12: Former Formula 1 legendary driver Stirling Moss died at the age of 90 on Sunday.

"All at F1 send our heartfelt condolences to Lady Susie and Sir Stirling's family and friends," Formula 1 said in a statement.

Often referred to as the greatest driver never to win the world championship, Moss contested 66 Grands Prix from 1951 to 1961, driving for the likes of Vanwall, Maserati and Mercedes, where he famously formed a contented and ruthlessly effective partnership with lead driver Juan Manuel Fangio.

In his 10-year-long stint at the tracks, Moss took 16 wins, some of which rank among the truly iconic drives in the sport's history - his 1961 victories in Monaco and Germany in particular often held up as all-time classics.

Moss won the 1955 Mille Miglia on public roads for Mercedes at an average speed of close to 100mph, while he also competed in rallies and land-speed attempts.

Following an enforced retirement from racing (barring a brief comeback in saloon cars in the 1980s) after a major crash at Goodwood in 1962, Moss maintained a presence in Formula 1 as both a sports correspondent and an interested observer, before retiring from public life in January of 2018.

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News Network
July 2,2020

Jul 2: Cricket Australia has decided to not use the Dukes ball from this summer's Sheffield Shield, having used it alongside Kookaburra for four seasons.

CA has confirmed that the Kookaburra ball will be used for the entire 2020-21 first-class season.

Australia has been using Dukes ball since the 2016-17 season in Shield matches with an aim to help its cricketers prepare for the hostile English conditions.

CA's Head of Cricket Operations, Peter Roach, said the decision to axe the Dukes was the right call. "The introduction of the Dukes ball has been a worthwhile exercise, particularly in the lead up to overseas Ashes series where the Dukes is used so well by our English opponents," Roach said.

"We have been happy with how the ball has performed when used in Australian conditions over the past four seasons. We do, however, feel that reverting to one ball for 2020-21 will provide the consistent examination of our players over a full season that CA and the states are presently seeking. The Kookaburra is the ball used for international cricket in Australia and many parts of the world and we see benefits this season of maximising our use of it," he added.

Roach said the ineffectiveness of spinners in first-class cricket in recent times played a role in CA's decision to do away with the Dukes. "We have noted that spin bowlers in the Sheffield Shield have been playing less of a role in recent seasons, most notably in games when the Dukes ball is in use. We need spinners bowling in first-class cricket and we need our batters facing spin. We hope that the change to one ball will have a positive benefit here," he said.

The CA official, however, didn't rule out the possibility of re-introducing it later.

"We see a definite opportunity to reintroduce the Dukes ball at some stage in the future."

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News Network
June 30,2020

Malabar, Jun 30: I-League club Gokulam Kerala's former assistant manager Muhammad Alloush on Monday died due to COVID-19. He was 44.

Alloush, who was with the football club in its inaugural season, was working as technical director at Egyptian club Tanta SC at the time of his demise.

Alloush's mother had also succumbed due to the deadly virus earlier.

"We're deeply saddened by the death of our former assistant manager Muhammad Alloush, aged 44, after contracting Covid_19. The thoughts of everybody at Gokulam Kerala Football Club are with Alloush's family and friends at this sad time. Rest in peace, Alloush," Gokulam Kerala FC tweeted.

Meanwhile, with a spike of 18,522 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, India's coronavirus count stands at 5,66,840, said the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Tuesday.

According to the Ministry, 418 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours. The number of deaths in the country now stands at 16,893.

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