India set up Champions Trophy final with Australia after 1-1 draw against Netherlands

Agencies
July 1, 2018

Breda (Netherlands), Jul 1: India were held to a narrow 1-1 draw by hosts Netherlands but it was enough for the last year's runners-up to enter their second consecutive final of the Champions Trophy hockey tournament on Saturday.

India scored through Mandeep Singh (47th minute) from a penalty corner rebound but the goal was nullified by Thierry Brinkman (55th) five minutes from the hooter.

Australia finished on top of the standings despite losing 2-3 to Olympic champions Argentina earlier in the day. India, which needed just a draw to progress, finished second.

As per the rules of the tournament, the top two teams will qualify for Sunday's summit clash which is scheduled to be held at 19:30 IST.

India had a great chance to take the lead early on but SV Sunil failed to control the ball from a goalmouth melee.

India kept up the pressure on the Dutch defence and earned a penalty corner in the third minute but Harmanpreet's powerful high flick was saved by Netherlands goalkeeper Sam Van der Ven.

Another penalty corner came India's way in the 13th minute but they wasted the opportunity while going for a variation.

The second quarter witnessed a much even contest between the two sides till the 25th minute when Netherlands secured two back-to-back penalty corners, the second of which was brilliantly saved by Indian custodian PR Sreejesh.

A minute later, Netherlands were rewarded with another set piece when the ball hit Harmanpreet's foot inside the D but once again Sreejesh averted the danger.

The Dutchmen continued to press hard in the final few minutes of the second quarter but the Indian defence just did enough to avert any dangerous situation as both the teams went into the halfway break locked at 0-0.

Two minutes into the second half, Netherlands had a great chance to take the lead but Sreejesh came to India's rescue from an open goal position.

It took India 47 minutes to break the deadlock through Mandeep's rebound from a penalty corner after Harmanpreet's effort was blocked by the Dutch defence.

But Netherlands drew parity five minutes from the hooter through a field strike by Brinkman.

The Dutch, needing a win to qualify for the final, pressed hard and earned three consecutive penalty corners but the Indian defence stood tall to deny them and eke out the draw and qualify for tomorrow's final.

It will be a repeat of 2016 Champions Trophy final between India and Australia, where the Kookaburras came out victorious in the shoot-out.

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Agencies
March 1,2020

New Delhi, Mar 1: Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif on Sunday heaped praise on Ravindra Jadeja after the all-rounder took a spectacular catch on the second day of the Christchurch Test against New Zealand.

Jadeja grabbed a one-handed stunner at deep square leg in the 72nd over to dismiss Neil Wagner, who had to depart after scoring 21 runs.

"Sir Jadeja for a reason! Jadeja Airlines, flying high! Terrific stuff," Kaif tweeted.

In the match, Jadeja also impressed with the ball. The left-handed bowler took two wickets while giving away 22 runs.

On day two, India bundled out New Zealand on 235 runs in the second Test. However, in their second innings, Indian batsmen again struggled to tackle the New Zealand pacers and lost six wickets with a lead of just 97 runs.

India went to stumps at 90/6, with Trent Boult doing the majority of the damage with three wickets.

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News Network
June 10,2020

Kingston, Jun 10: "Enough is enough", said West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as he opened up on the raging issue of racism and called for "respect and equality" for black people, who have faced discrimination for years.

Bravo joined the likes of his former captain Darren Sammy and Chris Gayle in denouncing racism in the wake of African-American George Floyd's killing at the hands of a white police officer in the USA.

"It's sad to see what's going on around the world. As a black man, we know the history of what black people have been through. We never ask for revenge, we ask for equality and respect. That's it," Bravo told former Zimbabwe cricketer Pommie Mbangwa in an Instagram live chat on Tuesday.

"We give respect to others. Why is it that we are facing this over and over? Now enough is enough. We just want equality. We don't want revenge, war.

"We just want respect. We share love and appreciate people for who they are. That's what is most important."

The 36-year-old, who has played 40 Tests, 164 ODIs and 71 T20Is for West Indies, said he wants the world to know that they are powerful and beautiful people and gave the example of greats such as Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan.

"I just want our brothers and sisters to know that we are powerful and beautiful. And at the end of the day, you look at some of the greats of the world, whether it is Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan we have had leaders who paved the way for us," he said.

Two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain Sammy had earlier alleged that a racist nickname was used to address him during his IPL stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad and demanded an apology.

Sammy said he was called 'Kalu' while he was in India. 'Kalu' is a derogatory word to describe black people.

Gayle, who too plays in the IPL, took to Twitter to back Sammy, saying that racism does exist in cricket.

"It's never too late to fight for the right cause or what you've experienced over the years! So much more to your story, @darensammy88. Like I said, it's in the game!!," Gayle tweeted.

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News Network
June 3,2020

Colorado, Jun 3: Formula One boss Chase Carey has said that races will go ahead even if a driver tests positive for coronavirus.

His remarks come as organisers revealed a revised 2020 calendar and the schedule for the first eight races was put in the public domain.

"An individual having been found with a positive infection will not lead to a cancellation of a race. We encourage teams to have procedures in place so if an individual has to be put in quarantine, we have the ability to quarantine them at a hotel and to replace that individual," the official website of Formula One quoted Carey as saying.

"Some things we'd have to talk through and work through. The array of 'what ifs' are too wide to play out every one of them, but a team not being able to race would not cancel the race. I do not think I could sit here and lay out the consequences," he said.

Carey added the organisers will be having the necessary procedures in place so that the race does not get cancelled if a driver ends up testing positive for coronavirus.

"But we will have a procedure in place that finding infection will not lead to a cancellation. If a driver has an infection, teams have reserve drivers available," Carey said.

"We would not be going forward if we were not highly confident we have necessary procedures and expertise and capabilities to provide a safe environment and manage whatever issues arrive," he added.

The Formula One 2020 season will be beginning with the Austrian Grand Prix in July.

F1 currently expects the opening races to be closed events but hopes that fans will be able to attend again when it is safe to do so.

The season will kick off with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on July 5, followed a week later by a second race on the same track.

The Hungarian Grand Prix will follow a week after that, before a break. There will be then two back to back races at Silverstone, followed by the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

The Belgian Grand Prix will follow that, with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza a week later on September 6.

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