Madrid coach Ancelotti might be axed after Champions League exit

May 14, 2015

Madrid, May 14: Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti said he isn't the man to judge whether he will stay in charge of the Spanish giants next season after Juventus dumped the holders out of the Champions League.

Madrid coach

The Italian champions will face Madrid's eternal rivals Barcelona in the final on June 6 after former Real striker Alvaro Morata struck the vital away goal to secure a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their semi-final on Wednesday night as Juventus progressed 3-2 on aggregate.

Madrid now look certain to end the season without having won a major trophy as Barca also lead La Liga by four points with just two games remaining.

And Ancelotti could even have overseen his last match from the bench at the Bernabeu after he was given a two-match touchline ban earlier on Wednesday for sarcastically applauding the referee at the end of his side's 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

"I don't have to think (about my future)," said the Italian.

"If the club are happy with what I have done in these two years then I will stay."

"My future for me is decided. I would like to stay here but I know how things are in football and the club have the right to change the coach if they want to,"

"I am satisfied with my work here, above all because I have a very good relationship with the players and support from the club in good and bad moments. I evaluate my time in a positive manner." Ancelotti said.

Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half penalty looked to have Madrid on course for arguably the biggest club match of all time against Barca.

However, a combination of poor finishing and some excellent goalkeeping from Gianluigi Buffon prevented the hosts from building on their lead and Juventus shut up shop after Morata had put them back in front in the tie just before the hour mark.

"We lacked very little, it was small details." lamented Ancelotti.

"We didn't have a lot of luck. If we had luck to win the Champions League in the last minute (last season) then maybe we lacked it tonight,"

"If I have to criticise something it would be the way we played in the first leg. I thank my players because they have worked as hard as they could." Ancelotti said.

The hero from last season's final in Lisbon, Sergio Ramos, was partly to blame for Juventus' goal as he played Paul Pogba onside before Morata rifled home the Frenchman's knockdown.

However, the Spanish international also blamed Madrid's failure to convert their chances as the reason they fell short at the semi-final stage for the fourth time in five years.

"After the first goal we thought it was done." said Sergio Ramos.

"We have to congratulate them. They have gone through because they have done things better,"

"It wasn't just one game but two. Here we didn't score enough goals and weren't efficient in front of goal." Ramos said.

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News Network
February 2,2020

Mount Maunganui, Feb 2: India registered a rare 5-0 whitewash against New Zealand after notching up a seven-run win in the fifth and final T20 International at Bay Oval here on Sunday.

Electing to bat, India posted 163 for three, riding on Rohit Sharma's 60 off 41 balls and a 33-ball 45 from K L Rahul.

The visitors then restricted the hosts to 156 for nine with Jasprit Bumrah claiming three wickets for 12 runs.

Chasing the target, the Black Caps were tottering at 17 for three in 3.2 overs.

Tim Seifert (50) and Ross Taylor (53) then added 99 runs for the fourth wicket as New Zealand recovered to 116.

Seifert clobbered a 30-ball 50 studded with five fours and three sixes, while Ross Taylor hit two sixes and five fours in his 47-ball 53-run innings.

However, once Seifert was dismissed in the 13th over, the hosts suffered a collapse, losing five wickets, including Taylor, for 25 runs to loss the plot in the end.

Brief Score:

India: 163 for 3 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 60; S Kuggeleijn 2/25)    

New Zealand: 156 for 9 in 20 overs (Ross Taylor 53, Tim Seifert 50; Jasprit Bumrah 3/12).

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News Network
June 13,2020

Mumbai, Jun 13: Vasant Raiji, who was India's oldest first-class cricketer at 100, died in Mumbai in the wee hours of Saturday.

Raiji was 100 years old and is survived by his wife and two daughters.

"He (Raiji) passed away at 2.20 am in his sleep at his residence in Walkeshwar in South Mumbai due to old-age," his son-in-law Sudarshan Nanavati told PTI.

Raiji, a right-handed batsman, played nine first-class matches in the 1940s, scoring 277 runs with 68 being his highest score.

He made his debut for a Cricket Club of India team that played Central Provinces and Berar in Nagpur in 1939.

His Mumbai debut happened in 1941 when the team played Western India under the leadership of Vijay Merchant.

Raiji, also a cricket historian and chartered accountant, was 13 when India played its first Test match at the Bombay Gymkhana in South Mumbai.

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and former Australian skipper Steve Waugh had paid a courtesy visit to Raiji at his residence in January when he had turned 100.

It has been learnt that the cremation will take place at the Chandanwadi crematorium in South Mumbai on Saturday afternoon.

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Agencies
February 7,2020

Sydney, Feb 7: "I received a message from Brett Lee," said former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Friday when asked as to who recruited him to take part in the Bushfire relief fundraiser match.

Tendulkar will be coaching the Ponting XI in the upcoming Bushfire Bash on Sunday, February 9 at the Junction Oval.

"I received a message from Brett Lee. Brett said that Kevin (Roberts, Cricket Australia's chief executive) would like to be in touch with you. It was a no-brainer. From the moment I was asked, I said, 'yes I'm more than happy to come here," cricket.com.au quoted Tendulkar as saying.

Bushfire Bash was originally slated to be played at Sydney on Saturday but weather forecast prompted Cricket Australia to reschedule the game to ensure the best possible pitch and outfield conditions for the final of Big Bash League.

The match will be played to raise funds and all match profits will go to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund.

"This is an alarming situation, it's catastrophic - that's an understatement. You see the number of lives it has affected, not only humans but also wildlife which sometimes people don't talk about. That is equally important. I'm so happy I'm here in whatever way to support the cause, to raise money," Tendulkar said.

Ponting XI: Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting (c), Elyse Villani, Brian Lara, Phoebe Litchfield, Brad Haddin (wk), Brett Lee, Wasim Akram, Dan Christian, Luke Hodge. Coach: Sachin Tendulkar

Gilchrist XI: Adam Gilchrist (c & wk), Shane Watson, Brad Hodge, Yuvraj Singh, Alex Blackwell, Andrew Symonds, Courtney Walsh, Nick Riewoldt, Peter Siddle, Fawad Ahmed (one more to be announced). Coach: Tim Paine

The Bushfire Bash exhibition match will be a 10-overs-per-side contest, with a five-over Powerplay, no bowling restrictions, and batters unable to get out from the first ball they face.

Bowlers will not have over limits, fielders can sub on and off as it suits, while captains will have the ability to sub batters in and out during an innings.

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