Tiger Woods Sorry After Arrest, Says Alcohol Not Involved

May 30, 2017

Miami, May 30: Golf superstar Tiger Woods was charged with driving under the influence by police in Florida on Monday, dealing a fresh blow to the former world number one as he struggles to resurrect his career.tiger

The 14-time major champion blamed his arrest on a reaction to a mixture of prescription medication he has been taking, insisting in an apology to fans that alcohol was not involved in the incident.

Woods, 41, was arrested by police near his home in Jupiter, Florida, around 3:00 am (0700 GMT) before his release later Monday after being charged with driving under the influence.

A police mugshot of Woods looking bleary-eyed and unshaven rapidly went viral, underscoring the protracted fall from grace which has befallen the superstar athlete once renowned as a clean-living, corporate pitchman.

"I understand the severity of what I did and I take full responsibility for my actions," Woods said in a statement quoted by US media outlets, which stressed that "alcohol was not involved."

"What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. I didn't realize the mix of medications had affected me so strongly," Woods said.

"I would like to apologize with all my heart to my family, friends and the fans. I expect more from myself too."

The TMZ.com entertainment news website had earlier cited law enforcement sources as saying that Woods was stopped after being spotted "driving erratically, all over the road." The website said the golfer refused to blow into a breathalyzer.

The arrest is the latest gloomy episode to hit Woods, who once towered over his sport before being engulfed by turmoil in his private life and a series of debilitating injuries.

Woods hasn't played competitive golf since pulling out of the Dubai Desert Classic in February after one round because of back pain.

He had spinal fusion surgery on April 20 -- his fourth surgery in three years to treat his troublesome back which has limited him to three tournament starts worldwide in the past two years.

Personal life torment

Woods wrote on his website last week that since his latest procedure he was feeling better than he had in years and remained committed to returning to competitive golf.

"My surgeon and physiotherapist say the operation was successful. It's just a matter of not screwing up and letting it fuse," Woods wrote.

"I'm walking and doing my exercises, and taking my kids to and from school. All I can do is take it day by day. There's no hurry. But, I want to say unequivocally, I want to play professional golf again."

Woods made his comeback in December after missing all of the 2015-16 season.

But his return quickly ran aground as he withdrew from the PGA Tour event in Los Angeles in February, the Honda Classic and the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.

He even cancelled a planned press conference at the Los Angeles tournament saying doctors had advised him to "limit all activities".

He pulled out of the Masters in early April, missing the first major of the year on the 20th anniversary of his epic 1997 victory at Augusta National that marked his first major title and signalled a new era in the game.

Woods, once widely expected to surpass Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major championships, hasn't won a grand slam title since the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines.

Injuries haven't been the only disruptions to his on-course career.

In November of 2009 a car accident outside his Florida home led to revelations of a series of infidelities that wrecked his marriage. He later went to rehabilitation after the accident, reportedly for sex addiction.

Amid the lurid tabloid headlines, Woods took a break from professional golf that lasted until the 2010 Masters.

Woods chances of overhauling Nicklaus's tally of 18 majors look remote. He has not featured in a major since the 2015 PGA Championship, when he missed the cut. He also missed the cut in that year's British and US Opens.

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Agencies
August 1,2020

Colombo, Aug 1: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has expressed his interest in playing the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), scheduled to start from August 28.

Pathan is among 70 foreign players to have shown interest in playing the LPL, ESPNcricinfo reported.

It is believed that Pathan has taken permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take part in the competition. 

BCCI doesn't allow active players to participate in other T20 leagues but Pathan announced his retirement in January this year.

Former swashbuckling all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also played in a foreign league last year. He played for Maratha Arabians in the T10 League in Abu Dhabi.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Pathan will now be put in a player draft unless one of the five franchises choose him to be a marquee player. The details of the draft, and the franchise owners, are yet to be finalised and announced. 

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is also waiting on some government clearances even as it decides on franchise owners. The five franchises will represent Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna.

On Monday, SLC Executive Committee granted approval for the tournament.

"The 23 match League will be played on the four international venues of R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Rangiri Dambulu International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and Suriyawewa Mahinda Rajapakse International Cricket Stadium. Five teams named after the cities of Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna will participate in the League," SLC said in a statement on Monday.

Sri Lanka has controlled the spread of COVID-19 better than many other cricket-playing nations.

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Agencies
February 7,2020

New Delhi, Feb 7: It was on February 7, 1999, that Anil Kumble became just the second bowler in the history of cricket to take all ten wickets in an innings of a Test match.

He achieved the feat against Pakistan at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, now known as Arun Jaitley cricket stadium in Delhi during the second Test of the two-match series.

India had set Pakistan a target of 420 runs in the match and the visitors got off to a steady start as openers Shahid Afridi and Saeed Anwar put on 101 runs for the first wicket.

It was then Kumble who came into the attack and wreaked havoc on the Pakistani batting line-up.

The spinner, also known as 'Jumbo' first dismissed Afridi (41) in the 25th over. After the right-handed batter's dismissal, India kept on taking wickets through Kumble and Pakistan was reduced to 128/6 in no time.

Kumble then kept on taking wickets at regular intervals and he got his tenth scalp in the 61st over after dismissing Wasim Akram.

This effort enabled India to register a win by 212 runs, and Kumble became the second bowler after England's Jim Laker to take all ten wickets in a single Test inning.

Kumble finished with the bowling figures of 10-74 from 26.3 overs.

Kumble announced his retirement from international cricket in 2008 and finished with 619 wickets in the longest format of the game.

He has the third-highest number of wickets in Tests, only behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia's Shane Warne (708).

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News Network
January 18,2020

New Delhi, Jan 18: There was not much rustiness but just the initial nervousness, which a “pleasantly surprised” Sania Mirza shook off to win a title in her first tournament in 27 months, capping off her comeback from a maternity leave in style.

Partnering Ukraine's Nadiia Kichenov, the trailblazing Indian tennis player annexed the Hobart International trophy with a straight sets win over second seed Chinese pair of Shuai Peng and Shuai Zhang.

She worked hard to get into shape but the way she moved, it seemed Sania was never away from the courts.

“It's something I did not expect totally, so to say, but I am excited to be able to do this in my first tournament on comeback," Sania told PTI in an exclusive interview from Melbourne.

“I honestly thought I would be a bit more rustier than I was. I was pleasantly surprised that I was not. But there are things I can improve and that is what makes a champion. You always want to get better in what you are doing, no matter how well you do."

The 33-year-old winner of six Grand Slam titles said she played without pressure, and insisted there was no secret to the swift success on comeback.

“There is no key, I wish I knew, there was one key to winning. I just enjoyed my game. You have to work hard, play your game. I was playing with a new partner, new gear after two-and-a-half years. There was no pressure and no expectations.

"The first match was the only one when I felt a bit nervous because I did not know how my body would react and how I would play. That match was difficult but it set the tone and momentum. I was happy to come though that one and after that things kept getting better and better," she said.

Sania said her body has certainly changed after giving birth to son Izhaan but she did not have to tweak her post-match recovery process much.

“It does change. I was dealing with a calf injury, from last month and I aggravated a bit today. I am still icing it as we speak but it should not be serious.

“The body is a lot different now. It recovers different. But recovery (process) has not changed so much, it's similar."

Asked if she could go for her shots as she was doing before the break, she said, “I was able to do enough, I can improve, no matter how I play."

"My serve was decent but I can improve. I the first match I was not serving that well and was not returning well on important points but by the time I was playing the final, I was doing both of those little better. It is a process, it does not happen overnight. It's something will keep working on."

Serena Williams set an example in 2018 when she came out playing highly competitive tennis after giving birth to her daughter Olympia. There are other tennis moms like Victoria Azrenka and Evgeniya Rodina.

Sania said she did not seek any input from tennis moms but their presence on the Tour is inspiring enough.

“I did not speak to anyone but it is inspiring to see so many moms around, playing well in different sports."

Sania will play the Australian Open mixed doubles with compatriot Rohan Bopnna after her original first-choice Rajeev Ram opted out due to health reasons.

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