World Hockey League Final: After Asia Cup triumph, India eye success at world stage

Agencies
November 30, 2017

Bhubaneswar, Nov 30: An Asian powerhouse for a while now, India will aim to make a mark at the global stage when they host the creme de la creme of international hockey for the third and final edition of the World League Final, starting here on Friday.

India will open their campaign in the elite HWL Final against world champions and title holders Australia in Pool B tomorrow.

Barring a few occasional losses, India have been ruling the roost in the continent, the most recent among the triumphs being the Asia Cup crown in Dhaka earlier this year.

But once a giant of the game with as many eight Olympic gold medals, India would be striving to ensure that they are seen as more than a regional bigwig.

Against world no. 2 Australia, India have had limited success in recent times. India have lost to the Kookaburras in the Champions Trophy, Azlan Shah and Commonwealth Games in the last few years.

And it would be a Herculean task to upstage the mighty Australians in the opening game of the eight-nation tournament featuring all the top teams of the world.

The HWL final, in fact, will be the first real test for India's new chief coach Sjoerd Marijne, who took over just two months ago from the legendary Roelant Oltmans.

Marijne might have tasted success in his first assignment -- the Asia Cup -- but the HWL Final will be a completely different ballgame for him.

The Indian selectors, while sacking Oltmans, made it clear that success at Asia level won't be a benchmark and demanded results at the world stage.

Since taking charge, Marijne hasn't made any major change to the playing style or strategy of the team.

Instead, the only new thing or idea he has brought into the side is letting the players decide the style of hockey they want to play. He has focussed on backroom preparation, a method which has put more responsibility on the shoulders of the players.

Marijne's style of working seems to be delivering at least going by the results of the Asia Cup, a title which India won after 10 years, beating Malaysia 2-1 in the final.

With a series of big events lined up for next year -- the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Cup --, Marijne would be looking at the HWL Final as an opportunity to test the strengths and weaknesses of the side.

This would be the hosts' chance to better their bronze medal finish at the last edition of the tournament in 2015 at Raipur.

The Indians will field a mix of youth and experience to be led by the dynamic Manpreet Singh, who has taken Sardar Singh's place in the midfield.

In Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Dipsan Tirkey, Gurjant Singh and Varun Kumar, India have some bright youngsters who excelled at the big stage in the Junior World Cup last year.

For the experienced duo of Rupinder Pal Singh and Birendra Lakra, the event is an opportunity to return to the national team after being sidelined by injuries for a considerable amount of time.

Amit Rohidas is another player who will be making a comeback, riding on his fantastic outing in the 2017 Hockey India League.

Meanwhile, Australia will also be under a new coach in Colin Batch, who did a splendid job with New Zealand in the last few years.

The Australians, known for their aggressive style, will mean business from the word go and would like to add another feather to their glorious hockey history by defending the title here.

The HWL Final will be Australia's last tournament in 2017, ahead of a big year when the Kookaburras will compete in the Commonwealth Games at home and the World Cup.

As the reigning World, Champions Trophy, Oceania Cup, Hockey World League and Commonwealth Games title champions , few can dispute Australia's dominance in the game.

But after enduring a torrid time at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where a sixth-place finish was their worst since 1960 and the first time that they had failed to win a medal since 1988, Australia would be desperate to reclaim their top spot in international hockey.

India are placed in a tough Pool B which also features England and another European powerhouse Germany, while Pool A comprises Olympic champions Argentina, Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.

Meanwhile, in the other game of the opening day, Germany will face England.

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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
April 8,2020

London, Apr 8: England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has raised more than 65,000 pound (USD 80,000) to help fight the coronavirus by auctioning off his World Cup final shirt.

Buttler's shirt, which he wore when completing the last-ball run-out that saw England beat New Zealand at Lord's last year, was sold to raise money for specialist heart and lung centres provided by the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals in London.

Buttler, who earlier in the showpiece match had hit a fifty and batted in the Super Over, put his long-sleeve keeping jersey up for sale on eBay a week ago.

By the time the auction closed on Tuesday, the shirt had attracted 82 bids with the winner paying 65,100 pound.

Buttler, speaking on Monday, said: "It's a very special shirt but I think it takes on extra meaning with it being able to hopefully go to the emergency cause.

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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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