IPL 7: For the Kings XI, it’s all Maxwell against CSK

May 8, 2014

Cuttack, May 8: KXIP 231-4 in 20 overs: Glenn Maxwell peppered fours and sixes in a stupendous exhibition of stroke-play as his 90 off just 38 balls took Kings XI Punjab to a mammoth total and a fantastic win.

Maxwell_against_CSKThe most prolific scorer this season continued his show of incredible batting prowess as he butchered Chennai's bowlers to submission and almost single-handedly took Punjab to the highest total of the IPL-7 so far.

Except for Mohit Sharma (2/15), all the Chennai bowlers were punished heavily with Ishwar Pandey (0/41), Dwayne Smith (1/36), Ravindra Jadeja (0/37) and R Ashwin (0/38) being at the receiving end as the 25-year-old Australian hit six fours and eight sixes.

He stitched up a partnership worth 135-runs with David Miller (47 off 32 balls) for the third wicket from just 10.4 overs after the duo came together in the sixth over at 38-2.

The duo added a phenomenal 88 runs in the five overs after the halfway mark, scoring 17, 14, 21, 18 and 14 each over with the 100-run partnership between Maxwell and Miller coming up in just 8.4 overs.

KXIP added an incredible 162 runs in the second half of their innings with captain George Bailey chipping in with a cameo — hammering 40 in just 13 balls.

Virender Sehwag (30) began with a bang by hitting the first ball of the innings but his opening partner Mandeep Singh was out for just three off the bowling of Mohit Sharma in the fifth over.

And just when it looked like Sehwag had returned to his explosive best, he got out in the next over off the bowling of Hilfenhaus.

The out-of-favour former India opener dabbed at a good length delivery with an angled blade and Hilfenhaus managed to nip it back enough to take the inside edge, hit the pads and cannon into the stumps.

Maxwell and Miller soon took over and the duo hit a flurry of fours and sixes with Ashwin being the receiving end of their fury. Maxwell smashed Ashwin for three sixes while Miller did the same once as the off-spinner conceded 38 runs from two overs.

CSK 187-6 in 20 overs: Mighty Chennai may have an excellent batting lineup, but chasing down such a mammoth target was a big ask of even them. Dwayne Smith wilted to the pressure sooner than expected — his only contribution a four off the first ball before he was caught at backward point.

With one of their top performers gone so soon, Brendon McCullum and Suresh Raina started scoring at a brisk pace rather than going gung-ho. It worked for a while as they put up a 51-run partnership — but Raina fell in the eighth over as Miller ran in from long-off to take a fine catch. He made 35 off 27 balls with three fours and a six.

Raina was followed by Ravindra Jadeja (17 off eight, 3x4) who was sent in early to start the hitting but he didn't last too long. As Kings XI smelled blood, CSK's batsman looked resigned in the middle. McCullum (33 runs, 29b, 3x4) soon followed Jadeja to the dugout, undone by a fantastic direct-hit on the run from Mitchell Johnson.

Faf du Plessis and Dhoni came on at a time when CSK needed 134 runs from just 48 balls. KXIP were not taking anything for granted and squeezed the run-rate before Du Plessis decided to cut loose.

The South African clobbered five fours and a six in the 17th and 18th over on his way to a 25 ball 52, before scooping straight to short fine-leg. MS Dhoni had enough time to send a six over long-on before edging one to mid-wicket. The match was lost long back and Ashwin and Manhas merely saw off the remaining deliveries.

Turning point: Over number 13 in Kings XI's innings went for 21 runs — 20 off boundaries as Maxwell started his onslaught. From then on, there was no looking back. CSK's bowlers became nervous and Maxwell took full advantage of it.

Man of the match: This one's easy - Glenn Maxwell.

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Agencies
June 23,2020

Belgrade, June 23: Novak Djokovic tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday after taking part in a tennis exhibition series he organized in Serbia and Croatia.

The top-ranked Serb is the fourth player to test positive for the virus after first playing in Belgrade and then again last weekend in Zadar, Croatia.

His wife also tested positive. “The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested. My result is positive, just as Jelena's, while the results of our children are negative," Djokovic said in a statement.

Djokovic has been criticized for organizing the tournament and bringing in players from other countries amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Viktor Troicki said Tuesday that he and his pregnant wife have both been diagnosed with the virus, while Grigor Dimitrov, a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist from Bulgaria, said Sunday he tested positive.

Borna Coric played Dimitrov on Saturday in Zadar and said Monday he has also tested positive. There were no social distancing measures observed at the matches in either country and Djokovic and other players were seen hugging each other and partying in night clubs and restaurants after the matches.

 “Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions,” Djokovic said.

“Our tournament meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region.” Djokovic, who has previously said he was against taking a vaccine for the virus even if it became mandatory to travel, was the face behind the Adria Tour, a series of exhibition events that started in the Serbian capital and then moved to Zadar.

He left Croatia after the final was canceled and was tested in Belgrade. The statement said Djokovic was showing no symptoms.

Despite the positive test, Djokovic defended the exhibition series. “It was all born with a philanthropic idea, to direct all raised funds towards people in need and it warmed my heart to see how everybody strongly responded to this,” Djokovic said.

"We organized the tournament at the moment when the virus has weakened, believing that the conditions for hosting the Tour had been met. “Unfortunately, this virus is still present, and it is a new reality that we are still learning to cope and live with.”

Djokovic said he will remain in self-isolation for 14 days and also apologized to anyone who became infected as a result of the series. Organizers of the Adria Tour said the third stage of the event, scheduled to held next week in Bosnia, has been cancelled.

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Agencies
May 9,2020

Tokyo, May 9: As the world continues to grapple with coronavirus pandemic, the organisers of Tokyo Game Show have cancelled 2020 showpiece event.

TGS 2020 was slated to be played from September 24 to September 27 at the Makuhari Messe convention center. However, there now talks going on for holding an online event instead.

According to the Verge, this is the first time that TGS has ever been cancelled since it started in 1996.

TGS 2020 gained more attention because of its status as the last major trade show before the launch of the upcoming next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

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News Network
May 9,2020

May 9: Filipina weightlifting star Hidilyn Diaz noticed live-streamed concerts were collecting money for coronavirus relief and was struck by inspiration: why not raise funds with an online workout?

Since then the Olympic silver-medallist -- and strong contender for her country's first Games gold -- has made enough money to buy food packs for hundreds of hard-hit families in the Philippines.

Diaz has done it all from Malaysia, where she was training to qualify for the now-postponed Tokyo Olympics when much of the world locked down against the virus in March.

"I thought (distribution) would be impossible because I'm not physically present," Diaz, 29, told news agency.

"It's a good thing that I have trusted friends and trusted family members who understand why we need to do a fundraising."

That circle of supporters has handed out the packages, which include vegetables, eggs and rice, to more than 400 families.

The food was bought with donations from about 50 people who joined sessions that lasted up to three hours, and gave them a rare chance to train with an elite athlete.

Diaz rose to fame in 2016 after snagging a surprise silver in the 53 kilogramme category in Rio, becoming the Philippines' first female Olympic medallist and ending the nation's 20-year medal drought at the Games.

Two years later, she won gold at the Asian Games in Indonesia.

However, her quest to qualify for Tokyo is on hold ahead of the Games' rescheduled opening in July 2021.

"I thought all the hard work would soon be over... then it was extended," she said. "But I'm still thankful I can still continue with (the training) I need to do."

Still, the lockdown broke her daily training regimen, keeping her away from weights for 14 days for the first time in her career.

"I felt like I was losing my mind already. I've been carrying the barbell for 18 years and all of a sudden it's gone. Those were the kinds of anxiety that I felt," she said.

But she got access to some equipment, and with her coach's urging, got back to work. She was relieved to find her strength was still there.

Instead of a Tokyo berth, the past months have been about a different kind of accomplishment for Diaz: helping her countrymen get through the coronavirus crisis.

Rosemelyn Francisco's family in Zamboanga City, Diaz's home town, is one of the first to get help from the athlete's initiative, and is deeply grateful.

Her family was not wealthy to begin with, and the pandemic has cost her husband his construction job.

"The food she donated has all everything we need, including eggs," said Francisco, 27.

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