March 14, 2023 – https://bhartiyanews24x7.com

14Mar

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Harmanpreet’s Mumbai Indians seals a playoffs berth in style

Going ballistic: Harmanpreet hammered seven fours and two sixes in what proved a match-swinging knock. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI Sometimes, some teams find ways to beat even the law of averages. Mumbai Indians is doing that in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League, in front of its adoring fans, who never stopped cheering them on at the top of their voices at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday night. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team stormed to its fifth win in a row, clinching a playoffs berth with three matches still remaining. Mumbai Indians thrashed Gujarat Giants by 55 runs, after posting 162 for eight. Its innings was stifled a bit by what was possibly the finest show of fielding thus far at the WPL, as the Giants women flung themselves to stop the ball a...

14Mar

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Harmanpreet’s Mumbai Indians seals a playoffs berth in style

Going ballistic: Harmanpreet hammered seven fours and two sixes in what proved a match-swinging knock. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI Sometimes, some teams find ways to beat even the law of averages. Mumbai Indians is doing that in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League, in front of its adoring fans, who never stopped cheering them on at the top of their voices at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday night. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team stormed to its fifth win in a row, clinching a playoffs berth with three matches still remaining. Mumbai Indians thrashed Gujarat Giants by 55 runs, after posting 162 for eight. Its innings was stifled a bit by what was possibly the finest show of fielding thus far at the WPL, as the Giants women flung themselves to stop the ball a...

14Mar

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Harmanpreet blitz powers Mumbai into playoffs

The Women’s Premier League is already past the half-way stage and with each match Mumbai Indians are enhancing their reputation as the team to beat. On Tuesday, they completed a double over Gujarat Giants, en route winning their fifth successive match and qualifying for the playoffs. And as has been the case so far in the tournament, Harmanpreet Kaur lost the toss once again, but right now Mumbai are playing their A-game and such is their confidence that conditions and attack don’t seem to matter. This was a game where Gujarat showed signs of taking control of the game. But each time they threatened, Mumbai found a way to get on top. If Harmanpreet did that with the bat scoring a typically blazing 30-ball 51 when Gujarat’s attack was chipping away with wickets, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley...

14Mar

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World Test Championship final — no room for experimentation

There is little room for experimentation in a one-off WTC final, with a combination of talent, experience and form being the only criterion to go by. | Photo Credit: AP After the _ (fill in the appropriate word depending on your political and sporting proclivities: weird, bizarre, inspiring, stunning, embarrassing, hubristic, painful, moving, rousing, crazy…) start to the Ahmedabad Test, it was surprising that Virat Kohli won the player-of-the-match award. The real impact players were paraded around in what looked like an oversized shoe to chants that weren’t ‘Kohli, Kohli’ as they usually are in an Indian stadium. It is unlikely that the tacky tableau will be repeated when India take on Australia next, in the final of the World Test Championship at the Oval in London. But that will no...

14Mar

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The World Test Championship final – no room for experimentation

After the _ (fill in the appropriate word depending on your political and sporting proclivities: weird, bizarre, inspiring, stunning, embarrassing, hubristic, painful, moving, rousing, crazy…) start to the Ahmedabad Test, it was surprising that Virat Kohli won the player-of-the-match award. The real impact players were paraded around in what looked like an oversized shoe to chants that weren’t ‘Kohli, Kohli’ as they usually are in an Indian stadium. It is unlikely that the tacky tableau will be repeated when India take on Australia next, in the final of the World Test Championship at the Oval in London. But that will not be the only change. India will be deprived of the edge they had at home, and in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, their pace attack will be considerably weakened. They wil...

14Mar

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AFC competitions 2023-24 slots for India announced, country offered three slots

The Qualifiers for the AFC competitions 2023-24 for the Indian clubs will be played between April 4 to May 3, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Tuesday after the continental body offered the country three slots. The Asian Football Confederation has allocated three slots to India — one in the Champions League group stage, one in the AFC Cup group stage, and one slot in the AFC Cup Qualifiers. The winners of the Indian Super League Shield 2021-22 (Jamshedpur FC) and winners of the same in the 2022-23 season (Mumbai City FC) will fight it out in a one-off match on April 4. The match will be played between the matches of the Super Cup and the winners of the game will get a direct slot in the AFC Champions League 2023-24 group stage. AFC Competitions 2023-24 Slots for India a...

14Mar

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FIFA expands 2026 World Cup again to create 104-game program

The expanded World Cup in North America got even more supersized on Tuesday. The governing body of soccer increased the size of the 2026 tournament for the second time — six years after the first — by approving a bigger group stage for the inaugural 48-team event. By retaining groups of four teams instead of moving to three, FIFA has created a 104-game schedule that will last nearly six weeks in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The final is scheduled for July 19. The 16 host cities — 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada — now have 24 extra games to stage on top of the 80 they already had for the inaugural 48-team tournament. Adding about 1.5 million more tickets will also further fuel FIFA’s expected record revenue of at least $11 billion through 2026 from a t...

14Mar

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Timely switch revives Sierra Leone boxer Sara Haghighat-Joo’s career

Sara Haghighat-Joo was once a promising boxer coming up the ranks in Canadian boxing. Yet, in 2021, a chance conversation with her grandmother would change her career’s trajectory entirely. After struggling to get through the system in her home country, where the national federation has been caught up in politics, and accusations of a toxic culture and harassment, her attempts to continue boxing by securing an Irish passport through her husband were faltering. It was then when her grandmother would mention a generations-old heritage to Sierra Leone, that she shifted from representing North America to Africa to further her boxing dream. Now boxing under Sierra Leone’s flag and federation, propped up by IBA’s financial aid to nations that are not funded through their national federation, ...

14Mar

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David Saker re-appointed as England fast bowling coach for Ashes series

England bowling coach David Saker. File. | Photo Credit: Getty Images David Saker has been re-appointed as England's fast bowling coach for the upcoming edition of the Ashes series against Australia, which will start in this summer from June 16 onwards. Saker was in this role during England's Ashes win away from home in 2010/11 season but was with the opponents in 2017/18 season in which Australia clinched a 4-0 win at home. Saker was approached by Test skipper Ben Stokes last year while part of coaching staff during ICC T20 World Cup winning campaign under head coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler. The 56-year-old believes that England's seamers will have an edge over Australia in the series. "I said 'yes' straight away because of the magnitude of the occasion. Once Stokesy push...

14Mar

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Warner to play ODI series against India, remains in Australia’s plans for WTC final: McDonald

David Warner of Australia. File. | Photo Credit: Getty Images Australia opener David Warner will compete in the upcoming ODI series against India, having recovered from his elbow injury, coach Andrew McDonald confirmed on Tuesday. Warner struggled in the two Tests he played against India, scoring 26 runs from his three innings before being substituted out of the second match in Delhi due to concussion. He then returned home to recover from a hairline fracture in his elbow. "He (Warner) is coming back (to India) for the one day series, he's recovered from his injury," Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said here. McDonald said Warner is even in the frame for the World Test Championship final against Rohit Sharma's men in London in June. "At the moment Dave's fully in our plans for the...

14Mar

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I let complications grow on me, not scoring big was eating me up: Kohli

Virat Kohli celebrates his century during 4th and final Test match between India and Australia at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 12, 2023. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI India's star batter Virat Kohli has admitted that not being able to make any substantial contribution to team India's cause for a long time was "eating him up" and he let the expectations overwhelm him a bit because he was desperate to score a big Test hundred. Kohli hit a splendid 186 against Australia in the drawn fourth Test, ending a three-year wait to get his 28th Test century. In a conversation with head coach Rahul Dravid, the 34-year old Kohli revealed that the weight of expectations became a bit tough to handle for him."Honestly, I've let the complications grow on me a bit because of my shortcomings...

14Mar

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South Africa, West Indies start new one-day era

South Africa and West Indies start a three-match one-day international series at Buffalo Park in East London on March 16. Image for representational purpose only. | Photo Credit: Reuters South Africa have a new coach and the West Indies a new captain as they start a three-match one-day international series at Buffalo Park in East London on March 16.Proteas coach Rob Walter and West Indian captain Shai Hope will both be seeking a winning formula at the beginning of a crucial period for both teams in the lead-up to the Cricket World Cup in India in October and November.Neither South Africa nor West Indies are guaranteed a place in cricket's showpiece event as they languish in eighth and nine places on the International Cricket Council's World Cup Super League.The top eight teams qualify...

14Mar

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World Cup 2026 to feature 12 groups of four teams: FIFA | Football News – Times of India

KIGALI: The expanded 2026 men's World Cup in North America will start with 12 groups of four teams, a change from the original planned format of 16 groups of three, football's world governing body FIFA announced on Tuesday."The revised format mitigates the risk of collusion and ensures that all the teams play a minimum of three matches, while providing balanced rest time between competing teams," FIFA said of the format for the first World Cup to feature 48 teams, up from 32 sides at the recent tournament in Qatar.It means that there will be 104 matches played, a huge increase on the 64 games at last year's tournament.FIFA's original plan for 2026, when the World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, was for 16 groups of three teams, from which the top two would adva...

14Mar

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Cristiano Ronaldo cuts a furious figure in Kings Cup: Vents ire on referee, unhappy after being substituted

Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score for the third time in a row even as Al-Nassr beat Abha to qualify for the semi-finals of the King Cup of Champions. Al Nassr beat Abha by a margin of 3-1, and it was a deserved result for the hosts, who dominated proceedings right from the word go. It took them only 10 seconds to score, and two more goals in the 20th minute and 49th minute propelled them to victory. However, their skipper had an outing to forget as he produced occasional moments of brilliance in an otherwise disappointing performance. Several times Ronaldo cut a sorry figure and often quarreled with the referee. Toward the end of the first half, he kicked the ball in frustration when the official blew for half-time. 𝗙𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗼 𝗥𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗱𝗼😤 Al-Nassr in vantaggio per 2-0, ma CR7 è una f...

14Mar

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Bangladesh series loss ‘hurts’, says England coach Mott | Cricket News – Times of India

DHAKA: England white ball coach Matthew Mott said on Tuesday that his side's defeat in the third T20 against Bangladesh to lose the series 3-0 was painful and an "eye-opener" ahead of the 50-over World Cup."We really wanted to finish well here. It's been a fantastic tour in terms of what we've been up against, a very strong home team. I thought we were on today," Mott said in Dhaka."The lead-in was good, everyone was up and about. But for whatever reason, we just couldn't get clean hands with the ball, either in the air or on the ground," he said."That one hurts today," he said. "Obviously we've come over here to do well.Defeat in Mirpur.#EnglandCricket | #BANGvENG https://t.co/z5HN7kzzVu— England Cricket (@englandcricket) 1678796942000"To finish the way we did today will leave a bit of...

14Mar

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Capsey — a Capital investment for Delhi

Up, up and up... Alice Capsey has proved with excellent performances that Delhi Capitals had made no mistake in betting on her. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI On the day of the Women’s Premier League auction in Mumbai, Alice Capsey, like a few others, had a T20 World Cup match to play in South Africa. She was bought by Delhi Capitals for ₹75 lakh, against her base price of ₹30 lakh. She celebrated it by smashing a 22-ball 51 to power England to a six-wicket win against Ireland. The Capitals management must have been pleased with that effort.Capsey has made them happier since the WPL got underway. On Monday night, her 38 off 24 balls helped Capitals overcome the loss of in-form openers Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma and put the chase against Royal Challengers Bangalore on the right track...

14Mar

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Ricky Ponting reveals how Axar Patel developed into an effective batsman for India | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League has not only helped international cricketers develop strong bonds, the exchange of knowledge amongst the international players, mentors and coaches have been of immense help.Gone are the days when India and Australia cricketers used to stare, glare and sledge at each other. The just concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy series was one of the friendliest ever held and there were smiles and hugs all around.One classic example of the IPL helping a cricketer develop into a better batsman is Axar Patel.Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting on Tuesday revealed how "little technical changes" made while playing for Delhi Capitals helped Axar develop into an effective batter for India.Ponting is hoping to "get a bit more out of him" when he turns up for Delhi Ca...

14Mar

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How New Zealand won a thriller of a contest against Sri Lanka | Latest Videos – Times of India VideosTweets by TimesLitFestDelTweets by timeslitfestkol ►

Mar 14, 2023, 19:38 ISTSource: TOI.inNew Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 2 wickets to clinch a cliff-hanger of a win off the last ball of the match. Kane Williamson and Neil Wagner ran a bye off the last ball to seal victory for New Zealand. New Zealand now lead the 2 Test series vs Sri Lanka 1-0. Wagner came out to bat despite nursing two injuries - a hamstring injury and a 'bulging' disc in his back. Wagner dived to complete the bye off the last ball, despite his injuries to ensure victory for the Kiwis. Wagner is being hailed as a true cricketing hero on social media.Read More Source link

14Mar

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Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez auctions World Cup gloves to raise funds for cancer patients

In a heartwarming gesture, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez auctioned the gloves that he wore during the FIFA World Cup final against France to raise funds for a children’s cancer hospital. “When they gave me the option to donate the World Cup gloves, I didn’t hesitate, it’s a good cause for the boys,” said the goalkeeper. The auction was held online on Friday and Martinez participated in the online auction to sell “Dibu” via video-link from his home in England, where he plays for Aston Villa. “The World Cup finals are not played every day, (the gloves) are special. But it helps a child much more than me having them hanging in a frame in my house,” said Martinez during the event. Announcing the gesture the Argentine Pediatric Foundation took to Instagram and wrote “$45,000 for the...

14Mar

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Bangladesh beat world champion England in T20 series; win by 16 runs

Bangladesh’s Tanvir Islam celebrate with the trophy and teammates after winning against England in the T20 series on March 14, 2023. | Photo Credit: Reuters Bangladesh whitewashed world champion England in their Twenty20 series by winning the third game by 16 runs on March 14.Opener Liton Das hit a career-best 73 and Najmul Hossain Shanto 47 not out for Bangladesh to put up 158-2 on a slow Mirpur pitch.Dawid Malan and skipper Jos Buttler had England on track to avoid being swept until their dismissals in consecutive deliveries. England slumped to 142-6.Bangladesh earned its first T20 sweep of major opposition, while England was swept for only the third time after Australia in 2014 and South Africa in 2016.Left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam, on debut, struck with his third ball when he remov...