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Kyle Jarvis, Timycen Maruma star as Zimbabwe wrap up 4-0 whitewash
Published in
Cricket
Tuesday, 16 April 2019 11:18
Zimbabwe 129 for 7 (Maruma 35, Chakabva 28, Naveed 2-26, Mustafa 2-29) beat UAE 175 (Suri 46, Rizwan 45, Williams 2-27, Jarvis 2-28, Mpofu 2-39) by three wickets (DLS method)
An all-round team performance ensured Zimbabwe clinched a three-wicket win via the DLS Method to close out a 4-0 series whitewash.
Choosing to bat first, UAE were well placed at 91 for 2 in the 25th over with Chirag Suri on 46, but the former Gujarat Lions squad member fell leg before to Sikandar Raza for 46 and the rest of the UAE line-up struggled to capitalise on the platform he had built.
Kyle Jarvis had been productive with the new ball through the first three matches and on this occasion he chipped in with a crucial double-strike in the 37th over. Ex-captain and opening batsman Rohan Mustafa was bumped down the order to make room for Suri and help insulate a weak tail. While Suri benefited from the move, Mustafa's form drought in Zimbabwe continued when Jarvis nabbed him for just 1, ending his series with 20 runs in four innings. Jarvis struck next ball to claim Imran Haider edging behind for a golden duck to make it 139 for 7.
CP Rizwan had been at the other end with Suri during a 38-run third-wicket stand, but could not find a reliable partner while trying to stretch out the innings. He made 45 at No. 4 before he was last man out in the 48th over, run out by Raza who denied him a second run with a direct hit from the third man boundary as UAE ended on 175.
Zimbabwe were cruising at 37 for 0 in the seventh over of the chase when rain interrupted play for two hours, resulting in a revised target of 128 off 30 overs. Captain Mohammad Naveed dismissed both openers in his first two overs after play resumed, including Regis Chakabva for 28 to make it 49 for 2.
Another flurry of three wickets in four balls fell across the 17th and 18th overs as Zahoor Khan had Craig Ervine edging behind before Mustafa bowled Sean Williams and Peter Moor to give Zimbabwe a brief scare at 79 for 5. It could have been 80 for 6 had Naveed held onto a chance in the 19th off Zahoor when Timycen Maruma was on 0, but the captain grassed the chance running back from mid-off. Maruma compounded the error clubbing two fours and a six off Mustafa in the 20th, bringing the equation down to a very manageable 31 off 62 balls.
Maruma hit another four and six off Haider's legspin in the 21st before Shaiman Anwar claimed him with his part-time spin in the 23rd for a top score of 35 off 22 balls. Zimbabwe needed just 10 off the last seven overs, and despite a runout to start the 25th, which resulted in Ryan Burn walking off for 1, Jarvis and Raza struck a pair of boundaries off Shaiman to clinch victory with 31 balls to spare.
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Barnes: If UCLA paid buyout, would have left
Published in
Breaking News
Tuesday, 16 April 2019 12:07
Last week, UCLA hired Mick Cronin after whiffing on Tennessee's Rick Barnes.
But what if UCLA had promised to pay Barnes' $5 million buyout?
"I think I would've been the coach at UCLA," Barnes told reporters in Knoxville on Tuesday. "I've said that to people before. I really felt at that time that's what would happen."
In one of the most transparent and honest news conferences ever held by a coach who'd just rejected an enticing offer from another school, Barnes admitted he tussled with his final decision to stay in Knoxville, largely due to financial matters.
As part of his return, Barnes has agreed to a new deal with Tennessee that will pay him $4 million per year before increasing to a $6 million annual sum by the end of the contract, sources told ESPN's Chris Low last week.
Barnes signed a deal last year that was set to pay him $3.25 million per year with annual $100,000 increases. His new deal will also provide more cash for his assistants, including former Colorado assistant Kim English, who replaces Rob Lanier on Tennessee's staff.
Lanier, UT's former associate head coach, recently agreed to a deal to be Georgia State's head coach.
"I'm supposed to be at Tennessee," Barnes said. "And it's really above and beyond the basketball program. I'm in love with this community. I'm in love with this state. I just think we got a lot of great things going on in this town."
But the multimillion-dollar buyout in his contract seemed to be the main issue that stopped Barnes from taking his talents to Los Angeles.
"A lot of praying went into it, I can tell you that," Barnes said. "There was a lot going on. When you get down to a situation like that, it has to make sense from a financial standpoint. Bottom line is we couldn't work it out with the buyout."
Barnes led Tennessee, which secured a No. 1 ranking during the 2018-19 season, to the Sweet 16, where the Vols lost to Purdue in overtime in one of the greatest games in NCAA tournament history.
On Tuesday, the 64-year-old head coach said talks with UCLA moved swiftly last week. But he told the school he would not leave Knoxville without talking to athletic director Phillip Fulmer and others in the community.
"I told them point blank, 'I'm not going to walk out of here and not meet with my team,'" Barnes said. "'I'm not going to walk out of here and not meet with people here that have been really good to me.' ... I said, 'You just can't say send a plane tomorrow and we're leaving. I'm going to make sure this is done the right way.'"
Barnes said lost weight as he pondered his options. He also said he believed the breakdown of the buyout talks was a sign from God.
"There was one time in my mind I truly felt that's what would happen," Barnes said about potentially taking the UCLA offer. "It got to that point where I felt like my prayers had been answered."
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NEW YORK -- The Boston Red Sox recalled catcher Sandy Leon and designated catcher Blake Swihart for assignment, making Swihart the first roster casualty amid the team's early-season struggles.
Leon, who spent the first few weeks of the 2019 season in Triple-A, will start when the Red Sox take on the rival Yankees in New York on Tuesday, with Chris Sale on the mound.
The Red Sox are off to a 6-11 start, tied for last place in the American League East, and their starters have the worst ERA in baseball at 7.18.
Leon spent much of 2018 as Sale's personal catcher, and much of the Red Sox pitching staff speaks glowingly of his ability to call a game. In 2018, he led the majors with a 3.29 catcher's ERA in 89 games.
Christian Vazquez has been the team's primary starting catcher.
Swihart, once the top prospect in the Red Sox farm system and a 2011 first-round pick, has struggled with injuries since making his major league debut in 2015.
Drafted as a catcher, Swihart first hit the injured list in 2016 after spraining his left ankle during a collision with the Fenway Park left field wall while playing outfield. Swihart also spent significant time in 2018 on the IL, nursing a strained hamstring.
Swihart spent the first two months of the 2018 season as the 25th man on the Red Sox, without minor league options.
In an effort to create more playing time, Swihart added the infield and outfield to his defensive arsenal but received 30 at-bats in the first 50 games of the season. The 27-year-old finished the year hitting .229/.285/.328 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 82 games.
In 203 games with the Red Sox, Swihart has hit .255/.314/.365 with nine homers and 58 RBIs, accumulating 0.3 WAR.
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Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins has a torn left quad, a source told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears on Tuesday.
Doctors are still determining the severity of Cousins' quad tear, which will determine the length of the recovery process, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. It is unclear whether he will need surgery or how long he could be out. An MRI confirmed the team's fear of a tear on Tuesday morning.
Cousins' noncontact injury occurred while he was pursuing a loose ball with 8:30 remaining in the first quarter of Monday's 135-131 loss to the LA Clippers in Game 2 of their playoff series. League sources told ESPN on Monday night that there was evidence that the injury was considered season-ending.
Cousins knocked away a pass from Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari. As he tried to chase down the ball, he fell to the floor before he could control the ball.
He tried to get up and keep going, but once he rose to his feet, he immediately called to be taken out of the game. He then gingerly made his way back to the Warriors' locker room with team medical personnel.
Cousins missed almost a full year of play with a torn left Achilles suffered last season in New Orleans. He signed a one-year deal with the Warriors, expecting that a healthy return to play would catapult him back into the free-agent market this summer.
Game 3 of the series, which is tied 1-1, is Thursday night in Los Angeles.
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Monte Carlo Masters: Cameron Norrie beats Adrian Mannarino in first round
Published in
Tennis
Tuesday, 16 April 2019 04:32
British number two Cameron Norrie reached the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters by beating France's Adrian Mannarino 6-4 6-3.
The 23-year-old broke early in both sets to win in one hour 19 minutes.
World number 56 Norrie next faces Hungary's Marton Fucsovics, who beat 12th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Eleven-time champion Rafael Nadal, who had a first-round bye, begins his title defence against fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut on Wednesday.
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The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is deeply saddened by the news that Qatari table tennis player, Abd Al-Rahman Al-Najjar, passed away on Monday 15th April 2019 after 10 days in intensive care following a car accident in Doha.
The Qatar U21 player, who represented Al Sadd Club, became the highest ranked player in his country and had an extremely bright future ahead of him.
A very polite and well-mannered man according to his peers and colleagues at the Qatar Table Tennis Association, Abd Al-Rahman Al-Najjar was in his second year of a Sport Management degree at Qatar University.
This was a young man looking to build a successful career in sport and someone very well respected by everyone who came into contact with him, both as a player and as a person.
He was registered to play at the upcoming Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Budapest between 21-28 April.
Shocked and saddened by his tragic passing, the whole ITTF family will honour his memory in Budapest and beyond.
The ITTF sends its deepest condolences to the family of Abd Al-Rahman Al-Najjar, to the whole Qatar Table Tennis Association and to Khalil Al-Mohannadi, President of the Qatar and Arab Table Tennis Federations and Deputy ITTF President.
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This information gives key tips for those considering purchasing Olympic tickets.
The action-packed programme will feature a record 33 sports and 339 events and will run from 24 July until 9 August 2020.
Table Tennis will be played for the majority of the overall duration of Tokyo 2020, with matches played every day between 25 July and 7 August, except for a one-day break on 1 August.
All Table Tennis matches will be played at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium venue.
Here follows more detailed information on the key times and dates (please note that all times stated are JST):
The Men’s and Women’s Singles preliminary rounds, as well as the Mixed Doubles round of 16, get under way at 09:00 JST on 25 July 2020. The main draw of the Singles competitions kicks off on the same day at 14.15.
27 July marks the first opportunity to lift silverware, as the Mixed Doubles Bronze and Gold Medal Matches take place from 20:00, followed by the Victory Ceremony.
Bronze and Gold Medal Matches for the Women’s Singles will take place at 20:00 on 30 July, while the equivalent showpiece encounters in the Men’s Singles competition will be held at the same time on 31 July.
Leading up to that, the Women’s and Men’s Single semi-finals will take place at 11:00 and 15:00 respectively on 30 July.
After a one-day break from all Table Tennis action on 1 August, the Team competition – where players compete for national glory – gets under way at 10:00 on 2 August for the round of 16 matches, with quarter-finals starting on 3 August.
Semi-finals will run from 19:30 on 4 August (Women’s Team) until the same time on 5 August (Men’s Team), while all Team Medal Matches take place between 6-7 August.
6 August sees the Women’s Team Medal Matches at 11:00 (Bronze) and 19:30 (Gold), while the same times apply for the Men’s Team Medal Matches on 7 August.
China will be defending their Gold Medal for both Men’s and Women’s Team events, while Chinese duo Ma Long and Ding Ning are the current Olympic Champions in the Men’s and Women’s Singles competitions respectively.
Click here for the full event schedule.
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Defying the odds to win Women’s Team gold at the 2017 European Championships, Romania has grown into a leading nation at continental level and the country’s representatives will prove tough to beat at the 2019 World Championships.
Europe’s highest ranked player in the Women’s World Rankings, Bernadette Szocs has injected a new sense of excitement into the European game over the past year or so following her outstanding gold medal finish at the 2018 Europe Top 16 Cup competition. Fast on her feet and possessing a warrior-like persona on the table, Szocs occupies the no.14 spot in the seeding list.
Seeded three positions lower is 2015 European singles champion and three-time Olympian Elizabeta Samara. Celebrating her 30th birthday on Monday 15th April, Samara has enjoyed many a great battle against some of the biggest names associated with the sport and will provide a stern test to whomever she draws in Budapest.
Three further Romanians will compete in the Women’s Singles draw: Daniela Monteiro Dodean, Irina Ciobanu and Adina Diaconu.
When you cast your eye back over the history of the World Championships there is one name that stands out above the rest for Romania and that is Angelica Rozeanu’s.
Crowned Women’s Singles champion the last time the World Championships were staged in Budapest in 1950, Angelica Rozeanu won the gold medal on six consecutive occasions and rightfully took her place in the ITTF Hall of Fame in 1995.
With the World Championships returning to the Hungarian capital for the first time in 69 years, will we see another Romanian rise to the challenge?
Watch Romania’s star players in action at the Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships by purchasing your tickets below:
Tickets
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Sunday 21 April marks the start of the Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships, when the sport’s biggest names battle it out for the most prestigious international titles of the calendar year.
Just days before the first matches get under way at 10.00 GMT+2 from the Hungexpo Budapest Fair Center, ITTF CEO Steve Dainton looks ahead to what is all set to be a true celebration of the sport.
What is it that excites you most about the upcoming World Championships?
“When you have all the best players from around the world competing against each other, you can be sure that there will be many epic matches in store. Given the sheer number of participants, there are always likely to be shock results too, and I can’t wait to watch as the drama unfolds.
“Of course, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are not too far away now either, and, as this is the biggest eventprior, it will also be interesting to see which players make a big impression in Budapest and prove themselves as top candidates for medalsnext year.
“What I can say with absolute certainty is that the local organising committee, the Hungarian Table Tennis Association, have put in a huge amount of effort with the full support of the country. Therefore, we are sure that this will be a truly unforgettable event.”
What can we expect to see from the series of key meetings held in Budapest around the World Championships?
“Arguably the biggest news to emerge from next week’s meetings will be confirmation of the successful bids to stage the 2021 and 2022 World Table Tennis Championships. It is fantastic that – with Morocco and United States as the candidates for 2021 – we shall be entering a new market to help make the sport more global than ever before. Meanwhile, in 2022 we have three more excellent bids – from China, Japan and Portugal – providing the greatest level of bidding competition that we have witnessed in recent history. This cannot be understated at all, as it represents an historical positive momentum shift in our sport, which proves that the recent changes are having a positive impact.”
Equipment colours and changing the visual outlook of our sport
“There is an eye-catching proposition being put forward by the Equipment Committee. The idea is that players will be able to use different coloured rubbers, and not merely black and red as the current rules stipulate. If approved, this will bring about a very significant change in the visual outlook of our sport. Can you imagine playing with bright green or even pink rubber?”
Technical rule changes
“There has been a number of technical rule changes put forward in the past and last year there was a proposal to change the regulations in relation toboosting – the act of players reinforcing the rubbers on their blades – which was subsequentlywithdrawn last year to give more time to study carefully the situation.
“This year, however, the Equipment Committee is planning to dismantle random rackets at future major events (eventsto be decided by the Executive Committee) to gather more information and ascertain how serious the situation is. The ITTF will then take matters from there. However, before Tokyo 2020, it is important for the ITTF to take the matter very seriously to ensure the integrity of the game.”
Revolutionising the World Championships
“Most importantly, in Budapest, I am looking forward to healthy, engaging discussions about the format and make-up of the expanded World Table Tennis Championships from 2021 onwards.
“Naturally, when you make significant changes of this kind, not everyone is in agreement, but we are convinced that this is in the best interests of table tennis. It is undoubtedly one of the biggest moments that our sport has seen, so it is very exciting to be working on this and it will be very interesting to see what strategic direction the Board of Directors takes in terms of format, system and make-up of the future World Championships.”
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The Wadi Degla Club hosted the 2016 Mens World Championships
Wadi Degla Club to host $320,000 season finale
By SEAN REUTHE
The star-studded PSA World Tour Finals will be held in Egypt for the first time after an agreement was reached between the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and title sponsors CIB to bring the world’s leading squash players to the Wadi Degla Club in Cairo between June 8-13 for the 2018-19 edition of the season-ending tournament.
Featuring the world’s top eight male and female players, the CIB PSA World Tour Finals will act as the season finale to the 2018-19 PSA World Tour campaign. The event has been successfully staged in Dubai over the past three seasons at venues such as the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Opera and Emirates Golf Club.
The CIB PSA World Tour Finals will be the third major professional squash tournament to be held at the Wadi Degla Club after it hosted the 2016 PSA Men’s World Championships and the 2014 PSA Women’s World Championships.
“The PSA World Tour Finals always provides a fitting climax to the PSA World Tour season and we are excited to be staging this season’s tournament in Cairo,” said PSA Chairman and A. A. Turki Group of Companies (ATCO) Chairman Ziad Al-Turki.
“With a number of the sport’s highest-ranking players hailing from Egypt, squash already has significant presence and popularity in the country, and we hope to build on that by holding the World Tour Finals there.
“I would like to thank both the Wadi Degla Club and CIB for their support in staging this event, and I look forward to watching the action unfold in June.”
CIB Chief Executive and Board Member, Hussein Abaza, said: “We are delighted to sponsor the PSA World Tour Finals and remain committed to supporting world-class squash in Egypt. We have been involved in a number of major tournaments in the region already this season, while we will also serve as title sponsor for the PSA Women’s World Championships, which will bring the world’s best back to the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the most iconic venues in sporting history.
“Our sponsorship of the PSA World Tour Finals will see us build on a successful partnership with PSA, and I for one cannot wait to see some of the greatest athletes in world sport take to the court in Cairo in June.”
Wadi Degla Squash Director, Karim Darwish, said: “We are excited to be bringing the PSA World Tour finals to Egypt for the first time in the tournament’s history, and I believe that the Wadi Degla Club will provide the perfect venue for squash’s season finale.
“The Wadi Degla Club is no stranger to hosting the world’s biggest squash tournaments and I look forward to welcoming players to Cairo on June 8th for what promises to be a thrilling week. I would also like to thank CIB for their support and look forward to working with both them and PSA in the coming months.”
The six-day event will bring together the greatest squash talents on the PSA World Tour, with a total prize purse of $320,000 split equally between the men’s and women’s events thanks to the generosity of sponsors CIB, ATCO, and also the Wadi Degla Club.
Players will be split into two groups of four and will play round-robin best-of-three matches in the group stages, with the top two from each group progressing to the knockout semi-finals and beyond.
Nour El Sherbini and Mohamed ElShorbagy are the reigning PSA World Tour champions
To qualify for the CIB PSA World Tour Finals, players must finish in the top eight of the PSA World Tour Finals Leaderboard, with points on offer at all PSA World Tour events during the 2018-19 season.
Winning a PSA Platinum tournament also guarantees qualification for the World Tour Finals. World No.1 Ali Farag tops the men’s leaderboard and has already qualified after winning the PSA World Championships, J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions and the Qatar Classic this season. He sits ahead of compatriot Mohamed ElShorbagy, whose wins at the U.S. Open and Hong Kong Open have seen him also qualify.
Karim Abdel Gawad is the other player to have already earned his place in Cairo after triumphing in December’s Black Ball Open. The other players in the top eight of the men’s leaderboard are Egypt’s Tarek Momen, Germany’s Simon Rösner, New Zealand’s Paul Coll, Peru’s Diego Elias and Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar.
India’s Saurav Ghosal and Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez also remain in contention for a place in the top eight, with just four men’s PSA World Tour events left this season.
World No.1 Raneem El Welily heads up the women’s leaderboard and has qualified for Cairo courtesy of her title win in October’s U.S. Open. She is followed by World No.2 Nour El Sherbini, who won both the PSA World Championship and the Tournament of Champions.
New Zealand’s Joelle King is the other automatic qualifier after lifting her maiden Platinum title at the Hong Kong Open in November.
Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb, France’s Camille Serme, England’s Sarah-Jane Perry, Wales’ Tesni Evans and Egypt’s Nouran Gohar make up the rest of the top eight.
English duo Alison Waters and Laura Massaro, and Unites States No.1 Amanda Sobhy sit just outside the top eight and face a race against time to earn a qualifying berth with three women’s PSA World Tour events left.
Two more Platinum tournaments remain this season, with the El Gouna International and Allam British Open still to come in April and May.
The men’s XII Torneo Internacional PSA Sporta, Bronze tournament, which is held in Guatemala between May 29 and June 2, will be the last ranking PSA World Tour event of the season.
Tickets for the season-ending CIB PSA World Tour Finals will go on sale soon.
The full CIB PSA World Tour Finals Leaderboard
Pictures courtesy of PSA
Posted on April 16, 2019
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