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England women beat Pak, in semis AsianVoiceNews
With an unbeaten 77, Charlotte Edwards helped England progress to the semifinals of the women's World T20. England set a target of 149 for Pakistan. With the West Indies defeating India by three runs earlier in the day, Sana Mir's girls needed to win the match in 18.1 overs to make the last-four stage. In the end, though, Pakistan batswomen crumbled under pressure and lost the match by 68 runs. England, who finished on eight points after winning all their matches, will take on Australia in the first semifinal at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Wednesday. With four points, Pak finished third behind West Indies (six points). Brief scores: England Women 148-5 (Charlotte Edwards 77 not out, Tammy Beaumont 37; Nida Dar 3-21) beat Pakistan Women 80 all out in 17.5
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overs (Nida Dar 16; Laura Marsh 3-12). Indian women crash out : The Indian women's team blew away a position of strength, losing to West Indies by three runs in their last league match. The defeat also meant the Indian women crashed out of the tournament and their West Indian counterparts progressed to the semifinals. Allrounder Deandra Dottin starred for the Windies with both bat and ball. She scored a quickfire 45 (off 40b; 5x4) and followed it up with a match-
winning spell, picking up 316. The match seemed to go India's way when Jhulan Goswami (25 off 19b) and Anuja Patil (26 off 27b) were going great guns. India, at one point, needed 22 runs off 15 balls and had six wickets in the hut. But Patil was given leg-before off Shaquana Quintyne's bowling, though replays showed the impact was outside the off-stump. Jhulan was unfortunately run out the very next over after a mix-up with Shikha Pandey. India
required 10 runs off the final over, which was bowled by Dottin. She gave away just six runs and also picked up the wickets of Ekta Bisht and Sushma Verma. India simply lacked a power-hitter in those end overs to see them home. The start wasn't ideal either. Skipper Mithali Raj was caught behind off the first ball of the Indian innings. Veda Krishnamurthy (18 off 16b) struck a few blows, but Dottin had her caught at mid-wicket. Middle-order mainstay Harmanpreet Kaur's dismissal had India tottering at 393. She played an uncharacteristic innings and could score just 7 off 20 balls. West Indies could put up a competitive total of 1145 mainly due to a 77-run partnership between captain Stafanie Taylor (47 off 45b) and Dottin. The rest couldn't even reach the dou-
Sreejesh, Deepika get top accolades India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and women's captain Deepika won the Dhruv Batra Player of the Year award for men and women at the Hockey India awards ceremony. The gala event in Bengaluru carried a total prize money in excess of £200,000. Goalkeeper Sreejesh was the star of the show. The Kerala lad set the stage on fire with some spectacular dance moves to some Bollywood numbers. Sreejesh, who was given a cheque of Rs 2500,000, said, “I dedicate this award to all my coaches, family
Sammy to join Afridi at Hampshire
West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy is to join Hampshire for English domestic cricket's Twenty20 Blast competition, the southern county announced. Sammy is currently leading the West Indies in the ongoing World Twenty20 tournament in India and will be available for Hampshire duty until his Caribbean Premier League commitments start in July. The 32-year-old St Lucian also recently featured in the Pakistan Super League in a team captained by Shahid Afridi, who will be a teammate at Hampshire. Sammy had a short spell in the T20 Blast with Nottinghamshire last season, averaging 41 with the bat in four matches. His first match for Hampshire will be against Kent on June 2, the club said in a statement. Sammy added: "I love playing in the UK and I'm really excited to have signed with Hampshire," he said.
tained Indian team to return to Olympics after a gap of 36 years, said, “The award will be a motivation for us to do well at Olympics.” List of awardees: Late Shankar Laxman (Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement award, Rs 3000,000); PR Sreejesh (Dhruv Batra Award for Player of the Year. Deepika (Dhruv Batra Award PR Sreejesh and Deepika for Player of the Year. Harjeet Singh (Jugraj members and friends who Singh Award for have encouraged me.” Upcoming Player of the Deepika, who capYear (Men U-21). Preeti
Dubey (Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women U-21). Savita (Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year). Kothajit Singh (Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year). Ritu Rani (Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year). Rani Rampal (Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year). Baldev Singh (Jhaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution (for coaches and support staff). MP Academy (Hockey India President Award for O u t s t a n d i n g Achievement).
Zaheer named Delhi Daredevils captain
Former India pace spearhead Zaheer Khan was appointed captain of Delhi Daredevils for the upcoming ninth edition of Indian Premier League. India’s best left-arm pace bowler ever, Zaheer, will be playing for Delhi Daredevils for the second successive season this year. Speaking about the appointment, Team Mentor Rahul Dravid said: “Zaheer has been a leader for a very long time. Anyone who has followed Indian cricket will know the impact Zak has had. He has always proven himself to be one of the leaders. Zak has a big personality, but it is the focus and drive behind the outward confidence which I think he will bring to the captaincy and that I am sure will inspire the rest of the team. He has the respect of the dressing room and the franchise is proud to have him as our captain. I would like to congratulate him on the appointment and wish
Zarheer Khan
him, and the rest of the squad all the very best.” Zaheer had earlier this season retired from international cricket, having played 92 Tests with 311 wickets. He took 282 ODI wickets in 200 matches. He also played 17 Twenty20 Internationals for India. Zaheer himself was delighted with his new role and said: “It is a huge honour to captain Delhi Daredevils. To get this responsibility is a way for
me to give back to the game. I firmly believe that with the players currently involved we have the makings of a very good side, a young side that can surprise people. The potential of this group of players is immense and it is now up to us as players to turn that potential into consistent performances.” Dravid also paid tribute to the work put in by last season’s captain, South African all-rounder JP Duminy. “JP did a fantastic job last season. He will continue to be part of the leadership group. I am looking forward to working with Zak, JP, Paddy (Upton, head coach) and the rest of the support staff as we build towards this upcoming season,” added Dravid.
SPORT Asian Voice | 2nd April 2016
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British boxer in coma after injury
British boxer Nick Blackwell has been placed in an induced coma after losing a domestic title fight. The British middleweight belt contest at London's Wembley Arena saw Blackwell stopped in the 10th round by Chris Eubank Jr after the ringside doctor ruled a closed left eye meant he could not continue. It was not the first time a member of the Eubank family had been involved in a contest that ended with a boxer being taken to hospital. Michael Watson sustained brain injuries after being stopped by Chris Eubank.
Indian women's hockey team leave for NZ
A positive start to their Rio Olympics preparation would be key on their agenda when the Indian women's hockey team launches its campaign in the the Hawke's Bay Cup in Hastings, New Zealand on April 2. Going into the tournament, there will be two things paramount on the minds on the team's think-tank - fitness and converting short corners into goal. These are the two key areas that chief coach Neil Hawgood, his coaching staff and senior members of the squad, have singled out for special attention during the recent training and preparatory camp. If India, placed 13th in the world rankings, are to outplay Black Sticks, ranked fourth, and China a place behind, the Indian eves would need to sustain their intensity for the entire duration of the match. Even Ireland, which is ranked below India, is capable of springing a surprise. "In the past we have lost some crucial matches due to fitness and not being able to convert penalty corners. In this camp we have been paying extra attention to these two critical aspects. In fact, you can say that our chief coach Neil Hawgood is obsessive about improving the fitness levels of those in the camp," said Deepika, who will lead the Indian team in the Hawke's Bay Cup in the absence of Ritu Rani. "In modern hockey, converting penalty corners makes a huge difference between winning and losing. We have to learn from the mistakes of the past and ensure they are not repeated." The New Zealand outing will also give the chief coach and selectors a chance to see how some of the junior players who have been drafted in the camp fare at the senior level ahead of the 2016 Rio Games. "The Olympic squad has not been announced yet. Currently, the entire core group is training at the camp. So, everyone is very keen to perform in the Hawke's Bay Cup to brighten their chances for making the cut for the Olympics. This is good in long-term because we would have more options when selecting the side for Rio," said the skipper. The prospect of taking on higher ranked teams in the Hawke's Bay Cup is not weighing down the 18-member Indian team.
India's Makhija wins silver in SA junior swimming
Indian swimmer Aryan Makhija clinched a silver medal in the 1,500 metres freestyle event in the Under-18 category at the South African Level 3 National Swimming Championships. The Mumbai kid clocked a time of 16.42.28 seconds while Johannesburg's Roberto Gomez won the gold, recording 16.21.93. Aryan and Roberto were engaged in a keen tussle at the halfway mark but the South African gradually built up a lead to finish strongly. Aryan's prowess in the event was evidenced by the fact that the 16-year-old finished a full 13 seconds before Christopher Aubin, who won bronze. Aryan is part of a seven-member contingent of Indian swimmers who are training under South African coach Graham Hill, who is Olympic champion Chad Le Clos' personal coach, on a year-long scholarship funded by the JSW Sports Excellence Programme. The seven train at Durban's Seagulls Swimming Club and study at Glenwood High School. Hill said he was pleased by Aryan's effort and his commitment. "The 1500m event is always a tough one as it requires the swimmer to ration his effort and peak at the right moments. It looked like Aryan had a pretty good understanding of that. He did well but I believe that he can go faster in certain segments and we will work on that," he said.