Friday, September 18, 2015

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

2:00 PM

Injured Indian shuttler HS Prannoy on road to recovery

The Indian campaign at the Sudirman Cup might have come to an early end after crashing out in the league stages but there is some good news for the country's badminton fans.

Injured HS Prannoy has been recovering very well and will be ready for participating in the international tournaments in a couple of weeks time. An unfortunate toe injury at the Singapore Open in April had kept him out of action for more than a month now.

The injury was against the run of play for this fast-rising 22-year-old shuttler. The Kerala youngster was in the form of his life, which had helped him reach the career-best world ranking of 14.

Prannoy's spectacular performance in the last one year or so has not only helped him break into the world's top-20 in a record time but also made him one of the most dangerous players on the circuit.

The tall and well-built youngster has made world No. 3 Jan O Jorgensen his bunny. Prannoy had upset Denmark's Jorgensen twice in as many weeks.

He shocked top seed Jorgensesn 18-21, 21-14, 21-14 in the second round of India Open Super Series at Delhi on March 26. A couple of weeks later, Prannoy did even better when he ousted the Danish star in straight games 21-16, 21-8 at the Singapore Open.

"Yes those two were very good victories for me. I could really play well both the times against Jan. Especially in Singapore, I was really dominating. That was promising. That was a good phase for me," said Prannoy, who has now slipped a rung below to world No. 15.

A trainee of Pullela Gopichand Academy, Prannoy could have entered the semifinal of the India Open but lost a very close match against sixth seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. Prannoy had started in style by winning the first game but lost 21-16, 9-21, 18-21.

Earlier this year, he had also come quite close to beating Rajiv Ouseph of England at the All England Championship. Here also after winning the opening game, he lost the decider at 18.

With recovery process is on, Prannoy will miss the forthcoming Australia and Indonesia Super Series but is optimistic of continuing from where he had left before the injury.

"I don't know how much time it will take to come back to good form after this injury but I am confident of doing well," said Prannoy, an employee of ONGC.

The winner of 2014 Indonesia Open Grand Prix Gold, Prannoy now wants to win Super Series title soon. "It was a special win for me because I had never won a big title so that title means a lot to me. My short term goal is to win a Super Series event and get into top-10. The focus will be on to play consistently well at the international level," he said.

Prannoy gives credit to his coach Gopichand for the giant leap in ranking, "I think he (Gopichand) has been phenomenal. He has changed me as a person. I think my game improved only because of him after I joined his Hyderabad academy in 2009," he said.
1:59 PM

Injured Ambati Rayudu ruled out of Zimbabwe tour

Indian cricket team suffered a major blow as in-form Ambati Rayudu ruled out of rest of the Zimbabwe tour due to injury.

Rajasthan Royals player Sanju Samson has been named as Rayudu's replacement for the rest of the tour.

The BCCI medical team confirms that Rayudu has been ruled out of the remaining part of the Zimbabwe tour due to an injury he has sustained while playing the 2nd ODI. Rayudu has pulled his right quadriceps muscles and will require 2 to 3 weeks of rehabilitation.

Rayudu showed top form in the two ODIs to have taken place so far, scoring 124 not out and 41 respectively.

The injury to him gives Samson an opportunity to make his India debut. The Kerala cricketer rose to prominence with his exploits for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. He has played 21 First-Class games, besides 29 List A matches and 67 T20s.

The third ODI will be played at the Harare Sports Club on Monday and will be followed by T20 Internationals on July 17 and July 19 at the same venue.
1:59 PM

Shane Watson retires from Tests after new injury

Australia's veteran allrounder Shane Watson announced on Sunday his retirement from Test cricket.

The last of the 34-year-old's 10-year Test career came in the Ashes opener at Cardiff which England won by 169 runs.

Watson made 30 and 19 with the bat, and failed to take a wicket, causing him to lose his place for the rest of the series.

Watson's Test retirement was announced on Cricket Australia's official website.

"It's been a decision that hasn't come lightly, over the last month especially," he said.

"I know it's the right time to move on and still hopefully play the shorter formats of the game, one-dayers and T20s.

"I've been through a lot of different waves of emotion about what is right for myself, my family and most importantly the team as well.

"Over the last couple of days there was a lot of clarity (for me) of what the right decision was. I just know that I've given everything I possibly can to get the best out of myself."


Shane Watson poses with the 2010 Allan Border Medal award. (Getty Images)

Watson, who captained his country in one Test and nine one day internationals, steps down after being ruled out of the rest of the one-day international series by a calf injury sustained in the tourists' victory at Lord's on Saturday.

An Ashes winner in 2013/14 and this year's World Cup -- who had his run ins with the cricket authorities being one of four players to be dropped from the squad during the 2013 tour of India for not doing their homework -- he informed his teammates of his decision on Sunday morning.

It follows Australia Test captain Michael Clarke's move to retire from all forms of cricket in the wake of the Ashes series defeat in England.

Watson played 59 Tests for Australia, scoring 3,731 runs and taking 75 wickets.
1:58 PM

Sergio Aguero allays shoulder injury worriesReuters | Jun 18, 2015, 10.53 AM IST

Sergio Aguero trained normally on Wednesday, dispelling fears he damaged his shoulder when diving to head the only goal in Argentina's 1-0 win over Uruguay at the Copa America.

The striker held his shoulder in pain after scoring his second goal of the tournament in the 55th minute of Tuesday's match at La Serena, and again when he was substituted, but it turned out to be no more than a knock.

The win put Argentina joint top of Group B with Paraguay on four points after two matches with Uruguay a point behind them.

Coach Gerardo Martino will have to sit out Saturday's final group match against bottom team Jamaica at Vina del Mar after being handed a one-match suspension.

Martino was sent to the stands by Brazilian referee Sandro Ricci for dissent during the win over Uruguay.
1:57 PM

Declared injured, Shaun Marsh loses his cool

Kings XI Punjab coach Sanjay Bangar was crystal clear in announcing the injuries of Shaun Marsh and George Bailey ahead of Friday's match against Delhi Daredevils.

"We have some injury concerns. Shaun has got hit on his toe during practice and George has hurt his shoulder," said Bangar after the practice session on Thursday.

While Bailey was seen carrying an ice pack on his shoulder after practice, Marsh looked disgusted after finishing his knock in the nets.

After an hour of batting in the nets, Marsh strode towards the tent where players keep their kit bags. He flung all three bats before banging his helmet hard on the ground. It bounced out of the tent.

Soon Glenn Maxwell, who had been dropped for the last two matches, walked out of the tent to gear up for a knock. He had already rolled his arm over for over an hour. Clearly, Marsh wasn't pleased at the prospect of having to miss another match. He had made a significant impact after having made the playing XI late in the tournament.

With their regular captain Bailey struggling to get fit and Virender Sehwag's form becoming a concern, the Kings XI are in a spot. However, Bangar pinned his hope on Maxwell to set their wavering campaign back on track.

"You have to have patience in dealing with Maxwell. But he can definitely leave an impact by the time the tournament ends. For us to go forward in the tournament, he has to play an important role," said the coach.
1:56 PM

Mortaza sustains minor injury in a road accident

Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe Mortaza sustained minor injuries to both his hands after being involved in a road accident in Mirpur but there is no immediate threat to his participation in the three-match home series against India, starting June 18.

The accident took place when Mashrafe was travelling by a cycle rickshaw from his house to the Shere Bangla Stadium for the team's training session. There was a mild collision between his rickshaw and a bus.

Mashrafe has now got both hands bandaged but the Bangladesh team management is hopeful that he would recover in time for the series.

"This is unfortunate. We are concerned about his palm," Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurasingha told 'ESPNcricinfo'.

"But we will give him maximum chance to recover in time for the ODI series," he added.
1:56 PM

IndyCar driver Justin Wilson dies after head injury

English driver Justin Wilson was declared dead on Monday after suffering a severe head injury during an IndyCar race in Pennsylvania, plunging the sport into mourning and triggering calls for a review of safety measures.

Wilson, 37, had been in a coma since Sunday, when a large piece of debris from another racer's car struck his helmet on the final laps of the "Tricky Triangle" of Pocono Raceway in the penultimate race of the season.

Friends and loved ones of the Sheffield-born racer had flown to be at his bedside at Lehigh Valley Health Network Cedar Crest Hospital in Allentown earlier Monday before his death was announced.

"This is a monumentally sad day for IndyCar and the motorsports community as a whole," said Mark Miles, chief executive of the parent company which runs IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"Justin's elite ability to drive a race car was matched by his unwavering kindness, character and humility -- which is what made him one of the most respected members of the paddock.

"As we know, the racing industry is one big family, and our efforts moving forward will be focused on rallying around Justin's family to ensure they get the support they need during this unbelievably difficult time."

Wilson's Andretti Autosport team paid tribute to him, describing him as a "tremendous racer, a valuable member of the team."

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Justin Wilson," Andretti Autosport said in a statement.

"While Justin was only part of the Andretti lineup for a short time, it only took a second for him to forever become part of the Andretti family.

"His life and racing career is a story of class and passion surpassed by none.

"Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Wilson family and fans worldwide."

Wilson was hit by what appeared to be a section of fellow driver Sage Karam's car after it spun out on lap 179 of the 200-lap race.

The father-of-two was airlifted to the hospital immediately after the crash, and never regained consciousness.

Wilson had driven in major US open-wheel racing since the 2004 season.

He was driving a partial schedule in 2015 for Andretti, making his 174th IndyCar start. He recorded seven wins in CART and IndyCar races, his most recent coming at Texas in 2012.