#1junesportsnews2018

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Coronavirus: Premier League Does Not Yet Have "Green Light", Minister Warns

Clubs are understood to have been told that the use of a limited number of neutral venues is the only way to complete the campaign, to limit the strain on essential services and discourage gatherings of supporters near stadiums.But those at risk of relegation argue that the integrity of the competition would be compromised by the neutral-venue plan.Brighton chief executive Paul Barber is opposed to the idea, with the Seagulls hovering two points above the drop zone. Brighton were scheduled to play five of their remaining nine games at home.Despite extensive contingency planning, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden warned the Premier League was yet to get the go-ahead, with testing and player welfare major hurdles."They've not been given the green light," Dowden told BBC Radio on Friday."If we can get a plan that works then I'd like us to be able to go ahead with it because I think it would be good for the nation, it would be good for football as a whole."I'm really hopeful we can get this up and running but public safety must come first so it's only if we're confident of that, we'll be able to proceed."In Germany, the Bundesliga announced this week that it would resume matches on May 16, behind closed doors and subject to extensive coronavirus testing.Dowden's comments came as The Times newspaper reported that Football Association chiefs would block any attempt to declare the Premier League season null and void and abandon relegation.Relegation scrapped?At least one club reportedly wants relegation to be scrapped if neutral grounds are used.But The Times said it was understood that the FA board supported the Premier League board's position that the league table should be decided on sporting merit even if it were cut short.Burnley captain Ben Mee, whose side are 10th in the table, said he believed footballers could "get over" playing at neutral venues if it meant the game could be re-started."It's not ideal but these times, they call for different measures," Mee told the BBC. "We can certainly get over that fact."And he said players would be prepared to spend time in quarantine if necessary."I think football is such an important part of our country, whether you like it or not, and people rely on it," he said. "And if we can give that positive boost to the country, then that would be fantastic."Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand said there was no viable resolution that would satisfy all 20 clubs."People are going to feel at a disadvantage if certain decisions are made but I don't think the Premier League can have a wholehearted 100 percent win on this no matter what decision they make, which is unfortunate," he told the Press Association.Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero and Brighton's Glenn Murray have raised objections from a safety point of view but Ferdinand said they should put their faith in the authorities."The Premier League, the FA and the government, if all of those three bodies give it the green light then I'm sure the players' protection, health and well-being will be at the top of their agenda to make sure they remain healthy and not at risk," he said. Read the full article

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Smash Hit Michael Jordan Documentary Fills TV Void For NBA Fans

In all, 6.1 million people watched the opening episodes in the United States, making the Michael Jordan documentary Twitter's top trending topic and ESPN's most watched original program since the network began producing such shows 16 years ago. An average of 5.9 million viewers watched the latest episodes aired in the US on Sunday."The Last Dance" mixes previously unaired behind-the-scenes footage taken by a special camera crew with the Bulls during their 1997-98 NBA championship run with the retelling of Jordan's amazing story from his youthful days to Chicago's amazing dynasty run of six 1990s NBA titles.The project was set to be broadcast in June when the NBA Finals were scheduled, but when sports programs were wiped out due to the global virus pandemic, ESPN advanced the release date.The Jordan documentary's blockbuster success looks likely to spark similar projects.Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar who died in a January helicopter crash, had a personal camera crew follow him around during his final NBA season, ESPN reported last week, hinting that behind-the-scenes footage could become part of a Bryant documentary.Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, scored 60 points in his final NBA game in 2016, which capped the worst season in Lakers history at 17-65.Dwyane Wade, a member of the 2008 US Olympic "Redeem Team" that won Beijing gold after a 2004 bronze at Athens, says he is already executive producing a documentary about that collection of NBA talent.A lingering hatredESPN has aired discussion shows about the documentary after telecasts, with Sunday's episodes about Jordan's lingering hatred of the Detroit Pistons leading to Monday interviews with former Detroit star Isiah Thomas, notably about the Pistons snubbing the Bulls for post-game handshakes when Chicago swept the defending champions out of the 1991 playoffs."I hated them," Jordan said in the fourth chapter of the documentary. "And that hate carries even to this day."Thomas was not selected as a member of the 1992 Barcelona US Olympic gold medal "Dream Team" -- an NBA all-star lineup that featured Jordan -- and Thomas said Monday on ESPN that he hoped the handshake snub wasn't the reason why he didn't make the historic lineup."If I'm not part of the Dream Team for that lapse of emotion, for not shaking somebody's hand, then I'm more disappointed today than I was back then when I wasn't selected," Thomas said."I paid a heavy price. If that moment meant I'm not selected to be on the Dream Team because of that moment, that's hurtful. That cuts deep." Read the full article

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Coronavirus: Norwich City Defend Decision To Furlough Staff

Premier League strugglers Norwich City have defended their decision to use the British government's furlough scheme for 200 non-playing staff after the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. With vast swathes of British industry shut down because of the coronavirus, the UK government launched a scheme that sees 80 percent of wages up to a maximum of 2,500 pounds ($3,000) a month guaranteed during the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. Norwich, who were bottom when the campaign was suspended, and Newcastle are the only Premier League clubs currently using the job retention scheme.Bournemouth, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur performed U-turns due to a vocal backlash after initially announcing they too would take advantage of the scheme.Norwich say the suspension of football will cost them between 18 million pounds and 35 million pounds."The decision we made was in the best interests of the club and its staff," chief operating officer Ben Kensell told BBC Radio Norfolk."We've been very transparent that we're run in a self-financed manner."We generate a turnover of 123m - 93 million pounds of that is broadcast, and we've spent 125 million pounds this year - and that's how we run the club,"Ultimately, if we had the available cashflow to not have to take up schemes then, like other football clubs have, we would."The Canaries hope to make 2.5 million pounds of savings and have agreed with British tax authorities to delay 18 million pounds of repayments.Norwich players have not followed the lead of fellow professionals at Watford, Sheffield United, Southampton or West Ham in agreeing to wage deferrals or taking a pay cut as most of the Arsenal squad have agreed to.However, the players, head coach Daniel Farke, the executive committee and directors have donated more than 200,000 pounds towards local initiatives.Kensell said furloughing staff now could hopefully prevent the much more traumatic step of making people redundant once some form of normality returns."The difference is we're running it as a business and we're running it the best way we believe will help it for the future," said Kensell."It's also about our staff. What we don't want is a raft of redundancies."We knew we'd get criticised as a result of it; what we're not going to do is take a different view on that. We'll stick to our guns and we believe we are doing it for the right reasons."We've got the best owners (Delia Smith and her husband Michael Wynn-Jones) in football -- that's a fact. We haven't got the richest owners but we like to think we're doing things the right way." Read the full article

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South Korea Women's Golf Resumption Draws World Top-10 Players: Report

Professional women's golf will resume in South Korea next month after a coronavirus hiatus, with a report Tuesday saying two of the world's top 10 would seize the chance to return to competition. South Korea dominates the women's game globally, with its best players gravitating towards the lucrative US-based LPGA tour, where they occupy three of the top six ranking spots and eight of the top 20. But sport events around the world have been put on hold as the novel coronavirus has swept the globe with total cases nearing 2.5 million.South Korea once had the largest confirmed cases outside China but appears to have brought the outbreak under control with a huge "trace, test and treat" strategy.And government officials have said that outdoor sports events will now be allowed, with restrictions.The Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Championship is scheduled to be played over four days from May 14 in Yangju, east of Seoul.World number six Kim Sei-young and 10th-ranked Lee Jeong-eun will be part of the 144-strong field, Yonhap news agency reported.The tournament prize fund totals 2.3 billion won (US$1.8 million) with 160 million won for the winner.KLPGA officials were still discussing whether spectators would be allowed on the course, a representative told AFP, declining to confirm Kim or Lee's participation.The organisers "put the utmost priority on the safety of athletes and fans" and the details of the event will depend on the course of the outbreak, the KLPGA said in a statement.South Korea reported nine new cases on Monday -- its fourth consecutive day of less than 20 new infections -- taking the national total to 10,683. Read the full article

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Glenn McGrath Picks Pat Cummins As The Most Complete Bowler Of Current Generation 

Australia's Pat Cummins is the most complete pacer among the current crop, says the legendary Glenn McGrath, who feels bowlers, in general, are "better blokes" and more hardworking than batsmen. McGrath was answering 25 rapid-fire questions from 'ESPNCricinfo' on a range of subjects, including who he would like to see as himself in a biopic. Asked to name the most complete bowler in world cricket now, McGrath replied: "Pat Cummins. I like the way he goes by." Cummins is currently no.1 in ICC Test rankings and occupies the fourth spot in the ODI list.One of the best fast bowlers through the '90s till late 2000s, McGrath also addressed the big debate of his era -- who was harder to bowl at, Sachin Tendulkar or Brian Lara? "Tough," he said when asked to pick between the two icons."I would go with Lara just (a bit) from my experience. The hat-trick wish-list would be Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid."Asked if there was any delivery which was missing from his armoury, he cheekily replied: "the 100miles per hour delivery."According to him, the bowlers work a lot harder than batsmen."Fast bowlers are better blokes, work harder and batsmen expect everything," he opined.Asked if he would indulge in 'Mankading' a batsman in a World Cup final where he has to get the last wicket but with only two runs to defend, the legendary pacer said he would never do it.He also feels that after watching Jim Carrey's performance in 'Dumb and Dumber', he would like the iconic funny-man to play his role if a biopic is ever made on him. "Brad Pitt or Hugh Jackman," are his other choices.Not known to be an extravagant dresser, McGrath said he nonetheless likes wearing outfits by Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee.Away from cricket, the sporting legends that he has felt privileged to meet include Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt, tennis icon Roger Federer and five-time Olympic champion rower Steve Redgrave. Read the full article

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IWF President Tamas Ajan Steps Down Amid Corruption Probe

International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) president Tamas Ajan resigned on Wednesday in the wake of allegations of corruption and doping violations made in a documentary earlier this year. "The IWF thanks Tamas Ajan for more than four decades of service to weightlifting," said IWF acting president Ursula Papandrea in a statement on its website. "We can now begin the work of determining a fresh path towards achieving the full potential of our sport," said Papandrea.The statement by the Budapest-based federation noted an independent investigation is ongoing into the allegations made by German broadcaster ARD in a report in January. The documentary alleged a "culture of corruption" had been established in the Olympic sport with prominent weightlifters rarely subjected to drugs tests and cash being taken by doping controllers to accept manipulated urine samples.Hungarian Ajan, 81, who had been at the IWF since 1976 serving 24 years as general secretary and the past 20 as president, claimed the allegations were unfounded.The programme by journalists ARD including Hajo Seppelt, who broke the story on Russia's state doping scandal, claimed half of the 450 world championship or Olympic medallists between 2008 and 2017 were not asked to undertake any doping tests while a doctor for the Moldovan team was caught on hidden camera explaining how urine samples could be manipulated.Beyond doping, the report accused the IWF of transferring USD 5 million in funding from the International Olympic Committee into two Swiss accounts overseen only by Ajan.Ajan claimed he had been the victim of "an unjust attack" by ARD. "This film has completely ruined my life and 50 years of my work. A large part of my work has been about doping prevention," he said. Papandrea also praised Ajan on Wednesday for his work "in recent years to ensure an anti-doping programme which meets the standards of the IOC (is) in place"."I offered the best of my life to our beloved sport," Ajan said Wednesday according to the IWF statement."When health circumstances related to the (COVID-19) pandemic allow, holding elections would enable a new generation to start work as soon as possible on ensuring a bright future for the sport we love," he said. Read the full article

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Natasa Stankovic Posts Loved-Up Picture With Hardik Pandya, Urges Fans To "Stay Home, Stay Safe"

Hardik Pandya and his fiancee Natasa Stankovic took to Instagram to request their fans to stay at home during the ongoing nationwide lockdown to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus pandemic. Actress Natasa Stankovic posted a loved-up picture with Hardik Pandya on Instagram, urging fans to "stay home and stay safe" with two trending hashtags. All-rounder Hardik Pandya responded with a red heart emoji, while his India teammate KL Rahul joined in with a red heart emoji in the comments section. On the new year's day, Pandya had announced his engagement with Serbian actress Stankovic on social media.Pandya had shared the news with a few pictures and a video on Instagram, saying: "Mai tera, Tu meri jaane, saara Hindustan. 01.01.2020 #engaged." The cricketer-actor pair never fails to charm their fans with lovable pictures and wishes for each other on social media.The nation went into a complete lockdown for 21 days, starting on Wednesday, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the preventive step to stop the spreading of the deadly COVID-19.Many cricketers and other athletes from across the country extended their support to the lockdown, urging their fans to stay at home amid the coronavirus crisis.On Wednesday, Team India captain Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma requested their fans to stay at home during the lockdown in a video message on Twitter."These are testing times and we need to wake up to the seriousness of this situation. Please let us all follow what's been told to us and stand united, please. It's a plea to everyone," Kohli captioned the 51-second-long video. These are testing times and we need to wake up to the seriousness of this situation. Please let us all follow what's been told to us and stand united please. It's a plea to everyone pic.twitter.com/75dDlzT6tX — Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 25, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has brought the world sports to a grinding halt. India's three-match One-day International home series against South Africa was called off amid the COVID-19 scare.The 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been postponed until April 15 due to the deadly virus. Read the full article

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Coronavirus: India's Olympic Bound Athletes Welcome Tokyo Games Postponement

"I think this was a welcome decision for us athletes in the circumstances and not something that came as a surprise. While we were looking forward to Tokyo2020, the environment wouldn't have been appropriate for the event to be celebrated the way it should be," the Commonwealth and Asian Games champion said in a statement."I would say we should look at this positively as it would allow us a year more to plan and train for the Olympics, which is the biggest sporting event for many athletes."There will be some impact on preparations over the next few months till the situation is brought under control, but that is something that all athletes are facing equally," he added.Two-time Olympian boxer Vikas Krishan Yadav (69kg), who is also an Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist, also felt the same.Yadav has returned to amateur boxing after an unbeaten stint in the pro circuit."At the end of the day, humanity has to trump sport, so I'm happy that the decision was made to postpone the Olympics amidst the coronavirus situation," he said referring to the outbreak which has claimed close to 19,000 deaths the world over."Obviously, the postponement will affect our preparation, but I think the extra time can help me prepare even better for my goal to win an Olympic Gold for India," he addedOn Tuesday several top Indian athletes such as MC Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal had welcomed the move and lauded the International Olympic Committee for prioritising athletes' health and well-being.The Olympics was scheduled from July 24 to August 9 this year.The IOC took the decision after its head Thomas Bach spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over a telephone call. Before this, Canada and Australia had announced pullouts if the showpiece went ahead as originally scheduled.  Read the full article

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Twitter Disagrees With Kevin Pietersen's Choice Of Batsman With Best Pull Shot

With cricket coming to a grinding halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, many on Twitter are reliving the past. While the Indian Premier League's (IPL) handle tweeted throwback videos of some of the finest moments from the tournament, the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Twitter handle decided to ask fans, "which batsman, past or present, has the best pull shot?" The handle put up a split picture of Viv Richards, Ricky Ponting, Virat Kohli and Herschelle Gibbs to go along with the question.The ICC post received over 2K replies with many Indian fans picking Rohit Sharma over Virat Kohli, while the general consensus was that former Australia captain Ricky Ponting had the best pull shot. Which batsman, past or present, has the best pull shot, in your opinion?pic.twitter.com/TAXf8rr3el — ICC (@ICC) March 22, 2020 However, South Africa-born England cricketer Kevin Pietersen decided to take the name of a batsman that few fans remembered. Pietersen's choice -- Andrew Hudson -- played 35 Tests and 89 ODIs for South Africa in the 90s. Andrew Hudson — Kevin Pietersen(@KP24) March 22, 2020 He averaged 33.45 in the longest format and 29.41 in one-dayers with a total of six international centuries to his name.While there were a few users who endorsed Pietersen's choice, the larger majority disagreed with him, giving their own opinion on who they thought had the best pull shot. Ponting. Viv wasn't far behind — Neil Maher (@Marzey1977) March 22, 2020 Brian Lara — Andrew Rickard (@andyrick67) March 22, 2020 No, Punter is the master of pull shot. — HARSH (@Harshpr01180227) March 22, 2020 Rohit Sharma — M.K.Kori (@MkKori2) March 22, 2020 Ricky Ponting anyday anytime — RAJESH (@srajesh1989) March 22, 2020 Has to be Andrew Hudson, was surprised his name didn't come up! Good one, @KP24 — Babu Duraiswamy (@srtendulkar) March 22, 2020 Yes Hudson wasn't bad at all — St.PatrickJ (@pjulies24) March 22, 2020 Has to be @RickyPonting — Lee Melton (@LeeMelton4) March 22, 2020 Rahul Dravid !!!! Across all continents — sriramanganesan (@sriramanganesan) March 22, 2020 ABD & Sharma — Ankit Singh (@anisingh88) March 22, 2020 Cricket is at a complete standstill, just like most other sports around the world.Ireland's seven-match series against Bangladesh became the latest casualty to be inflicted on the cricket calendar by the coronavirus pandemic.No professional cricket will be played in England and Wales before May 28 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The IPL 2020 too has been pushed back from March 29 to April 15 and could face further postponements or even cancellation. The BCCI has also put domestic matches and tournaments on hold "till further notice". Read the full article

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Chinese Footballer Wu Lei Diagnosed With Coronavirus In Spain

Wu Lei moved to Espanyol from Shanghai SIPG in January last year. © AFP Chinese football star Wu Lei, who plays for Espanyol in Spain, has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said on Saturday. "Wu Lei has mild symptoms and is currently undergoing treatment," the CFA said in a statement, adding that they had been given the news by La Liga strugglers Espanyol. "The Chinese Football Association has maintained close communication with Wu Lei and the club, and will provide all necessary assistance as appropriate. We wish Wu Lei a speedy recovery."The 28-year-old striker, China's best-known player, is in self-isolation at home in Barcelona, Xinhua news agency said.Wu is the only Chinese playing in one of Europe's five top leagues, having moved to Espanyol from Shanghai SIPG in January last year.The coronavirus emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and has since turned into a pandemic that has killed thousands around the world. Topics mentioned in this article Football Read the full article

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WADA issues dope testing guidelines amid coronavirus pandemic - other sports

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) issued new guidelines on Friday to facilitate continued testing amid the constraints of the coronavirus pandemic.Noting that the spread of COVID-19 had evolved into “an even greater health and societal emergency” since its March 6 communique, WADA urged Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) to act in accordance with restrictions placed by local health authorities “to ensure proper protection of athletes and doping control personnel, while protecting the integrity of doping control programs, particularly in the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.”WADA’s latest guidelines advise anti-doping organizations to make sure that sample collectors are free from any symptoms of illness.Collectors should also ask athletes if they have any symptoms or if they or anyone at the collection site are in the groups thought to be at heightened risk from COVID-19.If test collection personnel are found to have contracted the virus, athletes they tested should be informed and vice versa, WADA said.Protective wear such as masks should be used and work surfaces disinfected, and if local conditions limit what testing can occur then ADOs should “consider focusing their testing program on targeted athletes from high risk sports and disciplines,” WADA said.In locations where testing programs can’t continue, WADA said, it and other anti-doping organizations and sports federations will work together “once the situation begins to return to normal” to identify gaps in testing “particularly as it relates to the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.”WADA said anti-doping organizations should continue to obtain information on whereabouts of athletes normally gathered to facilitate out-of-competition testing.Athletes are still responsible for obtaining therapeutic use exemptions and “should be reminded that they can still be tested at any place, any time,” WADA said.With some WADA accredited laboratories already closed and others likely to follow suit, WADA said testing organizations should contact the Montreal-based organization for information on what labs might be able to receive samples.“While there are no plans to change existing requirements under the World Anti-Doping Program, WADA fully acknowledges the complexities of this unprecedented situation and will ensure its compliance monitoring program provides a level of flexibility and understanding based on the circumstances,” WADA said. Read the full article

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Leap year: UEFA admit error over ‘Euro 2020’ name for 2021 tournament - football

UEFA were forced into an embarrassing about-turn after they mistakenly tweeted that Euro 2020 would keep its original title despite being pushed back to 2021 as a result of the coronavirus. “Although it will provisionally take place from 11 June - 11 July 2021, #EURO2020 will still be known as UEFA EURO 2020,” UEFA had confidently said on Twitter on Friday.However, just hours later, they were less assured.“With apologies for the earlier error, to be clear no decision has yet been made on the name of the rearranged EURO to be held in 2021. The earlier tweet was sent by mistake,” they tweeted.Euro 2020 has been pushed back 12 months to June 11 to July 11 next year to clear the way for suspended domestic competitions to wrap up if conditions allow.UEFA said the postponement “will help all domestic competitions, currently on hold due to the COVID-19 emergency, to be completed” as it made a “commitment” to finishing club seasons by June 30.Twenty of the 24 nations set to take part in the Euro have already qualified, but play-offs to determine the final four participants, due to be played this month, have been postponed.UEFA said those matches, and other scheduled friendlies, would be played in June subject to a review of the situation. Read the full article

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Mohun Bagan I-League champions with four rounds to spare - football

A goal somehow and let the celebrations begin! That is what the 17,000 at Kalyani Stadium here wanted. It didn’t come easy.Aizawl FC put Mohun Bagan through the wringer, having the better of exchanges and locking them down with smart defensive organisation. Till Joseba Beitia’s give-go with Nongdamba Naorem after which his outstep found Babacar Diawara who fired into the bottom corner.The stadium shook after the 80th minute goal executed by three players whose influence have been crucial in Mohun Bagan winning the 2019-20 I-League with four rounds to spare. Like Dempo, Mohun Bagan have been India champions five times since the National League began in 1996-97.No edition has been this one-sided since Dempo’s title win in 2009-10. On four occasions including 2014-15 when Mohun Bagan were champions, the first two teams were separated by less than three points. The time hasn’t come to measure that this term but don’t blame Mohun Bagan, on an unassailable 39 points after 16 rounds, if they don’t care.So, to the tune of Dwayne Bravo’s ‘Champion’, Daniel Cyrus, the Trinidad and Tobago international and Mohun Bagan central defender, swayed and the full house clapped.“Football and life is about emotions and to be able to play a part in making so many people happy is a very good situation to be in,” said Mohun Bagan’s Spanish coach Kibu Vicuna, his face streaked with green powder, one day after the festival of colours here, and with his name reverberating around the stadium.Mohun Bagan and Aizawl FC, champions in 2016-17, were locked in a 0-0 draw in the opening match on November 30. Next match, at home, when Mohun Bagan lost 2-4 to Churchill Brothers an ending like this would have been difficult to believe.That game against Churchill Brothers turned out to be Mohun Bagan’s only loss. They embarked on a four-game winning run after that and improved that to seven successive victories beginning with the win that matters almost as this title --- against East Bengal on January 19. Mohun Bagan have won eight of the nine game since.The staggering statistics don’t end there. Mohun Bagan have won 12 of their 16 rounds. The next best is six. On way to the title since 2014-15 only Chennai City FC have won as many --- in 2018-19. “I had said at my first press conference that this team needs time. I was very happy with how the players trained at the beginning and now we are getting the results,” said Vicuna, 48.Appointed last May Vicuna, who was on the staff of Legia Warsaw and Osasuna’s youth set-up, reached here on June 27 and got down to work with a team that had retained only eight players. Crucially, Mohun Bagan had sorted out the bulk of their foreign players by July. They looked like a work in progress in the Calcutta League, were runners-up in the Durand Cup and eliminated in the semi-final of the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup in Bangladesh.Then, the I-League started with one point from two games. Mohun Bagan beat TRAU 4-0 in their third match and followed that with a 2-1 win against Gokulam Kerala FC. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.“Except the first two games, Mohun Bagan were the most consistent team of the league. Credit to their coach for the transformation and, of course, they had quality players. Diawara made all the difference,” said Aizawl FC coach Stanly Rozario.Diawara, 32, got 10 goals scoring in each of the last nine games having joined in January. “Never had such a successful run of goals. I dedicate this to the fans and to my three daughters,” said the player from Senegal who played three years and 30 games for Sevilla (2012-15). It took Diawara three games since starting against Real Kashmir away on January 5 to get off the mark. He hasn’t stopped since and with 10 goals in 12 games is joint-second in the race for the golden boot.Another player on an unstoppable run is Beitia, Mohun Bagan’s No. 10. This was his ninth assist in the competition. No one has that many.“This team worked well. The dressing room was very nice and that is why are performing this well,” said Diawara. Crucial to keeping it that way was Spaniard Fran Gonzalez, the team’s leader on the pitch even if he didn’t wear the armband.Gonzales didn’t stand out on the pitch because of his Mohawk hair-do but because he could marshal the defence and also score 10 goals. He even writes his name in Bengali on his Twitter handle.Celebrations have been put on hold because there is a Kolkata derby on Sunday. By then, their new partners ATK will have played the Indian Super League final. ATK-Mohun Bagan sure seem to be in a league of extraordinary footballers. Read the full article

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Australia Players Celebrate Women's T20 World Cup Win By Dancing On Stage With Katy Perry. Watch

Australian women's cricket team won their fifth T20 World Cup title after beating India in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. After the match, the Australian players shared the stage with American pop star Katy Perry to celebrate their record-extending title victory. Some of the players even took the centre-stage and enthralled the audience with their electric dance moves. Katy Perry, who set the tone for the historic finale with her electrifying performance, encouraged the players to show-off their dancing skills, and one player who stood out was Sophie Molineux. Sharing a video of the the celebration, Cricket Australia tweeted: "World Cup champion and dance sensation Sophie Molineux had quite the night with her new mate Katy Perry! #T20WorldCup". World Cup champion and dance sensation Sophie Molineux had quite the night with her new mate Katy Perry! #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/Td61HGSzQP — cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 9, 2020 In the video, Molineux can be heard explaining her feelings about last night's performance and the surreal experience of sharing the stage with the pop icon."Yeah, I woke up and had to watch it three or four times to get my head around the fact that I was for one -- out there with Katy Perry, and two dancing and pretty much taking her off stage so I could take centre stage. But she was awesome with us, She embraced the fact that she had 15 other back-up dancers with her. But yeah, it was pretty special," Molineux said in the video.Australia, playing in front of their home crowd, outplayed India in all three departments of the game.Australia batted with great intent from the ball one and never allowed India to get back in the game and posted 184/4 --the highest-ever total in a T20 World Cup final be it men's or women's cricket.Australia bowlers also bowled brilliantly and bundled India out for 99 runs, thus clinching the final by 85 runs for their fifth title. Read the full article

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Australia Overcame Lots Of Bumps On The Way To Win Women's T20 World Cup, Says Meg Lanning

Everything was worthwhile by the end, however, with the unity of her Australian team a mentality to behold for the ever-modest Lanning."There's a lot of pride. This tournament was always going to be massive, we had our ups and downs throughout and everything was thrown at us," she said."To be able to come through and have the complete performance on the biggest stage, it's something that's pretty amazing and is testament to the group for delivering on that. The New Zealand game and the semi-final, that's the most nervous and sick I've felt playing cricket.""To get through that, coming in to the Final, everyone was a little on edge but it just happened. It was just there from the first ball, there's ups and downs throughout but to be able to lead this group is a real privilege - they make my job really easy.""It's such a great group to be a part of. Everyone rode the bumps, the highs and lows, to finish like this is just incredible."Such was the magnitude of the Melbourne final, Lanning struggled to settle at all prior to the match. Never before has the women's game seen a crowd comparable to the 86,174 that packed into the MCG, with the International Women's Day occasion one to behold for all involved.But the 27-year-old was calm when it mattered most - largely thanks to her Australia teammates holding back their own nerves on the big day. It wasn't always that way throughout the competition, admitting that their narrow escape from elimination forced a roller coaster of emotions in front of their home fans."This day is incredible, we couldn't have dreamed of this," she added. "When the organisers said they wanted to get that many people for the final, I must admit I was a bit skeptical. But you wanted to be there and be involved. There was such a big build-up, all the outside pressure and expectation - we wanted to come and win this tournament but it was something else.""The way we were able to react and deal with that was testament to the group - this day is certainly the best of my career so far. With this group of people, the support staff as well, Tayla and Pez who weren't out there on the field but were as much a part of it, it's such a special group and we really just good mates and love going out there and playing together." Read the full article

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Tamim Iqbal Replaces Mashrafe Mortaza As Bangladesh ODI Captain

Tamim Iqbal earlier led Bangladesh in three ODIs against Sri Lanka in July last year. © AFP Bangladesh on Sunday named opening batsman Tamim Iqbal as captain of the national one-day side, replacing pace bowler Mashrafe Mortaza. Mashrafe stepped down as ODI captain this week after the third and final game of a three-match series against Zimbabwe. He had led the side for more than five years. "The board has unanimously selected Tamim Iqbal as our new ODI captain," Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan announced at a press conference after a meeting of the governing body's board of directors."We thought of appointing a captain for a short duration and then giving the job to someone else next year. But we finally decided against a short-term appointment. We hope Tamim would serve for a long term," he added.Tamim earlier led Bangladesh in three ODIs against Sri Lanka in July last year in the absence of the injured Mashrafe, but failed to inspire the team with Bangladesh losing all three matches.His fresh tenure as ODI captain will start with the one-off match against Pakistan on April 1. Read the full article