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Leander Paes finishes second best in his last outing at home - tennis

Veteran Leander Paes’ final ATP Tour match on home soil ended on a disappointing note as he and his partner Matthew Ebden lost to Indian pair of Purav Raja and Ramkumar Ramanathan in the men’s doubles final of the Bengaluru Open here on Saturday.Paes, who is playing his final year of professional tennis, and his Australian partner Ebden were no match for their rivals, losing 0-6 3-6 in the summit clash that lasted just 56 minutes.Paes, 46, and Ebden had qualified for the final after beating third seeds Andre Goransson of Sweden and Indonesia’s Christopher Rungkat 7-5 0-6 10-7 in the semifinals.Raja and Ramanathan, on the other hand, entered the last-four round after Saketh Myneni and Matt Reid of Australia conceded the other semifinal contest.India’s campaign in singles came to an end on Thursday after the likes of Prajnesh Gunneswarah, Sumit Nagal, Ramkumar Ramanathan, Saketh Myneni, Niki Poonacha and Sidhart Rawat -- all crashed out.After the defeat, an emotional Paes said he will miss the massive support from the home crowd.“The fact that I’ve played my last match in India - it sunk in after the match when I was signing autographs. A young girl - must have been five or six years old - gave me a ‘One Last Roar’ t-shirt which was twice her size,” he said.“She gave it to me and said, ‘Leander, can you sign this?’. She must have been about 40 years younger to me, and she wanted my autograph. It meant a lot to me, because she recognised the effort I have put into my career.“And when I signed the t-shirt and gave it to her, she turned around and said ‘Bye’. She said bye. That’s a great way to go,” Paes added. Read the full article

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FIH Pro League: India Stun World Champions Belgium 2-1

Ramandeep Singh scored the decisive goal in the 47th minute via a penalty corner to give world number four India a victory in front of a frenzied crowd at the same venue where the home side beat the Dutch twice. With this sensational victory, India consolidated their ranking from No. 5 to No.4 for the first time since the world ranking system was introduced in 2003. The two sides meet again on Sunday at the same venue. After getting off to a rollicking start in their maiden FIH Hockey Pro League with a 5-2 and 3-1 shoot-out (3-3 in regulation time) win against the Netherlands, India did well to halt Belgium's winning streak in the ongoing FIH Pro League. Coming into this match with identical 4-2 wins against Australia and 6-2 and 3-1 triumph against New Zealand, Belgium struggled to convert their chances against India. Despite dominating with ball possession, making as many as 38 circle entries, taking 24 shots on goal and 12 penalty corners, the Belgian unit could not muster much success inside the circle. The Belgians were denied thanks to stand-out performance by Indian goalkeepers PR Sreejesh and Krishan Pathak who lived up to the billing hooter-to-hooter, backing India's defence by knocking off pretty much every opportunity created by the visiting team strikers. Pathak, who was named Player of the Match, said, "We started well and worked very hard. We are very proud of our defence of our penalty corners." Belgium skipper Thomas Briels rued his team's missed chances. "It was a tough match and playing India at home is never easy. We could not convert our chances. There have been many times when PCs have saved us but today the Indian goalkeepers were outstanding and hopefully we can seek revenge tomorrow," he said. The Indians were quick to get off the blocks with debutant Raj Kumar Pal setting up a fantastic goal within 90 seconds of play as he passed from the left flank to Dilpreet Singh on top of the circle. Young forward Dilpreet, making his comeback in the Indian squad after over a year, took a powerful shot on goal which found a perfect deflection from Mandeep Singh who was positioned in front of Belgian goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch. It was Pathak who ensured Belgium did not bounce back. He was kept busy all of 15 minutes in the first quarter with Belgium creating plenty of opportunities which included as many as five penalty corners. Belgium's wait to convert a goal ended only in the third quarter when they made a good variation of a penalty corner, opening up the angle to trick India's rushers and made enough space for Gauthier Boccard to put the ball past Pathak to level scores in the 33rd minute. With scores reading 1-1, it was a tense final quarter but India pushed back Belgium by scoring another goal. It was Ramandeep, who after injecting the ball during a penalty corner battery, picked up a rebound off Belgium's first rusher to score the goal. Though Belgium created penalty corners in the dying minutes of the match, India held their nerves and experienced goalkeeper Sreejesh ensured India sealed the game to stay at second position in the points table. Belgium are still on top with 11 points from five games. The victory was also India's 50th win against Belgium. Read the full article

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Premier League: Solskjaer gives Liverpool example; urges patience with Manchester United rebuild - football

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is convinced he will be given time to complete his rebuilding project at Old Trafford and said he retains the backing of the club hierarchy. Solskjaer has come under increased pressure after back-to-back Premier League defeats by Liverpool and Burnley left them six points behind Chelsea, who occupy the fourth Champions League qualification spot.Ahead of United’s FA Cup fourth round match against Tranmere Rovers on Sunday, Solskjaer said there would be no “quick fix” to improve their form.ALSO READ: Manchester United must sack Ed Woodward for transfer market shortcomings: Gary Neville“We can’t react to all the noise outside,” Solskjaer told a news conference on Friday.“There’ll be criticism, you’ve got to take it. You’ve got to be stronger mentally. I am, the club is, the staff are very strong mentally and we’re sticking to what we believe in and I’ve got full faith.”Solskjaer pointed to Liverpool’s long-term recruitment project since Juergen Klopp took charge in Oct. 2015, with the Merseyside club now 16 points clear at the top of the league standings.“For me, we do have a way of doing things. You can see other teams have done well. You can see Juergen spent four years building his team and they’re doing well now,” Solskjaer added.United have 34 points from 24 league matches this season - 11 fewer than at this stage of the last campaign - but Solskjaer will continue to plan for the long-term at Old Trafford.The Norwegian is hoping to get at least one signing “over the line” in the January transfer window following injuries to Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay.“I’m not going to change six or nine or 10 months into the job and starting believing in a different way of doing things,” Solskjaer added.“It’s not going to be eight or 10 players in, in one transfer window. We’ve had one proper transfer window in the summer, because the January ones are difficult. But we are trying to do something now.” Read the full article

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Team India "Superfan" Charulata Patel Dies. BCCI’s Moving Tribute

Indian cricket team's superfan Charulata Patel, who was seen cheering for the team during World Cup 2019, passed away. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took to Twitter to share the news. "#TeamIndia's Superfan Charulata Patel ji will always remain in our hearts and her passion for the game will keep motivating us. May her soul rest in peace," The BCCI tweeted. #TeamIndia's Superfan Charulata Patel ji will always remain in our hearts and her passion for the game will keep motivating us.May her soul rest in peace pic.twitter.com/WUTQPWCpJR — BCCI (@BCCI) January 16, 2020 The 87-year-old superfan met India captain Virat Kohli during a league stage fixture in the marquee event. After meeting Patel, Virat Kohli had penned down a special message for the superfan. "Dear Charulata ji, it is so inspiring to see your love and passion for our team and I hope you enjoy the games with your family," Kohli had written to Charulata Patel.Later, the India captain took to Twitter to call her one of the most "passionate and dedicated fan"."Also would like to thank all our fans for all the love & support & especially Charulata Patel ji. She's 87 and probably one of the most passionate & dedicated fans I've ever seen. Age is just a number, passion takes you leaps & bounds. With her blessings, on to the next one," Kohli had tweeted.Speaking to ANI, she had told that she has been watching cricket for last many decades. She also added that she was there in 1983, when India won the World Cup for the first time under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. Read the full article

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Rani Rampal to lead Indian women’s hockey team in NZ tour - other sports

Star striker Rani Rampal will lead a 20-member Indian women’s hockey team for the tour of New Zealand, beginning on January 25 in Auckland.According to the squad named by Hockey India, goalkeeper Savita will be Rani’s deputy during the tour. The other players of team are Rajini Etimarpu, Deep Grace Ekka, Gurjit Kaur, Reena Khokhar, Salima Tete, Sushila Chanu, Nisha, Namita Toppo, Udita, Monika, Lilima Minz, Neha, Sonika, Sharmila Devi, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya and Navjot Kaur.India’s first match of the tour is against the New Zealand Development squad on January 25, followed by games against the New Zealand women’s team on January 27 and 29.The Indians will also play Great Britain on February 4 and then conclude the tour with another match against the New Zealand women’s team on February 5.Speaking about the tour, India’s chief coach Sjoerd Marijne said, “I want to use this tour to create more competition within this group. Although we are taking a 20-member team, in some matches we will use only 16 players because we play with 16 players at the Olympics and in some matches we will play 18 members.”The players have to show their best and I want to see how they perform under pressure and stay in the right rhythm.”He added that the matches against world number 5 Great Britain and world number 6 New Zealand will provide a great opportunity for the Indian team to showcase their fearless attitude.The Team: Rani (captain), Savita (vice-captain), Rajini Etimarpu, Deep Grace Ekka, Gurjit Kaur, Reena Khokhar, Salima Tete, Sushila Chanu, Nisha, Namita Toppo, Udita, Monika, Lilima Minz, Neha, Sonika, Sharmila Devi, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya, Navjot Kaur. Read the full article

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Barcelona sack Valverde and appoint Quique Setien as successor - football

Spanish champions Barcelona have sacked their coach Ernesto Valverde and appointed Quique Setien as his replacement, the club announced on Monday. The decision to remove Valverde was confirmed following a board meeting that lasted more than four hours at Camp Nou on Monday afternoon.Barca are top of La Liga but have won only one of their last five matches. Valverde is the first coach the club has sacked mid-season since Louis van Gaal in 2003.“FC Barcelona and Ernesto Valverde have reached an agreement to terminate the contract that united both parties,” read a club statement released on Monday night.Setien will be presented in a press conference at Camp Nou at 2.30pm local time (1330 GMT) on Tuesday.“Barcelona and Quique Setien have reached an agreement for the latter to become first team coach until 30 June 2022,” the club said. “Setien is one of the most experienced coaches in Spanish football,” it added. “Throughout his career he has been a proponent of possession based, attacking football that has been attractive to the fans.”His first game in charge will be at home to Granada on Sunday. Barcelona play Napoli in the last 16 of the Champions League next month and Real Madrid in the league at the start of March. Setien has made no secret of his admiration for the stylistic traditions of Barcelona, with the 61-year-old also renowned for favouring an exciting, offensive mode of football. A former player of Atletico Madrid and Racing Santander, he was circled as a potential Barca coach during a particularly successful period in charge of Real Betis. Setien led Betis to a sixth-place finish in 2018 and qualification for the Europa League but, despite overseeing a thrilling 4-3 victory at Camp Nou early the following season, results tailed off. Betis finished 10th and the club and coach parted ways in the summer. Previously, he also helped Las Palmas avoid relegation from La Liga in 2016. A footballing purist, Setien and Barcelona would seem a good fit, particularly if the players feel released from some of Valverde’s more pragmatic tendencies. But critics of Setien would argue style often takes precedence over substance and it remains to be seen how he handles the pressure of matching aesthetics with results at one of the world’s most demanding clubs. He will also have to do without Luis Suarez, who will be missing for the next four months after having surgery on his right knee. - European failures haunt Valverde -Doubts had surrounded Valverde for several months and were underpinned by two disastrous exits from the Champions League. Barcelona’s shocking collapse against Roma in 2018 was followed by a similar capitulation against Liverpool last year. Familiar fragility had been evident this season and a 3-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup on Thursday, in which Barcelona conceded two late goals, prompted the board to act. Valverde arrived two hours early for his last training session with the squad at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper on Monday morning before meeting with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu. Bartomeu then drove to Camp Nou, where he held a board meeting with several club officials including chief executive Oscar Grau, technical secretary Javier Bordas, vice president Jordi Cardoner and sporting director Eric Abidal. Grau and Abidal had returned to Barcelona on Sunday after spending the weekend in Qatar, where they had offered the job to Xavi, only for the club’s iconic former midfielder to indicate he was not ready to come immediately. In Valverde’s two seasons, his team won two La Liga titles, as well as the Copa del Rey in 2018, and another league success remained very much in sight this term, despite Madrid’s impressive form in recent weeks. But Barca’s performances have been unconvincing and there were lingering concerns about Valverde’s more functional tactics, which appear to have informed the switch to Setien. When Valverde arrived in 2017, Barcelona were wounded, hurting after the shock departure of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain and humiliated, as consecutive defeats by Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup hinted at trouble for the season ahead. Instead, he steadied the ship and galvanised the team. They lost one league game en route to winning the title and the year after, they were champions again, finishing 11 points ahead of Atletico and 19 clear of Real. Increasingly, though, Valverde’s achievements faded from view and his failures began to overshadow them. On Monday, Barcelona decided his time was up. Read the full article

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King Novak, Zverev crashes: what we learned from the ATP Cup - tennis

Five things we learned from the inaugural 24-nation ATP Cup team competition played in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney over 10 days in the lead-up to the Australian Open: - New innovations -The new tournament won plenty of plaudits, with players also hailing the team spirit and competitive matches.Fresh innovations were trialled at the ATP Cup, including on-court coaching and team zones in the corners of the court, which were wildly popular. There was also real-time statistics, data and match vision available to the captain and players, plus a video review system to challenge contentious decisions like foot faults.While it worked well, there was also high-profile criticism from Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal that playing another team event so close to the Davis Cup in November was too much.“I think is a great competition, but at the same time I can’t change my mind that two World Cups in one month is not real. So (it) is not possible,” said Nadal after his defeat to Djokovic. - King Novak -Djokovic underlined his credentials as king of the hardcourts and favourite to win an unprecedented eighth Australian Open title.The Serbian superstar never looked like losing, coming through tough tests from the likes of Denis Shapovalov, Daniil Medvedev and world number one Nadal in Sunday’s final to remain unbeaten over six matches.“I mean, it is the perfect preparation,” said the 16-time Grand Slam winner. “This has been one of the highlights of my career, because you can’t really match any big win in tennis with the win that you get to share with your team, with your friends.“It has been an amazing event,” he added.- Zverev crashes -Big things have been tipped for Alexander Zverev since he burst into the top 10 in 2017, but the 22-year-old is yet to fully deliver. The young German won just one title last year, at Geneva, and slipped down the rankings to seven from four at the start of the season.He failed spectacularly at the ATP Cup, looking lost on court as he crashed in three-of-three games.To make matters worse, he was reportedly stung by a bluebottle jellyfish while having swim at an Australian beach, although it was nothing serious. “It’s not really that high,” the dejected Zverev said of his confidence. “Generally I’m not playing good, so there’s a lot of things that I still need to improve, but it’s the start of the season.”Asked how he could fix what was wrong before the Australian Open, he replied: “On the practice court.”- Players to watch -Outside of Djokovic, unheralded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut and workmanlike Russian Daniil Medvedev emerged as the early-season form players going into the Australian Open.Bautista Agut, who made the Wimbledon semi-finals last year and edged inside the top 10, went through the ATP Cup unbeaten, winning all six matches in emphatic fashion, dropping just 25 games.“It’s good for me to get confidence at the beginning of the year, to feel well on the court. That means I did a great job this pre-season,” said the Spaniard, who made the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park last year.World number five Medvedev was also strong, winning four of five. Djokovic was his only conqueror, and only just in a high-quality three set semi-final. “I think I’m not that far,” last year’s US Open finalist said of the gap between him and the Serb.- Why not women? -If an early-season team event is good enough for the men, then why not women as well?Djokovic said he supported the idea, as did former US Open runner-up Madison Keys after scathing criticism that women had been sidelined at the WTA Brisbane International.The event was played at the Queensland Tennis Centre, the same as the ATP Cup, but the men monopolised centre court with women relegated to outside courts.Maria Sharapova said it felt like a “second-hand” tournament while Sloane Stephens, who is on the WTA players’ council, complained that women players “weren’t in the conversation to even be considered” for the main court.Tennis officials scrambled to limit the fallout and insisted they were working on a “new concept” for women in the Australian summer. Read the full article

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Spanish Super Cup: Lionel Messi involved in heated altercation with 20-year-old Joao Felix - Watch - football

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi was involved in a heated on-field altercation with Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix during the two teams’ Spanish Super Cup clash in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Thursday. Atletico sprung a surprise in by staging a thrilling comeback to beat Barcelona 3-2 and set up a final against cross-town rivals Real Madrid. Also Read: WWE plans to show a different side of Brock Lesnar at Royal RumbleTempers flared between the two sets of players before half-time, when Messi squared-off against 20-year-old Portuguese sensation Felix. The two players took offence with each other and came face-to-face, only to be separated by fellow players. Gerard Pique and Luis Suarez also joined the fighting party with Thomas Partey and Stefan Savic coming to aid of Felix. The players were then separated after a brief period of shoving and pushing and normalcy was resumed. Barcelona defender Jordi Alba was also captured taking a finger swipe at Felix which angered the latter.  Joao Felix: "Cristiano Ronaldo is better than you."Leo Messi: "I dare you to say that again, I dare you!"Unexpected confrontation 😅 pic.twitter.com/peb0dQSE7n— FutbolBible (@FutbolBible) January 9, 2020 Barca looked on course for a Sunday showdown against Real when they led Atletico 2-1 with nine minutes left but instead it will be a Madrid derby in Saudi Arabia to decide who lifts the trophy. Also Read: ‘Snakes stop play’: How a snake-catcher saved a Ranji Trophy matchAll five goals were scored during a wild second half in Jeddah that began with Koke putting Atletico in front, just 21 seconds after coming on as a substitute at the interval.Goals from Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann turned the game on its head, only for Atletico to hit back with a late double, Alvaro Morata converting a penalty in the 81st minute before Angel Correa found a winner in the 86th.Also Read: Waugh picks current ‘number one’ Test batsman in the world“They had more legs than us and in the end it cost us,” said Griezmann.“We made mistakes in everything, in passes - I think I missed a pass to Sam (Umtiti) before they scored - and the little things can lose you a match, a league, a Champions League.”((With AFP inputs)) Read the full article

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Indian football in 2019: Time for the ‘sleeping giant’ to rebuild once again - football

Back in 2006, then FIFA President Sepp Blatter described India as a ‘sleeping giant’ in the world of football. Thirteen years later, the current head coach of the Indian football team — Igor Stimac — decided to use the same phrase once again to make the point that the country has the potential to produce good talent. This is a major indication of the pace of development when it comes to the ‘beautiful game’ in India. From national team set-up to domestic tournaments, there have been changes galore in recent years but the so-called ‘sleeping giant’ has not managed to find a permanent place in the top 100 of the FIFA world rankings.Also Read: ‘Bloody obsession’, bloody good pacers, & those 30 mins: Indian cricket in 2019The year 2019 started on the best possible note for Sunil Chettri & Co as they defeated Thailand 4-1 in their opening match of AFC Asian Cup. The victory was a huge statement by a young team under the tutelage of Stephen Constantine and it made the nation believe that the team can finally reach the knockout stages of the competition. However, a slew of missed chances against United Arab Emirates that resulted in a 0-2 defeat and last-minute heartbreak against Bahrain in the final match of the group meant that the Blue Tigers once again had to bid adieu to the continental tournament in the early stages. “In the match against UAE, we got a couple of clear chances in the first twenty minutes and the match would have been over if we scored. But, we were unlucky to miss all the opportunities and that resulted in some pressure. In the last match (against Bahrain), we went with an extremely defensive approach and that did not work out well for us,” midfielder Anirudh Thapa explained to Hindustan Times.Right after the match against Bahrain, the team was handed another shock as head coach Stephen Constantine decided to step down from his post. The players were informed of the decision just after the final whistle and it signaled the end of a four-year tenure that saw India breaking into the top 100 for the first time in over two decades. What followed was a long-drawn process to choose his successor and the search finally ended with FIFA World Cup bronze-medalist Igor Stimac taking over the job in May 2019.Also Read: Shooting a ‘happy headache’, Athletics a worry for India ahead of Tokyo OlympicsThe appointment of the former Croatia international was met with a lot of chatter from the experts and fans alike with the expectation that his experience with top teams will be able to change India’s fortunes. However, defence turned out to be the main issue for him in the early days as he started his tenure with a 1-3 loss against Curacao followed by two heavy defeats at the hands of Tajikistan and North Korea. Things did not improve once the World Cup qualifiers started as India squandered their lead against Oman in their first game as they were defeated 1-2 despite putting on a good show.Next up, India travelled to Doha without their talisman Sunil Chhetri and they were able to survive waves of attacks from Qatar to hold the reigning Asian champions to a goalless draw in one of the most stunning results for Indian football in its history. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu produced a tremendous performance in front of the goal as India became the only side to not lose to Qatar in 2019.“That was a very big result for India. Especially when we were playing away against the Asian champions and to get a point there is huge. The team were actually quite organised and we have to give them credit for what they achieved,” former India skipper Bhaichung Bhutia told Hindustan Times.The result made the fans hopeful once again but the next round of matches saw India once again squandering easy chances to finish games. Two draws against Afghanistan and Bangladesh followed by a close loss against Oman meant that India finished the year at the bottom of their group and also with no hope of making the cut for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. With just one win from ten matches, it has been a less than ideal start for Stimac and although the likes of Ashique Kuruniyan and Sahal Abdul Samad did justify their selections, the results were just not there for Stimac to show in his first year.Also Read: India static at 108, but loses 11 places throughout the year in FIFA rankings“Stephen was defensively more compact and Stimac is more open. It is the decision of individual coaches on how they want to play. But overall, the results are very important for any coach at the end of the day and with Stimac, that has not happened till now,” Bhutia explained.With three more qualifiers coming up in the first half of 2020 and Stimac announcing that the team will play ten friendlies between March and June, the schedule is packed for the ‘Blue Tigers’ and only time will tell whether the ‘sleeping giants’ can finally get going on the global stage. Read the full article

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Virat Kohli's Fan Who Has 16 Tattoos Dedicated To Indian Captain

"I am a cricket lover from my childhood and became a big fan of Virat Kohli because of his style of playing," Virat Kohli's fan Pintu Behera told ANI. Cuttack: Pintu Behera, a fan of Indian skipper Virat Kohli has inked 16 tattoos of the skipper,including Kohli's Jersey No. 18,on his body. He says,"I became a big fan of Virat Kohli because of his playing style. So,I decided to show my respect to him in this way." #Odisha pic.twitter.com/FJwSUZZ2wt — ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2019 "So, I have decided to show my respect to him in this way. When I decided to make tattoos in 2016, I didn't have money. So I started saving money and got tattoos inked," he added.Behera said he has spent over Rs 1 lakh on these 16 permanent tattoos, including one of Kohli's jersey number 18."I go to watch every cricket match of Virat Kohli within the country. I didn't go to watch the match out of the country. If I get a chance, then I will definitely go," he said.Though he is yet to watch Kohli play overseas, Behera counts himself lucky to have met the Indian skipper once, during a Test match between India and South Africa in Vizag earlier in October."I didn't imagine that he would meet and hug me. It was a special moment for me. I had been waiting to meet him since 2016. Finally, I got the opportunity to meet him during Test Match between India and South Africa at Visakhapatnam in October," he said.Earlier this month, India defeated the West Indies in a three-match T20 International series 2-1.(With ANI inputs) Read the full article

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Shane Watson Unsatisfied With Test Career, Says "Outcomes" Did Not Match His Skills

Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has said that he did not like the outcomes he had during his Test career and they did not match up to the skill he really possessed. Watson said that upon thinking regarding the game, he has realised that his mental aspect of the game was not right in the longest format and called it as the biggest reason for him not being able to bat for long periods. The former Australian all-rounder revealed this in his latest podcast programme titled ''Learning Lessons with the Greats''.In the episode, Watson was seen chatting with former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh."I look back at my Test career and I know with the skill I had I did not like the outcomes I had, now I know that my mental application during Test matches was usually fatigued, I just wanted to do too well in every Test match I played, I used to make a mistake because I had burnt myself," Watson told Yuvraj."I never looked into my mindset as to where I was into the lead-up to the game and that is why I was not able to bat for long periods of time. In the shorter formats, there was a goal and I knew how to go about things," he added.During the podcast, Yuvraj also admitted that he regrets not having a long Test career for India.Watson played 59 Tests for Australia and managed to score 3,731 runs at an average of 35.19.He also took 75 wickets in 59 matches with his best figures being 6-33. Watson had played his last Test during the 2015 Ashes series in England.The all-rounder had more revealing numbers in the shorter formats as he went on to play 190 ODIs and 58 T20Is for Australia.In the 50-over format, Watson had an average of 40.54 and scored 5,757 runs.Watson retired from international cricket in 2016 and became the last player to retire from Australia's golden era of the early 2000s. Read the full article

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'Euro 2020' Retains Name Despite New 2021 Schedule

Football's European Championships may have rescheduled from 2020 to June and July 2021 but organisers insisted Friday the event will retain its original name of Euro 2020. The competition was rescheduled due to the coronavirus on Tuesday, 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. As the event quickly became known as Euro 2021, European football's governing body UEFA moved swiftly to insist they were keeping the original name and logo. "Although it will provisionally take place from 11 June - 11 July 2021, #EURO2020 will still be known as UEFA EURO 2020," UEFA said on Twitter. 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. Their announcement came after crisis talks with national associations, as well as clubs and players bodies via a videoconference, as Europe fights to deal with the health crisis. 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