A supremely confident Chelsea notched a club record 12th consecutive league win on Monday to move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League, two goals from Pedro and one from Eden Hazard giving them a 3-0 victory over Bournemouth.

It took the energetic Pedro until the 24th minute to score, set up by Cesc Fabregas after jinking interplay between the Spanish players, Hazard, Willian and Nemanja Matic. He deftly lofted the ball over Artur Boruc, stranded in the Bournemouth goalmouth.

Captain Simon Francis brought down a sashaying Hazard in the Bournemouth area in the 49th minute and the Belgian converted the penalty for his 50th Premier League goal.

Chelsea, who have conceded only two goals on their winning run under Antonio Conte and scored 27, added the third in stoppage time when Pedro&#39;s surging run ended with the ball deflected into the goal.

(Reuters)

Two goals from Pedro and one from Eden Hazard giving them a 3-0 victory over Bournemouth

A supremely confident Chelsea notched a club record 12th consecutive league win on Monday to move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League, two goals from Pedro and one from Eden Hazard giving them a 3-0 victory over Bournemouth. It took the energetic Pedro until the 24th minute to score, set up by Cesc Fabregas after jinking interplay between the Spanish players, Hazard, Willian and Nemanja Matic. He deftly lofted the ball over Artur Boruc, stranded in the Bournemouth goalmouth. Captain Simon Francis brought down a sashaying Hazard in the Bournemouth area in the 49th minute and the Belgian converted the penalty for his 50th Premier League goal. Chelsea, who have conceded only two goals on their winning run under Antonio Conte and scored 27, added the third in stoppage time when Pedro's surging run ended with the ball deflected into the goal. (Reuters)

Chelsea ease past Bournemouth for record 12th win

Indian captain Virat Kohli climbed to the second spot in the ICC Test Rankings for batsmen on Tuesday. The middle-order batsman has been prolific in the on-going Test series against England, amassing 640 runs in the first four Tests.

Kohli will now have his eyes set on his Australian counterpart Steve Smith, the leader of the rankings for batsman. Both the captains are part of the &#39;Fab Four&#39; club of batsman in world cricket.

The 28-year-old Kohli, who hit 235 in India&#39;s only innings in Mumbai in the fourth Test, his highest score in the longest format, has earned him 53 points (for an aggregate of 886 rating points) which has lifted him by one position to a career-best second rank.

He is now is in line to top the rankings in all three forms of the game at some point in time. Kohli, who is currently ranked second in ODI Player Rankings among batsmen and first in Twenty20 Internationals, is just 11 points behind Australia captain Steve Smith, who will get a chance to maintain his top ranking in an upcoming three-Test series against Pakistan.

Ravichandran Ashwin, on the other hand, continued at his top spot in ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers after his match haul of 12/167 in the fourth Test against England in Mumbai that helped the home side score an innings and 36 runs victory for a winning 3-0 lead in the five-match series.Ashwin, who had touched the coveted 900-point mark for the first time in October when he had reclaimed the top ranking, has reached 904 points to run up a 37-point lead over second-placed Rangana Herath of Sri Lanka.

Ashwin&#39;s rating is the second best-ever by an off-spinner after Muttiah Muralidaran (920), fifth best among spinners after Tony Lock (912), Derek Underwood (907) and Shane Warne (905), and the 18th in the overall list. Ashwin, who grabbed six wickets each in the two innings in Mumbai, had finished the 2015 year-end rankings as the number-one bowler and was also at the top briefly in July this year. He is also the top-ranked all-rounder at 483 points and enjoys a healthy lead over Bangladesh&#39;s Shakib Al Hasan, who is on 405 points with England&#39;s Ben Stokes third with 341 points.

Ashwin&#39;s spin partner Ravindra Jadeja has bridged the gap with Stokes to just one point in the all-rounders&#39; list after taking six wickets in Mumbai. Jadeja&#39;s continued success has also helped him reach a career-best ranking of sixth among bowlers. Other India players to make upward movements among batsmen are opener Murali Vijay and all-rounder Jayant Yadav. Vijay has moved up five places to 24th position after his knock of 136 while Yadav&#39;s 104 runs at number nine position, has pushed him up 31 slots to 56th rank.

In the ICC Test Team Rankings, India continued to lead the chart with 115 points, followed by England (105), Australia (105), Pakistan (102), South Africa (102), New Zealand (96), Sri Lanka (96), West Indies (69), Bangladesh (65) and Zimbabwe (5). Australia and Pakistan will go head to head in a three-Test series starting in Brisbane on Thursday, with both the sides aiming for an upward movement. However, this position will potentially change when the ICC Test Team Rankings are updated following the Chennai Test between India and England. If second-ranked England wins the Test, then it will finish on 103 points, but it will end on 101 points if India wins the series 4-0.

(PTI)

The 28-year-old Kohli has earned 53 points which has lifted him by one position to a career-best second rank

Indian captain Virat Kohli climbed to the second spot in the ICC Test Rankings for batsmen on Tuesday. The middle-order batsman has been prolific in the on-going Test series against England, amassing 640 runs in the first four Tests. Kohli will now have his eyes set on his Australian counterpart Steve Smith, the leader of the rankings for batsman. Both the captains are part of the 'Fab Four' club of batsman in world cricket. The 28-year-old Kohli, who hit 235 in India's only innings in Mumbai in the fourth Test, his highest score in the longest format, has earned him 53 points (for an aggregate of 886 rating points) which has lifted him by one position to a career-best second rank. He is now is in line to top the rankings in all three forms of the game at some point in time. Kohli, who is currently ranked second in ODI Player Rankings among batsmen and first in Twenty20 Internationals, is just 11 points behind Australia captain Steve Smith, who will get a chance to maintain his top ranking in an upcoming three-Test series against Pakistan. Ravichandran Ashwin, on the other hand, continued at his top spot in ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers after his match haul of 12/167 in the fourth Test against England in Mumbai that helped the home side score an innings and 36 runs victory for a winning 3-0 lead in the five-match series.Ashwin, who had touched the coveted 900-point mark for the first time in October when he had reclaimed the top ranking, has reached 904 points to run up a 37-point lead over second-placed Rangana Herath of Sri Lanka. Ashwin's rating is the second best-ever by an off-spinner after Muttiah Muralidaran (920), fifth best among spinners after Tony Lock (912), Derek Underwood (907) and Shane Warne (905), and the 18th in the overall list. Ashwin, who grabbed six wickets each in the two innings in Mumbai, had finished the 2015 year-end rankings as the number-one bowler and was also at the top briefly in July this year. He is also the top-ranked all-rounder at 483 points and enjoys a healthy lead over Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan, who is on 405 points with England's Ben Stokes third with 341 points. Ashwin's spin partner Ravindra Jadeja has bridged the gap with Stokes to just one point in the all-rounders' list after taking six wickets in Mumbai. Jadeja's continued success has also helped him reach a career-best ranking of sixth among bowlers. Other India players to make upward movements among batsmen are opener Murali Vijay and all-rounder Jayant Yadav. Vijay has moved up five places to 24th position after his knock of 136 while Yadav's 104 runs at number nine position, has pushed him up 31 slots to 56th rank. In the ICC Test Team Rankings, India continued to lead the chart with 115 points, followed by England (105), Australia (105), Pakistan (102), South Africa (102), New Zealand (96), Sri Lanka (96), West Indies (69), Bangladesh (65) and Zimbabwe (5). Australia and Pakistan will go head to head in a three-Test series starting in Brisbane on Thursday, with both the sides aiming for an upward movement. However, this position will potentially change when the ICC Test Team Rankings are updated following the Chennai Test between India and England. If second-ranked England wins the Test, then it will finish on 103 points, but it will end on 101 points if India wins the series 4-0. (PTI)

Cricket: Kohli climbs to 2nd spot in ICC Test Rankings for batsmen

Arsenal will have another chance to beat Bayern Munich in a Champions League knockout tie after the sides were paired yet again in the round of 16 following Monday&#39;s draw.

The teams met at the same stage in 2005, 2013 and 2014 with the German champions winning on all three occasions - 3-2 on aggregate in 2005, on away goals after a 3-3 draw in 2013 and 3-1 in 2014.

Paris St Germain will also try to break a jinx when they face Spanish champions Barcelona, who knocked them out in the quarter-finals in 2013 and 2014.

Holders Real Madrid, who like Bayern finished as runners-up in their group and will therefore play the first leg at home, were given a tricky clash with Serie A side Napoli.

The draw also produced a potential grudge match as it pitted Bayer Leverkusen against Atletico Madrid, whose respective coaches Roger Schmidt and Diego Simeone were involved in an ugly touchline spat when the sides met two seasons ago.

On that occasion, Atletico went through on penalties after a 1-1 aggregate draw.

Arsenal may feel this could be their best chance to beat Bayern, whose domestic and European form has not been as dominant as in recent seasons.

&quot;We are through to the knockout stage for the 14th consecutive season, which is testament to Arsene Wenger and the teams throughout that time,&quot; club secretary David Miles said.

&quot;The fans will think we have got the rough end of the draw again - at some stage the tide has got to turn and we will beat them.&quot;

Serie A champions Juventus were drawn against Porto in a repeat of the 1984 European Cup Winners&#39; Cup final which the Italian side won 2-1.

Sevilla and English champions Leicester City will meet for the first time as will Manchester City and AS Monaco.

Benfica and Borussia Dortmund will renew their rivalry after a 52-year wait, the sides having previously met in the 1963-64 European Cup.

(Reuters)

Holders Real Madrid were given a difficult tie against Napoli as were Spanish champions Barcelona who take on Paris St Germain

Arsenal will have another chance to beat Bayern Munich in a Champions League knockout tie after the sides were paired yet again in the round of 16 following Monday's draw. The teams met at the same stage in 2005, 2013 and 2014 with the German champions winning on all three occasions - 3-2 on aggregate in 2005, on away goals after a 3-3 draw in 2013 and 3-1 in 2014. Paris St Germain will also try to break a jinx when they face Spanish champions Barcelona, who knocked them out in the quarter-finals in 2013 and 2014. Holders Real Madrid, who like Bayern finished as runners-up in their group and will therefore play the first leg at home, were given a tricky clash with Serie A side Napoli. The draw also produced a potential grudge match as it pitted Bayer Leverkusen against Atletico Madrid, whose respective coaches Roger Schmidt and Diego Simeone were involved in an ugly touchline spat when the sides met two seasons ago. On that occasion, Atletico went through on penalties after a 1-1 aggregate draw. Arsenal may feel this could be their best chance to beat Bayern, whose domestic and European form has not been as dominant as in recent seasons. "We are through to the knockout stage for the 14th consecutive season, which is testament to Arsene Wenger and the teams throughout that time," club secretary David Miles said. "The fans will think we have got the rough end of the draw again - at some stage the tide has got to turn and we will beat them." Serie A champions Juventus were drawn against Porto in a repeat of the 1984 European Cup Winners' Cup final which the Italian side won 2-1. Sevilla and English champions Leicester City will meet for the first time as will Manchester City and AS Monaco. Benfica and Borussia Dortmund will renew their rivalry after a 52-year wait, the sides having previously met in the 1963-64 European Cup. (Reuters)

Champions League last 16: Arsenal paired with Bayern Munich, City get Monaco

Jamie Vardy burst back to his predatory best with his first Leicester City hat-trick as the champions recaptured their title-winning mojo to earn a shock 4-2 win over Manchester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

Vardy, hero of last season&#39;s fairytale triumph, finally ended his 16-match goalscoring drought for the club by scoring twice in the first 20 minutes as the Foxes, making a nonsense of their miserable recent form, raced into a three-goal lead.

After the England striker had struck in the third minute, club stalwart Andy King put Leicester two up with only four-and-a-half minutes on the clock and Vardy was then put in beautifully by Riyad Mahrez to score his second.

He completed his first hat-trick since his non-league days at Fleetwood Town from the narrowest of angles thanks to a careless back pass from John Stones.

Aleksandar Kolarov (82 minutes) and Nolito (90) scored consolation goals in a late rally for City, who remain fourth, four points adrift of leaders Chelsea.

Nobody could have imagined the drama of the opening minutes as Leicester awoke dramatically from what had, statistically, been the worst English title defence in 54 years since Ipswich Town in 1962-63.

Despite his heroics for Leicester, Vardy had never scored a hat-trick for them and his last treble had been for minor league Fleetwood in 2012.

Yet the King Power was transported back to heady May days, suddenly reminded why their team, languishing just three points off the foot of the table at the start of the day, were champions.

With a side unrecognisable from the second-string one that had been beaten 5-0 at Porto in midweek -- the heaviest defeat by any English team in European Cup history -- Leicester burst from the blocks on a rainy night.

A lovely touch from Mahrez fed Islam Slimani, whose neat through ball was finished brilliantly by Vardy, who had not scored in the league for a total of 741 minutes.

Within a couple of minutes, Slimani had teed up King, who curled one in from the edge of the box and the visitors were in disarray when a long ball from Christian Fuchs was cushioned delicately by Mahrez into Vardy&#39;s hungry path and the England striker evaded keeper Claudio Bravo to slot home.

City belatedly dominated but it was all huff and puff and when Stones hit a blind pass towards Bravo, Vardy nipped in to strike with the ball ruled to have just crept over the line via the post.

Kolarov, with a smashing free kick, and Nolito finally broke through but it could not mask what had been the most discouraging day yet of his new reign for visiting manager Pep Guardiola.

(Reuters)

Vardy finally ended his 16-match goalscoring drought for the club by scoring twice in the first 20 minutes

Jamie Vardy burst back to his predatory best with his first Leicester City hat-trick as the champions recaptured their title-winning mojo to earn a shock 4-2 win over Manchester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday. Vardy, hero of last season's fairytale triumph, finally ended his 16-match goalscoring drought for the club by scoring twice in the first 20 minutes as the Foxes, making a nonsense of their miserable recent form, raced into a three-goal lead. After the England striker had struck in the third minute, club stalwart Andy King put Leicester two up with only four-and-a-half minutes on the clock and Vardy was then put in beautifully by Riyad Mahrez to score his second. He completed his first hat-trick since his non-league days at Fleetwood Town from the narrowest of angles thanks to a careless back pass from John Stones. Aleksandar Kolarov (82 minutes) and Nolito (90) scored consolation goals in a late rally for City, who remain fourth, four points adrift of leaders Chelsea. Nobody could have imagined the drama of the opening minutes as Leicester awoke dramatically from what had, statistically, been the worst English title defence in 54 years since Ipswich Town in 1962-63. Despite his heroics for Leicester, Vardy had never scored a hat-trick for them and his last treble had been for minor league Fleetwood in 2012. Yet the King Power was transported back to heady May days, suddenly reminded why their team, languishing just three points off the foot of the table at the start of the day, were champions. With a side unrecognisable from the second-string one that had been beaten 5-0 at Porto in midweek -- the heaviest defeat by any English team in European Cup history -- Leicester burst from the blocks on a rainy night. A lovely touch from Mahrez fed Islam Slimani, whose neat through ball was finished brilliantly by Vardy, who had not scored in the league for a total of 741 minutes. Within a couple of minutes, Slimani had teed up King, who curled one in from the edge of the box and the visitors were in disarray when a long ball from Christian Fuchs was cushioned delicately by Mahrez into Vardy's hungry path and the England striker evaded keeper Claudio Bravo to slot home. City belatedly dominated but it was all huff and puff and when Stones hit a blind pass towards Bravo, Vardy nipped in to strike with the ball ruled to have just crept over the line via the post. Kolarov, with a smashing free kick, and Nolito finally broke through but it could not mask what had been the most discouraging day yet of his new reign for visiting manager Pep Guardiola. (Reuters)

Football: Vardy earns Leicester a shock 4-2 win over Manchester City

Italy international Stefano Okaka scored either side of halftime to give Watford a 3-2 Premier League win over Everton on Saturday, their first victory over the Merseyside club in any competition since 1987.

Watford, who started with players of 11 different nationalities in their line-up, went behind in the 17th minute when Romelu Lukaku scored from close range for Everton after Gareth Barry lobbed the defence.

The goal was the Belgian&#39;s eighth in the league this season but the lead was short-lived, Okaka equalising in the 36th with a back-heeled flick at the near post from Nordin Amrabat&#39;s cross.

Okaka followed up on his first Watford goal by heading in the Hornets&#39; third from a corner in the 64th after Austrian Sebastian Prodl had headed in his first league goal of the season from Jose Holebas&#39;s free kick.

Lukaku headed in his second of the afternoon with four minutes of normal time remaining but Watford hung on to go seventh in the standings on 21 points and ahead of ninth-placed Everton.

Okaka&#39;s goals were his first in the Premier League since May 2010, when he was on loan at Fulham. A summer signing from Anderlecht, he was making only his second start for Watford.

&quot;Stefano Okaka had to wait mainly because of injury but he has shown how important he is for the team,&quot; manager Walter Mazzarri said.

Apart from the 11 nations represented in the starting lineup, Watford have now also had 11 different goalscorers in the league this season - a feat that only Liverpool can match.

They are not, however, the first Premier League team to have such a diverse team -Manchester&nbsp;United also fielded players from 11 different countries against Stoke&nbsp;City&nbsp;in 2011.

Everton, sliding down the table after a bright start to the campaign and now with one win in 10 games, have conceded 11 goals in their last four away fixtures.

(Reuters)

This is their first victory over the Merseyside club in any competition since 1987

Italy international Stefano Okaka scored either side of halftime to give Watford a 3-2 Premier League win over Everton on Saturday, their first victory over the Merseyside club in any competition since 1987. Watford, who started with players of 11 different nationalities in their line-up, went behind in the 17th minute when Romelu Lukaku scored from close range for Everton after Gareth Barry lobbed the defence. The goal was the Belgian's eighth in the league this season but the lead was short-lived, Okaka equalising in the 36th with a back-heeled flick at the near post from Nordin Amrabat's cross. Okaka followed up on his first Watford goal by heading in the Hornets' third from a corner in the 64th after Austrian Sebastian Prodl had headed in his first league goal of the season from Jose Holebas's free kick. Lukaku headed in his second of the afternoon with four minutes of normal time remaining but Watford hung on to go seventh in the standings on 21 points and ahead of ninth-placed Everton. Okaka's goals were his first in the Premier League since May 2010, when he was on loan at Fulham. A summer signing from Anderlecht, he was making only his second start for Watford. "Stefano Okaka had to wait mainly because of injury but he has shown how important he is for the team," manager Walter Mazzarri said. Apart from the 11 nations represented in the starting lineup, Watford have now also had 11 different goalscorers in the league this season - a feat that only Liverpool can match. They are not, however, the first Premier League team to have such a diverse team -Manchester United also fielded players from 11 different countries against Stoke City in 2011. Everton, sliding down the table after a bright start to the campaign and now with one win in 10 games, have conceded 11 goals in their last four away fixtures. (Reuters)

Premier League: Watford beat Everton 3-2 with Okaka double

Anthony Martial and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice each to help Manchester United ease into the League Cup semi-finals with a 4-1 home victory over West Ham United on Wednesday as Arsenal suffered a 2-0 home defeat by Southampton.

Martial netted twice in the second half to take the tie at Old Trafford away from West Ham, who had levelled through Ashley Fletcher following Ibrahimovic&#39;s opener after two minutes. The Swede added the fourth deep into stoppage-time.

Southampton clinched their first appearance in the last four of the competition since 1987 with powerful first-half efforts from Jordy Clasie and Ryan Bertrand against a weakened Arsenal, who made 10 changes to their side.

United were then drawn to face Hull City in the semi-finals and Southampton will play Liverpool.

United and West Ham met at the same venue in the Premier League on Sunday when United boss Jose Mourinho let his frustrations boil over and earned a second touchline ban of the season for booting a water bottle.

The Portuguese was banned from the dugout on Wednesday, but would have been delighted with the way United carved open their opponents after just two minutes with a fluent break.

West Ham opened the scoring on Sunday equally early, but they were caught cold as Wayne Rooney, one goal short of Bobby Charlton&#39;s all-time club scoring record, fed Henrikh Mkhitaryan, whose backheel picked out Ibrahimovic to dink the ball into the net.

The Swede should have doubled the lead when he waltzed through the heart of the West Ham defence before twice being denied by keeper Adrian.

That could have proved a costly miss because for all United&#39;s first-half dominance, they were pegged back 10 minutes before the break by one of their former players.

Having come through the youth ranks at United, Fletcher was allowed to join West Ham in the close season and punished his former employers by scoring from close range after David de Gea had spilled a shot from Dimitri Payet.

Payet, however, was the villain two minutes after halftime as his poor clearance was pounced on and fed to Mkhitaryan, who claimed his second assist by laying the ball off for Martial to blast past Adrian.

With 30 minutes remaining, Martial grabbed his second, tapping home Antonio Valencia&#39;s cross before Ibrahimovic added the fourth from close range.

&quot;Goals plus performance means the real happiness,&quot; Mourinho, who would not divulge where he watched the match, told Sky Sports.

&quot;The performance is something we are used to, we are playing very well at home. Today was more of the same.&quot;

The League Cup has not been kind to Arsenal in recent years with the club having now progressed from just one of their previous six quarter-finals, which was perhaps the reason why manager Arsene Wenger chose to make wholesale changes to his side to face Southampton.

The Saints began the brighter and were ahead after just 12 minutes when Dutchman Clasie fired powerfully into the net for his first goal for the club.

The lead was doubled eight minutes before the break when Carl Jenkinson was outmuscled deep in his own half, allowing Sofiane Boufal to break and tee up Bertrand to drill a low finish into the bottom corner.

(Reuters)

Manchester United eased into the League Cup semi-finals with a 4-1 home victory over West Ham United

Anthony Martial and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice each to help Manchester United ease into the League Cup semi-finals with a 4-1 home victory over West Ham United on Wednesday as Arsenal suffered a 2-0 home defeat by Southampton. Martial netted twice in the second half to take the tie at Old Trafford away from West Ham, who had levelled through Ashley Fletcher following Ibrahimovic's opener after two minutes. The Swede added the fourth deep into stoppage-time. Southampton clinched their first appearance in the last four of the competition since 1987 with powerful first-half efforts from Jordy Clasie and Ryan Bertrand against a weakened Arsenal, who made 10 changes to their side. United were then drawn to face Hull City in the semi-finals and Southampton will play Liverpool. United and West Ham met at the same venue in the Premier League on Sunday when United boss Jose Mourinho let his frustrations boil over and earned a second touchline ban of the season for booting a water bottle. The Portuguese was banned from the dugout on Wednesday, but would have been delighted with the way United carved open their opponents after just two minutes with a fluent break. West Ham opened the scoring on Sunday equally early, but they were caught cold as Wayne Rooney, one goal short of Bobby Charlton's all-time club scoring record, fed Henrikh Mkhitaryan, whose backheel picked out Ibrahimovic to dink the ball into the net. The Swede should have doubled the lead when he waltzed through the heart of the West Ham defence before twice being denied by keeper Adrian. That could have proved a costly miss because for all United's first-half dominance, they were pegged back 10 minutes before the break by one of their former players. Having come through the youth ranks at United, Fletcher was allowed to join West Ham in the close season and punished his former employers by scoring from close range after David de Gea had spilled a shot from Dimitri Payet. Payet, however, was the villain two minutes after halftime as his poor clearance was pounced on and fed to Mkhitaryan, who claimed his second assist by laying the ball off for Martial to blast past Adrian. With 30 minutes remaining, Martial grabbed his second, tapping home Antonio Valencia's cross before Ibrahimovic added the fourth from close range. "Goals plus performance means the real happiness," Mourinho, who would not divulge where he watched the match, told Sky Sports. "The performance is something we are used to, we are playing very well at home. Today was more of the same." The League Cup has not been kind to Arsenal in recent years with the club having now progressed from just one of their previous six quarter-finals, which was perhaps the reason why manager Arsene Wenger chose to make wholesale changes to his side to face Southampton. The Saints began the brighter and were ahead after just 12 minutes when Dutchman Clasie fired powerfully into the net for his first goal for the club. The lead was doubled eight minutes before the break when Carl Jenkinson was outmuscled deep in his own half, allowing Sofiane Boufal to break and tee up Bertrand to drill a low finish into the bottom corner. (Reuters)

Football: Man United sweep past West Ham, Arsenal ousted by Southampton

Indian spinners once again held centrestage as the hosts produced a clinical performance to cruise to a comfortable eight-wicket victory on the fourth day of the third cricket Test and thereby take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

The trio of Ravichandran Ashwin (3/81), Ravindra Jadeja (2/62) and Jayant Yadav (2/21) shared bulk of the spoils to dismiss the visitors for 236 in their second innings.

Comeback man Parthiv Patel then made a mockery of the target of 103 runs, smashing his way to an unbeaten 67 off 53 balls studded with 11 fours and a six.

Fittingly he finished the match with a boundary over extra cover in company of Virat Kohli.

Parthiv and Cheteshwar Pujara (25) added 81 runs in only 15.2 overs in what turned out to be an easy chase completed in 20.2 overs.

Parthiv was in a mood to display his &#39;T20 skills&#39; as he took on the pacers and spinners alike with minimum fuss. The 50 came off 39 balls with eight boundaries and a six. His prowess at the top of the order will give Kohli and coach Anil Kumble another option for opening slot.

Earlier, credit should be given to young Haseeb Hameed for his gritty unbeaten 59 off 156 balls coming in at No 8 due to a finger injury that helped England cross 200-run mark. He hit six fours and a six off Ashwin to complete his second Test half-century. It was because of the teenager that India had to chase a 100 plus target.

It was a match where England were outbatted and outbowled by an Indian side that has been plagued by injuries.

But Ashwin as usual put up a lion-hearted performance once again scoring a 72 and bagging four wickets. Equally creditable was the all-round effort of the other two specialist spinners -- Jadeja (90 run and 4 wickets) and Jayant (55 runs and 4 wickets).

Having polished off the top-order save Joe Root, the question on fourth day was not how but when will India finish the match.

The only wicket that would have seriously bothered them was that of Joe Root. But post Root, Hameed did put up a fight but it was always for a losing cause.

Root, who was standing between India and victory, was dismissed for 78 by Jadeja (2/39 in 23 overs), who got one to turn away sharply as the edge was taken by an alert Ajinkya Rahane, who reacted quickly to stretch his right hand.

Root played 179 balls hitting six fours in the process.

Root got an able ally in young Hameed as the duo added 45 runs in 119 balls for the seventh wicket stand. It was this pair that erased the 134 run deficit.

Once Jadeja removed the gutsy Root minutes before lunch, the writing was there on the wall.

But Hameed delayed the inevitable and showed that he is one for the future with correct technique and a temperament to match with it.

(PTI)

Comeback man Parthiv Patel smashed an unbeaten 67 off 54 balls as the hosts chased down their 103-run victory target

Indian spinners once again held centrestage as the hosts produced a clinical performance to cruise to a comfortable eight-wicket victory on the fourth day of the third cricket Test and thereby take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The trio of Ravichandran Ashwin (3/81), Ravindra Jadeja (2/62) and Jayant Yadav (2/21) shared bulk of the spoils to dismiss the visitors for 236 in their second innings. Comeback man Parthiv Patel then made a mockery of the target of 103 runs, smashing his way to an unbeaten 67 off 53 balls studded with 11 fours and a six. Fittingly he finished the match with a boundary over extra cover in company of Virat Kohli. Parthiv and Cheteshwar Pujara (25) added 81 runs in only 15.2 overs in what turned out to be an easy chase completed in 20.2 overs. Parthiv was in a mood to display his 'T20 skills' as he took on the pacers and spinners alike with minimum fuss. The 50 came off 39 balls with eight boundaries and a six. His prowess at the top of the order will give Kohli and coach Anil Kumble another option for opening slot. Earlier, credit should be given to young Haseeb Hameed for his gritty unbeaten 59 off 156 balls coming in at No 8 due to a finger injury that helped England cross 200-run mark. He hit six fours and a six off Ashwin to complete his second Test half-century. It was because of the teenager that India had to chase a 100 plus target. It was a match where England were outbatted and outbowled by an Indian side that has been plagued by injuries. But Ashwin as usual put up a lion-hearted performance once again scoring a 72 and bagging four wickets. Equally creditable was the all-round effort of the other two specialist spinners -- Jadeja (90 run and 4 wickets) and Jayant (55 runs and 4 wickets). Having polished off the top-order save Joe Root, the question on fourth day was not how but when will India finish the match. The only wicket that would have seriously bothered them was that of Joe Root. But post Root, Hameed did put up a fight but it was always for a losing cause. Root, who was standing between India and victory, was dismissed for 78 by Jadeja (2/39 in 23 overs), who got one to turn away sharply as the edge was taken by an alert Ajinkya Rahane, who reacted quickly to stretch his right hand. Root played 179 balls hitting six fours in the process. Root got an able ally in young Hameed as the duo added 45 runs in 119 balls for the seventh wicket stand. It was this pair that erased the 134 run deficit. Once Jadeja removed the gutsy Root minutes before lunch, the writing was there on the wall. But Hameed delayed the inevitable and showed that he is one for the future with correct technique and a temperament to match with it. (PTI)

Mohali Test: India thrash England by 8 wickets to take 2-0 series lead

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was sent off as his side lost more ground in the Premier League title race by drawing 1-1 with West Ham United on Sunday.

After Diafra Sakho&#39;s second-minute opener was cancelled out by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mourinho was sent to the stands for kicking a water bottle in protest at Paul Pogba&#39;s booking for diving.

It was United&#39;s fourth successive home draw in the league -- a first since 1980 -- and left them 11 points below leaders Chelsea in sixth place.

United assistant manager Rui Faria, filling in for Mourinho, told BBC Sport: &quot;We all believe the results will appear.

&quot;The referee explained it to Jose and there is nothing more to say. I think it was frustration from Jose after the yellow card for Pogba.

&quot;It should be a foul for us, but the referee understood it in another way.&quot;

Elsewhere, Alexis Sanchez scored twice as Arsenal kept pace within the leading pack by winning 3-1 at home to Bournemouth.

Mourinho made six changes to his starting XI at Old Trafford, but his bench created the biggest stir as formerly exiled midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger made an unexpected return to the match-day squad.

West Ham needed just 90 seconds to go ahead as Dimitri Payet&#39;s free-kick from the right was headed in by Sakho.

In the 21st minute, Pogba&#39;s deep cross was nodded in by Ibrahimovic, who has now scored seven league goals this season.

Moments later referee Jonathan Moss booked Pogba for diving after the France midfielder took evasive action as Mark Noble moved in to tackle him.

Mourinho reacted by furiously kicking a plastic bottle and was duly sent to the stands for the second time this season.

Wayne Rooney, whose next goal will equal Bobby Charlton&#39;s 249-goal club scoring record, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan came on for United in the second half.

Jesse Lingard saw a goal chalked off for offside after Mkhitaryan had hit the post, while United were indebted to goalkeeper David de Gea for a crucial late save to deny Ashley Fletcher.

- Debuchy blow -

United will hope their luck changes when West Ham return to Old Trafford in the League Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Arsenal ended a run of three straight draws in all competitions with victory over Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium.

With England midfielder Jack Wilshere watching from the stands due to the terms of his loan from Arsenal to Bournemouth, the home side took a 12th-minute lead courtesy of a horror moment from Simon Cook.

In seeking to play the ball back to goalkeeper Adam Federici from the right, he undercooked his pass horribly, giving Sanchez the time to pick his spot and put Arsenal ahead.&nbsp;

Bournemouth equalised in the 23rd minute when Callum Wilson netted from the penalty spot after Nacho Monreal was harshly adjudged to have fouled him.

But Arsenal equalised in the 53rd minute when Theo Walcott headed in Monreal&#39;s masterful cross and Sanchez made the game safe in stoppage time by tapping in substitute Olivier Giroud&#39;s cross.

&quot;I felt we started well, but when they equalised we were nervous and that&#39;s where having three consecutive draws played a little bit on our minds,&quot; said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, whose team trail Chelsea by three points.

Right-back Mathieu Debuchy, making his first Arsenal start for 370 days, was forced off by a hamstring injury in the first half and Wenger expressed fear the problem was &quot;severe&quot;.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman made an unhappy return to former club Southampton as his current side fell 1-0 to his previous employers.

Charlie Austin scored the game&#39;s only goal after just 41 seconds, heading in from close range after 19-year-old debutant Josh Sims helped on Cedric&#39;s cross.

Stoke City climbed to 11th in the table with a 1-0 win at Watford.

A 29th-minute own goal from Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes settled the game, with Charlie Adam&#39;s header hitting the post and bouncing into the net off the unfortunate Brazilian.

(AFP)

Manchester United manager Mourinho was sent to the stands for kicking a water bottle in protest of Paul Pogba's booking for diving

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was sent off as his side lost more ground in the Premier League title race by drawing 1-1 with West Ham United on Sunday. After Diafra Sakho's second-minute opener was cancelled out by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mourinho was sent to the stands for kicking a water bottle in protest at Paul Pogba's booking for diving. It was United's fourth successive home draw in the league -- a first since 1980 -- and left them 11 points below leaders Chelsea in sixth place. United assistant manager Rui Faria, filling in for Mourinho, told BBC Sport: "We all believe the results will appear. "The referee explained it to Jose and there is nothing more to say. I think it was frustration from Jose after the yellow card for Pogba. "It should be a foul for us, but the referee understood it in another way." Elsewhere, Alexis Sanchez scored twice as Arsenal kept pace within the leading pack by winning 3-1 at home to Bournemouth. Mourinho made six changes to his starting XI at Old Trafford, but his bench created the biggest stir as formerly exiled midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger made an unexpected return to the match-day squad. West Ham needed just 90 seconds to go ahead as Dimitri Payet's free-kick from the right was headed in by Sakho. In the 21st minute, Pogba's deep cross was nodded in by Ibrahimovic, who has now scored seven league goals this season. Moments later referee Jonathan Moss booked Pogba for diving after the France midfielder took evasive action as Mark Noble moved in to tackle him. Mourinho reacted by furiously kicking a plastic bottle and was duly sent to the stands for the second time this season. Wayne Rooney, whose next goal will equal Bobby Charlton's 249-goal club scoring record, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan came on for United in the second half. Jesse Lingard saw a goal chalked off for offside after Mkhitaryan had hit the post, while United were indebted to goalkeeper David de Gea for a crucial late save to deny Ashley Fletcher. - Debuchy blow - United will hope their luck changes when West Ham return to Old Trafford in the League Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday. Arsenal ended a run of three straight draws in all competitions with victory over Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium. With England midfielder Jack Wilshere watching from the stands due to the terms of his loan from Arsenal to Bournemouth, the home side took a 12th-minute lead courtesy of a horror moment from Simon Cook. In seeking to play the ball back to goalkeeper Adam Federici from the right, he undercooked his pass horribly, giving Sanchez the time to pick his spot and put Arsenal ahead. Bournemouth equalised in the 23rd minute when Callum Wilson netted from the penalty spot after Nacho Monreal was harshly adjudged to have fouled him. But Arsenal equalised in the 53rd minute when Theo Walcott headed in Monreal's masterful cross and Sanchez made the game safe in stoppage time by tapping in substitute Olivier Giroud's cross. "I felt we started well, but when they equalised we were nervous and that's where having three consecutive draws played a little bit on our minds," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, whose team trail Chelsea by three points. Right-back Mathieu Debuchy, making his first Arsenal start for 370 days, was forced off by a hamstring injury in the first half and Wenger expressed fear the problem was "severe". Everton manager Ronald Koeman made an unhappy return to former club Southampton as his current side fell 1-0 to his previous employers. Charlie Austin scored the game's only goal after just 41 seconds, heading in from close range after 19-year-old debutant Josh Sims helped on Cedric's cross. Stoke City climbed to 11th in the table with a 1-0 win at Watford. A 29th-minute own goal from Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes settled the game, with Charlie Adam's header hitting the post and bouncing into the net off the unfortunate Brazilian. (AFP)

Football: Mourinho sent off in Man Utd draw, Sanchez fires for Arsenal

Federico Delbonis swept aside Croatia&#39;s Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in Sunday&#39;s deciding rubber as Argentina clinched a first Davis Cup title with a stunning fightback in Zagreb.

Juan Martin del Potro, cheered on by Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, staged an incredible comeback from two sets down to beat Marin Cilic in the opening reverse singles to level the tie at 2-2.

Left-hander Delbonis then tamed the big-serving Karlovic as Argentina, runners-up on four previous occasions, became just the 15th country to lift the trophy in 116 years.

&quot;This is one of those dreams that has come true,&quot; said Delbonis.

&quot;I tried to keep focused to do what I had to do, that&#39;s all I could think because if I thought about anything else it would be a disaster.&quot;

Argentina coach Daniel Orsanic added: &quot;The guys were amazing today. Juan Martin won an incredible match and Federico played the match of his life.&quot;

Delbonis was beaten by Cilic in five sets in Friday&#39;s first singles match but blew away the 37-year-old Karlovic, an opponent ranked 21 places above him, in just over two hours.

The world number 41 broke Karlovic -- the oldest player to feature in a Davis Cup singles match since 43-year-old Australian Norman Brookes in 1920 -- four times to help Argentina banish the memories of losing finals appearances in 1981, 2006, 2008 and 2011.

But much of the credit will go to Del Potro after the Olympic silver medallist, who missed the majority of 2014 and 2015 through injury, outlasted Cilic in an epic five-hour battle of former US Open champions.

&quot;I was positive all the time and did not let my head drop after going two sets down,&quot; said Del Potro.

&quot;This was an emotionally exhausting match and one of the biggest wins of my career.&quot;

- Unprecedented recovery -

Del Potro had defeated Cilic in eight of 10 previous meetings, but Sunday&#39;s clash was the first since 2013 and the Croat was invigorated by an animated Zagreb Arena crowd.

Sixth-ranked Cilic dominated a first set tie-break, winning the first five points to seize control, and then broke Del Potro&#39;s serve twice in succession in the second set to move Croatia within sight of a second title.

But Del Potro, who rallied from behind to overcome Andy Murray in a five-set epic in the semi-final, displayed more remarkable resilience and produced an outrageous &#39;tweener&#39; to begin the third set.

Cilic fought off two early break points but then succumbed to nerves as the finish line approached, falling 0-40 behind on serve at 5-6, and Del Potro pounced at the third opportunity to reignite his country&#39;s hopes.

Del Potro&#39;s blistering forehand piled the pressure on Cilic, and the Argentine sent the match to a fifth set by converting his third set point after his opponent again faltered on serve at 5-4.

Del Potro committed a costly double fault to gift Cilic the advantage at the start of the deciding set, but the world number 38 hit straight back in the following game to level.

The Argentine then conjured up a pair of break points at 4-3 with a miscued forehand from Cilic paving the way for Del Potro to complete a stunning fightback -- his first ever from two sets down -- in four hours and 53 minutes. &nbsp;

&quot;It&rsquo;s a very hard defeat to take,&quot; said Cilic.&nbsp;

&quot;I am very disappointed but I have no regrets because I gave all I had and it was just one of those days when it didn&rsquo;t come off.&quot;

(AFP)

'This is one of those dreams that has come true,' said Federico Delbonis

Federico Delbonis swept aside Croatia's Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in Sunday's deciding rubber as Argentina clinched a first Davis Cup title with a stunning fightback in Zagreb. Juan Martin del Potro, cheered on by Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, staged an incredible comeback from two sets down to beat Marin Cilic in the opening reverse singles to level the tie at 2-2. Left-hander Delbonis then tamed the big-serving Karlovic as Argentina, runners-up on four previous occasions, became just the 15th country to lift the trophy in 116 years. "This is one of those dreams that has come true," said Delbonis. "I tried to keep focused to do what I had to do, that's all I could think because if I thought about anything else it would be a disaster." Argentina coach Daniel Orsanic added: "The guys were amazing today. Juan Martin won an incredible match and Federico played the match of his life." Delbonis was beaten by Cilic in five sets in Friday's first singles match but blew away the 37-year-old Karlovic, an opponent ranked 21 places above him, in just over two hours. The world number 41 broke Karlovic -- the oldest player to feature in a Davis Cup singles match since 43-year-old Australian Norman Brookes in 1920 -- four times to help Argentina banish the memories of losing finals appearances in 1981, 2006, 2008 and 2011. But much of the credit will go to Del Potro after the Olympic silver medallist, who missed the majority of 2014 and 2015 through injury, outlasted Cilic in an epic five-hour battle of former US Open champions. "I was positive all the time and did not let my head drop after going two sets down," said Del Potro. "This was an emotionally exhausting match and one of the biggest wins of my career." - Unprecedented recovery - Del Potro had defeated Cilic in eight of 10 previous meetings, but Sunday's clash was the first since 2013 and the Croat was invigorated by an animated Zagreb Arena crowd. Sixth-ranked Cilic dominated a first set tie-break, winning the first five points to seize control, and then broke Del Potro's serve twice in succession in the second set to move Croatia within sight of a second title. But Del Potro, who rallied from behind to overcome Andy Murray in a five-set epic in the semi-final, displayed more remarkable resilience and produced an outrageous 'tweener' to begin the third set. Cilic fought off two early break points but then succumbed to nerves as the finish line approached, falling 0-40 behind on serve at 5-6, and Del Potro pounced at the third opportunity to reignite his country's hopes. Del Potro's blistering forehand piled the pressure on Cilic, and the Argentine sent the match to a fifth set by converting his third set point after his opponent again faltered on serve at 5-4. Del Potro committed a costly double fault to gift Cilic the advantage at the start of the deciding set, but the world number 38 hit straight back in the following game to level. The Argentine then conjured up a pair of break points at 4-3 with a miscued forehand from Cilic paving the way for Del Potro to complete a stunning fightback -- his first ever from two sets down -- in four hours and 53 minutes. "It’s a very hard defeat to take," said Cilic. "I am very disappointed but I have no regrets because I gave all I had and it was just one of those days when it didn’t come off." (AFP)

Tennis: Delbonis seals Argentina's maiden Davis Cup title

Chelsea fought back for a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur that cemented their place on top of the Premier League, while title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool kept pace with the leaders on Saturday.

Antonio Conte&#39;s Chelsea had been knocked out of pole position by City&#39;s 2-1 win at Burnley and Liverpool&#39;s 2-0 success against Sunderland earlier in the afternoon.

But they regained their one-point lead over second-placed Liverpool, who are level on points with third-placed City, thanks to a gritty London derby success at Stamford Bridge that made it seven successive league wins for the Blues.

Chelsea hadn&#39;t conceded a league goal since September 24, but Christian Eriksen fired Tottenham ahead in the 11th minute with a ferocious long-range strike.

Despite being outplayed for much of the first half, Chelsea went back to the dressing room on level terms thanks to a sublime curling effort from Pedro just before the interval.

In the 51st minute, Diego Costa picked out Victor Moses at the far post and his shot was deflected into the net off Jan Vertonghen as Chelsea ended Tottenham&#39;s 12-match unbeaten league run.

&quot;These games are difficult, It was a tough game with a lot of intensity,&quot; Conte said.

&quot;It&#39;s important to continue in this way and improve the confidence. It&#39;s too early to talk of the title. This league is very tough.&quot;

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino added: &quot;If we analyse the game, we were better. All the stats are for us but football is not just about stats. You need to be clinical and score.&quot;

Earlier, Sergio Aguero scored two scruffy goals as City saw off Burnley and Liverpool followed suit by downing Sunderland with goals from Divock Origi and James Milner after losing Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho to a worrying injury.

&quot;It was an intense game for us and a deserved win at the end,&quot; said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

&quot;It (Coutinho&#39;s injury) is an ankle injury, but we can&#39;t say any more until we see a scan.&quot;

Swansea City claimed an extraordinary 5-4 win over fellow strugglers Crystal Palace, while champions Leicester City narrowly avoided a seventh defeat of the campaign in a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough.

Having seen City prevail at Turf Moor in the early game, Liverpool were under pressure to produce the goods against a Sunderland team who had won their two previous matches.

In the first half, the influential Coutinho was stretchered off with his right ankle in a brace after hurting himself in a challenge by Didier Ndong.

Origi took the Brazil international&#39;s place and he gave Liverpool a reward for their dominance in the 75th minute with his first league goal of the season.

Jordan Henderson picked the Belgian forward out on the left and he cut inside onto his right foot and swept a shot inside the far post.

Milner completed the victory from the penalty spot in the first minute of injury time.

Burnley took a shock 14th-minute lead against City when Dean Marney met Nicolas Otamendi&#39;s headed clearance with a thumping 25-yard volley that nestled in the bottom-left corner.

Pardew woe

But Aguero equalised in the 37th minute, stabbing home after Burnley failed to clear a corner, and the hosts&#39; luck continued to desert them as both Marney and Johann Berg Gudmundsson went off injured.

A defensive mix-up allowed City to net the decisive goal on the hour, with Fernandinho&#39;s cross striking Aguero and going in after Ben Mee and Stephen Ward had got in each other&#39;s way.

&quot;We are so satisfied for the points and the performance, especially two days after the Champions League,&quot; said City manager Pep Guardiola, whose side host Chelsea next weekend.

&quot;All of the players showed huge character and a lot of personality.&quot;

Swansea upped the pressure on Palace manager Alan Pardew by condemning the south London club to a sixth straight defeat in a madcap game that gave Bob Bradley his first win since becoming manager.

Palace led 1-0, fell 3-1 down, fought back to go 4-3 up, but eventually succumbed courtesy of a remarkable brace of injury-time goals from Spanish striker Fernando Llorente.

&quot;Crazy, at 3-1 I thought we were in control. That&#39;s one we won&#39;t forget,&quot; Bradley said.

&quot;I&#39;m going to give the players all the credit today. They fought until the end.&quot;

The victory took Swansea off the foot of the table, where they were replaced by Sunderland, and left Palace above the bottom three on goal difference.

Hull City and West Bromwich Albion drew 1-1.

(AFP)

&nbsp;

Chelsea fought back for a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur that cemented their place on top of the Premier League

Chelsea fought back for a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur that cemented their place on top of the Premier League, while title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool kept pace with the leaders on Saturday. Antonio Conte's Chelsea had been knocked out of pole position by City's 2-1 win at Burnley and Liverpool's 2-0 success against Sunderland earlier in the afternoon. But they regained their one-point lead over second-placed Liverpool, who are level on points with third-placed City, thanks to a gritty London derby success at Stamford Bridge that made it seven successive league wins for the Blues. Chelsea hadn't conceded a league goal since September 24, but Christian Eriksen fired Tottenham ahead in the 11th minute with a ferocious long-range strike. Despite being outplayed for much of the first half, Chelsea went back to the dressing room on level terms thanks to a sublime curling effort from Pedro just before the interval. In the 51st minute, Diego Costa picked out Victor Moses at the far post and his shot was deflected into the net off Jan Vertonghen as Chelsea ended Tottenham's 12-match unbeaten league run. "These games are difficult, It was a tough game with a lot of intensity," Conte said. "It's important to continue in this way and improve the confidence. It's too early to talk of the title. This league is very tough." Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino added: "If we analyse the game, we were better. All the stats are for us but football is not just about stats. You need to be clinical and score." Earlier, Sergio Aguero scored two scruffy goals as City saw off Burnley and Liverpool followed suit by downing Sunderland with goals from Divock Origi and James Milner after losing Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho to a worrying injury. "It was an intense game for us and a deserved win at the end," said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. "It (Coutinho's injury) is an ankle injury, but we can't say any more until we see a scan." Swansea City claimed an extraordinary 5-4 win over fellow strugglers Crystal Palace, while champions Leicester City narrowly avoided a seventh defeat of the campaign in a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough. Having seen City prevail at Turf Moor in the early game, Liverpool were under pressure to produce the goods against a Sunderland team who had won their two previous matches. In the first half, the influential Coutinho was stretchered off with his right ankle in a brace after hurting himself in a challenge by Didier Ndong. Origi took the Brazil international's place and he gave Liverpool a reward for their dominance in the 75th minute with his first league goal of the season. Jordan Henderson picked the Belgian forward out on the left and he cut inside onto his right foot and swept a shot inside the far post. Milner completed the victory from the penalty spot in the first minute of injury time. Burnley took a shock 14th-minute lead against City when Dean Marney met Nicolas Otamendi's headed clearance with a thumping 25-yard volley that nestled in the bottom-left corner. Pardew woe But Aguero equalised in the 37th minute, stabbing home after Burnley failed to clear a corner, and the hosts' luck continued to desert them as both Marney and Johann Berg Gudmundsson went off injured. A defensive mix-up allowed City to net the decisive goal on the hour, with Fernandinho's cross striking Aguero and going in after Ben Mee and Stephen Ward had got in each other's way. "We are so satisfied for the points and the performance, especially two days after the Champions League," said City manager Pep Guardiola, whose side host Chelsea next weekend. "All of the players showed huge character and a lot of personality." Swansea upped the pressure on Palace manager Alan Pardew by condemning the south London club to a sixth straight defeat in a madcap game that gave Bob Bradley his first win since becoming manager. Palace led 1-0, fell 3-1 down, fought back to go 4-3 up, but eventually succumbed courtesy of a remarkable brace of injury-time goals from Spanish striker Fernando Llorente. "Crazy, at 3-1 I thought we were in control. That's one we won't forget," Bradley said. "I'm going to give the players all the credit today. They fought until the end." The victory took Swansea off the foot of the table, where they were replaced by Sunderland, and left Palace above the bottom three on goal difference. Hull City and West Bromwich Albion drew 1-1. (AFP)

Football: Chelsea down Spurs as City, Liverpool keep pace

Police investigations into the sexual abuse of youngsters within English football widened Friday as England captain Wayne Rooney praised victims for speaking out.

Jason Dunford, once a youth player with Premier League giants Manchester City, added to the growing tide of abuse accusations that have rocked the English game by alleging that a football paedophile ring was covered up.

The allegations mainly centre on Barry Bennell, a youth coach with Manchester City, Stoke City, Crewe Alexandra and several junior teams in northwest England.

Andy Woodward last week became the first player to reveal publicly the abuse Bennell inflicted upon him, triggering a stream of similar claims.

Bennell was given a four-year sentence for raping a British boy on a football tour of Florida in 1994 and a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998.

He was jailed for a third time in 2015 when he pleaded guilty to abusing a boy at a football camp in Macclesfield, northwest England, in 1980.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) announced Thursday it had launched a telephone helpline for victims of football abuse.&nbsp;

Rooney urged any player who had been affected to call the hotline and no longer &quot;suffer in silence&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s awful that some of my colleagues have suffered this way whilst playing the sport that I and they love,&quot; the Manchester United forward said.&nbsp;

&quot;Andy (Woodward) has been really brave to come forward and I would encourage anyone who has or is suffering from abuse to call the NSPCC&#39;s new football helpline.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s important that people know that it&#39;s ok to speak out, there is help available and that they don&#39;t need to suffer in silence.&quot;

Allegations increase

Police said the establishment of the hotline and the publicity generated by former players sharing their stories in the media had prompted other potential victims to come forward, with Bennell not the only name under investigation.

A growing number of allegations have been reported in four police force areas, against several individuals.

London&#39;s Metropolitan Police said it had received information relating to &quot;non-recent sexual abuse in football clubs&quot; in the city, without naming the teams involved.

Earlier, Dunford told BBC television: &quot;I believe there was a conspiracy and paedophile ring.&quot;

Dunford added Bennell had attempted to touch him in bed while he had been staying at a holiday camp after winning a football competition.

&quot;There were people at those clubs who had a duty to look after boys coming through their system,&quot; Dunford said. &quot;I think (Jimmy) Savile looks like a choirboy compared to this fellow.&quot;

Following his death in 2011, numerous allegations of sexual abuse stretching back six decades tainted the name of Savile, a BBC radio DJ and television presenter.&nbsp;

As a result of allegations involving Savile and other high-profile figures, but none specifically linked to football, a wide-ranging inquiry into sex abuse in Britain was established two years ago.

The probe has said it is open to examining allegations within football.

A spokeswoman said the investigation&#39;s role is to look at &quot;institutional failure to protect children from child sexual abuse&quot;, adding that its terms of reference &quot;are broad enough to include failures by sports clubs&quot;.

Death threats

Seven former players have come forward to allege abuse by a youth coach.

Former Manchester City and England forward David White, Woodward, Dunford, Chris Unsworth and Steve Walters all allege they were abused by Bennell.

Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Paul Stewart, capped three times by England, said he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by an unnamed man who threatened to kill his family if he told anyone.

The Guardian newspaper said it had been approached by a former Newcastle United player, whose identity it did not reveal, alleging he had been sexually abused while at the northeast club.

The ex-player named George Ormond, who has already had a six-year prison sentence for convictions involving boys from the club&#39;s youth system over a 24-year period.

The English Premier League said it was &quot;very concerned&quot; by the allegations and offered its support to anyone coming forward. It said clubs were regularly visited to check their safeguarding provisions for youth players.

(AFP)

Andy Woodward last week became the first player to reveal publicly the abuse Barry Bennell inflicted upon him

Police investigations into the sexual abuse of youngsters within English football widened Friday as England captain Wayne Rooney praised victims for speaking out. Jason Dunford, once a youth player with Premier League giants Manchester City, added to the growing tide of abuse accusations that have rocked the English game by alleging that a football paedophile ring was covered up. The allegations mainly centre on Barry Bennell, a youth coach with Manchester City, Stoke City, Crewe Alexandra and several junior teams in northwest England. Andy Woodward last week became the first player to reveal publicly the abuse Bennell inflicted upon him, triggering a stream of similar claims. Bennell was given a four-year sentence for raping a British boy on a football tour of Florida in 1994 and a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998. He was jailed for a third time in 2015 when he pleaded guilty to abusing a boy at a football camp in Macclesfield, northwest England, in 1980. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) announced Thursday it had launched a telephone helpline for victims of football abuse. Rooney urged any player who had been affected to call the hotline and no longer "suffer in silence". "It's awful that some of my colleagues have suffered this way whilst playing the sport that I and they love," the Manchester United forward said. "Andy (Woodward) has been really brave to come forward and I would encourage anyone who has or is suffering from abuse to call the NSPCC's new football helpline. "It's important that people know that it's ok to speak out, there is help available and that they don't need to suffer in silence." Allegations increase Police said the establishment of the hotline and the publicity generated by former players sharing their stories in the media had prompted other potential victims to come forward, with Bennell not the only name under investigation. A growing number of allegations have been reported in four police force areas, against several individuals. London's Metropolitan Police said it had received information relating to "non-recent sexual abuse in football clubs" in the city, without naming the teams involved. Earlier, Dunford told BBC television: "I believe there was a conspiracy and paedophile ring." Dunford added Bennell had attempted to touch him in bed while he had been staying at a holiday camp after winning a football competition. "There were people at those clubs who had a duty to look after boys coming through their system," Dunford said. "I think (Jimmy) Savile looks like a choirboy compared to this fellow." Following his death in 2011, numerous allegations of sexual abuse stretching back six decades tainted the name of Savile, a BBC radio DJ and television presenter. As a result of allegations involving Savile and other high-profile figures, but none specifically linked to football, a wide-ranging inquiry into sex abuse in Britain was established two years ago. The probe has said it is open to examining allegations within football. A spokeswoman said the investigation's role is to look at "institutional failure to protect children from child sexual abuse", adding that its terms of reference "are broad enough to include failures by sports clubs". Death threats Seven former players have come forward to allege abuse by a youth coach. Former Manchester City and England forward David White, Woodward, Dunford, Chris Unsworth and Steve Walters all allege they were abused by Bennell. Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Paul Stewart, capped three times by England, said he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by an unnamed man who threatened to kill his family if he told anyone. The Guardian newspaper said it had been approached by a former Newcastle United player, whose identity it did not reveal, alleging he had been sexually abused while at the northeast club. The ex-player named George Ormond, who has already had a six-year prison sentence for convictions involving boys from the club's youth system over a 24-year period. The English Premier League said it was "very concerned" by the allegations and offered its support to anyone coming forward. It said clubs were regularly visited to check their safeguarding provisions for youth players. (AFP)

Football: Probes widen into youth sex abuse at English clubs

Fernando Llorente&#39;s two injury-time goals saw Swansea come from behind to snatch a thrilling 5-4 win over Crystal Palace in an amazing see-saw game at the Liberty Stadium, snapping an 11-game winless streak and handing the Eagles their sixth straight defeat.

Wilfried Zaha opened the scoring for Palace but Bob Bradley&#39;s Swans looked set for their first win since the opening day of the season as a Gylfi Sigurdsson free kick and a brace from Leroy Fer put them 3-1 midway through the second half.

Unbowed, Alan Pardew&#39;s Palace came roaring back, James Tomkins forcing home a corner and Jack Cork deflecting the ball into his own net before Christian Benteke put the visitors 4-3 up with just six minutes left.

But Llorente netted twice in the 91st and 93rd minute to put the home side back on top, and they hung on grimly through seven minutes of injury time for the three precious points that take them off the bottom of the table.

(Reuters)

Bob Bradley's Swans looked set for their first win since the opening day of the season

Fernando Llorente's two injury-time goals saw Swansea come from behind to snatch a thrilling 5-4 win over Crystal Palace in an amazing see-saw game at the Liberty Stadium, snapping an 11-game winless streak and handing the Eagles their sixth straight defeat. Wilfried Zaha opened the scoring for Palace but Bob Bradley's Swans looked set for their first win since the opening day of the season as a Gylfi Sigurdsson free kick and a brace from Leroy Fer put them 3-1 midway through the second half. Unbowed, Alan Pardew's Palace came roaring back, James Tomkins forcing home a corner and Jack Cork deflecting the ball into his own net before Christian Benteke put the visitors 4-3 up with just six minutes left. But Llorente netted twice in the 91st and 93rd minute to put the home side back on top, and they hung on grimly through seven minutes of injury time for the three precious points that take them off the bottom of the table. (Reuters)

Premier League: Swansea stun Palace with last-gasp winner in 5-4 thriller

Roger Federer whipping a forehand down-the-line off Pete Sampras&#39; famous serve during Wimbledon 2001 and sinking to the ground in jubilation will go down as a momentous occasion in tennis folklore for more reasons than one. Even though it took the Swiss a couple of years after that to consolidate his big arrival, the world knew only too well that the game&#39;s next grand daddy was here.

From 2004 to 2007, Federer showcased a type of dominance similar to the one achieved by the great Rod Laver in the 1960s. Notching up a staggering 11 Grand Slams through that period of four years, the genius from Basel was arguably the greatest active sportsperson at that time.

However, for all his success on grass and hard courts, Federer was never quite able to stamp his authority on clay. And the reason for that, of course, was tennis&#39; next big thing Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard&#39;s victories in nine out of the ten French Opens from 2005 to 2014 is testament to his supremacy on the slow, dusty surface. The passing of the baton from Federer to Nadal, though, happened after the latter&#39;s victory in the 2008 Wimbledon final, probably the greatest match in tennis history.

From that year on, through to 2010, the Mallorcan won six Majors and an Olympic singles Gold medal, along with ending Federer&#39;s record four-and-a-half year reign at the top of the rankings.

A physically brutal game, leading to a damning knee injury, spelt doom for Nadal&#39;s stay at the top of the rankings. And that paved the way for Novak Djokovic to take centre-stage. The Serbian had already made a mark by winning the Australian Open in 2008, but 2011 was the year when he truly came into his own. Winning all the Grand Slams, apart from the French Open, Djokovic stitched together an astonishing 41-match winning streak at the beginning of the season.

In the years to come, the Serb raced to the top of the rankings, stocking up a tally of 12 Majors, and opened up a sizable gap between him and the rest of the field. What he also did was establish himself as the single dominant force in the, now prevalent, &#39;Big Four&#39; of the men&#39;s game.

This was possible partly because of the fact that, up until then, the fourth wheel of this club hadn&#39;t really done much to stake his claim at the top in the first place.

Andy Murray, who was born a week before Djokovic, came on to the stage with the hopes of an entire nation riding on his shoulders. Great Britain hadn&#39;t seen a Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936, but had seen enough potential in Murray to pin all their hopes on him. But their expectations weren&#39;t matched until Murray&#39;s 100th career Grand Slam match, when he finally broke through the shackles and laid his hands on the US Open trophy in 2012. The Scot backed that up with a memorable Wimbledon triumph in 2013, followed by an Olympic Gold medal on the same hallowed grass the next month.

However, those victories proved to be a flash in the pan as Murray failed to win a single Major for the next three years. Having turned pro in 2005, he spent the better part of his career living in the shadows of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. No one ever doubted his abilities, but the results never matched up to the talent. Was it the simple case of Murray&#39;s peers being better than him, or was his infamous temperament getting the better of him?

The year 2016, though, has finally given real hope to his supporters. After bulldozing through the first half of the season, Djokovic&#39;s form took a sudden turn for the worst during Wimbledon where he was blasted off the court by American Sam Querry, paving the way for Murray to claim his second All England title. The Brit carried that form through to Rio, where he became the first tennis player, male of female, to win a second Olympic singles Gold medal. As of today, Murray is sitting on an unbeaten 24-match winning streak, after his victories in the Shanghai Masters, Paris Masters and the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Murray&#39;s domination of Djokovic in Sunday&#39;s ATP Finals is hugely significant. The two right-handers, having grown up playing together in the junior circuit, share one of modern tennis&#39; biggest rivalries, albeit, one-sided. The duo have contested 35 times in their careers and the Serbian leads the head-to-head by 24-11. Be it the ATP 1000 Masters or the Grand Slams, Djokovic has largely had the measure of Murray. Sunday&#39;s lop-sided result, thus, could be an important mental victory for the Scot and a sign of things to come.

If one glances through the annals, one will find that most great players, including, Federer, have sustained sudden, inexplicable falls from sovereignty. Just when you start believing that they&#39;re untouchable, something snaps. Is it Djokovic&#39;s turn now?

&quot;If you had told me six months ago that this would even be an issue, I would have said you&#39;re crazy,&quot; American legend John McEnroe said of Djokovic&#39;s sudden vulnerability to BBC.

With Federer making a comeback in 2017 after sitting out the second half of this season with an injury, Nadal struggling to find lost form since returning from injury, young guns like Milos Raonic and Dominic Thiem not quite arriving yet, and Djokovic&#39;s career entering an uncharted territory, now is the time for Murray&#39;s era to finally arrive.

(This articlle first appeared on DNA)

A glance through the past decade-and-a-half of men's tennis' power game

Roger Federer whipping a forehand down-the-line off Pete Sampras' famous serve during Wimbledon 2001 and sinking to the ground in jubilation will go down as a momentous occasion in tennis folklore for more reasons than one. Even though it took the Swiss a couple of years after that to consolidate his big arrival, the world knew only too well that the game's next grand daddy was here. From 2004 to 2007, Federer showcased a type of dominance similar to the one achieved by the great Rod Laver in the 1960s. Notching up a staggering 11 Grand Slams through that period of four years, the genius from Basel was arguably the greatest active sportsperson at that time. However, for all his success on grass and hard courts, Federer was never quite able to stamp his authority on clay. And the reason for that, of course, was tennis' next big thing Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard's victories in nine out of the ten French Opens from 2005 to 2014 is testament to his supremacy on the slow, dusty surface. The passing of the baton from Federer to Nadal, though, happened after the latter's victory in the 2008 Wimbledon final, probably the greatest match in tennis history. From that year on, through to 2010, the Mallorcan won six Majors and an Olympic singles Gold medal, along with ending Federer's record four-and-a-half year reign at the top of the rankings. A physically brutal game, leading to a damning knee injury, spelt doom for Nadal's stay at the top of the rankings. And that paved the way for Novak Djokovic to take centre-stage. The Serbian had already made a mark by winning the Australian Open in 2008, but 2011 was the year when he truly came into his own. Winning all the Grand Slams, apart from the French Open, Djokovic stitched together an astonishing 41-match winning streak at the beginning of the season. In the years to come, the Serb raced to the top of the rankings, stocking up a tally of 12 Majors, and opened up a sizable gap between him and the rest of the field. What he also did was establish himself as the single dominant force in the, now prevalent, 'Big Four' of the men's game. This was possible partly because of the fact that, up until then, the fourth wheel of this club hadn't really done much to stake his claim at the top in the first place. Andy Murray, who was born a week before Djokovic, came on to the stage with the hopes of an entire nation riding on his shoulders. Great Britain hadn't seen a Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936, but had seen enough potential in Murray to pin all their hopes on him. But their expectations weren't matched until Murray's 100th career Grand Slam match, when he finally broke through the shackles and laid his hands on the US Open trophy in 2012. The Scot backed that up with a memorable Wimbledon triumph in 2013, followed by an Olympic Gold medal on the same hallowed grass the next month. However, those victories proved to be a flash in the pan as Murray failed to win a single Major for the next three years. Having turned pro in 2005, he spent the better part of his career living in the shadows of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. No one ever doubted his abilities, but the results never matched up to the talent. Was it the simple case of Murray's peers being better than him, or was his infamous temperament getting the better of him? The year 2016, though, has finally given real hope to his supporters. After bulldozing through the first half of the season, Djokovic's form took a sudden turn for the worst during Wimbledon where he was blasted off the court by American Sam Querry, paving the way for Murray to claim his second All England title. The Brit carried that form through to Rio, where he became the first tennis player, male of female, to win a second Olympic singles Gold medal. As of today, Murray is sitting on an unbeaten 24-match winning streak, after his victories in the Shanghai Masters, Paris Masters and the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London. Murray's domination of Djokovic in Sunday's ATP Finals is hugely significant. The two right-handers, having grown up playing together in the junior circuit, share one of modern tennis' biggest rivalries, albeit, one-sided. The duo have contested 35 times in their careers and the Serbian leads the head-to-head by 24-11. Be it the ATP 1000 Masters or the Grand Slams, Djokovic has largely had the measure of Murray. Sunday's lop-sided result, thus, could be an important mental victory for the Scot and a sign of things to come. If one glances through the annals, one will find that most great players, including, Federer, have sustained sudden, inexplicable falls from sovereignty. Just when you start believing that they're untouchable, something snaps. Is it Djokovic's turn now? "If you had told me six months ago that this would even be an issue, I would have said you're crazy," American legend John McEnroe said of Djokovic's sudden vulnerability to BBC. With Federer making a comeback in 2017 after sitting out the second half of this season with an injury, Nadal struggling to find lost form since returning from injury, young guns like Milos Raonic and Dominic Thiem not quite arriving yet, and Djokovic's career entering an uncharted territory, now is the time for Murray's era to finally arrive. (This articlle first appeared on DNA)

After Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, has Andy Murray's time finally come?

FIFA is facing a lawsuit in a Zurich court over regulations that ban the transfer of players under the age of 18.

The case was been filed at the Zurich Commercial Court on Wednesday on behalf of a 17-year-old African player and his parents, who say that the rules make FIFA&#39;s transfer regulations unlawful.

A spokesman for Zurich law firm Nater Dallafior Rechtsanwaelte, which has brought the case, said in a statement that the player, who had represented his country at youth level, was unable to move to a club in the European Union because of the rules.

&quot;Thereby, he and his family miss the probably unique chance of a professional and social advancement,&quot; said the statement issued on Thursday.

FIFA bans the international transfers of players under the age of 18 unless their parents have emigrated for reasons not connected to football or both the player and club are based within 50 kilometres of a national border.

The only other exception is for transfers within either the EU or European Economic Area (EEA), where the minimum age is 16.

In those cases, clubs must still ensure that the player continues his education and studies for an alternative career, as well as making sure he has a high living standard.

&quot;FIFA implemented these regulations on the pretext that young football players such as the claimant must be protected,&quot; said the statement.

&quot;In reality, however, these regulations lead to a discrimination of football players from third countries outside the European Union.&quot; This, it said, made them unlawful.

The statement said the rules also infringed EU law, which allowed for unrestricted free movement of students and employees.

FIFA could not immediately be reached for comment but has argued in the past that the rules go back to an agreement signed in 2001 between FIFA, UEFA and the European Commission and these had been further developed over the years.

Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have been banned from signing players for two transfer windows by FIFA for breaching the rules while Barcelona have completed a similar ban. All three clubs denied wrongdoing.

Former Cameroon international Jean-Claude Mbvoumin, who has set up the Culture Foot Solidaire group to fight the trafficking of minors, says that young African players are still brought to Europe by false agents.

He told Reuters last year that families sometimes hand over their life savings to the agents hoping to secure a move to a top club, only for their sons to be abandoned on the streets of Europe.

FIFA is also facing a legal complaint at the European Commission from the world players&#39; union FIFPro, which says that the current transfer regulations have led to a lack of competition in the sport.

(Reuters)

FIFA bans the international transfers of players under the age of 18 unless their parents have emigrated for reasons not related to football

FIFA is facing a lawsuit in a Zurich court over regulations that ban the transfer of players under the age of 18. The case was been filed at the Zurich Commercial Court on Wednesday on behalf of a 17-year-old African player and his parents, who say that the rules make FIFA's transfer regulations unlawful. A spokesman for Zurich law firm Nater Dallafior Rechtsanwaelte, which has brought the case, said in a statement that the player, who had represented his country at youth level, was unable to move to a club in the European Union because of the rules. "Thereby, he and his family miss the probably unique chance of a professional and social advancement," said the statement issued on Thursday. FIFA bans the international transfers of players under the age of 18 unless their parents have emigrated for reasons not connected to football or both the player and club are based within 50 kilometres of a national border. The only other exception is for transfers within either the EU or European Economic Area (EEA), where the minimum age is 16. In those cases, clubs must still ensure that the player continues his education and studies for an alternative career, as well as making sure he has a high living standard. "FIFA implemented these regulations on the pretext that young football players such as the claimant must be protected," said the statement. "In reality, however, these regulations lead to a discrimination of football players from third countries outside the European Union." This, it said, made them unlawful. The statement said the rules also infringed EU law, which allowed for unrestricted free movement of students and employees. FIFA could not immediately be reached for comment but has argued in the past that the rules go back to an agreement signed in 2001 between FIFA, UEFA and the European Commission and these had been further developed over the years. Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have been banned from signing players for two transfer windows by FIFA for breaching the rules while Barcelona have completed a similar ban. All three clubs denied wrongdoing. Former Cameroon international Jean-Claude Mbvoumin, who has set up the Culture Foot Solidaire group to fight the trafficking of minors, says that young African players are still brought to Europe by false agents. He told Reuters last year that families sometimes hand over their life savings to the agents hoping to secure a move to a top club, only for their sons to be abandoned on the streets of Europe. FIFA is also facing a legal complaint at the European Commission from the world players' union FIFPro, which says that the current transfer regulations have led to a lack of competition in the sport. (Reuters)

FIFA faces lawsuit over rules banning transfer of minors

Spain&#39;s public prosecutor has called for Barcelona soccer player Neymar to be sent to prison for two years for his part in a corruption case over his transfer from Brazilian club Santos to the Liga champions in 2013, said a court filing on Wednesday.

Judge Jose Perals also called for a five-year sentence for former Barca president Sandro Rosell and a fine of 8.4 million euros ($8.9 million) for the club, but called for charges against current president Josep Maria Bartomeu to be dropped.

(Reuters)

The case is related to his part in a corruption case over his transfer from Brazilian club Santos to the Liga champions in 2013

Spain's public prosecutor has called for Barcelona soccer player Neymar to be sent to prison for two years for his part in a corruption case over his transfer from Brazilian club Santos to the Liga champions in 2013, said a court filing on Wednesday. Judge Jose Perals also called for a five-year sentence for former Barca president Sandro Rosell and a fine of 8.4 million euros ($8.9 million) for the club, but called for charges against current president Josep Maria Bartomeu to be dropped. (Reuters)

Spanish court wants two-year prison sentence for Barca's Neymar

The Indian women&#39;s cricket team slumped to a six-wicket defeat at the hands of West Indies in the opening Twenty20 international of the three-match series at the Dr. Gokaraju Liala Gangaaraju ACA Cricket Ground&nbsp;on Friday.

Opting to bat first, India made a poor start to their innings as they lost openers Vellaswamy Vanitha and Smriti Mandhana cheaply for three and 11 runs, respectively.

However, first drop Veda Krishnamurthy (unbeaten at 50) then joined forces with captain Harmanpreet Kaur (unbeaten at 68) and shared a solid 88-run stand for the third wicket to help India post a respectable target of 151 runs in their stipulated 20 overs.

In reply, opener Stafanie Taylor led from the front as she struck a 51-ball 90 runs to help the Caribbean side chase down the target with five balls to spare.Shikha Pandey was the pick of the bowlers for India for his figures of three for 31.

India, who now went down 0-1 in the series, will play their second T20I against West Indies at the same venue on Sunday.

(ANI)&nbsp;

Opting to bat first, India made a poor start to their innings as they lost openers Vellaswamy Vanitha and Smriti Mandhana

The Indian women's cricket team slumped to a six-wicket defeat at the hands of West Indies in the opening Twenty20 international of the three-match series at the Dr. Gokaraju Liala Gangaaraju ACA Cricket Ground on Friday. Opting to bat first, India made a poor start to their innings as they lost openers Vellaswamy Vanitha and Smriti Mandhana cheaply for three and 11 runs, respectively. However, first drop Veda Krishnamurthy (unbeaten at 50) then joined forces with captain Harmanpreet Kaur (unbeaten at 68) and shared a solid 88-run stand for the third wicket to help India post a respectable target of 151 runs in their stipulated 20 overs. In reply, opener Stafanie Taylor led from the front as she struck a 51-ball 90 runs to help the Caribbean side chase down the target with five balls to spare.Shikha Pandey was the pick of the bowlers for India for his figures of three for 31. India, who now went down 0-1 in the series, will play their second T20I against West Indies at the same venue on Sunday. (ANI)

T20 Cricket: Indian women's team lose to West Indies by six wickets

The English Premier League has sold its television rights in China to streaming service PPTV for $700 million, a source familiar with the matter said, several times the size of past deals as it cashes in on a growing enthusiasm for soccer.

A spokesman for PPTV, part of retail group Suning, confirmed a three-year deal that will kick in from the 2019/20 season. He did not comment on the value as the agreement has not yet been formalised.

&quot;We were successful in our bid, but it hasn`t formally been signed yet,&quot; said PPTV spokesman Sun Xiaobo. &quot;We`ve definitely already won the tender.&quot;

The Premier League has not confirmed the deal. PPTV is one of China`s largest streaming services and already owns the rights to Spain`s La Liga.

Under President Xi Jinping, China has been looking to expand its global presence in the sport.&nbsp;

It has invested billions of dollars to develop grassroots soccer academies, brought high-profile players and managers into China from overseas, and is buying into global assets from Italian club Inter Milan to Manchester City.

The Premier League, for its part, has seen television revenues shoot up globally in recent years - back home in Britain, pay-TV group Sky last year agreed to pay 4.2 billion pounds ($5.21 billion) to show 126 live English Premier League matches a season from 2016 to 2019.

NBC last year paid around $1 billion for a six-year deal to broadcast the league in the United States until the end of the 2021/22 season, near double that of their prior three-year deal.

Beijing-based Super Sports Media is the current rights holders in China with local media reports suggesting they paid more than 1 billion yuan ($145.13 million) for a six-year deal until the end of the 2018/19 season.&nbsp;

The deal with PPTV will allow the English Premier League to tap into the growing market for pay-per-view online streaming and subscription services in China.

A 2014 survey by Repucom estimated there were 170 million fans of the English Premier League in China, while Chinese state media last year reported that some 350 million had tuned into matches beamed live from Britain.

Suning have been enthusiastic supporters of President Xi`s ambitious plans for China to become a dominant force in the global sports market.&nbsp;

The acquisition of nearly 70 percent of Italian glamour club Inter for about $300 million in June was the first major step in its plan to create a global sports empire stretching from soccer clubs to online broadcasting.

(Reuters)

A spokesman for streaming service PPTV confirmed a three-year deal that will kick in from the 2019/20 season

The English Premier League has sold its television rights in China to streaming service PPTV for $700 million, a source familiar with the matter said, several times the size of past deals as it cashes in on a growing enthusiasm for soccer. A spokesman for PPTV, part of retail group Suning, confirmed a three-year deal that will kick in from the 2019/20 season. He did not comment on the value as the agreement has not yet been formalised. "We were successful in our bid, but it hasn`t formally been signed yet," said PPTV spokesman Sun Xiaobo. "We`ve definitely already won the tender." The Premier League has not confirmed the deal. PPTV is one of China`s largest streaming services and already owns the rights to Spain`s La Liga. Under President Xi Jinping, China has been looking to expand its global presence in the sport. It has invested billions of dollars to develop grassroots soccer academies, brought high-profile players and managers into China from overseas, and is buying into global assets from Italian club Inter Milan to Manchester City. The Premier League, for its part, has seen television revenues shoot up globally in recent years - back home in Britain, pay-TV group Sky last year agreed to pay 4.2 billion pounds ($5.21 billion) to show 126 live English Premier League matches a season from 2016 to 2019. NBC last year paid around $1 billion for a six-year deal to broadcast the league in the United States until the end of the 2021/22 season, near double that of their prior three-year deal. Beijing-based Super Sports Media is the current rights holders in China with local media reports suggesting they paid more than 1 billion yuan ($145.13 million) for a six-year deal until the end of the 2018/19 season. The deal with PPTV will allow the English Premier League to tap into the growing market for pay-per-view online streaming and subscription services in China. A 2014 survey by Repucom estimated there were 170 million fans of the English Premier League in China, while Chinese state media last year reported that some 350 million had tuned into matches beamed live from Britain. Suning have been enthusiastic supporters of President Xi`s ambitious plans for China to become a dominant force in the global sports market. The acquisition of nearly 70 percent of Italian glamour club Inter for about $300 million in June was the first major step in its plan to create a global sports empire stretching from soccer clubs to online broadcasting. (Reuters)

English Premier League sells China TV rights for $700 million

Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday said he has a &quot;psychological advantage&quot; over England after his all-round showing put India on top in the second Test as the visitors struggled against spin on day two in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

England were reeling at 103 for five at stumps in response to India&#39;s first innings score of 455. The visitors still trail by 352 runs.

Ashwin, who scored a gritty half-century to propel the Indian score after skipper Virat Kohli&#39;s 167, claimed two wickets in the final session to rattle the English top-order.

Currently ranked the world&#39;s top Test bowler, Ashwin underlined his prowess with the bat by averaging over 60 when England last toured India in 2012.

&quot;And generally I mean there are attacks where you feel confident out there,&quot; Ashwin, who has recorded eight fifties and four hundreds in 41 Tests, told reporters. Ever since England toured here last time, I have been batting well... so that`s a psychological advantage you carry into a game when I play against them,&quot; he said.

Pace spearhead Mohammed Shami gave India an early breakthrough after shattering skipper Alastair Cook`s off stump as England began their first innings reply before tea.

Shami bowled an inspired first spell with the new ball as he cleaned up Cook for two in the third over of the innings.

Shami`s sensational delivery pitched on a good length before moving in a shade to hit the top of Cook`s off stump and break it in two, leaving England 4-1.

Haseeb Hameed, who impressed on debut with a well-made 82 in the second innings of the Rajkot Test, put on 47 runs with Joe Root (53) in his bid to steady the innings. But Hameed`s resistance did not last long as he was run out for 13 after being sent back while attempting to take a second run.

Off-spinner Ashwin soon took charge to get Ben Duckett clean bowled for five and then got the big wicket of Root, who recorded his 24th Test half-century.

Root tried to counter the Indian spin attack during his 98-ball stay laced with six boundaries, but seemed to run out of patience after giving away a catch to long-off.&nbsp;

However Ashwin was not amused when an Indian scribe asked the bowler about the nature of the wicket at Visakhapatnam, which is hosting its first ever Test.&quot;Honestly one day I would like to walk into a press conference and stop answering questions on the pitch because that`s as good as an Indian pitch one can get,&quot; said a visibly flustered Ashwin.

&quot;I don`t know why these jibes come back at us.... You guys watch the game through the day and pitch is something you can definitely assess better than we do,&quot; he added.

Debutant off-spinner Jayant Yadav joined his senior partner from the other end to get his first Test wicket after trapping Moeen Ali lbw for one as England slipped to 80-5.

Stokes and Bairstow then played cautiously to see off the rest of the day`s play with a 23-run unbeaten stand.

Earlier Ashwin`s fighting 58 came after off-spinner Ali checked the Indian charge with three wickets in the morning session, including that of Kohli, who added just 16 runs to his overnight 151.

Ashwin put on 64 runs for the eighth wicket with Jayant Yadav, who scored 35, guiding India to a respectable first innings score on a pitch that is expected to offer more turn as the match progresses.

Kohli&#39;s 226-run third-wicket partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara (119) on the opening day was the highlight of the Indian innings after the hosts elected to bat first.

(AFP)

Ashwin, who scored a gritty half-century to propel the Indian score after Virat Kohli's 167, claimed two wickets in the final session

Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday said he has a "psychological advantage" over England after his all-round showing put India on top in the second Test as the visitors struggled against spin on day two in Visakhapatnam on Friday. England were reeling at 103 for five at stumps in response to India's first innings score of 455. The visitors still trail by 352 runs. Ashwin, who scored a gritty half-century to propel the Indian score after skipper Virat Kohli's 167, claimed two wickets in the final session to rattle the English top-order. Currently ranked the world's top Test bowler, Ashwin underlined his prowess with the bat by averaging over 60 when England last toured India in 2012. "And generally I mean there are attacks where you feel confident out there," Ashwin, who has recorded eight fifties and four hundreds in 41 Tests, told reporters. Ever since England toured here last time, I have been batting well... so that`s a psychological advantage you carry into a game when I play against them," he said. Pace spearhead Mohammed Shami gave India an early breakthrough after shattering skipper Alastair Cook`s off stump as England began their first innings reply before tea. Shami bowled an inspired first spell with the new ball as he cleaned up Cook for two in the third over of the innings. Shami`s sensational delivery pitched on a good length before moving in a shade to hit the top of Cook`s off stump and break it in two, leaving England 4-1. Haseeb Hameed, who impressed on debut with a well-made 82 in the second innings of the Rajkot Test, put on 47 runs with Joe Root (53) in his bid to steady the innings. But Hameed`s resistance did not last long as he was run out for 13 after being sent back while attempting to take a second run. Off-spinner Ashwin soon took charge to get Ben Duckett clean bowled for five and then got the big wicket of Root, who recorded his 24th Test half-century. Root tried to counter the Indian spin attack during his 98-ball stay laced with six boundaries, but seemed to run out of patience after giving away a catch to long-off. However Ashwin was not amused when an Indian scribe asked the bowler about the nature of the wicket at Visakhapatnam, which is hosting its first ever Test."Honestly one day I would like to walk into a press conference and stop answering questions on the pitch because that`s as good as an Indian pitch one can get," said a visibly flustered Ashwin. "I don`t know why these jibes come back at us.... You guys watch the game through the day and pitch is something you can definitely assess better than we do," he added. Debutant off-spinner Jayant Yadav joined his senior partner from the other end to get his first Test wicket after trapping Moeen Ali lbw for one as England slipped to 80-5. Stokes and Bairstow then played cautiously to see off the rest of the day`s play with a 23-run unbeaten stand. Earlier Ashwin`s fighting 58 came after off-spinner Ali checked the Indian charge with three wickets in the morning session, including that of Kohli, who added just 16 runs to his overnight 151. Ashwin put on 64 runs for the eighth wicket with Jayant Yadav, who scored 35, guiding India to a respectable first innings score on a pitch that is expected to offer more turn as the match progresses. Kohli's 226-run third-wicket partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara (119) on the opening day was the highlight of the Indian innings after the hosts elected to bat first. (AFP)

Cricket: Ashwin puts India on top in second England Test

India captain Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on a defiant 49 in a tense final session to deny England victory and claim a draw in the opening test of the five-match series on Sunday.

England captain Alastair Cook notched up his 30th test hundred and declared his team&#39;s second innings on 260 for three in the second session, to set India an improbable target of 310.

Leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who picked up four wickets in the first innings, took another three as the hosts were reduced to 71 for four shortly after tea.

With the spinners getting the ball to turn sharply and bounce on the wearing pitch, Cook surrounded India&#39;s batsmen with close-in fielders in an effort to force a victory.

Kohli, India&#39;s best batsman, then frustrated the touring side with a fifth-wicket stand of 47 with Ravichandran Ashwin, who made 32.

The pair batted out over 15 overs to take India closer to the draw before Ashwin drove left-arm spinner Zafar Ansari straight to Joe Root in the covers.

Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha did not last long as India were reduced to 132 for six with enough overs still left in the match for England to force a win.

But Kohli added another crucial unbeaten stand of 40 in 10 overs for the seventh wicket with local boy Ravindra Jadeja, who remained unbeaten on 32, to deny the tourists.

The hosts reached 172 for six when the captains shook hands for the match to end in a draw.

The result, however, could have swung in England&#39;s favour had they managed to hold on to their catches.

Vijay, India&#39;s highest scorer in the first innings with 126, was dropped on 13 by Ansari, who failed to hold on to a powerful return catch. The batsman went on to make 31.

Ansari was the unlucky bowler again in his next over when Stuart Broad dropped a much easier catch from first-innings centurion Pujara at point with the batsman on 10.

Pujara was dismissed on l8, given out leg before off Rashid with replays showing the ball had pitched outside the leg stump and the decision would have been overturned on review.

Cook hits ton

Earlier, Cook brought up his sixth hundred against India, with five of them having come while touring the country.

Resuming on his overnight score of 46, the left-hander looked unperturbed against the turning ball and was equally comfortable against India&#39;s pacemen, who got the ball to reverse swing.

Cook hit 13 boundaries in his knock of 130, which came to an end when he was caught off Ashwin.

Mishra broke England&#39;s best opening stand in India with his third ball of the day when the 19-year-old Haseeb Hammed (82) hit a flighted delivery straight back to the spinner.

Mishra also picked up Root (4) in his second over of the morning.

England promoted the hard-hitting Stokes up the order to score quick runs and the left-hander hit 29 in as many deliveries in a 68-run stand with Cook for the third wicket.

(Reuters)

England captain Alastair Cook declared his team's second innings on 260 for three, to set India an improbable target of 310

India captain Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on a defiant 49 in a tense final session to deny England victory and claim a draw in the opening test of the five-match series on Sunday. England captain Alastair Cook notched up his 30th test hundred and declared his team's second innings on 260 for three in the second session, to set India an improbable target of 310. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who picked up four wickets in the first innings, took another three as the hosts were reduced to 71 for four shortly after tea. With the spinners getting the ball to turn sharply and bounce on the wearing pitch, Cook surrounded India's batsmen with close-in fielders in an effort to force a victory. Kohli, India's best batsman, then frustrated the touring side with a fifth-wicket stand of 47 with Ravichandran Ashwin, who made 32. The pair batted out over 15 overs to take India closer to the draw before Ashwin drove left-arm spinner Zafar Ansari straight to Joe Root in the covers. Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha did not last long as India were reduced to 132 for six with enough overs still left in the match for England to force a win. But Kohli added another crucial unbeaten stand of 40 in 10 overs for the seventh wicket with local boy Ravindra Jadeja, who remained unbeaten on 32, to deny the tourists. The hosts reached 172 for six when the captains shook hands for the match to end in a draw. The result, however, could have swung in England's favour had they managed to hold on to their catches. Vijay, India's highest scorer in the first innings with 126, was dropped on 13 by Ansari, who failed to hold on to a powerful return catch. The batsman went on to make 31. Ansari was the unlucky bowler again in his next over when Stuart Broad dropped a much easier catch from first-innings centurion Pujara at point with the batsman on 10. Pujara was dismissed on l8, given out leg before off Rashid with replays showing the ball had pitched outside the leg stump and the decision would have been overturned on review. Cook hits ton Earlier, Cook brought up his sixth hundred against India, with five of them having come while touring the country. Resuming on his overnight score of 46, the left-hander looked unperturbed against the turning ball and was equally comfortable against India's pacemen, who got the ball to reverse swing. Cook hit 13 boundaries in his knock of 130, which came to an end when he was caught off Ashwin. Mishra broke England's best opening stand in India with his third ball of the day when the 19-year-old Haseeb Hammed (82) hit a flighted delivery straight back to the spinner. Mishra also picked up Root (4) in his second over of the morning. England promoted the hard-hitting Stokes up the order to score quick runs and the left-hander hit 29 in as many deliveries in a 68-run stand with Cook for the third wicket. (Reuters)

Cricket: India's Kohli denies England win in opening test

Northern Ireland&#39;s players will not wear the black armbands with poppies to pay tribute on Armstice Day in their World Cup qualifier, the Irish Football Association said, news agency AFP reported.

England and Scotland&#39;s football&#39;s associations decided to wear the poppy despite a sanction threat from the world governing body FIFA. Britain remembers its war dead on November 11, which happens to be the day England play Scotland in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley.

FIFA bans political, religious and commercial symbols on team uniforms while playing a match.&nbsp;

Northern Ireland&#39;s players will wear plain black armbands for their Armistice Day game in Belfast.

&quot;We asked FIFA if permission could be granted for the Northern Ireland team to wear a poppy on the shirt or on an armband,&quot; IFA chief executive Patrick Nelson said in a statement on Tuesday, AFP reported.

&quot;FIFA advised that they could give no guarantee that there would not be disciplinary proceedings if the Northern Ireland team was to wear a symbol of remembrance on the playing shirt.&quot;

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane said that wearing the poppies would make him &quot;happy&quot;.

&quot;As long as we&#39;re wearing the poppy, we&#39;re happy,&quot; Kane told a press conference at the St George&#39;s Park football centre in Burton-on-Trent, central England. &quot;We all wanted to wear it. Being on the top or the sleeve, it doesn&#39;t matter too much. As long as we&#39;re wearing it, it&#39;s a big positive.&quot;

British Prime Minister Theresa May has described FIFA&#39;s stance on the matter as &quot;utterly outrageous&quot;.

(With inputs from AFP)

Northern Ireland's players will wear plain black armbands for their Armistice Day game in Belfast

Northern Ireland's players will not wear the black armbands with poppies to pay tribute on Armstice Day in their World Cup qualifier, the Irish Football Association said, news agency AFP reported. England and Scotland's football's associations decided to wear the poppy despite a sanction threat from the world governing body FIFA. Britain remembers its war dead on November 11, which happens to be the day England play Scotland in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley. FIFA bans political, religious and commercial symbols on team uniforms while playing a match. Northern Ireland's players will wear plain black armbands for their Armistice Day game in Belfast. "We asked FIFA if permission could be granted for the Northern Ireland team to wear a poppy on the shirt or on an armband," IFA chief executive Patrick Nelson said in a statement on Tuesday, AFP reported. "FIFA advised that they could give no guarantee that there would not be disciplinary proceedings if the Northern Ireland team was to wear a symbol of remembrance on the playing shirt." Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane said that wearing the poppies would make him "happy". "As long as we're wearing the poppy, we're happy," Kane told a press conference at the St George's Park football centre in Burton-on-Trent, central England. "We all wanted to wear it. Being on the top or the sleeve, it doesn't matter too much. As long as we're wearing it, it's a big positive." British Prime Minister Theresa May has described FIFA's stance on the matter as "utterly outrageous". (With inputs from AFP)

Football: North Ireland decide against wearing poppies

Jose Mourinho has taken a swipe at the Manchester United players he fears might not have the right attitude to guide his side back into the Premier League title race.

Mourinho saw first half goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba help United to only a second league victory in eight games as his side cruised to a 3-1 success at Swansea on Sunday.

However, in the wake of the win, Mourinho spoke openly about the need for players to play through the injury pain barrier.

&quot;We have players with problems, but we also have players on the pitch who have problems,&quot; he said.

&quot;And that is what I mean, because in every sport, and I know that because I have friends from other sports, playing at the highest level. How many times do they play when they are not 100 per cent?

&quot;I have a friend who is a big tennis player and he tells me that he remembers more times when he has played with pain than the times he has played without any pain. To compete, you have to work to the limits.

&quot;It is a cultural thing, for some. That&#39;s not my culture.&quot;

Asked if players needed to change to play for him, Mourinho said; &quot;Exactly, but more than me, Man United. More than me, Man United.&quot;

Despite Mourinho&#39;s blast, he could have no complaints about the overall United performance on Sunday.

&quot;After the draw against Burnley we needed points,&quot; he said.

&quot;We put in a great performance against Burnley, but only came away with one point. We needed three points today, more than the performance. But we got both.

&quot;Zlatan does not lack confidence. I used to say that a striker who doesn&#39;t score goals and does nothing else, means you have one player less.

&quot;A striker who doesn&#39;t score goals, but does everything else, is a very important player for the team. When Zlatan was not scoring goals, he was doing everything else. He was working defensively, he was working in the build up, he was giving assists and he was contributing towards the fact that the goalkeepers who played against us were the man of the match.

&quot;So, he was doing so many things that I was not worried. Today we needed goals to win and we got them.&quot;

Calling the tune

While Ibrahimovic was calling the tune in the final third, it was veteran Michael Carrick who was dictating the pace of the game in front of his back four.&nbsp;

Mourinho added; &quot;I would love Michael to play every game, but that is not possible.&nbsp;

&quot;He can&#39;t play in every game for the same reason I can no longer go to the gym every day. But he started today and he played very, very well.&quot;

Not even a 69th minute headed goal from Mike van der Hoorn could bring a smile to the face of Swansea manager Bob Bradley, whose side are stuck in the relegation zone.

&quot;We are in a tough spot, there is no two ways about that. We understand very clearly where we are and there is no hiding from that. But we understand all the areas where we need to be better,&quot; Bradley said.

&quot;We kept giving the ball back too quickly. I don&#39;t think we showed enough commitment to close people down. We cannot take solace from playing a little better in the second half.

&quot;There is only one way to win the support of the fans and that is to play well and to win games.

&quot;We need to focus on the only part we control and that is how we play. If the fans are angry, I understand that.&nbsp;

&quot;We didn&#39;t do enough to win them over. They had every right to be angry.&quot;

(AFP)

Mourinho spoke openly about the need for players to play through the injury pain barrier

Jose Mourinho has taken a swipe at the Manchester United players he fears might not have the right attitude to guide his side back into the Premier League title race. Mourinho saw first half goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba help United to only a second league victory in eight games as his side cruised to a 3-1 success at Swansea on Sunday. However, in the wake of the win, Mourinho spoke openly about the need for players to play through the injury pain barrier. "We have players with problems, but we also have players on the pitch who have problems," he said. "And that is what I mean, because in every sport, and I know that because I have friends from other sports, playing at the highest level. How many times do they play when they are not 100 per cent? "I have a friend who is a big tennis player and he tells me that he remembers more times when he has played with pain than the times he has played without any pain. To compete, you have to work to the limits. "It is a cultural thing, for some. That's not my culture." Asked if players needed to change to play for him, Mourinho said; "Exactly, but more than me, Man United. More than me, Man United." Despite Mourinho's blast, he could have no complaints about the overall United performance on Sunday. "After the draw against Burnley we needed points," he said. "We put in a great performance against Burnley, but only came away with one point. We needed three points today, more than the performance. But we got both. "Zlatan does not lack confidence. I used to say that a striker who doesn't score goals and does nothing else, means you have one player less. "A striker who doesn't score goals, but does everything else, is a very important player for the team. When Zlatan was not scoring goals, he was doing everything else. He was working defensively, he was working in the build up, he was giving assists and he was contributing towards the fact that the goalkeepers who played against us were the man of the match. "So, he was doing so many things that I was not worried. Today we needed goals to win and we got them." Calling the tune While Ibrahimovic was calling the tune in the final third, it was veteran Michael Carrick who was dictating the pace of the game in front of his back four. Mourinho added; "I would love Michael to play every game, but that is not possible. "He can't play in every game for the same reason I can no longer go to the gym every day. But he started today and he played very, very well." Not even a 69th minute headed goal from Mike van der Hoorn could bring a smile to the face of Swansea manager Bob Bradley, whose side are stuck in the relegation zone. "We are in a tough spot, there is no two ways about that. We understand very clearly where we are and there is no hiding from that. But we understand all the areas where we need to be better," Bradley said. "We kept giving the ball back too quickly. I don't think we showed enough commitment to close people down. We cannot take solace from playing a little better in the second half. "There is only one way to win the support of the fans and that is to play well and to win games. "We need to focus on the only part we control and that is how we play. If the fans are angry, I understand that. "We didn't do enough to win them over. They had every right to be angry." (AFP)

Football: Mourinho hits out at United 'problem players'

The epic final game of the 2016 World Series between the victorious Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians was the most-watched baseball game in a quarter-century.

An average of just over 40 million viewers tuned in to&nbsp;game seven of the series on Wednesday, when the Cubs defeated Cleveland 8-7 in 10 innings in, the Los Angeles-based Fox Broadcasting Co. announced.

That represents the most viewers since 50.3 million tuned into watch the Minnesota Twins post a 1-0, 10-inning victory over the Atlanta Braves in game seven of the 1991 World Series.

Fox received a 25.2 overnight rating Wednesday -- the network&#39;s best since a 27.0 for its broadcast of game seven of the World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees in 2001.

The game was a must-see in Chicago, where Fox said 71 per cent of televisions were tuned to the contest compared to just 48 per cent in Cleveland.

The World Series was an overall hit with viewers. It drew a 14.9 rating over the seven games to make it the most-watched World Series since the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals squared off in 2004.

(AFP)

An average of just over 40 million viewers tuned in to?game seven of the series on Wednesday

The epic final game of the 2016 World Series between the victorious Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians was the most-watched baseball game in a quarter-century. An average of just over 40 million viewers tuned in to game seven of the series on Wednesday, when the Cubs defeated Cleveland 8-7 in 10 innings in, the Los Angeles-based Fox Broadcasting Co. announced. That represents the most viewers since 50.3 million tuned into watch the Minnesota Twins post a 1-0, 10-inning victory over the Atlanta Braves in game seven of the 1991 World Series. Fox received a 25.2 overnight rating Wednesday -- the network's best since a 27.0 for its broadcast of game seven of the World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees in 2001. The game was a must-see in Chicago, where Fox said 71 per cent of televisions were tuned to the contest compared to just 48 per cent in Cleveland. The World Series was an overall hit with viewers. It drew a 14.9 rating over the seven games to make it the most-watched World Series since the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals squared off in 2004. (AFP)

Baseball: Cubs' clincher was most-watched game in 25 years

Despite a sanction threat from the world governing body FIFA, England and Scotland&#39;s players will wear black armbands with a&nbsp;red poppy in a World Cup qualifier on Armistice Day.

FIFA bans political, religious and commercial symbols on team uniforms while playing a match. The English and Scottish football associations have been arguing with the governing body to let players wear the bands.

The wearing of a poppy represents an &quot;appropriate tribute&quot; to Britain&#39;s war dead, the FA insisted.

&quot;The poppy is an important symbol of remembrance and we do not believe it represents a political, religious or commercial message, nor does it relate to any one historical event,&quot; said an FA statement, reported news agency AFP. &quot;The FA intend to pay appropriate tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice by having the England team wear black armbands bearing poppies in our fixture on Armistice Day.&quot;

Britain remembers its war dead on November 11, which happens to be the day England play Scotland in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley.

The Scottish FA issued a statement saying the wearing of a poppy was &quot;an appropriate tribute&quot;.

&quot;The Scotland national team (will) wear black armbands bearing poppies in our fixture against England on Armistice Day,&quot; said the Scottish body, reported AFP

British Prime Minister Theresa May expressed outrage at FIFA&#39;s opposition to the tribute.

&quot;It is utterly outrageous,&quot; May said.&nbsp;

Earlier Wednesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May branded as &quot;outrageous&quot; FIFA&#39;s opposition to the gesture. &quot;Our football players want to recognise those who gave their lives for our security.

&quot;It is absolutely right that they should be able to do so. A clear message is going from this house before they (FIFA) start telling us what to do they jolly well ought to sort their own house out.&quot;

The governing body restated its stance in a statement on Wednesday. It said the body &quot;respected the significance&quot; of Remembrance Day on November 11.

&quot;The laws of the game are overseen by the International Football Association Board (composed of the four British FAs and FIFA) and applicable to all 211 member associations.

&quot;The relevant Law 4, para. 4, clearly states that the players equipment should not carry any political, religious or commercial messages. The laws are applied uniformly in the event of similar requests by any member association to commemorate similar historical events.&quot;

However, FA chairman Greg Clarke told ITV that &quot;we should wear poppies&quot;. &quot;We are commemorating millions of people who gave their lives in wars over the last hundred years and they deserve that. The people who lost relatives deserve that. That&rsquo;s our plan. We&#39;ll be wearing poppies at Wembley,&quot; Clarke said.

In 2011, FIFA agreed to let England wear a poppy symbol on black armbands when they played Spain in a friendly on November 11.

(With inputs from AFP)

The Football Association insisted that the wearing of a poppy represents an 'appropriate tribute' to Britain's war dead

Despite a sanction threat from the world governing body FIFA, England and Scotland's players will wear black armbands with a red poppy in a World Cup qualifier on Armistice Day. FIFA bans political, religious and commercial symbols on team uniforms while playing a match. The English and Scottish football associations have been arguing with the governing body to let players wear the bands. The wearing of a poppy represents an "appropriate tribute" to Britain's war dead, the FA insisted. "The poppy is an important symbol of remembrance and we do not believe it represents a political, religious or commercial message, nor does it relate to any one historical event," said an FA statement, reported news agency AFP. "The FA intend to pay appropriate tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice by having the England team wear black armbands bearing poppies in our fixture on Armistice Day." Britain remembers its war dead on November 11, which happens to be the day England play Scotland in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley. The Scottish FA issued a statement saying the wearing of a poppy was "an appropriate tribute". "The Scotland national team (will) wear black armbands bearing poppies in our fixture against England on Armistice Day," said the Scottish body, reported AFP British Prime Minister Theresa May expressed outrage at FIFA's opposition to the tribute. "It is utterly outrageous," May said. Earlier Wednesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May branded as "outrageous" FIFA's opposition to the gesture. "Our football players want to recognise those who gave their lives for our security. "It is absolutely right that they should be able to do so. A clear message is going from this house before they (FIFA) start telling us what to do they jolly well ought to sort their own house out." The governing body restated its stance in a statement on Wednesday. It said the body "respected the significance" of Remembrance Day on November 11. "The laws of the game are overseen by the International Football Association Board (composed of the four British FAs and FIFA) and applicable to all 211 member associations. "The relevant Law 4, para. 4, clearly states that the players equipment should not carry any political, religious or commercial messages. The laws are applied uniformly in the event of similar requests by any member association to commemorate similar historical events." However, FA chairman Greg Clarke told ITV that "we should wear poppies". "We are commemorating millions of people who gave their lives in wars over the last hundred years and they deserve that. The people who lost relatives deserve that. That’s our plan. We'll be wearing poppies at Wembley," Clarke said. In 2011, FIFA agreed to let England wear a poppy symbol on black armbands when they played Spain in a friendly on November 11. (With inputs from AFP)

Football: England, Scotland to defy FIFA ban by wearing poppies

Mateo Kovacic&#39;s late strike avoided embarrassment for Real Madrid as the European champions surrendered a two-goal lead before drawing 3-3 with Legia Warsaw in an enthralling Champions League game played amid an empty stadium on Wednesday.

Croatia midfielder Kovacic capped a fine individual display by rifling in the equaliser in the 85th minute after Legia had come from behind in the Group F encounter to take the lead in the 83rd through Thibault Moulin&#39;s powerful finish.

UEFA had ordered the game to be played behind closed doors after crowd trouble overshadowed Legia&#39;s opener against Dortmund, meaning only several hundred visiting Real supporters witnessed the thriller that featured a&nbsp;historic start.

Gareth Bale gave Real the lead in the Polish Army Stadium in just 57 seconds with a thunderous strike from outside the area to record the fastest-ever goal scored by Real in a Champions League match.

Karim Benzema doubled their advantage in the 35th, taking advantage of a Bale cutback to sidefoot home.

Yet Legia hit back with a brilliant piece of skill and finish from Vadis Odjidja five minutes before halftime, while Miroslav Radovic completed a shock comeback by the hosts with an arrowed toe poke into the bottom corner in the 58th.

Real are second in Group F on eight points, two behind leaders Borussia Dortmund, who qualified by beating Sporting Lisbon 1-0 on Wednesday.

Real travel to Sporting on Nov. 22, where a point will also see them through. Legia are out but can still challenge Sporting for third place to reach the Europa League last 32 after taking their first point in the competition for 21 years.

Bale, who signed a new five-year contract with the European champions in midweek, got the game off to a flying start by swivelling to hook the ball into the top corner.

The Wales international teed up Benzema later in the half with the help of Kovacic and Real looked set to cruise towards a victory that would have qualified them for the last 16, but Legia hit back before the break with Odjidja&#39;s wonderful goal.

Radovic then took advantage of slack Real defending to drive at the defence and let fly from the edge of the box, sending the ball under Keylor Navas.

Aleksandar Prijovic hit straight at Navas but barely a minute later made amends by laying the ball off to Moulin to crash the ball in off the post.

Real&#39;s blushes were saved barely two minutes later though by Kovacic, who has taken on new importance in the absence of compatriot Luka Modric.

(Reuters)

Mateo Kovacic's late strike avoided embarrassment for Real Madrid as the European champions surrendered a two-goal lead before drawing 3-3

Mateo Kovacic's late strike avoided embarrassment for Real Madrid as the European champions surrendered a two-goal lead before drawing 3-3 with Legia Warsaw in an enthralling Champions League game played amid an empty stadium on Wednesday. Croatia midfielder Kovacic capped a fine individual display by rifling in the equaliser in the 85th minute after Legia had come from behind in the Group F encounter to take the lead in the 83rd through Thibault Moulin's powerful finish. UEFA had ordered the game to be played behind closed doors after crowd trouble overshadowed Legia's opener against Dortmund, meaning only several hundred visiting Real supporters witnessed the thriller that featured a historic start. Gareth Bale gave Real the lead in the Polish Army Stadium in just 57 seconds with a thunderous strike from outside the area to record the fastest-ever goal scored by Real in a Champions League match. Karim Benzema doubled their advantage in the 35th, taking advantage of a Bale cutback to sidefoot home. Yet Legia hit back with a brilliant piece of skill and finish from Vadis Odjidja five minutes before halftime, while Miroslav Radovic completed a shock comeback by the hosts with an arrowed toe poke into the bottom corner in the 58th. Real are second in Group F on eight points, two behind leaders Borussia Dortmund, who qualified by beating Sporting Lisbon 1-0 on Wednesday. Real travel to Sporting on Nov. 22, where a point will also see them through. Legia are out but can still challenge Sporting for third place to reach the Europa League last 32 after taking their first point in the competition for 21 years. Bale, who signed a new five-year contract with the European champions in midweek, got the game off to a flying start by swivelling to hook the ball into the top corner. The Wales international teed up Benzema later in the half with the help of Kovacic and Real looked set to cruise towards a victory that would have qualified them for the last 16, but Legia hit back before the break with Odjidja's wonderful goal. Radovic then took advantage of slack Real defending to drive at the defence and let fly from the edge of the box, sending the ball under Keylor Navas. Aleksandar Prijovic hit straight at Navas but barely a minute later made amends by laying the ball off to Moulin to crash the ball in off the post. Real's blushes were saved barely two minutes later though by Kovacic, who has taken on new importance in the absence of compatriot Luka Modric. (Reuters)

Champions League: Real Madrid 3-3 Legia Warsaw

A girl from an isolated corner of a massive country wanted to be a gymnast. She had no access to proper infrastructure or expertise for training. She had flat feet - a major stumbling block for an aspiring gymnast. 
 
But as the father of India once said, &ldquo;Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from indomitable will&rdquo;. 
 
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BJ8SxSZhJ20?list=PLmWa9ZZLlCjt0Jlg7kN3JBNX4LH1sRsGh" width="970"></iframe> 
 
She exercised day in and day out to change the shape of her feet. She had a&nbsp;trainer who believed in her. She trained hard for two decades and she did become a gymnast. 
 
The 23-year-old from Agartala gave goosebumps to the nation as she narrowly missed a medal at the Rio Olympics 2016. 
 
She now aims to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian gymnast to reach an Olympics final

A girl from an isolated corner of a massive country wanted to be a gymnast. She had no access to proper infrastructure or expertise for training. She had flat feet - a major stumbling block for an aspiring gymnast. But as the father of India once said, “Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from indomitable will”. She exercised day in and day out to change the shape of her feet. She had a trainer who believed in her. She trained hard for two decades and she did become a gymnast. The 23-year-old from Agartala gave goosebumps to the nation as she narrowly missed a medal at the Rio Olympics 2016. She now aims to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Video: A nation salutes its gymnast

Spain defender Gerard Pique has grown &quot;tired&quot; of the criticism against him and has announced plans of retiring from international soccer after World Cup 2018.

&quot;Yes, I&#39;m tired of it and the World Cup in Russia is going to be my last commitment with the Spain team and then I hope I can be left in peace,&quot; Pique said on Sunday.

Pique came under the radar during the Sunday&#39;s 2-0 win in the World Cup qualifier against Albania after he claims that he had cut off the sleeves from his shirt which bore Spain&#39;s colours of yellow and red. The Barcelona centre-back clarified after the match that he had, in fact, cut off the sleeves from a different shirt that did not have the flag design.

&quot;I cut my shirt because the sleeves were very short and they were bothering me. I&#39;ve tried everything but I can&#39;t take it any more, the thing with the sleeve is the straw that has broken the camel&#39;s back.&quot;

The 28-year-old&#39;s relationship with Spain supporters has been rocky because of his repeated jibes at Real Madrid and his support for a referendum on Catalan independence.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation defended the Barcelona-born defender&#39;s action of cutting the sleeves in a statement.

&quot;Contrary to what was indicated by some malicious comments - that the player cut his sleeves to avoid wearing a top with the national colours - the RFEF wishes to clarify that this trimming only exists in the Adidas short-sleeve shirt, and not in the long sleeves, which is what Pique wore in the match.&nbsp;

&quot;This lack of trimming can be seen on the shirt of his partner, Sergio Ramos, who also wore long sleeves,&quot; a statement read, goal.com reported.

Pique&nbsp;has made 86 appearances for Spain and won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and Euro 2012. He was also present in Spain&#39;s disappointing campaigns in the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

'The thing with the sleeve is the straw that has broken the camel's back,' the Barcelona-born defender said on Sunday

Spain defender Gerard Pique has grown "tired" of the criticism against him and has announced plans of retiring from international soccer after World Cup 2018. "Yes, I'm tired of it and the World Cup in Russia is going to be my last commitment with the Spain team and then I hope I can be left in peace," Pique said on Sunday. Pique came under the radar during the Sunday's 2-0 win in the World Cup qualifier against Albania after he claims that he had cut off the sleeves from his shirt which bore Spain's colours of yellow and red. The Barcelona centre-back clarified after the match that he had, in fact, cut off the sleeves from a different shirt that did not have the flag design. "I cut my shirt because the sleeves were very short and they were bothering me. I've tried everything but I can't take it any more, the thing with the sleeve is the straw that has broken the camel's back." The 28-year-old's relationship with Spain supporters has been rocky because of his repeated jibes at Real Madrid and his support for a referendum on Catalan independence. The Royal Spanish Football Federation defended the Barcelona-born defender's action of cutting the sleeves in a statement. "Contrary to what was indicated by some malicious comments - that the player cut his sleeves to avoid wearing a top with the national colours - the RFEF wishes to clarify that this trimming only exists in the Adidas short-sleeve shirt, and not in the long sleeves, which is what Pique wore in the match. "This lack of trimming can be seen on the shirt of his partner, Sergio Ramos, who also wore long sleeves," a statement read, goal.com reported. Pique has made 86 appearances for Spain and won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and Euro 2012. He was also present in Spain's disappointing campaigns in the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Spanish defender Pique decides to quit international soccer after 'shirt sleeve' controversy

Andy Murray took Novak Djokovic&#39;s China Open crown at the weekend, but that&#39;s not all that the Scot is after as he closes in on the Serb&#39;s number one ranking.

The second-ranked Scot is looking to close the points gap to Djokovic and cap a career-best season by topping the rankings for the first time.

Murray made a convincing start to that campaign in Beijing, storming through the tournament without dropping a set.&nbsp;

He beat Grigor Dimitrov to claim his fifth title of the year, and take him 1,000 points closer to Djokovic&#39;s long-held number one spot.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s very positive leading into Shanghai, and hopefully I can finish the year strong,&quot; Murray said in Beijing.

Djokovic wasn&#39;t in the Chinese capital to defend his China Open crown, having pulled out with an elbow injury, but both are playing at this week&#39;s Shanghai Masters.

The Serb also won in Shanghai last year -- another trophy in what was one of the best seasons in tennis history -- and so now has to defend those ranking points whereas Murray only will be banking&nbsp;points to&nbsp;further reduce the 3,005-point gap to Djokovic.

In a year that also saw him become a father for the first time, Murray bagged both his second Wimbledon crowns and Olympic gold medals.

He also reached the final of the Australian and French Opens&nbsp;but missed out on a second consecutive Davis Cup win when Great Britain lost to Argentina in the semi-finals.

As Murray aims to become the first British man to reach number one, he is already writing history with Johanna Konta.

The 25-year-old Sydney-born Briton broke into the top 10 with her run to the final at her maiden appearance at the China Open -- the first British woman since Jo Durie in 1984 to achieve that feat.

It is also the first time since computerised rankings were introduced that a British man and woman are ranked in the top 10 at the same time.

Konta is now in Hong Kong to try to cap a stunning rise over the last 15 months from 146th to ninth with her first appearance at the WTA Finals in Singapore, which features the season&#39;s top eight players.

&quot;She finished last year extremely well and kind of showed that she had the potential to get there with the wins that she was having.&nbsp;

&quot;But it&#39;s not easy to do it over a 12-month period,&quot; Murray said of Konta.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s exciting to see kind of how far she&#39;s going to be able to go.&quot;

(AFP)

With his second Wimbledon crown and Olympic gold medals this year, Murray aims to become the first British man to reach number one

Andy Murray took Novak Djokovic's China Open crown at the weekend, but that's not all that the Scot is after as he closes in on the Serb's number one ranking. The second-ranked Scot is looking to close the points gap to Djokovic and cap a career-best season by topping the rankings for the first time. Murray made a convincing start to that campaign in Beijing, storming through the tournament without dropping a set. He beat Grigor Dimitrov to claim his fifth title of the year, and take him 1,000 points closer to Djokovic's long-held number one spot. "It's very positive leading into Shanghai, and hopefully I can finish the year strong," Murray said in Beijing. Djokovic wasn't in the Chinese capital to defend his China Open crown, having pulled out with an elbow injury, but both are playing at this week's Shanghai Masters. The Serb also won in Shanghai last year -- another trophy in what was one of the best seasons in tennis history -- and so now has to defend those ranking points whereas Murray only will be banking points to further reduce the 3,005-point gap to Djokovic. In a year that also saw him become a father for the first time, Murray bagged both his second Wimbledon crowns and Olympic gold medals. He also reached the final of the Australian and French Opens but missed out on a second consecutive Davis Cup win when Great Britain lost to Argentina in the semi-finals. As Murray aims to become the first British man to reach number one, he is already writing history with Johanna Konta. The 25-year-old Sydney-born Briton broke into the top 10 with her run to the final at her maiden appearance at the China Open -- the first British woman since Jo Durie in 1984 to achieve that feat. It is also the first time since computerised rankings were introduced that a British man and woman are ranked in the top 10 at the same time. Konta is now in Hong Kong to try to cap a stunning rise over the last 15 months from 146th to ninth with her first appearance at the WTA Finals in Singapore, which features the season's top eight players. "She finished last year extremely well and kind of showed that she had the potential to get there with the wins that she was having. "But it's not easy to do it over a 12-month period," Murray said of Konta. "It's exciting to see kind of how far she's going to be able to go." (AFP)

Tennis: Murray eyes world number one spot, targets 'strong' year-end to topple Djokovic

Andy Murray beat Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to win the China Open on Sunday as he closes in on Novak Djokovic&#39;s number one ranking.&nbsp;

The world number two lost six consecutive points in the second set to be pushed into a tiebreak by the unseeded Bulgarian.

The victory moves Murray 1,000 points closer to long-reigning world number one Djokovic, with the chance of taking the top spot by year-end.

Murray broke Dimitrov&#39;s serve in the opening game of the match, putting the 15th-ranked Bulgarian on the defensive and pushing him to make 21 unforced errors in the opening set.

In the second set, both held their serve through the first four games until Murray broke Dimitrov at 3-2.

In women&#39;s finals, Agnieszka Radwanska beat Johanna Konta in straight sets to take the title, denying the Briton her biggest career crown.

The third-ranked Pole - who cruised through the tournament without dropping a set -&nbsp;sealed her second title in Beijing with an ace for a 6-4, 6-2 win.

The victory was Radwanska&#39;s 20th career crown but there was more on the line for Konta, 25, who was making a bid in the Chinese capital for what would have been her second and biggest title.

Despite the loss, by reaching the Beijing final Konta has amassed enough points to break into the top 10 -- the first British woman to do so since Jo Durie in 1984.

When the new leaderboards are released Monday it will be the first time since computerised rankings were introduced that a British man (Andy Murray) and woman are ranked in the top 10 at the same time.

(AFP)

Radwanska won 6-4, 6-2, sealing her second title in Beijing while this is the first China Open win for Andy Murray

Andy Murray beat Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to win the China Open on Sunday as he closes in on Novak Djokovic's number one ranking. The world number two lost six consecutive points in the second set to be pushed into a tiebreak by the unseeded Bulgarian. The victory moves Murray 1,000 points closer to long-reigning world number one Djokovic, with the chance of taking the top spot by year-end. Murray broke Dimitrov's serve in the opening game of the match, putting the 15th-ranked Bulgarian on the defensive and pushing him to make 21 unforced errors in the opening set. In the second set, both held their serve through the first four games until Murray broke Dimitrov at 3-2. In women's finals, Agnieszka Radwanska beat Johanna Konta in straight sets to take the title, denying the Briton her biggest career crown. The third-ranked Pole - who cruised through the tournament without dropping a set - sealed her second title in Beijing with an ace for a 6-4, 6-2 win. The victory was Radwanska's 20th career crown but there was more on the line for Konta, 25, who was making a bid in the Chinese capital for what would have been her second and biggest title. Despite the loss, by reaching the Beijing final Konta has amassed enough points to break into the top 10 -- the first British woman to do so since Jo Durie in 1984. When the new leaderboards are released Monday it will be the first time since computerised rankings were introduced that a British man (Andy Murray) and woman are ranked in the top 10 at the same time. (AFP)

Tennis: Murray, Radwanska clinch titles at China Open

Australian power-hitter Nick Kyrgios fired an incredible 25 aces Sunday to win the Japan Open, pounding Belgium&#39;s David Goffin 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Kyrgios rocketed serves clocking in at more than 220 kilometres (136 miles) per hour in quick succession, giving Goffin little time to regain his rhythm.

Goffin used his quick footwork and long rallies to put pressure on his opponent, but Kyrgios&#39; fearsome serves, in the end, overwhelmed the world&#39;s number 14.

The Australian&nbsp;ranked 15 in the world, also showed off some sharp ground strokes and saved 11 of 12 break points to lift the trophy in two hours.

&quot;I think my serves are what got me out of trouble,&quot; Kyrgios said. &quot;David makes you feel like the court is small. It was a tough match.&quot;

Goffin managed to take the upper hand early in the match by hitting deep, angled returns to make his opponent run while winning long rallies with some clever footwork.

But Kyrgios fired off superb serves from the start, escalating his big-serve offensives in the second set, landing 11 aces, followed by 10 more in the third. He also took risks to blast out sizzling shots even after faulting on first serves.

&quot;His (Goffin&#39;s) strength was returning. So I had to step up my serves a little bit especially in the second set,&quot; Kyrgios said, adding that he also managed to improve his returns as the match progressed.

Goffin said he attempted to play rallies and wait for Kyrgios to make mistakes, but faced an unending shower of cannon-like serves.

&quot;In the first set, he was not serving like he did in the second and third. I was on the ball in the first set,&quot; Goffin said.

&quot;I think, during the match, he had to serve well because I was doing rallies better,&quot; he said.

&quot;He served 215 (kilometres per hour) on the line with a lot of precision. Even if you choose the right side, it&#39;s tough to return,&quot; Goffin added.

Kyrgios grabbed his third trophy of the season, after many of his big-name rivals pulled out of the Tokyo tournament due to injuries.

Defending champion and US Open winner Stan Wawrinka withdrew from the event due to back trouble, while home favourite Kei Nishikori, winner in 2014 and 2012, was unable to finish his second-round match Wednesday because of muscle strain.

Injuries also forced Argentina&#39;s Juan Martin Del Potro, Japan Open winner in 2013, to skip the tournament after receiving an invitation as a wildcard.

(AFP)

Kyrgios rocketed serves clocking in at more than 220 kilometres per hour in quick succession to lift his third trophy of the season

Australian power-hitter Nick Kyrgios fired an incredible 25 aces Sunday to win the Japan Open, pounding Belgium's David Goffin 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Kyrgios rocketed serves clocking in at more than 220 kilometres (136 miles) per hour in quick succession, giving Goffin little time to regain his rhythm. Goffin used his quick footwork and long rallies to put pressure on his opponent, but Kyrgios' fearsome serves, in the end, overwhelmed the world's number 14. The Australian ranked 15 in the world, also showed off some sharp ground strokes and saved 11 of 12 break points to lift the trophy in two hours. "I think my serves are what got me out of trouble," Kyrgios said. "David makes you feel like the court is small. It was a tough match." Goffin managed to take the upper hand early in the match by hitting deep, angled returns to make his opponent run while winning long rallies with some clever footwork. But Kyrgios fired off superb serves from the start, escalating his big-serve offensives in the second set, landing 11 aces, followed by 10 more in the third. He also took risks to blast out sizzling shots even after faulting on first serves. "His (Goffin's) strength was returning. So I had to step up my serves a little bit especially in the second set," Kyrgios said, adding that he also managed to improve his returns as the match progressed. Goffin said he attempted to play rallies and wait for Kyrgios to make mistakes, but faced an unending shower of cannon-like serves. "In the first set, he was not serving like he did in the second and third. I was on the ball in the first set," Goffin said. "I think, during the match, he had to serve well because I was doing rallies better," he said. "He served 215 (kilometres per hour) on the line with a lot of precision. Even if you choose the right side, it's tough to return," Goffin added. Kyrgios grabbed his third trophy of the season, after many of his big-name rivals pulled out of the Tokyo tournament due to injuries. Defending champion and US Open winner Stan Wawrinka withdrew from the event due to back trouble, while home favourite Kei Nishikori, winner in 2014 and 2012, was unable to finish his second-round match Wednesday because of muscle strain. Injuries also forced Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro, Japan Open winner in 2013, to skip the tournament after receiving an invitation as a wildcard. (AFP)

Tennis: Nick Kyrgios downs David Goffin 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 to take Japan Open

India declared their first innings on 557 for five in the evening session of the second day&#39;s play of the third and final Test against New Zealand in Indore on Sunday.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli plundered New Zealand&#39;s bowlers again Sunday to record his second Test double-century as the hosts went to tea on 456 for three on day two of the third Test.

Kohli, on 207, and Ajinkya Rahane, on 161, stretched their fourth-wicket unbeaten partnership to 356 as the tourists suffered another wicketless session.

Kohli, who scored his maiden 200 against the West Indies in July, registered his career-best Test score Sunday to dominate the bowling attack.

The batsman, who resumed the day on 103, struck 19 boundaries during his epic knock to entertain the Sunday crowd at Indore&#39;s Holkar Stadium, which is hosting its maiden Test.

Kohli, 27, became the only Indian captain to score two double hundreds.

Overnight partner Rahane was also in blazing form as he posted his own career-best score after completing his eighth Test century.

Rahane had to face a barrage of bouncers in the morning session from the New Zealand quicks, with one of the short-pitched deliveries from Matt Henry hitting his helmet.

But the incident only seemed to strengthen Rahane&#39;s resolve as he batsman grew in confidence to increase his boundary count to 14 fours and four sixes so far. &nbsp;

Pace spearhead Trent Boult and spinners Mitchell Santner and Jeetan Patel share a wicket apiece so far.

The hosts, who started the day on 267 for three, rode on the 365-run fourth-wicket partnership between skipper Virat Kohli (211) and Ajinkya Rahane (188) to flatten the New Zealand bowling.

India, who took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, are looking to complete a whitewash against the tourists.

(AFP)

&nbsp;

Indian skipper Kohli plundered New Zealand's bowlers to record his second Test double-century on day two of Indore Test

India declared their first innings on 557 for five in the evening session of the second day's play of the third and final Test against New Zealand in Indore on Sunday. Indian skipper Virat Kohli plundered New Zealand's bowlers again Sunday to record his second Test double-century as the hosts went to tea on 456 for three on day two of the third Test. Kohli, on 207, and Ajinkya Rahane, on 161, stretched their fourth-wicket unbeaten partnership to 356 as the tourists suffered another wicketless session. Kohli, who scored his maiden 200 against the West Indies in July, registered his career-best Test score Sunday to dominate the bowling attack. The batsman, who resumed the day on 103, struck 19 boundaries during his epic knock to entertain the Sunday crowd at Indore's Holkar Stadium, which is hosting its maiden Test. Kohli, 27, became the only Indian captain to score two double hundreds. Overnight partner Rahane was also in blazing form as he posted his own career-best score after completing his eighth Test century. Rahane had to face a barrage of bouncers in the morning session from the New Zealand quicks, with one of the short-pitched deliveries from Matt Henry hitting his helmet. But the incident only seemed to strengthen Rahane's resolve as he batsman grew in confidence to increase his boundary count to 14 fours and four sixes so far. Pace spearhead Trent Boult and spinners Mitchell Santner and Jeetan Patel share a wicket apiece so far. The hosts, who started the day on 267 for three, rode on the 365-run fourth-wicket partnership between skipper Virat Kohli (211) and Ajinkya Rahane (188) to flatten the New Zealand bowling. India, who took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, are looking to complete a whitewash against the tourists. (AFP)

Virat Kohli's double ton steers India to 557/5 against New Zealand

Top seed Andy Murray cruised past Spain&#39;s David Ferrer 6-2 6-3 on Saturday and Bulgaria&#39;s Grigor Dimitrov received a walkover into the China Open final after Milos Raonic withdrew due to an ankle injury.

The 29-year-old Murray, who is yet to drop a set this week, sealed victory in one hour 31 minutes, his seventh successive win over fifth seed Ferrer.

The big-serving Raonic was forced to play twice on Friday, beating Tunisia&#39;s Malek Jaziri and Pablo Carreno Busta to advance to the last four and he sustained the injury during the win over the Spaniard.

&quot;Yesterday during my second match in the evening, I rolled over my ankle, obviously caused it some level of a sprain,&quot; the Canadian told the ATP website.

&quot;I did a test this morning, which showed I had a partial tear on the outside of my ankle. I was told to give it a try. I tried to warm up just before the match like I would normally, and I was unable to play.&quot;

Murray, through to the China Open final for the first time, has enjoyed one of the best years of his career, winning Wimbledon and the Olympic gold medal.

World number one Novak Djokovic pulled out of the tournament due to injury.

Raonic pulled out of his semi-final match a few hours before it was due to start.

&quot;Yesterday during my second match in the evening... I rolled over my ankle, obviously caused it some level of a sprain,&quot; Raonic told reporters.

The sixth-ranked 25-year-old has been stalked by injuries all season, costing him the chance to bag his first Grand Slam title.

He was two sets up to Murray in the Australian&nbsp;Open&nbsp;semis when he suffered a thigh injury, eventually losing in five.

The big-serving Canadian was also tipped to make a run for the crown at Flushing Meadows, but fell in the second round after again injuring himself on court.

Murray made quick work of Ferrer for a place in the finals.

The Spaniard had lost his previous six matches against Murray and failed to get a look in after the Scot went two breaks up in the first set.

(Agencies)

World number one Novak Djokovic had pulled out of the tournament due to injury

Top seed Andy Murray cruised past Spain's David Ferrer 6-2 6-3 on Saturday and Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov received a walkover into the China Open final after Milos Raonic withdrew due to an ankle injury. The 29-year-old Murray, who is yet to drop a set this week, sealed victory in one hour 31 minutes, his seventh successive win over fifth seed Ferrer. The big-serving Raonic was forced to play twice on Friday, beating Tunisia's Malek Jaziri and Pablo Carreno Busta to advance to the last four and he sustained the injury during the win over the Spaniard. "Yesterday during my second match in the evening, I rolled over my ankle, obviously caused it some level of a sprain," the Canadian told the ATP website. "I did a test this morning, which showed I had a partial tear on the outside of my ankle. I was told to give it a try. I tried to warm up just before the match like I would normally, and I was unable to play." Murray, through to the China Open final for the first time, has enjoyed one of the best years of his career, winning Wimbledon and the Olympic gold medal. World number one Novak Djokovic pulled out of the tournament due to injury. Raonic pulled out of his semi-final match a few hours before it was due to start. "Yesterday during my second match in the evening... I rolled over my ankle, obviously caused it some level of a sprain," Raonic told reporters. The sixth-ranked 25-year-old has been stalked by injuries all season, costing him the chance to bag his first Grand Slam title. He was two sets up to Murray in the Australian Open semis when he suffered a thigh injury, eventually losing in five. The big-serving Canadian was also tipped to make a run for the crown at Flushing Meadows, but fell in the second round after again injuring himself on court. Murray made quick work of Ferrer for a place in the finals. The Spaniard had lost his previous six matches against Murray and failed to get a look in after the Scot went two breaks up in the first set. (Agencies)

China Open: Murray, Dimitrov advance to final

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