Mizo footballer dies
Aizawl: Peter Biaksangzuala, a Mizoram footballer, has passed away after injuring his spinal cord while celebrating scoring a goal in the Mizoram Premier league here. According to media reports, in an MPl match played between his side Bethlehem Vengthlang FC and Chanmari West FC, the 23-year-old Biaksangzuala celebrated his equaliser by performing a series of somersaults before falling backward and landing on his head. The Aizawl-based team had been trailing for the first 62 minutes of the game. The eyewitnesses had been quoted as saying that a number of Biaksangzuala’s team-mates also celebrated the goal and fell on him. He was carried off the field and admitted to the Aizawl Civil Hospital where attempts to repair his spinal cord had failed. Tests and scans had revealed that his spinal cord had been damaged. The footballer, who played as midfielder, was shifted to the ICU and put on a ventilator but all efforts to resuscitate him failed as he died on Sunday. Biaksangzuala was a native of the eastern town of Khawzawl in Champhai district on the Mizoram-Myanmar border.His team eventually lost the match 2-3.
Saketh leapfrogs 168 places
New Delhi: Riding on his maiden Challenger title win, Saketh Myneni on Monday leapfrogged 168 places to be ranked 283 in the ATP singles chart while Ramkumar Ramanathan achieved a career-best spot of 226 following his semifinal appearance at the just-concluded Indore Open. Saketh, who was ranked 451 coming into the Indore Open, defeated top seed Aleksandr Nedovysov to win the trophy and earn 80 ranking points on Sunday. The tall and big-serving Saketh was best-ranked 256 in March this year. The 19-year-old Ramkumar also enjoyed an impressive run in Indore as he beat India number two Yuki Bhambri and Chinese Tapiei Davis Cupper Ti Chen en route to semifinals. Somdev Devvarman continued to be India’s top singles player at 139, a gain of four places. He was followed by Yuki (179), who also climbed four spots up.
Dunk in Australia T20 side
Melbourne: Wicketkeeper Ben Dunk was named on Monday in Australia’s Twenty20 squad to face South Africa two days after hitting an unbeaten 229 to set a domestic one-day record for his Tasmanian state side. Dunk, 27, was one of the top players in the Twenty20 Big Bash league last season. No. 1 wicketkeeper Brad Haddin will be among those still in the United Arab Emirates on Test duty against Pakistan when the three-match T20 series against South Africa starts November 5. All-rounder Shane Watson will make his international return from injury after making a successful comeback in club cricket on Sunday. Watson was forced out of Australia’s recent tours to Zimbabwe and the UAE with ankle and calf problems that resulted from him stepping on a ball at training. Squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger, Cameron Boyce, Patrick Cummins, Ben Cutting, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Nic Maddinson, Nathan Reardon, Kane Richardson, Shane Watson, Cameron White.
Nico to stay with Force India
New Delhi: Nico Hulkeberg will continue to race for Sahara Force India in the 2015 Formula One season, the team confirmed on Monday. The 27-year-old German had returned to Force India at the start of 2014 after spending a year with Sauber and has enjoyed a reasonably good season, finishing among points in 13 races out of 16 so far. Hulkenberg is lying eighth in the drivers’ championship, having earned 76 points. Now it remains to be seen if Sergio Perez remains his teammate or the Mexican moves elsewhere.
Saina to lead Indian challenge
Paris: london Olympic bronze medal winning shuttler Saina Nehwal will be spearhead the Indian challenge in the $275,000 French Open Super Series, starting here on Tuesday. Seeded fifth in the tournament, Saina, will face Sashina Vignes Waran of France in the first round of women’s singles while compatriot P V Sindhu, seeded eighth, will meet a tougher rival in Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin here. Saina, who was the finalist here in 2012, is likely to face little trouble on her way to the quarterfinals. In case both Saina and Sindhu manage to cross the the last-eight hurdle, they would clash against each other in the semifinals of the event. In the men’s singles, Glasgow Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap will have an uphill task in the opening round itself, where he will be meeting World no. 4 Kenichi Tago of Japan. K Srikanth, meanwhile, is expected to have an easy outing against a qualifier.