Bhullar placed 10th after rd 1
Dubai: Gaganjeet Bhullar, who was forced to take a nearly three-month break due to injury, got off to a steady start with a three-under 69 to remain at 10th spot at the inaugural Dubai Open despite a late double bogey at the Els Club, Dubai, here on Thursday. Bhullar was the best Indian on the first day, while Shiv Kapur (71) was one-under with a bogey-free round that had one birdie and 17 pars. Kapur is tied 24th. Chiragh Kumar, Arjun Atwal and Jeev Milkha Singh carded one-over 73 each in tied 56th, while Jyoti Randhawa four-over with two holes to go birdied the last two to finish at 74 in tied 68th place. Rashid Khan and SSP Chowrasia shot 75 each and would need to a good second round to make the cut.
Pallikal, Chinappa bow out
Cairo: India's top squash players Dipika Pallikal and Joshana Chinappa fought hard against higher-ranked opponents before losing their respective pre-quarterfinal in the World Championship here. World number 16 Pallikal showed promise against third-ranked Raneem El Welily of Egypt before going down 11-7, 5-11, 3-11, 6-11 in 50 minutes in a match played on Wednesday night. 22nd-ranked Chinappa got extremely close to the biggest win of her career against world number seven low Wee Wern of Malaysia. The Indian earned the advantage of having a 2-1 lead in what turned out to be a long intense affair. However, Wee Wern made a decisive comeback in the next two games for a 6-11, 11-3, 11-13, 11-7, 11-8 win.
Amla hits third double century
Centurion: Hashim Amla hit his third Test double century and Stiaan van Zyl made a hundred on his debut before South Africa declared their first innings at 552 for five on the second day of the first Test against the West Indies at SuperSport Park on Thursday. Amla made 208 and the left-handed Van Zyl hit an unbeaten 101 before Amla declared half an hour before the scheduled tea break, with the interval being taken early. left-arm spinner Suleiman Benn ended a South African record fourth wicket stand of 308 between Amla and AB de Villiers when De Villiers sliced a drive to point after making 152 off 235 balls with 16 fours and two sixes. He followed up by having Amla caught on the long-on boundary as he was forced to toil for 46 overs, taking two for 148 but not before the South African captain had added 155 for the fifth wicket with Van Zyl. Van Zyl started cautiously and was troubled by the tall Benn early on, giving a sharp, low chance to Kraigg Brathwaite at leg
gully when he had two.
lord's set to stage wc final in 2019
london: The iconic lord's Cricket Ground is all set to host a record fifth ODI World Cup final after being proposed as the venue for the 2019 edition's summit clash by hosts England. "lord's Cricket Ground in london has been proposed as the venue for the ICC Cricket World Cup final when the tournament is staged in England and Wales in 2019 – and will also host the ICC Women's World Cup final in 2017," the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will also recommend to ICC that the semifinals in the 2019 World Cup should be allocated to Old Trafford, Manchester and Warwickshire's home of Edgbaston, with the opening game being staged at The Oval.
janko pulls out of Chennai Open
Chennai: Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic, the 2013 singles
Champion, on Thursday withdrew from the upcoming ATP Chennai Open due to health issues. The former World No. 8, recovering from a foot surgery, was all set to make a return to competitive tennis in the new season and granted a singles wild card. Sweden's Elias Ymer will now battle it out in the main draw of the upcoming tournament, debuting as a wild card entry in the 20th edition. The 2015 edition of the ATP 250 tournament, has an exciting lineup that includes World No. 4 and defending singles champion Stanislas Wawrinka, World No. 14 Feliciano lopez, World No. 15 Roberto Bautista Agut and World No. 22 David Goffin.
zimbabwe fires stephen mangongo
Harare (Zimbabwe): Zimbabwe has sacked cricket coach Stephen Mangongo following the team's whitewash defeat in Bangladesh. Zimbabwe lost all three tests and five ODIs in Bangladesh, sparking an uproar among fans. Zimbabwe Cricket board chairman Wilson Manase said a new coach will be hired before the new year, alongside a specialist batting coach. Former test bowler Douglas Hondo will be retained as bowling coach in the new set-up. Manase said at a news conference that Mangongo "is good at identifying talent and ensuring we have good players but I think at the national side we should relieve him off his duties." Former Zimbabwe test player Murray Goodwin has been tipped to replace Mangongo.
Nz clinches nervy 7-run win
Abu Dhabi: New Zealand shrugged off Younis Khan's first limited-overs century for six years to clinch a seven-run victory over Pakistan on Wednesday in a fourth ODI where players wore black armbands following the attack on a military school in Peshawar. Vettori's twin strikes had left Pakistan reeling at 82-4. Afridi hit five fours and two sixes before he was caught behind in the 45th over.The one day series is levelled at 2-2.