‘Lacazette & Aubameyang are Wenger’s biggest legacy’
The signings of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are “Arsene Wenger’s biggest legacy at Arsenal”, according to Martin Keown.During his final season at the Gunners helm, the iconic coach invested heavily in two proven frontmen.Lacazette, who had been a long-standing target, was acquired for £52 million ($68m) from Lyon, with a further £55m ($72m) required to land Aubameyang during the January transfer window. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! Wenger was initially reluctant to use the pair in tandem, but experimented with that approach towards the end of the 2017-18 campaign.There were signs of encouragement, and new Arsenal boss Unai Emery has seen a devastating duo flourish as the focal points of his attack – with both men on target in Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League victory over Everton.“Arsene Wenger’s biggest legacy at Arsenal is the firepower at the top of the team that killed off Everton,” former Gunners defender Keown told the Daily Mail.“Wenger splashed out more than £100 million last season to bring in Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and they proved their worth in this victory.“Lacazette is simply ruthless. He may not have had many chances on Sunday but he made one of them count. There was no saving that ferocious strike to put Arsenal ahead.“The way he pounced on Aaron Ramsey’s pass, opened up his body and ripped the ball into the net was Lacazette at his best.“He is hungry for goals. He sat on the bench stewing on Thursday night while his team-mates filled their boots against Vorskla in the Europa League.
“Lacazette desperately wanted a piece of the action and it made him even more determined to prove a point against Everton.“Arsenal look far more dangerous with the Frenchman through the middle and Aubameyang coming in from the left to join him.“It effectively means defenders have two centre forwards to deal with. It is difficult for them to know who to pick up.“Momentum is everything with this Arsenal team. Once they are ahead, they are brimming with confidence and do not look like surrendering their lead.“Before Lacazette’s goal, Everton had chances but only Richarlison looked likely to score. They still lack a player who can regularly put the ball in the back of the net.“There is still plenty of room for improvement in Unai Emery’s Arsenal side but with Aubameyang and Lacazette, they have a killer instinct.”Arsenal will be back on the goal trail on Wednesday when they take in a Carabao Cup third round derby date with London rivals Brentford.
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Krunal Pandya played like a perfect all-rounder for the Mumbai Indians on Saturday as he bowled a wonderful spell against Gujarat Lions where he conceded only 14 runs and took 3 wickets apart from contributing with a crucial 29 runs off 20 balls to help Mumbai clinch a Super Over win.Jasprit Bumrah went on to bowl a brilliant Super Over and defended 11 runs to hand Mumbai Indians their seventh victory.For his match-winning effort, Krunal Pandya received the man of the match award.On being asked about his all-round effort, Krunal Pandya said, “I feel I am an all-rounder and need to contribute with bat, ball and in the field. Need to think as a batsman while batting and as a bowler while bowling.”He further mentioned that the wicket wasn’t easy to bat on and he did think of going as close as possible to take Mumbai through.”I wanted to go after the first two balls of the last over (20th), that six helped me.””When we needed 2 from 2, I just wanted to go for a single and let Malinga get the other run. I just told him the same, I didn’t want to take a risk in the fifth ball.”Krunal Pandya missed out on the previous game with an injury that Mumbai Indians lost to Rising Pune Supergiant by 3 runs.
Kolkata, May 5 (PTI) Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel today expressed happiness over the preparation for the Under- 17 FIFA World Cup in October and said both Kochi and Kolkata venues would be ready by May 30. Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangans preparation is well on track. The venue hosts the final of the mega event. “I am quite satisfied with the progress here, though some finishing touches are needed. They will finish everything by May 30,” Goel told a news conference after an inspection of the stadium and training centres at the Sports Authority of India Eastern Centre Complex. “At SAI Complex, some work related to changing room and floodlights are being done. I have given them instruction to finish work by May 30.” Goel earlier went to Kochi where he was disappointed with the progress work but Goel today said they would also finish by May 30. “There has been a lot of delay in work at the Jawaharlal Nehru Athletic Stadium. But they have assured that latest by May 30 the work will be finished. I will come back again and play a demonstration match when the venue is ready. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking special interest. I want it to be organised in a proper way. We will finish the work by May 30 at any cost. We will coordinate from Delhi.” Goel, who will next head to Navi Mumbai and then Guwahati, said they would try to ensure that all stadiums are packed during the tournament as they have plan to engage 15,000 schools. “In FIFA preparation meetings, our full effort has been to ensure that not a single stadium remains empty. We want to see that the stadiums look small. We will try to ensure that the fever of football is spread across India.” “Its a great opportunity and proud moment for India that for the first time India will host the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Through this World Cup, we will touch 15,000 schools and will reach Mission 11 Million.” “We have also distributed football to Parliament members to promote the sport in their constituency. I will also have the same message for the Chief Minister of West Bengal. “The good news is our ranking has progressed.” PTI TAP BS BSadvertisement
Were you planning to buy a new car this month, then consider yourself lucky, as car-manufactures are offering heavy discounts on some of their popular vehicles. From entry level vehicles to hatchbacks to sedans and SUVs, there is something for everyone. So why don’t you sit back and check out the big deals that are coming your way.Maruti Suzuki:Country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) has some exciting offers in store for an array of their popular products. Right from the entry level Alto to Swift to Ciaz, Maruti Suzuki is offering exchange bonus of up to Rs 25,000 and discounts up to Rs 15,000 on various models.Maruti Suzuki Model Exchange offers Discounts Alto 800 NA Rs 15,000 Alto K10 Rs 15,000- Rs 20,000 NA Celerio Rs 15,000- Rs 25,000 NA Swift Rs 15,000- Rs 20,000 Rs 10,000- Rs 15,000 Ertiga Rs 10,000 NA Ciaz Rs 20,000- Rs 25,000 NAHonda:Honda saw healthy sales growth in April and in May are offering exchange offers of up to Rs 25,000. Honda reported a 38.1 per cent increase in domestic sales at 14,480 units in April. The company had sold 10,486 units in the same month last year.Honda Cars India Model Exchange Offer Discounts Honda Brio Rs 25,000 NA Honda Amaze Rs 20,000 NA Honda Jazz Rs 20,000 Free InsuranceHyundai:Hyundai India recently launched the 2017 Xcent compact sedan along with the new generation Grand i10 and the Tucson SUV last year. For the month of May, Hyundai is offering exchange offers and discounts worth Rs 30,000. Below is the list of cars with the offers.Hyundai India Model Exchange Offer Discounts Hyundai Eon Rs 15,000 Rs 10,000 Hyundai Elite i20 Rs 20,000 Rs 15,000 Hyundai Active i20 Rs 20,000 Rs 15,000 Hyundai Grand i10 Rs 20,000 Rs 10,000- Rs 15,000 Hyundai Verna Rs 30,000 Rs 25,000Volkswagen:advertisementThe German car-makers are offering discounts on Ameo compact sedan and the popular Polo hatchback in India. While VW launched the Ameo last year, the company launched the sports oriented Polo GTi in India this year.Volkswagen India Model Exchange Offer DiscountsVolkswagen Ameo NA Rs 40,000- Rs 50,000Volkswagen Polo NA Rs 50,000(Data collected from www.mycarhelpline.com)
Los Angeles, May 19 (PTI) Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio and model Nina Agdal have parted ways after more than a year together.The Oscar winner, 42, and Sports Illustrated model, 25, called it quits a few days back, reported Us Weekly.”They broke up a couple days ago. They remain in touch. They both felt the relationship ran its course. Its amicable. They still do talk and remain friends,” a source said.The supermodel and actor were last spotted sharing a kiss in New York City last month.DiCaprio has previously dated Kelly Rohrbach, Toni Garrn and Anne Vyalitsyna. He also dated Bar Refaeli from 2006 to 2011 and Gisele Bundchen from 2000 to 2005. PTI SHD SHD
Oppo silently launched R11 Plus today. The smartphone is said to a top-end version of the recently announced Oppo R11. The device is launched in China, and both Oppo R11 and R11 Plus has a lot in similar in terms of specs, but there are some differences too. Oppo R11 has been listed on company’s official retail partner and is said to go on sale from June 10 in China. No words on India launch as of it, however, chances are that Oppo might unveil both the devices in India very soon, in the upcoming months.Oppo R11 Plus pricing details are still a secret, but to recall, Oppo R11 costs around $500 which equals to Rs 32,190. This makes it pretty much evident that the Plus variant will be much expensive that Rs 32,000. In terms of specifications, Oppo R11 Plus sports 1 6-inch AMOLED display with 1080p resolution. The key highlight of the device is its massive battery set up. Further, the newly launched Oppo R11 Plus is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 chipset and run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat.Oppo R11 Plus comes with 6GB of RAM and 64GB storage, which can be further expandable via a microSD card. On the camera front, the smartphone packs dual cameras at the rear, with 16-megapixel and 20-megapixel sensors. The rear camera is further paired with f/1.7 aperture and a telephoto lens. The primary camera further uses Sony IMX398 and IMX350 sensors as well, and is also able to record 4K videos. On the front, the Oppo phone comes with a 20-megapixel selfie shooter. No information on price and available has been revealed as of yet.advertisementTo recall, Oppo R11 comes with 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED screen with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, and runs Android 7.1 Nougat with company’s ColorOS on top. Further, the device s powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which can be expandable via microSD card. The Oppo R11 is backed by a 2900mAh battery. On the camera front, the smartphone packs dual rear cameras with 16-megapixel and 20-megapixel sensors, while on the front, the device fits in 20-megapixel selfie snapper.Also Read: Oppo R11 with dual rear-camera set up, Android Nougat 7.1 goes official
Team India members have been playing non-stop cricket since August last year and are currently in the West Indies for the five-match ODI series.After hammering the hosts by 105 runs in the second match the Men in Blue took a 1-0 lead in the series (the first ODI got washed out) and now have a few days to themselves before the third match is played on June 30.The players are making sure to make the most of these few off days and are being accompanied by their wives on this tour.West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who shares a terrific rapport with most the Indian cricketers thanks to the IPL, hosted the team at his home in Trinidad before the players headed to Antigua for the third ODI.Bravo posted a series of pictures with India captain Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar Kumar with innovative captions along with each of them.For Dhoni he wrote – “It was great to have my brother from another Mother at my house last night along with his beautiful daughter an my mom.”While a picture with Kohli, Rahane and Dhawan was captioned – “Last night at my home my brothers from team india in having a chill night.”And with Bhuvi the caption read – “The only two players in the history of ipl to won purple Cap 2 times.”Dhawan, who is probably the most active Indian player on social media, has also posted quite a few pictures on Instagram while spending some quality time with his family and teammates in Trinidad.Dhoni’s wife Sakshi also uploaded an adorable picture with Dhawan and Bravo’s boys and captioned the picture – “My two boys !!! #dhawanjr #bravojr.”The ODI series will end on July 6 following which both the teams will play a lone T20I in Jamaica on July 9. The Indian cricketers will then enjoy a 15-day break before leaving for Sri Lanka to play three Tests, five ODIs and a T20I from July 26.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni once again spot on with his brilliant glovework when he stumped Jason Holder of the bowling off Ravichandran Ashwin at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in the third One-Day International.Ashwin bowled one down the leg side and Holder got overbalanced while trying to flick. Dhoni collected the ball and whipped off the bails in a flash to send the West Indian captain packing as India reduced the Windies to 87/5 from 19.3 overs.In the previous match also he stumped Holder of the bowling off Kuldeep Yadav when Holder was foxed by a wrong-un after advancing down the wicket. MSD waited for a while, almost teasing the 25-year-old to make an effort to come back before flicking the bails off.He also looked like a third commentator throughout the West Indies innings as he kept chirping behind the stumps. Dhoni was seen advising the bowlers what to do and what not to as he almost plotted the fall of Rovman Powell when he walked in.He now has 371 dismissals to his name in ODIs, with 274 catches and 97 stumpings from 294 matches.Earlier, Dhoni became the second highest run-scorer as a wicketkeeper during his 79-ball unbeaten 78 to help India post 251/4. Dhoni now has 9442 runs from 294 matches at 51.31 with 10 hundreds, he overtook Adam Gilchrist who amassed 9410 runs from 282 matches at 35.64 with 16 centuries. Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara tops the list with 13341 runs from 360 matches at 43.74 with 23 tons.Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower (5845 runs from 186 matches) and South Africa’s Mark Boucher (4680 runs from 294 matches) complete the top five.advertisementDhoni is also the fifth on the list of most number of sixes hit in ODIs with 322 maximums. Shahid Afridi (476), Chris Gayle (434), Brendon McCullum (398), Sanath Jayasuriya (352) are the ones ahead of him.His all-round performance helped India beat West Indies by 93 runs and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Roger Federer has risen above mere mortals on Wimbledon’s lawns over the past 14 years so it was almost comforting to learn the king of cool had an attack of nerves before his second-round match on Thursday.Usually so serene on his Centre Court stage, the 35-year-old Swiss was visibly snatching at some shots early on against 79th-ranked Serb Dusan Lajovic and dropped his first service game before ironing out the kinks to win 7-6(0) 6-3 6-2.His record-extending 86th win at the All England Club put him closer to becoming the first man to claim eight Wimbledon singles titles, having first lifted the trophy in 2003, but it was far from a routine day at the office for the 35-year-old.”I was feeling nerves for some reason. Not sure why,” third seed Federer, who will face German serve-and-volleyer Mischa Zverev in round three, told reporters.”It was definitely more acute than I normally feel it. It was just like all of a sudden I was walking up to the locker room after my warm-up and I was feeling excited and nervous.”Then when I walked to the court it was still ongoing and after the warm-up it was still there. And down 1-0, 0-40, it was still there, and it was still there at 6-6 in the first set.”Just took a while to shake it off.”NERVOUS TENSIONThat Federer still has nervous tension after winning 18 majors is perhaps the strongest argument to suggest he can reclaim the title he last won in 2012.advertisementHe is clearly not a man just playing out the last few years of his magnificent career for fun.”It’s weird how sometimes you can be way more nervous for a second round than for a final,” he said. “I’m happy I got through this one feeling the way I did, because in a way it’s strange playing this way when you’re so tense.”His early-evening match became a piece of cake after he demoralised Lajovic with a masterful tiebreak.Lajovic had played admirably to stay with Federer throughout the first set and even led by an early break.The 27-year-old Serb must have felt he was in with a chance as the tiebreak began but Federer played seven scintillating points to finally calm the nerves.With dark clouds looming overhead the Swiss looked in a hurry to get the job done and broke early in the second set.The third set was one-way traffic and Federer sealed victory with his ninth ace.
The new Amazon original, Le Mans: Racing is Everything, effectively captures the emotional rollercoaster drivers experience during what’s arguably the most iconic race in motor sport. And I should know: I was actually driving in the 2015 edition of the 24-hour race that features in the documentary.The six-part series follows,The new Amazon original, Le Mans: Racing is Everything, effectively captures the emotional rollercoaster drivers experience during what’s arguably the most iconic race in motor sport. And I should know: I was actually driving in the 2015 edition of the 24-hour race that features in the documentary.The six-part series follows various distinct characters, rookies, veterans, drivers at the top and teams that are having a nightmare run. Filmmaker James Erskine and his team have been able to tell the story of the whole Le Mans week, including everything that happens off the track.Watching some of the heartache stories was a bit difficult for me, because they involved friends of mine, Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Jann Mardenborough. They were also moments that I can totally relate to. Though racing at Le Mans is truly one of the greatest experiences for a racing driver, it can also be one of the worst. I remember a particular race in 2014 where we were very fast but I ended up in a crash with eight other cars during a rainstorm that ended our chances.Erskine does especially well in communicating how important teamwork is at an event like this. Unlike Formula 1, at Le Mans you have three drivers sharing the same car and the dynamic between them is key to success. The drivers all have to get along and compromise in the interest of the team. This is a unique and tricky balance when you’re involving highly competitive individuals who are used to being selfish sportsmen.advertisementThe other angle that’s captured well is the family perspective. For example, in one of the episodes, the camera crew visits the home of Darren Turner to speak with his wife Katie about her feelings on the risks involved. Le Mans remains one of the most dangerous races in the world where drivers get hurt every year. I often think back to the race in 2013 when Darren’s teammate, Allan Simonsen, was killed. As drivers, we accept the risks involved, but the film reminds us, and shows viewers, how hard it is for the wives and parents to watch from the sidelines, knowing that when the driver leaves the pit lane, he might not come back alive.-Karun Chandhok is a racing driver and the first and only Indian to compete at Le Mans
Usain Bolt, running the penultimate race of his career, led Jamaica safely through their semi-final in the 4×100 metres relay at the World Athletics Championships on Saturday while United States ran the fastest time of the year.Bolt, who announced on Monday that he would also run in the heats, will race for the last time in the final on Saturday when he hopes to bow out with his 20th global championship title.Running the last leg, Bolt eased home, looking over his shoulder, as Jamaica won the second of the two semi-final heats in 37.95 seconds, ahead of France (38.03) and China (38.20).Jamaica are aiming for a fifth successive world title in the event but will face a stiff challenge from the U.S. who won the first heat in 37.70 seconds, with Christian Coleman, silver medallist in the 100 metres, running the anchor leg.”It feels like second nature because we work well together. We are confident we can win. We will go and prepare well for tonight,” said Michael Rogers, who ran the first leg for the United States.Britain were second in the first heat in 37.76, also faster than Jamaica’s time, while Japan were third. Canada and Turkey also qualified as the fastest losers.Bolt’s presence ensured a capacity crowd for the morning session. “It’s hard to be sad because of the energy I’m getting from the crowd,” said the Jamaican, who suffered a rare defeat in the 100 metres when he took bronze.
Chandigarh, Aug 22 (PTI) Punjabs main opposition party, the AAP, today threatened to stage a dharna outside Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badals residence in Delhi on August 24 to protest against the Centres decision of extending “industrial incentives” to the hill states.Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Sukhpal Khaira alleged that “discriminatory” concessions to the neighbouring hill states have wrecked havoc upon the industry of Punjab by denying it a level playing field.Harsimrat Kaur Badal is the Union food processing minister and the wife of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal.Earlier this month, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said that industries in the northeastern and Himalayan states will continue to get tax exemption till March 2027, albeit as refund, under the current GST regime which was rolled out on July 1.”The Vajpayee government had announced major tax concessions to the hill states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and others. The said policy of tax holiday to these states, was carried forward by the Manmohan Singh-led Congress government for 10 more years.”Now the Modi government has decided to extend for another 10 years the tax benefits available to these hill states,” said Khaira in statement.The “anti-industry” decision of successive central governments has left a devastating effect on small and medium scale industries in Punjab.”It became very difficult for the manufacturers of the state to compete with their counterparts in these hill states, who are enjoying tax benefits,” he said.Opposing the Centres decision to extend special incentives to the hill states, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had on August 18 said he would pursue Punjabs demand for extending similar incentives to the border areas and Kandi (sub mountainous) belt.advertisementUrging Singh to take a “bold stand” on this issue, Khaira said the steel rolling mills and induction furnaces of Mandi Gobindgarh, hosiery industry of Ludhiana, sports and leather industry of Jalandhar and others have been severely affected by the “erroneous” policies of the Central governments.”The agrarian economy of Punjab has already collapsed due to colossal debt burden of over Rs one lakh crore, forcing farmers to commit suicides in large number.”Instead of bailing out the farmers of the state by giving a package, the Centre has further added a body blow to Punjab by extending tax benefits to hill states for 10 more year,” he said.Khaira said AAP MLAs from Punjab, led by him, will hold the dharna outside the official residence of Harsimrat Badal who is a “signatory to the anti-Punjab decision of the Union Cabinet”. PTI CHS NSD
Indian left-handed batsman Suresh Raina has paid tribute to veteran pacer Ashish Nehra, who confirmed that he will bid adieu to all forms of cricket after the opening T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand in Hyderabad on November 1.Heaping praise over Nehra, Raina insisted that the 38-year-old is the one player who always gives best advice and that he is still going strong at this age.”He is such a lovely human being and has worked so well on his game. I met him couple of times and we played so many matches together. And he is one guy who always gives good advice. At the age of 38, he is still going strong. I hope he will do well in Hyderabad and win a game for my country,” Raina told ANI.Nehra, who made his India debut back in 1999 under Mohammad Azharuddin, represented the country in 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 26 T20Is.He has picked up 44 Test wickets, besides 157 ODI and 34 T20I wickets.The left-arm pacer, who is also part of the ongoing three-match T20I series against Australia, is best remembered for his superb bowling spell against England at Durban in the 2003 ICC World Cup, where he picked six wickets for just 23 runs.Meanwhile, Raina also reflected his views on stone-pelting incident on the Australian cricket team bus which took place as the visiting side returned to the team hotel from the Barsapara Cricket Stadium following their eight-wicket win in the second T20I of the three-match series in Guwahati.advertisementThe batsman condemned the attack on the Australian team and said he is hopeful that nothing like this would happen in future.”Sad to see that, especially when they played a good game. I think BCCI looking into it. We all play together in IPL. Hopefully, nothing got serious. Thanks to the BCCI and anti-corruption unit as well as the cops, I think they looked after each and everything really well. I hope it won’t happen again in future,” he said.Following the incident, Australian opener Aaron Finch had tweeted a picture of a broken window saying, “Pretty scary having a rock thrown through the team bus window on the way back to the hotel!!”The rock, believed to be roughly the size of a cricket ball, was thrown at a window on the right-hand side of the bus, while it was returning from the stadium.It should be noted that no injuries were caused to any of the players or the support staff.
Tottenham Hotspur handed Fernando Llorente a rare start in place of Harry Kane, and the former Swansea man returned to Liberty stadium and scored against his old club on Tuesday.Llorente headed Spurs in front after 12 minutes, although he was clearly offside when meeting Christian Eriksen’s free kick. In incessant driving rain at the Liberty Stadium, Spurs looked largely in control until after the break when Jordan Ayew went close and Jan Vertonghen inadvertently deflected a Swansea attack against his own post.WATCH VIDEOYet Kane, brought on for the final 20 minutes, calmed nerves as he superbly set up an 89th-minute goal for Dele Alli that sealed the victory which lifted Spurs to fifth in the table, above their local rivals Arsenal.A dramatic late win at Watford had given Swansea’s new manager Carlos Carvalhal the ideal launch pad for a revival but the Portuguese’s first home match in charge illustrated the magnitude of the task facing him.”You need luck to score and win, yes, but after 90 minutes I think it’s clear we were better and deserved the points,” Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino told the BBC.”The first half was so difficult to play football. The weather was horrible, but we dominated and tried to play football.”Even the absence of Kane, not risked from the start with Spurs due to play 48 hours later against West Ham United, did not stop the early one-way traffic in the pouring rain which left surface water on the pitch.It did, however, mean the Spurs’ marksman, who was brought on midway through the second half, missed out on the chance of a third successive league hat-trick, a feat not achieved in English football for 72 years.advertisementInstead, it was Spanish international Llorente who ghosted ahead of his marker and latched on to Eriksen’s superb whipped free kick from the left flank to head home past Lukasz Fabianski.The decision to award the goal clearly exasperated Carvalhal, who was right in thinking Llorente was offside but there could be no argument about the quality of the assist from Eriksen.It meant the Dane has now been involved in either scoring or setting up 11 goals in eight league matches against Swansea.Yet after dominating the first half against the side with the worst defensive record in the league, Spurs made heavy weather of the win, a resurgent Swansea coming closest when Mike van der Hoorn’s header deflected off Vertonghen’s back and struck the woodwork.Spurs, though, reasserted their superiority when Kane came on, the goalscorer par excellence turning provider as his marvellous through ball on the counter-attack found Alli, who bundled the ball home at the second attempt.(With inputs from Reuters)
With decks cleared for the Gandhi scion to take over the reins of Congress, incumbent vice-president Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination for the party presidential election around 11am at the party headquarters.Today is the last date for filing candidacy for the Congress party’s president post, whereas scrutiny of papers would be done tomorrow.Names of candidates (if any apart from Rahul Gandhi) will be announced on Tuesday itself. The last date of withdrawal of candidature is December 11.In case of no contest, Rahul Gandhi will be elected as the Congress president unopposed later that day.But, if nomination(s) are filed, then the polling will take place on December 16 and the results will be announced on December 19.HERE ARE THE LIVE UPDATES: Rahul Gandhi is a darling of the Congress and he will carry forward the great traditions of the party: Dr Manmohan Singh.Congratulating Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said, “I am confident that the party will renew itself with greater vigour and scale new heights under your able leadership. I wish you success!”As Mr Rahul Gandhi files his nomination, I wish him the very best as Congress President. #IndiaWithRahulGandhi&; P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 4, 2017″Have no doubt that we will make tremendous strides under your unifying & progressive leadership @OfficeOfRG! Wish you the very best! Look forward to undertaking this journey of building an India of energy, opportunity & unity with you. #IndiawithRahulGandhi,” MP Jyotiraditya Scindia posted on Twitter.The Gandhi scion is likely to be elected unopposed as no other leader has filed nomination yet.Rahul Gandhi with Dr.Manmohan Singh and other senior party leaders at AICC HQ after filing nomination pic.twitter.com/ilzQEu68tHadvertisement&; ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2017Senior leader Ahmed Patel, Puducherry CM Narayanswamy, Motiwal Vohra, former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi and former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot present at the Congress heaadquarters.Rahul meets senior party leaders including Sheila Dikshit and Mohsina Kidwai after filing nomination.Rahul Gandhi files nomination for Congress president post at party headquarters in Delhi. If you ask me, I think he will make a very good Prime Minister: Capt.Amarinder Singh,Punjab CM on #RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/nTkqIahuMy&; ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2017Rahul reaches Congress headquarters, to file nomination shortly. Sonia, Manmohan accompany him.Rahul Gandhi meets former President Pranab Mukherjee.Rahul reaches Manmohan Singh’s residence ahead of nomination.Rahul Gandhi meets mother Sonia at 10 Janpath. Congress Working Committee (CWC) leaders will first propose Rahul Gamdhi’s name, following which State leaders will do.Do BJP presidents get elected? Did Nitin Gadkari get elected through a ballot process? Let them answer that first: Kamal Nath,Congress pic.twitter.com/7nkYPYeyhi&; ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2017Sonia Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh, Leader of Oppositon- Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azab and senior Congress leader and MP AK Antony are key proposers.Rahul Gandhi leaves for Rajghat.Rahul likely to visit Shiva temple before filing nomination.Janeu sporting Hindu brahmins will accompany Rahul to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters.Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is expected to reach 10 Janpath at 10.30 AM to meet incumbent party president Sonia Gandhi.Rahul Gandhi in all likelihood will succeed his mother Sonia Gandhi, the longest serving Congress chief who has helmed the party since 1998. ALL FOR RAHUL GANDHIRahul Gandhi is likely to emerge as the lone candidate in the fray as up till now no one else has filed papers for the Congress’ top post.”So far 90 nomination forms have been given out to state unit delegates. No application for nomination has been submitted so far,” Chairman of the party’s Central Election Authority Mullapally Ramachandran said.As many as six chief ministers – Punjab’s Amarinder Singh, Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh’s Virbhadra Singh, Puducherry’s V. Narayanasamy, Meghalaya’s Mukul Sangma and Mizoram’s Lal Thanhawla – are expected to be present today when over 90 sets of nomination papers are likely to be filed by various leaders to extend support to Rahul Gandhi.In addition, incumbent Congress president Sonia Gandhi will be the first proposer for the candidature of her 47-year-old son.-With inputs from Supriya Bharadwaj
Dawid Malan’s maiden hundred in Test cricket couldn’t have come at a better time.England, who are trailing 0-2 in the Ashes series, were in desperate need for some inspiration which came on the first day of the third Test at Perth from the 30-year-old middle order batsman.Electing to bat first, England had the worst possible start when former skipper Alastair Cook, playing in his 150th Test, was trapped leg-before on 7 by Mitchell Starc.James Vince then joined Marcus Stoneman at the crease and the duo shared a 63-run stand before Josh Hazlewood got the former out on 25.Captain Joe Root once again failed to capitalise on a good start and fell for 20. That brought Malan to the crease with England 115 for 3.Stoneman soon fell for 56 leaving England in some bother at 131-4. Then Malan, with a chancy 110 not out, and Bairstow, 75 not out, lifted the tourists’ sagging fortunes to finish the day on 305-4.England was helped in its cause by Australia dropping three catches and missing an opportunity to run out Malan.Malan survived a run out on 32, and was dropped on 92 by Cameron Bancroft off Starc’s first delivery with the second new ball.Dropped! Malan on 92, he edges one first ball against the second new ball and Bancroft puts it down coming across from third slip #Ashes- cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) December 14, 2017He brought up his maiden Test ton in his eighth match by pulling Hazlewood for his 13th four. He batted for 242 minutes in all and faced 174 balls. He hit 15 boundaries and a top-edged six off Starc.advertisementPhoto Credit: AP The first century by an England batsman in the series couldn’t have come at a better time, as England must win this Test to keep the series alive. Australia won the first two Tests convincingly.Bairstow was promoted to bat at No. 6 in a small change to the unchanged lineup. He joined Malan after opener Stoneman was contentiously dismissed for 56.Stoneman played a dogged innings against a barrage of short-pitch bowling. He was dropped twice and hit on the helmet all within five deliveries.Out of Stoneman’s shadow, Malan dominated Australia’s three-pronged pace attack that had rattled the tourists.Malan came to the crease when skipper Joe Root fell for 20, followed soon after by Stoneman.Upon reaching his half-century with a top-edged cut off fast bowler Hazlewood, Stoneman was dropped on 52 by first slip Mitchell Marsh, and then felled by a Hazlewood bouncer that broke his helmet. He received medical attention on the field.Still on 52, Stoneman fended another short delivery but a diving Nathan Lyon couldn’t get his fingers under the falling ball.After staying on the same score for more than 30 minutes, Stoneman finally edged Hazlewood for his 10th boundary to move to 56.But his dour innings was cut short when he was adjudged caught behind after Australia referred a not out decision to television umpire Aleem Dar. The videos were inconclusive as to whether the Starc delivery brushed Stoneman’s gloves en route to wicketkeeper Tim Paine. But there was a small amount of evidence indicating ball on glove, and Stoneman was given out. Players in the England dressing room were visibly upset over the decision.Plenty of debate after that review! Thoughts? #Ashes @Gillette #CloseMatters pic.twitter.com/NozC4L6O8T- cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) December 14, 2017England started the day positively, with Stoneman stroking four boundaries in the space of five balls, including three in succession against Starc.Alastair Cook was first out, the former skipper managing just 7 off 26 balls in his 150th Test before Starc pinned him on the crease and trapped him.Stoneman shared a 63-run second-wicket stand with James Vince (25), which was broken by Hazlewood just before lunch.Root was out for 20 when he edged a legside catch to Paine off fast bowler Pat Cummins.The start of the game was overshadowed by a British newspaper report alleging international attempts to fix parts of it.The Sun published purported evidence of bookmakers offering to sell details of rigged periods of play for betting purposes.The International Cricket Council immediately launched an investigation, supported by the cricket boards of Australia and England.”From my initial assessment of the material, there is no evidence, either from The Sun or via our own intelligence, to suggest the current test match has been corrupted,” ICC anti-corruption unit general manager Alex Marshall said. “At this stage of the investigation, there is no indication that any players in this test have been in contact with the alleged fixers.”advertisement(Courtesy: AP)
Small ball was the story of the NBA Finals. It might seem temporarily forgotten at the start of the NBA draft.The first three players taken June 25 could easily be a trio of big guys. Karl-Anthony Towns seems the likely pick by Minnesota at No. 1, the Los Angeles Lakers would next figure to snare Jahlil Okafor at No. 2 and it wouldn’t surprise many onlookers if Philadelphia then took Latvian prospect Kristaps Porzingis with the third pick.Give or take an inch, they’re all 7-footers.So after a title series where Cleveland’s LeBron James and Golden State’s Draymond Green — both about 6-foot-8 — spent time at center and where the Warriors swung the series their way by going to a small lineup and forcing the Cavaliers away from what was working, all eyes when the draft starts will be on bigs once again.“I think big men still run the game,” Okafor said after a workout with the Lakers earlier this month. “When you have a dominant big man, that changes the aspects of the game. You can see that now, you can see the Golden State big men and the Cleveland big men doing big things for their teams. So we believe the big men still run it.”Not everyone would agree.The dearth of the NBA big man has been well-chronicled, although it seems to be making a bit of comeback with Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin all ranking among the league’s top eight scorers this past season.But in today’s league, small ball — the type of play where speed and shooting takes precedence over size and power — is clearly en vogue, because it’s working.“I understand the small ball,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said last week on a teleconference to discuss Towns and the Wildcats’ six other draft hopefuls.“Small ball is because a 6-7 guy can move his feet and hands like a guard, but now you’ve got a 7-footer that can do the same. In three years, if someone has two 7-footers that can move their feet, then we’re going back to the twin towers.”What Calipari is basically saying is that big men are trying to keep up with the times.The notion of tall guys being able to shoot from deep isn’t new — Chris Bosh, Kevin Love, Channing Frye and Dirk Nowitzki are all serious 3-point threats, and all stand at least 6-foot-10.Towns is working on his range, Okafor has been known to make 3’s in practice and Porzingis’ outside game is clearly ahead of his post skills.In the small-ball party right now, the big guys apparently don’t like being left out.“By necessity, the league has gone smaller and more spread,” said Fran Fraschilla, a former college coach who now is an ESPN analyst. “You’re seeing more, what I would call, small lineups. What we call the stretch four-man. In part, this is because there are just a handful of low-post scorers.”If the draft starts with Towns, Okafor and Porzingis, it would be a rare big-big-big opening.The last time three guys who were 7-footers led off a draft was 2007, when injury-prone Greg Oden, Kevin Durant and Al Horford went 1-2-3. And the last time more than two true post players — Durant wouldn’t count there, of course — led off a draft was 2001, with Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol and Eddy Curry were the first four selections.Chandler and Gasol have enjoyed great careers, Brown and Curry not so much. It’s a reminder that betting the franchise’s future on big men is always risky, with the most infamous example coming in 1984 when Hakeem Olajuwon went No. 1, Sam Bowie went No. 2 and the player widely considered to be the best ever in the game was still on the board.A lesser-known blunder from that draft was that 15 teams passed on John Stockton.“You go back to the Olajuwon-Bowie-Jordan draft,” Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. “In years past and maybe even today it makes sense to build around a big, but you don’t want to take a big because it’s a big and pass on the No. 3 pick — which turned out to be Michael Jordan.”Hence, maybe taking a guard the wiser move. “It can be argued in today’s game that maybe you should do that,” Kupchak said.Odds are, he won’t listen to that argument. Okafor wants to be a Laker and it’ll probably work out that way. Small ball isn’t everything — and Okafor wants to remind the league that’s the case.“I know what my bread-and-butter is,” Okafor said, “and that’s down in the post.”(TIM REYNOLDS, AP Basketball Writer)TweetPinShare0 Shares
MELBOURNE (AP) – Serena Williams put up both hands after a sending a forehand long and high over the baseline in the first set. She wanted nothing to do with yet another unforced error in her Australian Open final against Angelique Kerber.For the second time in as many majors, nerves got to Williams as she tried to equal Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles.No. 7-seeded Kerber had never played in a Grand Slam final and had lost five of her six career meetings with Williams, but she responded with a stunning 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 upset win over the six-time Australian Open champion.Williams had won the title every previous time she’d reached the final at Melbourne Park, and was overwhelming favorite to continue that streak against Kerber, who joked she was «one leg in the plane to Germany» when she faced match point in her first-round win over Misaki Doi.«I mean, every time I walk in this room, everyone expects me to win every single match, every single day of my life», Williams said in her post-match news conference. «As much as I would like to be a robot, I’m not. I try to».Williams opened with an impressive service game, without dropping a point, but left-hander Kerber held her ground and then broke for a 2-1 lead. She broke again in the seventh game as Williams’ unforced error count rose.The 28-year-old Kerber used acute angles to keep Williams guessing, and continually passed the 21-time major winner or forced errors at the net.And she had five service breaks -two in the first, and three in third set- against Williams, who hadn’t dropped a set in the previous six rounds.«Μy whole life I was working really hard and now I’m here and I can say I’m a Grand Slam champion», said Kerber, who had only ever reached the semifinals twice at the majors and hadn’t gone beyond the quarterfinals since Wimbledon in 2012. «It sounds really crazy and unbelievable».She is the first German woman to win the Australian title since Graf in 1994, and is projected to rise to No. 2 in the rankings next week.Williams admitted previously she became nervous and was stalled for a while trying to get to 18 major titles, to equal Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova’s career marks in second spot in the Open Era. For three majors, she didn’t reach the quarterfinals, but when she finally won her 18th, it triggered a roll of four straight major titles.Now she’s been stuck on 21 since Wimbledon.Williams won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles last year before losing to Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open semifinals. She was so close to a calendar-year Grand Slam in 2015, but now has no chance to push for that honor in 2016 after losing the first major of the year.Despite a rash of uncharacteristic unforced errors, Williams made Kerber push all the way.She had a chance to serve for the match at 5-3 in the third but couldn’t hold. Williams, so used to coming back from seemingly losing positions, had a chance to level the third set but dropped her serve. It finished when she hit a forehand volley long on championship point, her 46th unforced error of the match.Kerber dropped her racket on the court and lay flat on her back as Williams walked around the net to embrace her.«Let me be the first to congratulate you», Williams said in her on-court speech. «Enjoy the moment. I’m so happy for you».Told later that she appeared to be as happy about the result as Kerber, Williams said: «Really, I should get into acting»!But, she added, «I was really happy for her. She’s been around a long time. She had an attitude that I think a lot of people can learn from -to always stay positive and never give up».«If I couldn’t win», she said, «I’m happy she did».Kerber had cried as she walked over to her support team, after the match, then back to the center of the court with one arm raised.At the ceremony, she was all smiles again.«You are really an inspiration for so many people, so many young tennis players». Kerber said in tribute to Williams. «You created history, you are a champion, you are a really an unbelievably great person, so congratulations for everything you did already».TweetPinShare0 Shares