Scotland qualify for the Men's U19 World Cup 2026

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Dundee (Scotland), Aug 7 (IANS) Scotland will take part in the ICC U19 Men’s World Cup after defeating the Netherlands by 20 runs in the final Europe Qualifier. Chasing 238 for a World Cup spot, the Netherlands were well-placed at 108/3 despite losing two early wickets to Finlay Jones (4/41), who was the main architect of the Scotland win.Off-spinner Manu Saraswat (3/43) arrested the runflow of the visitors and Ollie Jones removed the crucial wicket of Tom De Leede (67), who was threatening to r…

For India to come off England tour by levelling the series is just unbelievable, says Deep Dasgupta

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New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) With stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma stepping away from Tests, expectations were understandably cautious around how a young Indian side led by Shubman Gill would handle the challenge of a five-match series in England. Only eight members of the squad had previously played Tests in England. Adding to the uncertainty was India’s pre-decided plan to field Jasprit Bumrah in just three of the five Tests – a move that raised questions about the bowling unit’s ability …

More than the heart for Siraj, it was his leadership aspect that stood out: Deep Dasgupta

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New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) On a cloudy Monday morning, The Oval resembled a colosseum. Spectators held their breath, waiting to see which way the final game of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series would tilt – in favour of India or England? When Mohammed Siraj charged in to bowl the first ball of the 86th over, just six runs stood between India and a famous win. On his 1,113th delivery of the series, he unleashed his fifth-fastest ball of the tour — a 143 kmph yorker that evaded Gus Atkinson’s at…

David Wiese to lead Saint Lucia Kings in CPL 2025 

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New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Defending champions Saint Lucia Kings have named veteran Namibian international David Wiese as the captain for the upcoming season of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), starting August 14. The allrounder joined the franchise in 2022 and returned once again last season, where he played a key role in helping Kings win the trophy. Coming down the lower-middle order to bat, Wiese scored crucial 121 runs in 11 games at an explosive strike rate of 168.05 and an average of 40…

'We can expect the end of impasse on ISL', says Prabhakaran ahead of AIFF meeting with club CEOs

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New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Former AIFF general secretary Shaji Prabhakaran believes the ongoing deadlock over the scheduling of the 2025–26 Indian Super League (ISL) season is likely to be resolved following Thursday’s scheduled meeting between the national federation and ISL club CEOs. Amid the uncertainty over the future of India’s top-flight football tournament, many ISL clubs have suspended their first-team operations for an indefinite time.”We can expect the end of this impasse as the powe…

We've been 'naive' in defending: Arteta on loss against Villarreal

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London, Aug 7 (IANS) Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted that his side were guilty of naive defending, which ultimately cost them in a 3-2 friendly defeat to Villarreal – their second consecutive pre-season loss. After opening their pre-season campaign with wins over AC Milan and Newcastle United, Arsenal suffered a setback against Tottenham Hotspur and followed it up with another defeat on Wednesday, going 2-0 down within the first 33 minutes at the Emirates Stadium against the Spanish side.”…

Perfect move for me at this stage of my career: Ugochukwu on joining Burnley

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Burnley, Aug 7 (IANS) French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu reflected on his move from Chelsea to Burnley for an undisclosed fee and said joining the Clarets is the perfect decision for him at this stage of his career. The talented 21-year-old has signed a five-year contract at Turf Moor after Burnley beat off stiff competition from around the Premier League and Europe for his signature. In putting pen to paper, Ugochukwu becomes the seventh addition to Scott Parker’s squad this summer.“It’s …

India to face Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan in AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Bishkek

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Kuala Lumpur, Aug 7 (IANS) India have been drawn with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in Group G of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026 Qualifiers, following the draw conducted at the AFC House here on Thursday.The draw saw 27 teams divided into eight groups – three of four teams each and five of three. They will contest the qualifiers in a single round-robin centralised league format from October 13 to 17.India will face Kyrgyzstan on October 13 and Uzbekistan on October 17 in Bishkek.The eigh…

Rs 13 lakh spent by Kerala govt to invite Messi goes down the drain

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Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 7 (IANS) The Kerala government’s claim that no public money would be spent to bring football legend Lionel Messi to the state has now been exposed as misleading.It has now emerged that the state government spent Rs 13 lakh on the Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman’s trip to Spain in September 2024, reportedly to invite Messi to Kerala. The Minister was accompanied by the Sports Department Secretary and the Director of Sports and Youth Affairs.This revelation contradi…

Konstas, Peake, McSweeney named in Australia A squad for India tour

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Melbourne, Aug 7 (IANS) Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney have been named in Australia A squad for the two red-ball four-day matches against India A in September, with an eye towards Australia’s 2027 Test tour rather than the upcoming Ashes. Teenage talent Oliver Peake and promising Victoria opener Campbell Kellaway have also been named in the squad. However, notable performers from the recent Australia A series against Sri Lanka A – Jake Weatherald, Jason Sangha and Kurtis Patterson – have misse…