Churchill play Indonesian club today
Margao: Persipura Jayapura will play host to reigning I-League champions Churchill Brothers in the AFC Cup Group E encounter to be held at Mandala Stadium in Jayapura, Indonesia, on Tuesday. Federation Cup champions Churchill Brothers have been in great form and will look to continue their winning streak against the reigning Indonesia Super League Champions, the Goan team said. The I-League side have won five times and drawn thrice in their last eight domestic matches and their confidence has boosted since their Federation Cup campaign. Striker Balwant Singh, who has also been in his best form, occupies the third position in the I-League top goal-scorers chart. “We know that Persipura is a good team. They are the champions of Indonesia and are playing in their home ground. Our boys will give their best and try to come away with all 3 points,” coach Marino Dias said. (PTI)
Somdev jumps to 78th in ATP rankings
New Delhi: Somdev Devvarman’s win at the ATP Delhi Open paid him the dividend as the top-ranked Indian jumped 18 places to 78th position in the latest ATP rankings. Somdev, who lost in the semifinals of the ATP Challenger in Kolkata and Chennai, dominated Russian top seed Alerksandr Nedovyesov in the final here on Sunday to collect 100 ranking points. Somdev was in July 2011 ranked a career high 62. He will travel to Dubai for his next assignment. The Indian will face World No.5 and 2009 US Open winner Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina in the first round of the ATP 500 Dubai Duty Free championships on Tuesday. Meanwhile, rising star Yuki Bhambri slipped three places to 146th place after a shock first round defeat at the Delhi Challenger. (IANS)
Fan dies after fighting at Brazil derby
SAO PAULO: A man died after fights between Brazilian soccer fans following the weekend’s Sao Paulo v Santos derby match, police said on Monday. The 34-year old Santos fan was at a bus stop heading home after Sunday evening’s match. Two car loads of Sao Paulo fans beat him with iron bars and kicked him to death. The man, who like the Sao Paulo fans belonged to an organised fan group, died in hospital. The match ended 0-0. Violence in and around Brazil’s soccer stadiums has become an increasingly serious problem and more than 30 people were killed last year. The World Cup in Brazil starts on June 12. (Reuters)
‘Afridi is best person to lead Pak in ODIs’
Lahore: After repeatedly criticising him for his shoddy performances, former Pakistan captain Muhammad Yousuf urged, on Monday, the Pakistan Cricket Board to consider flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi in leadership role for the ODI team. In the recent past, the barrage of criticism from Yousuf even prompted Afridi at one stage to dub him and Shoaib Akhtar as “heckle and jeckle” and “Mr Bean” on television channels. But now it appears that Yousuf has made truce with temperamental Afridi. “Afridi is the best person to lead the one-day side in the next World Cup and I think the board should not waste anymore time in appointing him to this position,” Yousuf said. “Afridi has the right attitude and needed aggression to lead Pakistan in one-day matches and in the next World Cup,” he added. The master batsman pointed out that Afridi was a better choice to lead the one-day side than Misbah-ul-Haq since he was not a passive captain and had experience of leading Pakistan in the last World Cup in 2011. “This team will not move forward aggressively unless you have a captain like Afridi at the helm of affairs,” Yousuf stated. (PTI)
We need consistency: Viswanath
Hyderabad: Legendary batsman Gundappa Vishwanath feels that this current Indian cricket team needs to perform more consistently in all areas of the game in order to become a formidable force in all three formats. Speaking at the inauguration of a cricket academy here, he said the experience of playing abroad before next year’s World Cup would help the team, according to a release from the organisers. (PTI)