Commonwealth Youth and Junior C’ships: Indian lifters bag 3 medals
New Delhi, April 29: Indian lifter continued their impressive run at the Commonwealth Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships and Universal Cup, fetching a gold and three silver medals on the third day of the competition in Apia, Samoa on Wednesday. Bellana Harika fetched the lone gold of the day in the 69kg weight class at the Commonwealth Youth and Junior Championships with a total effort of 197kg (86kg+111kg). Karangi Tharangini 179kg (79kg+100kg) and Bhumika Mohite 195kg (109kg+86kg) won the silver medals in the 63kg events. In the Universal Cup, Abhishek Nipane clinched the 88kg silver with a total effort of 324kg (140kg+184kg). Indian lifter had grabbed four golds on the second day of competitions. (PTI)
Kothari defeats Advani to retain world billiards title
Carlow (Ireland), April 29: Sourav Kothari outclassed compatriot Pankaj Advani in a lop-sided final to retain the IBSF World Billiards Championship title here. The Kolkatan defeated the 19-time champion Advani 1133-477 in a lopsided three-hour final. After the initial blues, the 41-year-old came up with a barrage of breaks to floor Advani. He had stupendous runs of 485, 121, 90, 241 and an unfinished 155. “I wanted to do it again for my father. This one was for you, Dad,” he said after the final in memory of his father Manoj Kothari, who had passed away early this year. “Obviously, it feels incredible to win the World title, and to defend it is even more special,” said Kothari. The sizzling 485 in reply to his rival’s 141 early in the match set the tone. If the 485, which culminated with a missed red pot to the centre pocket, wasn’t a hammer blow, the 121 and 90 breaks in quick succession, took the match away from Advani. Trailing 224-700 with a little over an hour until the bell, the Bengalurean made a 64 before rushing an in-off to the top left-hand pocket. Kothari punished that error with another silken-smooth 241 effort to take a whopping 941-288 lead. Under pressure, Advani compiled a break of 119 – which ended when he missed a thin in-off to the centre pocket – to reduce the deficit. Kothari was not done yet as he came up with a flowing 155 before the bell went off. (PTI)
Trust, communication with players is key for success as coach: Sarfaraz
Karachi, April 29: Mutual trust and clear communication with players is key for becoming a successful coach, Pakistan’s new Test format head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed said on Wednesday. The first assignment for the 2017 Champions Trophy winning captain will be a two-Test series in Bangladesh from May 8 which will be Pakistan’s second outing in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle. “The technical aspects come later. What is important is a coach has such a relationship with his players that they understand what he wants and at the same time they are comfortable and trust him enough to sit down with him and discuss anything,” Sarfaraz said while responding to a question about his limited experience as coach. Majority of the players named in the Test squad for Bangladesh are busy playing in the Pakistan Super League final stages and the wicketkeeper-batter admitted it would be a challenge for even senior players to adapt to red-ball cricket after playing T20 cricket for over a month now. Sarfaraz also felt that having played with some of the players in the Test squad and having captained them it would be a plus point to settle into his new job. (PTI)
