1. Indian Defence Crumbles In 5-1 Loss to Britain
India’s defence crumbled in the bronze medal playoff as they crashed to a 5-1 defeat against Great Britain for a fourth-place finish at the World League Semifinals on Sunday.
This is Britain’s biggest victory in a hockey international against Indian men, the previous best being the 3-0 win at the Seoul Olympics in a preliminary round match before Britain went on to win the gold medal.
Goals from Alastair Brogdon (11th minute), Chris Griffiths (27th), Ashley Jackson (37th), Adam Dixon (42nd) and captain Barry Middleton (44th) gave Britain a five-goal lead before India pulled one back through Rupinder Pal Singh’s penalty corner conversion in the 59th minute.
For the full match report, click here.
Later in the day, World champion Australia beat hosts Belgium 1-0 in the title encounters of the World League Semifinals.
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2. Pakistan Hockey Captain Resigns
Pakistan captain Muhammad Imran stepped down after the national team failed to qualify for next year’s Rio Olympics following their disappointing show at the World Hockey League.
Imran followed the footsteps of the national selection committee, headed by chief selector Islahuddin Siddiqui, which also resigned from their posts.
It is for the first time since the 1948 Olympics that Pakistan’s hockey team will not feature at the Olympics.
3. Happy Hamilton a Home Winner Again
Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton soaked up the energy of a roaring home crowd to win the British Grand Prix for the second year in a row on Sunday and forge 17 points clear of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Germany’s Sebastian Vettel finished third for Ferrari, behind Rosberg, with Williams driver Felipe Massa bumped off the podium after leading for the first 20 laps following a blistering start.
“I really wanted to do it for you guys,” Hamilton told the crowd from the podium. “I am so thankful for all the support. I could see all the fans on every lap in the corner of my eye and it spurred me on.
4. Du Plessis Leads South Africa to Easy Win in Bangladesh
Faf du Plessis led from the front as South Africa flexed their bowling muscles to thrash Bangladesh by 52 runs in the first Twenty20 Internationals on Sunday to go 1-0 up in the two-match series.
Opting to bat first, the visitors lost their talisman AB de Villiers in the very first over but du Plessis struck an unbeaten 79 off 61 balls to power the Proteas to 148-4. The bowler who tormented India with his cutters, Mustafizur Rahman was rendered ineffective by the Proteas with the young man conceding 30 runs in his 4 overs for no wickets.
Their bowling attack contained more firepower than Bangladesh could handle and the Proteas shot out the hosts for 96 inside 19 overs to cruise to an easy victory.
5. Roberto Carlos Named Delhi’s Marquee Manager
In one of season’s biggest signings, former Brazilian World Cup winner Roberto Carlos was officially appointed the marquee manager of the Delhi Dynamos franchise for the second edition of Indian Super League (ISL) football.
Renowned for his powerful and curling free-kicks, the 42-year-old former Real Madrid ‘Galactico’ won the UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Copa America and was widely regarded as one of the left-back to have played the game.
His watershed moment, though, was winning the FIFA World Cup for his national team in Japan in 2002. Besides the 2002 final, Carlos was a member of the Brazilian World Cup squad that reached the final in France 1998, when they were done in by a Zinedine Zidane-inspired France at the State de France in Paris.
Carlos’s managerial experience includes stints with Turkish sides Sivasspor and Akhisar Belediyespor.
6. Williamses Renew Rivalry as Little Sister Eyes Serena Slam
Following an off day at at All England Club on Sunday, the tennis action kicks off on centre court on monday with the marquee clash between the two Williams sisters.
Venus and Serena Williams will face off for the 26th time on the pro circuit and on the line will be a place in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
I think we probably have the most respect for each other than anyone else on the tour. We are both invested in each other, we both want each other to win when we’re not playing each other. Whereas other players, I’m not watching whether they win or lose.
– Venus Williams
Also in action on ‘Manic Monday’ are Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka
To read a full preview of the Serena-Venus match, click here.
7. India Defend South Asian Championship Title
Defending champions India notched up an emphatic 93-44 win over Sri Lanka in the finals of 4th South Asian Basketball Championship (SABA) at the Kanteerava Stadium on Sunday.
Both the sides came into this all-important last league match with perfect 4-0 records but India’s emphatic win also ensured them a spot in the FIBA Asia Championship in China in September.
India had four players in double digits, with Tamil Nadu’s centre Aravind Annadurai top scoring with 22 points, which included one three pointer.
“We are confident of doing better at the FIBA Asia level this time, as now other teams fear us,” said small forward Prasanna Venkatesh.
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