SPORTS Current affairs-February 2019

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FEBRUARY 2019-SPORTS NEWS

ICC roped in Coca-Cola as official sponsor

The International Cricket Council (ICC) signed a five-year global partnership deal with beverage manufacturer CocaCola Company.
ICC and Coco-cola’s partnership will be continue till 2023.
Five years sponsorship includes all ICC events like the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 in England, Wales, the ICC men ’s and women’s T20 World Cups in Australia in 2020, the ICC Women ’s World Cup 2021 in New Zealand and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India in 2023.
ICC also signed sponsorship with Alcobev brands, Royal Stag and Bira 91.

Mithali Raj Becomes First Woman Cricketer To Play 200 ODIs

India’s women’s cricket team captain Mithali raj has become the first woman to play 200 matches in the ODI format when she played against New Zealand in Hamilton.
She already holds the record for being the most capped woman in one-day internationals.
Mithali made her ODI debut back on 25 June 1999 against Ireland in Milton Keynes, scoring 114* as India won by 161 runs.
She is the leading run-scorer in ODIs.Currently, she has 6622 runs against her name.

G. Sathiyan surpasses Sharath Kamal to become highest-ranked Indian at 28, Manika Batra breaks into top-50

Indian paddler G Sathiyan achieved a new career rank of 28 in the world rankings.
He surpassed Sharath after he gained three spots in his recent game.

Qatar stun Japan to win the AFC Asian Cup for the first time

Qatar defeated four-time champions Japan 3-1 in the final to win their first ever Asian Cup.
Qatar forward Almoez Ali broke the record of most goals in a single Asian Cup after netting his ninth goal.
This was the first time that Japan lost in an Asian Cup final.

South Korean footballer Ki Sung-yueng announces retirement

Midfielder Ki Sung-yueng on Wednesday announced his retirement from the South Korean national team.
The midfielder had hinted at retirement after the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia but decided to compete in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, currently being held in the United Arab Emirates, at the insistence of the new national team coach Paulo Bento.

Vani Kapoor becomes first Indian to grab Australian LPGA card

Vani Kapoor finished tied-12^th in the first-ever Australian LPGA Qualifying Tournament to earn playing rights for the Australian Ladies PGA Tour.
Total 81 players participated in the Qualifying tournament out of which top-20 earned the card for LPGA.
Diksha Dagar, Astha Madan and Ridhima Dilawari also participated in the qualifying tournament but they could not grab the Card of LPGA.

INS Dronacharya wins Kochi Area Pulling Regatta 2019

INS Dronacharya team won Regetta trophy (also called The Cock) in Kochi Area Pulling Regatta 2019 conducted by Indian Navy’s Southern Naval Command (SNC) and held in Ernakulum Channel, Kerala.
Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) School & Diving School secured runners up position.
The Boat Pulling Regatta Six teams, formed from all major units of South Naval Command participated in the regatta, in which boats had to cover a distance of 1.6 km of the navy.

Haryana Hammers beat Punjab Royals to win PWL-4 title

Haryana Hammers defeated defending champions Punjab Royals by 6-3 in the summit clash at the Gautam Buddha University indoor stadium, Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh to claim the fourth edition of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL).
Punjab’s Bajrang Punia who is Asian Games Gold Medalist and Padma Shri Awardee scored an impressive 11-0 win over Haryana’s Rajneesh but could not make his team the winner of the tournament.
Haryana Hammers defeated Punjab Royals in the first five bouts of the summit class to clinch the title.
Ukraine’s Aleksandra Khotsianivski playing for Haryana defeated Canadian Korey Jarvis who was representing Punjab by 3-0 in the 125 kg super heavyweight bout.

Nepal's Sundeep Jora youngest man to hit T20 International fifty

He scored 55 against UAE in the second ODI surpassing Sachin Tendulkar.
Nepal’s cricketer Sundeep Jora, who made his debut in T-20 International, against UAE, became the youngest man to score a half-century in T20 Internationals at the age of 17 years and 103 days and entered the book of records.
At 16 years and 146 days.
Earlier, Rohit Paudel of Nepal had scripted history by becoming the youngest man to score a half-century in international cricket.

Greg Chappell set to retire as Australia National Selector after Ashes 2019

Greg Chappell has played 87 Tests for Australia.
After his retirement in 1984, he worked as Team selector in three separate regimes, from 1984 to 1988, 2010 to 2011, and 2016 to the present.
He was also appointed as national talent manager in 2010.

ICC ODI Rankings: Smriti Mandhana becomes No.1 batswoman in world

Smriti Mandhana has moved up three spots to attain the number one rank in the updated ICC ODI batting rankings, released on Saturday.
After scoring her fourth ODI century and an unbeaten 90 in the three-match series against New Zealand, Mandhana now sits above the Australians Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning.
In the ODI Bowler’s ranking, veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami is fourth, with Poonam Yadav at eighth and spinner Deepti Sharma at ninth.
Whereas, Deepti Sharma is fourth in the All-rounders rank and is the Indian cricketer to be the top-10 list.

Sana Mir becomes first Asian woman cricketer to play 100 T20Is

Former captain of the Pakistan women team Sana Mir became the first Asian woman to play hundred T20Is.
She achieved this milestone, while playing against West Indies during the final of T20I that was held in Karachi.
Sana Mir is the sixth woman in the world to complete 100 T20Is,whereas Daendra Dottin of West Indies lead the list with 110 T20Is

India vs New Zealand 5^th ODI: India beat New Zealand by 35 runs to win five-match series 4-1

Ambati Rayudu was conferred with Player of the Match title as he scored 90 runs off 113 balls which include 4 sixes and eight fours in the pressure situation.
He is also the highest run scorer of the series as he scored 190 runs in 5 ODIs with an average of 63.33.
Indian Pacer Mohammed Shami was conferred with the Player of the series title for his brilliant bowling in the series.
He Claimed 9 wickets in the four matches with an economy of 4.76.
New Zealand’s Trent Boult is highest wicket taker of series with 12 wickets.

Tandon wins Seattle Open title

Indian squash player Ramit Tandon defeated Egyptian Mohamed El Sherbini in the finals to win the Seattle Open, a PSA challenger squash Tour event here.
Ramit Tandon who belongs to Kolkata won by 11-4, 11-7, 2-11, 11-2 for his first PSA title.
Ramit Tandom rose to his career best ranking of 58 in the latest list released in February 2019 by World Squash Federation.
Jacques Fountaine is president of World squash federation which is headquartered at East Sussex, England.

Azerbaijan GP extends F1 deal to 2023

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku will continue at least until 2023 after the organizers of the event renewed their contract.
This is the first renewal of 2019, the organizers from Belgium, China, Germany, Japan and Singapore has already extended their deals over the previous two years.
This renewal will help the organizers of Azerbaijan GP to maximize commercial revenues through new sponsorship approach and enhanced fan activities.

India bids to host next hockey World Cup

India is among the six countries that have presented bids to host the next edition of the hockey World Cup, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced.
India has proposed conducting the event for either men or women in the January 13 to 29, 2023 window.
India has hosted themen's World Cup thrice, the latest being last year in Bhubaneswar, but has never hosted the women's World Cup.

Pakistan Cricket Board confirms Sarfraz Ahmed as captain for World Cup 2019

Sarfraz Ahmed, who was banned for four ODIs by the ICC over remarks to South African all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo, will take the reigns as Pakistan captain at the upcoming World Cup tournament.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani confirmed that wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed will lead the side as captain at the upcoming World Cup tournament starting May 30, 2019.

Smriti Mandhana scores India’s fastest-ever T20I fifty

Smriti Mandhana struck a half century in just 24 balls in the 1^st T20I against New Zealand at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
New Zealand’s Sophie Devine holds the record of the quickest half-century in women’s T20Is.
She set the record in 2005 against India when she hammered an 18-ball fifty.

Ranji Trophy finals: Vidarbha reasserts its domestic supremacy

Vidarbha defeated Saurashtra by 78 runs to retain Ranji Trophy 2018-19 edition at the Vidarbha Cricket Association in Nagpur.
Left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate (Vidarbha), with eleven wickets in the match to steer Vidarbha to domestic glory.
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship cricket associations.

Mirabai Chanu notched up gold at EGAT Cup in Thailand

World champion Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu notched up a gold medal at the EGAT Cup in Thailand.
Chanu won the 48 kg category gold with an effort of 192 kg in the silver level Olympic qualifying event.
Making a strong comeback from the lower back injury that kept her out of action for nearly nine months, the 24-yearold Manipuri lifted 82 kg in snatch and 110 kg in clean and jerk to finish on top of the podium.

FIFA Rankings: India drop outside top-100, Belgium remain top

With the end of AFC Asian cup in UAE,the world ranking list had some changes, in which India is dropped out of the top 100 ranks, but Belgium ‘s pole position remained same.
India has dropped six places in the latest FIFA Rankings released on February 7 (Thursday) and the first of the year.
India’s points tally has gone from 1240 to 1219 which has seen the Blue Tigers slide to 103^rd in the rankings.

Ricky Ponting appointed Australia’s assistant coach for 2019 World Cup

Cricket Australia announced three-time World Cup winning former captain Ricky Ponting's appointment as assistant coach to Justin Langer for the 2019 tournament.
Cricket Australia also stated that the appointment will help batting coach Graeme Hicks focus on the preparation for the Ashes which will be held in England after the World Cup.
He is going to replace David Saker.

IPC lifts Russia's doping ban

The International Paralympics Committee (IPC) today said that it will conditionally readmit Russia by next month, lifting a suspension imposed over a doping scandal.
A Kremlin spokesman responded by saying Russia is delighted.
The IPC says the ban will be lifted by 15^th, providing the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) adheres to strict criteria.
In August 2016 the IPC suspended the RPC because it was necessary and proportionate to the situation they faced and essential to ensure a clean sport.

Corentin Moutet clinches Chennai Open ATP Challenger title

In Tennis, France’s Corentin Moutet has clinched the Chennai Open ATP Challenger tournament title after beating Andrew Harris of Australia 6-3, 6-3 in the singles final.
It was the second Challenger title for Moutet, who received $7,200 and 80 ATP points, while Andrew received $4,240 and 48 ATP points

MS Dhoni scripts massive record in Hamilton, becomes first Indian to play 300 T20 matches:

He achieved the milestone during the third and final T20I match between India and New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
Rohit Sharma is the second Indian on the list with 298 T20 matches Out of Dhoni's 300 matches, he played 95 for India, 185 for Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings and the remaining 20 for presently-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants.
He scored 6134 runs his T20 career at an average of 38.57 which includes 24 halfcenturies.
For India, he scored 1546 runs at 37.7 and in IPL he managed to amass 4016 runs at an impressive average of 40.16 which includes 20 half-centuries.

Shane Warne named Rajasthan Royals brand ambassador

Warne, who led Rajasthan Royals to its first and only IPL title in 2008, was the mentor of the side last season Shane Keith Warne is an Australian former international cricketer, and a former ODI captain of the Australian national team.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game.
He retired from international cricket in January 2007, at the end of Australia’s 5–0 Ashes series victory over England.
He played in the first four seasons (2008-2011) of the Indian Premier League for the Rajasthan Royals, where he played the roles of both captain and coach.

Railways lift Senior Men's National hockey title at Gwalior.

They dished out a scintillating performance to stun defending champions Punjab 3-2 and claim the gold medal.
Harsahib Singh (35', 45') scored a brace while Dilpreet Singh (57') struck late for the winners.
Punjab’s goals came from Rupinder Pal Singh (23') and Ramadeep Singh (60').
Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) beat Punjab & Sind Bank 4-1 to clinch the bronze medal.

India's young paddlers clinch four medals

In Table Tennis, India's young paddlers clinching four medals, including gold, at the Bahrain Junior and Cadet Open tournament in Manama.
Besides the gold, India won two silver and a bronze.
India fielded three teams in the cadet girls' team event and swept all the three medals on offer India A team won the gold, the India B the silver and the India C the bronze In the final, the India A team of Suhana Saini and Anargya Manjunath proved too strong for India B and clinched the gold medal.

Rohit Sharma becomes the first Indian batsman to smash 100 sixes in T20Is

The stand-in captain also holds the record for hitting most international sixes against an opponent who also broke Chris Gayle’s record in the Australia series
The smashed the second six against New Zealand, he completed 100 sixes in T20I international thus makes him first Indian to join the list along with Martin Guptill and Chris Gayle.
It almost took 9 years for him to smash 50 sixes in T20I it didn't take much time for him to reach next 50 sixes as it came in just three years.

Prajnesh Gunneswaran rises to career-best 97 in ATP rankings

Prajnesh Gunneswaran, who had a brilliant 2018 season, reached the semi-finals of the ATP Chennai Challenger last week to ensure his entry into men's singles top-100.
Prajnesh is only third Indian player to break into the top-100 barrier in the past decade after Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri.
The gritty left-hander, who had a brilliant 2018 season, reached the semi-finals of the ATP Chennai Challenger last week to ensure his entry into the coveted bracket.
He is now placed 156 behind Ramkumar Ramanathan, who rose to 128 with a jump of five places.
At number four, is Saketh Myneni (255, +5) and following him is another talent from the South Sasi Kumar Mukund, who jumped 22 places to reach career-best 271.

India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I: New Zealand beat India by four runs, win three-match series 2-1

New Zealand’s wicket keeper-batsman, Tim Seifert, won the player of the series award.
He scored 138 runs at a strike-rate of 173.75 and an average of 46.33 on the 3 matches.
He also picked 3 catches as the wicketkeeper.

Clouded Leopard will be mascot for National Games 2022 in Meghalaya

Meghalaya's state animal Clouded Leopard will be the mascot for the National Games 2022 coinciding with the 50^th year of the creation of the state.
This decision was taken at the first National Games 2022 executive committee meeting chaired by Meghalaya Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh.
Clouded leopard is one of the wild cats that live throughout the forests of Garo, Khasi and Jaintia Hills.
The Sports and Youth Ministry in the meeting of Executive Committee of the National Games 2022 has chosen the Smiling Clouded Leopard to be the Mascot for the National Games 2022.

SAI win women's national hockey title

Sports Authority of India Won 9th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship (B Division) held in Hisar, Haryana.
They defeated Hockey Chandigarh by 4-1 in the final.
Sarabdeep Kaur was the line scorer for Chandigarh in the final.
In 9^th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship (A-division) Hockey Jharkhand beat Hockey Haryana for 2-1 in the final.
The event concluded at Kollam Hockey Stadium, Kerala. Steel Plant Sports Board beat UCO Bank for 1-0 and secured third place in the match.

Derrick Pereira named coach of India U-23 football team

Derrick Pereira was named head coach of the IndiaU-23 team for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qualifiers slated to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from March 22.
He will take charge from the preparatory camp in Goa that begins on 2^nd March.
A friendly match between Qatar U-23 and India U-23 is also scheduled in Doha on 11^th March 2019.

Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap, Sourabh Verma enter semifinals of Senior Nationals

Defending champion Saina hardly broke a sweat to get the better of former India number one Neha Pandit of Mumbai 21-10, 21-10 in a lop-sided quarterfinal contest.
Kashyap, a 2012 winner, prevailed 21-18, 21-16 over Bodhit Joshi, who had reached the finals of Iceland International last year.
The former world no 6 from Hyderabad will face Lakshya Sen in the semifinals later in the day.

Vidarbha Retain Irani Cup after Draw With Rest of India

Vidarbha capped off a fairtytale 2018-19 season by defending their Irani Cup title at the Jamtha Stadium in Nagpur against Ajinkya Rahane-led Rest of India on virtue of first-innings lead.
The Ranji Trophy champions remained unbeaten through the season and showed plenty of heart as they chased a 280-run target on the final day.
The home side became the first team since Karnataka in the 2014-15 seasons to defend their Irani Cup title.