(Current Affairs) Sports | June: 2014

Sports

Texas Open squash final

  • Deepika Pallikal stumbled on the final hurdle against Egyptian teenager Nour El Sherbini in the title clash of the Women’s Champion Fiberglass Texas Open.
  • Eyeing maiden major title of her career, world No 12 Deepika faltered against the 18-year-old qualifier 7-11, 11-5, 7-11 to lose in 48 minutes.
  • The 22-year-old Deepika was celebrating the biggest Tour final of her career - while world junior champion El Sherbini was continuing the form of her life which had seen the youngster reach last month’s WSA World Championship final after upsetting world No 1 Nicol David.

Shotgun World Cup

  • Mohammed Asab missed the double trap knock-out phase by one point in the Shotgun World Cup in Tucson, US. Ankur Mittal finished 19th with a 132 while Ronjan Sodhi placed 35th with 120 in a field of 41.
  • Joshua Richmond of the US who made the cut for the knock-out, one point above Asab, following a shoot-off on 138, went on to bag the silver after losing the shoot-off for gold against compatriot Jeffrey Holgun.
  • In women’s skeet, Saniya Sheikh shot 64 to be placed 25th among 31 shooters. National champion Rashmee Rathore could muster only 57 . Danka Bartekova of Slovakia won the gold as she beat Wei Weng of China, 14-13.

2014 South Asian Judo Championship

  • Humera Ashique recently became the first Pakistani women to win a judo gold medal in an international event in Nepal.
  • The 24-year-old took the gold at the 2014 South Asian Judo Championship in Kathmandu as she defeated a local athlete to clinch the 48kg event.

2014 ICC World Team

  • His side may have lost in the final but Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named captain of the 2014 ICC World Team of the Tournament that figures four Indians, including star batsman Virat Kohli.
  • Opener Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin are the other two Indian players who feature in the team that was announced by the ICC.
  • Kohli was adjudged Player of the Tournament for amassing 319 runs with the help of four half centuries, including knocks of 72 and 77 in the semifinal and final of the showpiece event.
  • Besides Indians, the team has two players from both South Africa and West Indies, and one representative each from Australia, the Netherlands and champions Sri Lanka.
  • Chosen by a select group of experts, the team was aimed at being suited for Bangladesh conditions, on the basis of performances in the tournament only. Statistics were used but were not the sole basis for selections.

The newest Laureus Ambassador

  • Spain’s young MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez has been appointed the newest Laureus Ambassador.
  • Marquez, the youngest ever MotoGP world champion, at 20 years 266 days, a feat for which he received the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award last month, was welcomed into the Laureus Family by motor cycle legend and Laureus World Sports Academy member Mick Doohan.

Match-fixing case

  • The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) moved an application before the Supreme Court seeking transcripts of audio tapes containing statements of Board President N Srinivasan and Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, recorded by the Mukul Mudgal Committee which probed allegations of IPL spot and match fixing.
  • The plea was mentioned before a bench headed by Justice A K Patnaik which posted the matter for hearing on April 11.
  • In the application, the BCCI has also sought the transcripts of statements by Sundar Raman, the Chief Operating Officer of IPL.

Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year

  • Indian batting star Shikhar Dhawan has earned top honours by being named in the prestigious Wisden’s list of Five Cricketers of the Year, an honour dating back to 1889, for his 2013 performance.

  • The Five Cricketers of the Year are Dhawan, Australia players Chris Rogers and Ryan Harris, England batsman Joe Root and England women’s captain Charlotte Edwards.

  • Dhawan was acknowledged for his role in India’s victorious Champions Trophy campaign in England, in which he was the highest run-scorer, amassing 363 runs in five ODIs at an average of 90.75 and was awarded the Man of the Series for his performance that included centuries against South Africa and West Indies.

  • The Cricketer of the Year is chosen by the editor of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, based on their ‘excellence in, or performance on, the previous English summer’ and it can be won only once in a player’s career.

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