ndia will look for a big upset when they take on Australia in the quarterfinals of the Hockey World League Final at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium on Wednesday.
Where to Watch Live
The India vs Australia
match is scheduled for an 8 pm IST start with live coverage on Ten
Action and Ten Sports, with the first match of the day beginning at 1.15
am. The game can be watched online via live streaming around the world HERE. Note: Some territories will be Geo Blocked.
Terry Walsh's men have been pretty disappointing in the tournament so
far, losing their first two matches to England and New Zealand
respectively, even if there were some signs of improvement following a
3-3 draw against Germany.
"We are consistently improving and will continue to fight and play
the same way in the next match as well," coach Walsh said after the 3-3
draw with Germany on Monday. "We need to keep ourselves motivated and
improve with every game.
Australia's Test series against Pakistan in October this year will be
downsized to the minimum two matches, while the venue for the encounter
is expected to be confirmed as the UAE.
Despite the ICC Future Tours Programme dictating that the tour would
consist of three Tests, the PCB has negotiated for the removal of one
five-day match to be replaced by a series of limited-overs matches,
likely to include three ODIs and a Twenty20 fixture.
While the location of these matches is yet to be finalised, the loss of a
Test from the fixture list is certain. This schedule is expected to
bring in a more lucrative broadcast fee for the cash-pressured governing
body of cricket in Pakistan, forced to subsist on series played in
neutral venues since the terrorist attack on the touring Sri Lankan team
in Lahore in 2009.
"Our expectation will be that it will be in the UAE, and my expectation
is that it won't be three Test matches, it will probably be two Test
matches and a combination of one-dayers," James Sutherland, the Cricket
Australia chief executive, told ABC Radio during the Sydney Ashes Test.
"Perhaps with a view to the fact there's a World Cup here in Australia
and New Zealand in February and March 2015.
"It's the hosts' call on that and we'll work as closely as we can with
them, there's a reciprocal arrangement, we wouldn't like to be playing a
series of less than three but that's their choice how they balance
that, and at the end of the day, Pakistan are not able to host
international cricket in Pakistan, their commercial viability is really
affected by that, so we respect their position and the decisions they
need to make there."
Apart from the UAE, the only other plausible venue for a Test match is
Qatar, where the PCB is presently hosting a women's tournament. However
stadium facilities and infrastructure in the nation set to host the next
football World Cup are not as advanced or varied as those in the UAE,
with Dubai host to the ICC's headquarters and global cricket academy.
The most recent encounter between the two nations was also played over
just two Tests, the "MCC Spirit of Cricket" series which took place in
England in the northern summer of 2010 and was split 1-1 when Pakistan
won at Headingley after Australia's victory at Lord's. While CA have
spoken consistently of their desire for Test bouts of at least three
matches' duration, their own schedule is increasingly light on such
series.
Apart from blue-chip contests against England (five Tests) and India
(four), Australia have played two-Test series against New Zealand,
Pakistan and South Africa in recent times. Their next visit to the West
Indies in May 2015 is also scheduled to include the bare minimum two
Tests.
"The programme is a real challenge, there's no doubt for us as
administrators it is one of the most difficult things we do and we often
talk about it in the context of being a three-dimensional game of
chess," Sutherland said. "Unlike other sporting codes we don't have a
unilateral ability to work out what our programme might be, we have to
see what's going on in other parts of the world, what country is playing
where and how. And we need to work out the international programme and
then work out the best we can from the domestic programme."
Marca’s front cover pictured the Portuguese wiping away a tear, with the headline ‘Lloro’ -- a pun on the words ‘cried’ and ‘golden’. AS went with ‘The Best Won’
on its cover, with a photo of Ronaldo holding the trophy and Madrid’s
seven winners through history in a strip down the side of the page.
Inside AS editor Alfredo Relano wrote that Ronaldo had deserved to take
the prize ahead of fellow finalists Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery.
OtherMarca's front page, headlined 'Lloro', punned on the Spanish words for 'cried' and 'golden'.
“Cristiano Ronaldo won the 2013 Ballon d’Or, and it was fully
justified,” Relano wrote. “…This has been a bad year for Messi, while
Cristiano has maintained his insistence on excellence. Ribery, ‘the best
of the rest’ was just third. Which is already a lot.
“But even more was Cristiano, who yesterday was sincerely emotional on
receiving the prize he had worried so much about, after suffering for so
many years.”
Marca took the chance to poke fun at Messi -- and his fashion sense -- in a blog on their website which hoovered up the best and worst of the twitter reaction to the ceremony.
More seriously, El Pais writer Jose Samano
picked up on how Ronaldo’s moment of triumph -- with his three-year-old
son accompanying him on the podium and his mother crying proudly in her
seat -- had served to humanise a player who for years was seen as
egotistical and unfeeling.
“With his son in tow, Cristiano left in Zurich an image to remember,
the poster of an emotional hero, a mortal divinity,” Samano wrote. “Bit
by bit, Cristiano has left behind the image of a capricious show-off. We
now see a superstar footballer who is more and more commendable, a
person who is more and more substantial.”
The Catalan press was less delighted at the result, with Mundo Deportivo maintaining some objectivity by leading with ‘Cristiano Wins’, while also finding room on its cover for Messi vowing to return stronger in 2014. Sport was slightly more partisan, claiming ‘This time the best has not won’ on its front page.
The general feeling around Catalonia, however, seemed to be that this year Ronaldo had deserved the recognition, with Mundo Deportivo’s online poll on Tuesday morning showing a clear majority agreeing with the result.
The Royal Rumble, The Wyatt Family and Randy Orton's upcoming title defense will be the center of the Jan. 13 edition of WWE Raw.
Providence, R.I. hosts a show sure to be built around hype for the
matches at the next pay-per-view and the shifting dynamic between the
members of Bray Wyatt's bearded clan. Last week showcased names from the
past, including the surprise return of Jake "The Snake Roberts."
This week promises to look more toward the future.
Digging through previews, backstage reports and tweets reveals some
of what to expect come Monday night. A promising tag match and Orton
whining awaits. "The Beast" emerging to respond to Big Show's challenge
does not.
News, Reports on Who Will Show Up
Lilian Garcia will be on Monday's Raw; Kaitlyn will not. Garcia
tweeted that she'll be handling announcing duties for the episode.
She wrestled her farewell match
on the Jan. 8 edition of Main Event. Her departure gives AJ Lee one
less rival and will lead to even more focus on the women from Total Divas. With AJ just days away from passing Maryse
as the longest-reigning Divas champ ever, one has to assume that the
champion will have to fend someone off before she claims that record. Will one of The Funkadactyls or The Bella Twins get a crack at the title, or does someone else offer a challenge? WWE has largely ignored this story, but this is the last Raw before AJ would surpass Maryse, so there's an opportunity for drama that the company is likely to take advantage of.
As of last Friday's SmackDown, Brock Lesnar and Big Show are set to battle at the Royal Rumble.
Arsene Wenger's side returned to the top of the Premier League on
Monday night with a 2-1 win at Aston Villa secured through first-half
goals from Jack Wilshere and Olivier Giroud.
Arsenal were in control for long periods, but Christian Benteke's
76th-minute header sparked a grandstand finish from the hosts and the
Gunners' back four did well to stand firm in the closing stages.
Wenger praises Arsenal resilience
They have won their last three away games in the Premier League, following successes at West Ham and Newcastle, and Monday Night Football expert Carragher said that has been built upon the performances of the club's less high-profile players.
"When you think of teams digging in you think of that last 15 minutes and tough away games," he said.
"They were 1-0 down at West Ham, let's not forget, and Newcastle was
another difficult game and that's where you need your back four.
"You can talk about the days when you score four or five and it's
great for your attacking players; Ozil, Wilshere, Cazorla and all the
different players in different positions, popping up.
"But at times you need that back four. You need Flamini and Arteta in
front; players who are not 9/10, but are 7/10 every week and win you
those tough away games.
"Tonight for the first hour they were not really under too much
pressure. They had Aston Villa at arm's length and were under control,
but those last 15 or 20 minutes happen in away games and you've got to
deal with it.
"That's what they did tonight."
Two days after being suspended for the entire 2014 season, A-Rod is back to taking swings.
Alex Rodriguez sued Major League Baseball and its players' union
Monday, seeking to overturn a season-long suspension imposed by an
arbitrator who ruled there was "clear and convincing evidence" he used
three banned substances and twice tried to obstruct the sport's drug
investigation.
As part of the lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan, the New
York Yankees third baseman made public Saturday's 33-page decision by
arbitrator Fredric Horowitz, who shortened a penalty originally set at
211 games last August by baseball Commissioner Bud Selig for violations
of the sport's drug agreement and labor contract.
"While this length of suspension may be unprecedented for a MLB
player, so is the misconduct he committed," Horowitz wrote in his
decision Saturday.
Horowitz trimmed the penalty to 162 games, plus all postseason games in 2014.
Rodriguez in his suit claimed the Major League Baseball Players
Association "completely abdicated its responsibility to Mr. Rodriguez to
protect his rights" and "this inaction by MLBPA created a climate in
which MLB felt free to trample" on Rodriguez's confidentiality rights.
Rodriguez asked for the court to find MLB violated its agreements
with the union, that the union breached its duty to represent him and to
throw out Horowitz's decision.
The three-time AL MVP five years ago admitted using
performance-enhancing drugs while with Texas from 2001-03 but has denied
using them since. MLB's investigation of Biogenesis of America, a
Florida anti-aging clinic, was sparked after the publication of
documents last January by Miami New Times.
Anthony Bosch, the clinic's former head, agreed last year to
cooperate with MLB's investigation, and Rodriguez's lawyers attacked his
credibility because of that agreement.
"The deck has been stacked against me from day one," Rodriguez said
in a statement released Saturday. "This is one man's decision, that was
not put before a fair and impartial jury, does not involve me having
failed a single drug test, is at odds with the facts and is inconsistent
with the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement, and
relies on testimony and documents that would never have been allowed in
any court in the United States because they are false and wholly
unreliable."
Horowitz concluded Rodriguez used testosterone, human growth hormone
and Insulin-like growth factor-1 in 2010, 2011 and 2012 in violation of
baseball's Joint Drug Agreement.
"Direct evidence of those violations was supplied by the testimony of
Anthony Bosch and corroborated with excerpts from Bosch's personal
composition notebooks, BBMs (Blackberry messages) exchanged between
Bosch and Rodriguez, and reasonable inferences drawn from the entire
record of evidence," Horowitz wrote.
Horowitz said Rodriguez was introduced to Bosch by A-Rod cousin Yuri Sucart, who knew Bosch through Jorge "Oggi" Velazquez.
"Contrary to the claim of Rodriguez, the challenges lodged to the
credibility of Bosch's testimony do not effectively refute or undermine
the findings of JDA violations," the arbiter wrote.
Rodriguez did not testify in the grievance, walking out after Horowitz refused to order Selig to testify.
In Selig's notice of discipline to Rodriguez on Aug. 5, he said MLB
is actively investigating allegations he received banned substances in
2009 from Dr. Anthony Galea, who pleaded guilty in 2011 to a federal
charge of bringing unapproved drugs into the United States from Canada.
The Bayern Munich goalkeeper was an obvious choice having
become the most reliable in the business. Neuer had a super year as a
part of the Bayern team who swept the board with five trophies in 2013,
including the Bundesliga title, the German Cup, the UEFA Champions
League, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA European Super Cup.
PHILIPP LAHM (BAYERN MUNICH & GERMANY)
Like his club-mate, Neuer, Lahm was another who did not have
many rivals for his place at full-back. Defensively dependable,
intelligent on the ball and agile in attack, the Germany international
has every attribute required for a modern full-back. Lahm has even
demonstrated his versatility at times in the past year when stepping
into central midfield for the monstrous Bayern.
SERGIO RAMOS (REAL MADRID & SPAIN)
The Spanish legend may have fallen out with Jose Mourinho
during 2013 but that still did not damage a fine personal year at Real.
It is remarkable to think Ramos will still be only turning 28 in March.
Having now become an ultimately reliable centre-back after playing as a
full-back earlier in his career, the Real Madrid man epitomises the 21st
Century footballer.
THIAGO SILVA (PSG & BRAZIL)
The Paris Saint Germain colossus is considered by many as the
best centre-back in the world having taken his big-money move to
France's capital in his stride. His calmness and composure mean he
enjoyed a fine 2013 with PSG. In the 2012/13 season, Thiago Silva
averaged 2.9 interceptions per game and 6.3 clearances. He also helped
2014 World Cup hosts Brazil to the Confederations Cup.
DANI ALVES (BARCELONA & BRAZIL)
Barcelona's full-back is seen as a major factor in his
club-mate, Lionel Messi, becoming the sensational player he is today.
With typically Brazilian style, Alves attacks at every opportunity and
provides the width for his team when Messi cuts inside. Alves was a key
man in Barcelona winning the 2013 La Liga title and, like Thiago Silva,
also helped Brazil win the Confederations Cup in the same year.
ANDRES INIESTA (BARCELONA & SPAIN)
The second of the four Barcelona players included in the Team
of the Year and there is again little argument. That not winning the
Champions League was considered an off year for Barcelona personifies
the achievements of a club who have been driven forward by the
awe-inspiring, deft playmaking and attacking of Iniesta.
XAVI (BARCELONA & SPAIN)
The definitive pass master would be in pretty much anyone's
team. Barcelona's Xavi may again have not enjoyed the highs of previous
years but he is still a master of his art. At 599, the Spaniard has
played the most successful passes in this season's Champions League and,
like Iniesta, Alves and Messi, helped his club to the Primera Liga
title in the last campaign.
FRANCK RIBERY (BAYERN MUNICH & FRANCE)
Up against Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi for the Ballon d'Or
award, Bayern's Ribery was an obvious inclusion. Any Bayern player would
have been deserving of a place after their stunning calendar year in
2013 but Ribery was arguably the pick of the bunch. As a speedy,
attacking threat of goals and assists down the flanks, the Frenchman is
feared around the world.
CRISTIANO RONALDO (REAL MADRID & PORTUGAL)
Like his Real Madrid colleagues, he may have failed to win a
trophy in 2013 but Portugal international Ronaldo's stats combined for
club and country make for incredible reading. Ronaldo scored seven
hat-tricks, 69 goals in 59 appearances, and went on 252 dribbles while
also becoming the first player in Real's history to score more than 30
goals in three successive seasons. At the same time, Ronaldo almost
singlehandedly beat Sweden in the World Cup play-offs.
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC (PSG & SWEDEN)
There will always be a debate about Ibrahimovic's standing in
world football; some love the Paris Saint Germain star while others are
still to be convinced. However, the Swedish striker revelled in another
year full of goals galore, spectacular strikes and winning games for
club and country to mean he more than merits a place in the world's best
XI.
LIONEL MESSI (BARCELONA & ARGENTINA)
The end of Messi's 2013 may have been damaged by injury but he
still scored a phenomenal 42 goals in 45 games for Barcelona and
Argentina. He remains a force of nature on the ball with a combination
of killer technique, lethal finishing and phenomenal skill. The debate
about Messi being the best player of all time will continue forever.
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, speaking to BBC Sport: "We are delighted with the points. It was a crazy game.
"Stoke showed a lot of character, but so did we. We must
enjoy the moment, then move onto the next game. Every game we have to be
winning, it does not matter who we are playing. That is the mentality
we look to have.
"It was great [to score] but it is not about my individual
statistics - it is about the boys. My goal settled the nerves, but in
the end we did really well to win the game.
"I am delighted to be back out there, and delighted that Luis Suarez is scoring the goals he is for this wonderful club
ndia will look for a big upset when they take on Australia in the quarterfinals of the Hockey World League Final at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium on Wednesday.
"Stoke showed a lot of character, but so did we. We must enjoy the moment, then move onto the next game. Every game we have to be winning, it does not matter who we are playing. That is the mentality we look to have.
"It was great [to score] but it is not about my individual statistics - it is about the boys. My goal settled the nerves, but in the end we did really well to win the game.
"I am delighted to be back out there, and delighted that Luis Suarez is scoring the goals he is for this wonderful club