A spot of fatherly advice could be just the thing to help Gonzalo Higuain overcome the jitters which marked his World Cup debut. The striker missed two chances he would have put away with his eyes closed in the Spanish league season, in Argentina's 1-0 win over Nigeria in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Football-frenzied fans in India were slow on catching up with the excitement as the FIFA World Cup 2010 kicked off in Johannesburg on Friday. But when they did get into the act, TV-viewership rates shot up from previous highs.
Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk's side face two dangers when they start their World Cup Group E campaign at Ellis Park on Monday - opponents Denmark and the possibility of being too confident.
India's captain says he doesn't remember how he felt before the T20 World Cup final against Pakistan in 2007.
Gabriel Heinze scored early in the first half as two-time champions Argentina started their2010 World Cup campaign in style with a 1-0 win over Nigeria in a Group B clash at the Elis Park stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore top-order fired in unison as they humbled the Lions by six wickets to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Argentina's Diego Maradona hugged Nigerian players and blew kisses to the crowd during a lap of Johannesburg's Ellis Park stadium an hour before his squad kick off against Nigeria on Saturday.
France failed to rise to the occasion again on Friday when a lacklustre performance in a tepid 0-0 draw with Uruguay handed the initiative to their lesser-ranked World Cup Group A rivals.
Drummers and dancers wowed fans at South Africa's Soccer City stadium in a glittering prelude to Friday's World Cup kickoff, but Nelson Mandela's absence after a family tragedy cast a cloud over the party.
Last September Somdev Devvarman emerged as India's new Davis Cup hero. Winning both his singles matches at the Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg, Somdev ensured India a comprehensive 4-1 win over South Africa, and with it a place in the elite world group after a 12 year absence.
Africa's first high speed urban train started operating in Johannesburg on Tuesday, just in time to help World Cup fans bypass the city's notorious traffic congestion.
Rajneesh Gupta picks instances of sledging which backfired spectacularly and the players had to pay dearly for their misadventures.
After a stunning loss in the tournament-opener, Sachin Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians would be determined to post a win when they take on South Australia in the Champions League Twenty20 Group B match in Durban, on Tuesday.
Argentina's first contact with media on Tuesday did little to dispel the uncertainty surrounding the team since they bunkered up at their World Cup base after arriving in South Africa on Saturday.
Manish Pandey hogged the limelight by scoring the first century of the IPL II in South Africa and the young Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman is now eyeing upcoming Champions League Twenty20 in the Rainbow Nation to make his way into the star-studded India team.
Craig Kieswetter stole the limelight after a cracking innings of 63 as England ended their title drought at ICC global events by crushing Australia by seven wickets to win the ICC World Twenty20 on Sunday.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday rubbished match-fixing allegations against the Pakistan cricket team in the just-concluded ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa. ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat also gave a clean chit to Australian umpire Simon Taufel who was officiating the semi-final match between Pakistan and New Zealand.
The International Cricket Council's (ICC) anti-corruption unit is studying New Zealand's victory over Pakistan in the second Champions Trophy semi-final, raising doubts of corrupt play, after Pakistani skipper Younus Khan dropped a catch at a crucial juncture of the match.
Sachin Tendulkar sustained a cut on his cheek and was lucky not to break his nose after collapsing in his hotel room on the eve of India's last Champions Trophy match against the West Indies.
An application by MTN to the Johannesburg Securities Exchange to suspend trading in its shares just 20 minutes before it put out a short statement which said Bharti and MTN had agreed mutually not to proceed with the transaction also surprised analysts.
India outclassed the West Indies by seven wickets but despite the convincing victory were eliminated from the ICC Champions Trophy, in Johannesburg, on Wednesday. Australia booked a place in the semi-finals of the tournament with a thrilling final ball, two-wicket win over Pakistan, which meant India finished third in Group A.
Graeme Smith will step down as captain of South Africa's One-Day International and Twenty20 teams in order to prolong his career, he said on Wednesday.
South Africa's Farhaan Behardien reckons that the batsmen will have to be smart with shot-selection
Imran Tahir has alleged that he was racially abused by an Indian fan during the fourth ODI
The seventh wicket partnership of 74 runs between Mike Hussey and Steve Smith in Wednesday's WT20 against Bangladesh is Australia's highest for this wicket in T20Is. The pair obliterated the previous record stand of 57 between Brad Hogg and Brett Lee at Johannesburg on 24-02-2006.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) will carry out an enquiry into the umpire referral system in the wake of a
Following are the statistical highlights of the Champions Trophy match between Pakistan and the West Indies played in Johannesburg.
Deccan Chargers won the IPL Trophy with a superb six-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore. Last year they had finished bottom in the eight-team tournament. Adam Gilchrist was adjudged the Player of the Tournament, thanks to his brilliant captaincy, 495 runs (ave.30.93) in 16 matches as batsman and 18 dismissals as wicketkeeper.
Left-arm swing bowler Wayne Parnell and leg-spinner Imran Tahir have been added to South Africa's squad for the fourth Test against England, Cricket South Africa announced on Friday.
The Old Trafford cricket ground had a festive feel with fans from both sides wearing replica jerseys, colourful headgear and sounding hooters as they began trooping in.
While the whole world grapples to contain the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, the sporting world has been brought to a complete standstill. A lot of top sportsperson around the world have also tested positive for COVID-19 as major events like Tokyo Olympics, Formula One, Indian Premier League and the top football leagues in Europe all face long-term suspension.
Having won the series, India would like to carry on momentum forward, especially with the three-match T20I series to follow soon after. Yet, the visitors would also like to find a balance between going all out in a dead rubber and resting a few players keeping in mind a long overseas schedule later this year.
According to data from aMap, an overnight audience monitoring agency, in the top six metros, around 1.5 million viewers saw Sunday's match, while 1.9 million viewers had watched the final in 2006.
As Vicente Del Bosque's high flying La Furia Roja side get ready to take on Bert Van Marwijk's industrious and effective Oranje at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday, rediff.com takes a look at a few players who can make a difference to the eventual outcome.
British referee Howard Webb has been named by FIFA as the man in charge for Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Netherlands at Johannesburg's Soccer City.
A headed goal by defender Carles Puyol carried Spain to their first World Cup final on Wednesday when they beat Germany 1-0 in the semi-finals.
Thrashed in the first game in Durban, India would hope to put up a far more inspired display as they go into the second cricket One-dayer against South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday with a few problems to sort out in both the bowling and batting departments.
The singer narrowly escaped from getting his face burnt during a performance at Emperors Palace.
Netherlands striker Robin van Persie was taken to hospital on Saturday for a scan on an arm injury three days before their semi-final with Uruguay in Cape Town, coach Bert van Marwijk said.
Ghana's dreams of becoming the first African side to reach a World Cup semi-final will depend on their ability to keep at bay the formidable attacking duo which has propelled Uruguay into the quarters. The Ghanaians carry the hopes of a continent hosting its first World Cup, but any burden of expectation is far out weighed by the need to keep a close check on the ability of Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez when they meet in their quarter-final tie in Johannesburg.
