'In India the wickets and grounds are fairly quick so you have only got to play proper cricket shots and the ball will go for four and six'
Shane Watson's pads have never tired of planting themselves between ball and stumps but on Monday in Cardiff their failure to do so delivered the ultimate punchline at the Australian's expense.
New Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has no intention of ditching the methods that brought him success in Spain and Germany and wants to prove it is possible to win in the Premier League by playing attractive football. Guardiola won two Champions League trophies, three La Liga titles and two King's Cup crowns as Barcelona coach before two domestic doubles followed at Bayern Munich.
While, Reds' manager Juergen Klopp is realistic about his team being league leaders, you, dear reader, can convey your opinion by casting your vote in the poll below
Jose Mourinho, sacked as manager of Chelsea in December seven months after winning the English Premier League title, has said he is not enjoying his time out of work and will soon be back in management.
Germany are determined to snap their tournament losing streak to Italy dating back almost half a century when the two meet in a Euro 2016 quarter-final on Saturday in Bordeaux, players said on Wednesday. The world champions have lost to Italy in every single tournament knockout match they have played against them, starting from a 1970 World Cup semi-final.
Australia captain Michael Clarke will retire at the end of the current Ashes series, bringing a dismal end to a storied 114-Test career, Channel Nine reported on Saturday.
England manager Roy Hodgson gave few clues on Sunday when asked about his attack for the final Group B game against Slovakia from which they need a point to qualify for the knockout stage of Euro 2016. Harry Kane started to disappointing effect in the 1-1 draw against Russia and was then substituted at halftime against Wales with England trailing 1-0. Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Vardy came on to change the game, each scoring in a 2-1 win and both have been tipped to play against Slovakia on Monday.
Croatia fans who caused trouble during their team's Euro 2016 match against the Czech Republic on Friday were "sports terrorists" and had no place in football stadiums, the Balkan nation's coach told a news conference. The supporters threw flares on to the pitch and fought among themselves in one section of the Stade Geoffroy Guichard, forcing the Group D game to be interrupted for several minutes while officials and players appealed for calm. "We were exposed to the terror of hooligans who have no place in sports arenas and I sincerely hope they will be identified and brought to justice," said Cacic.
Italy's victory over Belgium was celebrated as a triumph of the team over individual talents, but Friday's opponents Sweden are relying on the singular genius of frontman Zlatan Ibrahimovic to get their Euro 2016 campaign off the ground.
England picked up three early wickets as Sri Lanka struggled to 218 for six at lunch on the third day of the third and final Test at Lord's on Saturday.
Photos from the English Premier League matches played on Wednesday
Strikers Marcus Rashford and Daniel Sturridge made Roy Hodgson's final 23-man England squad for Euro 2016 on Tuesday but winger Andros Townsend and midfielders Danny Drinkwater and Fabian Delph were left out. England are taking five forwards to the 24-team tournament in France, which starts on June 10, with Sturridge selected despite doubts over a calf problem. The injury had forced the Liverpool striker to miss England's last two friendly matches, including Friday's win over Australia in Sunderland. The 18-year-old Rashford, who signed a new long-term deal with Manchester United on Monday, became the youngest player to score on his England debut in the 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light. He scored that goal 138 seconds into what was only his 19th professional match, marking him out as one of the brightest emerging prospects and winning plaudits from Hodgson.
These and many more stunning photographs are encapsulated in this weekly, striking photo feature put together by Rediiff.com.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal goes into the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace on Saturday facing echoes of the 1990 showpiece between the two sides that proved so pivotal in the career of Alex Ferguson.
Juergen Klopp, who has breathed new life into Liverpool in his seven months in charge, would seal his place in the hearts of the club's supporters if he pulls off victory over Sevilla in Wednesday's Europa League final.
- At 18 years and 109 days, Bencic is the youngest player to win a premier-level title since Caroline Wozniacki won in New Haven almost seven years ago - Uzbek Istomin wins men's title
Real Madrid can pip Barcelona to the La Liga title on Saturday even though their destiny is out of their hands, coach Zinedine Zidane said on the eve of the season finale.
Of all the managerial dilemmas facing Manchester United's Jose Mourinho after three success defeats, the future of his captain Wayne Rooney is by far the most pressing. The England captain, deployed in a central midfield role this season, has been a peripheral figure in a team struggling to gel and his lacklustre performance in the 3-1 defeat at Watford on Sunday led to widespread calls for him to be dropped. Rooney mustered one shot, did not play a single through ball and created only two chances for team mates with the nine corners and free kicks he took.
Rediff.com recaptures these and other exciting sporting moments from the week gone by....
Nico Rosberg was handed a much-needed break in the Formula One title battle which he duly converted by winning Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix, but victory could have tasted much sweeter for the German. Rosberg went into the weekend knowing this was his race to lose. Mercedes team mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton was set to start at the back of the field after taking a planned series of engine-related grid penalties.
Manchester City look to take an important step in their transformation into one of the world's leading clubs on Tuesday by reaching the Champions League semi-finals for the first time.
Andy Murray is performing a delicate balancing act as he prepares for a claycourt Davis Cup final and the ATP World Tour Finals on an indoor hardcourt at the O2 Arena.
Manchester United maintained their push for a top-four Premier League finish when they beat Everton 1-0 with a second-half goal by French striker Anthony Martial at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Blame players for slump, not Mourinho, says the Blues captain
Europa League favourites Manchester United secured a 1-1 draw on a threadbare pitch at Rostov, while Olympique Lyonnais beat AS Roma 4-2 helped by a fine individual goal from Nabil Fekir in their last 16, first leg ties on Thursday.
'If you take a point or even lose, it's not ideal but there are still almost 30 games to go so this result won't be the deciding factor in who wins the title'
Reports in British media put the latest bid at 125 million euros.
Pakistan's Yasir Shah claimed five wickets to put the breaks on England's scoring on Day 2 of the 1st Test at Lord's in London on Friday.
A lot has changed for France goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris and defender Bacary Sagna since they were part of the team that left the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in disgrace.
Media reports suggested the McLaren driver, whose wife is Japanese, was likely to announce at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix that he would be leaving Formula One at the end of the year.
Wales manager Chris Coleman said he was 'immensely proud' of his team after their hopes of reaching the Euro 2016 final were dashed by a brief lapse of focus during a 2-0 defeat by Portugal on Wednesday.
Barcelona will put Manchester City to the sword if they commit the same kind of errors as they did in their Champions League encounter last month, coach Luis Enrique said.
'Barcelona are super favourites for this game and tomorrow everyone is already convinced that we have to be totally focused as a whole squad'
The 34-year-old suffered the injury bowling for Islamabad in the T20 tournament in the UAE and immediately withdrew to fly home to Sydney for scans and an assessment
Forget Italy's image of Catenaccio (or "door chain defence"). Antonio Conte's Italy showed in a 2-0 defeat of Spain at Euro 2016 on Monday that they can do unchained attacking football too. The Azzurri, who will take on world champions Germany in a fascinating quarter-final on Saturday, had promised they would not be afraid to go forward against Spain.
France striker Antoine Griezmann had looked slightly below par in their opening games at Euro 2016 and the host nation's fans feared he might be exhausted after a gruelling season. On Sunday, however, the speedy forward reassured them by scoring twice in quick succession to help Les Bleus tame Ireland 2-1 on Lyon's Parc OL pitch and advance to the quarter-finals.
James Taylor's patient century laid the platform for England to beat Australia by 93 runs in the third One-Day International at Old Trafford in Manchester, on Tuesday, leaving the touring side 2-1 up in the series.
Royal Enfield's sales are equivalent to the global sales of Harley-Davidson, KTM, BMW, Triumph, and Ducati combined, but Bajaj's MD has a counterview.
It is a mark of how far Tottenham Hotspur have come that they start as favourites to win what could be a pivotal Champions League Group E fixture away to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday despite the absence of key defender Toby Alderweireld.
