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The World Cup which was hosted by two neighbouring nations, Australia and New Zealand, drew global television viewership of around a billion and a record attendance of 1.1 million spectators in 49 matches played over 44 days. 10 of those matches recorded a crowd of over 40,000. The final between Australia and New Zealand was hosted at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Australia and attracted a record crowd of over 93,000, surpassing the previous best which was 87,182....

The MCG will host the final after a gap of 23 years, while the semifinals will be played in Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and Auckland, analogous to the 1992 World Cup, which Imran Khan’s Pakistan lifted for the first and only time. Australia and neighbours New Zealand, who hosted the biggest event in cricket for their first time in 1992, will be applying more or less the same formula when it comes to venues for the 2015 World Cup by handing the semifinals to the SCG and Eden Park, before the showcase final takes place at the ‘Spiritual Home of Australian Sport’ on March 29, 2015....

Despite enjoying home advantage, India will not have it easy against a Sri Lankan side that has already beaten Nepal in this competition. They earned plenty of plaudits for an effective counter-attacking style of play. After a series of five straight losses in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign, India finally registered a win against Guam recently, despite playing an hour with 10 men. The win pushed India to 166 in the FIFA rankings, 28 places above their opponents Sri Lanka on Friday....

The opening game saw the Japanese take early control of proceedings as Saina found it difficult to find her groove and went into the break with an 8-point deficit at 3-11. After the interval, the Indian started to find her stripes and began to get back into the match and completed a superb comeback by winning the game 21-18. After winning the opening game 21-18, Saina continued to pile on the pressure on her opponent in the second game and went into the interval with an 11-9 lead....

The doubles draw at the China Open has been released and the first round promises an absolutely intriguing match-up for Indian fans. Just a few days after the Davis Cup clash, we get another exciting India vs Spain match as Rohan Bopanna is set to face the Rio Olympics doubles gold medallist Rafael Nadal in a must-watch first round encounter. Bopanna, who has teamed up with the legendary Daniel Nestor, is seeded third....

Novak Djokovic will also be a strong contender to win the title. Top seed Andy Murray has not been in the best of form lately but he cannot be written off. Since 1891, the French Open has seen numerous great players showcasing their talent on clay and has witnessed several enthralling moments. However, there are a number of facts about the tournament that the general public might not know. Here are a few facts about the tournament that you may not be well acquainted with....

Starting the tournament with a win over one of the favourites and hosts, England, India went on to beat West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka before losing to South Africa and the defending Champions Australia. India needed a win in their last match of the group stage against New Zealand and the Women in Blue put on a spirited performance and beat them to earn a place in the semis against the Southern Stars from Australia at the County Ground in Derby on July 20....

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced Thursday that the 2017 season will open April 2-3 with ESPN carrying no fewer than seven games, highlighted by the World Series champion Cubs opening defense of their first title since 1908 by facing off in prime time Sunday against — wait for it — their arch-rivals, the Cardinals, in St. Louis. MORE: Ranking all 155 MLB free agents Manfred made the announcement Thursday at the end of MLB’s quarterly owners meetings in Chicago....

Despite their success and achievements in the 2017-18 regular season, the Raptors had to slog hard through 6 games in the first round against the Washington Wizards but what transpired in the next round against the Cleveland Cavaliers surprised everybody. They didn’t just lose to the LeBron James-led squad but they got swept by the 4th seeded Cavs, bringing an abrupt and far too early end to a season that had legitimate championship aspirations....

But much like other teams in the past, they failed to stay resilient in the face of adversity. Instead of taking advantage of the momentum of their 2016-17 NBA season, in which they finished one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals, Washington fell in the rankings and lost in the first round of the playoffs, re-opening old wounds. Team chemistry suffered a big blow during Wall’s 2-month-long injury; starting center, Marcin Gortat, implied that the team moves the ball better without him and Beal, whose relationship with Wall was fractured, to begin with, backed that claim....

Here’s something we all know but don’t always think about on draft day: You’ll either drop your drafted defense at some point because of bye weeks or carry two defenses. And, really, you should be playing matchups fairly often anyway. There are very few “must-plays” when it comes to D/STs, unless you’re talking about defenses playing the very worst teams. Even the sleepers listed below are not the types of teams you can feel comfortable with all season long....

Mexico made history after securing a place in the Finals of the 2018 FIFA under-17 World Cup after overcoming Canada by a solitary goal at the Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo, Uruguay. The CONCACAF derby turned out to become a disappointing game for Rhian Wilkinson and her team after they commanded 59% of the ball possession but did not register even a single shot on target from their seven attempts which proved to be the difference between the two teams....

In the past, the franchises were asked to drop an e-mail about their retention list but this year, it has been understood that the franchises have been asked to send their representatives to the venue in Mumbai on January 4 and make the announcement of the players they are going to retain. Adding to this, the event will be telecasted live on the official broadcasters for the IPL, Star Sports, as they are looking to flag off this year’s IPL coverage with this event....

But thanks to an upset in the first round for the Falcons over the Los Angeles Rams and an injury to Wentz late in the season, fans get a Nick Foles-Matt Ryan playoff matchup which could go either way. The Falcons are looking to get to their third conference championship game since 2012, while the Eagles are looking to get to their first since the Donovan McNabb era in 2008....

The strike was organized by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) after Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital allegedly refused to provide nurses with adequate protective equipment, ventilation, COVID-19 testing and other safety protocols in their latest contract negotiations, according to the union. The union wanted more nurses hired and improved safety measures for hospital staff, according to NBC 4 New York. “With COVID-19 cases rising steadily in the New Rochelle area and several red clusters emerging in Westchester County, it is clear to nurses that the hospital is not yet prepared for another surge of patients,” the NYSNA said in a press release issued Monday....

“The Fountain” began shortly after Aronofsky turned 30 and his parents were diagnosed with cancer just weeks apart. They both recovered, but it got him thinking about mortality, and he started working on a mammoth script about the fountain of youth, focusing on a scientist racing to cure his cancer-stricken wife, a Spanish conquistador hunting for the fountain and a spaceman floating in a bubble toward a dying star. It was the kind of film Hollywood would never touch without an A-list actor....

Bush (down) Last year’s CW said, “Nowhere to go but up.” Once again, he confounded expectations. Dick Cheney (down) Shot fellow hunter in face, kept touting “progress” in Iraq, sent popularity numbers to an undisclosed location. Donald Rumsfeld (down) Goodness gracious! Years of arrogance and incompetence finally get him. Next: Self-serving memoir. Karl Rove (down) Good news: Not indicted in leak case. Bad news: In midterms, the “Architect”’s house falls down....

Save for the reveal of The Phantom Pain – a game that may or may not be Metal Gear Solid 5 – gamers knew exactly what they were going to get out of the show. Yes, it was nice to see some of BioShock Infinite’s sandbox-esque gameplay and to better understand when Gears of War: Judgment resides in the timeline, but this show is usually the winter E3, and it really wasn’t this year....

India beat Bahrain 75-65 in their final game of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, which is being held at Manila, Philippines, to finish in 11th place. This game was seen as a grudge match by Coach Scott Flemming’s men as Bahrain had edged India 82-80 in overtime, when they played each other in the first round. India had not won a single game since the group stages where they beat Thailand....