The Day in Sports: 15th February

1. Sobbing Pistorius charged with girlfriend’s murder:

South Africa’s Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius leaves the court after his hearing on the charge of murdering his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on February 15, 2013 at the Magistrate Court in Pretoria. Pistorius broke down in tears in the dock Friday as he was charged with the Valentine’s Day murder of his model girlfriend, a charge he denied “in the strongest terms”.

2. Usain Bolt dunks in All-Star Celebrity Game:

Sprinter Usain Bolt of the East team dunks during the Sprint Celebrity Game at Jam Session during NBA All Star Weekend on February 15, 2013 at the George R. Brown in Houston, Texas. The Olympic champion went up for a two-handed jam in the Celebrity All-Star game that ended with the James Harden-coached West squad winning 58-38 over Russell Westbrook’s East squad. Comedian Kevin Hart wins the MVP for the second straight year.

3. Federer stunned by Benneteau in Rotterdam:

France’s Julien Benneteau returns a ball to Swiss player Roger Federer during the quarter-final match of the ATP World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam on February 15, 2013. Benneteau sent Federer crashing out of the Rotterdam World Tennis tournament on Friday with a stunning 6-3, 7-5 quarter-final upset.

4. Serena becomes oldest world number one:

Serena Williams of the US celebrates after beating Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova during their WTA Qatar Open tennis quarter-final match on February 15, 2013 in the Qatari capital Doha. Williams on Friday became the oldest woman to claim the world number one ranking when she reached the Qatar Open semi-finals with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Kvitova.

5. England stroll to T20 series win over N. Zealand:

 

England’s Alex Hales (right) celebrates the win with team mate Michael Lumb during the International Twenty20 match between New Zealand and England played at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington on February 15, 2013. England defeated New Zealand by 10 wickets in the Twenty20 international decider in Wellington on Friday after a batting masterclass from openers Lumb and Hales.

6. Ajmal strikes to put Pakistan on top:

Saeed Ajmal (centre) celebrates the wicket of Jacques Kallis in Cape Town today. Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal took all five wickets as Pakistan finished on top on the second day of the second Test against South Africa at Newlands on Friday. South Africa were struggling at 139 for five at the close, still 199 runs behind Pakistan’s first innings of 338 as Ajmal took five for 41.

7. Nadal through to Brasil Open semis:

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Argentinian Carlos Berlocq during the Brazil Open at Ibirapuera gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on February 15, 2013. The 26-year-old Spaniard, ranked number five in the world, won 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours 24 minutes against the 30-year-old Argentine, ranked 78th in the world.

8. Balotelli saves Milan’s blushes again:

AC Milan’s new striker Mario Balotelli celebrates after scoring during their Italian Serie A football match against Parma at the Milan’s San Siro stadium on February 15, 2013. The late strike from Balotelli was enough to secure a 2-1 victory for Milan over Parma and a jump up to fourth place in Italy’s Serie A.

9. Faried grabs MVP as Team Chuck wins BBVA Rising Stars:

Kenneth Faried #35 of the Denver Nuggets and Team Chuck holds up the MVP trophy after the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge 2013 part of the 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend at the Toyota Center on February 15, 2013 in Houston, Texas after he dropped 40 points to lead Team Chuck to a  163 – 135 win over Team Shaq.

10. Bayern on a roll as they warm-up for Arsenal with yet another win: 

Bayern Munich’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (R) saves a free kick during their German first division Bundesliga football match against VfL Wolfsburg in Wolfsburg, northern Germany, on February 15, 2013. Bayern Munich went 18 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga on Friday with a 2-0 victory at VfL Wolfsburg as they move ever closer to the German title.

11. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova banned for six-months:

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova has been banned for a total of six months till the 16th of April by the ITF after testing positive for a banned stimulant, sibutramine, which she ingested as a result of consumption of the weight-loss supplement ACAI Berry Thin. The 24-year-old from Czech Republic has won one WTA singles and 17 doubles titles since she turned professional in 2003.

12. Bae, Jacobson share Riviera lead:

Sang-Moon Bae of South Korea hits a tee shot on the second hole during the second round of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club on February 15, 2013 in Pacific Palisades, California. Bae birdied nine holes en route to a six-under 65 that left him tied with Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson in the second round of the Northern Trust Open.

You can check out the rest of the ‘Day in Sports’ series here.

And you can also have a look at the Sportskeeda calendar.