CRICKET NEWS

The topic of Champions Trophy 2025 is creating new headlines everyday. Pakistan have been chosen as the hosts for the tournament but the question regarding India's participation still remains unanswered. Due to the political tension between the countries, India and Pakistan are yet to play a bilateral series, since 2013. Later in 2023, India also refused to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup and the tournament had to co-hosted by Sri Lanka. For the Champions Trophy, Pakistan Cricket Board has refused to accept a hybrid model, which has further complicated the situation. Recently, BCCI secretary Jay Shah was also appointed as the new chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). His appointment is expected to play a crucial role in the Champions Trophy's future in Pakistan.  Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali also commented on this situation and stated that the entire scenario is now dependent on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For the unversed, PM Modi has been inv...

Veteran Pakistan cricket team star Shoaib Malik revealed that he rejected an offer from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to become a selector ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. Malik last played for Pakistan back in 2021 but he has not retired from international cricket till now. Pakistan had a disappointing run in the T20 World Cup 2024 as they were eliminated in the group stages. The Babar Azam -led side was stunned by USA before slumping to a heavy loss against India. Malik explained that he is still playing domestic cricket and taking up the selector job now did not make sense to him.  “I got an offer before the 2024 T20 World Cup. There was no chief selector then and the entire committee had the same power,” Malik told reporters. "Yes, I got the offer. However, I am still playing some cricket. How can I select the cricketers with whom I am playing currently? It does not make sense to me that you are playing as well and are part of the selection committee too," he added....

Joe Root set an England record of 34 Test centuries as Sri Lanka were left with a mammoth chase to win the second Test at Lord's on Saturday. Root's 103, the star batsman's second hundred of the match after he made 143 in the first innings, took England to a second-innings total of 251 all out on the third day. That left Sri Lanka needing 483 to level this three-Test series at 1-1 following England's five-wicket win at Old Trafford last week. Root was last man out after edging ahead of retired England opener Alastair Cook 's mark of 33 Test centuries. And having made the quickest century of his 145-Test career, off just 111 balls, the 33-year-old Root then held two catches at first slip before bad light ended play for the day. Sri Lanka were 53-2 at stumps, needing 430 more runs in an unlikely quest to end a run of six successive Test defeats by England. His seventh Test hundred at Lord's gave Root sole possession of the record for the most Test centuries at...

India's visit to Pakistan for next year's Champions Trophy 2025 remains a mystery with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) yet to provide a clarity on their plans. Last year, Pakistan co-hosted the Asia Cup as the tournament was played under hybrid model after India refused to travel. India played their matches in Sri Lanka, including the one-sided final, which they won after beating the latter. Multiple reports have claimed that India is unlikely to take part in next year's showpiece event. Reacting the reports, former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has claimed that if a country like Australia can play there, India too should follow the suit. "When a team like Australia can visit Pakistan, why not India? The India-Pakistan bilateral series should happen. Both governments need to sit and talk. This will benefit cricket," Akmal told Times of India. BCCI has time and time again said that the Indian team will only go to Pakistan if they ge...

Two of the finest batters of the modern era, India stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma enjoy a massive fan following wherever they go. However, Pakistan remains the only country where the two haven't played an international match. The two nations have not played a bilateral series since 2012-13 when Pakistan toured India for a white-ball series. On the other hand, India last visited Pakistan in 2006, but that was before either Rohit or Virat's India debut. Due to the political differences between the two nations, India and Pakistan only play each other in global and continental tournaments. However, former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal wants Rohit and Virat to visit Pakistan once before retiring. Akmal suggested that the love and appreciation the two will get in Pakistan will surpass everything. "Virat and Rohit should visit Pakistan before they retire. These two are stars of world cricket, traveling across the globe to play the game. Every single fan loves...

Pakistan have released left-arm fast-bowling spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi from their Test squad in Rawalpindi. Shaheen was left out of the 12-man squad selected by Pakistan for their ongoing second Test against Bangladesh, which saw Day One being washed out due to persistent rain at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. In its statement, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the Test team management has decided to release Shaheen from the squad to allow him to spend time with his family. It is to be noted that on Day Four of the first Test at Rawalpindi, which Pakistan lost by ten wickets to Bangladesh, Shaheen's son Aliyaar was born. In the first Test against Bangladesh, Shaheen claimed two wickets in the first innings but failed to take any scalps in the second innings to end with match figures of 2-96. Since the start of 2023, Shaheen's form in Test cricket has been patchy - 16 wickets from five Tests at an average of 40.81, as compared to him taking 115 wickets in 30 matches wh...

India's schedule at Paris Paralympics 2024, August 30: The Indian contingent has a great chance to open its medal account at the Paris Paralympics 2024 on Friday. Shooter Avani Lekhara, who won gold at Tokyo Paralympics, will be in action. Apart from her, Karamjyoti and Sakshi Kasana will compete in the Women's Discus Throw - F55 Final. Preethi Pal will compete in Women's 100m - T35 Final. Manu will play in Men's Shot Put - F37 Final. Arshad Shaik will compete in Men's C2 3000m Individual Pursuit Qualifying. ( Paris Paralympics 2024 medals tally ) Para Badminton 12 PM: Manasi Joshi vs Oksana Kozyna (Ukraine) in Women's Singles SL3 Group Play Stage 1:20 PM: Manoj Sarkar vs Mongkhon Bunsun (Thailand) in Men's Singles SL3 Group Play Stage 2 PM: Nitesh Kumar vs Jianyuan Yang (China) in Men's Singles SL3 Group Play Stage 2:40 PM: Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj vs Kyung Hwan Shin (Korea) in Men's Singles SL4 Group Play Stage 4:40 PM: Palak Kohli vs Leani...

A number of cities in Gujarat faced flood-like situations following heavy showers in the past few days. The situation was quite bad in Vadodara where although the rain did take a pause, low-lying areas were flooded after the Vishwamitri River breached its banks. Indian women's cricket team spinner Radha Yadav took to social media to share that she was in a 'very bad situation' due to the flooding but was rescued by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). In her Instagram story, she posted a video showing the NDRF officials rescuing some people by the help of a boat while there was a lot of water on the roads. “We are Stuck in a Very bad situation. Thank you so much #NDRF for rescuing us,” Radha wrote on the social media platform along with the video. Rain-related incidents claimed 19 more lives in Gujarat, taking the toll to 26 in three days, while around 17,800 people were evacuated from flood-affected areas as heavy showers lashed parts of the state for the four...

The lack of all-rounders in the Indian cricket team has been highlighted by many over the years. Team India's struggles at ICC events over the last decade has primarily been due to the absence of multiple genuine all-round options. However, the scenario is changing, with many outright batters trying to sharpen their skills with the ball. Shreyas Iyer is one such player. Not part of Team India's T20I and Test setup at present, Iyer was spotting adding the skill of bowling to his resume in the Buchi Babu tournament match between Mumbai and TNCA XI. Iyer, who also captained the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the Indian Premier League 2024 title this year, bowled in a quite similar fashion to his IPL teammate Sunil Narine . The video of Iyer's bowling has, hence, gone viral on social media, with fans highlighting the uncanny similarity between his and Narine's action. Shreyas Iyer is bowling and that too in the style of Sunil Narine pic.twitter.com/L7QSE0Xqt8 — Pick-u...

Ollie Pope has asked Joe Root for guidance on how best to balance the demands of batting and captaincy after an awkward first outing as stand-in England skipper against Sri Lanka. Pope, in the first of three matches deputising for the injured Ben Stokes , led England to a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Old Trafford last week as they went 1-0 up with two Tests to play. Nevertheless, No 3 batsman Pope was himself twice out for six in Manchester -- the second time to an ill-judged reverse sweep. While Stokes may be absent, the England team still features star batsman Root, who led England in a record 64 Tests from 2017-2022. Significantly, the 33-year-old Yorkshireman scored 14 hundreds during his period in charge of what was often a struggling side. Now, as England head into the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's starting Thursday, it is no surprise Pope has turned to Root for advice on how to be an effective batsman while captaining England. "I really enjoyed the w...

India head coach Gautam Gambhir , BCCI president Roger Binny, and all-rounder Hardik Pandya led the long list of joyous members of the cricketing fraternity in lauding Jay Shah, who was on Tuesday elected unopposed as the ICC Chairman. BCCI secretary Shah was elected unopposed as the next ICC head, making him the youngest ever to reach the pinnacle of global cricket administration at the age of 35.  "Congratulations to BCCI Honorary Secretary Mr. Jay Shah for being elected unopposed as the next Independent Chair of the International Cricket Council," the BCCI posted in its official 'X', formerly twitter, handle. Congratulations to BCCI Honorary Secretary Mr. Jay Shah for being elected unopposed as the next Independent Chair of the International Cricket Council. @JayShah pic.twitter.com/sKZw4mdRvi — BCCI (@BCCI) August 27, 2024 Gambhir, who has taken over as head coach from Rahul Dravid , said: "Many congrats @JayShah bhai! I know world cricket will grow t...

The last season didn't end on a happy note but senior India batter KL Rahul has expressed his intentions about being retained to Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka although no such assurances have been given by the top boss. Rahul, a former national team vice captain, is no longer in the scheme of things as far as India's T20 format is concerned. Rahul led LSG to play-offs in the first two IPL seasons, but it was widely believed that Gautam Gambhir's strategic acumen had a lot to do with it rather than his leadership, which got thoroughly exposed in the third season. "Yes, Rahul came to Kolkata and met Dr Goenka at RPG head office. He has clearly told Dr Goenka that he wants to be retained. However, till BCCI comes up with retention policy, LSG management wouldn't want to chalk out their plans," an IPL Governing Council member, privy to developments in LSG, told PTI on the condition of anonymity. "Look, Rahul wants retention but till LSG knows how...

Seasoned Hong Kong spinner Ehsan Khan, who once dismissed Indian legend M.S Dhoni and current Pakistan captain Babar Azam in the Asia Cup, on Monday became the first bowler from his country to pick up 100 wickets in T20Is, making history for the Associate Member. Ehsan Khan achieved the feat during a match while claiming 4-28 against hosts Malaysia in the ongoing Malaysia Tri-Nation T20 Cup Tournament being played at the Selangor Turf Club in the Malaysian capital. The veteran off-break bowler finished with figures of 4-0-28-4 and helped Hong Kong beat Malaysia by seven runs in Match No.6 of the tournament. According to reports, the 39-year-old Ehsan reached the 101 wickets milestone in 70 innings of 71 matches with 4-22 being his best bowling effort. After Hong Kong managed to score a modest 153/6 in 20 overs, Ehsan got into the act and finished with figures of 4-0-28-4 to help them restrict Malaysia to 146/7 in their 20 overs. Ehsan came into prominence in the 2018 Asia Cup when ...

Pakistan's hopes of winning their first match in the ongoing cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) were dashed on Sunday as Bangladesh registered a 10-wicket win in the series-opener in Rawalpindi. It was a big achievement for Bangladesh as the win was one of its kind. For the unversed, this was Bangladesh's first Test win over Pakistan home or away. The visitors now lead 1-0 in the two-match series with the series decider to be played at the same venue from August 30. However, after the match, a video involving captain Shan Masood and star pacer Shaheen Afridi has gone viral, which has got the internet speculating that all is not well in Pakistan cricket. In the video, Shan was standing next to Shaheen during a team hurdle when the latter removed the former's arms from his shoulders. When there is no unity! There is no will! #PAKvsBAN pic.twitter.com/G4m2sjLyyC — Shaharyar Azhar (@azhar_shaharyar) August 25, 2024 This video comes a day after a clip of Shan ...

Pakistan captain Shan Masood on Sunday defended the decision to select four pace bowlers and no specialist spinner for the first Test, which the hosts lost to Bangladesh by 10 wickets. It was Pakistan's first ever defeat against Bangladesh in a Test. Masood, who failed with the bat in both innings, refused to admit that it was a bad call to go in without a specialist spinner even after Shakib ul Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz shared seven wickets on the final day to bowl out Pakistan for just 146 runs. “We had anticipated the pitch to offer more assistance to the seamers. Looking at the pitch, we expected it to do more,” he said at the post match conference. “If we played 3 fast bowlers, we would be pushing them to the limit and the spinner would be bowling 25-30 overs a day, which we wanted to avoid. "We thought that with the weather, it may not even last the full 5 days. At the end of the day, we got it wrong,” he said. Shan also said that the decision to declare the first...

Pakistan's loss to Bangladesh in the first Test in Rawalpindi on Sunday has led to some strong reaction from former players. Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 10 wickets to register their first win over their opponents in the longest format of the game. While analysing the match, former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has lashed out at the players and the management for not rectifying their past mistakes. In a brutal rant, Akmal accused the players and officials for Pakistan's global humiliation in world cricket over the last five years. " Ye to Rizwan ne 50 kiya aur scoreboard chalaya warna innings se haarte. Ye itni buri haar hai ki bhooli nahi jaegi. Aap kisi ka bura sochoge to aapke saath bhi bura hi hoga. Aapne pichle 5 saalon se kuch nahi seekha. Aap Zimbabwe se haar gaye. Pichle saal aap Asia Cup se baahar ho gaye th. Abhi aap itna zaleel hue hain world cup me, Pakistan cricket ka mazaak ban chuka hai globally. (Had Rizwan not scored a 50 and ran the scoreboa...

Star Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan is one of the finest batters currently. Rizwan, who is currently playing for Pakistan in a two-match Test series against Bangladesh, became the first keeper from his country to score 150 or more in a Test innings since Kamran Akmal in 2009. Apart from being a world class cricketer, Rizwan is also famous for his on-field antics. From fake cramping to incessant appealing behind the sticks, Rizwan can prove to be a bit of nuisance for the umpires. However, Indian umpire Anil Chaudhary remains unfazed, despite Rizwan's best efforts. In a recent interaction, Chaudhary likened Rizwan to a pigeon while referring to his appeals from behind the stumps. The 59-year-old also recalled that he once told his fellow umpire not to come under pressure while officiating against Rizwan. " Haan, maine pichle saal Asia Cup me ki thi (umpiring). Vo (Rizwan) har baat pe appeal karta hai. Lekin karta rahe. Maine dusre umpire ko bola ki ye bahut appeal kar...

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden said that runs will be "at the premium" and will be the point of difference during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India at home this year. The much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy will commence with the first Test - a  day match - at Perth Stadium from November 22 to November 26, setting the tone for the series. India has won its last two series in Australia, held in 2018-19 and 2020-21 and could make it a hat-trick of series wins in Australia. Speaking to the media at the CEAT Cricket Awards, Hayden said as quoted by ICC, "You look at the line-ups, and it is hard to really tell who has got the edge." "I sense that it is going to be runs that are going to be the point of difference. So the best need to stand up in this series; runs are going to be at a premium. And I also feel like the structure of the tournament being from the west to the east is a bit of the unique way that the Australian landscape...

Not one, not two, but three Super Overs. Yes, you heard it right. History unfolded in the ongoing season of the Maharaja T20 Trophy as a match between Bengaluru Blasters and Hubli Tigers witnessed a triple super-over for the first time in T20 cricket history. After being put into bat, Hubli Tigers put 164 runs on the board. Captain Mayank Agarwal hit a fifty but the Blasters' could only match the total, denied a win due to run out off the last ball. After the scores were tied for the first time, Agarwal came out to bat once again in the first Super Over. However, he was dismissed for a golden duck, with the Blasters putting 10 runs on the board. Chasing 10 to win, Hubli Tigers' captain Manish Pandey hit a crucial six to tie the game once again, taking the game to another Super Over. In the second Super Over, both teams scores 8 runs each. This took the game to a record third Super Over in the history of T20 cricket. In the decisive Super Over, Manvanth Kumar hit two fours ...

Following speculation going viral on social media which suggested that the families of players and the team's coaching staff traveled with the team on Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) expenditure, assistant coach Azhar Mahmood has released a statement stating he will be "pursuing legal advice against those responsible for making these false allegations". "This culture of falsely accusing and misleading people to believe a false narrative is now getting ridiculous and dangerous. Speaking without evidence and misconstruing facts is a criminal offence, and those engaging in such behaviour will be dealt with through legal action," wrote Azhar Mahmood on X, formerly known as Twitter. My Statement on False Allegations & Legal Action. pic.twitter.com/UQiWoOFZzP — Azhar Mahmood (@AzharMahmood11) June 22, 2024 The men in green had a lackluster T20 World Cup which saw the side crash out of the group stage of the tournament as they were pipped by hosts USA in th...

Pakistan assistant coach Azhar Mahmood revealed on Friday that they didn't use spinners on day three of the first Test match against Bangladesh because there was grass on the pitch at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. During Bangladesh's first inning on day three, Khurram Shahzad led the Pakistan bowling attack after he picked up two wickets. Naseem Shah, Naseem Shah and Saim Ayub bagged one wicket each in their respective spells after the end of the third day. Speaking at the post-day press conference, Mahmood said that the team management thought the grass on the wicket would favour the seamers. "The reason we didn't play a spinner was there was grass on the pitch and we thought it would favour the seamers. We were hoping for that. But the three hours the pitch was sunned before the game started on the first day may have made a difference. The wicket dried out; we didn't think it would dry out so quickly, and that made it play differently," Mahmood was quoted...

Lancashire batter Harry Singh was one of the three substitute players to take the field for England on Day 1 of their ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, Manchester. Harry, alongside teammates Charlie Barnard and Kesh Fonseka, was selected for 12th-man duties by the Ollie Pope-led side. Harry, an opening batter, took the field early in the Test, coming on as a substitute soon after England chose to bowl first. The 20-year-old returned in the post-lunch session, filling in again when Harry Brook temporarily left the pitch in the 37th over. Who is Harry Singh? For the unversed, Harry is the son of former India pacer Rudra Pratap Singh Senior. No, not the one who was part of India's T20 World Cup-winning side in 2007. The RP Singh in focus here played for India in the 80s, turning up in two ODIs against Australia in 1986. Harry Singh was born on 16th June, 2004 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. His father had moved to the UK after his playing career came to an...

Jamie Smith 's latest Test fifty took England into a narrow first-innings lead in their series opener against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford on Thursday. England were 259-6 in reply to Sri Lanka's 236, a slender advantage of 23 runs, when a combination of bad light and rain forced an early close to the second day of the three-Test series. Smith, promoted up the order to No 6 in the absence of injured captain Ben Stokes , was 72 not out -- the 24-year-old wicketkeeper's third fifty in his four Tests. Once again he demonstrated his ability to both support an established batsman and keep the runs coming batting with the lower order. Together with Harry Brook (56) and Chris Woakes (25), Smith shared stands of 62 and 52 respectively before both batsmen were bowled by superb deliveries from left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya , who enjoyed an economical return of 2-58 in 21 overs. After rain washed out Thursday's morning session, England were faltering at 67-3 in the 15th ove...

Ravichandran Ashwin is gearing up for a big 10-Test season and the Bangladesh series next month will be his first under new head coach Gautam Gambhir , someone with whom he has also played a lot. Ashwin also admires him as one of the "heroes" of Indian cricket. "Gautam is someone I still share a very, very good relationship with. Because of the fact that he is a very straightforward and an honest guy. I think Gautam is also one of those guys that we should always be backing. He's a hero of Indian cricket," he said of the new coach, who took charge in the recent tour of Sri Lanka. Ashwin's first state team coach WV Raman, one of the respected names in Indian cricket has been a guiding force for him. Raman, incidentally, was Gambhir's only rival for the India head coach role. Ashwin spoke about the importance of not being over-reliant on others, and stated that it was Raman who guided him to becoming self-sufficient. To Ashwin, Raman had been the cataly...

Dhananjaya de Silva and debutant fast bowler Milan Rathnayake both made fine fifties as Sri Lanka recovered from a dramatic top-order collapse on Wednesday's opening day of the first Test against England at Old Trafford. Sri Lanka were in dire straits at 6-3 after skipper De Silva won the toss, losing their first three wickets for no runs in 10 balls. Yet they recovered to 236 all out, De Silva top-scoring with 74 and tailender Rathnayake, with only his third first-class fifty, close behind in making 72. The pair checked England's progress during an eighth-wicket partnership of 63, with no other Sri Lanka batsman making more than Kusal Mendis 's 24. "The captain wanted me to stay in there and support him," number 9 Rathnayake, speaking via a translator, told reporters after stumps. "That's what I did and when he got out, then I played my natural game." Chris Woakes struck twice in an over on his way to 3-32 in 11 overs. De Silva's impressiv...

Mumbai, Aug 21 Former India head coach Rahul Dravid on Wednesday said the support staff strived to carry the energetic "team atmosphere" from the ODI World Cup in 2023 to the T20 showpiece, and the approach helped the team to end a barren run in ICC tournaments. Dravid masterminded India's triumph in the T20 World Cup in the Americas before signing off from his role as the head coach. “Honestly, I didn't want to do anything different. I think we ran a fantastic campaign in the one-day World Cup, Rohit and the team, everyone involved in that one-day World Cup, we ran a superb campaign,” Dravid said at the Ceat Cricket Rating Awards here. India had suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Australia in the ODI World Cup final at Ahmedabad. “There's nothing we could have done more in terms of our preparation, the planning, the execution of what we needed to do for 10 games in a row to dominate, to win the game we did, play the game we did,” said Dravid. The...

CEAT Cricket Rating Awards ceremony was held in Mumbai on Wednesday to celebrate the remarkable achievements of cricketing legends. India skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday won the CEAT Men's International Cricketer of the Year award after he helped the Men in Blue win the T20 World Cup 2024 in July. Rohit has added 14,846 runs, three double hundreds, 33 hundreds, and 87 fifties in ODIs and T20Is combined. Apart from his mouth-watering tally, Rohit is a two-time ICC T20 World Cup (2007 and 2024) and ICC Champions Trophy winner. He also holds the record for most sixes in the shortest format. Here's a look at India's top winners at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards: India skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday won the CEAT Men's International Cricketer of the Year award after he helped the Men in Blue win the T20 World Cup 2024 in July. Rohit's stint as India's T20I skipper was a memorable one. He overtook Dhoni as the most successful T20I captain with 49 wins in 62 ma...

Legendary Australian wicket-keeper batsman Adam Gilchrist has named India great Mahendra Singh Dhoni among the three greatest wicket-keeper batsmen. However, Gilchrist mentioned one other name before he got to Dhoni. Gilchrist, who is one of cricket's greatest wicket-keeper batsmen himself, chose the name of fellow Australia great Rodney Marsh before MS Dhoni . Terming Marsh his idol, Gilchrist stated that he was his role model. The 2003 and 2007 World Cup winner appreciated Dhoni's calmness and composure, and rounded off his Top 3 with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara . "Rodney Marsh, he was my idol. That's who I wanted to be. MS Dhoni, I like his coolness. He did it in his way, always calm. And Kumar Sangakkara. He was so classy in everything he did, batting high up the order and with his keeping skills," said Gilchrist, speaking to The Times of India . Marsh played 96 Tests for Australia between 1970 and 1984. Gilchrist backed Australia to win back the Bor...

The Paris Olympics 2024 has given sports lovers and fans around the world many memories to reminisce about. But perhaps the most iconic moment of the event did not come from a medal or a record, but from the shooting pose of Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec, which has gone viral worldwide. Dikec's seemingly laid back approach en route to silver in the 10m air pistol mixed team event has become one of the world's most trending celebrations. Now, it has passed onto the world of cricket. And who else, but the West Indians to implement it! Playing in The Hundred final between Oval Invincibles and Southern Brave, West Indian stars Kieron Pollard and Akeal Hosein dished out Dikec's pose during the match. The two - playing for Southern Brave - did the celebration during the Invincibles' batting. Akeal did it first, after taking the wicket of Sam Curran . Pollard followed suit when he took the catch of Donovan Ferreira later in the innings. The Hundred Final: As It Happened De...

It has been a topsy turvy year for Ishan Kishan . The wicket-keeper batter was left out of the BCCI central contracts and it looked like there is no way back to the Indian cricket team for the youngster. However, with Kishan getting included in the Duleep Trophy squad, it looks like the BCCI is willing to give him another chance to stake his claim for a spot in the national side. Kishan was quite impressive in the Buchi Babu tournament with a sensational century in the first match for Jharkhand. Ahead of the Test series against Bangladesh, former Pakistan cricket team star Basit Ali said that Kishan should not be optimistic about his chances of making a comeback in the national side and should rather concentrate on IPL. "Ishan Kishan needs to focus on the IPL now because he doesn't have a chance of returning to the Indian team till the Australia series. In fact, there's no chance till the Champions Trophy. Let's see what happens after that," Basit Ali said on hi...

Responding to criticism of him undermining the gravity of the horrific rape and murder case of doctor Moumita Debnath in Kolkata, former India captain and Kolkata resident Sourav Ganguly has now chosen to show his stance in a different manner. Ganguly - who had been slammed by many for allegedly calling the rape and murder a 'stray incident' - had stated on Saturday that his words had been taken out of context. Now, Ganguly has blacked out his DP on social media platform 'X', in apparent solidarity, but has prompted further varied reactions. #NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/WiHJwDf6z1 — Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) August 19, 2024 On Monday night, Ganguly changed his DP to black, captioning it with the hashtag 'New Profile Pic'. Whilst Ganguly's intention may have been to provide solidarity and show his support for the victim and the subsequent investigation, not all users seemed to believe so. Many chose to call out the former India captain for such a...