Page 20 - Cricket

Women's T20 World Cup 2024: BAN-W vs SCO-W live time, playing 11, streaming

Bangladesh women's cricket team will lock horns with Scotland women's team in the opening match of the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 at Sharjah today

Former PAK opener Mudassar Nazar blasts PCB for team's recent downfall

Former Pakistan opener Mudassar Nazar has blamed PCB for the escalating tension between senior players Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, insisting that the board must provide its captain with ample support and time to assert his leadership. Babar resigned as Pakistan captain for the second time on Wednesday, having previously stepped down last year after a disappointing performance at the 2023 ODI World Cup, following which Shaheen was appointed as the limited-overs skipper. However, the pacer was quickly removed from the role, with the PCB reinstating Babar as the white-ball captain in March this year. "It is our own doing (the friction between Babar and Shaheen). We shouldn't have messed around with the set-up," Mudassar told PTI on the sidelines of the 'Cricket Predicta Conclave' in Ajman, UAE. "There was one set captain, we should have given him a longer term and if somebody else had been made a captain, then he should have had a decent go at it. And not been thrown out ...

Kirsten's observations after T20 WC led Babar Azam to step down as captain

Premier batter Babar Azam had lost his interest in captaining the national white ball teams after a critical report submitted by the limited overs head coach Gary Kirsten to the Pakistan Cricket Board. In discussions with insiders in the cricket board and those close to the Pakistan team, it was apparent that Babar had lost his mojo after the T20 World Cup in July in which the team fared poorly under his captaincy. "Babar was not happy with the observations and recommendations of Kirsten and even assistant coach, Azhar Mahmood and felt he was solely being blamed for the disappointing performances,"one insider said. "He had indicated to the cricket board after some parts of Kirsten's report became public that he was not interested in remaining captain." The insider said Babar had complained to some board officials, who had worked a lot with him that it was unfortunate the PCB didn't take his past performances and results into their consideration nor showed the required confidence an

Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi opts out of CSA contract for T20 franchise cricket

Left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi on Thursday opted out of Cricket South Africa's central contract pool to more actively pursue opportunities in T20 leagues across the globe. However, Shamsi will still be available to play for the Proteas in major bilateral or ICC tournaments in white ball formats. I have decided to opt out of my central contract in order to be more flexible during the domestic season, allowing me to explore all opportunities available and look after my family in the best way possible, Shamsi said in a statement issued by the CSA. Shamsi also reiterated his commitment to South African cricket, and hoped to be part of a World Cup-winning squad in future. This will not impact my ability or motivation to play for the Proteas in any way and I will always be available to play for my country whenever I am needed. It has always been my dream to bring the World Cup home to South Africa, and no franchise league will ever be more important than playing for my country, t

Biggest challenges for IND in women's T20 WC will be AUS, SL: Harbhajan

India's World Cup-winning spinner Harbhajan Singh said the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will face a tough challenge from Australia and Sri Lanka in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup. The global showpiece gets underway in the UAE from Thursday, and India are placed in Group A alongside Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand. "I think India needs to be very careful when playing against Australia. Looking at this group, India has Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. But one match that I think will be a little tough is the India-Australia match," Harbhajan told Star Sports. "Australia is a good team, even though these matches are being played in Dubai, on subcontinent pitches that might not suit them as much as their home conditions. But Australia, no matter where they play, are hard to beat. So, the biggest challenge for India may be Australia," he said. Harbhajan's fears were not entirely misplaced as the Australia have beaten India 23 times in 32 T20Is with the 'Women i

West Indies award 9 cricketers with historic multi-year contracts

In a historic first, nine West Indies cricketers, including ODI vice-captain Alzarri Joseph, pace sensation Shamar Joseph, women's T20I skipper Hayley Matthews and her deputy Shemaine Campbelle, were awarded multi-year contracts for the next two years, the CWI announced. The Cricket West Indies offered contracts to 15 men's cricketers and with six among them received multi-year deals based on their performances during the 2023-2024 evaluation period. Of the 15 senior women's players, three were awarded multi-year contracts. The announcement comes amid growing participation of the West Indies cricketers in lucrative franchise leagues across the globe, which has long undermined the stability of the national teams. The talent drain to global T20 leagues has considerably weakened West Indies' international squads, prompting the CWI to offer multi-year contracts as a strategy to provide financial security and retain players longer for national duty. The development follows a four-year

Women's T20 WC: India need top guns firing in unison against New Zealand

A stellar effort by senior stars would be mandatory when India take on New Zealand in their opening Group A match of the women's T20 World Cup here on Friday, aiming for a strong start in their quest to wipe off the memories of past near-misses. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who in all likelihood, will be appearing in her last T20 World Cup, has been witness to several near misses and disappointing moments from close quarters, including India's capitulation to Australia in the final at Melbourne in 2020. As a has been in the past, this Indian line-up is rich in talent and, arguably, only Australia have a similarly well-oiled unit. But the reigning champions have six titles in their cabinet, and India's is still dust-laden. So, what pegs India back in global events? It seems more a case of mental fragility at clutch moments, and the Women in Blue tried to address that during a preparatory camp at the NCA (National Cricket Academy) with a few counselling sessions. But such external meas

Sarfaraz Khan's wait for a longer spell with Team India in Tests continues

Sarfaraz and Dhruv Jurel were included in the squad for the Bangladesh series but were told that they have to wait for their opportunities as of now

South Africa cricket team crush Ireland by 139 runs in ODI series opener

Mark Adair took four more wickets for Ireland but it wasn't enough this time as South Africa won the opening cricket match of their ODI series by 139 runs. South Africa scored 271-9 thanks to opener Ryan Rickelton's 91 runs in 102 balls with three sixes and seven fours and 79 from Tristan Stubbs after winning the toss and choosing to bat in the first of three one-day internationals. Rickelton and Stubbs put on a 152-run partnership for the fourth wicket as they helped the Proteas recover from an early innings collapse. Lizaad Williams then tore through Ireland's top-order, taking three wickets in an eight-over opening spell as they Irish slumped to be five down inside the first 15-overs. Williams ended with 4-32, his best ODI figures from his five matches played, with Lungi Ngidi and Bjorn Fortuin taking a further two wickets apiece as Ireland was bowled out for 132 in 31.5 overs in reply. George Dockrell top-scored for the Irish with 21 off 32 balls. Earlier, Adair claimed 4-5

Women's T20 WC: ICC launches AI tool to shield players from 'toxic content'

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced a social media moderation tool at the Women's T20 World Cup to "protect the cricket community from toxic content" and create a safer and inclusive online environment for players and fans. The tournament gets underway in Sharjah on Thursday with the final slated in Dubai on October 20. This AI-powered tool, in collaboration with GoBubble, monitors toxic content like hate speech and harassment across official and player social media channels, aiming to protect mental health and foster a positive atmosphere. ICC head of digital, Finn Bradshaw said: "We are dedicated to fostering a positive and inclusive environment for all participants and fans of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, it's been great to see so many of the players and teams embrace our new initiative. Over 60 players have already opted in for the social media protection service. South Africa's Sinalo Jafta said: There is nothing worse than opening up your phone after a l

Women's T20 WC 2024: When you play for India, there are no excuses - Smriti

The Indian women's cricket team will be looking to lift their maiden world title this year when the 9th edition of the tournament kicks off on October 3.

Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Who will come out on top in player rankings?

Performing in a tournament like this has its own perks. It contributes significantly to what the player rankings will be after the tournament ends.

Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Sri Lanka full schedule, live time, streaming

The Lankans have never managed to make it past the group stages of the tournament before and will aim to qualify for the playoffs this year.

Babar Azam steps down as Pakistan cricket team's white-ball captain

Babar Azam led Pakistan for 43 One Day Internationals out of which he won 26 and lost 15 matches. His T20I record as Pakistan skipper saw him win 48 matches out of the total 85 while the 29-year-old l

CSK fast bowler Tushar Deshpande undergoes ankle surgery in London

India and Mumbai pacer Tushar Deshpande underwent an ankle surgery in London after missing the second round of the recently-concluded Duleep Trophy. The right-arm pacer informed about his surgery in a social media post on Tuesday. He was left out of Mumbai's 30-man probable list for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season. This post comes as an update about my ankle surgery which was done yesterday and went very well, he said. It is a great relief as I was dealing with it for quite a long time. I am very grateful to my family, friends and all my fans for the well wishes, love and trust they have shown towards me. Here on, I start my journey to recover better than before and comeback stronger, added Deshpande, who made his international debut during India's tour of Zimbabwe in July. Deshpande claimed 15 wickets in five matches as Mumbai clinched their record-extending 43rd title win in the Ranji Trophy during the 2023-24 season. The defending champions will take on Baroda in an away game

Bangladesh to give Shakib enough time to decide on retirement: Abdur Razzak

Bangladesh selector and former player Abdur Razzak on Wednesday said the selection committee will give veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan enough time to decide when he wants to call time on his international career. The 37-year-old Shakib, considered one of the greatest all-rounders to come out of Bangladesh, has struggled for form and fitness of late and didn't make much of an impact during the opening Test against India in Chennai. "Someone is waiting to take his place. Definitely, there are some players, but I would say that it is Shakib's call, Razzak told PTI in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the Legends League Cricket here. "Whenever he feels he (has played) enough, we will welcome him. (But there is) nothing much to say (right now), because a player like him, he was (in the) last 15 years (the) No. 1 all-rounder in the world, so I can't say that he is not good anymore so we don't want him," he said. "We always want him, but at the same time, you have to leave a

Never played under a more supportive captain than Rohit Sharma: Akash Deep

Akash Deep, the latest addition to India's ever-growing pace battery, on Wednesday credited skipper Rohit Sharma for his seamless transition from domestic to international cricket and said the exceptional work ethics of the legends in the team inspire him to push himself even harder. The 27-year-old made his Test debut against England in Ranchi early this year and made an impression with a three-wicket haul. "When I came here, I witnessed a different level of dedication and hard work from the players who are legends of the game, and considered the gods of cricket like Rohit, Virat bhai," Akash said ahead of the second Test against Bangladesh. "I realised that they have achieved so much and are still working so hard during training. Their thought process is at a different level, this motivates me to work even harder." Akash has gone through a lot in his personal life. Probably those tough days when he lost his father and brother in the space of two months made him mentally resilient

IND vs BAN T20Is: Jitesh could pip Ishan Kishan for 2nd keeper's slot

Jitesh Sharma could well pip Ishan Kishan for second wicketkeeper's slot in the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian T20 team which will play three T20Is against the Bangladesh starting October 6 in Gwalior. The squad is expected to be announced this week. The second and third T20Is will be held in New Delhi and Hyderabad on October 9 and 12 respectively. With Rishabh Pant's focus being 10 Tests this season, Sanju Samson will be India's No 1 glovesman in the shortest format for now with Jitesh from Vidarbha believed to be ahead of Kishan in the race for second keeper's slot. Kishan's selection in Rest of India squad also means that his international comeback could be slightly delayed. With Test series against New Zealand starting October 16 in Bengaluru, top players like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah are likely to be rested as a part of workload management programme. Some players could miss out as they will be part of Irani Cup between Rest of India and Mumbai in Lucknow fro

Cricketer Musheer Khan stable after road accident, set to miss Irani Cup

Mumbai all-rounder Musheer Khan, younger brother of India batter Sarfaraz, is "stable" after suffering a road accident on the outskirts of Lucknow but is set to miss cricketing action for a prolonged period starting with the upcoming Irani Cup. The 19-year-old is expected to be out of action for at least three months due to neck injuries he sustained in the accident, effectively ruling him out of Mumbai's matches at the start of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, starting from October 11. It is learnt that Musheer was en route to Lucknow from Azamgarh, his hometown, for the Irani Cup beginning on October 1. He was accompanied by his father Naushad Khan, who also suffered minor scratches in the accident that took place on the Purvanchal Expressway after his car hit a divider and overturned. Dr. Bhola Singh, Medical Superintendent at Medanta Hospital, Lucknow, said in a statement that the cricketer is out of danger. "Cricketer Musheer Khan, injured in a road accident on the Purvanchal

Election of BCCI representatives to ICC focal point of the 93rd AGM

The primary focal point of the BCCI's 93rd Annual General Meeting, to be held here on Sunday, will be to elect two representatives of India to the ICC meetings, as finding a successor to incumbent secretary Jay Shah is not on agenda. The meeting assumes importance because the International Cricket Council has scheduled a conclave in Dubai at the end of the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup in the UAE. The final of the marquee event is slated for October 20 in Dubai, and Shah will still be in the chair of the BCCI secretary on that date, as he will take over as ICC chairman from December 1. After the tenure of Sourav Ganguly as BCCI president, usually Shah represented India in the ICC parleys and the last such instance was in Colombo earlier this July. The current board president Roger Binny is the Alternate Director who can represent BCCI at the global body's meetings, but he seldom performs that duty. With a year left in his tenure, it remains to be seen whether Binny will continue