Page 23 - Cricket

Ishan Kishan makes claim for India return with hundred in Duleep Trophy

The Indian batter looks fresh and ready after a long break from international cricket during which he was subject to much speculation on the internet

PCB begins Rs 1,280 crore stadium renovation ahead of ICC Champions Trophy

The Pakistan Cricket Board has allocated 12.8 billion rupees for the renovation of stadiums in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi ahead of next year's ICC Champions Trophy, informed PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. In a briefing given at the Board of Governors meeting in Faisalabad, Naqvi assured that the three venues would be ready in time to host the marquee event. Giving details of the fund distribution, Naqvi said 7.7 billion rupees out of 12.8 billion are being spent on the upgradation of the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore. The allocated budget for Gaddafi stadium involves 1,100 million rupees for the construction of a steel-structured pavilion, 3,471 million rupees for a concrete office building, 1,250 million rupees for the steel structure of the enclosure, 189 million rupees for a moat, and 330 million rupees for the replacement of two LED digital screens. The board is also replacing floodlights with 480 LED lights at Gaddafi Stadium at a cost 523 million rupees, while 375 million rupees

One of those two will make a lot of runs: Glenn Maxwell on Smith and Kohli

India will play a 5-match Test series in Australia starting on Nov 22; Steve Smith and Virat Kohli will feature in Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Afghanistan-New Zealand one-off Test abandoned without a ball being bowled

The one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand was called off on Friday without a ball being bowled, marking only the eighth time in Test cricket history that such a situation has occurred. The first two days of the game were cancelled because of a wet outfield, raising significant concerns about the preparedness of the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex. The remaining three days were then washed out due to persistent rain. An inspection was held on Friday morning but with puddles of water still present on the uncovered sections of the outfield, it was a foregone conclusion that the match would be abandoned without even the toss taking place. "It is still raining in Greater Noida and due to frequent rains, the 5th and final day of the Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test has been called off by the match officials," the Afghanistan Cricket Board said in a statement. Only seven matches in the history of Test cricket have been abandoned without a ball being bowled dating back

Hardik Pandya bowling with red ball triggers speculation over Test comeback

Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Thursday posted a video of himself bowling with the red-ball during a training session in England, triggering speculation over his return to Test cricket. Pandya bowling with the red cherry evoked a lot of interest on social media after the 30-year-old posted a series of stories on Instagram. The injury-prone all-rounder hasn't played Test cricket since September 2018 and underwent a lower back surgery in 2019. He was requested to play the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia but he turned down the offer stating that he didn't want to take the place of a regular red-ball player. He last played a first-class game in December 2018. Pandya remains India's best pace bowling all-rounder by a distance with the likes of Shivam Dube and Nitish Reddy way behind the colourful cricketer from Baroda. The videos posted on social media suggest that the all-rounder is trying to ramp up his workload before the Bangladesh T20 series in Octobe

IND vs BAN: Comparing both sides' bowling attacks ahead of Test series

While India's new coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma will be wary of the challenge ahead of them, they would be confident going into the series with a star-studded squad at their disposal.

Virat Kohli played a big role in turning cricket around: Ricky Ponting

Australian great Ricky Ponting hailed former captain Virat Kohli's "big role" in revolutionizing Test cricket in India and said the country's batters don't fear the big stage anymore, evidence of which is their success in challenging conditions overseas. Ponting also lauded the contributions of former head coach Rahul Dravid, who stepped down from the post after guiding India to the T20 World Cup title triumph in June. "Going back to Kohli's start of captaincy, (he) played a big role in turning the cricket around, and (Rahul) Dravid has continued the same in the recent four years. The influence of someone like that (Kohli) around a team would be great, and they've got star players," Ponting told Sky Sports. Under Kohli's captaincy, India became the first Asian side to win a Test series in Australia, besides recording some memorable wins elsewhere. With his aggressive captaincy, Kohli made everyone believe that the Indian team can win overseas as well, and his confidence rubbed on t

IND vs BAN: Uncapped batter Jaker Ali replaces injured Shoriful Islam

Shoriful Islam suffered a groin injury during the first test against Pakistan last month and didn't get to play the second Test later on.

ICC delegation to discuss tentative schedule of Champions Trophy with PCB

An ICC delegation, which is due to visit Pakistan this month to ascertain the preparations for the Champions Trophy, will also discuss the tentative schedule of the event with the Pakistan Cricket Board. A source aware of developments said the PCB had still not been informed how many ICC officials were coming and which departments they would be representing but indications were the schedule would be discussed in detail. The PCB had sent a tentative schedule to the ICC sometime back in which they had suggested making Lahore the base of the Indian team. "The schedule has now been seen by the participating boards in the Champions Trophy and there is still some work to be done before it is finalised and announced," the source said. "Obviously a final decision on whether the Indian team would be permitted by its government to play in Pakistan is one major reason for the schedule still being under consideration," he added. The ICC delegation will inspect the ongoing development work at

Rohit, Kohli, Pant are going to be big ones: Lyon ahead of Test series

Veteran Australian spinner Nathan Lyon has identified Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant as the three "big ones" to watch out for in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series. The five-Test series between India and Australia gets underway Down Under from November 22, part of the World Test Championship. Besides the big ones, Lyon has also warned that the visitors have an 'amazing line-up', making things massively challenging for the hosts. "Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant are probably going to be the three really big ones. But then, you've still got (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, (Ravindra) Jadeja, and who else will come outanother five, I'm not sure," he told Star Sports. However, Lyon was confident that if the Australians delivered as a bowling unit over an extended period, it would be beneficial for them. "But, it's a pretty amazing line-up they've got, so it's going to be a massive challenge. As I said, if we, as a bowling group, are good enough f

Pakistan Cricket suspends national junior championship a day after it began

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has suspended its national junior championship "due to unavoidable circumstances" after the event began on Tuesday with three-day games across venues. The U-19 age group tournament started on schedule but the postponement orders were conveyed to the teams and officials after the first day's play, leaving them surprised. In a short press release, hours after the announcement, the PCB said the decision was taken "due to unavoidable circumstances." No detailed explanation was given for this abrupt decision, especially after the board had spent millions of rupees on preparing the 18 regional teams. An insider in the board said that the indefinite postponement had something to do with the number of complaints chairman Mohsin Naqvi had received about issues in selection of teams and also about over-age players and fake documentation. Although the board conducts wrist bone X-rays and has stringent rules for submission of documents for the U-19 tournaments

Women's T20 WC: Free entry for U-18s, ticket prices start from 5 Dirhams

Bidding to attract bigger crowds for top-flight women's cricket, the ICC has decided on free entry for anyone below 18 years of age during the upcoming T20 World Cup in the UAE for which prices of tickets will start from 5 Dirhams (Rs 115 approximately). The 10-team tournament, to be held from October 3-20, will feature 23 matches spread across the 18 days. The 20 league matches will be split between Dubai and Sharjah with the semi-finals slated for Dubai and Sharjah on October 17 and 18 respectively. The final will be played in Dubai. ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice announced that lowest ticket denomination will be 5 Dirhams along with free entry for all those under 18 years of age. The decision was taken as a part of an initiative to leave a legacy of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024, the first global women's cricket event to be held in the region. "One of the exciting things about the UAE is its diversity. It's a place where the entire world is represented! This means tha

How ICC ODI World Cup 2023 provided major economic boost to India

The quadrennial event also broke the record for the most-attended ICC event, with a total of more than 1.25 million spectators attending the 50-over World Cup.

Full list of Test matches which were called off without a ball being bowled

Afghanistan vs New Zealand one-off Test in Greater Noida could become the 8th Test match in cricket history to be called-off without a ball being bowled

'He has ability to move ball both ways': SL bowling coach lauds pacer

Asitha was one of the brightest spots for Sri Lanka in the series, ending as the leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps in six innings across three matches at an average of 24.64.

Ben Stokes returns as England names 17-player squad for Pakistan Test tour

Some of the notable names in the 17-player squad include two uncapped players, Durham's Brydon Carse and Essex's Jordan Cox.

Greater Noida Stadium may have hosted last int'l game; awaiting report

Match referee Javagal Srinath's report on the preparedness of Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports complex in Greater Noida will go a long way in deciding the fate of the venue which is under the scanner after the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand failed to get underway on successive days. For once, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which often becomes the favourite whipping boy, isn't responsible for the mess. The 'home board' is the Afghanistan Cricket Board, which selected a familiar and cost-effective venue despite being offered the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and Green Park in Kanpur as options. The BCCI isn't involved in this Test match. It was the Afghanistan Cricket Board's choice and the Greater Noida Authority was supposed to provide them with international standard facilities. The BCCI hasn't hosted any of its domestic games here since 2019 (Vijay Hazare Trophy) and is unlikely to host one in near or distant future in these substandard ...

Harmanpreet Kaur to lead Indian cricket team in Women's T20 World Cup

The big-hitting Harmanpreet Kaur will lead a 15-member Indian squad unveiled on Tuesday for the Women's T20 World Cup in the UAE from October 3. Top-order batter Yastika Bhatia and spin all-rounder Shreyanka Patil were also included in the squad subject to fitness. Star batter Smriti Mandhana has been named Harmanpreet's deputy. The ICC event was shifted to the UAE from Bangladesh following unrest in the South Asian nation owing to a students' protest. India, placed in Group A along with Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, will be aiming for their maiden T20 World Cup trophy. India's squad for Women's T20 World Cup: =========================== Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk)*, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil*, Sajana Sajeevan.

ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Full squad of defending champions Australia

Australia will be defending the T20 World Cup title for the third straight time in the UAE

No one can match Anderson's career: Southee on longevity in Test cricket

Led by Tim Southee, the Kiwis start their Test cricket spell with a one-off Test against Afghanistan, scheduled to begin on September 9 at the Greater Noida Stadium.