Page 24 - Cricket

Surge in ticket prices for India vs England Test at Lord's next summer

The ticket prices for the Lord's Test involving India and England next summer have been increased again despite a tepid response from the fans for the game against Sri Lanka this season. Lord's owner Marylebone Cricket Club had come in for criticism for the ticket prices for this summer's Test between England and Sri Lanka. The five-match Test series between India and England begins on June 20 with the third game scheduled at Lord's from July 10. The cheapest tickets for the Lord's Test involving India are priced at 90 pounds each and they offer restricted views. For the unrestricted views, the fans will have to shell out anything between 120-175 pounds, reported ESPNcricinfo. The tickets with restricted views for last month's Test against Sri Lanka ranged from 115 to 140 pounds. The match ended on day four with only 9000 spectators in attendance, filling only one third of the stadium capacity. The home series against India is the second biggest draw after the Ashes involving ...

Sarfaraz, Jurel, Dayal set to be released from India squad for Irani Cup

Premier middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel and pacer Yash Dayal are set to be released from the Indian team for the Irani Cup in case they are not selected in the playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh, starting September 27 in Kanpur. The BCCI on Tuesday announced the Rest of India squad, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, which will take on reigning Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in Lucknow from October 1-5. "Dhruv Jurel and Yash Dayal have been selected in the Rest of India squad and their participation is subject to them not being involved in the second Test match against Bangladesh in Kanpur," said the BCCI statement on Tuesday. If sources are to be believed, in case Rishabh Pant suffers any niggle during the Test, KL Rahul can fill up for him. As reported by PTI on Monday, prolific run-getter Sarfaraz, who represents Mumbai domestically, too will play for his home side, led by Ajinkya Rahane, if he does not figure in the playing XI for the second Test

Shan Masood likely to be retained PAK captain for Test series against ENG

Pakistan's Shan Masood is likely to be retained captain for the upcoming home Test series against England, while Babar Azam is also assured of keeping his white-ball captaincy when the team flies to Australia and South Africa later this year. England are set to arrive in Pakistan on October 3 for a three-Test series beginning in Multan on October 7, with the Pakistan Cricket Board selectors expected to announce the Test squad after the Champions Cup final on Sunday. Masood, under whose captaincy Pakistan has lost all five Tests, will be holding discussions with head coach Jason Gillespie and national selectors, Muhammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq, in Faisalabad this week to decide the plan for the England series. The last time England came to Pakistan during the 2022/23 season, they white-washed the Babar Azam-led side 3-0. According to a source, not many changes are expected in the Test squad that lost the series against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi 0-2. "While white-ball head coach, Gar

England vs Australia 3rd ODI Playing 11, live timings (IST), streaming

Stand-in England skipper Harry Brook won the toss on the day and decided to field first in order to limit the Aussies on a reasonable total tonight.

BCCI secy appointment off Apex Council agenda as Shah preps for ICC chair

The BCCI Apex Council will meet on Wednesday to discuss a variety of issues related to the Board's functioning but the appointment of a new secretary to replace the outgoing Jay Shah is not on the agenda. It will be the last apex council meet before the Board's 93rd Annual General Meeting in Bengaluru in five days' time. The appointment of a new secretary has become necessary after Shah was unanimously elected as the next ICC Chairman. However, he will not step down from his current role as BCCI Secretary during the upcoming AGM, as he is scheduled to assume his new position only from December 1. But even a discussion on the process of nomination is not part of the eight items listed in the apex council's agenda which features, among others, the update on Byju's matter. The BCCI has a payment settlement issue with their former title sponsor. The embattled edtech firm ended its sponsorship deal with the BCCI in March last year. The Bengaluru-based company, co-founded by Byju ...

Lancashire CEO terms BCCI's domestic cricket 'fantastic prioritising'

The BCCI directing its established players to participate in domestic cricket has been termed "fantastic prioritising" by Lancashire's CEO Daniel Gidney, who accused the English players' agents for facilitating their foray into the lucrative franchise leagues at the expense of the traditional red-ball competition. Gidney feels these agents threaten the future of the English County Championship. The BCCI had mandated all international players, except for seniors like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, to play in tournaments such as Ranji and Duleep Trophy when they are not busy with national commitments, the move highlighting the board's emphasis on the role of domestic cricket. In fact two of the younger stars Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan lost their annual BCCI retainership contracts for skipping domestic events at the expense of IPL. While Kishan despite repeated feelers didn't play a single Ranji game, Iyer did play during the knock-out stage including final. This ...

Irani Cup: Rahane set to lead Mumbai, Sarfaraz Khan to be released for tie

Ajinkya Rahane is all set to lead Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in the upcoming Irani Cup game against Rest of India in Lucknow, which will also mark all-rounder Shardul Thakur's return to first-class cricket post surgery. It is understood that all top players including Shreyas Iyer, Musheer Khan, Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian are supposed to play the match. However, as of now, there is no clarity whether Sarfaraz Khan, who is in the India squad, will be picked for the tie. The Kanpur Test against Bangladesh starts on September 27 and if Sarfaraz is not picked in the playing eleven, which could be the case, Mumbai Cricket Association might put in a request to let their premier batter play the Irani Cup. The team will be announced tomorrow. "Look, Sarfaraz is the only specialist middle-order batter in the squad. Dhruv Jurel is a keeper-batsman and Axar Patel is an all-rounder. What if there is a need for a concussion substitute? But yes, the Irani Cup starts on October 1 and ...

Sarandeep Singh appointed as Delhi's new Ranji cricket team coach

Former India off-spinner and national selector Sarandeep Singh will be the new head coach of Delhi's senior team for the upcoming domestic season. He was appointed by the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of the state unit. Sarandeep will be assisted by bowling coach V Aravind and batting coach Bantu Singh, both of them continuing from last year. In a new position created by the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA), the senior men's team will have two mentors -- Atul Wassan for white ball and Robin Singh Junior for red ball. Reema Malhotra will be mentor of the women's team. Last year's coach Devang Gandhi, who made quite an impression on both the seniors and juniors in the team will not be available this season due to personal reasons and didn't apply for the coach's post. It is understood that the CAC comprising former India players Surinder Khanna, Nikhil Chopra and Anjali Malhotra had two choices for the top job --- Sarandeep and former Delhi coach KP ...

Travis Head smashes career-best 154 as Australia beat England in 1st ODI

Travis Head was at his belligerent best in smashing a career-best 154 not out to underpin Australia's chase of 316 to win the first one-day international against England on Thursday and gain a 13th straight victory in the 50-over format. It was the left-handed opener's sixth ODI century and his first since a similarly brutal knock of 137 in Australia's victory over India in the World Cup final 10 months ago. The tourists needed a big innings from someone after Ben Duckett hit 95 in England's 315 all out at Trent Bridge, a ground known for being a batter's paradise with short boundaries. England would have hoped for more after being 211-2 after 32 overs, only for Australia's spinners including part-time slow bowler Marnus Labuschagne (3-39) to slow down the run rate and take nine wickets in total, many at crucial times. England's final seven wickets fell for 83 runs, with Head even getting involved with two of the wickets. Head then let rip with with the bat, hitting 20 fours and

Ricky Ponting joins Punjab Kings as head coach on four-year contract

Australian great Ricky Ponting was on Wednesday appointed head coach of Punjab Kings, replacing compatriot Trevor Bayliss in the under-performing IPL franchise. The former Australian captain has made the switch to Punjab Kings from Delhi Capitals, a team he was part of for seven years. "We are delighted to have Ricky on to guide and build our team for the next four seasons. His experience is crucial to help us develop a squad to deliver on-field success," franchise CEO Satish Menon said. An IPL source added that Ponting will take a call on the rest of the support staff. Under Ponting, Delhi Capitals became a force to reckon with though the elusive title never came. The team reached the final in 2020. He has also coached Mumbai Indians. Punjab too have never won the IPL since the league's inception in 2008 and the four co-owners will be hoping the World Cup-winning captain takes them all the way. Punjab's sole final appearance came way back in 2014 and they are one team which is o

When Gambhir recited 'Hanuman Chalisa' and Kohli chanted 'Om Namah Shivay'

They are both quintessential Delhiites with an aggressive streak to deal with intense situations but when it comes to the extraordinary, both India head coach Gautam Gambhir and star batter Virat Kohli find inner strength from their faith in the divine. As they sat down for a rather unconventional chat, curated by the BCCI for its official website, Kohli and Gambhir dwelled on the many similarities they have and as it turns out, faith in almighty is one of them. When Gambhir was trying to save a Test match against New Zealand in Napier a decade and a half back, he recalled how 'Hanuman Chalisa' helped him find the resolve to play that epic knock that was spread over two days. Similarly, in 2014, Kohli hit four Test hundreds Down Under and he would pay his obeisance to Lord Shiva by chanting 'Om Namah Shivay' while batting. Gambhir was the one to reveal this during his interview by Kohli when the conversation turned to spirituality. "Let's talk about a few moments in India-Australi

Harry Brook's mantra for his interim England captain role in ODI cricket

Harry Brook's message will be simple as he heads into a brief spell as England cricket captain. Whatever you feel like doing, just do it, he said with a smile on Wednesday. With that philosophy, Brook should fit right into the modern approach adopted by England in test cricket, and soon in all formats, when he takes temporary charge of the ODI team for the five-match series against Australia starting Thursday at Trent Bridge. Brook has taken on the ODI captaincy because of an injury to regular skipper Jos Buttler. From January, England's white-ball teams will also be led by Brendon McCullum, the current coach of the test team who will unify the roles to continue the so-called Bazball revolution of English cricket. Brook said that will invariably see the teams' philosophies merge into one. It's all going to be played fairly similar," Brook said in a news conference at Trent Bridge, where the first ODI will take place. We're going to have the same principles or however we want to g

NZ fast bowler O'Rourke rocks SL with two early wickets in 1st Test

New Zealand fast bowler William O'Rourke rocked Sri Lanka with two early wickets as the hosts took lunch at 88 for two on the opening day of the first Test at Galle on Wednesday. A tall right-arm quick, O'Rourke was on the money and troubling the Sri Lankan batters. He had Dimuth Karunaratne caught behind with a sharp rising delivery and then two overs later cleaned up Pathum Nissanka with a yorker. After an opening spell of five overs that accounted for both the openers, O'Rourke returned for a second spell before lunch and troubled both Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews. Mathews was hit on the gloves by a sharp rising delivery and was forced to retire when on 12. The Sri Lankan team management confirmed that he is out of danger and will bat at the fall of the next wicket. Dinesh Chandimal, relieved of wicket-keeping duties and batting at No. 3 instead of his customary No. 5, was unbeaten on 30, but he had some nervous moments. Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat. New Ze

Can fans hope for an Indian batting resurgence in Tests at home?

While the Indian batters used to take advantage of the familiar conditions to their best abilities in the past, the recent trend hasn't been as dominating as it used to be.

We want him to bring the best out of him: Rohit Sharma on KL Rahul

Blinding streaks of brilliance interspersed with gloomy barrenness often wrap KL Rahul's Test career in unfair inconsistency but skipper Rohit Sharma hoped that the "clear message" given to him will help the elegant batter to take his career forward in the longest format. Rahul oozed class while making a hundred against South Africa in Centurion in 2023, and an 86 against England at Hyderabad earlier this year. But before that his performance went through a trough for two years, with the batter making just a fifty in 12 innings. However, Rohit remained a firm believer in Rahul's talent, and that also was an indication that the Bengaluru man will start in the first Test against Bangladesh on Thursday here. "I think with KL, you know, the kind of quality he has, everyone knows about it. The kind of message that has been given to him from our side was very simple: we wanted him to play all games. We want him to bring the best out of him. And it is our duty as well to bring the best ou

ZEEL refutes $940 million Disney Star claim over ICC TV rights deal

Claim came as former failed to pay $1.4 bn within deadline

Zampa to play 100th ODI; knows he may never play test cricket for Australia

Adam Zampa is a cornerstone of Australia's white-ball set-up and will play his 100th one-day international in the opening match of the series against England on Thursday. As for ever playing test cricket, the leg-spinner believes he might have missed his chance especially when it comes to the Ashes. We have lots of test cricket and there's still a bit of drive to play that," Zampa said on Tuesday at Trent Bridge, where the five-match series will begin. But, in terms of playing in England or playing in Australia against England, I don't think it's a possibility. With Nathan Lyon having locked down the role of first-choice spinner for more than a decade, and the likes of Todd Murphy, Mitchell Swepson and Matthew Kuhnemann all options, Australia can get by in test cricket without Zampa. Not so in the shorter formats, where the 32-year-old Zampa is the Australians' highest-ranked Twenty20 bowler and their second highest-ranked ODI bowler. Twelve of Zampa's 99 ODI caps to date have co

Delhi's new integrated stadium in Dwarka to be functional by 2027: DDA

Delhi Development Authority is building the stadium under the public-private partnership model with Omaxe as their partner

I don't view them as favourites: Travis Head ahead of Test series vs India

Aussie top-order batter Travis Head has scored 715 runs in 10 test matches against India so far, including one century and 3 fifties.

Respect his cricketing brain: Khawaja heaps praise on Ashwin's brilliance

Australian opener Usman Khawaja has over the years relished his on-field battles with star Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who according to the southpaw is a man who always has a plan up his sleeve. Ashwin (39 wickets) is the third-highest wicket-taker among Indian bowlers in Test matches in Australia, only behind Anil Kumble (49) and Kapil Dev (51) apart from topping the charts across all bilateral series (home and away) with 114 scalps which also includes seven five-for. "Ravi is a very good bowler. He is very strategic. He always has a plan," Khawaja told Star Sports. "He tries to figure it out and stay ahead of the game, which I respect. I respect his cricketing brain. It's always cool to play against him, and I look forward to the challenge," he was all praise for Ashwin's tactical nous. This will be Ashwin's fifth Test tour of Australia, having been part of the sides that played in 2011-12, 2014-15, 2018-19 and 2020-21 although on last two tours, he had injury issues. Do