Page 27 - Cricket

I enjoy Joe Root's batting: Kane Williamson on 'Fab 4' debate

Kane dismissed the comparison with Joe Root in a conversation ahead of his side's one-off Test against Afghanistan at the Greater Noida Stadium in India, which is scheduled to start on September 9.

Afghanistan include three uncapped players in Test squad vs New Zealand

Three uncapped players -- opener Riaz Hassan, all-rounder Shamsurrahman and pacer Khalil Ahmed -- have been included in Afghanistan's final 16-member squad for the one-off Test against New Zealand, scheduled to begin in Greater Noida on September 9. Star all-rounder Rashid Khan is not in the squad as he is recovering from an injury. Zahir Khan and Zia-ur-Rehman will lead Afghanistan's spin attack in Rashid's absence. Gulbadin Naib, Fareed Ahmad and Yama Arab, who were a part of the preliminary squad announced last month, have been omitted, while pacer Naveed Zadran is also missing due to a side strain. "The squad is finalized based on players' performance in the preparation camp. It is worth mentioning that 19 players participated in a preparation camp for around 10 days in Greater Noida and eventually, after consultation with the captain and coaching staff, the 16-member squad was finalised today," said Afghanistan Cricket Board in a release. The squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), .

IPL 2025: Rahul Dravid joins Rajasthan Royals on multi-year contract

Former India captain Rahul Dravid was on Friday announced as the head coach of the Indian Premier League team Rajasthan Royals on a multi-year contract. Dravid's tenure as India's head coach ended in June with the team winning the T20 World Cup for the second time. PTI had reported a few days ago that Dravid was set for his next move to RR. "The former Royals' captain and coach spent five seasons with the franchise from 2011 to 2015, and will commence with the team immediately, working with Royals' director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara to implement the franchise's overall cricketing strategy," the franchise said in a statement. Dravid has coached Rajasthan Royals in 2014 and has held different roles with the India U-19 team as well as at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. "His exceptional coaching capabilities are evident with the transformation he's driven in Indian cricket. He also has a deep connection to the franchise, and we've seen that passion come through in all our

Duleep Trophy 2024: Musheer, Saini keep balance in favour of India B

Navdeep Saini reminded of his presence among the fringe pacers with a quality new ball spell that helped India B to keep India A in check at 134 for two in the first innings, after the second day of their Duleep Trophy match here on Friday. India B needed their bowlers to carry on the excellent effort of Musheer Khan (181, 373b, 16x4, 5x6) that powered B' to 321 in their first innings. KL Rahul (23, 80 balls) and Riyan Parag (27, 49 balls) are at the crease at stumps, with India A in arrears by 187 runs. Saini, who is out of favour since the 2021 away series against Australia, showed some spark to eke out the wickets of India A skipper Shubman Gill (25) and his opening partner Mayank Agarwal (36). The right-arm quick broke the first-wicket alliance 57 between Gill and Agarwal at the stroke of tea to give his side the first breakthrough. Gill, who crunched a couple of exquisite fours off left-arm seamer Yash Dayal, shouldered arms to an incoming delivery that crashed onto the ...

Quinton de Kock named ODI Player of the Year after brilliant run in 2023 WC

Reeza Hendricks received the T20I Player of the Year award for being the only South African batter to score a half-century in the period considered, which excluded the T20 World Cup.

India's fast bowling makes them difficult to beat in Australia: Labuschagne

Star batter Marnus Labuschagne reckons fast bowlers make India a "difficult" side to beat in Australian conditions as the hosts look to end their barren run in Border-Gavaskar Trophy which has lasted nearly a decade. India have won every bilateral Test series against Australia since losing 1-2 in an away affair in 2014-15. They have recorded identical 2-1 series wins in 2018-19 and 2020-21 Down Under to remain on top. "India's fast bowling is very good, which is really what brings them in Australian conditions and make them such a tough team to beat in Australian conditions, Labuschagne told Star Sports. The middle-order mainstay termed the rivalry as tough' irrespective of where they are playing. "There is always high anticipation. To these two teams, it doesn't matter where we're playing, if it's in England, Australia, or India, it's always a tough contest, he said. Australia spinner Nathan Lyon termed Indian players as "superstars" while hoping to revive his on-field rivalry wi

Anuj Rawat credits Virat Kohli's advice for success in Delhi Premier League

Virat Kohli's advice on being consistent with his preparations has helped Anuj Rawat hit a purple patch with the bat in the Delhi Premier League, the East Delhi Riders' batter revealed on Friday. Rawat, who shares the dressing room with Kohli at Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has scored 328 runs in eight outings. I asked him something about the game. He told me, 'no matter whatever the situation is in the game, just keep your preparations consistent'. It helps you mentally. This advice has certainly helped me so far, Rawat told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview. In the inaugural edition of DPL, the left-handed Rawat also recorded the second highest opening stand of 241 runs in T20 cricket with Sujal Singh for the Riders against Purani Dilli 6. Rawat contributed 121 (66 balls, 11x6s, 6x4s). Rawat said senior players will have the onus to maintain the dressing room environment when the domestic season begins for Delhi. There is a lot of excitement and we have played together before

SC rejects plea seeking facilities for cricketers on Mumbai public grounds

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea challenging the Bombay High Court's order which had disposed of a petition seeking directions to provide drinking water and other facilities to cricket players during practice or unofficial matches on public grounds in Mumbai. "What kind of a PIL (public interest litigation) is this? Cricketers will take care if they are not provided toilets. Why an advocate should be bothered about it," a bench of Justices A S Oka and A G Masih observed. The bench was hearing a petition filed by a lawyer, who had challenged the high court's June last year order disposing of his petition. In his PIL filed before the high court, he had sought directions to the Mumbai Cricket Association and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to provide drinking water and other facilities to players during practice or unofficial matches on public grounds. "Look at the photographs which you have annexed. Playing in these conditions, these grounds in Mumbai hav

Coach Kumar Sangakkara set to leave Rajasthan Royals, in talks with KKR

Following Gautam Gambhir's departure from the side, KKR is still seeking a replacement for the mentor position, and Sangakkara appears to be a strong candidate for the role

Vikram Rathour, Rangana Herath added to New Zealand cricket coaching staff

Former India batting coach Vikram Rathour and Sri Lanka spin great Rangana Herath were on Friday added to New Zealand's coaching staff ahead of Tests against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. New Zealand will play a one-off Test against Afghanistan before heading to Sri Lanka for a two-Test series. The one-off Test against the Afghans will be held at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground from September 9 to 13. The Kiwis are also due to play a three-Test series against India in October-November. While Herath has been appointed for Tests against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka as New Zealand's spin bowling coach, Rathour will be with the Kiwi side only for the contest against Afghanistan. Rathour had a successful run as India's batting coach under head coach Rahul Dravid. His tenure ended after India's T20 World Cup win in June this year. The addition of Rathour and Herath was announced by New Zealand Cricket on their website. "Sri Lankan spin maestro Rangana Herath has been appointed as ..

Powerplay to Boundaries: T20I records shattered in AUS vs SCO cricket match

Head and Marsh reign supreme in Edinburgh to hand Australia a record-breaking win over Scotland. Check Australia vs Scotland 1st T20 video highlights here

England hand debut to rookie seamer Josh Hull for final test vs Sri Lanka

England will give rookie seamer Josh Hull his first taste of international cricket after including him in the team for the final test of the summer. Chasing a rare clean sweep of six wins in a row, England has thrown the left-armer in to face Sri Lanka at the The Oval in place of Matthew Potts. The 20-year-old Hull has taken only 16 first-class wickets in 10 matches. But England has made a habit of gambling on young talent since head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes took charge. It's a great week for him to come in, learn a little bit and show off exactly what he can do, said Ollie Pope, who this week completes a three-game run as stand-in skipper for the injured Stokes. Why not get him in? This is a great opportunity for him, you can show exactly what you can do in the international stage. England has already clinched the three-match series against Sri Lanka 2-0 after wins in Manchester and at Lord's. That backed up a 3-0 victory over the West Indies in July and Eng

Pakistan skipper Shan Masood dismisses rumours of rift with Shaheen Afridi

Pakistan captain Shan Masood has dismissed rumours suggesting there are differences between him and pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was left out of the second Test against Bangladesh. The speculations and debate on relations between Masood and Shaheen arose after a video clip during the first Test with Bangladesh showed the fast bowler brushing off his captain's hands from his shoulders. But Masood has clarified that there was no dispute between the two and Shaheen had politely removed his hand from his shoulder as it was sore after he was hit by a ball while batting in the Pakistan innings. "There are no issues between us and in fact only a certain part of the clip is around but if you see the full clip you can see Shaheen had his arms around my back," he said. Masood also dismissed suggestions that Shaheen was dropped for the second Test because of that incident. "We had a good discussion with Shaheen and we told him he remains our best bowler and needs to work and find his best

Duleep Trophy 2024: Full schedule, live match timings, and streaming

The Trophy, to be organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), will mark the beginning of India's domestic season 2024-25

IPL 2025: Rahul Dravid set to return as Rajasthan Royals head coach

Dravid will join Rajasthan Royals after his successful tenure as Team India's head coach, which ended with a 2024 T20 World Cup glory

Ajinkya Rahane's 192(102) keep Leicestershire alive against Glamorgan

Seasoned India batter Ajinkya Rahane compiled his 40th First-Class century -- a marvellous 192-ball 102 -- as Leicestershire battled hard to avoid defeat against Glamorgan in their County Championship Division Two match here on Sunday. Rahane, a veteran of 85 Tests and 90 ODIs, struck 13 fours and a six during his stay in the middle and was also involved in a vital stand of 183 runs for the fourth wicket with Australian Peter Handscomb, who was batting on 94 at lunch on the final day of the four-day game. Leicestershire's international pair Rahane and Handscomb got together with an aim to save the game for them after Glamorgan's Colin Ingram had crafted a career-best, unbeaten 257 at Sofia Gardens. At stumps on the third evening, Rahane was 47 not out and Handscomb unbeaten on 33, as Leicestershire ended at 144 for 3, trailing by 155, when bad light stopped play with 21.2 scheduled overs remaining. At the lunch, Leicestershire were 271 for four and needing another 28 runs to make .

Viral Video: Virat Kohli's deepfake video slamming Gill goes viral on X

A deepfake video has gone viral on social media platforms, where Virat can be seen slamming Shubhman Gill. The video raised concern among netizens over the wrong use of artificial intelligence

Will ensure Test cricket remains priority, says ICC Chairman Jay Shah

Newly-elected ICC Chairman Jay Shah on Tuesday said he will look to ensure that Test cricket forms the "bedrock" of the game in his tenure during which he will also try to "dismantle barriers that have hindered cricket's progress". The 35-year-old Shah, who has been the BCCI secretary since 2019, will take over from the 62-year-old incumbent Greg Barclay on December 1 as the youngest ICC Chairman after the New Zealander decided against running for a third consecutive term of two years. "While the T20 is a naturally exciting format, it is equally important that Test cricket remains a priority for everyone as it forms the bedrock of our game. "We must see to it that cricketers are driven to longer format and our efforts will be channelised towards this goal," Shah said in a statement issued by the BCCI. "I would like to work towards setting up a separate program for talent search during my tenure, and I look forward to your support in this program." Shah emphasised on further liftin

Waqar, Misbah, Saqlain among 5 mentors appointed for new domestic event

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday named stalwarts Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik and Waqar Younis as mentors of five teams taking part in the Champions Cup domestic tournament. The big names in Pakistan cricket have been appointed mentors on three-year contracts following a transparent and robust recruitment process, according a PCB statement. Waqar Younis recently worked as PCB advisor on cricket affairs while Saqlain Mushtaq is a former head coach of the national team. Misbah and Waqar have also had coaching stints with the national team. The PCB said the first assignment of the mentors in the PCB Domestic Cricket Season 2024-25 will be the Champions One-Day Cup, which will be held in Faisalabad from September 12-29. The PCB has made it mandatory for all the top players to appear in the 50-overs competition.

PCB chairman Naqvi promises 'changes' after shock defeat to Bangladesh

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Monday vowed to fix problems in Pakistan cricket following the national team's shock defeat to Bangladesh in the first Test, saying "changes are on the way". Stalwarts such as Shahid Afridi, Muhammad Hafeez and Fawad Alam lambasted the national team for its 10-wicket defeat on Sunday in Rawalpindi. "I will fix the issues in Pakistan cricket, God willing. And changes are on the way," Naqvi said while talking to media Hafeez took a swipe at Naqvi, reminding him of his major surgery required in Pakistan cricket comment during the World Cup. Earlier this year, when Pakistan were bundled out of the World T20 Cup, Naqvi was quoted as saying after the defeat to India: "Initially, I believed a minor surgery would suffice, but after this poor performance, it's clear that a major overhaul is needed. The nation will soon witness substantial changes. However, no changes have been made in the national team and the same senior players appeared in the first Test aga