Page 31 - Cricket

David Warner passes baton to Fraser McGurk after announcing retirement

Warner took to Instagram, sharing a picture with Jake, writing to him, "All yours now champion"

Vihari to continue playing cricket for Andhra after assurance from TDP

Indian all-rounder Hanuma Vihari has committed to represent Andhra following assurance from the state's ruling party, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) that his grievances with the state association would be addressed. The 30-year-old had announced in February that he would "never play for Andhra again" as he had lost his "self-respect" after being forced to quit as the team's captain. In March this year, PTI had reported that the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) had served Vihari a show-cause notice after he alleged that the governing body had unceremoniously removed him as captain. Soon after Vihari announced his decision to leave Andhra, he was approached by the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA). Vihari was granted No-Objection Certificate (NOC) by ACA earlier this month but he changed his mind, leaving the MPCA aggrieved. A report in ESPNCricinfo said that Vihari had held meetings with TDP officials on Monday before confirming that he would continue to play for Andhra. "I'm so

Co-inventor of DLS method, English statistician Frank Duckworth dies at 84

English statistician and one of the inventors of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, Frank Duckworth died at the age of 84, according to a report. Duckworth passed away on June 21, according to a report in ESPNcricinfo.com. The Duckworth-Lewis method, devised by Duckworth and fellow statistician Tony Lewis, was introduced to determine results in rain-affected cricket matches. The method was first used in international cricket in 1997 and was formally adopted by the ICC as the standard method for setting revised targets in truncated games in 2001. The method was renamed the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method after the retirement of Duckworth and Lewis, followed by some modifications by Australian statistician Steven Stern. Duckworth and Lewis were both awarded MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in June 2010. The DLS method is based on a complex statistical analysis that considers many factors like wickets remaining and overs lost, among others, to set a revised target

Sri Lanka sports minister denies night club visit caused team's T20 WC exit

Sri Lankan Sports Minister Harin Fernando on Monday challenged the critics to prove that the alleged night club visit had caused the cricket team's premature exit in the ongoing T20 World Cup in the Americas. Sri Lanka could not progress to the Super 8s stage, finishing third in Group D behind South Africa and Bangladesh, who made the grade. "I challenged them (critics) to prove it, and I will resign if they can prove it," Fernando said referring to a comment reportedly made by his predecessor. It has been alleged that the team was late for a practice session due to their late night-out. Fernando had taken over the ministry in November 2023 from Roshan Ranasinghe, who was removed from the post by president Ranil Wickremesinghe following his action to sack the Sri Lanka Cricket management and appoint an interim committee. The International Cricket Council had subsequently suspend Sri Lanka's membership due to government interference. Fernando said all the facilities were provided

Rashid's bravehearts show fortitude, hunger in inspiring T20 WC campaign

Ravaged by war, almost no infrastructure or stadium of their own, also weighed down by the politics of sports and yet Afghanistan have managed to punch way above their weight in the ongoing T20 World Cup in the West Indies. Though the Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed in 1995, it became an affiliate member of ICC in 2001, and a decade later, earned Test status and a full ICC membership in 2017. Cut to the 2024 T20 World Cup and the Afghans have not only announced their arrival -- taking the tournament by storm by reaching the Super 8 stage --, they are now on the verge of making the semi-finals after stunning former champions Australia. This has been primarily due to some audacious and electrifying individual and collective performances. So, what has been the reason for their sudden rise? Is it the format that allows them the freedom to excel, or is it due to their full utilisation of the recent international exposure in different T20 leagues? Former India cricketer Vijay Dahiya

Party over, reality dawns: West Indies rue another missed opportunity

It was a depressing Monday morning in the Caribbean after the West Indies crashed out of the men's T20 World Cup it was hosting after a 14-year gap. A collective dream of millions in the region came crashing after Marco Jansen deposited a full ball from Obed McCoy for a six down the ground to seal a nervy win for South Africa over the tournament co-hosts. It is difficult to match the frenzied fan following that cricket enjoys in India but if there is any region that comes close to the Asian country, it is the Caribbean. Across the six World Cup venues, the buzz around the tournament was palpable but the loss on Sunday night has sent the happy-go-lucky fans into their shell. "It is depressing but the West Indies had it coming. They were poor in all departments last night," said Papios, a police officer who was guarding an almost empty Darren Sammy Stadium ahead of the India-Australia game here. The stage was set for the West Indies to win a record third T20 World Cup and part of th

England spinner Bashir makes unwanted history, concedes 38 runs in 1 over

England spinner Shoaib Bashir made unwanted history on Monday when he conceded 38 runs in a single over in an English county championship match. The 20-year-old Bashir, playing for Worcestershire, was put away for five straight sixes by England teammate Dan Lawrence, playing for Surrey. The sixth ball of Bashir's over was sent so far down the leg side that it went for five wides, and there was worse to follow for Bashir when he overstepped with his next delivery, giving away a no-ball and therefore two runs along with a single for Lawrence. With Lawrence off strike, Bashir actually managed a dot ball with his last delivery. It tied the most expensive over in County Championship history. Alex Tudor also conceded 38 runs for Surrey against Lancashire in 1998, with former England allrounder Andrew Flintoff hitting 34 of the runs on that occasion. It was only the 12th first-class match for Bashir, who made his England test debut on the tour of India in February and March.

BCCI officials, state association reps convene ahead of domestic season

The BCCI office bearers including secretary Jay Shah and representatives of the state associations met here on Monday for an informal meeting to "exchange ideas" and discuss the revamped domestic cricket structure. India's domestic season 2024-25 will begin with the Duleep Trophy on September 5 followed by the Irani Cup and then the Ranji Trophy, which has been split into two halves for the first time. This has been done to counter inclement weather during winter season in the north and give players more time for rest and recovery between matches. In the meeting held here at the BCCI headquarters at the Wankhede Stadium, the board also sought feedback from the state associations on the new format. The new format has been implemented on the recommendations of National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman, India head coach Rahul Dravid, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and skipper Rohit Sharma. The BCCI aims to review the same after one year. "The meeting highlighted the commenda

Election for new president of Mumbai Cricket Association on July 23

Election for a new president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) will be held on July 23 after the incumbent Amol Kale died earlier this month, said the association on Monday. Kale, 47, died of a cardiac arrest in New York after attending the T20 World Cup match between arch rivals India and Pakistan on the intervening of June 9 and 10. Kale was elected as the president of the powerful association after defeating former India cricketer Sandeep Patil in October 2022. To fill the vacant post, the MCA on Monday announced the election programme, according to which the period between June 25 and July 2 has been kept for inviting names of representatives from 'member clubs and from former international players'. Nominations can be filed from July 4 to 10 at the electoral officer's office at the MCA Lounge in the Wankhede Stadium in south Mumbai between 11 am and 5 pm, a release from electoral officer JS Saharia stated. A scrutiny of nominations will take place on July 11 which has to

'I don't see that far, difficult to answer': Gambhir on coaching role

Evading queries on whether he is set to be the next head coach of the Indian cricket team, former opener Gautam Gambhir on Friday said he doesn't "see that far ahead". Gambhir was speaking at an Indian Chambers of Commerce event here. He appeared in a virtual interview with BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee earlier this week and is widely perceived to be India's next head coach after the end of the incumbent Rahul Dravid's tenure following the ongoing T20 World Cup. However, the 42-year-old, who recently played a crucial role in KKR's third title win in the IPL as team mentor, was tight-lipped when he was asked about his prospects. "I don't see that far ahead. You are grilling me, asking me all tough questions," he said. "It is difficult to answer right now. All I can say is that I'm happy being here, just finished a brilliant journey (and) let's enjoy that. I'm in a very happy space right now," Gambhir said at a 'Rise To Leadership' seminar here.

Pakistan's new red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie to arrive next month

Pakistan's new red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie is set to land in the country next month to supervise a training camp for the home series against Bangladesh in August. According to a reliable source in the Pakistan Cricket Board, the camp will be set up in Karachi from July 24 for the probables for the national team as well as the Pakistan Shaheen side (A Team). "Gillespie will be supervising the camp with the support staff and Shan Masood (Pakistan's Test captain) will also return early from England to prepare for the Bangladesh series in which two tests are to be played," he said. He said some senior players are likely to be given rest from the series as Gillespie also wants to look at the back-up talent in the country. The source said that Masood has already indicated to the PCB that he wants Babar Azam in the Test team for the coming series but other senior players will be given a break. Mohsin Naqvi is expected to hold a press conference next week to outline the major ...

Big margin between Bumrah and rest, India fortunate: Sanjay Manjrekar

India are fortunate to have a bowler of the calibre of Jasprit Bumrah, who is head and shoulders above the rest in international cricket, feels former batter Sanjay Manjrekar. Bumrah bowled an incisive spell (3/7) to guide India to a convincing 47-run victory over Afghanistan in their opening Super Eights fixture of the T20 World Cup here. With the bat, Suryakumar Yadav was the star performer as he slammed a 28-ball 53 to power India to 181 for eight in 20 overs. "There were many matches when we had not conceded the boundary and look at the difference between him and the couple of other seamers," Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo. "They were also international standard, but quite rightly I mean, he's looking even better and when you look at all the top-class bowlers around the world. "There's a big margin between them and Bumrah and India is so fortunate to have him in your playing 11," Manjrekar added. Former India captain Anil Kumble also lauded Bumrah's performance. "The kind of ..

Winning toss may be advantageous: Aakash Chopra ahead of India-Afghan clash

India will be taking on Afghanistan in their first Super Eight clash on June 20 at Bridgetown

Guys booking, cancelling flights: Maxwell's reaction to AUS-SCOT match

Defending champions England will be kickstarting their Super Eights campaign against West Indies at Saint Lucia on Thursday

Marcus Stoinis overtakes Nabi to become top-ranked T20 all rounder

Australia's Marcus Stoinis on Wednesday toppled Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi as the number one all-rounder in the latest ICC T20 rankings. Stoinis snared six wickets and also made valuable contribution with the bat to help Australia cruise to the Super Eights in the ongoing T20 World Cup. While Stoinis climbs a spot to become the premier all-rounder, Nabi dropped three places with Sri Lanka skipper Wanindu Hasaranga and Bangladesh veteran Shakib Al Hasan also rising to the second and third spot respectively. West Indies' bowlers have shone the brightest so far in the tournament and the rankings reflect that. Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has moved six places to be second in the bowlers' list led by England spinner Adil Rashid. Alzarri Joseph has also moved up six spaces to 11th, while teammate Gudakesh Motie has surged 16 spots up the rankings into 13th. India's Suryakumar Yadav retained his spot as the top-ranked batter in the shortest format with Phil Salt, Babar Azam and Mohamm

T20 World Cup: Kohli expected to shine as India ponder Kuldeep question

Virat Kohli will be expected to hit his straps after a lean run while left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav will anxiously wait for his chance when title-favourites India face a sprightly Afghanistan in their opening Super 8 fixture of the T20 World Cup here on Thursday. The big talking point ahead of the game is the Indian team combination. Will India go in with the same line-up that worked for them in the group league stage or bring in their best spinner over the last 12 months, Kuldeep, at the expense of a specialist pacer now? At the start of the tournament, skipper Rohit Sharma had expressed his keenness to include all four all-rounders -- Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja -- in the playing eleven. That strategy suited the Indian team in the bowler-friendly conditions in New York and the captain is expected to retain the winning combination that stretches their batting till number 8. The only way to fit Kuldeep into the team is to either drop Mohammed Sira

Rohit Sharma's coach shaped my career, says USA cricketer Harmeet Singh

Left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh, who is a part of the USA team that is enjoying a fairytale run in the ongoing T20 World Cup in the Americas, has revealed that Indian captain Rohit Sharma's coach Dinesh Lad has been instrumental in shaping his career. The 31-year-old represented India in two Under-19 World Cups and played for Mumbai at the age-group level before moving to the USA. He is now a member of the American team that has made the Super Eight stage in its very first appearance at the showpiece. "I would like to thank everybody who supported me in this journey and especially to Dinesh Lad Sir. My talent was first recognised by Lad Sir, who was the coach and mentor during my school days (Rohit Sharma studied in the same school)," Harmeet recalled in a video shared with PTI. "In fact, he only advised me to join his school. There he provided me with everything he possibly could," he said. Harmeet said his progress would not have been possible without Lad. "I switched to Swami ..

IPL's business value rose by 6.5% to $16.4 billion in 2024: Houlihan Lokey

The standalone brand value of the Indian Premier League has increased by 6.3% to $3.4 billion over the past year

Bowl out to Kohlimania at Melbourne: IND vs PAK rivalry in T20 World Cups

IND vs PAK head-to-head: Pakistan and India have come up against each other 7 times & none of them has been short of a great classic in itself, especially the first two and the last two meetings

IND vs PAK: Remembering the last time arch-rivals played in North America

As India and Pakistan go head-to-head against each other in the T20 World Cup 2024, here we look back at the last time when the two teams played against each other in the North American continent