Page 36 - Cricket

Ranji Trophy: Madhya Pradesh reach semis with thrilling win over Andhra

Anubhav Agarwal ran through Andhra's batting lineup with a superb six-wicket haul to propel Madhya Pradesh into the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy following a four-run victory over Andhra here on Monday. In a low-scoring quarterfinal played at the Holkar Stadium, bowlers ruled the roost for the majority of the contest and despite a spirited fight from the visiting side, Madhya Pradesh prevailed to make it to the final four. With this win, the 2021-22 champions Madhya Pradesh became the second team after Tamil Nadu to enter the semifinals. On what turned out to be the final day, Andhra were bowled out for a mere 165 chasing 170 to win on the fourth day. Resuming at 95/4 and with their senior batter Hanuma Vihari on strike with 75 runs more needed to win, Andhra were the more confident side but Agarwal led a stunning fightback once again for Madhya Pradesh. Having taken three wickets in the first innings to help Madhya Pradesh take a vital lead of 62 runs, Agarwal terrorised the And

Are you not entertained by Bazball?

It's evolved into cricket's new identity, a philosophy and mindset where it hardly matters who wins or loses

Indian Premier League runners-up in league of broadcasting rights value

Indian Premier League runners-up in league of broadcasting rights value

IPL 2024: Mohammed Shami ruled out due to ankle injury; to undergo surgery

Shami, who did not play after the ODI World Cup 2023 and was recently given the Arjuna Award for excellence in sport, was hoping to turn up for IPL after undergoing treatment for an ankle in London

Ranji Trophy: Big boys Mumbai, Karnataka, TN, Saurashtra eye semis berth

After a month and half of topsy-turvy ride, eight teams have managed to steer themselves clear of other 24 contenders to enter the quarterfinals. Now, they are standing at a point of no return, as even the slightest slip can throw them out at the quarterfinals stage, beginning across India from Friday. There are familiar faces -- 41-time champions Mumbai, strong contenders Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, giant-killers Vidarbha and Baroda, the stonewalling Saurashtra besides Madhya Pradesh and Andhra, who are capable of springing a surprise or two. So, here's a closer look at the four last eight clashes. Mumbai vs Baroda ============= A depleted Mumbai will hope to make the most of their current form when they face Baroda here from Friday. Without middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, who has been struggling for fitness, and star all-rounder Shivam Dube, who has been sidelined with a bilateral side strain, Mumbai have their task cut out against Baroda at the BKC Ground. While Dube could be

From Ecclestone to Titas Sadhu: Top five bowlers to watch out in WPL 2024

A look at the top five contenders who could take home the Purple Cap by being leading wicket-takers in WPL 2024

From Mandhana to Athapaththu: Top five batters to watch out in WPL 2024

A look at the top five contenders who could take home the Orange Cap by being leading run-scorers and top batters in WPL 2024

Women's Premier League: UP Warriorz SWOT analysis, schedule for WPL 2024

With four world-class players in Healy, Deepti, Ecclestone and McGrath and a quality support cast in Grace Harris, Wyatt and young gun Dinesh, Warriorz are prime contenders

Women's Premier League: RCB SWOT analysis, schedule for WPL 2024

A batting-heavy team, RCB will enjoy their outing in front of their home crowd at the M Chinnswamy

What is the meaning of 'Akaay', the name of Virat-Anushka's second child?

The celebrity couple Virat-Anushka are welcoming a second child, Akaay. Virat Kohli shared the news through Instagram. Know what is the meaning of Akaay

IPL 2024 start date confirmed, entire tournament in India despite elections

IPL chairman Arun Dhumal confirmed that because of the general elections clashing with the IPL window, the schedule could be announced in two phases

Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma announce birth of their second child 'Akaay'

Star India batter Virat Kohli on Tuesday announced that he and his actress wife Anushka Sharma were blessed with a baby boy on February 15. Kohli and Anushka are already proud parents of a three-year-old daughter Vamika. "With abundant happiness and our hearts full of love, we are pleased to inform everyone that on 15th February, we welcomed our baby boy Akaay & Vamika's little brother into this world!," Kohli informed in an instagram post. "We seek your blessings and good wishes in this beautiful time in our lives. We request you to kindly respect our privacy at this time." Kohli had opted out of the ongoing Test series against England, citing personal reasons. India are leading the five-match series 2-1.

Dhoni named skipper of IPL's all-time greatest team; Kohli chosen as opener

Iconic Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Sunday selected as the leader of IPL's all-time greatest team which was picked to celebrate the success of world's most-popular T20 league which was launched in 2008. The selection panel consisted of former cricketers Wasim Akram, Matthew Hayden, Tom Moody and Dale Steyn. About 70 journalists were also part of the selection process. Australia's fiery David Warner and India's batting main stay Virat Kohli were chosen as openers while 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle was given the number three spot in batting order. The middle-order consisted of Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, Suryakumar Yadav and Dhoni, while Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Kieron Pollard were the three all-rounders in the 15-member squad. Rashid Khan, wily Sunil Narine and Yuzvendra Chahal formed the spin attack while Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah were the unanimous choice for the fast bowlers' slots. The marquee tournament will complete 16 years of the first-eve

Jaiswal asuperstar in making, England deserve credit for inspiring: Duckett

England's Ben Duckett on Saturday called India's Yashasvi Jaiswal a "superstar in the making" but said his side deserves credit for inspiring players in the opposition camp to bat aggressively in Test cricket. Jaiswal dished out his own version of England's much talked-about 'Bazball' approach of run-making in Test cricket, cracking nine fours and five sixes in his 133-ball 104 before retiring hurt due to back spasms. The Indian opener shifted gears all of a sudden in the final session. Having reached 35 off 73 balls, he peppered the field with powerful strokes to bring up his second century of the series and third overall in his career. "When you see players from the opposition playing like that, it almost feels like we should take some credit that they're playing differently than how other people play Test cricket," Duckett told the media during a press conference here. "We saw it a bit in the summer and it's quite exciting to see other players and other teams are also playing th

Extraordinary milestone: PM Modi praises on Ashwin's 500 Test wickets feat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday for the "extraordinary milestone" of taking 500 Test wickets. Ashwin became the second Indian bowler after Anil Kumble to take 500 Test wickets during the third Test against England in Rajkot on Friday. The prime minister said on X, "Congratulations to Ravichandran Ashwin on the extraordinary milestone of taking 500 Test wickets! His journey and accomplishments are testament to his skill and perseverance. My best wishes to him as he scales further peaks." Ashwin also became only the third off-spinner to achieve the feat and continues to be the second highest wicket-taker for India behind Kumble, who ended his career with 619 scalps.

WPL 2024: MI skipper Harmanpreet Kaur opens up on retaining title

Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur feels adapting to different conditions will be vital to defending the title in the upcoming Women's Premier League, which is scheduled to be played in Bengaluru and New Delhi from February 23 till March 17. The inaugural edition last year was played in Mumbai and the hosts rode on familiar conditions and crowd support to clinch the title under Harmanpreet's leadership. "The conditions in Bengaluru will be different than Mumbai. I don't have much experience of playing in Delhi, so I don't have any idea how the wickets will fare in Delhi," Harmanpreet told PTI TV on the sidelines of WPL's pre-season media conference. "If we can just quickly adapt to these things, this will show how good we are as a team. These are the areas we have to keep in mind and accordingly change our game plan." The skipper said that though MI had a strong squad, the call on the playing eleven for a particular match will be taken based on conditions. "It is important fo

NCA not open to all: BCCI on trending fraudulent admission advertisements

The BCCI on Friday rubbished "fraudulent advertisements", promising admission into its National Cricket Academy in lieu of money and clarified that the entry into the elite facility in Bengaluru is a "merit-based process". The BCCI said in a statement that it has recently come across fraudulent advertisements promising aspiring cricketers admission into the NCA. "The BCCI wishes to clarify that it does not charge any money from cricketers to use its facility. The BCCI has its set of protocols, and entry into the NCA is a merit-based process," read a statement issued by the board's secretary Jay Shah. The cricket board made it clear that the facilities at NCA are not open for all. "The NCA is open to only BCCI's contracted players, players in the targeted group, and cricketers recommended by state associations. It is not open to any agency other than the ones mentioned above. "Cricketers, coaches and the public at large are advised to exercise caution and not fall prey to such fake

How 'Guru Gary' is using cricket to keep slum kids away from drugs

Notorious for drugs and crime and afflicted by large-scale poverty, the Khayelitsha township here is better known for being one of the biggest slums on the planet. But World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten is attempting to change the image for good through cricket. The idea struck him when he returned to his home here after guiding India to a World Cup title in 2011. "When I came back from India, I wanted to have a look at cricket in our poorest neighbourhoods in Cape Town," Kirsten recalled in an interview with PTI. He ended up touring Khayelitsha, situated 30km south-east of Cape Town and considered one of the most unsafe areas where a majority of the inhabitants still live in shacks. "I took a tour of the area with local school authorities and found that no cricket was happening which disappointed me a lot. I thought of this centre and we started with two concrete nets in two schools and then included three more schools," Kirsten said. What ultimately shaped up was the Catch Tru

SCA Stadium renamed after veteran cricket administrator Niranjan Shah

The Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium was on Wednesday renamed after veteran cricket administrator and former first-class cricketer Niranjan Shah. The ceremony, held on the eve of the third Test between India and England, was attended by India head coach Rahul Dravid, skipper Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, members of the coaching staff and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar. On the occasion, India cricketers Cheteshwar Pujara, Jadeja and Jaydev Unadkat were also felicitated. Former India captains Anil Kumble and Sunil Gavaskar also felicitated players from Saurashtra who have achieved success in recent years. Gavaskar credited Niranjan Shah for playing a vital role in turning around the fortunes of Saurashtra, who are now two-time Ranji champions. Niranjan Shah, who played 12 first-class games from 1965 to 1975, is also a former BCCI secretary.

Australia wicketkeeper Carey equals record with 8 catches in an innings

Australia's test wicketkeeper Alex Carey has equalled an international record with his eight catches Wednesday in a domestic one-day cricket match. Carey held eight catches for South Australia state in a limited-overs win over Queensland in his first 50-over match since being replaced as Australia's first-choice white ball wicketkeeper at the World Cup in India last year. He took five catches off the bowling of Jordan Buckingham and equaled the List A world record with his eighth catch to dismiss Matt Kuhnemann. Two other wicketkeepers have taken eight catches in a List A innings, both in England. Derek Taylor set the record playing for Somerset in 1982 and Worcestershire's James Pipe matched it in 2021.