Page 44 - Cricket

Sri Lanka cancels cricket training due to 'severe' air pollution in Delhi

After Bangladesh, Sri Lanka were forced to cancel their opening training session in the national capital on Saturday due to "severe" air pollution. Bangladesh, who arrived here on Wednesday, had decided against practising on Friday as the pollution levels in the city hit the "severe plus" category. Sri Lanka followed them into staying indoors on Saturday when the Air Quality Index stood at 407 in the morning. "It was cancelled owing to the air quality issue," said a SLC source, referring to the Saturday's training session. However, Bangladesh are likely to brave the pollution two days before the game on Monday. They are scheduled to train on Saturday from 6 PM. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe". It is unlikely that the International Cricket Council (ICC) will shift the game out of Delhi but the call on whether the match will go ahead will only be

Cup, country, club

Club sport and professionalism have softened hard nationalism. It began with football and is playing out in cricket - the ongoing World Cup is proof

The Sachin Tendulkar statue: Master gets his deserved place at Wankhede

Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday got his deserved place at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. Coming to the revered venue as a 10-year-old kid, watching a match without a ticket way back in 1983, and witnessing his own life-sized statue being installed here after four decades, it has been a journey to remember for the legendary Tendulkar. The batting great's statue was unveiled at his home ground by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at a grand ceremony. Tendulkar was accompanied by his wife Anjali and daughter Sara. The dignitaries present on the occasion were former BCCI and ICC chief Sharad Pawar, incumbent BCCI secretary Jay Shah, treasurer Ashish Shelar, vice-president Rajiv Shukla and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president Amol Kale among others. "It is indeed a special moment for me. It was around February when Mr Shelar and Mr Kale called me on the behalf of the MCA, they said we are having this thought of having your statue inside the stadium. I was extremely delighted, t

Coined by English media, cricket term Bazball added to Collins Dictionary

'Bazball' has made its way to the Collins dictionary in recognition to the bold, risk-taking style of play adopted by the England men's cricket team under red-ball coach Brendon McCullum. The term was coined after former New Zealand captain and opener MCcCullum, who is popularly known as 'Baz', took over the reigns as England's Test coach in May 2022. The the term since been used widely especially during this year's Ashes series, where England rallied from 0-2 to draw the series 2-2. Listed as a noun, Bazball is described "a style of test cricket in which the batting side attempts to gain the initiative by playing in a highly aggressive manner," in the dictionary. Its origin is noted as C21: after Brendon McCullum, known as Baz (born 1981), New Zealand cricketer and coach. However, McCullum is not a fan of the term. "I don't have any idea what Bazball is. I don't really like that silly term that people are throwing out there," he had last year. When asked about the inclusion of

Inzamam resigns as chairman of Pakistan cricket team's selection committee

The legendary Inzamam-ul-Haq on Monday resigned as the chairman of the national selection committee after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) initiated an inquiry to probe if his association with a company that manages a number of national team players pertains to conflict of interest. The PCB has formed a five-member committee to probe Inzamam's role in the company Yazoo International -- where he shares the same agent who manages captain Babar Azam, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan. The result is that in the middle of World Cup, Inzamam was forced to send his resignation to the PCB even as he maintained that his association with agent and partner Talha Rehmani has never affected or compromised his decision-making as a selector. "I have sent my resignation as I feel the role of a chief selector is that of a judge and I thought it is best to step aside till this inquiry is going on," Inzamam said on 'Samaa' TV. "I select the Pakistan team and I don't want

Ratan Tata refutes reports of promising to pay Rashid Khan Rs 10 crore

WhatsApp forwards and videos were floating on social media that had fraudulently claimed that Ratan Tata had announced a Rs 10 crore reward for Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan

India make it 6 in row after Shami-Bumrah show, defeat England by 100 runs

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami breathed fire in their magical opening spells after Rohit Sharma's rearguard 87 on a challenging pitch as India hammered England by 100 runs for their six straight win in the World Cup here on Sunday. The emphatic win would not have been possible without the special effort of skipper Rohit (87 off 101 balls), whose sublime knock stood out as most Indian batters fell by the wayside on a two-paced pitch. Suryakumar Yadav (49) got the much needed runs in the death overs to push India to 229 for nine. Shami (4/22) and Bumrah (3/32) stole the show with the ball for the unstoppable hosts as England batters once against cut a sorry figure as they slumped to 129 all out in 34.5 overs for their fifth loss in six games. England are virtually out of semifinal contention while India, the only unbeaten side in the tournament, are almost there. Having put up a below par total, India needed early wickets to put pressure on a struggling England batting unit. Bumr

Facing financial woes, ex-India coach Greg Chappell signs up for fundraiser

Greg Chappell, who retired as the highest run-getter for Australia in Tests and later had a controversial stint as India's coach, has signed up for a fundraiser

Light show at World Cup 'dumbest idea' as they cause headache, says Maxwell

During the Australia vs Netherlands match in Delhi on Wednesday, Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell was seen covering his eyes during the light show

Watch: Team India support staff goes to trekking to Triund amidst World Cup

ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023: Rahul Dravid, Vikram Rathour, and support staff went trekking to Triund in Dharamshala on an off-day

World Cup 2023 Ind vs Eng: You may have to pay Rs 80k to travel to Lucknow

World Cup 2023: Between Mumbai and Lucknow, the cheapest business class ticket for October 29 starts at Rs 73,000

PAK vs AFG Highlights, World Cup 2023: Afghanistan win by 8 wickets

ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Pakistan vs Afghanistan Highlights: Afghanistan created history once again as they defeated another world champion Pakistan

Bishan Singh Bedi: Cricketer who spun a web and gave 'no quarter'

Bedi was truly an artist at work, who beguiled batsmen and viewers in equal measure

PCB scotches speculation of discord, infighting in Pakistan's cricket team

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday rubbished reports of discord and infighting in the national team, competing in the World Cup in India. In a press release, the PCB strongly denied recent speculations about any internal discord in the Babar Azam-led side. The PCB has been forced to act after increasing rumours about disunity in the team. Some Pakistani journalists have posted on social media about the alleged fights in the team and promised to reveal more details after the match against Afghanistan on Monday. According to those posts, two players got into a physical altercation and there has been growing discord in the team with captain Babar facing isolation from a group of players. "Contrary to rumours circulated by a certain section of the media, the PCB unequivocally assures that the team is cohesive and there is no evidence to support these unsubstantiated claims," the release said. The PCB said it is disappointed by the dissemination of false news. Pakistan won the thei

Have lost my closest friend on other side of the border: Intikhab Alam

Former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam was stunned into silence after hearing about the demise of Indian great Bishan Singh Bedi, his closest friend across the border. Bedi's death felt like a personal loss for Alam, who spoke to PTI over the phone from Lahore. Their friendship dates back to 1971 when Bedi toured England with the Indian team and Alam, representing Surrey, played the legendary left-arm spinner in a tour game. In the same year, both Alam and Bedi went on a five month tour of Australia with the World XI squad and it was then their bond grew stronger. More recently, they reunited at the Kartarpur Sahib in October last year and reminisced the old times. Alam sighed when he heard about Bedi's death before gathering his breath to pay tribute to one of the greatest spinners of all time. "What a great personality he was. A kind hearted person, full of humour. There was never a dull moment when he was around. "He was of course a world class cricketer but an even better hum

Remembering Bishan Singh Bedi, the spin legend who redefined Indian cricket

From humble beginnings amidst cricket's spin drought to leading India to historic victories, Bedi's legacy remains indomitable in the world of spin bowling

Cricketers recall Bedi as someone who went extra mile to help youngsters

Former and current cricketers paid rich tributes to legendary spinner Bishan Singh Bedi, who died on Monday, describing him as one of the best bowlers the country has produced and one who went out of the way to help youngsters. Bedi, who played 67 Tests between 1967 to 1979 and took 266 wickets, died at his home here after a prolonged illness. He was 77 and is survived by his wife Anju, son Angad and daughter Neha. Senior India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin remembered Bedi as someone who went out of the way to help young cricketers, while former opener Gautam Gambhir felt the former left-arm spinner's immense contribution would be remembered forever. "Sad to hear about the demise of the great Bishan Singh Bedi, apart from being a great cricketer, he was an affable person and went the extra mile to help young cricketers," wrote Ashwin on social media. "Extremely saddened by the passing of Bishan Singh Bedi ji. His immense contribution to cricket will forever be remembered. May god giv

CWC 2023: Kuldeep manages to pull himself out of hole in stiffest challenge

Kuldeep Yadav, India's trump card in the middle overs, found himself at the receiving end in Dharamsala for the first time in the World Cup but he managed to pull himself out of the hole by sticking to his "strength". Kuldeep and Ravindra Jadeja have made India the best performing bowling unit in the middle overs so far in the competition but the game against New Zealand showed either of them can have a rare off day and it could spell trouble for the hosts. The 28-year-old left-arm wrist spinner from Kanpur has been rewarded for targeting the stumps, varying his pace and tossing up the ball since his comeback from injury. He has consistently delivered for India over the past 18 months but was taken to the cleaners by Daryl Mitchell on Sunday. The in-form right hander resorted to what the other teams' batters could not attempt against Kuldeep, stepping out and launching an attack. In an attempt to break his rhythm, Mitchell hit him for three straight sixes. Rachin Ravindra also did

Bedi will continue to inspire future generations of cricketers: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish on Monday at the death of legendary spinner Bishan Singh Bedi and said he will continue to inspire future generations of cricketers. "Deeply saddened by the passing of noted cricketer Shri Bishan Singh Bedi Ji. His passion for the sport was unwavering and his exemplary bowling performances led India to numerous memorable victories. He will continue to inspire future generations of cricketers. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti," Modi said on X. Bedi, a former India captain and one of the greatest left-arm spinners, died on Monday at the age of 77 after battling a prolonged illness. He is survived by his wife Anju, son Angad and daughter Neha.

Pacer Brydon Carse replaces injured Topley in England squad, says ICC

Inexperienced pacer Brydon Carse has been added to England's 15-member World Cup squad as a replacement player for injured Reece Topley, the ICC said on Monday. Topley broke his left index finger during England's match against South Africa on Saturday and was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the tournament. The reigning champions decided to go for Carse after having resisted the urge to throw World Cup winner Jofra Archer a lifeline. As per the requirements, the inclusion of Carse to England's squad was approved by the tournament's Event Technical Committee. Carse has played just 12 ODIs for his country, but impressed with a five-wicket haul against Pakistan in July and subsequent performances at home against the Netherlands and New Zealand. The struggling defending champions' next match at the World Cup is against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru on Thursday and Carse could come into contention to feature as they look to stay in the race for a semi-final berth. England are curr