Cricket

The Coronavirus pandemic has caused a huge upset in the sporting calendar all across the globe. While major European football leagues have extended their seasons beyond the usual timelines, cricketing bodies are still striving to find their way out of the COVID muddle. England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) became the first international board to resume top-level cricketing action with the Test series against West Indies but as far as their tour of India is concerned, it isn't expected to go ahead as

Rain and bad light forced the umpires to call for stumps on Day 1 of the first England vs West Indies Test match at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Joe Denly and Rory Burns took England to 35 for 1 at Tea but play never resumed after that. Shannon Gabriel had cleaned up England opener Sibley for a duck .A light drizzle had forced the players go off after the first three overs and when they returned after 15-20 minutes the rain allowed

Test cricket is set to resume for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, with England and the West Indies tonight playing the first of three Tests at Southampton's Rose Bowl.  The series will be seen as something of a benchmark for cricket bodies around the world as a way to get the sport underway again in a viable manner as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage around the world. However, to get the Tests played at all, a number of compromises

Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni turns 39 on Tuesday. Regarded as one of the best captains the game has ever seen, Dhoni has been a fan favourite since making his India debut in 2004. His birthday is a special day for cricket fans. Dhoni, the only captain to win all the International Cricket Council (ICC) sanctioned tournaments, has been on a sabbatical since the 2019 World Cup where India lost to New Zealand in the semifinals. But he remains one of the

Australia and Zimbabwe have agreed to postpone three one-day internationals in August because of the difficulty of putting on the series while the new coronavirus pandemic continues, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Tuesday. Zimbabwe were due to play the first match at a venue yet to be determined in the far north of Australia on Aug. 9 with a further clash three days later and a final fixture in Townsville on Aug. 15. CA said in a statement that the decision was mutually

The Pakistan cricketers and 11 support staff members arrived on a chartered flight from Lahore and will be transported to Worcestershire. 20-member Pakistan squad, along with 11 support staff members, reached Manchester on Sunday night. The players arrived on a chartered flight from Lahore and were seen coming out of the airport wearing masks and maintaining adequate distance between themselves. The 10 Pakistan cricketers, who had tested positive for the coronavirus in the initial tests conducted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), were

Malaysia will bid to host a major tournament during the 2023-31 cycle of International Cricket Council (ICC) events, as the Southeast Asian country eyes staging a T20 World Cup to establish itself as a hub for cricket’s shortest format. No Associates nation – teams outside the 12 Full Members – has been the designated host of a World Cup but momentum is building within the ICC to spread cricket’s flagship events beyond its heartland. During the current cycle, the six global men’s events

Bowler Mark Wood fears "the next Ben Stokes or Joe Root" could be lost to the game if grassroots cricket cannot restart this summer. Club cricket in England has been banned since March because of coronavirus and is still not permitted despite Tuesday's easing of lockdown rules. The England and Wales Cricket Board is in talks with the government and still hopes the sport can resume on 4 July. Wood said it is "always safety first" but hopes cricket can return soon. "I'm sure a

Australian opening batsman David Warner loves a duel, both cricketing as well as verbal at times. Warner likes to have a go at the opponent and pulls his punches when the opposition is after him as well. According to him, Indian captain Virat Kohli is similar and he feels it is better not to go after Kohli as that could be very costly for the opposition team. “I thrive on the crowd, I thrive on people sort of going at me in the

Haider Ali, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan were named in the 29-member squad for Pakistan's upcoming tour to England in August-September but now their participation will be doubtful. Pakistan cricket was dealt with a massive blow on Monday after the country's board confirmed that three of it's players tested positive for Covid-19. The Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday released a statement saying that Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Haider Ali contracted the new coronavirus after being tested in Rawalpindi on Sunday. The three cricketers

Former International Cricket Council (ICC) umpire Steve Bucknor recalled incidents involving former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and how he was adjudged erroneously out on two occasions. Bucknor spoke about the match at Gabba in 2003 when he adjudged Tendulkar out LBW but now agreed that the Jason Gillespie delivery was going over the wickets. He also recounted the incident when he thought Tendulkar had edged an Abdul Razzaq delivery into the hands of the wicket-keeper in 2005 at the iconic Eden Gardens. "Tendulkar

One can safely say that Dhoni was the catalyst who led to the evolution of batsmanship in one-day internationals. Be it while setting a target or while chasing one, Dhoni knew when to drop anchor and when to press on the gas. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a player who changed the landscape of limited-overs cricket forever. While there were skilful finishers in one-day internationals, like Australia’s Michael Bevan, Dhoni’s calculated menace in the latter half of the innings remains unmatched in the 50-over

For every high in Mohammad Shami’s curious career, the India pacer has also witnessed several distressing lows. Be it the recurrent career-threatening knee injuries or the domestic violence allegations that played havoc with his personal life, Shami has always been able to script a comeback on the cricket field. A crucial member of the India team in all three formats now, Shami spoke on his battle with depression and how he envisions cricket post the COVID-19 pandemic. Excerpts: Q: How have you coped

Hopeful of a women’s tri-series involving India and South Africa going ahead later this year, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced that 24 of its players will return to individual training from June 22. The India women’s team was supposed to travel to England for a bilateral series comprising three ODIs and three T20Is but the tour remains postponed for the time being. The ECB has been trying to convince both the BCCI and the Cricket South Africa to agree

Chinese smartphone manufacturers Vivo will continue to be title sponsors of the Indian Premier League (IPL), said a top BCCI official, addressing speculations that the Indian cricket board may have to reconsider their deal following the violence in Ladakh’s Galwan valley that claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers. “The contract was signed by our predecessors. It’s a five-year deal and will continue,” said treasurer Arun Dhumal. “As far as anti-China sentiment is concerned, I am all for ban on Chinese products. For

Several players of Sri Lanka will return to playing cricket after the Covid-19 pandemic when the PDC (Puttalam District Cricket Association) T10 league starts on June 25. The 12-day-long tournament will be played at the historic and world heritage site Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, and will comprise former cricketers including the likes of Ajantha Mendis, Chamara Silva, Nuwan Kulasekara, Asela Gunarathna, Dhammika Prasad, Sachithra Senanayake, Chamara Kapugedra, Thilan Thushara and Ishara Amerasinghe as confirmed players. The names of more players are expected to

The road to World Cup victory in 1983 was not an easy one for India. Before facing off England in the semifinals, India were pitted against Zimbabwe in a must-win encounter on June 18, 1983, exactly 37 years ago. After winning the toss, captain Kapil Dev elected to bat first, irrespective of the strong Zimbabwe bowling side. Fast bowlers Peter Rawson and Kevin Curran ran through India’s top-order. With Sunil Gavaskar, Kris Srikanth, Mohinder Amarnath, Sandip Patil and Yashpal Sharma getting dismissed quickly,

Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday said it has suspended the service of team doctor, Dr. Madhu Thottappillil over his remarks on the death of Indian soldiers in Galwan Valley, Ladakh. 20 Indian Army personnel, including a Commanding Officer, lost their lives in what is termed as one of the worst clashes between the Indian Army and Chinese troops in over 5 decades. Government sources said the Chinese side too suffered 'proportionate casualties' but chose not to speculate on the number. Reacting to the

The Indian cricket board has again sought a quick decision on the T20 World Cup after a Cricket Australia (CA) official said holding it this year would be ‘unrealistic’. “If that’s what the host country is saying, there is clearly a case for the ICC (International Cricket Council) to act soon. All cricket boards and players involved are waiting for a decision,” said Arun Dhumal, treasurer Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Tuesday. Should the World T20, scheduled from October

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes that Mahendra Singh Dhoni would have been a different player with all batting records in his kitty had the Indian captain opted batting one down in 50-over format. Gambhir was asked to choose between current India skipper Virat Kohli and Dhoni, to chase down a target. “It’s very difficult to compare both of them because one bats at No. 3, one bats at No. 6 or 7,” Gambhir said on ‘Cricket Connected’. According to Gambhir, with the