Cricket

Indian cricket team is going to play their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 matches in Dubai and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which is the governing body of the tournament has decided to hold the match neutrally in UAE.  This weekend, Feb 23, Sunday, at Dubai International Stadium, the two vengeful South Asian rivals will battle it out.  The first big move made under the chairmanship of Jay Shah was that the ICC finally ended the hosting rights issue of Champions Trophy 2025 by deciding

The UAE had defeated Kuwait in an acrimonious final to win the Gulf T20I Championship in Dubai on Saturday night. The UAE had to bat well for a small 153 and put on a brilliant 2-run win that was a memorable match in their cricket history.  The innings started tentatively for the home team and the opening batsman Tanish Suri put in an early stand with 34 runs. The contributions of Alishan Sharafu and Rahul Chopra (28 each) were a bit of stabilisation

Sediqullah Atal scored his first one-day international century as Afghanistan knocked out Zimbabwe by 232 runs in Harare on Thursday to open the three-match series 1-0.  Atal (104) and Abdul Malik (84) combined for 191 runs for the first wicket and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi with 29 in a row put the visitors on 286-6 in 50 overs.  Zimbabwe who were on the toss had started badly as Ben Curran came off the final ball of the opening over to get out.  Only Sikandar

International Cricket Council (ICC): The men's ICC Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan and at a neutral stadium, ICC announced on Thursday. It will be the same rule for all the ICC matches between India and Pakistan in the rights cycle 2024-27.  ICC issued statement on Thursday: "India and Pakistan matches played by either side at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue," ICC Board has confirmed on Thursday.  This will hold for the ICC

New Delhi, Still unable to wrap his head around R Ashwin's quick exit from international cricket, an incredulous World Cup captain Kapil Dev feels the number-one off-spinner deserves to be farewelled, perhaps at home.  Ashwin shocked everyone when he quit Wednesday, immediately after the Brisbane Test against Australia went to a draw.  Kapil thought he didn’t like something.  "I was amazed that one of the best cricketers in India retired from the game. The fan sigh was not uncommon but I felt a

SA vs PAK 2nd ODI: Pakistan aiming to sweep the series after series opener, South Africa looking for a back-to-back to make it 1-1. All the key information for the game here.  South Africa and Pakistan will take on each other in the second game of three-match SA vs PAK ODI series. Pakistan lost the T20I series by 0-2, and took it back on the heels with three-wicket victory in the opening ODI of the series. They got their star player, Saim Ayu

T20 series goes to Bangladesh with 27-run win over WIndies. Taskin Ahmed was the star of a superb bowling performance as Bangladesh defended another comparatively low total to win by a series-clinching 27-run aggregate over West Indies in the second T20 International of a three-match series played at Arnos Vale Stadium, St Vincent on Tuesday.  The tourists were bowled out for 129-7 by medium-pacer Taskin who had taken two wickets in the opening over before coming back to take the match in the

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin retires from international cricket immediately after third Test against Australia in Brisbane on Wednesday.  The sleight of hand off-spinner gets 537 from 106 tests which is second in the Indian record behind Anil Kumble’s 619.  Ashwin didn’t get a chance to play in the series-opener in Perth, but made a return to the side for the day-night second test in Adelaide, and picked up one wicket. That contest would become his last, he was dropped from Brisbane.  "Today will

Brisbane: Australia & India third Test in Brisbane was held 2-2 with thunderstorms preventing the hosts from getting a chance at an unthinkable win Wednesday, keeping the series at 1-1.  A late tea at the Gabba on bad lighting with India 8-0 (who had been given 275 to win), Australia’s verdict 89-7.  But a major storm hit the region over the break and play was cancelled and now the five-Test series is off to Melbourne and Sydney.  The result corrodes India’s hopes of

Australia frustrated as India avoid follow-on in Gabba Test. Indians pulled off a brave comeback on day four of the third Test in Brisbane, thanks to an unexpected 10-wicket stand from Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep. They annoy Australia’s spinners, and India did away with the follow-on, retaining their hope in the tight series.  India, being put on the back foot by Australia’s first-innings 445, stood at 213-9. There was little left to bat at and it appeared there would be a follow-on.

Tim Southee will never be the same again after the New Zealand great announced on Tuesday he has retired from international cricket.  Southee will " fade out" a cheerful lad after claiming two wickets in his 107th and final Test match, a 423-run demolition of England in Hamilton.  The 36-year-old swing bowler then declared that he too would not feature again for his country in limited-overs cricket after a remarkable 17 seasons in all three formats.  "Time for these young guys," Southee said. 

Opener Tanish Suri, skipper Muhammad Waseem and pace bowler Muhammad Jawadullah all batted with oomph as UAE beat Kuwait by 11 runs to win the Gulf T20I Championship for the third time in a row at Dubai on Monday.  Waseem had the toss and took the bat. The Pakistan-born batsman struck a 28-ball 51 and a 104-run opening stand with Suri (77 off 47 balls) in 10.3 overs.  At one point the UAE had a chance to post a 200-plus, but none of

Kane Williamson hit masterful 156 at his best location to take New Zealand within touching distance of a consolation victory over England at the close of day three of the third Test match in Hamilton on Monday.  The first session went missing due to rain and Williamson came out on top under Seddon Park lights, the Black Caps led 340- 657 until England got them out for 453 in the last hour.  England, who have won the series – with victories in Christchurch

Australia’s pacers rattled through the Indian top order on rain-soaked day three of the third Test in Brisbane on Monday but the hosts were caught out by the same persistent conditions.  India were 51 for four at stumps, and 394 runs behind the score of Australia in the first innings after play was cancelled almost an hour before it started due to poor lighting at the Gabba.  Opener KL Rahul is on 33, and India captain Rohit Sharma is unbeaten in his own

More often than not the Australian players have asked for a Test match in Brisbane earlier in the summer than later and there is no question about it as that is supported by the Gabba pitch curator David Sandurski.  Australia’s track record here in before- and post-Christmas fixtures is a good statistic.  As per the Australian Associated Press (AAP), there have been only five Tests held at the Gabba after Christmas and Australia have lost three, two in the past three years, against

Jonathan Trott will be head coach of Afghanistan men till the end of 2025. The next match he will play is the ODI match of Afghanistan’s multi-format tour of Zimbabwe, but he will not be taking charge of the other formats for personal reasons. He’ll be replaced by Hamid Hassan, who will become the head coach and Nawroz Mangal as assistant.  The Afghanistan Cricket Board has signed 12 months extension on Trott's contract after a great 2024 for the team. Afghanistan limped into

Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head are demerit points for bust-up in second Test match between India and Australia and the Indian fast bowler is also penalised with a fine of 20% of his match fee, the International Cricket Council said Monday.  They were thrown together after Siraj took Australia opener Head for two in the pink ball Test at Adelaide which Australia defeated Australia by 10 wickets to tie the five-match series 1-1 at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.  "Siraj has been fined 20%

Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has taken two spells in the full force at Adelaide Oval on Monday and he expects to know within 24 hours whether he will be available for the third Test against India in Brisbane.  Hazlewood did not play in the 10-wicket defeat to India at Adelaide on Sunday, as the latest of a string of side strains have cost him his career.  "It’s going to be how I come in the 24 hours after it, really," Hazlewood told

As Mohammed Shami was battering Indian seamers in Rajkot last week in his first match back after a year away with injury, many wondered why India’s best seamer had not been flown out to Australia to play for pace man Jasprit Bumrah.  With India cruising to 10 wickets for the first time in three days in the second Test at Adelaide on Sunday, there will be more and more calls for Shami to be swooped into Brisbane for the third Test against the

Adelaide: A well-managed Australian bowling attack kept India in the dust on day one of the pink-ball Test, where they were ranked at 175/8 as of this writing.  An egged-on Nitish Kumar Reddy who is 42 unbeaten and on his way to an exhausting 50, stands in stead of a nervous Jasprit Bumrah at the crease.  India who batted first got at 82-4 in the first session and fell by two wickets quickly in the second session. Captain Rohit Sharma scored just three