Cricket

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

Wahab Riaz, who last year decided to take an indefinite break from red ball cricket, has agreed to return to play the Test-match leg of Pakistan's tour of England. He has been named in the larger pool of 29 players, a combined squad for a series of three Tests and T20Is. Riaz was 34 when announced his break from red-ball cricket. It led to his being demoted in the PCB's central contracts list, and then to his being omitted entirely from it. His

India’s limited overs vice captain Rohit Sharma wants to compete in both the T20 World Cup and the IPL this year as chances are that only one of the two tournaments could be salvaged due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ICC is yet to decide on the fate of the World Cup, scheduled to be held in October-November in Australia, while the BCCI has postponed the popular and lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) indefinitely. It is being speculated that if T20 World Cup

There will be no place for friendship when West Indies take on England belatedly this summer, Kemar Roach has warned fellow Barbadian fast bowler Jofra Archer. While no one will be happier to see each other on a cricket pitch than the combatants when their long-awaited three-Test series gets underway behind closed doors at the Ageas Bowl on July 8, destructive West Indies fast bowler Roach says his team's focus will be purely on winning. "Jofra has made his decision and I think

West Indies cricketer Daren Sammy revealed earlier this weak that his Sunrisers Hyderabad teammates called him by a name that he has now learned has a racial undertone. Disappointed with men he called his ‘brothers’, Sammy asked them to get in touch with him and open a conversation. ‘Reach out to me. Let’s have a conversation because if it was in any shape or form what Minhaz meant, I’m very disappointed and I would still be angry and deserve an apology from you

The England and Wales Cricket Board has acknowledged the voices that have spoken out about racism in cricket, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in the United States of America, and has vowed to change things for the better in the near future with regard to a subject that was considered taboo until recently. "We have listened carefully to those who have spoken out in recent weeks about their experiences of being black in cricket, sport and society," read ECB's

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi on Saturday revealed that he has tested positive for coronavirus. Afridi, who represented Pakistan in 27 Tests, 398 One-day Internationals (ODIs) and 99 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), took to Twitter to break the news, saying that he had been feeling unwell since Thursday and after getting tested for coronavirus, his results returned positive. "I've been feeling unwell since Thursday; my body had been aching badly. I've been tested and unfortunately I'm covid positive. Need prayers for a speedy recovery,"

Sri Lanka Cricket on Thursday (June 11) confirmed that India will not tour the country in June as per schedule to to play the three ODIs and three T20Is. The announcement, made via a media release, officially established the inevitability of the postponement. "The India National Team Tour of Sri Lanka, which was scheduled to take place during the month of June, 2020 will not go ahead, as scheduled," stated an SLC media release. "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

On Yuvraj Singh’s first retirement anniversary, Sachin Tendulkar paid a tribute to his former teammate, and recalled the first time he saw the former left-handed batsman. It was on June 10 last year that Yuvraj, India’s 2011 World Cup hero, called time on a legendary 19-year-long career, while the Indian cricket team was in England playing the World Cup. One of the firsts to congratulate Yuvraj for a stellar career last year on Twitter, Tendulkar did not miss out remembering his first retirement

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is going ahead with its plans to stage the IPL later this year despite the International Cricket Council (ICC) taking its time to decide on the fate of the ICC T20 World Cup in October. In a letter to the state associations (in possession of TOI) on Wednesday (June 10), BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has stated that the board will shortly decide on the future course of action. BCCI is willing to host the