(Tennis news): Laver Cup will begin from 24th of September and will be led by the next generation as the big three won’t be taking part this time. Team Europe is led by the US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and Diego Schwartzman will be leading team World, the tournament is back after a year as it was not held last year due to the pandemic.

 

The Laver Cup is played in honour of the living legend Rod Laver who dominated the game during the early 60’s and set records which still stands today. He is the only man to have achieved a calendar year slam and was the first player to do it when he won all the four slams in 1969. He played left handed and had strong groundstrokes along with an attacking serve and volley.

 

Laver also became the first Open era champion at Wimbledon in 1968, he had a total of 198 titles with 111 titles coming in the Open era. He also played doubles, winning all the slams except the US Open in the pre open era and won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in the open era. He was one of the highest paid players and had a total of 11 slams in which 5 of them came in the open era. Laver had laid the foundation for tennis, he was even present in this year’s US Open final and Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne is named after him. 

 

The Laver Cup was created by Roger Federer’s management company TEAM8 along with former player Jorge Paulo Lemann with a partnership of Tennis Australia. It is based on the Ryders Cup in Golf and the top players from the US play against top professionals from Europe. The Laver has two teams, team Europe and team world and there six players in each team who will be captained by a legend in the sport. The current captain for team Europe is Bjorn Borg and vice captain being Thomas Enqvist as for the team world they are being captained by John Mcenroe and the vice captain being Patrick Mcenroe. 

 

The Laver Cup does not have ATP points and is played between the top players. The players are chosen according to team ranking and the captain also chooses players, Team Europe has won the first three editions of the game and Alexander Zverev is the only one player from team Europe to feature in all the editions. John Isner and Nick Kyrgios and have also been part of all the editions in team world.

 

The first edition was notable as Federer and Rafael Nadal were part of the doubles team and in the second edition Federer and Novak Djokovic were part of the doubles team. There were outstanding performances from Sock in the doubles, Isner and Kyrgios in the singles. All the players watch the match on the court and also receive coaching during the match from the captain and the players.

 

Team Europe: Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev,  Matteo Berrettini and Casper Ruud.

 

Team World: Félix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, Diego Schwartzman, Reilly Opelka, John Isner and Nick Kyrgios.

 

John Isner is the only player this time who is aged above 30 as the rest of the players are all in their twenties. Isner who is 36 is the oldest and Félix Auger-Aliassime who is 21 is the youngest this time. Team Europe is filled with youngsters and is the favourite to win the Cup as for Team world they will look to hold the cup for the first time.

 

Also read:  Davis Cup: Bopanna and Ramkumar crack in must-win doubles match, India lose tie to Finland

Melbourne, Sep 16 (Cricket News) Australia women's team express pace bowler Tayla Vlaeminck was on Thursday ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series and one-off day/night Test against visiting India due to niggles.

The home team's support staff is looking to best manage its battery of young fast bowlers.

Head coach Matthew Mott said Vlaeminck, who did not bowl on Thursday, would be the lone player unavailable for next week's ODIs in Mackay and the ensuing Test in Gold Coast.

He added that she will likely feature in the T20 series.

"Tayla has had some little niggles throughout her build-up down in Victoria," Mott told reporters after his 18-member squad played out a 30-overs per side game in Brisbane.

"That's something that we've been monitoring all the way through.

"And she does have to step up her loads gradually. We've got to manage her really well – we've got a huge 18 months for her as a young fast bowler, and we know the impact that she can have when she plays." Vlaeminck, who played the first of her 20 matches for Australia as a 19-year-old in 2018, has for some time been considered among the world's fastest bowlers, though knee and shoulder problems as well as a stress fracture in her right foot have stalled her progress.

With the 22-year-old speedster still working her way back to full fitness ahead of the T20s, Australia will be without their first-choice new ball pairing for the three ODIs and one-off Test as veteran seamer Megan Schutt is also unavailable following the birth of her first child.

With experienced spinner Jess Jonassen also missing out owing to an injury, Mott is expecting star all-rounder Ellyse Perry to take on a leadership role in the young bowling group.

"(Perry has) obviously had a very long recovery now and (this series is) something she's planned a lot for," he said.

"Speaking to (bowling coach) Ben Sawyer, who has worked a lot with her at the Sixers, he's really happy with where she's at.

"At the crease he can't remember her being as strong as she has been, and certainly in the hits that we've had up here (we've seen that).

"She had a pretty good bowl today, she got a little bit of tap early, but then came back and got a wicket, got Meg out and bowled really well.

The tour begins with the opening ODI at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay on September 21 and concludes with third and final T20I at the Metricon Stadium in Gold Coast on October 10.

One of the young bowlers wearing the Baggy Green for the first time could be Darcie Brown, an 18-year-old tearaway from Kapunda in South Australia who burst onto the scene in last summer's WBBL before going on to make her ODI and T20I debuts in New Zealand in March-April.

In Vlaeminck's absence, Mott said Brown could well make her debut in the one-off Test and be deployed as an impact bowler.

"What we have found in our stats for the last few Tests is that spinners bowl a lot of the overs, so having some like Darcie to come in for short spells is probably how she's going to be used anyway," he said.

"I think our quicks will probably be used a lot more for impact than the grunt work in the middle overs." 

Also Read : I can say that old Yuzi is back, asserts Chahal ahead of IPL

News Source : PTI

Melbourne, Sep 13 (Cricket news) Australia Test captain Tim Paine is set to undergo a surgery on Tuesday to get rid of a nagging neck pain ahead of the Ashes series against England in December.

Paine, 37, exuded confidence of regaining full fitness to lead the Test side in this summer's Ashes.

The surgery is meant to fix a "pinched nerve in his neck", which has halted his pre-season training with Tasmania.

"The consensus of the spinal surgeon and the CA medical team was to have the surgery now which will allow plenty of time to fully prepare for the summer," Paine was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

"I expect to be able to restart physical activity by the end of this month and be back in full training in October.

"I will be ready to go by the first Test and am very much looking forward to what will be a huge summer.

The first Ashes Test is scheduled to start on December 8 at the Gabba.

Also read: Refrain from delivering aggressive statements: Asghar Afghan to Paine

Paine has had series of surgeries in the past and an injury to his right index finger had almost ended his career before he made an unexpected comeback to the Test side in 2017.

He underwent seven surgeries to fix his finger. 

News source: PTI

Melbourne, Sep 10 (Cricket news): Australia Test captain Tim Paine believes it would be "impossible" for Afghanistan to compete in next month's T20 World Cup as other countries might refuse to play against them following Taliban's ban on women's cricket in the war-ravaged country.

Soon after forming the interim government, the Taliban banned women from playing cricket or any others sports, casting doubts over Afghanistan men's team Test status. As per ICC rules, all Test playing nations must have a women's team as well. Paine backed the decision of Cricket Australia (CA) which all but confirmed on Thursday that the men team's season-opening Test against Afghanistan, slated to start on November 27, will be scrapped due to the Taliban's order.

"I don't think we want to be associated with countries that are taking opportunities or things off literally half their population," Paine was quoted as saying on SEN radio.

"I'd imagine it's impossible (for Afghanistan to take part) if teams are pulling out of playing against them and governments are not letting them travel to our shores.

"How a team like that can be allowed to play in an ICC-sanctioned event is going to be very, very hard to see," he added.

The ICC has flagged it won't discuss the issue until a board meeting in November, although pressure from members could potentially expedite things.

"It's sad. We've heard nothing from the ICC, which is fascinating given there is a T20 World Cup in just over a month's time," Paine said.

Afghanistan named its T20 World Cup squad on Thursday with Rashid Khan as the skipper, but the star spinner immediately resigned from captaincy, stating he was not consulted before picking the 15-member side.

The T20 World Cup will be held in the UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14.

Also read: Will not host Afghanistan men's team in November if women are not allowed to compete: CA

News source: PTI

Melbourne, Sep 9 (Cricket news): Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday made it clear that it will not host the Afghanistan men's team next month if women are not allowed to play the game under Taliban rule.

CA's statement comes a day after Taliban's cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, was quoted as saying that it wasn't necessary for women to play cricket.

"Driving the growth of women's cricket globally is incredibly important to Cricket Australia. Our vision for cricket is that it is a sport for all and we support the game unequivocally for women at every level," the CA said.

"If recent media reports that women's cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would have no alternative but to not host Afghanistan for the proposed Test Match due to be played in Hobart." "We thank the Australian and Tasmanian Governments for their support on this important issue," it added.

The one-off Test between Australia and Afghanistan is scheduled to begin on November 27 in Hobart.

The Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) also endorsed CA's stance.

"What is happening now in Afghanistan is a human rights issue that transcends the game of cricket.

"And while we would love to see players such as Rashid Khan play against Australia, hosting this Test Match cannot be considered if that same opportunity to play the game is denied to Roya Samim and her team-mates," it said.

Sports Minister Richard Colbeck has called for the International Cricket Council's intervention on the matter.

"Excluding women from sport at any level is unacceptable," Colbeck said in a statement.

"We urge international sport authorities, including the International Cricket Council, to take a stand against this appalling ruling."

Also read: Shami fit to play in Manchester; medical team monitoring Rohit, Pujara

News source: PTI

Melbourne, Sep 8 (Cricket news) Spin legend Shane Warne has heaped praises on Virat Kohli, saying he has instilled self-belief in his team and hoped that the Indian skipper continues to play for a long time as it augurs well for Test cricket.

India recorded a fine 157-run win over England in the fourth Test at the Oval to take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Also read: Charith Asalanka stars as Sri Lanka win 3 match ODI series against South Africa

"They look up to him. He's got the respect of all the players. They back him and they play for him. It's important for a captain that a team plays for you. I think the way Virat conducts himself, we've all got to say, 'Thank You Virat'," Warne said on Sky Sports.

"The way he's led them, he's made them believe; belief is such an important part of sports. If you don't believe, you won't succeed no matter how good a side you have.

"Kohli gives his team the belief and it's great to watch. Long live Test cricket while we've Virat Kohli. Please keep playing for a long long time," he added.

Kohli is India's most successful captain in overseas Test, having guided the country to 37 victories in 63 matches on foreign soil. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Sep 2 (Cricket news) It is only day four of the Indian women's cricket team's 14-day hard quarantine in "tiny" hotel rooms in Brisbane but the isolation is beginning to take a toll on the players, a BCCI official has said.

The official told PTI that rooms are too small at the government's institutional quarantine facility with players somehow managing to do light training.

"The rooms are way too small. You barely manage to move around and do some training. There are no guards manning the place like the players witnessed in the UK but it is very strict.

"The food served though is okay and there is change in menu everyday. It will be a challenging two weeks," the official said.

The players had an easier time in the UK as they were allowed to train within the first week of their quarantine after spending two weeks in isolation in Mumbai.

The squad arrived in Brisbane on Monday after change in tour itinerary due to COVID-19 related restrictions in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne, the original venues for the series comprising three ODIs, a day-night Test and three T20s.

All matches will now be played in Queensland with the start of the series likely to be delayed by two days to September 21.

The men's cricket team, which toured Australia this year, was allowed to train for a limited period during its quarantine. The women though are confined to their hotel rooms for 14 days.

Australia is among the countries which has imposed some of the harshest restrictions on international travellers to curb COVID-19.

Seeing the positives from the current situation, head coach Ramesh Powar tweeted a photo of his room window with caption "AS LONG AS YOU HAVE WINDOW,LIFE IS EXCITING".

Also read: Ashwin overlooked again; mystery continues over exclusion despite Kohli explainer

The hard quarantine had also taken a toll on the tennis players ahead of the Australian Open earlier this year.

Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka had spoken about breathing issues post her first round loss in Melbourne.

She was among more than 70 players who were forced to undergo s 14-day quarantine upon arrival. 

News source: PTI

London, Sep 1 (Cricket news) Wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik feels the time is ripe for R Ashwin to play his first match of the ongoing five-Test series between India and England.

India have gone with four pacers and a specialist spinner in Ravindra Jadeja so far in the series but that could change in the fourth Test beginning here on Thursday.

"I believe the time is ripe for Ravichandran Ashwin to make his first appearance of the series. Traditionally, The Oval has thrown up some of the flattest pitches in England, and it has been no different this season.

"Three of Surrey’s five matches at home in the County Championship have ended indecisively, and ten hundreds have been registered in those games," Karthik wrote in 'The Telegraph'.

Karthik feels Ashwin's versatility will help India at The Oval.

"If I was Virat Kohli, I’d like to bring a new dimension into play in this crucial Test. As Ashwin has shown in his storied career, he hasn’t necessarily relied on assistance from the surface to make an impact. England have two left-handers in their top three and three in the top seven." "The off-spinner’s record against lefties is second to none, and he is more than handy against the right-handers, who he tests with the knuckle ball and the floater that he has mastered through hours of diligent practice away from the harsh spotlight of the international game." Karthik, who will be playing in the upcoming IPL, said the conditions will suit Ashwin's style of bowling.

"In Australia, Ashwin got excellent drift with the Kookaburra ball, getting it to curl away from the right-hander in the air and break back on pitching. That’s how he had Steve Smith caught at leg-slip in the second Test in Melbourne.

"He is equally comfortable switching to around the stumps and getting the ball to go away with the angle, a trick that netted him the prized scalps of Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, Australia’s two best batsmen.

"Like the Australian tracks, The Oval boasts bounce, which is Ashwin’s greatest ally away from home. He is willing to try to buy wickets because he is always focused on getting batsmen out," Karthik wrote.

Skipper Virat Kohli can also open the bowling with Ashwin.

Also read: Karnataka speedster Prasidh Krishna added to main Test squad

"One of Ashwin’s specialties is that he lets the ball hang in the air; because he has big fingers, he imparts a lot of revs, which makes him particularly venomous whilst bowling to the lefties.

"At Headingley, as early as day one Moeen Ali got the ball to turn off shallow footmarks during his brief spell to Ajinkya Rahane. What it reiterates is that England can aid turn if there is moisture, if the surface is a little damp.

"Ashwin is adept at bowling with a new or newish red ball, so Virat can use him even in the first hour if there is dampness to be exploited. As the match progresses, of course, Ashwin will become a more potent weapon," added Karthik. 

News source: PTI

London, Sep 1 (Cricket news) Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane's wretched form and senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's probable inclusion will have the most significant impact on the Indian team's efforts to move on from its Leeds debacle when it takes on a stronger England in the fourth Test at the Oval starting Wednesday.

The high of an inspirational victory at the Lord's was followed by back-to-back batting debacles at Headingley and the penultimate game at Oval would certainly have an impact on both sides as the series heads towards its busin1ess end.

Skipper Virat Kohli had said that a victory at Lord's didn't guarantee a win in the next Test and a defeat at Headingley doesn't mean that an encore would happen at the Oval with the series locked at 1-1.

Not the one to believe that outside noise (fans and experts) should be given much credence, the Indian captain, in his heart of hearts, knows that all is not well with his batting unit and the biggest problem is the performance of its three middle-order stalwarts -- the skipper himself, Cheteshwar Pujara and his deputy Rahane.

Pujara might have redeemed himself with a knock of 91 which was high on "intent quotient" but the same can't be said about Rahane, whose form is shaky despite a crucial 61 in the second innings at the Lord's.

In all likelihood, Rahane would get another chance but over the past two years, his inconsistency has hurt this team badly.

What many people have found baffling is that even a hundred at Melbourne or a fifty at the Lord's hasn't inspired confidence and he has never looked like getting back into some kind of form.

A total of 95 runs in five innings at an average of 19 is not an indicator of Rahane's qualities but a spunky strokeplayer like Suryakumar Yadav or an orthodox batter like Hanuma Vihari might bring in a bit of freshness in the middle-order.

If Rahane is dropped at all, then Vihari has a better chance of coming in as he also bowls off-spin.

However, skipper Kohli has shown that he can be dogmatic even if suggestions to contrary come from some of India's biggest cricketing legends including Sunil Gavaskar, who feels that playing an extra batsman might help them.

An exhibit of it is his decision of not compromising with the five-bowler theory despite batting failures save for openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul (who had a poor third Test).

Ravindra Jadeja in this series, with two wickets from three games, has played primarily as a No.7 batsman whose willow-wielding skills are considered to be far better than Ashwin, who is perhaps the world's best spinner at the moment.

The Oval track has traditionally helped spinners and therefore Ashwin, who had a six-wicket haul in a county game for Surrey (vs Somerset) might just bring in his 400 plus wicket experience to trouble the English batters who have been wary of him in the past.

But Kohli, whose fascination for four pacers is well documented, might want to replace an off-colour Ishant Sharma with Shardul Thakur, who is more of an all-rounder and it remains to be seen if Ashwin comes in place of Jadeja, who hasn't been penetrative enough.

Similarly, the skipper has indicated looking at the workload of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, both of whom have bowled over 100 overs in the series so far.

If their middle-order is a cause of concern, the other aspect that's bound to give them sleepless nights is the form of rival skipper Joe Root, who has already tallied over 500 runs in just three games with a hat-trick of hundreds.

Also read: We are prepared against world class Ashwin: Root

If Ashwin gets a look-in, Root versus Ashwin will be a contest that a lot of cricket fans will be looking forward to.

For England, Dawid Malan, in his comeback match, was in good touch. Add to it, Mark Wood's blistering pace and Chris Woakes's incisive swing bowling and it is enough to ensure a bit of workload management for James Anderson.

Jonny Bairstow is expected to keep wickets as Jos Buttler has taken a break with his wife expecting their second child.

However, England have enough resources in their arsenal to trouble India.

Teams India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mayank Agarwal, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Shardul Thakur England: Joe Root (C), Moeen, Anderson, Bairstow, Billings, Rory Burns, Sam Curran, Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Malan, Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Match starts 3.30. 

News source: PTI

Brisbane, Sep 1 (Cricket news) Seven international games, including a Test match in a space of 20 days, won't allow Australia to field their best first XI in all games against India in the upcoming series, Southern Stars' head coach Matthew Mott has hinted.

With Sydney and Melbourne being COVID-19 hot-spots, the Indian team and 12 out of the 18 Australian players are currently in a two-week hard quarantine and according to a 'cricket.com.au' report, they will allowed out a week before the first WODI at Mackay on September 21.

The Indian team won't have any access to training facilities during the two-week hard (room) quarantine.

"Our sports science people are quite rightly nervous," Mott told 91.3 SportFM referring to seam bowlers Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Maitlan Brown and Stella Campbell, who are currently in room quarantine for a fortnight.

"Here, they won't bowl for 14 days and will go straight into a very congested schedule, so our management of the players has to be right on point,' Mott said.

He made it clear that all first team players won't get to play every game keeping workload management in mind.

"Not everyone is going to play every game, we've got 18 in our squad, and we've got some young players. The older more resilient players will find a way though because they've banked up that experience and their bodies are a bit stronger.

"But for the younger bowlers – Darcie Brown, Tayla Vlaeminck, Maitlan Brown – we've got to be very smart around how we integrate them into it." Among the Aussie pacers, Sutherland is returning from a stress fracture to her upper leg, Brown has recovered from severe hamstring injury while Vlaeminck has had a series of major foot, knee and shoulder injuries.

"In an ideal world, we'd have played the Test last to build up those loads gradually, but it's in the middle," Mott continued.

"So there are different bowlers we'll have to use in different formats and the consequence is we won't be able to play our best team every game – that would be crazy from a player fatigue and management point of view.

Also read: Trinbago Knight Riders looking for a record fifth title, Guyana Amazon Warriors start with a historic victory

"We'll try and make it work but it's going to be a really interesting series to see how we navigate around the complexities that will be thrown at us." Moot termed the schedule as a very "busy one" considering the team hasn't played a lot of cricket since April due to various state borders employing their own health safety protocol.

"It's going to be tough, it's going to be exciting but it's going to hit us hard. We've gone from not a lot of cricket to a very busy schedule overnight," Mott added.

Full Schedule Sep 21: First ODI, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay Sep 24: Second ODI, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay (D/N) Sep 26: Third ODI, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay Sep 30 – Oct 3: Test match, Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast (D/N) Oct 7: First T20, Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast Oct 9: Second T20, Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast Oct 10: Third T20, Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 28 (Cricket news) Indian women's ODI team captain Mithali Raj and coach Ramesh Powar on Saturday said the side is currently focussed on next year's World Cup and the tour of Australia will serve as ideal preparation for the mega event.

The Indian team is leaving for Australia on Wednesday to play three ODIs, a day-night Test and three T20Is.

"We need to understand that we are playing three ODIs first and we are focussing right now on the World Cup preparation," Powar said during a pre-departure press conference, even as questions revolved around the Pink ball Test against Australia.

"Regarding the one-off Test match we have to carry our one-day confidence into Test match. We don't have to prepare separately as we back our players in all formats. We try to inculcate how we should approach every format." The Australia tour will begin with the ODIs series, starting with the first game at the North Sydney Oval on September 19, followed by the second and third matches at the Junction Oval on September 22 and 24 respectively.

The women's 50-over World Cup is slated to be held in New Zealand in March-April next year.

Also read: England level 5-match series 1-1 after defeating India by an innings and 76 runs

Skipper Mithali said, "We know the areas we needed to improve and we worked and addressed those issues during the preparatory camp in Bangalore.

"Whatever results are there in Australia we still have few months for the World Cup. Australia tour is good for us because we are playing against the best, we will also get an idea about the team combination before the World Cup. So Australia tour is a good game plan before the Word Cup." In his second tenure as the women's national team coach, Powar said the team management is hoping to strengthen the fast bowling department in order to cut down the burden on veteran Jhulan Goswami.

"We are looking for consistency in fast bowling so that Jhulan can express herself, else she will be forced to become defensive and we don't want that situation," Powar said.

"We have to have support for Jhulan Goswami, we need to find her a partner so that she can bowl in partnership. We are focussing on Meghna Singh and we are looking forward to Pooja Vastrakar also.

"Once the selectors and team management decide on the final 20-25 players, we stay on the same page when we go into a series," he added.

Seam bowlers Meghna and Renuka Singh Thakur were handed maiden India call-ups, while left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad returned to the teams for the upcoming contests against Australia.

Mithali acknowledged that the pink ball Test is going to be a challenge for the players.

"It is going to be big because most of the questions are revolving about the pink ball than one-day cricket.

"The challenge would be more playing under lights. And also playing with the pink ball as we are all used to the red cherry. We have got feedbacks from the men." The ODI and Test skipper, a seasoned campaigner with an experience of over two decades, said a tour of Australia continues to be one of the toughest in international cricket.

"We don't go into a match with a set mindset as it depends on the situation. We want our team to go with a lot of confidence, without thinking about the grey areas.

"We know that we are playing the best side in the world and we will need to bring our 'A' game. But we are also very fortunate to have a camp of some 30 girls, with match simulation, matches under lights, we have pretty much done whatever we could with our preparation," Mithali said.

Perth will host the pink-ball one-off Test scheduled from September 30, followed by the T20Is at the North Sydney Oval on October 7, 9 and 11.

"Looking at the current situation we are happy to go to Australia and keep playing cricket. After England we had a one month break and we back ourselves to do well, we have played enough in the Bangalore camp and are prepared for any format," Powar said.

According to recent reports, the Indian team's schedule in Australia could be altered due to the border restriction and COVID-19 lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne.

Asked about it, Powar said, "We are looking forward to a tour which is challenging and we all are excited to go there and put in our best effort to make it a good tour." 

News source: PTI

Leeds, Aug 26 (Cricket news) Ageless English pacer James Anderson says the secret to his longevity in Test cricket lies in cutting down on his time at the nets to save it for the matches.

Anderson's masterclass was full on display in an awe-inspiring spell of 8-5-6-3 with the new ball as England bowled India out for 78 after Virat Kohli opted to bat in the first Test here on Wednesday.

"As I get older, I feel like I have to work that little bit harder in the gym. I feel like I bowl less in the nets, and try to save it for when it matters in the middle," the 39-year-old said after the first day's play.

"The biggest test in Test cricket is mentally getting yourself up for bowling big spells and playing in big games. It's about keeping yourself switch on through games and switch off when you are not bowling -- that's something I've always had." Just a week ago during the Lord's Test, Anderson, having grabbed a five-for in the first innings, was over-bowled in the second as the Indian tail frustrated the hosts with its remarkable resilience and invaluable runs.

"Walking off the pitch during the second Test at Lord's, pretty much everything hurt, but that gives so much satisfaction knowing that I have put a shift in for the team." Asked about his problematic right shoulder, he said: "It still hurts. You just find a way of putting up with it. it's just part and parcel of the job." Anderson said that after all the talk during the Lord's Test, the aim here was to "shut the noise" and focus on the job.

India took a 1-0 lead at Lord's riding on the tail-enders' brave display with the bat followed by their excellent bowling.

"We have made a conscious effort of trying to just focus on us, on what we do well and try and ignore everything else, the outside noise or wherever there might be going on, and make sure there's a real focus on what we do well," Anderson said.

He did admit that they had a chat in the dressing room.

"Yeah, I think there was a bit of chat about that. We were just making a point of trying to focus on what we do well.

"I think that you know the first three or four days at Lord's, we probably played brilliantly and maybe until day three, and then after that, just at times it did affect a little bit.

"We're individuals, at the end of it. We have made a conscious effort to try and focus only on us, what we do well: try and ignore everything else, the outside noise, or whatever that might be, going on." At Headingley, Anderson took off by dismissing KL Rahul with the fifth ball and then deceived Cheteshwar Pujara with an incoming delivery that swung away, but the biggest breakthrough came when he won his mini battle with Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

"I think so (it was special). We have had some great battles over the years. He is someone you want to keep quiet. Especially, in a five-match series, if he gets going he can be very disruptive," Anderson said of Kohli after dismissing him for the seventh time in Tests.

"I think the way we have bowled to him throughout the series has been very good. We just got to keep doing that and keep him quiet as often as we can." In reply, England openers Haseeb Hameed (60) and Rory Burn (52) remained unbeaten as the scorecard read 120 for no loss with a lead of 42 runs after day one.

Also read: Team India fall straight back down to planet earth after disappointing and lackluster day 1 at Headingley

Rating England's show as one of the best, Anderson drew parallel with their famous Boxing Day Test in 2010 when they had skittled out Australia for 98 before Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook put on a 157-run opening stand.

"It doesn't get much better than that. These days don't come around very often, so you just have to be happy when they do.

"The only difference with Melbourne is that I was keen to bowl there and I wasn't today for some reason. I was trying to tempt Joe into batting.

"But losing the toss, being asked to bowl and then putting in a performance like that, it doesn't get much better. We've talked about trying to bowl as a unit, as a group, and we just absolutely nailed it. With both ball and bat we've displayed exactly what we wanted to do." Showering praise on their opening duo, he said: "It was outstanding batting and exactly what we have been asking for." "When you bowl someone out for less than 100 you're never quite sure whether you've bowled well or if the wicket is not as good as you think it might be. So to see the way they both went about their business, just felt so calm in the dressing room.

"The way they were so measured, they were solid in defence, left well and put away the bad ball when they got one. I just thought it was brilliant Test match batting." Anderson was particularly happy for his former Lancashire teammate Hameed who shrugged off his Lord's disappointment with a half century. 

News source: PTI

Sydney, Aug 25 (Cricket news) The Indian women cricket team's schedule for the upcoming tour of Australia could be altered due to the border restriction and COVID-19 lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne, according to a media report.

India and Australia are set to battle it out across all three formats from next month.

The schedule includes three One-Day Internationals, as many Twenty20 Internationals and a historic day-night Test match at the WACA Ground.

The series is slated to begin with the first ODI in Sydney on September 19, before moving to Melbourne and Perth.

"But the ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne as well as state border closures make that unlikely," cricket.co.au reported.

"Cricket Australia is currently speaking with government authorities about how, where and when the seven games can be played.

"...an announcement expected shortly regarding changes to the seven-match schedule," the report added.

Cricket Australia had said it is monitoring the situation.

Also read: Meghna, Renuka earn maiden India call-ups as BCCI names women's squads for Australia tour

"Due to the current COVID challenges, Cricket Australia will continue to monitor the situation right across the country and will consider whether or not it needs to make any decisions regarding rescheduling or moving matches in due course," it said last week.

The Indian team is slated to leave for Australia on Sunday.

All international arrivals have to undergo a two-week quarantine, according to the COVID-19 protocols in Australia.

Australian players from New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria would also need to quarantine before the series if the matches are scheduled for another state.

Speaking last week, Australia skipper Meg Lanning said her players were ready to move at a moment's notice once the schedule is locked in.

"Things change very quickly these days. To be honest, every player within the squad is ready to move around at any point, we know how quickly things can change.

"At this stage, we're just planning on the schedule going ahead as it is and heading into a camp before that. But we also have got information that things could potentially change really quickly so we need to be ready for that," she added. 

News source: PTI

Melbourne, Aug 23 (Cricket news) Out-of-favour opener Usman Khawaja, who clashed with Justin Langer during Australia's tour of UAE in 2018, has backed the embattled coach to continue in the position through the Ashes and urged the payers to stop undermining him.

The Australian coach's position has come under heavy scrutiny since last week amid dressing room leaks about his intensity and mood swings that have not gone down well with the players.

But Khawaja, who had a heated exchange with Langer in 2018, which was captured in the docu-series 'The Test', backed the coach, saying the players need to raise their performance instead of expressing their grievances through the media.

"How do you think JL feels?" Khawaja asked on his Youtube channel.

"He probably feels like the guys in the team are stabbing him in the back, and that's what it looks like.

"That's why it's so disappointing. It's actually a really bad look. This is something the group needs to sort out ASAP." He added: "Let's put it into perspective here. It’s not always 100 per cent the coach's fault. The guys aren't performing, the players have to take onus too at some stage.

Also read: Sri Lankan leg-spin sensation Wanindu Hasaranga joins RCB, Katich steps down as head coach

"The guys have to perform better and at end of day it's not just one person, so I think there needs to be some sort of perspective put around this too." Relations between Langer and his players exacerbated with Cricket Australia holding emergency talks between senior executives and the cricketers to try and chart a roadmap ahead of the T20 World Cup and Ashes.

It is understood that an agreement had reached for everyone to work together, at least until Langer's contract expires next year.

Khawaja backed his coach despite the perception that he was dropped from the team because of his feud with Langer.

Meanwhile, Khawaja also rated the Indian attack as the best in the world and called Mohammed Shami as the most underrated bowler.

"In my opinion the Indian bowling lineup right now is the best bowling lineup in the world, yes there are awesome bowlers all around the world, but that lineup is unbelievable." On Shami, he said, "I think is the most underrated bowler in the world, in my opinion, Mohammed Shami, he's actually a lot quicker than you think.

"I think that's one of his skill sets and he always has that seam in a beautiful position but no one really talks about him genuine thing he is such a big part of that bowling lineup and people forget about him," said Khawaja.

News source: PTI

Melbourne, Aug 20 (Cricket news) Australian pacer Nathan Ellis has landed an IPL contract ahead of the second leg of the league in the UAE after being named as a travelling reserve in the national team for the T20 World Cup.

"Ellis was being chased by three IPL franchises for the upcoming tournament before agreeing to terms with an unnamed team on Thursday night," stated a report in cricket.com.au.

Earlier on Thursday, the 26-year-old Ellis was named as one of three Australian reserve players for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will follow the IPL.

Also read: Smriti Mandhana calls for six-team women's IPL

The development comes less than a fortnight after he picked up a hat-trick on international debut against Bangladesh in Dhaka.

The right-arm fast bowler's IPL deal is subject to approval from Cricket Australia which is likely to give him its go-ahead.

His wickets against Bangladesh included Mahdmullah, Mehidy Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman off the final three balls of the innings as he became the first cricketer to take a hat-trick on T20I debut.

He joined Brett Lee and Ashton Agar to become the third Australian to take a hat-trick in a T20 International match.

Ellis went unsold in the player auction in January. 

News source: PTI

Melbourne (Cricket news): Steve Smith, David Warner and Pat Cummins were on Thursday recalled as Australia named a full strength squad in search of an elusive ICC T20 World Cup title later this year.

The 15 man Australia squad for the showpiece, to be held in Oman and UAE in October, is a mixture of pace, spin and hard-hitters keeping in mind the slow, spin-friendly conditions of the pitches in the UAE.

The trio had opted out of Australia's limited overs tour of the West Indies and Bangladesh recently.

In a major development, Australia has included uncapped Josh Inglis as a backup to wicketkeeper Matthew Wade.

Inglis, who is yet to make his international debut, has been chosen ahead of Alex Carey and Josh Philippe.

Having dominated the ODI World Cup with record five titles and two runner-up finishes, Australia would be eager to break their jinx in the T20 World Cup.

Australia has endured a poor run in the T20 format off late, losing back-to-back series to West Indies and Bangladesh recently.

But the return of Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Warner, Cummins, Smith and Kane Richardson after opting out of recent white-ball tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh, will add much-needed firepower to Australia's team.

Smith has been included despite his ongoing elbow injury, while limited overs skipper Aaron Finch, who missed the Bangladesh series to undergo knee surgery, is expected to be fit on time for the tournament.

Also read: Joe Root and Babar Azam jump 2 places as Indian trio of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant remain unchanged

Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis and Daniel Sams have been named as reserves and will be travelling with the team.

Keeping in mind the spin-friendly conditions, Australia has included three frontline spinners in the squad -- Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson and Adam Zampa.

Mitchell Starc, Cummins, Richardson and Josh Hazlewood will be in charge of the pace department. "We are confident this squad has the ability to take the side deep into what will be an extremely competitive tournament," Australia's chief selector George Bailey said.

"We have some of the best players in the world in their respective roles combined with the collective experience to succeed against the very best T20 sides in the world." Bailey justified Inglis' selection, saying the wicketkeeper-batsman has been knocking the door for a while now.

"He (Inglis) offers the squad flexibility in the batting order with his adaptability, counterattacking ability and power striking," he said.

"He is a player we are excited about for the future." The T20 World Cup will feature 16 teams and will be played from October 17 to November 14.

Australia will open its campaign in the Super 12 stage against South Africa on October 23 The tournament was shifted to the UAE and Oman because of the COVID-19 situation in India.

Squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Pat Cummins (vice-captain), Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

News source: PTI 

Melbourne, Aug 18 (Cricket news) Star Australian batsman Steve Smith, who had been sidelined due to an elbow injury, is expected to make a return during the IPL, while limited overs team skipper Aaron Finch is on track to recover in time for the T20 World Cup.

Smith had given the tours of the Caribbean and Bangladesh a miss due to a left elbow injury, which had been troubling him since last year.

However, he has been recovering well with the 32-year-old batting in the nets for an hour at a time at New South Wales' training and is set to be available for the resumption of the IPL, according to cricket.com.au.

The IPL, which had been suspended in May due to multiple COVID-19 cases in its bio-bubble, has since been rescheduled to complete the remaining games between September 19 and October 15 in the UAE, finishing just two days before the T20 World Cup which has also been relocated to the region from India.

"It seems to be going really well. I know that he's (Smith) been building up his batting time over the last couple of weeks – I know that would have been difficult to have a time limit on his net times," Finch told cricket.com.au on Wednesday.

"From all reports he's been really strict with that, making sure he doesn't overdo his elbow so it hinders his rehab," he added.

Also read: Ricky Ponting backs Australian players to play in rescheduled IPL in UAE, says will be ideal preparation for T20 World Cup in October

Smith was acquired by Delhi Capitals for Rs 2.2 crore in the auction earlier this year.

"He's going really well. The last time I spoke to him he wasn't having any pain batting so that was a real positive. He's going to be such an important part of our campaign," Finch said.

The white-ball skipper, who recently had a surgery on his left knee, is confident of being fit before the World Cup.

"I'm confident of that (being fit for the World Cup)," said Finch.

"It will be come down to pretty minimal match practice which I think being older and being around for quite a while plays into my hands a bit, having (previously recovered from) some injuries where you don't have a lot of lead time into a series.

"I think that will help me. The surgery went as well as it could have and I'm walking around with no pain, which is the most important thing at this stage," he added.

Smith and Finch's return to the T20 squad ahead of the World Cup will be a big boost for the Australian side, which has lost five successive T20I series while winning just six of the 21 matches in the past year.

They lost two back-to-back series against West Indies and Bangladesh, which were intended to provide useful preparation ahead of the World Cup, with a similar 4-1 margin.

News source: PTI 

Melbourne, Aug 18 (Cricket news) The Australian women's team's seasoned campaigners Megan Schutt and Jess Jonassen have opted out of the upcoming multi-format home series against India due to various reasons.

The tour, starting September 19, involves three ODIs, three T20Is and one Day-Night Test.

While pace spearhead Schutt has requested the selectors to not consider her for selection due to personal reasons, spin bowling all-rounder Jonassen will miss the assignment after suffering a bone stress injury in her tibia. She is ranked world number in the ODIs.

Another notable absentee from the 18-member squad is Belinda Vakarewa, who is also skipping the series due to personal reasons.

The uncapped Maitlan Brown, who was part of the squad against New Zealand last year, has returned after a long layoff due to a hamstring injury.

Getting their first national call-ups are Stella Campbell and Georgia Redmayne.

The series is scheduled to begin with the ODIs on September 19 in Sydney (there is a possibility of a change in fixtures due to the ongoing coronavirus-enforced lockdown in New South Wales), followed by the lone Test at the WACA in Perth on September 30 and conclude with the T20Is in Sydney from October 7.

Also read: In this England team, so far only Root looked like scoring a century says Sachin Tendulkar

"We're fully supportive of the requests from Belinda and Megan to not be considered for selection and will continue to work with them to ensure they have the appropriate support," national selector Shawn Flegler said.

"As leader of the bowling attack, Megan's absence will provide the opportunity for someone else to play the type of role she has so well over a lengthy period.

"Jess is another big loss and will be disappointed to miss out, but she's another one that's worked hard over the winter and with a long summer ahead, her focus will be to get herself right with a lot of cricket left in the season." Redmayne, who has been playing for Welsh Fire in the women's Hundred, has been rewarded for her prolific WNCL form for Queensland last season, where she scored 531 runs at 132.75 with two centuries.

She was also Brisbane Heat's leading run-scorer in the WBBL with 357 at 32.45.

Pacer Campbell, who plays for New South Wales and Sydney Sixers, joins a growing list of young quicks in the Australia set-up alongside Tayla Vlaeminck, Darcie Brown and Maitlan Brown.

She only managed three wickets at 70.66 in last season's WNCL but was the Sixers' joint second-leading wicket-taker in the WBBL with ten scalps.

Australia squad: Meg Lanning, Rachael Haynes, Darcie Brown, Maitlan Brown, Stella Campbell, Nicola Carey, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Redmayne, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham.

News source: PTI

Melbourne, Aug 15 (Cricket news) Cricket Australia has cleared the way for the country's leading players to return to the rescheduled Indian Premier League in the UAE starting next month ahead of the T20 World Cup.

CA has issued No Objection Certificates for the players to return to the IPL next month, while a planned T20 tri-series with Afghanistan and West Indies may be re-purposed as (T20) World Cup warm-ups, according to a report in cricket.au.com.

This year's IPL was halted in May after an outbreak of COVID-19 in India, and about 40 Australian players, coaches, broadcasters and support staff had to spend time in Maldives while international borders were shut, before eventually returning home via a charter flight provided by the BCCI.

The IPL has since been rescheduled to complete the remaining 36 games in 27 days between September 19 and October 15 in the UAE, finishing just two days before the T20 World Cup begins, which has also been relocated to the region from India.

CA's clearance came after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed the postponement of a three-match ODI series between the two nations originally planned to be held in India in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, the report said.

A mooted T20 tri-series also involving the West Indies was due to form an important part of the World Cup preparations for all three squads, and Afghanistan authorities are continuing efforts to secure a venue to host it.

With the initial group stages of the T20 World Cup expected to be played primarily in Oman, the UAE venues could be free to host the matches between the end of the IPL and the start of the World Cup's Super 12 stage, expected to begin on October 23.

Seven players who participated in the initial stage of this year's IPL -- David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson and Daniel Sams -- are now expected to return to the lucrative T20 league.

Also read: Anything over 220 won't be easy won't be easy to chase says Moeen    

Pat Cummins has said he will miss the IPL reboot due the impending birth of his first child but has committed to Australia's T20 World Cup tilt.

Josh Hazlewood, Riley Meredith, Dan Christian, Moises Henriques, Mitch Marsh, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Ben Cutting and Josh Philippe are the other players that hold IPL deals.

Hazlewood, Marsh and Philippe had opted out of the first stage of the IPL tournament that was held in India, but are eligible to return to the reschedule closing stages.

It will also be the second successive season in which top players will miss the opening rounds of Australia's domestic competitions to participate in the IPL.

Australia's men's domestic summer is due to begin with a Marsh One-Day Cup game on September 11, meaning any players heading to the IPL and subsequent T20 World Cup will not feature at home before the Test summer begins against Afghanistan from November 27. News source: PTI

Melbourne, Aug 14 (Cricket news) Batting legend Ricky Ponting has backed Australian players to feature in the rescheduled Indian Premier League in the UAE, saying it would be an ideal preparation ahead of T20 World Cup in October.

The IPL will squeeze its remaining 76 games between September 19 and October 15 while the T20 World Cup will be held just after that from October 17 to November 14. Both tournaments will be held in the UAE.

"Those guys that haven't played for three or four months now, they need to get back into the groove of playing high-quality cricket against the best players in the world," Ponting was quoted by cricket.com.au as telling Australia Test captain Tim Paine in a conversation on SEN radio.

"No doubt it's their best preparation to be in those exact conditions, playing in probably the strongest domestic T20 tournament in the world," said Ponting, who will head to Dubai as head coach of IPL side Delhi Capitals.

Fast bowler Pat Cummins, who skipped the West Indies and Bangladesh tours to spend the time with his pregnant fiance, is not expected to return to the IPL with his first child due in the middle of the rescheduled tournament.

"For second half of this season it's going to be really tough to get over there," Cummins said in a vlog on his YouTube channel.

"We'll see how it plays out but at this stage it might be a bit too hard, but with the World Cup straight after that, I'm hoping to be good to go for that." Australia captain Aaron Finch this week had surgery on his right knee to repair cartilage damage he suffered in the West Indies. While the surgery was a success, he faces a 10-week recovery period, which will leave him sidelined right up until Australia's opening match of the Super 12 stage of the World Cup.

Finch has previously said he believed a return to the IPL would be "hard to justify" for players who had skipped the winter tours citing the fatigue and toll of hotel quarantines and bio-secure bubbles.

Riley Meredith, Dan Christian, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye and Josh Philippe were all part of the side that toured the Caribbean and Bangladesh, and all hold IPL deals.

Marsh and Philippe had opted out of the first stage of the IPL tournament that was held in India.

Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn and Ben Cutting - none of whom are in Australia's plans or hold state contracts - are the other Australians with IPL contracts.

Australia's T20 side, which did not have a host of first-choice players, suffered 1-4 series defeats against West Indies and Bangladesh recently, and Ponting said the results underlined the current lack of depth in Australian cricket.

Also read: KL Rahul backs Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to find form soon; says they know how to turn things around

The Australian side crashed to their lowest-ever T20I total of 62 against Bangladesh in Dhaka a few days ago.

"... whether it was a lack of confidence or a lack of skill or a lack of game awareness in the conditions. Just the lack of know-how and skill in those conditions brought us undone again.

"It's been the Achilles heel for Australian cricket for as long as I can remember. It just goes to show the depth around Australian cricket right now is not where it needs to be.

"The T20 World Cup is not far away (but) with everyone fit and healthy in the UAE, I still think the Australian team can push really hard to win that title that's eluded us," Ponting said.

News source: PTI

London, Aug 11 (Cricket news) Virat Kohli might have to seriously consider playing his best tweaker Ravichandran Ashwin instead of the injured Shardul Thakur but the Indian captain didn't specify whether the seasoned off-spinner would get the nod ahead of a pacer in the second Test against England.

While India were in a better position to win the first Test before the heavens opened up on the final day, the first innings score of 278 was still below par as none among Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane scored runs.

Not to forget that all three haven't scored heavily in the past two years and save Rahane, who got a hundred in Melbourne, the other two batting mainstays haven't been able to convert a lot of their half-centuries into three-figure marks.

Also read:Stuart Broad to miss the entire test series against India with right calf injury

"I don't think that's an area of concern. Our basic focus is not to think individually where people are but collectively how much strength they bring into the team is our focus. What's your best and strongest batting unit that you can take on the park," the skipper said.

As far as team combination is concerned, Shardul being ruled out with a "left hamstring injury" does tilt the lower-order batting balance, although the Mumbai seamer didn't trouble the scorers in the only innings that he played.

Ashwin, who was dropped from the playing XI in the drawn opening game in Nottingham because of Ravindra Jadeja's superior skills with the willow, is back in the mix as Thakur seems to have done his hamstring some damage during the training session at the Lord's on Monday.

It's still not clear whether he picked up the injury during the first Test or not.

With Thakur all but ruled out of the upcoming match starting Thursday, Kohli might have to revisit his 4-1 bowling combination which can't be cast in stone considering the lean nature of his team's lower-order batting.

"For us, it's about finding that perfect balance but if someone like Shardul is not available, then we definitely need to think how to pick up 20 wickets and not try to plug in another guy, who can give us some runs with the bat. I think we are very comfortable how first Test went," Kohli gave an open-ended answer.

London has been recording a maximum temperature of 24 degrees with average temperature around 14 degrees.

It would be interesting to see if England retain a green top like they did in 2018 when Indian batting collapsed twice in two days and all-rounder Chris Woakes walked away with the honours.

In case, the pitch is on the drier side, there will possibly be no harm in playing both Ashwin and Jadeja, who can trouble this brittle England batting line-up with their different variations.

The poor quality of the new generation of England Test players was exposed again as skipper Joe Root had to come to his team's rescue for the umpteenth time with a fifty in the first innings and a match-saving 21st Test hundred in the second essay.

There is every possibility that Rory Burns could be replaced by Haseeb Hameed, who scored a hundred opening the innings for the Combined Counties against Indians in the tour game last month.

For Kohli, if four pacers are non-negotiable, then one among Ishant Sharma or Umesh Yadav will be straightaway replacing Thakur but the choice might not be that easy.

"Most likely it will be a template going ahead [4-1 combination], but we've always been adaptable as well, to the conditions and pace of the wicket," Kohli had said after the first Test.

But adaptability is the rider that the Indian skipper used during that post-match conference and hence Ashwin, who is currently on the verge of surpassing Harbhajan Singh's (417 wickets) tally, comes into the picture.

If the skipper believes that his batting needs to be suitably beefed up, then Ashwin is the right choice in case weather permitting, there is something available on the fourth or fifth day Lord's pitch.

England are likely to miss their senior pacer Stuart Broad as he had injured his right calf muscle during a training session which possibly rules him out of the game.

England added Lancashire seam bowler Saqib Mahmood in the squad as cover with ECB informing that spinner Dom Bess will be leaving the squad and returning to Yorkshire.

In case the pitch offers some assistance, Moeen Ali, who has been inducted might again like to torment the Indians like he did in 2014 and '18 series or else there is world's fastest bowler Mark Wood, whose average speed is 90 clicks per hour.

For India, KL Rahul would like to consolidate his position at the top of the order even though Mayank Agarwal being back in the nets is a welcome sign for India.

While batting order might not be tinkered with but Agarwal's fitness could also make Rahul an option in the middle-order, where he personally prefers batting.

While both Pujara and Rahane are not in the best of form of late, they will only be replaced in the likely event of a last-minute injury. Squads: India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mayank Agarwal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav.

England: Joe Root (capt), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood.

Match Starts at 3:30 pm.

News source: PTI

London, Aug 11 (Cricket News) Captain Virat Kohli might have to seriously consider playing his best spinner Ravichandran Ashwin while expecting a far better show from the seasoned batting line-up when India meet England in the second Test at the Lord's starting Thursday.

While India were in a better position to win the first Test before heavens opened up on the final day, the first innings score of 278 was still below par as none among Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane (horrible mix-up) scored runs.

Not to forget that all three haven't scored heavily in the past two years and save Rahane, who got a hundred in Melbourne, the other two batting mainstays haven't been able to convert a lot of their half-centuries into three-figure mark.

As far as team combination is concerned, Shardul Thakur's hamstring injury does again tilt the lower-order batting balance although the Mumbai seamer didn't trouble the scorers in the only innings that he played.

Ashwin, who was dropped from the playing XI in the drawn opening game in Nottingham because of Ravindra Jadeja's superior skills with the willow, is back in the mix as Thakur seems to have done his hamstring some damage during the training session at the Lord's on Monday.

It's still not clear whether he picked up the injury during the first Test or not.

With Thakur being all but ruled out of the upcoming match, Kohli might have to revisit his 4-1 bowling combination which can't be cast in stone considering the lean nature of his team's lower-order batting.

London has been recording a maximum temperature of 24 degrees with average temperature around 14 degrees.

It would be interesting to see if England retain a green top like they did in 2018 when Indian batting collapsed twice in two days and all-rounder Chris Woakes walked away with the honours.

In case, the pitch is on the drier side, there could possibly be no harm in playing both Ashwin and Jadeja, who can trouble this brittle England batting line-up with their different variations.

The poor quality of new generation of England Test players was exposed again as skipper Joe Root had to come to his team's rescue for the umpteenth time with a fifty in the first innings and possibly a match-saving 21st Test hundred in the second essay.

There is every possibility that Rory Burns could be replaced by Haseeb Hameed, who scored a hundred opening the innings for the Combined Counties against Indians in the tour game last month.

For Kohli, if four pacers are non-negotiable, then one among Ishant Sharma or Umesh Yadav will be straightaway replacing Thakur but the choice might not be that easy.

"Most likely it will be a template going ahead [4-1 combination], but we've always been adaptable as well, to the conditions and pace of the wicket," Kohli had said after the first Test.

But adaptability is the rider that Indian skipper used during that post-match conference and hence Ashwin, who is currently on the verge of surpassing Harbhajan Singh's (417 wickets) tally, comes into the picture.

If the skipper believes that his batting needs to be suitably beefed up, then Ashwin is the right choice in case weather permitting, there is something available on the fourth or fifth day Lord's pitch.

England are likely to miss their senior pacer Stuart Broad as he had injured his right calf muscle during a training session which possibly rules him out of the game.

In case the pitch offers some assistance, Moeen Ali, who has been inducted might again like to torment the Indians like he did in 2014 and '18 series or else there is world's fastest bowler Mark Wood, whose average speed is 90 clicks per hour.

For India, KL Rahul would like to consolidate his position at the top of the order even though Mayank Agarwal being back in the nets is a welcome sign for India.

While batting order might not be tinkered with but Agarwal's fitness could also make Rahul an option in the middle-order, where he personally prefers batting.

Also read: The progression of Indian cricket from having no fast bowlers to having the best seam attack in the world

While both Pujara and Rahane are not in the best of form of late, they will only be replaced in the likely event of a last-minute injury.

Squads: India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mayank Agarwal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav.

England: Joe Root (capt), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, Moeen Ali, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Mark Wood.

Match Starts at 3:30 pm.

News source: PTI

Melbourne, Aug 10 (Cricket news) Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns is on life support at a hospital in Canberra after suddenly collapsing due to a major health issue, a report said on Tuesday.

According to a report in 'New Zealand Herald', Cairns "suffered a major medical emergency - an aortic dissection - in Canberra last week" and "will be transferred to a specialist hospital in Sydney soon." Aortic dissection is a serious condition in which a tear happens in the inner layer of the body's main artery.

"He has reportedly undergone several operations while in hospital, but has not responded to treatment as hoped," the report said.

One of the best all-rounders of his time, Cairns played 62 Tests, 215 ODIs and two T20Is for New Zealand between 1989 and 2006. His father Lance Cairns also played for New Zealand.

Also read: New Zealand Cricket announces different squads for sub-continent tour after clearing players to play the IPL

The 51-year-old, however, later faced allegations of match-fixing when he played in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League in 2008 and fought many legal battles to prove his innocence during which he won a defamation case against IPL founder Lalit Modi in London in 2012.

He again faced fixing allegations from fellow cricketers Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum before being acquitted of perjury and perverting the course of justice following a gruelling trial in London court in 2015.

Fighting corruption allegations took a toll on his life and at one point of time he had to take up a job with the Auckland Council to drive trucks and clean bus shelters to foot the legal bills. 

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 7 (Olympic news) They say fourth is the worst place to finish in the Olympics. If last is the most embarrassing, fourth is the most painful. When one endures it by the narrowest of margins, and in a sport like golf, it can't get any worse.

Aditi Ashok experienced that excruciating pain on Saturday, and with it, post-independent India's tryst with fourth-place heartbreaks at sport's grandest stage continued, the run beginning way back in 1956.

"You don't want to join that club," Aditi said, but joined she did, after missing out on what would have been a landmark medal.

"But I guess I've joined it. But no, I think it's good, just even top 5 or top 10 at an Olympics is really good." In golfing parlance it was a case of 'so near and yet so par'.

A day before, the Indian women's hockey team went through exactly the same heartbreak, losing 3-4 to Great Britain in the bronze play-off.

With her mother carrying the bag, Aditi was a step away from adding one of the finest chapters to the country's Olympic history, but eventually ended up joining a list, which includes some of the country's greatest athletes, that no sportsperson wishes to be part of.

Here is a look at the instances when India came close but ended at just that.

#It all began at the 1956 Games in Melbourne, where the Indian football team made the semifinals after beating hosts Australia 4-2 in the quarterfinals, with Neville D'Souza becoming the first Asian to score a hat-trick at the Games.

By giving his team the lead, Neville looked like doing an encore in the last-four clash against Yugoslavia, who came back strongly in the second half to seal the contest in their favour.

In the bronze medal classification match, India could not recover from the blow they received against Yugoslavia, losing to Bulgaria 0-3, drawing to a close an eventful few days which the great P K Banerjee would often reminisce about.

#Four years later, at the 1960 Games in Rome, another heartbreak awaited India as the legendary Milkha Singh missed out on a bronze by the narrowest of margins.

Competing in the 400 metres final and touted as a medal contender, the 'Flying Sikh' fell short by a mere 1/10th of a second after slowing down to see his fellow competitors, an error that he would regret for the rest of his life.

This would go down as his life's worst memory after his parents were killed in the aftermath of the partition.

Milkha almost gave up the sport after that loss and it required a lot of persuasion for him to hit the track again and win two gold medals in the 1962 Asian Games.

#A little more than four decades before the players of current Indian women's hockey team endured the agony of narrowly missing out on a medal, their predecessors had gone though a similar experience when they lost their last match to erstwhile USSR 1-3 to finish behind Zimbabwe, Czechoslovakia and the Russians.

With top hockey nations such as the Netherlands, Australia and Great Britain boycotting the 1980 Moscow Games over the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan, the Indians had a great chance to finish on the podium in their their first attempt itself, but all they could manage was the fourth position.

#The 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles brought back memories of Milkha in Rome when P T Usha missed the 400-metre hurdles bronze by 1/100th of a second, making it the closest-ever miss for an Indian athlete in any competition.

Known as the 'Payyoli Express', she ended up fourth behind Romania's Christina Cojocaru, but her heroic effort left a lasting impression and she became a household name.

The 400-metre hurdles was introduced for the first time in LA, raising hopes of a podium for the fancied Indian.

#After a long gap of 20 years, the curse of the fourth place finish returned to haunt the Indian contingent when the celebrated duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi missed out on the podium at the Athens Games in 2004.

Arguably India's greatest tennis doubles pair, Paes and Bhupathi missed out on a bronze medal after losing a marathon men's doubles match to Croatia's Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic 6-7 6-4 14-16 to end fourth.

Before that, the Indian pair went into semifinals as favourites but lost to the German duo of Nicholas Kiefer and Rainer Schuttler in straight sets 2-6 3-6.

At the same Games, Kunjarani Devi, who had inspired Tokyo Olympics silver-medallist Mirabai Chanu to take up the sport, finished fourth in women's 48 kg weightlifting competition, but she was not really in medal contention.

Disqualified in her final attempt to lift 112.5 kg in the clean and jerk category, Kunjarani finished with overall 190 points, 10 points behind bronze medallist Aree Wiratthaworn of Thailand.

#At London 2012, shooter Joydeep Karmakar experienced the terrible feeling of finishing a place behind the bronze medal winner.

Karmakar had finished seventh in the qualification round of men's 50-metre rifle prone event, and in the finals, he ended just 1.9 points behind the bronze medal winner, Rajmond Debevec of Slovenia.

Also read: Bajrang Punia wins Olympics Bronze; beats Kazakhstan’s Daulet Niyazbekov 8-0

#In 2016, when the Olympics was held in Rio de Janeiro, Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian woman gymnast to compete at the Games. After making the final of the women's vault event, Karmakar finished fourth overall with a score of 15.066 and missed the bronze medal by 0.150 points.

She introduced the sport to India and gave the message that one doesn't have to be born in the USA or Russia to become an excellent gymnast.

At the same Games, Abhinav Bindra's illustrious career was headed for a fairytale finish but a shooter of even his class was not spared of the curse of the fourth place finish, as he missed the bronze medal by a whisker, eight years after his historic gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

News source: PTI

The Melbourne Renegades will premiere a new two-part TV series called "The Renegades Recruit" tonight, which will be available for free on Kayo and the club's social media platforms.

The initiative, created for our game's unsung heroes, provides one male Victorian community cricketer with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: a two-week, all-expenses-paid pre-season vacation with the Renegades Academy players.

With a first assignment at the NT Strike League, the winner will rub shoulders with Cameron Boyce, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, and Josh Lalor while studying under Renegades Head Coach David Saker.

Any male cricketer in Victoria aged 18 or older who had not previously won a spot on a state contract list or been picked in a senior Premier Cricket squad in the preceding two years was eligible to compete. Community clubs and associations submitted nominations.

The first episode, according to Melbourne Renegades General Manager James Rosengarten, will keep fans coming back for more.

“We’re really looking forward to releasing ‘Renegades Recruit’ tonight – a fantastic fly-on-the-wall mini-documentary series. I’m sure many of us have had those ‘imagine if I could’ moments and this brings that to life – the chance to join the Renegades Academy squad on a pre-season trip,” Rosengarten said.

Also read: Indian cricket team beat Sri Lanka in T20 Opener

“We’ve left no stone unturned either – our WBBL Head Coach Simon Helmot has put the group through their paces, just as we would with our regular players. We’re hopeful that following the success of this series, we’ll be in a position to launch a Renegades Recruit program for all our female players across Victoria to get involved as well.”

Throughout the two-part series, the best of this year's players will be put to the test, culminating in a final three public vote as the series finale.

The winner will be determined by a public vote, and will be guaranteed a spot on the upcoming pre-season tour.

“I’d like to thank everyone at the Renegades and Cricket Victoria who have worked on this project with us. What started as a simple idea has been transformed with the power of work that has gone into the show you’ll see tonight,” Rosengarten added.

Note: The Renegades Recruit winner is part of the Renegades Academy squad's travelling group. The winner is not guaranteed a spot in the BBL.
 

The Olympics has always been the biggest sporting event in the world. It’s a dream for any athlete to win the Olympic gold medal and sharing these moments with your loved ones is a once in a lifetime experience. However, some lucky few athletes have shared the Olympic podium with their significant other, what are the odds of that?

Let’s explore all the married couples who have shared the stage with their better half in the history of the Olympics Games.

Hermann de Pourtalès and Hélène de Pourtalès

The Olympic Games in 1900 saw the husband and wife pair of Hermann de Pourtalès and Hélène de Pourtalès aboard the Swiss boat Lerina as the pair went on to win the gold medal in the first race of 1 — 2 ton and silver medal in the second race of 1 — 2 ton class. Interestingly, Hélène de Pourtalès also became the first woman to ever win an Olympic gold and the American born sailor was the first woman to represent Switzerland at the Olympic Games.

Cyril and Dorothy Wright

The 1920 Summer Olympics saw another married couple Cyril and Dorothy Wright aboard the British boat Ancora which won the gold medal in the 7 meter class. This extraordinary feat of winning gold as a married couple was not repeated for Great Britain for nearly a century until  Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh won the gold medal in women’s hockey at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Aladár Gerevich and Erna Bogen-Bogáti

Fencers Aladár Gerevich and Erna Bogen-Bogáti were a married couple that represented Hungary together at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Widely regarded as ‘the greatest Olympic swordsman ever’ Aladár Gerevich went on to win gold medals in six Olympics, becoming the only athlete to ever do so (despite two Olympic Games being cancelled because of World War). His wife Erna Bogen-Bogáti also went on to win a bronze medal at the 1932 Olympic Games.

Dezső Gyarmati and Éva Székely

The Hungarian pair of Dezső Gyarmati and Éva Székely participated in three Olympics, the 1948 Olympic Games in London, 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki and 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. Dezső Gyarmati is the most decorated player in the history of water polo and a three time Olympic champion. His wife Éva Székely won the gold medal in the 1952 Olympic Games in the 200-metre breaststroke category and a silver medal at the 1956 Olympics. She has set six world records, won 44 national titles and held the first world record in the 400 m individual medley.

Emil Zátopek and Dana Zátopková

Emil Zátopek was a  Czechoslovak long-distance runner who won three gold medals at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres run. He was also the first runner to break the 29 minute record for the 10,000 metre distance and is widely considered to be one of the greatest runners of the 20th century. His wife Dana Zátopková was a Czech javelin thrower who also won the gold medal in the 1952 Summer Olympics. She also set a world record in 1958 at the age of 35 with a distance of 55.73 m.

Takashi Ono and Kiyoko Ono

Retired Japanese gymnast Takashi Ono competed in four Olympics from 1952 to 1964 and won five gold, four silver and four bronze medals. He was also the flag bearer of his country at the 1960 Olympic Games and has been inducted at the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. His wife Kiyoko Ono participated alongside him in the 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won a bronze medal in gymnastics. She died on 13th March, 2021 due to COVID-19.

Al Joyner and Florence Griffith Joyner

American track and field coach and former athlete Al Joyner was a 1984 Olympic gold medallist in the triple jump. He was also coach and husband to the four time Olympic medallist Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo-Jo). Widely regarded as the fastest woman of all time, her world records from 1988 for 100 m and 200 m have still not been surpassed. Florence won three gold medals at the 1988 Olympics and a silver medal in the 1984 Olympics where she participated alongside her husband.

Also read: Is the Tokyo Olympics 2021 worth it?

Géza Imre and Beatrix Kökény

Hungarian fencer Géza Imre is a three time Olympic medallist, having won a bronze in 1996, silver in 2004 and another silver medal in the 2016 Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro. His wife Beatrix Kökény won a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympic Games and a silver in 2000 and has been awarded Hungarian Handballer of the Year three times.

Emanuel Rego and Leila Barros

Emanuel Rego has competed in five consecutive summer Olympics, representing Brazil as a male volleyball player. He won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and a bronze medal in Beijing. His wife Leila Barros won two Olympic bronze medals for volleyball in 1996 and 2000.

Erwann Le Péchoux and Inès Boubakri

French foil fencer Erwann Le Péchoux competed in two Olympic Games (2004 and 2016) and is a four time team World Champion (2005, 2006, 2007, and 2014). He converted to Islam to marry Tunisian foil fencer Inès Boubakri who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Jason Kenny and Laura Trott Kenny

Representing Great Britain as a track cyclist in three Olympic Games (2008, 2012 and 2016) Kenny is the joint holder of the highest number of Olympic gold medals for a British athlete (6). His wife Laura Kenny has won four Olympic gold medals from the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and is the most successful female track cyclist and the most successful female competitor for any sport in Britain.

Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton

Two time Olympic champion Ashton Eaton is an American decathlete who is also a world record holder of the indoor heptathlon event. He won two gold medals, one at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the other at the 2016 Olympic Games in Tokyo. His wife Brianne Theisen-Eaton is an Olympic bronze medallist from the 2016 Summer Olympics and is the first and only Canadian woman to podium in the multi-events at the World Championships.

Kate Richardson-Walsh and Helen Richardson-Walsh

English field hockey player Kate Richardson-Walsh is a two time Olympic medallist, having won gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and a bronze at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. She has 375 caps for her country and served as captain for 13 years. Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh became the first same sex couple to win an Olympic gold medal together and the first married couple for Great Britain since 1920.

Stay tuned for part 2 for more couples who achieved glory at the Olympics

Colombo, Jul 23 (Cricket news) The ongoing third ODI between India and Sri Lanka here is only the second instance in history when India handed debuts to five players in a 50-over match.

After sealing the three-match series on Tuesday, five rookies – aggressive left-handed batsman Nitish Rana, leggie Rahul Chahar, left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya, off-spinner Kishnappa Gowtham and wicket-keeper Sanju Samson, made their ODI debuts.

Chahar and Samson have already played T20 Internationals for India, but got their ODI caps on Friday at the R Premdasa Stadium.

Also read: 3rd ODI: India to bat first against SL, includes five debutants with six changes in playing XI

The only time when India had five debutants in an ODI was against Australia in December 1980 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground when spinner Dilip Doshi, Kirti Azad, Roger Binny, Mumbai stylish batsman Sandeep Patil and Tirumalai Srinivasan made their debuts.

Left-handed batsman and wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan and Mumbai's Suryakumar Yadav had made their ODI debut in the first game at the same venue.

News source: PTI

Tokyo, Jul 23 (Tennis news) Indian tennis players need no less than a miraculous performance to get close to the medal rounds as an under-prepared team of Sania Mirza and debutant Ankita Raina faces a tough Ukrainian challenge in the opener while Sumit Nagal has got a tough draw in the singles competition starting Saturday. Mirza, who is making a record fourth Olympic appearance, and debutant Raina are going into the Olympics without playing a single competitive match together this year, which is far from ideal preparation for the biggest sporting event on earth.

The last time Mirza and Raina shared the court was in March 2020 during the Billie Jean King Cup.

They will open their campaign against Ukraine's twin sisters Nadiia and Lyudmyla Kichenok.

"Every match is going to be a challenge and we will take one match at a time. Because Of pandemic and quarantine rules we were playing different tournaments. So after Fed Cup we didn’t get a chance to play together," Raina told PTI.

However, Mirza has tons of experience and she is playing with a player who is known to punch above her weight while representing the nation.

Raina has a big heart for fight but it will all depend on the performance of Mirza, who has not been in the best of form with her serve being an issue.

During the recent Wimbledon championships, Mirza gradually upped her game from the baseline but her feeble serve was easily tackled by the rivals.

Interestingly, when Mirza returned to competitive tennis after the COVID-19 induced break in March this year, she and her Sloveinan partner Andreja Klepac had faced the same Ukrainian sister pair and had prevailed. Ranked as low as 137 post maternity break, 34-year-old Mirza has played only eight matches this season with a 4-4 win-loss record.

Also read: Deemed 'extreme risk' nation, India denied entry into ITF World Junior Finals

The 28-year-old Raina, ranked 100, has just one singles main draw victory to show since the beginning of the 2021 season.

In the doubles, she grabbed her first ever WTA title with partner Kamila Rakhimova at the Phillip Island Trophy in Melbourne in February and broke into doubles top-100 but suffered five straight first round defeats after that.

Had it not been for Mirza's Protected Ranking of nine, India would not have a women's doubles team at the Games.

In complete contrast, Nadiia, ranked 44, had played eight WTA Tour events with her sister Lyudmyla Kichenok, ranked 48, in 2020 and one this year.

Together they did not enjoy much success but Nadiia otherwise had decent results with Romania's Raluca Olaru in 2021.

They won the won St Petersburg (WTA 500) in March and reached the semifinals in Stuttgart (WTA 500) in April and ended runners-up in Bad Homburg last month.

If Mirza and Raina win their opener, they could face American eighth seeds Nicole Melichar (doubles world number 9) and Alison Riske (singles world number 36) in the next round.

In the men's singles, Nagal is extremely lucky to get an entry into the Olympics as with a rank of 144 on the cut-off date of June 14, he was far away from making the cut.

However, a spate of withdrawals pushed him inside.

Nagal's recent performances do not inspire confidence though at the start of the season he had pulled off the biggest victory of his career when he beat then world number 22 Cristian Garin.

However, after that he has managed only two quarterfinal appearances at the Challenger level, struggling badly on the Tour.

Nagal had hinted that he was struggling with some health issues and that was the reason for him not getting the desired results.

He faces Asian Games champion Denis Istomin in his first round. The Uzbekistan veteran had won the quota from the 2018 Jakarta Games by taking the men's singles title.

The grinder that Nagal is, there is a possibility of him getting past the 34-year-old Uzbek but the Indian may next face world number two and Australian Open runner-up Danill Medvedev from Russia and that could be end of the road for him.

News source: PTI 

Kochi: July 22, 2021: In transfer news Kerala Blasters FC is excited to welcome the signing of midfielder Adrián Nicolás Luna Retamar before the 2021/22 ISL season. The Uruguay attacking midfielder joins Kerala Blasters FC all the way from Melbourne City on a contract which will for two years.

Luna, who played 24 matches for Melbourne city in the A-league last season scoring three goals and four assists, started his stint as a footballer at the youth academies of Club Atletico Progreso, Montevideo Wanderers, and Defensor Sporting in Uruguay. Gradually, he was promoted to Defensor’s U19 and the first team in 2010. Loan spells at Spanish clubs Espanyol, Gimnastic, and CE Sabadell came next for the forward, who then came back to Defensor in 2013. After two more seasons at the Uruguayan club, he moved to Mexico where he played for Tiburones Rojos and Venados FC. In July 2019, Luna joined the Australian outfit Melbourne City, he made it to two seasons in over 51 appearances for the Melbourne club.

He has also represented Uruguay U17 and U-20 international, the 29-year-old has made 19 appearances for his national team across both the age categories. He played in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2009, and the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2011, scoring a goal each in both the World Cups. In a club career that has been over 11 years, the attacking midfielder has made 336 appearances for all clubs, scoring 47 times along with providing 46 assists.

Also read: Hyderabad FC sign youngster Aniket Jadhav

Kerala Blasters FC’s Sporting Director, Karolis Skinkys said: “Adrián Luna is a player with great calibre, and I am sure that this will make our team stronger. Apart from being a good playmaker and smart operator in tight spaces, I liked that Adrian is a hardworking player who always cares about team performance. So, I would like to welcome Adrian to join the Kerala Blasters family.”

Adrián Luna commented: “Very happy to join Kerala Blasters, the great family with the best fans in the country without a doubt. I am looking forward to training and meeting my teammates and all the technical staff.”

Adrián Luna is the first overseas player this season at Kerala Blasters FC, and is joined by Sanjeev Stalin, Hormipam Ruivah, Vincy Barreto and Harmanjot Khabra.
 

As there is only 24 hours to go, Indian athletes will look forward to bringing back a couple of medals and inspire all of us back at home. India has competed in every Olympics since the start. The Hockey men’s team has been the most successful with five Golds, one Silver and three bronze medals. India is predicted to put up a record performance this Olympics. With international champions in many events competing, Indians will put up a show and try to surpass their London performance. Wrestling has been strong for the country and also shooting. In  Olympic news, tomorrow is the Opening Ceremony and Tokyo will be looking forward to being the host for the Champions.

1948 London Olympics

India participated in the Olympics for the first time as an independent nation. Out of the 79 athletes all of them were men. India won its first medal at the Olympics in men’s hockey, they won the Gold after defeating Great Britain 4-0 in the finals. It was their only medal in that Olympics.

1952 Helsinki

India fielded women athletes for the first time in the Olympics, four female athletes competed as two were in athletics and the other two were in swimming. Arati Saha competed in the 200m breaststroke event and she was the youngest in the team aged 12 years,  Dolly Nazir competed in the 100m Freestyle and 200m Breaststroke. Nilima Ghose was the first Indian woman track athlete, she was 17 years old when she competed in the Olympics and competed in the 100m and 80m hurdles in which she finished 5th. Mary D'Souza Sequeira also participated in the 100m and 200m, she had won a silver in the 100m relay team and bronze in the 200m at the Asian Games 1951 in Delhi. She is also the first double international from India as she had also represented the hockey team in 1953 and 1956.

It was also the first time that India had won two medals in Olympics, Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav won the first individual medal for India as he took the bronze in Men's freestyle bantamweight. The hockey men’s team won its second gold as they easily beat Netherlands 6-1 in the finals. India ended the games with one Gold and one Bronze.

1956 Melbourne

The men’s team achieved a hatrick of Gold medals in Hockey as they defeated arch rival Pakistan 1-0 in the finals. This was Milkha Singh’s first Olympics where he competed in the 200m and 400m. Mary Leela Rao was the Only women competitor from India as she competed in the 100m. The Indian Football team finished a historic fourth as Neville D'Souza finished joint highest goalscorer in the tournament. India finished with one Gold medal in the games.

1960 Rome

The 1960 Olympics will be remembered for Milkha Singh as he came real close to winning a medal in the Men’s 400m. He finished fourth in the final although was leading the race in the start. The men’s hockey started well as they thrashed Denmark 10-0 in their opening match but came up short in the final losing to Pakistan 0-1, this was the first time they had to settle for a silver in the Olympics. India also had no women representation for the second time at the Olympics and finished the games with one Silver medal.



1964 Tokyo

The men’s hockey team won their fourth Gold medal by defeating Pakistan 1-0, the two teams were facing each other in the final for the third consecutive time. There was only one Women competitor this time, Stephie de Souza competed in the 400m and set a national record of 58 seconds. She had won a silver in the 200m at the Tokyo Asian Games in 1958 and was the first Indian woman to run the 100m in 12 seconds. India finished with one Gold medal in the games.

1968 Mexico

The men’s hockey team finished third for the first time. They had lost to Australia in the semifinals 1-2 and in the Bronze medal match defeated West Germany 2-1. No women competitors were there for the third time. They finished the games with one Bronze medal.

Also read: Amid COVID gloom, could it be 'India Shining' in Tokyo? All indications say yes

1972 Munich

The Olympics was known as the Munich Massacre as 8 Palestinian Terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes, coaches and officials. The games were carried on after the attack as it shocked the entire world. Kamaljeet Sandhu was the lone women athlete from the country as she took part in the 400m, she had earlier won the gold in the 1970 Asian Games and became the first indian woman athlete to win individual gold in Asian Games. The men’s hockey team finished third for the second time. They lost to Pakistan in the semifinals 2-0 and in the Bronze medal match defeated Netherlands 2-1. India finished with one Bronze medal in the Games.

1976 Montreal 

This was the first time that the men's hockey team returned without a single medal in the Olympics. There were no women competitors for the fourth time and the first time the country returned without an Olympic medal.

1980 Moscow

This was the first time P.T Usha competed in the Olympics and the first time Women’s hockey was included in the Olympics. The men’s hockey team won the gold defeating Spain 4-3 in the final. India finished with One gold medal in the Games.

1996 Atlanta

After 44 years India finally won an Individual Olympic medal as Leander Paes won the bronze in Tennis in Men’s Singles. This was also the first medal after the Gold in men’s hockey in 1980. India finished with one Bronze medal in the Games.

2000 Sydney

History was created in Sydney as Karnam Malleshwari won the Bronze in the 69 kg women’s weightlifting category. She became the first woman from India to win an Olympic medal. India finished with one Bronze medal in the Games.



2004 Athens

A new milestone was created in the Games as India won its first Individual Silver in the Olympics. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore finished second in Men’s Shooting in Double trap as this was the only medal in the games. India finished with one Silver medal in the Games.

2008 Olympics

This was the first time India won multiple medals in a single Games. Abhinav Bindra won the first individual Gold for India at the Olympics in Men's 10 m air rifle and the first Gold medal after the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Vijender Singh won the Bronze in the Middleweight 75 kg men’s boxing, Sushil kumar took the third medal in Men's freestyle 66 kg wrestling. India finished the games with one Gold and two Bronze medals.

2012 London

This is India’s best Olympic performance till date with 6 medals. Vijay Kumar won the Silver in Men's 25 m rapid fire pistol, Sushil Kumar won the Silver men's freestyle 66 kg wrestling and became the only Indian Olympian to win two individual medals. Mary Kom won the Bronze in the women's flyweight Boxing, Saina Nehwal won India’s first Badminton medal a Bronze in the women's singles. Yogeshwar Dutt also won a Bronze in the men's freestyle 60 kg wrestling and Gagan Narang won a Bronze in men's 10 m air rifle in shooting. India finished with four Bronze and two Silver medals.

2016 Rio de Janeiro

India won two medals in the Rio Olympics 2016, as the men came home empty handed. PV Sindhu became the youngest Indian Olympic medalist by winning the silver medal in women’s singles badminton, Sakshi Malik won the bronze in women's freestyle 58 kg. India finished with two medals in the games with one Silver and one Bronze.

In Olympics news, members of the International Olympic Committee decided today to choose Brisbane as the host city for the XXXV Olympiad in 2032.

Under tight COVID-19 rules, the secret ballot was held at the 138th Session in Tokyo, two days before the Olympic Games' Opening Ceremony. Brisbane 2032 gave a presentation, which included a video link-up from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, as well as a final report from Kristin Kloster, Chair of the Future Host Commission for the Games of the Olympiad – the IOC body in charge of monitoring and analysing interest in hosting the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games.

From a total of 77 valid ballots, Brisbane received 72 yes votes and 5 no votes.

IOC Members had the opportunity to ask Mrs Kloster questions about the election process and Brisbane 2032 questions about their plan to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane and South-East Queensland prior to the voting.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “We encourage Olympic Games projects which are sustainable and economically responsible, which deliver the best possible Games experience for athletes and fans, and which leave solid legacies for local communities.

Also read: Fractured skull and broken bones later, teenage skateboarder Sky Brown ready to be Britain's youngest Summer Olympian

“The Brisbane 2032 vision and Games plan fit into long-term regional and national strategies for social and economic development in Queensland and Australia, and complement the goals for the Olympic Movement outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020 and 2020+5, while focusing on providing memorable sports experiences for athletes and fans.”

“Today’s vote is a vote of trust that Brisbane and Queensland will stage magnificent Olympic and Paralympic Games 2032. We have heard a lot of positive feedback from IOC Members and International Federations in the past few months.”

Brisbane 2032 is the first prospective host to be chosen under the new flexible system to elect Olympic hosts, and to have fully benefited from it. The revisions allow the IOC to collaborate with cities, regions, and countries to promote Olympic programmes that make extensive use of current and temporary venues, are in line with long-term development goals, and have a clear vision for sports and local communities.

President Bach said: “This new approach is lighter, more collaborative, more compact, and has a positive impact. Now we always have a significant pool of Interested Parties for 2036, and even for 2040, which is almost 20 years from now. I can’t remember that we have ever been in such a favourable position 20 years before an Olympic Games.

“We enter Tokyo 2020 with full confidence for the future of the Olympic Movement.”

Prime Minister of Australia, the Honourable Scott Morrison MP, said: “The 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Queensland will forge an enduring legacy for our entire nation. They will support economic growth and investment, deliver lasting community benefits and inspire the next generation of Australian athletes.

“I am proud of Australia, proud of Queensland and proud of our team that secured this win for our country.

“The Commonwealth Government has supported Brisbane’s candidacy for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games right from the very start. We believe in this bid.

“We know it’s a huge opportunity for our nation, just like the Melbourne Games in 1956 and the Sydney Olympics in 2000.”

Following the election, the Premier of Queensland and Minister for Trade, Annastacia Palaszczuk MP, Councillor Adrian Schrinner, the Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Brisbane, and Mr John Coates AC, President of the Australian Olympic Committee, signed the Host Contract 2032.

Ms Palaszczuk said: “Queensland’s fundamental approach is to align Games legacy with long-term plans.

“We will work with all three levels of government to embed Games legacy opportunities in existing programmes and will create a special Games Legacy Fund.

“This is to ensure the effective delivery of legacy over the next 10 years – and the 10 years after that.

“That means we develop not just a new generation of Olympic athletes, but we give our small businesses the opportunity to participate too, grow their business and export to the world.”

Councillor Schrinner added: “Local government leaders began this incredible journey, and now it is our job to ensure that Brisbane 2032 delivers a legacy to everyone who calls South-East Queensland home.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for the fastest growing capital city in Australia, and a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games will help our region cater for the growth to come and guarantee Brisbane will get even better.”

IOC Members have been involved and consulted throughout the process since June 2019, when the new approach to electing was approved.

Mrs Kloster has previously presented three reports to the Session, the most recent of which was a thorough Future Host Commission report and Feasibility Assessment in March of this year. The Session supported the decision to have a Targeted Dialogue with Brisbane 2032 after receiving the report in March of this year.

In June, as part of the IOC's monthly discussions with Members, a second in-camera meeting with IOC Members took place. The Members' technical briefing was replaced by this meeting, which included a detailed presentation from the Brisbane 2032 team and the Australian Olympic Committee.

Mrs Kloster also informed members on the project's in-depth study conducted through Targeted Dialogue, following which Brisbane 2032 submitted a Final Submission in response to the IOC's Future Host Questionnaire, outlining its vision and technical ambitions for hosting the Games. This resulted in the Future Host Commission Report, which recommended that Brisbane 2032 be put forward for election, which was backed up by an IOC Executive Board decision.

According to early sources, Brisbane 2032 spent about 80% less than the average candidate city budgets for the Games in 2020, 2024, and 2028. Audited accounts, which are a requirement of the election process, will corroborate this in due time. The Olympic Games Organising Committee (OCOG) will be constituted in the coming months.

New Delhi, Jul 19 (Olympics news) With the Tokyo Olympics approaching, PTI takes a look at interesting facts and trivia about the Games from its previous editions.

Here are some highlights and fun facts from the Olympics Games held in 1952, 1956 and 1960.

1952, Helsinki Olympics ============== *Israel entered the Olympic Games for the first time.

*The Soviet Union rejoined the Olympic Games having been absent since 1912 *A cold-war atmosphere dominated the Games as the Soviets set up a rival Olympic village for Eastern Bloc countries.

*USSR women gymnasts, who won the team competition, began a streak that would continue for 40 years until the Soviet Union broke up into separate republics.

*The Helsinki Games marked the return of German and Japanese teams to Olympic competition. East Germany had applied for participation in the Games but was denied, and the German team consisted of athletes from West Germany only.

*Czech long-distance runner Emil Zátopek won the 5,000m, successfully defended his 10,000m title and then took his third gold medal in his first-ever marathon to complete a triple that remains unique in Olympic history.

*Lis Hartel of Denmark, who was paralysed below the knees, claimed silver in the equestrian dressage. She had to be helped on and off her horse.

*Lars Hall, a carpenter from Sweden, became the first non-military winner of the modern pentathlon.

1956, Melbourne Olympics ================= *Melbourne won the right to host the 1956 Olympic Games by one vote over Buenos Aires.

*It was the first time that the Games were held in the Southern Hemisphere.

*Due to the reversal of seasons, the Games were held in November and December.

*While most of the athletes traveled down under for the 1956 Olympics, the horses and riders in the equestrian events did not. Due to Australia’s strict quarantine rules, the equestrian competitions were moved to Stockholm, Sweden—nearly 9,700 miles away—and held five months before the rest of the Games.

*Egypt, Lebanon, and Iraq boycotted the Games in protest of the Israeli invasion of the Sinai Peninsula.

*The Soviet invasion of Hungary provoked protests from numerous Western countries, and some of them, such as Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands, withdrew from the Games.

Also read: Lenny D'Gama to be lone Indian Technical Official at Tokyo Olympics boxing competition

*People's Republic of China refused to participate because of the presence of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

*East and West Germany competed as a single team, a practice that would last through the 1964 Games.

*The U.S. basketball team put on the most dominant performance in Olympic history, scoring more than twice as many points as their opponents and won each of their games by at least 30 points.

*Athletes entered the stadium together during the closing ceremony as a symbol of global unity rather than in alphabetical order by National Olympic Committees which was the practice.

*The elctric foil was introduced for the first time in fencing and in swimming, the semi-automatic, digital-display timing device appeared.

1960, Rome Olympics ============== *Rome finally got its chance to stage the Olympic Games, 54 years after it had to give up hosting rights of the 1908 Games, on financial grounds following the violent eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906 which caused widespread devastation to the city of Naples.

*An Olympic Stadium, home to the opening and closing ceremonies and the track-and-field competition, and a Sports Palace were built for the Games, and several ancient sites were restored and used as venues.

*The wrestling competition were held in the Basilica of Maxentius, an ancient building in the Roman Forum, and gymnastics in the Caracalla Baths while the marathon was run along the Appian Way and ended under the Arch of Constantine.

*Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila won the marathon barefoot, becoming the first Black African Olympic champion.

*USA's Cassius Marcellus Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, won the light-heavyweight gold medal.

*In 1958, the IOC made the decision to adopt the Anthem composed by Spyros Samaras, with words by Kostis Palamas, as the official Olympic Anthem. It was played for the first time in the 1960 Rome Games.

*It was the last Games in which South Africa was allowed to participate until 1992 as the IOC could not tolerate the racist policies of the South African government.

*The Games were broadcast live in 18 European countries and, with only a few hours delay, to the United States, Canada and Japan.

News source: PTI

Sports News: Seven Network has confirmed that it will broadcast Extreme E an innovative electric series on its free to air network and on 7plus, a market-leading BVOD platform. It is a part of Seven West Media. Seven Network will air Extreme E programmes throughout leading cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisban, Adelaide, Perth, and regional Queensland.

Seven will air Extreme E’s one-hour highlights programmes which will feature the best electric-SUV race action from remote places across the planet that are affected by the climate crisis. The championship has been to Saudi Arabia’s deserts in April and the beaches of Senegal in May. Their next stop is Greenland in August where Molly Taylor and Johan Kristofferson along with off-road legends will battle it out for racing honours on the edge of the ice cap. The aim is to bring the focus on the effects of climate change in that part of the world.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “Australia is a hugely important territory for Extreme E and so we are delighted that its premier network Seven will be broadcasting our excellent highlights shows.

“Australia is undoubtedly way ahead of the curve when it comes to concern for the environment so I am confident that audiences here will really identify with what is at the heart of Extreme E. Our mission to race without trace whilst simultaneously raising awareness of climate issues, means it is vital that our series reaches as many people as possible throughout the world.

“Working with Seven not only provides viewers in Australia with a thrilling and innovative motorsport championship – and one that Australian female superstar Molly Taylor happens to be  leading – but also helps convey the benefits of electrification through our entertaining broadcast package.”

Managing Director Seven Melbourne and Head of Network Sport, Lewis Martin, said: “We’re rapt to add Extreme E to Seven’s unrivalled motorsport line-up, starting with the highlights of next month’s Arctic X Prix in Greenland. Extreme E is an exciting new format fans will love and the Aussie public will get right behind Seven motorsport’s own Molly Taylor as she bids to take out the inaugural championship.”

“It adds to a massive year on Australia’s Home of Motorsport, which already includes the Supercars Championship – headlined by October’s iconic Bathurst 1000 – and the TCR Australia Series.”
 

Jess Duffin returns to Melbourne Renegades for Women’s Big Bash League after missing the 2020 tournament following the birth of her first child. The Melbourne Renegades have certainly added more firepower to their WBBL batting stocks with the return of former captain Jess Duffin. As per the latest cricket news, she has re-signed with the club for WBBL|07.

She is a proven scorer with the ability to score quickly when needed. In the 2019 edition of the WBBL, she was the third-highest run-scorer with 544 runs at an average of 68.

The 32-year-old said she was pleased to be back in red. “I’m really pleased to have signed with the Renegades again for the WBBL. I’m really grateful to the club for their support last year when I needed to focus on my family. While I was watching closely from home, I’ve certainly missed the team, the environment and the energy in the group and look forward to being back around that again,” Duffin said.

“Not only that, I’m really confident that I can make a contribution to the group. With our new captain Sophie Molineux and coach Simon Helmot, I’m looking forward to the preparations and getting our campaign off to a winning start in October as we push for the finals.”

Melbourne Renegades WBBL Head Coach Simon Helmot said Duffin brought a number of skills to the group. “Jess brings so much experience, a cool head and great leadership to our group overall,” Helmot said.

“T20 cricket is all about moments and Jess’s career has been all about making the most of those moments at the highest level. You only have to look back to 2019 when Jess made 50 off 27 balls to help us chase down 184 against the Brisbane Heat. I know she’ll also be a great support to Sophie Molineux as she takes over the captaincy.” 
 

Melbourne, Jul 14 (Cricket news) The Big Bash League (BBL) will continue to be assessed on its ability to attract new fans to the game, though the T20 event does play a role in unearthing new talent for the national team, tournament chief Alistair Dobson said on Wednesday.

Dobson's comments came after Cricket Australia unveiled the schedule for BBL's 11th season, beginning December.

"I'm not going to comment on the national team. Our assessment of the BBL is much more around the fans and the entertainment proposition. It's always been about new fans and kids falling in love with cricket," Dobson told The Age.

"That's certainly our focus. That said, the BBL plays an important role in that high-performance pathway and there have been lots of examples where new talent's been unearthed through the BBL and the WBBL." Keeping in mind the challenges posed by the coronavirus, CA has deferred the planned overseas player draft and will attempt to get them through a routine signing system.

"The draft has been postponed for another year. We work closely with clubs and have the opportunity to work with clubs on bringing overseas players in, whether that's supporting them with marketing funding ... we think we’re in good shape," Dobson said. "We've now got fans that have been fans of the BBL for 10 years." Dobson was hopeful that overseas players would be able to get into the country and also made it clear that there were no immediate plans to bring Indian players, who the BCCI do not allow to compete in any foreign league.

Also read: Melbourne Renegades announce fixtures for WBBL|07

Since the summer is packed with the Ashes series, Australia's Test players are likely to miss the upcoming BBL season but white-ball specialists like Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell are expected to be available for the whole tournament.

"Clearly a BBL season with the best available players is always our aspiration. To have the white-ball specialists playing most if not all of the season like they did last year is huge for our comp," Dobson said. News source: PTI

Melbourne, Jul 12 (Cricket news) Out of favour Australia batsman Peter Handscomb was forced to miss his county match against Leicestershire in England after testing positive for COVID-19.

The 30-year-old, who has been captaining Middlesex this season, couldn't play their Championship Group Two game on Sunday after being forced into isolation following a positive test result.

"Irishman Tim Murtagh stepped up to fill in for Handscomb as skipper as Middlesex ended day one of the clash with Leicestershire at 3-280," A report in 'The West Australian' said.

Also read: India-Sri Lanka limited-overs series to now start from July 18: BCCI secretary Jay Shah

Handscomb is going through a poor run of form as he failed to cross the 50-run mark in 13 innings for Middlesex.

He has fallen out of the radar of the national selectors and last played a Test against India in Sydney in January, 2019.

His last T20I was also against India at Bengaluru in February, 2019.

His last international match was an ODI against England at Birmingham in July, 2019.

News source: PTI

In cricket news, for the first time in nearly two years, the Melbourne Renegades will be hosting a WBBL match in Victoria when WBBL|07 is officially underway. CitiPower Centre is all set to host back to back Renegades fixtures in November, including a derby against Melbourne Stars.

A record 47 matches will be broadcasted nationally on television after Cricket Australia announced WBBL|07 fixtures. The Renegades will also host two games in regional Victoria and the venue is set to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

The opening match of the club will be held on October 17th against the Hobart Hurricanes with Renegades coach Simon Helmot saying, “We’re delighted to return to our home venues this season and showcase the talent in our squad in front of our fans. We’re building a strong squad with some exciting additions to come over the next few weeks.”

“Our new captain Sophie Molineux, myself and the other coaches are deep into planning for the season and we’re looking forward to giving our Victorian based families, friends and fans plenty to cheer about,” he concluded.

Melbourne Renegades WBBL|07 fixtures

Sun Oct 17 Renegades v Hurricanes North Sydney Oval 10:15am Ch 7/Foxtel

Wed Oct 20 Renegades v Strikers Blacktown International Sportspark 3:40pm Foxtel

Sat Oct 23 Scorchers v Renegades WACA 7:05pm Ch 7/Foxtel

Sun Oct 24 Sixers v Renegades WACA 1:40pm Ch 7 /Foxtel

Sat Oct 30 Strikers v Renegades Lilac Hill 1:30pm CA Live

Sun Oct 31 Renegades v Sixers Lilac Hill 1:30pm CA Live

Sat Nov 6 Renegades v Heat CitiPower Centre 10:15am Foxtel

Sun Nov 7 Stars v Renegades CitiPower Centre 1:40pm Ch 7/Foxtel

Tues Nov 9 Thunder v Renegades Blacktown International Sportspark 7:05pm Foxtel

Wed Nov 10 Renegades v Scorchers Blacktown International Sportspark 3:40pm Foxtel

Sat Nov 13 Renegades v Thunder Venue – TBC 10:15am Foxtel

Sun Nov 14 Renegades v Stars Venue – TBC 2pm CA Live

Fri Nov 19 Hurricanes v Renegades Great Barrier Reef Arena 3:40pm CA Live

Sat Nov 20 Heat v Renegades Great Barrier Reef Arena 7:05pm Foxtel

Disappointing news for motor sports fans in Australia as the Australian Grand Prix gets cancelled for a second straight year. Melbourne usually marks the start of the F1 season and was cancelled mid-weekend last year as Coronavirus hit the world. This year however, it was moved up the calendar to meet the Covid conditions. However, not enough people have been vaccinated for it to be safe for them to host the Grand Prix. Due to the state's delayed vaccine rollout and the federal government's recent decision to halve its overseas arrivals cap, the feasibility of the event could not be guaranteed.

Race organisers had requested a fly-in, fly-out arrangement with a biosecure hub set up for drivers, team officials, and crew in order to eliminate the required 14-day quarantine period that would prevent them from competing in another race. Due to the current and ever changing international travel restrictions, Australia will not be able to allow such a large number of International travelers into the country.

Aussie fans will not get a chance to see their hometown hero Daniel Ricciardo in action in the flesh. Although the FIA has promised a 23-race F1 calendar to their viewership, it is not yet known where the replacement race will be held. Other GPs to be called off this year include Singapore and Canada.

Also read: A Grand-Slam weekend for Verstappen

 

Melbourne, Jul 6 (Cricket news) Australia captain Meg Lanning wants women's Tests to be made five-day contests, like it is for their male counterparts, to get more results and cited the recent rain-affected drawn game between India and England to call for the change.

Speaking to the media here, Lanning said the current system of four-day Tests for women lessens the possibility of an outright result especially if weather plays spoilsport.

"I think it probably makes sense to take it out to five days, we saw in the last two, the Test match we played against England and the one just recently with England and India that there was a little bit of rain around and once that happens, it makes it pretty difficult to to get a result," she said.

"So I think pushing out the five days makes a lot of sense and I think you will get more results and then teams pushing for that." Lanning believes India women playing Test matches abroad is a big advertisement for women's cricket and hoped that her team's upcoming contest against Mithali Raj's side would become a regular feature and not just a "one-off" affair.

The Indian women's team is currently touring England where they shared honours in the lone Test and won the final match of the three-ODI series. The two sides will now square off in a three-match T20 series starting July 9 at Northampton.

After the England sojourn, the Indians will travel to Australia in September to play three ODIs and as many T20Is besides their maiden Day-Night Test at Perth starting September 30.

"It's really exciting that they've (India) agreed to play in a Test match and they're very willing to do it having played England as well," Lanning said.

"I think it's only going to move the game forward and increase the awareness of the game both here and in India as well which I think is a really important part of it." The 29-year-old World Cup-winning Australia skipper personally can't wait to tour India for a Test engagement.

Also read: India, England Test series set to be played in front of capacity crowd

"Personally I'd love to play a Test match in India. I think that would be a great test and a really good challenge and something I'd love to happen in the not too distant future.

"Hopefully, this Test match being part of the series against them is not just a one-off, hopefully, it's the start of something that will continue into the future as well," Lanning said.

The Indian women last played a Test match against Australia in February 2006 at the Adelaide Oval which the hosts won.

News source: PTI 

Melbourne, Jul 3 (Cricket news) Recuperating from an elbow injury, star Australia batsman Steve Smith says Test cricket remains his top priority and he is ready to skip the T20 World Cup to be in the best shape for the Ashes series against England.

The 32-year-old had withdrawn from the ongoing white-ball tour of the West Indies due to the elbow injury.

"There's still a bit of time between now and (the World Cup), and I'm tracking okay at the moment -– it's slow, but I'm going okay," Smith told cricket.com.au on Friday.

The T20 World Cup was shifted from India due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman from October 17 to November 14, while the Ashes is schedule to begin on December 8 in Brisbane.

Also read: Five Sri Lanka cricketers refuse tour contracts ahead of India series

"I'd love to be part of the World Cup, for sure. But from my point of view, Test cricket, that's my main goal -– to be right for the Ashes and try to emulate what I've done in the last few Ashes series I've been involved in," Smith said. Returning to action after a year-long ban due to his role in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa, Smith had amassed 774 runs in four Tests at an average of 110.57, including two hundreds, to emerge as the star performer in the last Ashes series.

"I want to put myself in a position where I can have that kind of impact," he said.

"If that does mean not partaking in the World Cup, then we'll have to go down that path, but hopefully we don't have to go there." Smith said he had felt pain in his left wrist after a change in his batting grip and needed painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication during his recent stint in the now-suspended Indian Premier League.

"I've made a bit of progress with it the last few weeks. I started some batting, just 10 minutes at a time, and basically my path now to getting back to playing is building up from there," he said.

"Because it's a tendon (injury), it's basically how you (feel when you) wake up the next day, so I start at 10 minutes and if I wake up the next day and I'm good, then I can go up to 12 minutes, and if I wake up well again, I go up to 15.

"Currently that's where I'm at –- 15 minutes -– and I've got to build up to 45 to get myself to a point where the medicos believe I can be comfortable."

New source: PTI

Melbourne, Jun 27 A Melbourne-based cricket club has claimed that it is very close to striking a deal with Yuvraj Singh and Chris Gayle for its T20 games this summer.

The Mulgrave Cricket Club, who play in Melbourne's Eastern Cricket Association (ECA) third-tier competition, said they are also in talks with West Indies legend Brian Lara and South Africa great AB de Villiers.

Mulgrave have already secured the services of Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga for the summer with Sanath Jayasuriya as their head coach.

Mulgrave president Milan Pullenayegam said talks are on with former India all-rounder Yuvraj and West Indian Gayle.

"We've secured Dilshan, we've secured Sanath, we've secured Tharanga. And now we are working on finalising agreements with a few other potential players," Pullenayegam told 'cricket.com.au'.

"We are in negotiations, and with Chris (Gayle) and Yuvraj we are nearly 85 to 90 per cent there. We need to finalise a few things but it looks really good." The two cricketers are, however, yet to comment on the negotiation.

The president added the club is trying to rope in more sponsors to sign the big stars.

"We've got a good backing at the moment that will get us across the line, but we don't want to be just breaking even on it, we want to be able to give back the community and expand the structure of the club.

"It's a process, with these big-name players there's a lot of things we need to incorporate into their visits to Australia: we'll provide them with accommodation, their travel, food etcetera, there is a lot of background stuff we need to organise for them.

"While here we want to put them in contact with our sponsors and see if they can give something back to the club and sponsors. So it's all part of the negotiations and chats we are having with them." The ECA's T20 Cup will feature 3 preliminary matches before a knock-out phase of up to three more games between November and February.

The website also reported any international player is likely to play only one or two games. News source PTI

Melbourne, Jun 26 Australia's limited-overs captain Aaron Finch is hopeful that players' families will soon be allowed to accompany them on overseas tours to keep them in good mental space inside bio-secure bubbles in these difficult COVID-19 times.

Finch's statement came after Indian players were allowed to take their families along with them for the ongoing tour of England.

Soon to be dad Finch will be outside Australia on national duty for two months and he knows that a hasty return for the birth of his child, if that happens in between, is next to impossible.

"They're the risks you take. She wasn't too keen on me going and if she happens to give birth a bit early, we might be in some trouble...it might be a FaceTime birth, I don't know," Finch was quoted as saying by Australian Associated Press.

Finch-led 20-member Australia squad will leave for the Caribbean on Monday, without the likes of David Warner and Pat Cummins, who have opted out of the tour to be with their families.

Australia will play five Twenty20s and three ODIs against the West Indies, and then travel to Bangladesh for a five-match T20 series.

Upon returning, the Australian players will have to spend a fortnight in hotel quarantine.

Finch is set to return on August 25, while the due date for the birth of his first child is September 8.

Asked if the cricketers' families will soon travel with them on tours, Finch said: "I don't have the answer for you but it's something that needs to be looked at.

"I remember speaking to Davey Warner about it during his IPL stint.

"His kids are at an age where they understand how long time is ... when you have kids crying on FaceTime, it doesn't make it easy," he added.

Cummins, Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams and Marcus Stoinis are a host of cricketers who decided to sit out of the tour to be with their families.

Finch, meanwhile, said that the visitors will soon decide whether to take a knee in the West Indies in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

"Over the last 12 months, we've educated ourselves quite a bit on Black Lives Matter," he said.

"We'll speak to (West Indies veteran) Jason Holder and be really respectful and supportive of anything they wish to do." News source PTI

Melbourne, Jun 25 Australia limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch on Friday said several short-format players have a "very realistic" chance of being overlooked for T20 World Cup selection after opting out of the upcoming tours of West Indies and Bangladesh.

Seven cricketers -- David Warner, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams -- who recently played in the IPL have pulled out of the twin tours while Steve Smith has been rested to fully recover from an elbow complaint which flared during the BCCI's high-profile T20 tournament.

Finch said the absentees are in genuine danger of missing out on the showpiece event in October-November as others stake their claims.

"Yeah, very realistic (to miss out of T20 World Cup). You have to go on current form, and you pick guys who are playing well. For guys to be on this tour, to get the first opportunity to really put their hand up and take a spot is what it's about," Finch said.

"It's tough to ignore really good international performances. So yeah, absolutely, there's going to be opportunities for guys to put their hand up and take spots," he was quoted as as saying by cricket.au.com.

Australia will on Monday fly out to the Caribbean for the July 10-25 tour with an 18-man squad short of up to seven frontline T20I players.

Finch last week said it had been a "long-term plan" for all-format stars Warner and Cummins, both among Australia's highest-paid IPL players, to miss the 10 T20Is and three ODIs in the Caribbean and Bangladesh after that (pending confirmation).

But he had termed the absence of Maxwell, Jhye, Stoinis and Kane as "surprising".

Chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns had also hinted that there is no guarantee that some of the IPL returnees who have opted out of the squad for the white-ball tours of West Indies and Bangladesh would get an automatic spot in the T20 World Cup.

Finch also said he had experienced "blurry vision" during last year's IPL in the UAE and had a surgery on his left eye recently.

So far, the surgery has been a success, yet the 34-year-old believes the true indication will come when playing under lights, which Australia are set to do in all eight of their fixtures in the Caribbean.

"I noticed it during IPL. One day it just sort of changed ... it was just bloody blurry. In the daytime it wasn't as noticeable, at night it was more noticeable, especially playing in Dubai where the lighting isn't as good as what we've got in Australia.

"I just noticed it more then, (my eyesight) wasn't very sharp, and there were little halos around lights and a bit of a trail on the ball." "I tried contact (lenses), and couldn't get them right … they just wouldn't sit right in my eye." He said he underwent the surgery after returning from the New Zealand tour (in March).

"We thought that was the best time to be able to get it done. It was about a three-week process and it was really smooth." With much of Australia's upcoming cricket set to be played at night, Finch said the true results of his surgery will be borne out.

"I'm seeing them pretty good (now). I've only being hitting them indoors on hard wickets. It's all clear now, it seems really good.

"I think the biggest test will come in night matches, that's when I noticed the biggest difference in my eyesight." News source PTI 

In the latest cricket news, All-rounder Angela Reakes has signed a one-year deal to remain with the Sydney Sixers for Women's Big Bash League - 7.

One of the most experienced players in the Women’s Big Bash League, Reakes returned “home” in the last edition.

WBBL|07 will be her 5th season with Sixers including the initial three seasons of the competition where the club won the WBBL|02 and WBBL|03 titles.

She has now represented the club in 60 games.

“I’m pumped about re-signing,” the 30-year-old exercise physiologist said.

“I’m really looking forward to it … a few things didn’t go our way last year (and) it’s always exciting to start a new season.”

Reakes spent WBBL|04 with the Melbourne Stars before an Achilles injury ruled her out from the following edition.

The ACT Meteors Skipper is a player who brings extensive domestic experience to any team she plays for, and her captaincy is the ideal complement to Sixers stars Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy and Ashleigh Gardner.

“They’ve obviously got a high load, particularly Ash and Pez, batting high and bowling a lot of overs. Just trying to help with fielding angles, hotspots for our boundary riders, and add another element of leadership to help take the load off those girls.”

Ben Sawyer, Sixers WBBL Head Coach is delighted that Reakes had signed on again given the value she brought to the side on and off the pitch.

“On the field she’s very athletic, she’s a good finisher with the bat, runs well between the wickets and is a great fielder. But off the field, she’s probably one of the people that brings the group together in all kinds of situations,” Sawyer said.

Speaking on what makes it so special to represent the Sixers, Reakes commented: “I think it’s the professionalism of the set up.”

“I think we’re at an interesting stage where we’ve had two seasons that haven’t really gone our way.

“I’m hoping for really big things this year, we obviously really love winning and we’ve missed (that feeling) the last couple of seasons. I think everyone is hungry to try and get their hands on a lot more wins and hopefully reach a Final this year.”
 

In the latest cricket news, Australia's Big Bash League team Melbourne Renegades have signed a new two-year deal with its reigning player of the season, Courtney Webb.

Webb joined the Melbourne Renegades ahead of the WBBL|04 and the new contract ensures she will stay with the team until at least the conclusion of WBBL|08.

“Moving to the Renegades has really helped fast track my development,” Webb said.

“I’ve been given some opportunities to establish myself in the middle order and I’m really aiming to take my game to a new level in the coming seasons.

“We’ve got an exciting group of players coming through and we’re all looking forward to working under the leadership of Soph (Molineux) and ‘Helmo’ (Simon Helmot) as we try to push for a finals spot.

“I love being around this group, I highly value playing with a lot of good friends and I’m looking forward to continuing with this core group over the coming seasons.”

Webb scored 246 runs with an average of 30.75 in the last season, which also included an unbeaten 54 off 33 balls in the Renegades super-over victory over the Melbourne Stars.

The 21-year-old featured in every game for the Renegades in WBBL|06.

“Courtney is a key part of our future who has impressed everyone with her composure out in the middle,” Renegades Coach Simon Helmot said.

“She came in at some difficult times last season but held our innings together and we’re excited to see Courtney’s development over the next couple of years.

“Courtney is a great example of someone who has worked hard, earned an opportunity and then grabbed it with both hands.

“She’ll play an important role in our batting order this season, she’s got some skill with the ball and as we saw from her catch off Ellyse Perry last season, she’s an elite fielder.

“With that all round skill set Courtney has the tools to be a leading player across the competition for many years to come.”

Melbourne, Jun 19 Indian women team's Test against Australia later this year will be played on a fresh pitch, Cricket Australia said on Saturday, in stark contrast to ECB's decision to host Mithali Raj's side on a used track in the one-off match in Bristol.

India will tour Australia in September-October to play a day/night Test, three ODIs and as many T20 Internationals.

"It's standard practice in Australia to ensure fresh pitches are available for all men's and women's Test matches and this season will be no different," CA Head of Operations Peter Roach was quoted as saying by '7Cricket'.

"We have seen the women's game rise to a new level in recent times and it is important we provide the platform for that trend to continue." The WACA Ground in Perth will host a Test against India for the first time in 15 years from September 30 to October 3.

After that Manuka Oval in Canberra will host a Test against England in late January next year to start the multi-format Ashes series.

"The WACA Ground and Manuka Oval are terrific venue for Test cricket and with first-class ground staff, we are extremely confident that the facilities for the two women's Tests will be of the highest standard." England women's team captain Heather Knight had expressed displeasure at an used pitch being given for her side's one-off Test against India in Bristol, saying it's not ideal as they would want to play on a fresh strip.

The pitch at the Bristol's County Ground was used for a Gloucestershire T20 match a week back and Knight pointed out that it might become sluggish later in the Test.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had apologised for not being able to give a fresh wicket as the Test was only being added to the calendar in mid-April.

"We are all disappointed that the wicket for the LV= Insurance Test match against India will have had 37 overs played on it. We know that England Women deserve a fresh wicket and we are sorry that we were unable to provide that in this instance.

"We accept that this issue shouldn't have arisen and we will make sure it doesn't happen in the future," a spokesperson from the ECB had said. News source PTI

Cricket just like many other sports has been a source of countless joys and moments of pride for its fans, but the game we so deeply love and cherish at times has also taken us to a rollercoaster ride of emotions and heart breaks leaving us dejected for our teams.

Here we list down 5 worst cricketing heartbreaks that left fans in tears



1. South Africa vs New Zealand, 2015 WC Semifinal, Auckland

Think of the saddest moments of cricket and the first picture that will crop up in your head will be of a teary Morne Morkle and AB de Villiers after the Semi Final loss against New Zealand in 2015. South Africa were in total control of their innings with 216/3 in 38th over when the rains brought with them a great deal of misfortune forcing them to finish their inning on 281/5 as the match was reduced to 43 overs each setting a DLS target of  298 runs for New Zealand.

New Zealand were off to a flying start with their gutsy leader Brendon McCullum smashing 59 off 26. South African bowlers gave their all to shift the momentum on their side with regular wickets, but the day belonged to the blackcaps as South African born Grant Elliot was having a dream run with the bat performing at the stage when it mattered the most. In the most incredible semi final things came down to 12 needing off the final over with South Africa relying on an injured Dale Steyn. 5 were needed off 2 deliveries when Elliot pulled him over the mid on to seal the World Cup Final berth in Melbourne, leaving the South African fielders in tears as many of them stood freezed to their positions on the outfield for a few moments finding it hard to believe what had just happened!



2. England Vs New Zealand, 2019 WC Final, Lords

Registered as one of the greatest games of 50 over cricket, this game was an epitome of how cruel the game of cricket can get at times. In a match that was a real test of temperament, Character and determination both teams were proved to be at par with each other. The game ended in a draw as England too finished at 241 chasing 242. The final then progressed to a super over shootout to determine the world champions. Ben Stokes powered England to a competitive 15 in their super over with blackcaps requiring 16 to engrave their name on the World Cup Trophy. Jimmy Neesham launched Jofra Archer's second legal delivery into the stands bringing the equation to 7 off 4. A string twos followed and Archer took Neesham off strike. 2 was required off 1 with Martin Guptill on strike and with everything at stake for both the sides who had never won a world cup before, Archer fired a Yorker as Guptill found deep mid wicket, but fell short as Jos Buttler completed the run out off a Jason Roy throw to also end the super over in a tie. England were declared the World Champions on Boundary count as they had 26 boundaries against New Zealand's 17. The memory of Guptill's tears, Neesham's six and Williamson's graceful smile got forever etched in every fan's heart!



3. India Vs New Zealand , 2019 World Cup semi final, Manchester

One of India's biggest heartbreaks in recent years came in the form of their semi final loss against New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup Semi final. Top Title contenders India were hot favourites in the match when they restricted New Zealand to a below par 239/8. In a game that was stretched for 2 days due to delay owing to rain, India to everyone's surprise were reduced to 5 for 3 thanks to the immaculate bowling by Matt Henry and Trent Boult. India did pull a brilliant comeback as they reached 203/6 from 92/6 with 37 required off the last 18. However, Ravindra Jadeja after giving his very best with the bat had to depart at 77 off his 59 after miscalculating a slower one from Boult. MS Dhoni who crawled his way to 43 with just 1 boundary smashed Lockie Ferguson for 6 at the start of 49th over with India then requiring 25 off 11, but the dreams of Men in blue along with their millions of fans came to a crashing end when Dhoni in order to keep the strike sprinted for a desperate second run two balls later only to be beaten by a exhilarating direct hit from Martin Guptill.



4. South Africa Vs Australia, 1999 World Cup semi final, Birmingham

The South Africa Vs Australia 1999 World Cup semi final will always find a mention in the list of World Cup Classics. Chasing a target of 213 South Africa needed 9 runs in last over of Damien Fleming with 1 wicket in hand. Lance Klusener who was having a great World cup smashed two boundaries off the first two balls, with this South Africa needed only 1 in 4 balls. The tension built up further as the 3rd one went for a dot. On the 4th ball Klusner attempted to steal a single but Allan Donald's poor response at the non striker's end allowed the Waugh, Fleming and Gilchrist trio to run him out and hence tie the match. Australia then qualified on the basis of Super Six result as there they beat South Africa.



5. Edgbaston Test, 2005 Ashes

As someone once correctly said 'White ball cricket is fast food, red ball cricket is fine dining' . The 2005 Ashes Edgbaston Test will always be remembered for the absolute treat it gave to the cricket fans around the World. In a game that was a perfect combination of emotions, thrill and sportsmanship England edged out Australia by just 2 runs as valiant efforts by Shane Warne (42) and Brett Lee (43) went in vain while they attempted to get 107 with 2 wickets remaining, chasing 282.
The sight of Andrew Flintoff consoling a dejected Brett Lee, when Michael Kasprowicz fell prey to Steve Harmison to hand England the win went down in history as one of the most iconic moments of sportsmanship.

Stay updated with all the latest Cricket news and latest sports news on www.spogonews.com 

Melbourne, Jun 16 Australia chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns on Wednesday said he expects the country's IPL players to forgo the high-profile T20 league starting mid-September if a tri-series involving West Indies and Afghanistan is scheduled at the same time.

In addition to the white-ball series against West Indies and Bangladesh, for which a 18-member squad was announced on Wednesday, Australia is hoping to finalise a T20 tri-series with West Indies and Afghanistan just before the T20 World Cup which will be held in October-November.

Should that tri-series go ahead, it might potentially clash with the final phase of the IPL which is expected to resume in the UAE from mid-September, and Hohns made it clear where Cricket Australia expected players' priority to lie.

"Around that time of the year, I would certainly hope so (that players forego the IPL for national representation)," Hohns was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

"However, it will certainly depend on their commitments and what we think they should be committing to regarding their Australian commitments at that time." Hohns, however, added that the matter "would have to be addressed in the future".

"We haven't looked at that yet and we haven't heard from our players at this stage," he said.

Hohns also hinted that there is no guarantee that some of the IPL returnees who have opted out of the squad for the white-ball tours of West Indies and Bangladesh would get an automatic spot in the T20 World Cup.

Seven cricketers -- David Warner, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams -- who recently played in the IPL have pulled out of the twin tours while Steve Smith has been rested to fully recover from an elbow complaint which flared during the IPL.

"That will be an interesting discussion for us, there's no doubt about that, depending on performances in the West Indies particularly by some of the extra inclusions for this tour," Hohns said.

"If somebody were to really shoot the lights out with the bat or the ball, we'd have to stand up and take notice." He said it would have been ideal to have all the players together and play as a group and a squad (ahead of the World Cup).

"It is concerning ... but unfortunately we can't. However, we've got at least half of our (first-choice) squad going to the West Indies and Bangladesh, so a core group will be there, and they will be able to play together." Hohns also said prior to the finalisation of the 18-man touring party for the West Indies and Bangladesh, the selectors were "pretty well down the track" in finalising the squad they planned to take to the T20 World Cup.

"There may have been one or two positions up for grabs, but we virtually thought we were close to the mark or had a good idea of where we would be going with our T20 World Cup squad.

"We're obviously disappointed they made themselves unavailable for this tour, but quite frankly we totally understand and respect their decisions," Hohns said. News source PTI 

Melbourne, Jun 16 Seven top Australian cricketers who recently played in the IPL have pulled out of the country's white-ball tour of West Indies and Bangladesh.

The two tours are part of team's preparations for the T20 World Cup later this year.

David Warner, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams have requested not to be considered for the tours for various reasons while Steve Smith has been rested to fully recover from an elbow complaint which flared during the IPL, Cricket Australia said in a statement.

The move will leave coach Justin Langer without seven of his best players four months out from the T20 World Cup to be held in October and November.

Cricket Australia on Wednesday named a 18-man squad for the twin tours. Australia play five T20 Internationals and three ODIs between July 9 and 24. The five-match T20 tour of Bangladesh is yet to be confirmed.

"The tours are subject to agreement on bio-security arrangements and relevant government approvals," the CA said in the statement.

Cummins, Maxwell, Warner, Stoinis and Richardson were released from hotel quarantine late last month following the suspension of IPL and Australia's subsequent border closure for all arrivals from India, which led to the Australian contingent spending more than a week in the Maldives before they could return home.

Richardson left hotel quarantine around three weeks earlier than the rest of the IPL contingent after he, Adam Zampa and AJ Tye flew out of India before the federal government's travel ban had come into effect. Richardson, who has a young son, has declined to tour, while Zampa and Tye will go.

Jason Behrendorff, Moises Henriques and Riley Meredith have all agreed to go for the tour despite also being part of the IPL contingent that recently left hotel quarantine having returned home via the Maldives.

National selector Trevor Hohns said they "are naturally disappointed not to have all players available for the Australian team at this time however the NSP respects the decisions of those who have opted out of this tour.

“Steve Smith was unavailable for selection due to an elbow injury and will now be able to use this time to fully recover ahead of the World Cup and home Ashes Series." Hohns, however, said the missing out of some of the top players will present opportunities to others to push for selection in the Australian T20 World Cup squad.

“International tours in the time of Covid-19 undoubtedly present many additional challenges for athletes. This is a great chance for these players to make a case for the World Cup and all are considered very real prospects of making that tournament by performing well across these tours.” The squad is due to depart for the West Indies on June 28 for five T20 Internationals at Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia followed by three One-Day Internationals at Kensington Stadium in Barbados.

If confirmed, the team will then play five T20 Internationals against Bangladesh.

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Dan Christian, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.

Travelling reserves: Nathan Ellils, Tanveer Sangha. News source PTI

Melbourne, Jun 15 Australia need to emulate India in creating depth in the squad so that top players can be rested and kept fresh, says Test skipper Tim Paine.

India's top cricketers already in England for the WTC final and the subsequent England series but the country announced another 20-man squad, filled with several youngsters, for the white-ball series against Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Australia are facing the prospect of its top cricketers opting out of upcoming tour of the West Indies.

Paine feels Australia needs to have youngsters who can step up at the international level, taking the load off senior players.

"It's important now we build depth in our squad so we can cover it. Ideally we don't have guys pulling out of tours but guys who are rested for a reason and we can plan ahead," Paine was quoted as saying by the 'Sydney Morning Herald.' "We're seeing that with India at the moment. They’re getting the balance absolutely spot on because they’ve got a real depth of talent who can step up and play Test cricket.

"We need to get to that stage so we can rest our best players so we can make sure when we’ve got them on the park they’re fresh and playing at their best," Paine added.

Australian cricketers spent 14-days in quarantine in Sydney befrce ore reuniting with their families after the Indian Premier League was suspended last month.

They are again gearing up for limited-overs tour of the West Indies and unconfirmed T20 tour of Bangladesh.

The postponed IPL is set to resume in the UAE during September followed by the T20 World Cup during October and early November after which the players from Down Under will have to quarantine upon returning home.

Australia then play a Test against Afghanistan in late November followed by the Ashes series starting December 8.

According to a media report, Steve Smith, David Warner, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell Marcus Stoinis, Jhye Richardson and Kane Richardson are all expected to miss the West Indies tour.

Paine said those players need support instead of criticism.

"It's certainly an issue, there's no doubt about that. Whether it's seven who are going to pull out, I'm not across all that, but it's certainly going to be one of the challenges of the modern-day player.

"I've seen some past players and commentators comment on it and I think it's a little unfair. Unless you're put in their shoes travelling away and coming back and having to do two weeks [hotel quarantine] either side, it can be quite draining.

"In our set-up in particular we’ve got guys who have done that six or seven times. That’s 14 or 15 weeks out of a year sitting in a hotel room by yourself on top of any really busy schedule," Paine said. News source PTI 

Melbourne, Jun 15 Australia red-ball skipper Tim Paine has no doubt that India will trump New Zealand comfortably to emerge victorious in the inaugural World Test Championship final.

World's top-two Test teams will fight it out for the title at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton from June 18.

"My prediction is, India will win pretty comfortably if they play anywhere near their best," Paine said at a press conference in Brisbane.

Paine had captained Australia against both New Zealand and India.

While Australia beat the Kiwis 3-0 at home in 2019, they suffered a 1-2 defeat against India when Virat Kohli's side travelled Down Under in early 2020.

New Zealand are coming into the match well-prepared, following their 1-0 series-win over hosts England but for Paine, it won't count for much as he believes the win came against a depleted home side.

England did not have all-rounders Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali in their line-up apart from missing Jos Buttler, pacer Jofra Archer and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.

It's a fact which makes him believe that the Ashes series later in the summer would be an altogether different ball game.

"I think New Zealand are a good team, for one, and secondly if we're being realistic I think it's a really different team that we saw England out on the field to what we’re probably going to see in the Ashes… keeping it in perspective it certainly wasn’t England’s strongest team," he said. News source PTI

Australia's Women's Big Bash League Club the Melbourne Renegades have announced  Sophie Molineux as the captain for the WBBL|07 season.

The Aussie all-rounder and two-time ICC T20 World Cup champion has been with the club since the inception of the WBBL.

Molineux has become the youngest Renegades player to be appointed as the captain at 23 years of age and she takes over the role from Amy Satterthwaite.

Molineux has played 74 WBBL games and said she has benefitted from learning from some accomplished skipper throughout her career.

“It’s a real honour to be appointed captain of a club I love so much and follow in the footsteps of some high-quality leaders that I look up to,” Molineux said.

“Amy Satterthwaite has had a massive influence on the group and on me personally.  Her wealth of knowledge and ability to stay composed is what I’ve always admired.  Jess Duffin is such a competitor and leads by example and I’ve also had the privilege of playing under Meg Lanning in the Victorian and Australian teams.

I am really excited to be able to take what I’ve learnt from each of them, combine it with how I approach the game and continue to grow and learn along the way.

It’ll be great to work alongside Simon Helmot and the other senior players in the squad. I’m grateful to the club for giving me the opportunity to step up into a leadership position and I hope we can have a really strong season.”

Head Coach Simon Helmot said Molineux has the right combination of cricket knowledge and affinity with the playing group.

“Sophie has fantastic relationships within the squad.  She’s tactically astute, trusted and highly respected across the playing group,” Helmot said.

“She’s had an excellent apprenticeship working under some great captains, including Amy who has helped nurture so much of our young talent.

“That grounding under such leadership will have Sophie well prepared, we’re excited to see this next phase in her career and we’ll support her along the way. We look forward to the start of a sustained period of success for the club under Sophie’s leadership.”
 

Melbourne, Jun 9 Australia spinner Ashton Agar is "not surprised" that the country's leading cricketers may opt out of the upcoming winter tours, saying such breaks are inevitable considering the impact of lonely quarantines on players' mental health during the pandemic.

Australian cricketers spent 14-days in quarantine in Sydney before reuniting with their families after the Indian Premier League was suspended. They are again gearing up for limited-overs tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh.

It has been reported that at least seven top players, including Steve Smith and Pat Cummins, may withdraw from the tours.

The speculation gained momentum when six more players were added to the 29-man preliminary Australian squad.

"I'm not surprised at all (by potential withdrawals), and very understanding of that," Agar was quoted as saying by 'cricket.com.au'.

"It's hard not to be (understanding), really; these guys are away for a very long time and unless you really put yourself in their shoes, it'd be tough to imagine the mental toll it takes on you.

"I think if anyone had to do so many stints of quarantine - a lot of these guys have done 10-12 weeks already, and Covid has been around for a year-and-a-bit now - it's a crazy amount of time just spent sitting around a hotel room with your own thoughts, without fresh air or whatever," Agar added.

A report in 'Nine Media' said Cummins, David Warner, Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson and Jhye Richardson could pull out of the tour.

Agar strongly believes that for the longevity of their careers such breaks are imperative.

"They've been looked after really well in those times but for the longevity of their careers and for their own health, we need to look after them. And at times they're going to have to take a break, and that's what's happening." The Australians are set to leave for the West Indies on June 28 and after the conclusion of the tours of the Caribbean and Bangladesh, they will spend 14 days in hotel quarantine following their arrival Down Under.

The team will then leave the Australian shores for the T20 World Cup in October in India. They would then return home for 14 more days of hotel quarantine ahead of the home summer, that includes the Ashes series.

Agar says careful management of Australia's top players is much needed in challenging pandemic times.

"We have to look a little bit long term with it all and understand that people can't keep grinding away like that.

"If you want them to have shortened careers, or really not enjoy themselves, or pull out of the game, then the best way to do that is to grind them into the ground.

"But if we're trying to look after each other really well, then we'll prosper down the track, so what we're doing now is really good," he added. New source PTI

Melbourne, Jun 8 Concerned that top players might opt out of the limited overs tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh due to "bubble fatigue", Cricket Australia has added six more cricketers to its preliminary squad for the upcoming assignments, beginning July 10.

Australia's white-ball squad for the upcoming series swelled to 29 after the selection committee called up Ben McDermott, Dan Christian, Cameron Green, Ashton Turner, Wes Agar and Nathan Ellis.

Australia will play five T20Is and three ODIs against the West Indies and is expected to travel to Bangladesh next for five more T20Is in early August.

The squad will be trimmed before it flies to the West Indies in a chartered flight on June 28.

"The six additions to the Qantas Australian men's squad follow discussions with players selected in the initial preliminary list for the tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh," national selection panel chairman Trevor Hohns said in a statement.

Pace bowling all-rounder Daniel Sams has already pulled out on mental health grounds, while according to reports, star cricketers David Warner and Pat Cummins may also miss the tours.

The trio, along with many other top Australian players, had returned home a few weeks back following the suspension of the IPL due to multiple COVID-19 cases inside its bio-bubble in India.

"During the course of those discussions, it has become clear that recent experiences abroad, including but not limited to extended periods in bio-secure hubs and hard quarantine, have had an impact on the health and wellbeing of some players and their families," Hohns said.

"CA has maintained that the wellbeing of players, staff and officials is a top priority, and never more so than during the Covid-19 pandemic given the extraordinary challenges it has placed upon international athletes and sporting teams." Christian, 38, has often being ignored and his selection will provides him a chance to earn a place in the T20 squad ahead of the World Cup, which is set to be shifted to the UAE and Oman from COVID-19 ravaged India.

"Dan is in arguably career-best form and was a crucial member of the Sydney Sixers' BBL-winning squad this summer. His selection is testament to the hard work he has put in over many years," Hohns said. Among others, it is a maiden national call-up for Agar and Ellis, while Green made his ODI debut against India late last year and Turner had toured New Zealand earlier this year as part of Australia's T20I squad.

Australia squad for tours of West Indies and Bangladesh: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Dan Christian, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Tanveer Sangha, D'Arcy Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa (to be trimmed before departure). New source PTI 

Melbourne, Jun 4 Batsman Usman Khawaja is working with Cricket Australia to ensure more South Asian representation in his adopted country's cricketing ecosystem, about a decade after becoming the first Muslim to wear the baggy green following a brush with racism.

When he made his international debut at the SCG, his home ground, in an Ashes Test in 2011, the top-order batter became the first Muslim and the first player of Pakistani descent to represent Australia.

Khawaja has often spoken about the challenges he has faced in his quest to play top-level cricket in Australia.

"It is a lot better now," Khawaja was quoted as saying in ESPNCricinfo.

"I see a lot more cricketers coming up through state levels in Australia in particular that are from subcontinent backgrounds, which we really did not see when I came up, even when I played.

"I was playing domestic cricket and I was the only subcontinent player there. At the moment there's only probably myself and a few others." The 34-year-old Khawaja, who has scored close to 3000 runs in 44 Tests and more than 1500 runs in 40 ODIs for an average of over 40 in both formats, cited England team as an example of diversity that Australia can take a cue from.

The ODI team is led by an Irish Eoin Morgan, lead pacer Jofra Archer is from Barbados while Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid are British Asians of Pakistani descent. Ben Stokes is a New Zealander by birth.

"We're still a long way to go and I look at the England team and see the diversity they've had for a long time. They are an older nation than us, but I can see that diversity and think that's probably where Australia need to reach.

"We have definitely got better from when I was younger, but it's a generational shift too." Khawaja, who was born in Islamabad, moved to Australia with his family when he was five.

"When I started being more involved in cricket, people with subcontinent heritage in Australia came up to me and said, 'we're so happy to see you at the top. Seeing someone like you, we feel we've got a part in the Australian team, and we support the Australian team. We didn't do it before, and we do it now'," said Khawaja.  New source PTI

Melbourne, Jun 4 Sri Lankan great Sanath Jayasuriya is set to make his cricketing comeback after serving a two-year ICC ban with a coaching stint at Melbourne club Mulgrave.

Jayasuriya was banned in February 2019 for breaching the ICC anti-corruption code.

As per a 'Herald Sun' report, former Sri Lanka opener Tillakaratne Dilshan convinced 51-year-old Jayasuriya to take up the job.

"Dilshan opened the door for us there, and it was a fantastic opportunity that was presented to us," said Mulgrave president Malin Pullenayegam.

"We just had to work on it and come to an agreement, and we have. I think it's a great opportunity for our young guys to know what international cricket standards are.

"That kind of exposure from a young age just elevates the standard of cricket they'll be playing," he added.

Dilshan will be playing for Mulgraves alongside former Sri Lanka teammate Upul Tharanga, who retired from international cricket earlier this year.

Jayasuriya is a World Cup winner and has played 445 ODIs and 110 Tests for Sri Lanka. New source PTI 

Australia's Big Bash League club, the Melbourne Renegades have appointed David Saker as the franchise's Head Coach for the next two seasons.

Saker previously coached the side for one edition in BBL|05 before he was appointed as the Assistant Coach of the Australian Men’s Team.

He has held senior coaching positions with Australia, England and Sri Lanka’s national teams and has a coaching experience of nearly 20 years.

“I’ve loved my playing and coaching experiences in my home state so the opportunity to lead the Renegades again in front of the club’s passionate Victorian supporter base is something I’m really excited about,” Saker said.

“We’ve got a talented squad with some class and power at the top of the order, complemented by a strong bowling attack and some exciting young talent.  We’ll be looking to add to this group over the next few months to ensure we’ve got plenty of options when the season gets underway.

“The Big Bash has continued to grow since my last involvement and it’s more competitive than ever on the field so I’m looking forward to working with the playing group to ensure we give ourselves every chance of success.”

Saker will fill in the place for Michael Klinger who stood down from the role earlier this year.

Melbourne Renegades received applications from home and abroad, but Cricket Victoria’s General Manager of Cricket Shaun Graf commented Saker’s rapport with players along with his local and international experience saw him emerge as the leading candidate.

“’Sakes’ is a highly experienced and well-regarded international cricket coach with a proven ability to mould a team,” he said.

“He possesses a great combination of technical and tactical knowledge while also having a clear understanding on how to bring players together and ensure they’re working as a disciplined unit.

“His knowledge of the BBL, the local players and potential international recruits has enabled him to hit the ground running.

“The Renegades players will enjoy playing under him and we look forward to seeing what he can do over the next couple of years.”
 

Melbourne, Jun 3 Former Australia bowling coach David Saker wants the country's cricket board to make its investigation into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal public as he feels releasing that report might end the questions surrounding the incident.

The ball-tampering issue resurfaced when Cameron Bancroft recently hinted in an interview that the bowlers in the team might have been aware of the plot to use sandpaper to alter the ball's condition.

Saker was the bowling coach of the side at that time and had earlier stated that even he could be held accountable for what happened.

The scandal led to bans on Bancroft, then skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner.

"I can't see any point why it wouldn't be released, but that's, yeah that's up to them the way they want to handle that," Saker was quoted saying by the local media here.

He was unveiled as the coach of the Big Bash League side Melbourne Renegades on Thursday.

Asked why the CA should release the information, Saker said, "Because these questions keep coming up, maybe if it's released, then maybe questions might stop but I don't think they will and the questions will keep getting asked." After Bancroft's comments, the bowlers, including top pacer Pat Cummins, had insisted that they had no prior knowledge of the plot.

However, former skipper Michael Clarke had said it was difficult to believe that bowlers were not aware.

Saker himself has denied any knowledge of the plot.

"Well, there's no doubt I had no idea there was any sandpaper involved. As far as we knew that we were using normal tactics to get the ball reverse-swinging so that's as far as I know.

"We've all gone in and did our bit so I can't see it going any further, but the questions will keep coming. There's no doubt about that, but that's just a part of life, you got to deal with that but it's never going to go away, that's for sure," he said.

CA chief Nick Hockley had said last month that they do not intend to make the investigation report public. New source PTI 

Melbourne, May 31 Cricket Australia on Monday said it's yet to start discussions on whether Australian cricketers would compete in the IPL when the T20 league re-commences in the UAE in September.

Nick Hockley, who was confirmed as CA chief executive on Monday after performing the duties in an interim role, said a decision on IPL can wait as Australian players were just reunited with their families after completing a two-week hotel quarantine.

Close to 40 Australians, including players, coaches, officials and commentators were part of the IPL bandwagon before the league was halted on May 4 after COVID-19 breached its bio-bubble. "Once we get back together as a group that (IPL) is something we'll obviously need to discuss," Hockley was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

"Our players returning from the IPL have only today come out of quarantine, so our first priority is to make sure they are reunited with their families. We have a tour to prepare for in the West Indies," he added.

Hockley said the players will regroup at the National Cricket Centre (in Brisbane) in a couple of weeks before the West Indies tour and that would be the time to refocus.

"They are clearly quite shaken by the experience, and are very appreciative to be back home, very much looking forward to being reunited with family and friends today." The IPL will resume in the UAE in mid-September when Australia do not have any international commitment.

However, concerns have been expressed that spending time in bio-bubbles one after another could affect players' mental health.

As of now, the T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in India and if the tournament is also moved to the UAE like the IPL, the chances of Australian players competing in the league will be more since then they won't have to move to a separate bio-bubble in India.

Australia are scheduled to travel to the West Indies in July and then straight to Bangladesh for a bilateral tour. New source PTI 

Melbourne, May 31 Cricket Australia on Monday appointed Nick Hockley as its new chief executive officer almost a year after he was recruited on an interim basis, during which he oversaw the conduct of the high-profile tour by India amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Besides the India tour of Australia, he was also in charge of successfully delivering the domestic competitions in a complex situation brought about by the global health crisis, which badly affected CA's original cricket calendar.

CA said Hockley has served with distinction as its interim CEO since his appointment last June after the departure of Kevin Roberts.

Wiser after his experience as the cricket body's acting CEO, Hockley is hoping to build on the momentum.

"I am under no illusion about the importance of cricket to the lives of so many Australians, nor the magnitude and responsibility of this role," Hockley said in a release issued by CA.

"Leading Cricket Australia is the greatest privilege of my working life and I am committed to doing all I can to making a positive contribution to the game and the community." Raised in Birmingham, Hockley held senior positions in the organising committee of the ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia in 2015 and 2012 London Olympics and Paralympic Games.

"Over the past 12 months, I have learnt first-hand about the breadth, scale and importance of the role. My approach has been and will continue to be to bring people across the game together, as I believe this is fundamental to achieving our full potential.

"I look forward to building on this momentum and playing my role in deepening those relationships further, as well as playing a leading role in growing the game internationally alongside fellow ICC members." Hockey was born in the UK and represented England in rugby at student level before relocating to Australia between 2002 and 2005 to pursue a career in corporate finance.

"The change and complexity brought about by Covid-19 has created lots of challenges, but also plenty of opportunities," Hockley said.

"By working together with our partners across the game, I feel confident and optimistic about cricket's ability to rise to the challenges of the modern world and thrive." CA chairman Earl Eddings congratulated Hockley on his unanimous appointment.

"From delivering the historic T20 Women's World Cup to ensuring a safe and successful 2020-21 season, Nick has already proven himself to be in the very top echelon of sports administrators both in Australia and around the world." That Hockley was dealing with a host of complex issues was not lost on Eddings.

"...through his leadership, resolve, worth ethic and vision for the game, Australian Cricket emerged stronger than ever. For that, Nick deserves enormous credit," he said. New source PTI 

Sydney, May 29 Former captain Ricky Ponting feels Australia lacks a 'finisher' in the mould of former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni or all-rounder Hardik Pandya despite the abundance of experienced players ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Ponting also feels that unearthing a reliable middle or lower-order batsman who can keep wickets could kill two birds with one stone.

"The spot they (Australia) have always been worried about is that finishing role. It's a very specialist position to be able to go in with three of four overs to go, with 50 runs needed and be able to do it," Ponting was quoted as saying in cricket.com.au.

"Dhoni has been in that one spot his whole career and no wonder he's so good at it. Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard are similar - these guys continually win games of cricket for their country and in the IPL, they're used to going in batting at those spots," he added.

Ponting, who coached Delhi Capitals in the currently-suspended Indian Premier League, said one of the reasons for Australia not having a good 'finisher' was that all of the best batsmen of the country bat in top four in Big Bash League.

"So you've actually got no one that's consistently batting in that area. That's what we've got to find," said the 46-year-old legendary batsman.

"Is it going to be (Glenn) Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh that are going to finish the games, is it going to be (Marcus) Stoinis? I think that's the area that they're more worried about." Stoinis has had success batting lower down the order under Ponting's guidance at the Delhi Capitals.

"I saw Stoinis at Delhi last year, he's opened the last few years of BBL and done a great job for the Melbourne Stars, but I needed someone that could finish games for us and he won two or three games off his own bat.

"So, it's there - but they will get better at it the more they do it. How they find a way for these guys to do it more, I'm not sure," said Ponting who is currently in quarantine in a Sydney hotel after returning from the suspended IPL.

He said more players could benefit from batting at the death regularly, but admitted convincing BBL teams to demote their best players would be tough.

And of equal concern, said the former captain, was identifying the best option for wicketkeeper, and suggested that the uncapped Josh Inglis could be in the mix, despite missing out on preliminary squad for the upcoming tours of the Caribbean and Bangladesh.

"The keeper-batsman is probably the slot they'd be losing the most sleep over right now...'who is going to be standing behind the stumps with the gloves on'? "They have tried a few blokes - (Matthew) Wade has been there, (Josh) Phillipe has just played as a batter, Alex Carey has been in and out and tried in a few different batting spots." "Josh Inglis' name could be thrown into the ring as well - I really liked what I saw from him batting in the middle order in last summer's BBL." Ponting added: "He (Inglis) plays spin really well and you think about where the World Cup is going to be (in India or the UAE), he could be a name that could come up (for selection)." Ponting has been part of Australia's T20 coaching staff in recent years and was an assistant for the ODI World Cup in 2019.

The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in India in October-November. New source PTI 

Melbourne, May 24 Former Australia skipper Mark Taylor believes the 2018 ball-tampering scandal "won't go away" ever and its recent resurfacing will affect Steve Smith's chances of regaining the Test captaincy.

Smith, who was sacked as skipper and suspended for a year for his role in the plot, has recently expressed his desire to lead Australia again. His captaincy push was also supported by current Test skipper Tim Paine.

However, the episode resurfaced recently when Cameron Bancroft, who was banned for nine months for his role, stated that whether the Australian bowlers knew of the plan to use a sandpaper on the ball during the Cape Town Test against South Africa was "self-explanatory." "It doesn't help. No doubt about it, it doesn't help his case, because he like I'm sure most people involved in the game would like this just to go away; which it won't go away," Taylor told 'Sports Sunday'.

"There's no doubt there's a growing momentum around Steve Smith being a potential captain, no doubt about that." Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and spinner Nathan Lyon, who were all part of the team during the ill-fated series, recently issued a joint statement, calling for an end to "rumour-mongering and innuendo" regarding that episode.

Taylor, too, threw his weight behind the Australian bowling quartet.

"The bleeding obvious to me is they didn't know that it had been doctored. You only have to read what they said during the week," Taylor said.

"If I could just read it out: 'We did not know a foreign substance was taken on to the field to alter the condition of the ball'. And as they said, the two umpires in the game did not change the ball.

"So there was an attempt to change the condition of the ball but they didn't get to do it. The umpire said, 'That ball's still fine, let's get on with it'. So they did not know." Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke had criticised Cricket Australia (CA) for not probing the issue and "sweeping it under the carpet".

Taylor, however, defended the probe given the circumstances.

"The question about whether Cricket Australia did enough three years ago, the answer to that is yes," Taylor said.

"I think we had a four-day window between the end of the Cape Town Test and the start of the fourth Test which was at Johannesburg, to send someone over, do an investigation, make a report and then make some decisions around that. That was obviously to send the three players home and to deal with it then.

"Yes, in an absolute ideal situation, of course not; it would have been great to have six months to do all this. But we had a four-day window and I think in that time, we got it right." Taylor also said that releasing the investigation report would not help matters.

"It's going to be part of the cricket folk history, part of the history you don't want cricket to be known for, it will be there forever." New source PTI 

London, May 23 Former England cricketer Isa Guha on Sunday said disparities still existed between men's and women's cricket but expressed optimism that the Indian women's team will do as good as their their celebrated male counterparts if "equal amount of thought" goes into it.

In a couple of tweets, she pointed out the areas that need to be looked into by the game's stakeholders to "reach equity".

She has also called for the need to have a strong player's association in place for the welfare of the women's game.

"Women are made to feel grateful for progress but there is still so much to be done to reach equity (& that isn't just equal pay). Players associations are a vital part of reaching this. Indian women will dominate the stage when as much thought goes into the their game as the men," Isa tweeted.

"While the men are at a different level there are still base level equities in player welfare. Things like payment/contract times, well-being support networks, domestic structure prof support, maternity provisions, retirement planning are all things can be gained from having a pa (player's association)." The Indian women cricketers, who made the finals of last year's World T20 in Australia, will receive their share from the USD 500,000 prize money by the end of this week, a senior BCCI official told PTI on Sunday after it came to light that they are yet to be paid.

A report in the UK's 'Telegraph' newspaper quoted an official from the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA) as saying that the BCCI is yet to disburse the runner-up prize money of the global event, which was held in February-March last year.

India were led by Harmanpreet Kaur at the marquee event, where they lost to Australia in the final watched by over 85,000 people at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. News source: PTI 

Melbourne, May 22 The series between Indian and Australian women should have a perpetual trophy named after legends of the women's game, like the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the men's teams, suggested former Australia player Mel Jones.

The comments by Jones, also a member of ICC's women's committee, came ahead of the Indian women team's scheduled tour of Australia in September-October, which will feature one Test (day-night match), three ODIs and as many T20Is.

"It's great to have something like Border-Gavaskar, but that's the men's lens of what's happened in the past. So we should do it our way for the women's game, and maybe can come up with something a little bit different," Jones was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

"Both the men's and women's games have got these magnificent storylines behind their Ashes trophies, and maybe we can create one just as special that is being talked about in 100 years' time with the same sort of reverence as the Ashes." The 48-year-old Jones, who played 5 Tests and 61 ODIs between 1998 and 2003, said it would be magnificent to tell the history of the women's game between the two countries and those involved through such a trophy.

She said the name(s) to adorn any such trophy might best be decided by public input via social media. She took the names of stalwarts Sanath Ragaswamy and Margaret Jennings from a historical context.

"To talk about Sanath Ragaswamy and Marg Jennings and all those players from that first Test in Perth, to get those to the forefront again would be wonderful," she said.

The first women's international between India and Australia was a one-off Test at the WACA in January 1977 (which Australia won by 147 runs) and their inaugural limited-overs meeting came at a women's World Cup match in Patna in 1978 (Australia won by 71 runs).

Australia was captained in both those historic matches by opener-keeper Jennings, while India's skippers were Shantha in their maiden Test and Diana Edulji at the 1978 World Cup (which Australia ultimately won).

Jones said endorsement of a suitable trophy design could be the first step to such a perpetual trophy and then use the upcoming India tour of Australia as well as any reciprocal visit by Meg Lanning's team to the subcontinent as vehicles to drive public awareness and gauge feedback.

Cricket Australia's interim chief executive officer Nick Hockley told cricket.com.au earlier this week the creation of a new trophy was "something we probably need to think about" and added that the multi-format concept was integral to the ongoing evolution of the women's international game. News source: PTI 

Melbourne, May 20 Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry reckons the presence of skilful batters in the Indian women's team will make the pink ball Test a well-contested affair despite the conditions at Perth being more suited to the hosts.

The two sides are set to play a day-night Test from September 30 to October 3 in Perth as part of India's tour Down Under. The historic fixture will be Indian women's team's first pink ball game.

"It's an absolutely wonderful venue for a women's Test. The pitch provides that little bit of extra pace and bounce, the ball carries through really well, there's a little bit of sideways movement," Perry was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

"That's certainly in (our) favour … our conditions and the Australian style of cricket but having said that, looking at the Indian team, some of the skills of their players, particularly their batters, it's going to be a really well-contested Test match and a great opportunity for both sides." The Indian team is armed with some quality batswoman in the form of T20 skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, swashbuckling opener Smriti Mandhana and ODI skipper Mithali Raj.

While the WACA is known to aid pacers, the 30-year-old said the key will be to pick a balanced side, something which has led to the team's success in the recent years.

"(Playing four fast bowlers) would be really dependent on the conditions and how the wicket presents at the time but one of the great things about the group and the way it's evolving is there's some wonderful players coming through," Perry said.

"Certainly, some great young quicks but I think equally our spin stocks are just as exciting. Georgia (Wareham) and Sophie (Molineux) and Ash (Gardner) has also been bowling really well in the last six months or so.

"There's some great options there and one of the strengths in the last little bit is just how balanced our side is across the board." The Indian women's team, which will play its first red-ball match in seven years from June 16 in England, last played a Test against Australia in 2006.

The pink ball Test between India and Australia will be only the second such match to be held in the history of women's cricket.

The two teams are also scheduled to play three ODIs from September 19 to 24 and as many T20 International matches from October 7 to 11. News Source : PTI 

Melbourne, May 20 Former England captain Michael Vaughan has described Cricket Australia's probe into the 2018 ball-tampering controversy as a "piecemeal investigation", saying it has left many questions unanswered and will keep coming back to bite the governing body.

The trio of then Australian skipper Steve Smith, his deputy David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were banned for their roles in the ball tampering scandal which happened during the Cape Town Test in 2018.

The scandal, however, came back to the spotlight after Bancroft recently stated that whether the Australian bowlers knew of the plan to use a sandpaper on the ball during the Cape Town Test against South Africa, was "self-explanatory." "Not many former professionals I have spoken to believe something like that would be confined to just three people. There might be some in a dressing room who may not like it and disagree with a course of action, but say nothing because they do not want to go against the captain. I can see how that happens," Vaughan wrote in the 'Sydney Morning Herald'.

"Ultimately, this shows what happens if you do a piecemeal investigation and leave questions unanswered. It will keep biting you on the backside and does not do anyone any good." Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke too stated that it won't be "surprising" if the bowlers knew about the plot and criticised the cricket body for "sweeping it under the carpet".

The Australian bowling quartet comprising Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and spinner Nathan Lyon, who were all part of the team during the ill-fated series, issued a joint statement on Tuesday to claim innocence and call for an end to "rumour-mongering and innuendo".

Bancroft, who was caught using sandpaper on the ball and was handed a nine-month ban, later reportedly claimed that he was left flustered by the unexpected line of questioning and that there was no malice behind his remarks.

Vaughan said it is now difficult for Cricket Australia to ban more players in retrospect.

"Cricket Australia probably felt it looked into it properly and hoped everyone would move on. A lot of damage was done to Australian cricket's reputation and to those involved," he wrote.

"I felt at the time the bans were too severe, and I can see why Cricket Australia would not want to go back over it. You cannot ban players retrospectively." News Source : PTI 

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA) on Tuesday announced the Men’s and Women’s Ashes schedule for 2021-22 to be held in Australia.

Men’s Ashes Test Series

The first Men’s Ashes Test will commence at Brisbane’s Gabba from 8-12 December followed by a day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval from 16-20 December. The iconic Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests will be hosted by Melbourne Cricket Ground (26-30 December) and Sydney Cricket Ground (5-9 January) respectively. The final Test will take place at Perth’s Optus Stadium (14-18 January).

Women’s Ashes

The multi-format Women’s Ashes series will commence at Manuka Oval, Canberra, with the Women’s Ashes Test match scheduled from 27-30 January.

The limited overs games, which combine with the Test match to make for the multi-format series, will start off with three T20Is at the North Sydney Oval, Sydney (4 and 6 February) and the Adelaide Oval (10 February).

The multi-format series will conclude with three ODIs at Adelaide Oval on 13 February and the Junction Oval in Melbourne on 16 and 19 February.

After the conclusion of the Women’s Ashes series, England will head to New Zealand to take part in the ICC Women’s World Cup.

Tom Harrison, ECB’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “An Ashes series in Australia is a global highlight of the cricketing calendar and is always a focus series for England teams.

It’s a hugely exciting prospect that both men’s and women’s squads will be heading to Australia. It promises to be a highly competitive and close contest with teams in both series, evenly matched. I have little doubt that the rivalry and drama will once again capture the interest of sports lovers across the globe.

“2022 is going to be an amazing year for Women’s cricket. With an Ashes, a World Cup in New Zealand and a home Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, this could be a landmark year for our team. It represents a huge challenge, but one Heather Knight and her talented squad are very excited about.”

Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia’s Interim CEO, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to announce our men’s and women’s international fixtures for the 2021-22 summer of cricket. The lessons learned from successfully delivering a safe summer in 20-21 gives us confidence on what we’re able to achieve, and we’re all hoping for a summer of full crowds and an Ashes atmosphere we’re all accustomed to.

“The Ashes is one of the great global sporting rivalries and seems to grow ever larger with each series and generation. We cannot wait to host England Men over five Tests this summer. The most recent Men’s Ashes series was a remarkable contest that captured the imagination of the entire cricketing world and I expect this summer to be no different.

“In a perfect world, we would welcome England fans back to these shores for a summer of singing and sportsmanship. Of course, we will be guided by the Australian Government on all things related to international travel.”

Melbourne, May 19 Not convinced by the Australian bowlers' clarification in the 2018 ball-tampering episode, former captain Michael Clarke on Wednesday said the quartet missed a very important detail in an otherwise "smartly worded" joint statement -- their involvement was hinted at by a former teammate and not outsiders.

Sticking to his stand that the bowlers, who were part of that team, were aware of the plot to tamper with the red cherry during the infamous Cape Town Test against South Africa, Clarke said their statement finds no mention of the incident's chief protagonist, Cameron Bancroft, and the Australian team's former bowling coach, David Saker.

The four bowlers -- Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon -- found themselves caught in a storm triggered by Bancroft's recent comments hinting that they were aware of the plot.

"I knew when I made my comments about what Cameron Bancroft's quotes were it was more than likely going to offend certain people," Clarke said on 'Sky Sports' radio.

"It certainly was not done personally from my perspective, particularly with the four bowlers concerned, I'm good friends with all of them." Bancroft, in a recent interview, had claimed that team's bowlers could have been aware of the illegal plot. He has since backtracked from his statement after Cricket Australia offered a reinvestigation.

Clarke, one of the world's top batsmen during his time, cited Saker's comment, that even he could have been blamed for the fiasco, to drive home the point of collective responsibility.

"I think there have been a number of people, past players, journalists who have made comments based on what Cameron Bancroft said and then what David Saker, the bowling coach, as well had said. I think that is what's really important after seeing the joint statement," Clarke said.

"The one thing that stands out for mine in that statement (is) they forgot how this conversation was brought up. It was comments from a teammate Cameron Bancroft who was involved in the situation and then quotes from David Saker who was the bowling coach at the time.

"After journalists and past players like myself, Adam Gilchrist and Stuart Broad, a current player, had seen what was said and written, a lot of people have made comments." Bancroft had been caught on camera using sandpaper on the ball in the third Test against South Africa in 2018. The trio of Bancroft, then skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner were banned for their roles in the scandal.

While Bancroft was handed a nine-month ban, Smith and Warner were suspended for a year each.

Clarke added, "I think those guys and Cricket Australia need to remember how this conversation has been brought up...you probably should have put current teammate who was there at the time and did the crime and bowling coach who was there too. You probably left two people out.

"This statement is very smartly worded and written so I'm not going to sit here and continue to talk about every word in that statement. I've said what I've said. It certainly was not personal towards them. I said what I said because that's what I believe." News Source : PTI

Melbourne, May 17 Cricket Australia's interim chief executive Nick Hockley on Monday said he was "grateful" to the BCCI for ensuring a "safe and quick" return of Australia's IPL contingent from India following a stopover in Maldives.

Australian players, including Pat Cummins, David Warner and Steve Smith, arrived in Sydney almost two weeks after the T20 league was indefinitely suspended following a breach in its COVID-19 bio-security bubble.

"We are delighted. We're really grateful to the BCCI for getting them home quickly and safely. I haven't spoken to them since they've landed, but obviously we've been in text exchange and I'm sure they'll be very relieved and very appreciative to be home," Hockey was quoted as saying in Sydney Morning Herald.

A group of 38 Australians, including 14 players, had left for Maldives on May 6 after the suspension of IPL 2021 as their government had banned flights from India till May 15 in the wake of unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases there.

Besides the players, the arriving group included support staff and commentators, who were all flown out of India to the Maldives via chartered planes after the IPL's suspension.

The Australia cricketers, support staff and commentators will undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine across hotels in Sydney before leaving for their respective destinations.

The IPL was suspended 29 matches into the season.

Chennai Super Kings' batting coach Michael Hussey also headed home on Sunday via Doha after testing negative for COVID-19 on Friday. He had tested positive for the virus on May 4 and was brought to Chennai from Delhi in an air ambulance. News Source :  PTI

Melbourne, May 17  Former Australian captain Michael Clarke says he won't be surprised if it comes to light that the bowlers playing the Cape Town Test knew about the ball-tampering plot in 2018.

The scandal had led to a review of Australia's win-at-all-cost team culture and saw one-year bans being slapped on then captain Steve Smith, his deputy David Warner and a nine-month suspension on Cameron Bancroft, who had the sandpaper in his possession.

The issue was put under the spotlight again when Bancroft last week revealed that Australian bowlers in the team at that time might have had some knowledge about the plot.

"If you are playing sport at the highest level you know your tools that good it's not funny. Can you imagine that ball being thrown back to the bowler and the bowler not knowing about it? Please," Clarke told Sky Sports radio on Monday.

"I love how the articles in the paper are, 'It is such a big surprise that Cameron Bancroft has made a ...' Actually, if you read his quotes, it is not what he did say as what he didn't say in regards to other people knowing about 'sandpapergate'," he said.

Following Bancroft's interview, Cricket Australia also issued a statement saying that it was open to a re-investigation into the incident.

"What's the surprise? That more than three people knew? I don't think anybody who has played the game of cricket, or knows a little bit about cricket, would know that in a team like that, at the highest level, when the ball is such an important part of the game," Clarke said.

"I don't think anybody is surprised that more than three people knew about it." Former Australia bowling coach David Sekar, who was with the team during the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, on Sunday said it was a "monumental mistake" which could have been prevented and for which fingers can also be pointed at him. News Source : PTI

Melbourne, May 17 Australia's IPL players, including Pat Cummins and Steve Smith, arrived in Sydney on Monday after a stop-over at Maldives due to travel ban from COVID-ravaged India, almost two weeks after the T20 league was suspended due to the health crisis.

Most of the 38 members of the Australian contingent, including players, officials and commentators who participated at the non-suspended league, landed at the Sydney airport this morning after spending 10 days at Maldives.

The lucrative league was indefinitely suspended on May 5 after four players and two coaches from four different teams tested positive inside the bio-bubble.

Australian players, however, couldn't head home immediately as the country had imposed a travel ban from India, which is battling a deadly second wave of the coronavirus.

They will all be spending two weeks in a Sydney hotel for the mandatory quarantine.

According to national broadcaster ABC, Smith, Cummins, batsman David Warner and Ricky Ponting, who coached Delhi Capitals, were among the people on the Air Seychelles flight.

Chennai Super Kings batting coach Michael Hussey also headed home on Sunday via Doha after testing negative for COVID-19 on Friday. He had tested positive on May 4 and was brought to Chennai from Delhi in an air ambulance.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday said the players and officials were not given any special dispensation.

"They are happy, for them to come in over the cap. That is something we insisted upon and they were to agree with that, Morrison was quoted as saying by ABC.

"They will come back under their own steam, upon their own ticket, and they won't be taking the spot in quarantine of any other Australian who is returning home under the NSW caps." News Source : PTI 

Melbourne, May 14 Australia captain Tim Paine on Friday stood by his comments that his team indeed got distracted by India's "sideshow" but clarified that he didn't ever intend to use it as an excuse for their home Test series defeat in January.

A day after receiving online flak from Indian fans for his "side show" comments on Indian team, Paine clarified himself while chatting with former Australian wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist in a podcast.

"I was asked a number of things, and one of those was talking about the challenges of playing against India. One of them is the distraction they can create," Paine said in the 'Gilly and Goss podcast' on Friday.

"There was a lot of talk that they weren't going to Brisbane. They're always changing gloves and bringing out physios and all that can get on your nerves. Just said that was one of the things that probably distracted me and took my eye of the ball at times." The 36-year-old Paine had said that his team was distracted by the Indian team's "niggling" during the epoch-making Test series early this year which the visitors rallied to win despite being ravaged by injuries.

Soon Paine was trolled on twitter by Indian fans.

"I did say that they simply outplayed us and that they deserved to win but they left that one out. The Indian fans have been slamming me on social media. They say that I'm making excuses again but it's all good fun," Paine said.

"Absolutely, I think anytime an Australian captain speaks publicly is gonna to see the light of the day, there's no doubt about that. Like I said, it was a wide-ranging interview for a long period of time.

"I certainly wasn't making any excuses. I was asked about some of the challenges of the summer, and I said that was one of them for me," he added.

Paine said he doesn't mind getting "a bit of stick" and despite all the criticism he still loves his Indian fans.

"I love Indian fans. I don't mind getting a bit of stick, particularly when you deserve. They ripped me off in the summer when I dropped those catches, that was totally fair.

"I love the passion...I love how much they love cricket. I like how much they interact. For some people it's positive interaction... most of the times they are in to me, but I don't mind that." India prevailed 2-1 in the rubber that went down as one of the greatest bilateral contests of all time. India bounced back from being 36 all out in the opening Test to humble the home side despite, at one time, struggling to put together a fit playing XI.

India sealed the series at Gabba after scripting a record chase of 328 with 19 balls remaining on the final day for a thrilling three-wicket win. News Source : PTI 

Melbourne, May 13 Australian Test captain Tim Paine has hinted at stepping down from the position if his team manages to defeat England in the Ashes series this year and backed former skipper Steve Smith to succeed him.

The 36-year-old Paine has been under intense scrutiny after Australia were beaten 1-2 by an injury-ravaged India in a home Test series earlier this season. Paine said that debacle was partly because his team got distracted by India's "niggling".

Smith was Australia's captain before being forced to step down in 2018 owing to his role in the ball-tampering scandal.

"Obviously I don't make that decision but the time I played with Steve as captain he was excellent. Certainly tactically he is as good as you get," Paine was quoted as saying by news.com.au.

"He's probably a bit like me when I was at the start of my captaincy journey in Tasmania - he was thrown into a very big role at a very, very young age and he probably wasn't quite ready for it.

"But by the time I came in he was growing into that role and getting better and better. Then obviously (in) South Africa events happened and he's not doing it anymore. But yeah I would support him getting that job again," he added, Paine also hinted that he might step down from captaincy if Australia can beat England in the Ashes later this year.

"At least another six Tests," he said referring to the one-off Test against Afghanistan and the five-Test Ashes at home.

"If I feel like the time is right and we've beaten the Poms 5-0, what a way to go out. But it might be a tight series and we might be chasing 300 on the last day and I'm 100 not out and hit the winning runs - and then I might go again." Talking about the India series, which put him under tremendous pressure as captain, Paine said, "...they're very good at niggling you and trying to distract you with stuff that doesn't really matter and there were times in that series where we fell for that." "The classic example was when they said they weren't going to the Gabba so we didn't know where we were going. They're very good at creating these sideshows and we took our eye off the ball," he added.

He was referring to unverified reports which claimed that the visiting side did not want to play the Brisbane Test. The media reports relied on source-based information to make the assertion.

India, however, went to Gabba and scripted a record chase of 328 with 19 balls remaining on the final day for a thrilling three-wicket win, which also sealed the series. News Source : PTI 

The Melbourne Renegades today confirmed the appointment of Simon Helmot as the franchise's Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) Head Coach for the next two editions.

Helmot was the outstanding contender through the entire recruitment process and brings huge international experience from major Twenty20 tournaments across the World.

The 49 year old has undertaken coaching roles in the Indian Premier League, Caribbean Premier League, Afghan Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League as well as the Big Bash League.

Helmot will step into the shoes of Lachlan Stevens who resigned last month.

Helmot was Melbourne Renegade's first BBL Coach and came back to the club last edition as Assistant Coach of both the BBL and WBBL sides.

“It was a great experience returning to the Renegades last season and, in my first year in the WBBL, I was really impressed by the talent across the competition,” Helmot said.

“It was a tough season for us in terms of results, but winning three of our last five games highlights the resilience and character of the group, so I’m really excited to be working with them again and seeing what we can build over the next couple of seasons.

“Ultimately I want to create an environment where players can improve as individuals, both in a cricket sense and away from the game, and then bring it all together so we can succeed as a team.”

David Lever, Melbourne Renegades General Manager in a press release by the club said,  Helmot’s energy, dedication and experience resonated with the playing group last season.

“Simon brings a positive attitude and an enthusiastic approach to the role, supplemented by more than 15 years coaching experience across the globe,” Lever said.

“He was able to form a strong connection with our playing group last season and his passion, work ethic and care are some of his characteristics that have and will continue to resonate with our club.

“Simon is dedicated to developing our squad both as players and people and that all-round approach will have us well positioned for future success.”

The Melbourne Renegades qualified for the finals in WBBL|04 and WBBL|05, however the club missed out last season.

“Simon is a well-known and well-respected figure within Victorian cricket,” Cricket Victoria’s General Manager of Cricket Shaun Graf said.

“His knowledge tactically within the T20 game and his experience as head coach in competitions all around the world are highly regarded. We look forward to supporting Simon in this senior role and helping him create an on and off field team that will bring success to the club in WBBL|07.”

Melbourne, May 5 Australia pacer Pat Cummins feels the IPL organisers, in hindsight, would have "tweaked a few things" after deciding to host the league in India amidst a raging COVID-19 pandemic.

Cummins, a key part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team, said previous edition held in UAE was incredibly "well-run" and the organisers pushed it "little step further" by organising it at home this year.

The IPL was "indefinitely suspended" on Tuesday, following multiple COVID-19 cases inside the bio-bubble.

Last year, IPL was first postponed and then shifted to the UAE with India being in the grips of the first wave of virus.

"Last year we had the IPL held over in the UAE and that was an incredibly well-run tournament," Cummins told Foxsports.

"This year, they tried to push it that little step further and have it over here in multiple cities in India. I'm sure looking back they might have tweaked a few things." His comments were made before the postponement of the league on Tuesday.

The decision was taken after the virus breached the bio-bubble, infecting SunRisers Hyderabad batsman Wriddhiman Saha, Delhi Capitals' spinner Amit Mishra and KKR's Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier.

Chennai Super Kings' bowling coach L Balaji was also among the prominent non-playing staff to test positive and later it emerged that batting coach Michael Hussey also returned positive for COVID-19.

There were a lot of criticism for conducting the T20 league at a time when India was facing such a devastating health crisis.

"It's two different worlds. We're lucky, we're safe, we're comfortable and there's people just trying to get basic medical treatment," the Australian vice-captain said.

"First thing was to find out whether us playing the IPL was the right thing and basically everyone said, we would be lost without the IPL for three or four hours every night. I'm just trying to do my bit. India's been such a good country to me and cricketers." With the T20 event being postponed, the Australian IPL players and support staff might fly off to Maldives in a bid to get home. The Australian government last week banned travellers from COVID-ravaged India till May 15. News Source : PTI

Australia's Big Bash League club, the Melbourne Renegades on Tuesday announced Trikon as the franchise' Official Platinum Partner and Official Integrated Communications Partner.

A telecommunications and information technology company, 'Trikon' provides organisations across Australia with business solutions.

Trikon is well known for providing a spectrum of unmatched business services and solutions which includes internet, energy, business phone systems, managed printing, web technologies, surveillance systems along with an abundance of transformational technologies which can create significant business impact.

Trikon, as part of the partnership, will have its logo featured on the sleeve of the WBBL and BBL playing uniform with signage being displayed across the player dugout.

In a press release by the Melbourne Renegades, Trikon Managing Director Jigar Shah said: “This partnership connects our entrepreneurial zeal with Australia’s biggest sporting extravaganza, which we know will be a winning combination. We are looking forward to an action-packed partnership which firmly cements our position in the Australian sports arena.”

Trikon Chief Executive Officer Hiral Shah said: “We are thrilled to partner with Melbourne Renegades. This is the perfect platform for us to create awareness about the ease and affordability of Trikon’s product and service offerings. We foresee a great synergy between our brands, since both connect to a wide spectrum of audience. This synergy combined with the success of the game format makes it a great opportunity for us to partner with Melbourne Renegades.”

Chief Operating Officer Kamal Darak said: “We anticipate great collaboration and camaraderie which will project our brands to a wider audience and empower us to enter new markets and businesses as we engage with clients and cricket aficionados.”

David Lever, Melbourne Renegades General Manager said the franchise is proud to align with Trikon. “Trikon is an innovator with a sharp customer focus and strong community values and a business that we’re excited to begin a new partnership with,” he said.

“Despite the challenges last season presented, the Melbourne Renegades remain one of the most watched sporting teams in the country in terms of average television audience.

“Our passionate membership base and strong commercial partners are central to the continued growth of our club and we look forward to once again playing our matches in front of our fans and members at our home venues in Victoria.

“It’s fantastic to have Trikon on board and we look forward to working closely with them to deliver what we know will be exciting and engaging WBBL and BBL seasons.”

Melbourne, May 3 Cricket-turned-commentator Michael Slater has left the IPL's bio-bubble and flown to Maldives after Australia suspended flights from India till May 15 because of the unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases there.

'The Australian' newspaper reported that Slater has escaped to Maldives after the government made it clear that Australians, who are engaged in the IPL will have to make their own arrangements to return.

It was after reaching Maldives that Slater launched a scathing Twitter attack on Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison for not allowing its citizens to return from India, calling the travel ban a "disgrace".

"If our Government cared for the safety of Aussies they would allow us to get home. It's a disgrace!! Blood on your hands PM. How dare you treat us like this. How about you sort out quarantine system. I had government permission to work on the IPL but I now have government neglect," Slater had tweeted.

Morrison said Slater's comments were "absurd".

"No, that's obviously absurd. This is about getting more people home safely, preventing the third wave here in Australia," Morrison told the 'Nine Network'.

"Every system is going to face its stresses and I'm not going to break the system. What I'm going to do is take proportionate action to protect the system so I can bring more Australians home and keep Australians safe for the longer term," he said.

Australia has shut its borders and not allowing any commercial flights from India because of the massive COVID-19 surge there. India is currently recording over 3 lakh cases everyday and more than 3,000 daily deaths.

Threatening a five-year jail term or hefty fine, the Australian government temporarily barred its citizens from entering the country if they happened to be in India within 14 days of their intended arrival.

Three Australian players left the IPL before the travel ban came into force. As many as 14 Australian players were competing in the IPL. News Source : PTI 

Melbourne, May 3 Cricket Australia currently has no plans to arrange a charter flight to bring its players back home from COVID-19-ravaged India once the IPL gets over, its chief Nick Hockley said on Monday.

Hockley insisted that Australian players are feeling safe and secure in the IPL bio-bubble but his comments came before it emerged that two KKR players have tested positive for the dreaded virus, leading to the postponement of the franchise's game against RCB on Monday.

Australian pacer Pat Cummins' Kolkata Knight Riders teammates -- Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier -- have returned positive tests.

Mumbai Indians batsman Chris Lynn had recently requested Cricket Australia to arrange for a charter flight for Australia players after the tournament concludes on May 30.

"There's no suggestion at the moment of any charter flight," Hockley told Melbourne radio station SEN.

"We're working closely and talking closely with the Australian Cricketers' Association, with the players and with the BCCI to make sure everyone's okay and the people have got full information.

"We've been in touch with the players there and they are generally in good spirits. The work the BCCI has done around the (bio-secure) bubble means they are feeling safe and secure, and those we've talked to are generally planning to complete their playing commitments." The Cricket Australia boss said they are monitoring the situation and a decision will be made but not immediately.

"The BCCI have come out and said they understand and want to support the players in making sure they get home safely at the end.

"The tournament doesn't finish until the 30th of May, so for the moment it's monitor the situation and as we get closer to the end of the tournament we'll need to see where the situation is at," he said.

The Australian government recently banned its citizens from travelling back from India, which is battling a severe second wave of the pandemic that causing thousands of daily deaths.

Australia's Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye and Kane Richardson were also part of the IPL but they flew out of India before the ban was announced.

Australia still have lot of current and former players in the League, performing different roles.

The likes of David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith are competing as players while former captain Ricky Ponting is among the coaches on duty.

Maxwell had recently said that Australian players would not mind travelling to UK along with the Indian and New Zealand players, who are set to compete in the World Test Championship final in Southampton from June 18. News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Apr 30 Indian club Bengaluru FC's AFC Cup play-off match, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this month, has been rescheduled for May 11.

BFC, runners-up in 2016, were earlier scheduled to play on April 28.

They will now travel to Maldvies to take on hosts Club Eagles next month for the group D fixture.

"The sub-committee also agreed to award the Playoff Stage slot to Club Eagles, who will now face India’s JSW Bengaluru FC for a place in the AFC Cup Group D on May 11, 2021 in Maldives," Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said in a press release on Friday.

BFC were earlier drawn to play the winners of the match between six-time Bangladesh Premier League champions Abahani and Maldives' Eagles.

However, a countrywide lockdown and travel restrictions in Bangladesh forced Abahani to withdraw from the tournament.

"Taking into careful consideration the exceptional circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular the lockdown and travel restrictions in Bangladesh, the Sub-Committee decided that Abahani Limited Dhaka are considered to have withdrawn from the AFC Cup 2021 and that the situation constituted an event of force majeure." The AFC also announced that Myanmar clubs Hantharwady United FC and Shan United FC have withdrawn from the AFC Cup and AFC Champions League, respectively.

"The AFC Competitions Committee noted and acknowledged the challenges as well as the present complexities caused by the state of emergency in Myanmar and decided that the situation constituted an event of force majeure." In light of the development, the AFC Competitions Committee has cancelled the Champions League preliminary stage match between Shan United FC and Melbourne City FC.

"To determine the remaining slots for the 2021 AFC Club Competitions, the AFC Competitions Committee has decided to cancel the AFC Champions League Preliminary Stage match between Shan United FC and Australia's Melbourne City FC, who will now advance to the playoff stage where they will face Cerezo Osaka from Japan." The committee also cancelled the AFC Cup playoff stage match between Hantharwady United FC, who were originally scheduled to face the winner of the preliminary stage match between FC Chanthabouly from Laos and Brunei Darussalam's Kasuka FC.

"FC Chanthabouly and Kasuka FC will instead compete for a direct slot in Group G occupying position G4, alongside Hanoi FC from Vietnam, Bali United FC from Indonesia and Cambodia’s Boeung Ket," the statement read.

The AFC Cup playoff stage match between Persipura Jayapura and the winner of the preliminary stage tie between Visakha FC and Lalenok United FC has also been called off.

"Persipura Jayapura has instead received an automatic entry into Group H in position H4, alongside Kedah Darul Aman from Malaysia, Singapore’s Lion City Sailors FC and Saigon FC from Vietnam, while Visakha FC and Lalenok United FC will compete for a place in Group I." In their last outing, BFC thrashed Nepal's Tribhuvan Army FC 5-0 in Bambolim, Goa.

The fixture was new coach Marco Pezzaiuoli's first competitive game in charge of the Blues, since his appointment as head coach in February. News Source : PTI 

Melbourne, Apr 23 All-rounder Cameron Green landed his maiden national contract but big names, including Matthew Wade and Travis Head, missed out as Cricket Australia on Friday announced a 17-strong list of contracted players for the upcoming season. The 21-year-old Green, who scored 236 runs at 33.71 during the home four-Test series against India, was the only new name in the contract list which has been trimmed down to 17 players from 20 in previous years. However, opener Joe Burns, all-rounders Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinus along with former Test vice-captain Head and wicketkeeper-batsman Wade failed to get a deal for the 2021-2022 season, which includes the T20 World Cup in India and a home Ashes series. "We have great confidence in the 17 players announced today as the Australian men's team enters a busy year of high-quality cricket across all three formats...," National Selector Trevor Hohns said in a statement. Hohns gave two main reasons behind the size of the contract list. "Firstly, we have seen format specialisation become increasingly prevalent in recent seasons which, accordingly, has resulted in a broader group of players representing Australia, often beyond the initial list of contracted players at the start of each year," he said. "Secondly, we want to create an environment where players strive for national selection through consistent domestic performances and earn national contracts through consistent international performances." Green had made a mark in his maiden Test against India and also amassed 922 runs at 76.83, including three centuries, in the Marsh Sheffield Shield. "Cameron is a player we believe will play an important role for Australian cricket after his impressive breakout summer," Hohns said. "His 84 in the second innings against India at the SCG demonstrated excellent technique and resolve and we are confident his bowling will be impactful at international level. "His domestic form was also outstanding, and we expect he will only get better with more international exposure." Hohns said those who have missed out are still eligible for national selection and can be upgraded to a central deal over the course of the year. "But in naming these 17 players, we believe we have a strong core group which cover all forms of the game for the 12 months ahead. "The NSP continues to hold Joe Burns, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis in high regard and expect that they, and many others across Australian Cricket, will continue to make strong cases for national selection next season." Cricket Australia men's contract list 2021-22: Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Adam Zampa. News Source : PTI

Chennai, Apr 7 (PTI) Big-hitting Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell says being continuously confined to bio-bubbles can become a "nightmare" and cricketers are leading a "difficult lifestyle" right now to ensure that they continue to do their job. Maxwell, who had his share of problems with mental fatigue in the past, admitted that adjusting to such a life amid the COVID-19 pandemic is definitely taking a toll on players around the world. "It's very difficult (to move from one bubble to other)...you being sheltered from people outside your bio-secure bubble and you get stuck into this never-ending nightmare where you are living the same day over and over again," he said in an interview posted by his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore on its youtube channel. "You almost tend to forget how to have a normal conversation with the outside world. That can be very hard mentally and is a massive challenge. But it's great to be back playing and to be able to do our jobs and entertain people. But it's still a difficult lifestyle at the moment," he said. "It does put a strain on a lot of relationships as well. You need your support networks to get you through those tough times." Talking about the upcoming IPL, Maxwell said couldn't care less for all the chatter around his hefty price tag despite underwhelming past performances as he is excited about living a long-cherished dream of playing alongside Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Despite poor outings in the last two IPLs, Maxwell managed to earn big bucks again in this year's auction when RCB signed him for a whopping Rs 14.25 crore. "It's been a long time (dream of playing alongside Kohli and de Villiers). Obviously having known them very well off the field, played against them fair bit but finally I got to play in the same team," Maxwell said in an interview posted RCB on its youtube page. "Not really," was his response to a query on whether he was surprised by the high bid he attracted at the auction. "I thought that there might be a little bit of interest. A lot of teams have brought that middle-order overseas player but I knew a couple of teams were looking at a batting off-spinner and I am glad that two teams went harder and RCB got hold of me." RCB will take on Mumbai Indians in the tournament-opener in Chennai on Friday. He said his vast experience of playing in Indian conditions could turn out to be handy for Kohli and the RCB in their endeavour to lift a maiden IPL title. "...I think my performances will take care of themselves. I want to have a positive influence of everything I do, be it attitude, helping out around the team, leadership wise helping out Virat when he needs it... "I suppose with my experience, I think its my 22nd trip to India... so with that sort of experience you have got to help out the rest of the group," Maxwell said. Maxwell said having spent the entire lockdown period with his fiancee at his Melbourne home, he is feeling fresh now and can't wait to take the field for his new IPL side. "I was so excited to get going. A new team, a new tournament we are back in India after Dubai last year, I was so excited. Happy to be outside of quarantine. It was nice to see some friendly faces, meet a few new people, get out and run around. "Hopefully, that lifts other people as well when they see you happy running around. It can be infectious, it can spread through the group pretty quickly as much as a negative reaction can."

According to a press release by Melbourne Renegades, they have confirmed today that Big Bash League - 10 Player of the Tournament Sam Harper has extended his deal with the club.

Harper was already on board for the Renegades for the BBL|11 but the new deal confirms a further two seasons, through to at least the conclusion of BBL|13.

“I’ve loved my time at the Renegades. I’m grateful for the opportunity I was given a couple of years ago and I’m always keen to repay the club for the faith they’ve shown in me,” Harper said.

“We know we can perform a lot better than what we’ve shown over the last two seasons and I’m looking forward to being part of the group that helps get us back up competing in the finals.”

Harper had joined the Renegades squad as a Local Replacement Player on the eve of the eighth edition of the BBL.He has scored 971 runs with 26 dismissals to his name. Harper was a part of the BBL|08 title-winning side and was named in the Renegades' Team of the Decade earlier this year.

“Sam has shown himself to be a dynamic player at the top of the order and a reliable presence behind the stumps throughout his 42 games for the club,” Melbourne Renegades List Manager Andrew Lynch said.

“At 24, his best cricket is ahead of him and we’re looking forward to seeing the level he can take his game to over the coming seasons.”

Renegades General Manager David Lever said Harper’s contract extension caps an exciting string of signings that features a number of players re-committing to the club.

“Sam came to us as a young player hungry for an opportunity and in just a few seasons he’s won a title, become one of our leading run scorers and is now our reigning Player of the Season,” Lever said.

“Our future looks bright with Sam’s extension following the new deals for Mackenzie Harvey, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Zak Evans.

“With Kane Richardson, Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh providing the experience, our new coach will have a lot to work with heading into BBL|11 and beyond.”    

Kolkata, Apr 4 (PTI) "Strike-rate is kind of overrated," asserted India's emerging star Shubman Gill, for whom a batsman's biggest strength is adapting to different situations without having a fixed batting style. He was one of the architects of India's historic Test series triumph Down but Gill has played just three ODIs and is yet to make his T20I debut. The youngster is may still not be in team's white-ball scheme of things due to his slow strike-rate but it is not a cause of concern for him. "I think strike-rate is kind of overrated," the Kolkata Knight Riders star batsman told PTI in an interview ahead of the upcoming IPL. "It's all about how you adapt to a certain situation. If the team demands you to play with a strike rate of 200 you should be able to do it. If the team demands you to play at a strike rate of 100, you should be able to do it. It's just about adapting to the match situation," he said confidently. "There shouldn't be a certain pattern to your game where you are only able to play one kind of game and not being able to adapt to different situations," he added. After his spectacular Test debut Down Under, Gill endured a lean patch in the home series against England, hitting just one-half century from seven innings. Gill also has not played any white ball game since his ODI appearance against Australia in December last year but lack of game time is not something that is keeping him worried. "I don't think it will affect anything because we have almost 10-12 days before our first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (April 11) so there's plenty of time for me to prepare," he said. Last year he was seen donning the opener's role for KKR but Gill is ready to play any role that his captain Eoin Morgan demands. "I'll be pretty comfortable and up for it whether the team requires me to bat in the middle-order or higher up. I'm up for anything," he said. Asked to pick his favourite format, Gill said, "Honestly, All the three formats have their own excitement and have their own experiences." "In Test matches there's a different type of rush and excitement. In ODIs, there's a different kind of rush and when you're playing T20s, it's different. All three are different but all three are really exciting." Gill will have an ever-lasting memory of the Test series Down Under where he scored 259 runs in three matches. He made his debut in the Boxing Day Melbourne Test following India's debacle in the first pink ball Day/Night Test where they got all out for a record low of 36. "It was not a great feeling when you see the best batting lineup in the world getting bundled out for less than 40 runs. "Seeing our batsmen getting out for such low scores, I think, it kind of motivated me more to do well whenever I got a chance. I was really determined to do well." "Before the Adelaide Test only I knew that I'll be playing the second match in Melbourne, because that's when Virat bhai was leaving so Ravi Sir told me that I'll be playing from second Test onwards," he recalled. The Indian opener hit a counter-attacking 91 in the second innings, something that set up their epic chase of 328 at the Gabba. "I really wanted to get 100 on that day I thought I deserved it. But once I got to the 90s, I knew that I was getting a bit nervous. I thought I would ask for drinks to calm down my nerves but I got out in the same over," he recalled being dismissed by Nathan Lyon. "If I have to rate my innings it was nine out of 10. If I would have got a 100 obviously I would have been able to express myself more," he said. Gill makes the batting look easy with his sheer class and composure but he's guilty of not converting his starts. "When I look back, I don't think I would have done anything differently. I don't have any regrets. "I don't think there is any concern in not being able to convert those starts. If I see my innings, there are very few innings in which I've thrown my wicket away. "In most of the innings, where I have not been able to convert my starts, there have been good balls," he pointed out. Gill is often seen bowling off-spin at nets for KKR. "In U-16 and U-19, I used to bowl a lot but I was warned for suspect action in U-19 then I kind of stopped bowling." "Let's see, you never know I might pick it up and be determined to bowl. I think I should be able to do a pretty good job," he concluded.

Melbourne, Apr 1 (PTI) Australia and Chennai Super Kings fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has pulled out of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League to take a small break from cricket and keep himself fresh for the Ashes and the T20 World Cup later this year. Hazlewood was to depart with other Australia's IPL-bound players and join CSK but decided to skip the cash-rich league, which will start on April 9 and go on till May 30, and spend time at home for the next two months. The 30-year-old played three games for CSK in the IPL last season when the tournament was staged in the UAE in late 2020. "It's been a long 10 months in bubbles and quarantine at different times, so I decided to have a rest from cricket and spend some time at home and in Australia in the next two months," Hazlewood was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. "We've got a big winter ahead. The West Indies is going to be a long tour, with Bangladesh (T20 tour) potentially thrown on the end of that. Then potentially the T20 World Cup leading into the Ashes, so it's a big 12 months. "As it always is with Australia, and I want to give myself the best chance to be mentally and physically ready for that," he added. The right-armer follows compatriots Josh Philippe (RCB) and Mitchell Marsh (SRH) in withdrawing from the IPL, while some other Australians may consider opting out also, according to the report. Hazlewood has been under restrictions from July last year before leaving for England with Australia's limited-overs team where he was in strict bio-secure lockdown before heading to the UAE for the IPL where again safety protocols were tight. His return to Australia in November started with two weeks in hotel isolation in Adelaide before moving into the men's international bubble along with the visiting Indians for the Test series. The bubble with India ended in late January and Hazlewood was set to quarantine again having been named in Australia's Test squad to travel to South Africa. But that tour was postponed due to safety reasons and he has since been representing New South Wales at domestic level. With the pulling out of the IPL, Hazlewood is now available for the back end of the domestic season. He is expected to be available for NSW for the Sheffield Shield final if they qualify. "I haven't been bowling a great deal ... workloads are a bit too low … hopefully I can use the next two weeks to build up and if we're in the Shield final I can play that," the pacer said.

As per a press release by Melbourne Renegades, the Australian Big Bash club has roped in talented youngsters like Mackenzie Harvey, Zak Evans and Jake Fraser-McGurk. Twenty year old Harvey, has signed a two-year deal with the club till the end of BBL|12. Evans, 20, and Fraser-McGurk, 18, were already signed for BBL|11 but the duo has also agreed to an additional season, also until the end of BBL|12. “All three of these young players showed their talent with match-winning performances at various points last season,” Melbourne Renegades List Manager Andrew Lynch said. “To have this young talent on our list alongside our established core provides a nice balance for our incoming coach.” Harvey was adjudged Man of the Match after his match winning innings of 47 off just 21 deliveries in the Renegades victory against the Melbourne Stars in January. He was also a member of the club’s title winning team in BBL|08. “I’ve loved my time at the club since I joined a few years ago,” Harvey said. Fraser-McGurk had scored an unbeaten 29 in a match winning 68 run stand with Mohammad Nabi during the Renegades win against the Strikers last season, while Zak Evans impressed everyone with his 5-33 against the Hobart Hurricanes. Renegades General Manager David Lever said that the latest signings are a crucial part of the club’s strategy. “We’re committed to attracting, retaining and developing the best young Victorian talent,” he said. “This group, together with players like Will Sutherland and Mitch Perry, give our members and fans so much to look forward to in the next few years as they really start to establish themselves in the BBL.”

Ahmedabad, Mar 10 (PTI) Fast-rising India batsman Shubman Gill says making his Test debut in Australia felt like "going into a war" and an important lesson that he came back with was never to "rule someone out of a scenario". The 21-year-old was impressive during the tour, with a highest of 91 and another half century to total 259 in the four-match series that an injury-ravaged India won 2-1. Gill made his debut in the second Test in Melbourne from where India's turnaround started after the thrashing in the Adelaide day-nighter. "As long as the fielding lasted, I was pretty normal. But when we finally batted, and I was taking a walk down from the dressing room to the pitch with the crowd cheering (backing the Aussies, nevertheless), it was an experience of a kind! It felt like going into a war!" he told his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders' official website. Before the game started, he was swept by emotions as head coach Ravi Shastri presented him with his Test cap. "It's inexplicable. At times you go through a sea of emotions which just make you go numb. It was that kind of a moment. Ravi Shastri gave a speech in the huddle and then I received the cap from him. After that we won the toss and elected to field first," he recalled. Gill is yet to make a noteworthy contribution in the ongoing series against England but the youngster showed why he is touted as the next best thing in Indian cricket with his solid performances in Australia. Asked what it meant to debut in Australia, Gill said it was like a childhood dream coming true and felt surreal. "When I was a kid, I used to get up at 4.30-5am to watch Test matches in Australia. Now people are getting up early to watch me play, that's quite a feeling. I still remember my father used to wake up early and so would I just to watch the Australia series," he remembered. "It was a different kind of fun to watch Brett Lee bowl or Sachin sir (Tendulkar) bat. All of a sudden, I was playing in that team and Australians were bowling at me. "It felt surreal that the world was watching me. I was really looking forward to the challenge and always wanted to play in Australia to experience how it feels," he said. And what are the lessons he brought back home? "...no matter what, you can't rule someone out of a scenario. We had so many injuries but the dressing room positivity never changed. "We got all out for 36 and despite that not for once our players or our coach or our captain and even the support staff felt bogged down or intimidated to such an extent that we didn't know what to do next," he said. "As I had said before, if they want to play chin music, we have got all the dance moves ready!"

Melbourne, Mar 9 (PTI) Head coach Justin Langer on Tuesday said Australia were "really slack" in not maintain their over-rate in the Melbourne Test against India which eventually cost them a place in the World Test Championships final. Australia were fined four WTC points for being two overs behind in the second Test of the four-match series. India recently beat England 3-1 in a home Test series to set up a WTC final clash with New Zealand in June and Australia could have qualified in place of the Kiwis if not for that slow over-rate penalty. "This might be the silliest thing I've ever said, but our manager Gavin Dovey ... he'd been away, he'd gone home for Christmas to be with his family," Langer told SEN. "It wasn't until after the game that we realised our over rate was down. Now, that's really slack on our behalf." In the WTC standing, New Zealand finished 0.3 per cent ahead of Australia, who had decided not to travel to South Africa for a Test series due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "I remember we were in the team room afterwards and I spoke to Painey (skipper Tim Paine) and Dene Hills, our analyst, about it. I was a bit grumpy about it and I thought 'imagine if this cost us the World Test Championship'," Langer said. "And I mentioned it to the players afterwards that two overs down could cost us the World Test Championship. And so, we have to get better at that and make sure it doesn't happen in Sydney and Brisbane. "It's very disappointing, but the lesson is the things that we can control, we have to control. And we can't relax for a second in Test cricket." With India hosting the T20 World Cup later this year, Langer said IPl-bound Australian players' performances in the T20 league will be taken into consideration when they sit to select the team for the ICC event. "There's no better showcase for some of our players. They're playing in the same conditions (as the World Cup). We'll watch that really closely and see who performs well," Langer said. "It's a great opportunity for a lot of players. They get to play a lot of cricket under pressure, that can only benefit them individually and us collectively." The IPL will run from April 9 to May 30 across six venues in India.

According to a press release by Ultimate Table Tennis, star paddlers Achanta Sharath Kamal, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra kick started their WTT Star Contender Doha campaign in high spirits and cruised into the second round of their singles categories on Monday.

Sharath Kamal, the Melbourne Commonwealth Games champion struggled in the beginning stages of the match as he went down in the first game against Brian Afanador. The World No. 32 however bounced back impressively to set the tone and didn't give any further chance to his counterpart and sealed the match 8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-1 against the Puerto Rican during the men’s singles first round. The Indian paddler will now take on the World No. 16 Patrick Franziska from Germany in the next round on Tuesday.



World No. 37 Sathiyan was also down to 0-2 in the match before making a brilliant comeback with a stunning counter attacking show and sealed a 9-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 win against his French opponent Emmanuael Lebesson in the first round of men’s singles competition. Sathiyan will now have a tough job in the next round as he will be up against World No. 5 Japanese paddler Tomokazu Harimoto.

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Batra made a clinical straight-set 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 victory against China's Taipei’s Hsein-Tzu Cheng during the women’s singles opening round match and advanced into the next round where she will face World No. 3 Mima Ito of Japan.

Sathiyan, Sharath Kamal and Batra have won direct entries into the singles competition in the current tournament. The second round matches will be held on Tuesday.



Earlier in the first qualifying round of men’s singles, Anthony Amalraj faced a 6-11, 11-9, 3-11, 7-11 loss against Japan's Mizuki Oikawa whereas Harmeet Desai suffered a loss to Ukraine’s Yevhen Pryshchepa - 10-12, 9-11, 11-13, 9-11.

In the women’s singles qualifiers, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ahyika Mukherjee didn't qualify for the third round. Sutirtha lost a hard-fought 11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 9-11, 9-11 battle to Korea's Hayeong Kim while Ayhika had to see a 5-11, 11-13, 7-11 defeat against Romania's Irina Ciobanu.

Ahmedabad, Feb 25 (PTI) Following is the list of Tests worldwide which ended on Day 2 with a result before India's win over England in the day-night third match here on Thursday. 1) England vs Australia at The Oval on 28 Aug 1882: Australia won 2) England vs Australia at Lord's on 16 Jul 1888: Australia won 3) England vs Australia at The Oval on 13 Aug 1888: England won 4) England vs Australia in Manchester on 30 Aug 1888: England won 5) South Africa vs England in Port Elizabeth on 12 Mar 1889: England won 6) South Africa vs England in Cape Town on 25 Mar 1889: England won 7) England vs Australia in The Oval on 11 Aug 1890: England won 8) South Africa vs England in Port Elizabeth on 13 Feb 1896: England won 9) South Africa vs England in Cape Town on 21 Mar 1896: England won 10) Australia vs South Africa in Manchester on 27 May 1912: Australia won 11) England vs South Africa in The Oval on 12 Aug 1912: England won 12) England vs Australia in Nottingham on 28 May 1921: Australia won 13) Australia vs West Indies in Melbourne on 13 Feb 1931: Australia won 14) South Africa vs Australia in Johannesburg on 15 Feb 1936: Australia won 15) New Zealand vs Australia in Wellington on 29 Mar 1946: Australia won 16) England vs West Indies in Leeds on 17 Aug 2000: England won 17) Australia vs Pakistan in Sharjah on 11 Oct 2002: Australia won 18) South Africa vs Zimbabwe in Cape Town on 4 Mar 2005: South Africa won 19) Zimbabwe vs New Zealand in Harare on 7 Aug 2005: New Zealand won 20) South Africa vs Zimbabwe in Port Elizabeth on 26 Dec 2017: South Africa won 21) India vs Afghanistan in Bengaluru on 14 Jun 2018: India won.

Ahmedabad, Feb 24 (PTI) President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday inaugurated the world's largest cricket arena -- the refurbished Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera -- a state-of-the-art facility which can accommodate an awe-inspiring 1.32 lakh spectators. The President inaugurated the stadium in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju among a host of other dignitaries. It opens with the third Test between India and England, a day-night game from Wednesday, and will also host the fourth and final game of the series from March 4. Spread over 63 acres, the stadium has been built at an estimated cost of Rs 800 crore and with a seating capacity for 1,32,000 spectators, it has surpassed the hallowed Melbourne Cricket Ground which can accommodate 90,000. "The total area is equivalent to 32 Olympic size soccer fields put together," stated a note from the Press Information Bureau giving specifics of the enormous structure. The facility, which was closed for renovation in 2015, was witness to some major milestones in Indian cricket in its previous avatar. These included Sunil Gavaskar reaching the 10,000 runs mark in Test cricket against Pakistan in 1987 and Kapil Dev claiming his 432nd Test wicket to become the highest wicket-taker in the world in 1994, surpassing Sir Richard Hadlee. Australian architect firm Populous, which designed the Melbourne Cricket Stadium among others, is the architect of the new stadium. It has 11 pitches made of both red and black soil and is the only stadium in the world to have same soil surfaces for the main and practice pitches. "As children, we used to dream about the world's largest stadium in India. And now as sports minister, my happiness knows no bounds that this has finally happened," said Rijiju at the inaguration. "It is one of the most modern sports facilities in the world," he added. Players from both the India and England teams, who have been training here for the past few days, have expressed their admiration for what they have experienced at the arena. The ground claims to have a drainage system which will take just 30 minutes from the time it stops raining to drain out the water. Instead of high mast floodlights, the field of play has LED lights fixed along the perimeter of the roof providing shadow-less light -- a first of its kind arrangement in India. This is the only cricket stadium in the world to have four dressing rooms for the players so that back-to-back games can be played on the same day. It also has a cricket academy, indoor practice pitches, and two separate practice grounds with small pavilion area. The President performed the ground-breaking ceremony for a sports complex in the stadium for disciplines like football, hockey, basketball, kabbadi, boxing, and lawn tennis among others.

Melbourne, Feb 2 (PTI) Australia head coach Justin Langer has described the criticism of his coaching style by the national players as a "wake-up call" which he won't ignore. Following an under-strength India's historic Test win in Australia, a report in 'Sydney Morning Herald' said that some national players are not happy with Langer's intense "micro-management" coaching style. While Langer had rubbished the reports, the coach looked to take the criticism in his stride, terming it a "great gift". "I'm not going to ignore this, of course, and absolutely it is a wake-up call," Langer told ESPNcricinfo on Monday. "Whenever I finish this coaching career I hope I'm still calling myself a novice coach. I'll see this criticism as a great gift in a few weeks or months." The former left-handed opener still has 18 months left in his contract. "My greatest mentors in life are the people who told me the truth and were toughest on me, and I've always needed that honest feedback. I might not enjoy it at the time, but it is so, so valuable." The 50-year-old Langer had taken over the reins from Darren Lehmann following the 2018 infamous 'sandpaper scandal' in Cape Town which led to the year-long bans of David Warner and Steve Smith and a nine-month suspension of Cameron Bancroft for ball tampering. "The only disappointing thing from the weekend's reports was there was discussion things were coming from within the camp," Langer was quoted as saying by 'The West Australia'. "You know me, I'm a pretty simple bloke and let's get this on the record: yeah I am intense, yeah I am serious, I am. "Do I get grumpy sometimes? Yeah I get grumpy sometimes, I'm not perfect that's for sure, but I'm pretty good at some of the things I do ..." Langer said he would rather have people coming straight to him to discuss things. "...that's the Australian way as I know it, let's talk through it, let's go through it and work things out." Australia captain Tim Paine also threw his weight behind Langer. "JL is a passionate guy, particularly when it comes to this team and Australian cricket," Paine told The Sunday Telegraph. "He's also the guy who kicks the bin over and then puts the rubbish back in. He wears his heart on his sleeve, is tough, fair and at times emotional, just as he was as a player and now as a coach. You would be worried if that wasn't the case."

Ahmedabad, Feb 17 (PTI) The newly-installed LED floodlights at refurbished Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera will eliminate shadows, making it easier to spot the aerial balls during the upcoming day/night Test between India and England, starting February 24. The world's largest cricket stadium will also have 11 centre strips, which is also unique, along with never-before heard four dressing rooms with in-built gymnasium, said Gujarat Cricket Association's joint secretary Anil Patel. The Motera stadium had undergone extensive renovation which started when current BCCI secretary Jay Shah was in charge of state cricket unit. With a seating capacity of 1,10,000, which is more than Melbourne Cricket Ground, the GCA will put up around 55,000 tickets on sale for the next two Test matches at the venue. Recently, the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy's knock-outs were held at the Motera. "This is the only stadium in the world with 11 centre pitches on the main ground. Also we are the only stadium in the world with same soil being used for practice as well as centre strips," GCA joint secretary Patel said. "Instead of mast lights, we have installed LED lights on the entire circular roof for better visibility and to eliminate shadows," he said. Patel also said that state-of-the-art drainage system will help the ground dry up in quick time in case of a heavy downpour. "Sand has been used underneath the grass. This along with a state-of-the-art drainage system will remove the rain water very quickly in comparison to other regular grounds. "Even in case of 8 cm of rainfall during a match, the water would drain out very fast. This will reduce the chances of matches being cancelled due to rain," said Patel. He added that equipments worth Rs 2 crore were purchased just for the upkeep of the ground. The stadium, spread in an area of 63 acres, also has 6 indoor pitches with bowling machines. This is in addition to the outdoor practice pitches and two practice grounds with a small pavilion area, said Patel. "This is the only stadium in the world with four dressing rooms for the players. Each dressing room has a state-of-the-art gymnasium among other amenities. The stadium also has a clubhouse with 50 deluxe rooms and five suites," Patel said during the media tour of the stadium.

Melbourne, Feb 13 (PTI) Veteran Rohan Bopanna crashed out of the mixed doubles event with a straight-set loss in the opening round to draw curtains on India's campaign at this year's Australian Open here on Saturday. Bopanna and his Chinese partner Yingying Duan lost 4-6 4-6 to the pair of American Bethanie Mattek-Sands and United Kingdom's Jamie Murray in a first round match that lasted an hour and three minutes. Bopanna and Japan's Ben McLachlan had earlier bowed out of the men's doubles event after a 4-6 6-7 (0) defeat to the Korean wild card pair of Ji Sung Nam and Min-Kyu Song in an opening round match. Divij Sharan and Ankita Raina had already crashed out of the men's and women's doubles events after suffering straight-set defeats in the opening round on Thursday. Ankita, the fifth Indian woman tennis player ever to secure a place in the main draw of a Grand Slam event, and her partner Mihaela Buzarnecu of Romania lost 3-6 0-6 at the hands of Australian wild cards Olivia Gadecki and Belinda Woolcock. Divij and his Slovakian teammate Igor Zelenay lost 1-6 4-6 to the German combination of Yannick Hanfmann Kevin Krawietz in the first round

Chennai, Feb 12 (PTI) Ajinkya Rahane had a fair idea that a question about his indifferent form would pop up and he was ready to meet the challenging delivery head on with a never-seen-before aggression. Skipper Virat Kohli, after the 227-run defeat to England in the opening Test, had vehemently defended Rahane, who hasn't scored too many runs before or after the Melbourne Test against Australia where his hundred enabled India to draw the series level. The form came up again on the eve of the second Test against England and the man in question was ready to tackle the issue head on. "See we are playing at home after two years. Our last home series, was against South Africa. If you take (the scores of that series) out, you will find something over there," Rahane answered in third person with a deadpan expression referring to his scores of 59 and 115 against the Proteas in that 2019 series. "It's all about the team and not the individual and my focus is how can I contribute for the team. If you take out the last 10-15 Test matches, you will see some runs over there. "I don't need to think about what's happening on the outside," the vice-captain, who has scored around 1000 runs in his last 15 long form game, said. It was a different Rahane, someone who was not ready to take a backward step when faced with difficult questions. When a scribe asked if the drooping shoulders and negative body language in the first Test were due to a change in captaincy, he was far from amused. "There are moments when you don't have that energy but that doesn't mean that it has happened because of a change in captaincy. As I have said earlier, Virat is our captain and will remain our captain. "If you are trying to dig in and fine some 'masala' (controversy), unfortunately you will not get it. Look, body language can be a bit down at times and the wicket was such in the first 2 days, it could be because of that. There could be many reasons." The answer was pretty similar to what Kohli gave when asked about Rahane's form and the captaincy factor. Ditto when asked about a change in approach from Cheteshwar Pujara after his defensive batting in Australia, which earned a lot of praise from pundits. "See no one questioned his batting approach in the team and that's what matters. What people talk outside doesn't matter to us," Kohli's deputy whacked the delivery straight into the stands. "The way he played in Australia and the way he played now, it's really important for us. He has played 80 odd Test matches and knows his game really well, no one questioned his ability," he said. The Mumbai batsman also defended his teammates Rohit Sharma's underwhelming form, terming it a matter of time before he sets up a win for the hosts. "Rohit is an important member of our team and it's not about scoring 100 or 150 but in Australia, he batted well and made those important contributions, 2 (poor) innings don't make anyone a bad player. "Rohit is a player who has in past, won us matches. You know when he gets set, he can win you matches. You have to have faith in that particular player," he added. He knows a thing or two about comebacks after a dismal show. After all, Adelaide's 36 all out to a chase of 328 in Brisbane cannot be easily forgotten. The key factor, according to Rahane, is not over-analysing a defeat which can lead to a negative mind-set. Asked what exactly do players mean when they say that "we have to regroup", he replied, "Regrouping is addressing concerns but not tending to over-think. "At times when you lose, you tend to delve deep into the reasons and that brings in negativity and it's not your fault but you still start blaming yourself. "What happened in the last Test, we need to accept...We need to move on and the endeavour should be on how to do well in all departments of the game."

Melbourne, Feb 11 (PTI) India's Divij Sharan and Ankita Raina crashed out of the Australian Open men's and women's doubles events respectively, after suffering straight set defeats in the opening round here on Thursday. Ankita, the third Indian woman tennis player to secure a place in the main draw of a Grand Slam event, and her partner Mihaela Buzarnecu of Romania lost 3-6 0-6 in just one hour and 17 minutes at the hands of Australian wild card pair of Olivia Gadecki and Belinda Woolcock. India's challenge also ended in the men's doubles competition after Divij and his Slovakian partner Igor Zelenay lost 1-6 4-6 against the German combination of Yannick Hanfmann Kevin Krawietz in the first round match that lasted one hour and four minutes. On Wednesday, the other Indian in men's doubles event, Rohan Bopanna and Japan's Ben McLachlan bowed out in the opening round after a 4-6 6-7(0) defeat to the Korean wild card pair of Ji Sung Nam and Min-Kyu Song. The veteran Bopanna, however, still has a chance to make amends as he will partner China's Yingying Duan in the mixed doubles and will be up against the pair of American Bethanie Mattek-Sands and United Kingdom's Jamie Murray in the first round.

Melbourne, Feb 6 (PTI) Former captain Steve Smith claimed his third Allan Border Medal while Beth Mooney bagged her maiden Belinda Clarke Award, the top two honours of the Australian Cricket Awards. Smith was honoured for his performances in all three formats of the game, while Mooney bagged the recognition in the Australian women's game for the first time. The awards were decided by a voting process for the period 2020-21. Smith was surprised to receive the honour, insisting that he felt his poor outing in the Test series against India had ruined his chances of winning the award. "It's a great thrill, plenty of hard work has gone into it (but) I didn't expect it; I thought Marnus (Labuschagne) or Pat Cummins were the front runners because they both had exceptional years," he said. "I didn't feel I had the biggest Test summer, which normally holds the most votes. I think my one-day cricket was pretty good last summer. "I'm just really honoured to have won my third AB Medal and hopefully I can keep producing results for Australia," he added. It was double celebration for Smith as he also won the men's ODI Player of the Year with 28 votes ahead of Finch (23) and leg-spinner Adam Zampa (19). Smith amassed 568 runs at 63.11 with centuries in Bengaluru and twice at the SCG within three days, as well as a knock of 98 in Rajkot. Ashton Agar bagged the men's T20 Player of the Year, beating fellow leg-spinner Zampa and Finch. Flamboyant open David Warner won the Allan Border Medal last year, while all-rounder Ellyse Perry had claimed the Belinda Clark Award. Smith scored 1,098 runs at an average of 45.75 across all three formats during the period 2020-21, which was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith hit four fifties and four centuries, with a top score of 131 in an ODI against India. With 126 votes in his kitty, the right-hander He edged out Pat Cummins (117 votes) and limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch (97). Mooney, who polled 60 votes, edged out Meg Lanning (58) by just two votes to take the honour, with Georgia Wareham (50) finishing third. Due to logistical challenges posed by the pandemic, this year's awards were not presented at the usual gala event, but were announced on Friday during a televised show ahead of the KFC BBL10 Final. The duo received their medals at home -- Mooney on the Gold Coast and Smith in Sydney. Money is the ninth Australian woman cricketer to win the award since its introduction in 2002. The 27-year-old left-hander batswoman also won the women's T20 Player of the Year award. Cummins won the Test player of the year award with 16 votes ahead of Josh Hazlewood's and Marnus Labuschagne. List of 2021 Australian Cricket Awards: Belinda Clark Award: Beth Mooney. Votes: Beth Mooney 60, Meg Lanning 58, Georgia Wareham 50. Allan Border Medal: Steve Smith. Votes: Steve Smith 126, Pat Cummins 114, Aaron Finch 97. Men's Test Player of the Year: Pat Cummins. Votes: Pat Cummins 16, Josh Hazlewood 9, Marnus Labuschagne 8. Women's One Day International Player of the Year: Rachel Haynes. Votes: Rachel Haynes 11, Meg Lanning 10, Georgia Wareham 6. Male One Day International Player of the Year: Steve Smith. Votes: Steve Smith 28, Aaron Finch 23, Adam Zampa 19. Female International Twenty20 Player of the Year: Beth Mooney. Votes: Beth Mooney 30, Alyssa Healy 18, Ash Gardner, Megan Schutt and Georgia Wareham 16. Male International Twenty20 Player of the Year: Ashton Agar. Votes: Ashton Agar 19, Aaron Finch 14, David Warner 13. Female Domestic Player of the Year: Elyse Villani. Male Domestic Player of the Year: Shaun Marsh. Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year: Hannah Darlington. Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: Will Sutherland. Community Impact Award: Joshua Lalor. Hall of Fame inductions: Johnny Mullagh, Merv Hughes, Lisa Sthalekar.

Melbourne, Feb 3 (PTI) Cricket Australia on Wednesday said it will grant No Objection Certificates to its Indian Premier League-bound players on a "case-by-case" basis, a day after it had postponed the national team's tour of South Africa due to fresh COVID-19 outbreak in that country. Even though the IPL-bound Australian cricketers are sweating over their participation in the 14th edition of the cash-rich league, to be held in India in the second week of April, players' agents have indicated that unless there are injury concerns, there should not be any issue in granting NOCs as the event will be organised during CA's official break. "We have, obviously, got precedent on that from the IPL last year. We have got, obviously, the IPL, if you like, (has) proven its bio-security protocols," CA interim CEO Nick Hockley was quoted as saying by 'Sydney Morning Herald'. "As and when applications are made, we will consider each of those case-by-case, on their merits," he added. Although it has postponed the Test tour of South Africa, CA has confirmed that there would be no changes in the Twenty20 squad, which will travel to New Zealand this month for a five-match series without the likes off Steve Smith, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. A total of 19 Australian players participated in the recent IPL which was held in a bio-secure environment in the UAE due to the pandemic. But nine Australian players, including white-ball captain Aaron Finch, Smith and Glenn Maxwell have been released by their respective franchises and will be up for grabs in the February 18 IPL auction. Although the dates of next IPL are yet to be finalised, it has been learnt that the BCCI is keen to start the tournament from the second week of April. The event is expected to be played in a stringent bio-secure environment with the matches confined to a limited number of venues.

According to a press release by Melbourne Renegades, Michael Klinger has confirmed that he will step down from the senior coaching role for the Big Bash team after two years of service. Klinger resigned from his post to take up the job with Cricket NSW as Head of Male Cricket. Klinger said, "I am grateful for the opportunity that I was given by the Melbourne Renegades. I would like to thank everyone at the Renegades for their continued support throughout." Klinger was appointed during the 9th BBL season and although the club was unable to reach the finals during his term, many of the club's rising stars got valuable opportunities like Mackenzie Harvey, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Zak Evans and Peter Hatzoglou. David Lever, Renegades General Manager said "We thank Michael for his service and outstanding leadership and wish him and his family all the best for their new opportunity." The Club will begin to search for a new coach immediately.

Melbourne, Feb 1 (PTI) India's Sumit Nagal began his 2021 season with an opening round defeat at the Murray River Open, losing in straight sets to Ricardas Berankis, here on Monday in the run up to the Australian Open. Nagal, who does not give up easily, suffered a rather tame 2-6 2-6 defeat in the USD 320775 ATP250 event. The Indian, ranked 139 in the ATP singles chart could convert none of the two break chances he earned while dropped his serve four times in the match against the world number 72 from Lithuania. It is first competitive event for all the players who have assembled in Melbourne for season's first Grand Slam and have completed quarantine. Bopanna, who served a hard quarantine, has been paired with Denmark's Frederik Nielsen for the Murray River Open and they will open their campaign against Australian wild card pair of James Duckworth and Marc Polmans. Bopanna is going into the event without much practice as protocols required him to stay inside his room for 14 straight days. He stepped out only on January 30. Divij Sharan and Igor Zelenay will clash with Guillermo Duran and Albert Ramos-Vinolas in their opening round.

Melbourne, Jan 30 (PTI) Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna's search to look for a partner for the men's doubles competition at the Australian Open ended on Saturday as he tied up with Japan's Ben McLachlan for the season's first Grand Slam. Bopanna had originally paired with Joao Sousa but the Portuguese contracted coronavirus virus, forcing them to pull out. Bopanna, who served a 14-day hard quarantine after arriving in Melbourne on January 16, informed that Ben and he were in the same boat. "I got lucky there. Unfortunately Ben's partner Raven Klassen had to pull out and Ben was looking for a partner, so we finally decided to commit and sign up together. I am looking forward to see how it goes. Definitely was not easy to find partners, happy to have found one," Bopanna told PTI. Australian Open will begin on February 8 under strict COVID-19 protocols. Apart from Bopanna, India will have Divij Sharan in the men's doubles event while Sumit Nagal will compete in the men's singles on a wild card. Ankita Raina is waiting to find out if she gets 'lucky loser' spot in the women's singles.

Melbourne, Jan 27 (PTI) Cricket Australia on Wednesday confirmed that India pacer Mohammad Siraj was racially abused during the Sydney Test but cleared the six spectators who were evicted from the ground after the infamous incident that halted play for a while. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing, said Cricket Australia, which has submitted its report to the International Cricket Council. "CA confirms that members of the Indian cricket team were subjected to racial abuse. CA's own investigation into the matter remains open, with CCTV footage, ticketing data and interviews with spectators still being analysed in an attempt to locate those responsible," said Sean Carroll, CA's Head of Integrity and Security in a statement. "CA's investigation concluded that the spectators filmed and/or photographed by media in the Brewongle Stand concourse at the conclusion of the 86th over on day four of the Test did not engage in racist behaviour." CA once again apologised to the visiting Indian team for the unpleasant incident. The injury-ravaged tourists won the series 2-1. "As stated at the time of the incident, CA has a zero tolerance policy towards discriminatory behaviour in all forms and, as hosts of the Border-Gavaskar series, apologises to the Indian men's cricket team. "CA is awaiting confirmation from NSW Police that it has completed its investigation into the matter and will not offer further comment until it is received," Caroll added. Play was halted for a few minutes on the fourth day of the third Test on January 10 after Siraj complained of racial abuse from the crowd. This prompted the security personnel to enter the stands and look for the mischief-mongers before six people were asked to leave. The BCCI had lodged a formal complaint and the CA had offered an unreserved apology at that time. In its complaint, the BCCI had alleged that Siraj and his senior pace partner Jasprit Bumrah were abused racially for two consecutive days during the match in Sydney.

New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) The hotel room wall is helping him get some practice and an online course keeping boredom at bay. Rohan Bopanna's build-up to the season-opening Australian Open has been far from ideal so far as he waits for his day of freedom -- January 30. The 40-year-old was on one of the three flights out of a total of 17 Tennis Australia-arranged chartered planes, that landed in Melbourne with positive cases on board. He is in his 10th straight day of hard 'quarantine' ever since -- confined to his room. However, the veteran, who left Bangalore on January 15 and had a 25-hour layover in Doha before reaching Melbourne, would not call it an ordeal just yet. "If you test positive, you would be in hard quarantine but what we did not know that if someone on your flight tests positive then everyone also had to be in hard quarantine. That's what happened," Bopanna told PTI from Melbourne. "My coach Scott Davidoff was also in one of those three flights and they also told him that he can't leave for 14 days and follow hard quarantine." Bopanna has empathy for the organisers, who, he says, are facing a huge challenge in ensuring a smooth run for the competition but can't hide his own frustration either. "We still are not allowed in any circumstances. Practice is out (of question). Maximum I have done is against the wall in this small room. Whatever fitness I can do in this room. Luckily Tennis Australia helped with Uber Eats (app) that delivers nice food," he said. "They have done their very best to help the players. Craig Tiley (Tournament Director) is extremely hard working. Everyday they have zoom calls, speaking to the players who are in hard quarantine. It's been extremely difficult (for players)," he explained. It's not the same for other Indians though. Ankita Raina, Sumit Nagal and Divij Sharan are getting five hours outside their rooms for on-court practice, gym sessions, eating and travelling to courts. Bopanna said he was not prepared for such the situation he is in. What is worse is that his partner for the Australian Open -- Portugal's Joao Sousa -- tested positive for coronavirus, forcing him to pull out. The Indian is now looking for a partner from among the players who are already in Melbourne. "Ideally, to get into a Grand Slam, it's not the situation you want to be in. I had a good off-season and a training camp at the academy. (N Sriram) Balaji and Riya (Bhatia) had come down from Delhi. Former national champion Niki Poonacha, was also there. "That was unfortunate that you are getting prepared and now you are not able to step out of your room for 14 days. I get out on 30th and 31st is when the first ATP event of the season starts. "I don't know how I will be in that situation, I have never been in this situation before, where I have not practised and gotten straight into a tournament. It will be new experience. "I am looking for a partner who I can get in with as an alternate. I need to find someone high enough to play with me. I am sure I will get but going into a Grand Slam, it's not the best preparation." The rules specified that players could only choose between coach and physio for travel to Melbourne and Bopanna thought having coach would be better. "Looking back I would have loved to have physio with me. That's where I am at now." So, what else he is doing apart from hitting against the wall. "I am doing some online courses, keeping myself busy." Bopanna had completed a course in International Entertainment and Sports Marketing from Yonsei University before enrolling himself to a new one. "I am doing a lot of video calls back home with my wife, daughter, friends, I am talking to them. A few players have also been talking to me, asking how I am doing." "Interesting past 8-9 days. 30th is the day, I get my freedom."

In a press release by the Sydney Sixers, they announced a 19 member squad for their final league game against the Melbourne stars at the MCG on Tuesday. The squad will be shortened to 13 players with the final 11 to be announced at the bat flip. Squad - Sean Abbot, Justin Avendano, Jake Ball, Nick Bertus, Jackson Bird, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques (C) Daniel Hughes, Daniel Christian, Carlos Brathwaite, Hayden Kerr, Ben Manenti, Stephen O'Keefe, Josh Philippe, Llyod Pope, Gurinder Sandhu, Jordan Silk, James Vince.

According to a press release by the Melbourne Renegades, the Melbourne Renegades have announced their squad for the game against the Hobart Hurricanes tomorrow at the MCG. The final playing 11 will be declared at the Bat flip. Melbourne Renegades - Aaron Finch (c),Brody Couch, Marcus Harris, Shaun Marsh, Sam Harper, Beau Webster, Jack Prestwidge, Peter Hatzoglou, Jon Holland, Mackenzie Harvey, Josh Lalor, Brayden Stepien, Will Sutherland, Zak Evans, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mitch Perry, Imad Wasim.

Melbourne, Jan 20 (PTI) Former captain Michael Clarke has criticised Australia's "negative" approach in the Test loss to an under-strength Indian team, saying the hosts, instead of pushing aggressively for wins, seemed scared of defeat. Clarke, however, refused to blame team leader Tim Paine for the unthinkable Test series defeat at home. An injury-ravaged India beat Australia by three wickets in the final game in Brisbane on Tuesday to win the series 2-1 and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. "I thought we might have been a tad negative at certain stages throughout because we were scared to lose versus attack hard and look to win the game," Clarke said on Big Sports Breakfast. Under Paine, Australia have competed in 23 Tests and have managed to win only 11 of them. Two Test series defeats at home against India make his record look worse. Paine, who took over from Steve Smith in 2018 after the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa, is copping criticism for not only the 1-2 defeat but also for his sloppy work behind the stumps. However, Clarke said it was the negative mindset that pegged Australia back. "At the end of the day, whether we lost with 20 overs left in the game or on the last ball of the game, it didn't matter. We had to win that game to win that trophy. "I sort of feel we should have approached the first ball of that game to the last ball of that game with a bit more of that attitude." Clarke said there was a time when the buck stopped with the captain but it should not be the case anymore since there are other professionals, who call the shots in the Australian set up. "When I played cricket, when I grew up watching my father ... the captain was accountable in the teams I played in. Through that transition of me captaining Australia, that changed. "There had become a chairman of selectors that had more pull, there had become a high performance manager that had more pull, there had become a head coach who had more pull," he said. "So now, who is driving the bus? This is my point." Former pacer Brett Lee too jumped to Paine's defence. "I think since he's taken over the captaincy he's shown real good leadership qualities," Lee told foxsports.com.au. "And look, there's been a lot written about Tim Paine behind the stumps. He's grassed a few chances, but who hasn't? You look at all the keepers in history and I'm sure there would be plenty who had leaner periods behind the stumps. "With the bat, you can't fault him. He goes along with Marnus Labuschagne as having one of the best techniques in the team. He stood up and took on the Indian players." Lee said he does not find anything wrong with Paine captaincy style. "His captaincy has been really good. As I said, in Sydney there were maybe a few other things he could have tried, but put yourself in that situation” he's under the pump, he's had a few players go down as well, there's chances (gone begging) when they're trying to take those last five wickets," he said. "(He's a) brilliant keeper, his batting has been outstanding, and his captaincy really sound." Paine, after the defeat on Tuesday, said he wants to continue as leader of the team since he has some "unfinished business" to settle.

Melbourne, Jan 20 (PTI) Cricket Australia on Wednesday saluted the Indian team's "resilience, courage and skill" during its historic Test series win over the hosts and expressed gratitude to the BCCI for the "sacrifices" it made to ensure a smooth conduct of the epic contest. A second-string Indian team, led by Ajinkya Rahane, braved all odds to defeat a full-strength Australia by three wickets at the Gabba here to win the four-Test series 2-1 and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Tuesday in Brisbane. "On behalf of everyone at Cricket Australia, we congratulate Team India for their resilience, courage and skill demonstrated in retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in a series that will be talked about for generations to come," CA wrote in a Thank You note to the BCCI. The note, written by CA interim CEO Nick Hockley and Chair Earl Eddings, was addressed to "friends in Indian cricket", the BCCI, acknowledging the role played by the Sourav Ganguly-led board in successfully completing the tour amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "Australian cricket will forever be grateful to the BCCI for their friendship, trust and commitment in helping to deliver a series that has brought joy to many millions of people around the world at a time they needed it most," the letter read. "The unique challenges of international touring during a global pandemic are considerable and we thank India's players, coaches and support staff for all they have given. "Over the past nine weeks, the Indian and Australian men's teams completed outstanding One-Day International and Twenty20 International series, followed by one of the greatest Border-Gavaskar Test series ever competed," it added. The CA officials said that the BCCI's cooperation was crucial to making the tour a hit. The series gave the financially struggling CA a major boost with an expected revenue of 300 million Australian dollars. The two teams brushed aside some unsavoury controversies like the racist chants against Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah by the crowd in the Sydney Test, to ensure that the focus remained firmly on cricket. "Despite the many public health and logistical challenges, the BCCI engaged with a spirit of cooperation befitting their status as one of international sport's greatest ambassadors." "We will never forget the sacrifices made by our friends at the BCCI that made all this possible," they said. The note also appreciated the contributions of all other stakeholders, saying the series witnessed many enthralling contests between players of the two sides. "From the sublime fast bowling of Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins, to the wonderful batting of Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith, to the exciting debuts of Shubman Gill and Cameroon Green - and much, much more - the past two months of cricket have been absolutely enthralling. "May we also take this opportunity to thank everyone who played their part to deliver this memorable series -- governments, health officials, venues, broadcast and commercial partners, cricket associations, players, match officials, staff and their families." India's tour of Australia started nearly two months back with three ODIs which the visitors lost 1-2 before pocketing the T20 series 2-0.

Brisbane, Jan 19 (PTI) A fearless India, driven by its courageous youngsters, pulled off an exhilarating three-wicket win over Australia in the fourth Test to claim the series 2-1 and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy here on Tuesday. Resuming at four for none on the final day, India overhauled the target with 18 balls to spare in a match that went down to the wire. Rishabh Pant led the chase with his aggressive yet mature unbeaten 89 while Shubman Gill scored 91. Cheteshwar Pujara enduring many a painful blows on his body in his dogged 56-run knock that he raised with a 211-ball vigil. Australia had won the pink-ball Adelaide Test while India struck back with victory in Melbourne. The third Test in Sydney had ended in a draw. India had won a historic Test series Down Under two years back and now the team is cherishing back-to-back series victory. The visitors had lost the ODI series before winning the T20 series that preceded the Test rubber. At the start, India lost experienced vice captain Rohit Sharma (7) early but young Gill rose to the occasion with an impressive knock that kept India in the hunt as Pujara dug heels on the other end. Rahane did try to build on the good start with his short but attacking 24-run knock before his soft dismissal. With Pant's ability to strike the ball at brisk pace, India always had a chance to go for the kill. Pant pulled off some breathtaking cover drives off Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in the final session though he benefitted from missed stumping chance. Brief Scores: Australia 369 and 294 India 326 and 329 for 7 in 97 overs (S Gill 91, R Pant 89 not out, C Pujara 56; Pat Cummins 4/55).

Melbourne, Jan 13 (PTI) Ankita Raina's bid to qualify for a Grand Slam singles main draw failed yet again when she lost the final round of the Australian Open qualifying event to Serbian Olga Danilovic on Wednesday. In the women's singles qualifiers being held in Dubai, Ankita lost the third and final round 2-6 6-3 1-6 to her Serbian opponent in almost two hours. Not being able to win points on her first serve hurt Ankita. It was the Indian's sixth attempt to qualify for a competition at the grand stage. Her defeat means that Sumit Nagal will be the only Indian to compete in the singles event of the first Grand Slam of the season. Nagal has been awarded a wild card entry into the men's singles. Ramkumar Ramanathan had lost in the first round of the men's singles event while Prajnesh Gunneswaran lost his second round to French player Constant Lestienne 2-6 3-6.

Melbourne, Jan 12 (PTI) India's top-ranked woman player Ankita Raina moved to the final round of the Australian Open Qualifiers with a gutsy three-set win over world number 118 Katarina Zavatska but it was curtains for Ramkumar Ramanathan in the men's singles. In the women's singles qualifiers being held in Dubai, the 180th ranked Ankita overcame a second-set lapse to win 6-2 2-6 6-3 in the second round against the Ukrainian. Ankita said she was proud of the fight in the match that lasted two hours and 20 minutes. "I started well in the first set and the first two games of second set. Then the third game was kind of crucial because she won that game and got confident and played more balls back but I'm glad I could shift the momentum back," Ankita told PTI. "I started being more aggressive and sticking to my game. Struggled a bit with the the serve in the beginning but later was bit better. Was little windy in the later half of the match but I'm proud the way I fought." Ankita will next take on 20-year-old Serbian Olga Danilovic, ranked 183. It will be the first meeting between the two players. "I am feeling confident with the game, I just need to play smart as every match and every day is new and different, so taking it match by match," she said. It is Ankita's sixth attempt to crack the singles main draw of a Grand Slam and she is now just one win away from creating history. Only Nirupama Vaidyanathan and Sania Mirza have competed in the women's singles main draw of a Grand Slam from India till date. Nirupama had reached the second round of the Australian Open in 1998 while Sania quit competing in the singles category in 2012. In the men's singles being held in Doha, Ramkumar lost his second round 3-6 2-6 to Chinese Taipei's Tung-Lin Wu in 69 minutes.

Sydney, Jan 8 (PTI) Australia were all out for 338 in their first innings on the second day of the third and penultimate Test against India here on Friday. After Will Pucovski (62) and Marnus Labuschagne (91) gave the hosts their strongest start of the series, Steve Smith struck a gritty 131-run knock to ensure that the team had a fighting score on the board. For India, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was the top wicket-taker with four scalps, conceding 62 runs in his 18 overs. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and debutant Navdeep Saini chipped in with two wickets each to keep the visiting side firmly in the match after the hosts claimed the day one honours. The series is currently locked 1-1 after India's remarkable eight-wicket comeback win in the Melbourne Test, off-setting a humiliating loss in the opener in Adelaide. Brief Scores: Australia 1st innings: 338 all out in 105.4 overs (Will Pucovski 62, Marnus Labuschagne 91, Steve Smith 131, Ravindra Jadeja 4/62, Jasprit Bumrah 2/66).

The 20 times Grand Slam winner won’t feature in the Australian Open due to Melbourne quarantine rules. While rumours circulated that the Swiss maestro decided to skip the first Grand Slam of the year due to injury concerns, the Australian Open director of player relations, Andre Sa clarified that Federer’s absence is due to quarantine concerns as his family will be forced to stay in their hotel room for 14 days. The Swiss star last featured in a major tournament at the Australian Open last year, defeating John Millman in the third round and Tennys Sandgren in the quarterfinals, only to be defeated by Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the semi-finals. He has undergone multiple knee surgeries in February and May since and decided to take a well earned break amidst the pandemic to make a strong start in 2021. Federer is expected to feature in Rotterdam, Doha or Dubai, with the 39 year old eager to compete for the most notable titles again, namely the Tokyo Olympics and Wimbledon. The Swiss remains in the top 5 rankings after reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open last year and will want to hit the ground running to compete at the highest level as soon as possible.

Sydney, Jan 5 (PTI) A 'warrior' that he is, David Warner has done everything to be ready and is likely to compete in the third Test against India, Australia head coach Justin Langer said on Tuesday and assured that lack of four-day cricket for the opener in the last few months is not a concern. Langer also announced that young batsman Will Pucovski will make his Test debut on Thursday. Both Warner and Pukovski, who was primed for Test debut in Adelaide, missed the first two Tests of the series due to a groin injury and concussion-related issues respectively. "Very hopeful that David will be ready to go (for the third Test), he is a bit of a warrior, isn't he? I have said this since day one that he is doing everything possible to be ready," Langer said at a virtual media conference. "He is moving pretty well. He is very determined to play. He loves the competition and he loves playing Test cricket. We will get some final eyes on him at training this afternoon and we will make a discussion on that. But I would say, he (Warner) is looking very likely to play the Test match," he added. Langer also announced that 22-year-old Pucovski, who was hit on the head during the warm up game against India A, has been cleared to play. "He has been cleared by all the medicos. He has been cleared and that will be very heartening for him and for his family and everyone involved in it," Langer said. Langer sought to allay concerns that Warner hasn't played four-day cricket for about 12 months, saying the immense experience that is behind the opener will help him jump into traditional format without any fuss. "He has played a lot of white-ball cricket recently, a bit like Steve Smith. Davey hasn't played any four-day cricket for about 12 months but he is a master of the game. He has played a lot of cricket, his experience will help him, no doubt about that," said Langer. The coach said they will keep Warner in the slips to help him save energy though he may feel some discomfort while fielding. "He is going to play with pain though and it is not so much in the muscle but in the tendon area. Like (a) lot of cricketers, who play through different levels of pain, he is willing to take that on and hopefully won't hamper him too much," he added. Warner had himself last Saturday said he was "highly doubtful" about attaining full fitness ahead of the third Test, though he would possibly do respond to a desperate selection and team managements call. However, Langer assured that if the Australians felt that there was any risk of re-injuring Warner, then they would have certainly not rushed his return. "He has had a good rehab, as I said he might be little restricted in the field, he might get that area little-bit fatigued, because he hasn't played Test cricket for a while but we wouldn't take that risk if we thought he would re-injure himself," said Langer. The four-match series is tied 1-1 with the hosts winning the Pink Ball opener in Adelaide while India emerged triumphant in Melbourne.

Melbourne, Jan 2 (PTI) David Warner is very happy for his Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate Thangarasu Natarajan's Test call-up but he is "not sure" if the Tamil Nadu left-arm seamer can consistently hit one length, over after over, in the traditional format. Natarajan, after a hugely successful IPL, joined the Indian contingent as a net bowler but has subsequently risen up the ranks to make his ODI and T20 International debuts. Asked if Natarajan can translate his T20 success in the Test match arena, his IPL franchise captain gave an interesting reply. "Good question but I am not too sure. You guys would be knowing his (Natarajan) Ranji Trophy stats and how he delivers day in and day out. "I know he has line and lengths to do that, but obviously, back to back overs in a Test match? I am not a hundred percent sure," Warner said during a virtual news conference on Saturday. However, Warner added that just like Mohammed Siraj, who has shown his wares in red ball cricket at the first-class level, Natarajan would be able to do the same. "I know a fair bit about Siraj and how well he has gone in Ranji Trophy, him backing up with repeated amount of overs. Given how his (Siraj's debut) debut went, I am hopeful, Nattu will be able to do the same if he is included in that Test squad," Warner said. He was all praise for the 29-year-old, who missed the birth of his first child as he was occupied with IPL and national team engagements. "I think it's a great reward for Nattu. I think given that he was coming over here after missing the birth of his child to be a net bowler and then being injected into the actual squad is a great achievement for him and congratulations to him. "He is a very, very good bowler and I got to see that and captain him for Sunrisers Hyderabad. I wish him all the best and if he does get that opportunity, we know he will be comfortable and will know what he has to do." Melbourne, Jan 2 (PTI) David Warner is very happy for his Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate Thangarasu Natarajan's Test call-up but he is "not sure" if the Tamil Nadu left-arm seamer can consistently hit one length, over after over, in the traditional format. Natarajan, after a hugely successful IPL, joined the Indian contingent as a net bowler but has subsequently risen up the ranks to make his ODI and T20 International debuts. Asked if Natarajan can translate his T20 success in the Test match arena, his IPL franchise captain gave an interesting reply. "Good question but I am not too sure. You guys would be knowing his (Natarajan) Ranji Trophy stats and how he delivers day in and day out. "I know he has line and lengths to do that, but obviously, back to back overs in a Test match? I am not a hundred percent sure," Warner said during a virtual news conference on Saturday. However, Warner added that just like Mohammed Siraj, who has shown his wares in red ball cricket at the first-class level, Natarajan would be able to do the same. "I know a fair bit about Siraj and how well he has gone in Ranji Trophy, him backing up with repeated amount of overs. Given how his (Siraj's debut) debut went, I am hopeful, Nattu will be able to do the same if he is included in that Test squad," Warner said. He was all praise for the 29-year-old, who missed the birth of his first child as he was occupied with IPL and national team engagements. "I think it's a great reward for Nattu. I think given that he was coming over here after missing the birth of his child to be a net bowler and then being injected into the actual squad is a great achievement for him and congratulations to him. "He is a very, very good bowler and I got to see that and captain him for Sunrisers Hyderabad. I wish him all the best and if he does get that opportunity, we know he will be comfortable and will know what he has to do."

Melbourne, Jan 2 (PTI) Once in a while, everyone is allowed a bit of slump in form and Steve Smith is no exception, feels David Warner, who can relate to his former skipper's woes against India having endured a similarly wretched run during the 2019 Ashes. Smith has been in horrible form in the ongoing series with R Ashwin removing him twice and Jasprit Bumrah once. But Warner believes that it's more about India bowling well then anything lacking in Smith's approach as he has left no stone unturned in terms of preparation. "Steve Smith has been recently knocked off by Kane Williamson as best batter in the world (ICC ranking) but if you look at his numbers, he still averages over 60. Everyone is allowed to have a bit of lack of form and I saw that myself when I was in England (Ashes 2019)," Warner said in a virtual news conference on Saturday. He believes that if faced with a good ball, any batsman can get out. "On a day, if you have your name on that delivery, it is what it is and you can't do anything about it." "As you can see that it's not due to lack of preparation as the guy (Smith) doesn't get out of nets. He works off his backside all the time." For Warner, the 84 Test experience that he possesses has taught him one thing -- the intent and aggression should always be pre-meditated if one wants to unsettle the opposition. "My 84 Test matches have always been about pre-meditated attacks and it doesn't change for me but it's about how the team looks at it. When I talk about intent, I mean by putting pressure back on the bowlers not just by swinging the bat. "There are other ways of showing intent which could lead them into bowling those odd full-pitched balls and short of length balls which you can pull or cut. That's what I talk about when I talk about putting pressure on bowlers. "It's about going out there and playing your shots," said the man, who has 7244 runs and 24 hundreds in 84 games. What Warner has observed is that both Indian and Australian batsmen, for the better part, have allowed rival bowlers to gain the upper-hand.

Sydney, Jan 5 (PTI) The series is level for now but Australia coach Justin Langer on Tuesday said India have been distinctly well-planned and disciplined, especially in bowling, so far even as his side races to address its batting woes ahead of the third Test starting here on Thursday. Asked about Australia's low-scoring in the current series and if that is a concern, Langer cited various factors, the biggest being India's lethal accuracy with the ball. "...their greatest strength over the last couple of series has been their discipline. They (India) have been so well disciplined...I have loved the last two Tests because the wickets have been a contest between bat and ball and you have got to work a bit harder and that is what Test cricket is all about," Langer said at a virtual press conference. According to Langer, a former opening batsman, India have taken a straighter line to couple of their batters and have accordingly placed their fields. "So, I think, there is the factor of the wickets that we have played on, there is certainly some seam movement, there was a little bit of swing in both those wickets. India have (has) taken a straighter line to a couple of our batters and set the fields accordingly," he said. He also praised India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for his performance so far saying it is difficult to score quickly against great bowlers. "And let's not discount Ravi Ashwin, how many has he taken 380 Test wickets? The great bowlers are the ones who are hard to score against and (Jasprit) Bumrah is certainly up there at the moment, Ashwin is up there at the moment, we are aware of it," he said. "We know how we like to play our cricket as Australians, but credit to India, very well-planned, as you would expect they have discipline in their bowling, the wickets that we have played on have been competitive, so we are aware of that and I'm not too stressed about it (scoring rate)," he added. Langer also said that they were addressing the their batting concerns and working on strategies to counter the Indian spinners. "I think we have got to look at our strategies against the Indian spinners. Ashwin is bowling in very well and we have worked hard on that last week or so," the Australian head coach added. While Langer has always been effusive in his praise for Bumrah, he also lauded young India seamer Mohammed Siraj for his performance in his debut Test at Melbourne. "Obviously, Bumrah is a world-class bowler and (Mohammed) Siraj coming in, he is a very skill-full bowler...I thought he (Siraj) bowled very well in his first Test match, his debut, so we are interested to see who comes in as their probably third quick (and) time will tell," he said. "We have only scored precisely 200 in that second innings (in Melbourne) but anytime in Test cricket when you are not scoring over 200s, you are looking at ways to improve," he added. Langer concluded by saying that there was plenty of talent in Australia and it was all about opportunities. "Obviously, Davey (David Warner) coming back in after injury, you always welcome back your great players back into the team. There is plenty of batting talent in Australia and it is all about opportunities, obviously. "You fit six batsmen in at one time, so it is all about opportunities," he pointed out. The four-match series is currently tied at 1-1. The third Test of the series will be aired on Sony Six, Sony Ten 1 and Sony 3, from January 7 from 4.30am.

New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) Describing Ajinkya Rahane as a "born leader", legendary Ian Chappell has credited stand-in skipper's "smart and brave" captaincy apart from his valuable contribution with the bat for India's historic win in the Melbourne Test. Under Rahane, India made a remarkable comeback after their humiliating loss in the first Test in Adelaide by winning the second Test by eight wickets. "It was no surprise that Ajinkya Rahane captained India flawlessly at the MCG. Anyone who saw him in charge in Dharamsala in 2017 would have recognised a man born to lead cricket teams," Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo. In that Dharamsala match in 2017, India had beaten Australia by eight wickets in the fourth Test to warp up the series 2-1. Rahane remained not out on 38 in India's run chase -- just like at the MCG -- after scoring 46 in the first innings. "There were a lot of similarities between that 2017 match and the one at the MCG. Firstly it was between the same two highly competitive rivals, then there was the valuable first-innings lower-order contribution from Ravindra Jadeja, and finally Rahane aggressively accumulating the required runs in a nervy pursuit of a moderate victory total," Chappell wrote. "The moment that caught my attention in the Dharamsala match was the time Rahane called on debutant left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav when David Warner and Steve Smith were involved in a century partnership. 'This is a brave move' I thought, and it turned out to be a very smart one." Yadav quickly claimed the wicket of Warner, caught by Rahane at first slip, and that prompted a five-wicket slide for Australia to lose the match. "That's part of Rahane's success as a skipper: he's brave and smart. However, there's much more to his leadership than just those two important qualities. He is calm when things could easily get out of hand," said the former captain and a respected figure in world cricket. "He has earned the respect of his team-mates, one of the most important aspects of good captaincy. And he gets runs when they are needed, which adds to the respect his team has for him." Chappell also praised the performance of Indian bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, R Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj as well as the debutant Shubman Gill's show with the bat. Despite the valuable performances from other Indian players, Chappell said "the Johnny Mullagh medal-winning contribution from Rahane turned the match firmly in India's favour. "The captain's century came at a time when India could easily have faded to a two-nil deficit, and it was this performance that gave his team the conviction that victory was attainable. "A former resident of Mumbai told me his wife lip-read Rahane say the words 'Come on, India' when he reached his MCG century. That is another thing that defines Rahane's captaincy: he's all about the team." Chappell said the tantalising series is far from over and despite the departure of Virat Kohli on paternity leave and injuries to Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, the visitors "have fewer selection headaches than Australia". "It's helpful that they have a strong, calm leader and a vibrant spirit that has built up under the Kohli-Rahane-Ravi Shastri coalition. "If India do go on to repeat their last tour's success in Australia, the Mullagh medal won't be the only gong Rahane receives."

Melbourne, Jan 3 (PTI) Australia opener Matthew Wade on Sunday said his side would not like the scheduled final Test in Brisbane being shifted to Sydney even as reports emerged that India are reluctant to play at the Gabba because of stricter quarantine protocols there. According to reports, the Indians are not keen to travel to Brisbane in view of the stricter quarantine protocols in Queensland and want to play back-to-back games in Sydney where the third Test begins on Thursday. "I have not heard of this, but we obviously prefer not to (play back-to-back in Sydney). The schedule has been rolled out and we prefer to stick to that. Regardless, if that is a quarantine-based hotel, go to the ground, play and come back," Wade said in a virtual press conference. "Cricket Australia have been firm that they will stick to the schedule that we rolled out at the start of the summer so we fully expect to play at Gabba. There is no secret that we would love to play at Gabba" "Harder quarantine and stricter bio-security protocols will be there. But we are ready for more sacrifice and face more challenges," he added. India has not won a single Test match at the Gabba. According to Australian media reports, the Indians are not happy at the possibility of going to another strict quarantine in Brisbane since they have already served 14-day quarantine upon entry to Australia. The fourth and final match is scheduled from January 15. The four-match Test series is currently level at 1-1. "From our position, there is no uncertainty, we are going to play at the SCG and then playing at the Gabba until we are told that it is going to change. So, we are rolling to the next game expecting what is going to be. It is out of our control and there is nothing we can do." He side-stepped the issue of five India Test players, including vice-captain Rohit Sharma, being placed in isolation and an investigation launched into a possible breach of COVID-19 bio-security protocol after a video of them sitting at an indoor restaurant here surfaced. "What India is doing, I have not really thought much about. As a group and personally have not thought much about what India is doing outside a cricket ground. That is the situation. We are thinking of how we can do much better," said the 33-year-old left-handed batsman. Wade said he expects star batsman Steve Smith to come back to form after underwhelming performances in the first two Tests and deal better with the Indian spinners led by R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. "They (Ashwin and Jadeja) are a tough spin duo to crack, very consistent and have bowled terrifically well, especially in Melbourne. Probably they got more spin and bounce, more than what we expected in first innings. That was a little bit of shocker, but we expected that to come into play. "We didn't adapt quick enough to that wicket, but Steve (Smith) played against Ashwin plenty of times before this and he has been very successful on our wickets against him. I am sure he will be fine and no problems at all. "We have to find a way, that's the nature of the beast," said Wade who has scored 111 runs from the four innings he has played so far. His batting position has been a topic of discussion after David Warner and Will Pucovski were named in the squad for the third Test but Wade said he is ready to bat anywhere. "I have really enjoyed opening, moving forward if that is something that selectors want me to keep doing more, I am comfortable doing. If I slide back down the order, I will do that also. "I am ready from 1 to 7. I am happy to bat wherever playing games for Australia, I will take every run I get." Wade said he is also prepared about the possibility of even being dropped. "Will (Pucovski) has come back into the squad, so whether they make that change straight way and I slid back down, or whether I don't play at all, who knows. "I am not a selector but no indication at this stage and I prepare to bat where I have been batting and if I slide back down, I am comfortable there as well."

Melbourne, Jan 3 (PTI) The Indian team's practice session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) was on Sunday cancelled due to rain and the players were forced to train indoors. In the absence of outdoor activities, the players had a gym session as they continued their preparations for the third Test starting in Sydney from January 7. "India's practice session today at the MCG has been cancelled due to rain," the BCCI said in a statement. Both the Indian and Australian players are scheduled to leave for Sydney on Monday. On Saturday, Cricket Australia said that five India Test players, including vice-captain Rohit Sharma, have been placed in isolation and an investigation launched into a possible breach of COVID-19 bio-security protocol. This was after a fan put out a video of the players sitting inside an indoor restaurant on Twitter on Friday. The BCCI brass had initially ruled out any investigation after reports of a possible breach first appeared in the media here, but CA later said a joint probe is on. The four-match series is levelled at 1-1 after India won by eight wickets at the MCG after losing the day/night Test in Adelaide.