Author: RoshanGede

The ICC has put out an India-specific tender for the 2024-31 cycle and has confirmed that the bids will be decided in the second week of September. Reports claim that Indian broadcasters are surprised with a couple of contingency clauses in the tender, and are expecting amendments for the same, despite the ICC having explained the reasons. The ICC’s Invitation To Tender states that if the scheduled tournament moves to an Indian time zone, the broadcasters will be charged an extra 20 per cent fee and no discounts in the inverse scenario. The second clause pertains to the timings, and…

West Indies head coach Phil Simmons marked batting full 50 overs as the team’s topmost priority ahead of their three-match ODI series against India, beginning on July 22 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The Nicholas Pooran-led side were recently clean swept 0-3 against Bangladesh, with batting struggles being a feature of their failure. The hosts had managed 149/9 from 41 overs in a rain-reduced series opener, before being bundled out for 108 (35 overs) and 178 (48.4) in subsequent games – all while batting first. During a media interaction ahead of the series, Simmons identified that aspect as a definite area to…

Abdullah Shafique held his end strong with an unbeaten 160*, which guided Pakistan to their second-highest successful run-chase in Tests, in the series opener against Sri Lanka in Galle. The first Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the Galle International Stadium had its twists and turns throughout, and was well placed with the visitors needing a further 120 with seven wickets in hand in their run-chase of 342 at the start of the final day’s play. Shafique, batting at an overnight 112* had ensured to keep Pakistan ahead in the contest right since the chase had begun the previous…

The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing of a BCCI plea seeking an extension of the tenures of Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah as the body’s president and secretary, respectively, to July 21. The BCCI had filed an application to amend a rule in its constitution in regards to the tenures of the office bearers, which states that the board administrators will require to go through a three-year ‘cooling-off period’ after serving for six straight years in the Indian cricket board or any state association. This implies that the current president Ganguly, who had taken over in the role in…

Pakistan skipper was highly impressed with opener Abdullah Shafique, whose unbeaten 160 in the fourth innings helped the side gun down a 344-run target in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. In a match that swung from one team’s grasp to the other’s, it was Shafique’s well-compiled unbeaten 160, that helped Pakistan chase 344 with four wickets to spare in the first of two games of the series. In a stay that lasted nearly nine hours, the 22-year-old struck seven fours and a six, while adding crucial stands with opening partner Imam-ul-Haq (35), Azam Babar (55) and Mohammed Rizwan (40) to knock off the…

Ben Stokes hopes that his retirement call changes things for the good, with an excessive amount of cricket matches being played in present times. This comes just a day after Stokes made his last appearance in the format in England’s 62-run defeat to South Africa at the Riverside Ground. The all-rounder was at the forefront of England’s rise as a top ODI side under Eoin Morgan and the team’s World Cup win three years ago, bagging the Player of the Match in a thrilling final at Lord’s. That the next competition is just a year away, the 31-year-old’s call arguably serves as…

Indian team head coach Rahul Dravid marked India’s bowling, and a game-changing Rishabh Pant-Hardik Pandya stand as key highlights of the team’s five-wicket victory at Old Trafford on July 17. After going down in the Edgbaston Test by seven wickets, which left the Test series levelled at 2-2, India owned the white-ball leg against a formidable England to take both – the T20I and ODI series – by 2-1 margin each. India’s consistency with the ball ensured that England didn’t cross the 300-run mark in any opf the games – the first such instance in bilateral series at home since the start of…

South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj raised his support for the ODI Super League, which won’t be a part of ICC’s next Future Tours Programme cycle. With just a day’s gap following the final ODI against India in Manchester, England are set to take on the Proteas for the first of three ODIs at the Riverside Ground on July 19. That kicks off a long, multi-format series, which also features three T20Is and as many Tests. The series, meanwhile, is not a part of the ODI Super League, wherein South Africa are precariously placed at the 11th position, which puts their…

England Test captain and premier all-rounder Ben Stokes has announced his ODI retirement after the first of three games against South Africa in Chester-Le-Street on July 19. The 31-year-old, in a statement released on Monday, said that playing the three formats is “unsustainable for me now”. Stokes, who was appointed the full-time Test captain at the start of the home summer, has represented England in 104 ODIs till date, his most memorable being the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord’s, wherein his unbeaten 84 pushed the game into the Super Over, which the hosts went on to win to lift the…

Pakistan captain Babar Azam went past India’s modern-day great Virat Kohli to become the fastest Asian batter to 10,000 international runs, achieving the milestone during his 119 in the first innings of the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka. Azam has had a consistent run across formats in recent years, thereby establishing himself as one of the most complete batsmen in modern times. The right-hander produced one of his best knocks in Test cricket in the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, scoring 119 in a team total of 218 in an innings in which no other batter crossed 19. Credit: PCB Babar’s 244-ball…