Author: Sandip Pawar

The International Cricket Council has set up a working group to monitor cricketing activities around the Afghanistan Cricket Board, after the recent developments following the Taliban take-over of the country that took place in August. The group headed by the ICC deputy chairman Imran Khwaja will include Cricket Ireland chief Ross McCollum, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raza and Cricket South Africa head Lawson Naidoo. “The ICC Board is committed to continuing to support Afghanistan Cricket to develop both men’s and women’s cricket moving forward. We believe the most effective way for this to happen will be to support our Member in its efforts to achieve this through its relationship with the…

The Men in Blue India kicked off a new era under the leadership of head coach Rahul Dravid and T20I captain Rohit Sharma by defeating the Black Caps by five wickets at Sawai Mansingh Stadium on November 17 and went 1-0 up in the three-match series. Ravichandran Ashwin was the star for India with the ball, picking 2 for 23 while Bhuvneshwar Kumar also picked 2 for 24 as the hosts restricted NZ to 164/6. Suryakumar Yadav starred with the bat with his 62 off 40 along with Rohit Sharma, who scored 48 off 36 as India chased down the total with two balls to spare.  https://twitter.com/SunRisers/status/1461029819605422082 As it happened, India won the toss and had no hesitation in bowling first. Bhuvneshwar…

A new era in Indian cricket begins as Rahul Dravid takes the reins as the head coach and Rohit Sharma takes over from Virat Kohli as the T20I captain. The duo has already started mapping a blueprint for the shorter format, with the next T20 World Cup less than a year away. Sharma Dravid attended a Zoom press conference ahead of the first T20I against New Zealand starting on Wednesday in Jaipur. At the event, they stated that their main focus will be providing players freedom to play fearlessly without having to worry about their place in the team.  “It’s…

On Tuesday in Westminster, Azeem Rafiq delivered a powerful, emotional testimony to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, where he spoke about the inhuman treatment he had to endure at Yorkshire County Cricket Club during his two stints. Rafiq revealed that the Asian players were called “elephant washers” and were told to sit by the toilet in the dressing room. He also spoke about an incident at the age of 15, when a group of older players poured wine down his throat. Some of his most damning revelations were centred around Gary Balance, a current player and…

England’s Adil Rashid has come out in support of Azeem Rafiq, confirming the claims of the use of racist remarks by Michael Vaughan. The Yorkshire County Cricket Club has been involved in a major row for the past year with their former player Rafiq making allegations of racial discrimination within the club. Former Yorkshire captain Vaughan is at the forefront of the controversy as Rafeeq made claims against him for the use of racist remarks. In the latest development, England’s Rashid has come forward to corroborate Rafiq’s claims.  Also read 👉 Yorkshire racism report rules out word “P*ki” as banter after Rafiq’s…

Josh Hazlewood was instrumental in Australia clinching their maiden T20 World Cup title. Australia skipper Aaron Finch admitted that Hazlewood’s experience of playing in the Indian Premier League 2021 had a positive impact on their successful campaign. The Aussie pacer was exceptional in the tournament, picking 11 scalps in seven games at an economy of 7.29 and a wicket every 13 balls. His impact in the powerplay was significant, where he rocked the opponents back with 7 wickets in 15 powerplay overs at 5.53 rpo. Hazlewood was Australia’s best performing bowler in the final, claiming 3 for 16 in his four. https://twitter.com/T20WorldCup/status/1459892947483172865?t=f5RAL59D3mZAD1iWElpnGA&s=19 Finch acknowledged in the post-match conference that Hazlewood sharing his…

Aaron Finch, who won six out of seven tosses, admitted that the toss played a huge role in their title-winning campaign but so did their attacking game. Australia clinched their first T20 World Cup title on Sunday, defeating New Zealand by eight wickets in the final at Dubai. The Aussies became the second consecutive team to win the men’s T20 World event without successfully defending a total in the tournament. Also read 👉 New Zealand stranded at final hurdle yet again as Australia lift maiden T20 World Cup The Australian captain Aaron Finch admitted that his luck at the toss throughout the competition played…

Afghanistan’s young fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has made a name for himself in the T20 circuit with impressive performances in various leagues across the globe. The 22-year old draws inspiration from India’s Jasprit Bumrah, who’s arguably the best pacer going around. Bumrah is the only reliable all-phase bowler in the T20 arena and has a magnificent record in other two formats as well. Speaking to News 9, Naveen-ul-Haq expressed his admiration for the Indian pacer and said he would be satisfied if he can do half as good as Bumrah has over the years.  Credit: ICC “I admire him as a…

New Zealand will host India Women for a limited overs series starting February 9 and ending on February 24, ahead of the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup. India Women are set to play a six-match limited-overs series consisting of one T20I and five ODIs on the tour of New Zealand before the two teams head into the Women’s ODI World Cup. The series will conclude on February 24, with the world cup starting on March 4 in Mount Maunganui. Credit: New Zealand Cricket The series offers both teams a great chance to fine-tune their playing combinations and plans ahead of the mega event. The bilateral series will…

After four weeks of intense action, the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 is down to its final destination, where a new champion will be crowned. Australia and New Zealand will square off in the ultimate clash at Dubai on November 14. NZ are coming into the final on the back of a spectacular victory against tournament favourites England in the first semi-final. The Kiwi bowlers did remarkably well to restrict England’s strong batting line-up to only 166/4 on a good batting deck. Chasing the target, the Kiwis had found themselves in a big hole. But with 57 needed off the last four, Jimmy Neesham played…