Cricket

Twenty20 World Cup West Indies squad | Rovman Powell to lead, rookie Shamar called in

Danijones7 months ago03 mins

Rovman Powell will be leading a strong West Indian squad filled with some of the world’s best franchise freelancers for the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup. | Photo Credit: Getty Images Rajasthan Royals power-hitter Rovman Powell will lead a strong West Indies squad, filled with some of the world’s best franchise freelancers, in the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Americas. One of the prominent names included is rookie pace sensation Shamar Joseph, who is a part of Lucknow Super Giants in this edition of IPL. The team bears a formidable look with some of the biggest power-hitters in world cricket like Nicholas Pooran of Lucknow Super Giants, Andre Russell of Kolkata Knight Riders, Shimron Hetmyer of Rajasthan Royals apart from skipper Powell himself being part of the 15. Not to forget Romario Shepherd of Mumbai Indians, Sherfane Rutherford (KKR) and Shai Hope (Delhi Capitals), who are also plying their trade in the cash-rich IPL. Pacer Alzarri Joseph, who plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, is Powell’s deputy while seasoned pros like all-rounders Roston Chase, Jason Holder, batters Johnson Charles, Brandon King have also been inducted. Powell, Shepherd, Russell and Rutherford all can bowl part-time medium pace apart from their primary skill of batting. The co-hosts will have three specialist spinners in left-arm orthodox Akeal Hossain, leg-spinner Gudakesh Motie and off-spinner Chase. The two-time T20 World Cup champions are clubbed alongside Afghanistan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Uganda. They will start their campaign against Papua New Guinea in Guyana on June 2. Squad: Rovman Powell (c), Alzarri Joseph, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hossain, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King (wk), Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd.

India is a very strong team, says Ganguly

Danijones7 months ago03 mins

Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly speaks during unveiling of Champions Trophy of Bengal Pro T20 League, in Kolkata, on May 3, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on May 3 rated the T20 World Cup-bound Indian team as a strong one. Assessing the 15-member Indian team for the iconic event to be held in the USA and West Indies from June 2 to 29, Ganguly said the Rohit Sharma-led side was packed with match-winners. “They are a very strong team. All the 15 were good enough to be selected,” said Ganguly on the sidelines of the trophy unveiling event of the inaugural Bengal Pro T20 League here. “They are all match winners – (Virat) Kohli, Rohit (Sharma), (Rishabh) Pant, Sanju Samson, I am very happy to see Sanju Samson, (Shivam) Dubey. They are a very strong team.” India will play its group matches against Ireland, Pakistan, USA and Canada in the USA. From Super Eight Stage onwards, the matches will be played in the West Indies. Ganguly said spinners would play an important role in the West Indies. “They are playing in the West Indies, where the pitches will spin and will be slow and (will keep) low and big grounds. Spinners will be important.” Ganguly saw logic in selecting an additional spinner ahead of finisher Rinku Singh. “They wanted to go with another spinner. He has not got a place, but it’s just the beginning for Rinku.” About the tight race among teams for playoff berths in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Ganguly, who is the team director of Delhi Capitals, said, “Everybody is on the same boat.”

IPL-17 | We believed we could turn the match around, says SRH’s Nitish

Danijones7 months ago02 mins

Sunrisers Hyderabad players celebrate after their win over Rajasthan Royals in Hyderabad | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Nitish Kumar Reddy opened about his side’s thrilling one-run win over Rajasthan Royals. Changing momentum “T-20 is all about changing the momentum. So, we actually believed that somehow we will take one or two wickets which we got of the well-set Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag,” Nitish said on Thursday. Nitish said Sunrisers had the confidence that seasoned campaigner Bhuvneshwar Kumar would win it for them. The Andhra all-rounder who scored his second IPL fifty this season, said his role was to just build the innings after wickets fell early. “I just wanted it to build the innings and had planned to attack one over and change the momentum which happened when I saw [Yuzvendra] Chahal coming in to bowl. I was backing myself to go after him and that went pretty well,” he said.

IPL-17: MI vs KKR | Venkatesh and Pandey’s partnership proves the difference as Knight Riders edge Mumbai Indians

Danijones7 months ago06 mins

Dominate the middle overs and win the match. That seems to be the flavour of the Indian Premier League this season. The same was on display at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday as the Kolkata Knight Riders clinched a convincing win despite having its back to the wall early on in the game. As a result, in a game influenced heavily by bowling units with all 20 wickets falling on the night, it was the 83-run association between Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey (Impact Player) in the middle overs of the first innings that turned out to be the difference between Knight Riders and host Mumbai Indians. Had it not been for the duo’s partnership, Knight Riders – reeling at 57 for five – would have struggled to put on the 169 runs it did before being bowled out in the last over. Suryakumar Yadav then tried his best to take a cue from Venkatesh but thanks to KKR’s spin duo of Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine controlling the middle overs, Suryakumar perished even before MI got close to the finish line. As a result, KKR emerged as a clear second in the standings while MI’s campaign is all but over after its eighth loss of the season. Venkatesh carried on from his sterling hundred at the same venue last season to notch up his fourth fifty-plus score in five outings against MI. He found an ally in veteran Pandey who kept the scoreboard flowing. In the nine-over period from the seventh till the 15th over, KKR added 75 runs for the loss of Rinku Singh, who top-edged back to Piyush Chawla off the first ball after the PowerPlay. MI lost three wickets while adding 73 runs in the same period. The additional wickets proved to be the difference. Once Suryakumar’s skier off Andre Russell was pouched by Phil Salt, the game was all but over. Just like Nuwan Thushara in the PowerPlay and Jasprit Bumrah at the death in the first essay, Mitchell Starc targeted the stumps to finish the game off in a hurry. SCOREBOARD KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS Phil Salt c Tilak b Thushara 5 (3b, 1×4), Sunil Narine b Hardik 8 (8b, 1×6), Angkrish Raghuvanshi c Suryakumar b Thushara 13 (6b, 2×6), Shreyas Iyer c David b Thushara 6 (4b, 1×4), Venkatesh Iyer b Bumrah 70 (52b, 6×4, 3×6), Rinku Singh c & b Chawla 9 (8b, 2×4), Manish Pandey (Impact Player in place of Raghuvanshi) c sub (Brevis) b Hardik 42 (31b, 2×4, 2×6), Andre Russell (run out) 7 (2b, 1×6), Ramandeep Singh c Coetzee b Bumrah 2 (4b), Mitchell Starc b Bumrah 0 (2b), Vaibhav Arora (not out) 0; Extras (lb-1, nb-1, w-5): 7; Total (in 19.5 overs): 169. FALL OF WICKETS 1-7 (Salt, 0.4 overs), 2-22 (Raghuvanshi, 2.2), 3-28 (Shreyas, 2.6), 4-43 (Narine, 4.2), 5-57 (Rinku, 6.1), 6-140 (Pandey, 16.2), 7-153 (Russell, 16.6), 8-155 (Ramandeep, 17.4), 9-155 (Starc, 17.6). MUMBAI INDIANS BOWLING Thushara 4-0-42-3, Bumrah 3.5-0-18-3, Coetzee 2-0-24-0, Hardik 4-0-44-2, Dhir 3-0-25-0, Chawla 3-0-15-1. MUMBAI INDIANS Ishan Kishan b Starc 13 (7b, 1×4, 1×6), Rohit Sharma (Impact Player in place of Thushara) c Pandey b Narine 11 (12b, 1×6), Naman Dhir b Varun 11 (11b, 2×4), Suryakumar Yadav c Salt b Russell 56 (35b, 6×4, 2×6), Tilak Varma c Narine b Varun 4 (6b), Nehal Wadhera b Narine 6 (11b, 1×4), Hardik Pandya c Pandey b Russell 1 (3b), Tim David c Shreyas b Starc 24 (20b, 1×4, 1×6), Gerald Coetzee b Starc 8 (7b, 1×6), Piyush Chawla c Narine b Starc 0 (1b), Jasprit Bumrah (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (lb-3, nb-1, w-6): 10; Total (in 18.5 overs): 145. FALL OF WICKETS 1-16 (Kishan, 1.4), 2-38 (Dhir, 4.1), 3-46 (Rohit, 5.5), 4-61 (Tilak, 8.4), 5-70 (Wadhera, 10.5), 6-71 (Hardik, 11.2), 7-120 (Suryakumar, 15.3), 8-144 (David, 18.2), 9-144 (Chawla, 18.3). KNIGHT RIDERS BOWLING Arora 3-0-35-0, Starc 3.5-0-33-4, Varun 4-0-22-2, Narine 4-0-22-2, Russell 4-0-30-2. Toss: Mumbai Indians. PoM: Venkatesh. KKR won by 24 runs. MI 119 for six MI was 119/6 in 15 overs with Suryakumar (56) and David (9) batting. Kishan (13), Rohit (11), Dhir (11), Tilak (4), Wadhera (6), and Hardik (1) were dismissed

India to host South Africa women for a Test, three ODIs, T20Is in June-July

Danijones7 months ago03 mins

Team India celebrates after winning the match on Day 4 of Test match between India (Women) and Australia (Women) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. File | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI India will play host to South Africa women’s team for one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is across June and July. The one-dayers and T20Is will be played in Bengaluru, a Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) official informed, while the Test match will be played at Chennai. The ODIs will be held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium from June 16, while the one-off Test will start at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium from June 28. The teams will then return to Bengaluru for the T20Is on July 5, 7 and 9 and they will precede the women’s T20 World Cup to be played in Bangladesh in September-October. The white-ball format matches were originally a part of the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP) in late 2023, but they had to be pushed ahead because of the 50-over ICC Men’s World Cup held in India last year between October and November. However, the Test match is an addition to the fixture and a part of the initiative by BCCI and Cricket South Africa (CSA) to give more impetus to women’s cricket in the traditional format. It may be recalled that India had played a Test each against England and Australia at Mumbai in December last year. India had beaten England by a massive 347 runs, the largest in women’s Test cricket, and Australia by eight wickets in those matches.

ICC Twenty20 World Cup | Javagal Srinath, Nitin Menon, Madanagopal named among match officials

Danijones7 months ago03 mins

File photo of match referee Javagal Srinath. Srinath and umpires Nitin Menon and Jayaraman Madanagopal have been named as Indian representatives for the upcoming Twenty20 world cup. | Photo Credit: Getty Images Umpires Nitin Menon and Jayaraman Madanagopal, along with ICC match referee Javagal Srinath will be the Indian representatives at the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Americas next month. The ICC on May 3 announced the list of 26 match officials set to be in charge for the first round of the month-long event to be held in the United States of America (USA) and the West Indies, starting June 1. There will be 20 umpires who will be officiating in 55 matches across nine venues, which also include renowned ICC umpires — Richard Illingworth, Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel. Besides Madanagopal, the likes of Sam Nogajski, Allahudien Paleker, Rashid Riaz and Asif Yaqoob will also be making their ICC senior men’s competition debut. As for the six referees, Ranjan Madugalle, Jeff Crowe, and Andrew Pycroft will also be among the renowned ones besides Srinath. “Within the selected cohort, we have a complement of experienced match officials and other high-performing members who have been recognized for their strong and consistent performances,” said ICC General Manager, Wasim Khan, in an ICC release. “The throughput from the pathway programme will continue to see the development and emergence of high-quality match officials across the game. “We are proud of the team we have assembled. We are confident that our officials will perform strongly.” Umpires: Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Allahudien Paleker, Richard Kettleborough, Jayaraman Madanagopal, Nitin Menon, Sam Nogajski, Ahsan Raza, Rashid Riaz, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Shahid Saikat, Rodney Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson and Asif Yaqoob. Match Referees: David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath.

IPL-17: SRH vs RR | I wasn’t thinking much, was just focussed on the process: Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Danijones7 months ago05 mins

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar celebrates the last-ball wicket of Rajasthan Royals’ Rovman Powell during the IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals in Hyderabad on May 2, 2024. | Photo Credit: AP Experienced seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar said he wasn’t thinking much and just focussed on bowling two good deliveries after scripting Sunrisers Hyderabad’s sensational one-run win with a last-ball wicket in an IPL thriller here on Thursday. Defending 12 in the final over, Bhuvneshwar trapped Rovman Powell in front of the wicket in the last ball to stop Rajasthan Royal’s run chase at 200 for 7 and pull off a heist in the end. Sunrisers had scored 201 for 3 in their 20 overs, riding on fifties from Travis Head and Nitish Reddy. “I wasn’t thinking much about the result in the last over. There was no discussion in the last over, was just focussed on the process. Was thinking just about bowling two good balls, anything could have happened,” Bhuvneshwar, who was adjudged the Player of the Match for his 3 for 41, said at the post-match presentation. “The ball swung so much, can’t really pinpoint, really enjoyed it. Luckily got wickets today. When the season started thought process was different, but it changed when the batters played in such a way,” he added. SRH captain Pat Cummins was a happy man after his team managed to snap a two-game losing streak. “It was an amazing game. That’s T20 cricket. Anything can happen, Bhuvi executed that last ball. You try to take some wickets in the middle. Natarajan is a good yorker bowler, fortunately we got some wickets,” said the Australian pacer , who bowled a superb 19th over conceding just 7 runs. “We played some games here, thought 200 could have been chased down. He (Nitish Reddy) sums up the conditions pretty well, he’s amazing, great in the field, gives some overs with the ball as well,” Cummins added. Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson said that even while it seemed his side was cruising to victory he was not certain they would get over the line given the unpredictable nature of the league. “We have played some really close games this season, won a couple of them and lost this one. Credit to the SRH bowlers for the way they fought back,” he said. “The margin of errors is very less in the IPL. The game is never done till it is done. It was tough to bat against the new ball and when it got old, it became easier. He was full of praise for the young duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag who resurrected the Royals’ innings after Jos Buttler and Samson got out for ducks in the first over. “Credit to both youngsters (Jaiswal and Parag), myself and Jos (Buttler) got out in the powerplay, they played well and got us to that position,” Samson Said.

Sunil Narine is KKR’s ‘Superman’, Russell a ‘fashionista’: Shah Rukh Khan

Danijones7 months ago07 mins

KKR’s Sunil Narine during the practice session ahead of IPL game between KKR and Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 2. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini From hitting massive sixes, to scoring tons of runs, to producing breakthroughs, charismatic all-rounder Sunil Narine has been KKRs’ go-to man for more than a decade in the IPL, and co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was effusive in his praise for the all-rounder, calling him the “Superman” and the real energy behind the team’s success. Riding on Narine’s blazing innings, including a century and two half-tons and nearly a dozen wickets, KKR are currently second on the table. The two-time champions could well break the decade-long jinx of not winning an IPL title if Narine’s charisma continues to shine through this season. “In our house, we call him Superman, the god particle. He’s a boss on the field, a player, a bowler, a batsman, a wicketkeeper, a fielder. He’s an ‘anything’ player,” Shah Rukh told Star Sports show ‘Knight Club presents – King Khan’s Rules’ about the 35-year-old stalwart, who played a pivotal role in KKR lifting the trophy in 2012 and 2014. Narine, the highest wicket-taker in the IPL among overseas spinners, had taken 21 and 24 respectively in the 2012 and 2014 editions, paving the way for the purple and gold jerseys to clinch the two IPL titles. “He’s so spirited, so lovely. We’re very fortunate to have players, Indian or foreign, who have deep feelings for the team… Sunil, like I said, he’s an ‘anything’ player.” The Bollywood star added that Narine and country-mate Andre Russell were pivotal to the club’s ethos, saying any one of them getting injured feels like a body blow to the side. Kolkata Knight Riders player Andre Russell during a practice session ahead of IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 2, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI “Imagine KKR without these guys. When they get injured, it feels awful to wonder how we’ll manage without them. It’s so crucial. They’ve been with us for so many years, and I think the way they have supported the team, they’re like part of the family,” said Shah Rukh. Russell is a cut above the rest when it comes to hairstyle, and Shah Rukh said the cricketer is a “fashionista”. The mohawk he made popular when he came into the IPL continues to trend even now, though more than a decade has elapsed since the fancy cut was first made popular by the West Indian. “Such a wonderful person to be around, and such a great cricketer. He reminds us of the first big man like Universe Boss, Mr. Gayle. He’s like that, and I love the fact that he’s very fashion-conscious. He likes to dress well, do his hair.” “Last night, I asked him, ‘Do you have some two-colour shoes?’ He said no, but he has designer spikes. So I said, ‘Are they Gucci designer spikes?’ Wow! Yes, well, I love the way he’s a fashionista.” Russell has forged a strong bond with Rinku Singh and Shah Rukh says their camaraderie reminds him of Jai-Veeru in the iconic movie ‘Sholey’. “Rinku and he have such a strong bond, like the Jai-Veeru friendship. They’re so different, yet they love each other and help each other as cricketers and as people. They’re so different, yet they love each other and help each other as cricketers and as people.” Team mentor Gautam Gambhir, who returned to the side this season after a stint with Lucknow Super Giants, will always remain KKR’s icon, given that he guided the team to two IPL titles and helped them qualify for the playoffs five times. “The great thing about Gautam Gambhir being back with us is that I never felt like he left us. Whether he’s in our team or mentoring someone else, there’s never any animosity or competition with him.” Part 1 of Knight Club presents – King Khan’s Rules will air at 6.15pm on the evening of May 3.

India retains top spot in white-ball formats, Australia reclaims world no. 1 rankings in Tests

Danijones7 months ago04 mins

According to the ICC annual rankings, India retained their top position in ODIs and T20Is but slipped to second place in the men’s Test team rankings. India have retained their top position in ODIs and T20Is but slipped to the second position in the men’s Test Team Rankings in the latest ICC annual ranking update issued on May 3. India conceded the top spot in the five-day format to Australia, the reigning World Test champion, following the annual update that drops results from the 2020-21 season and reflects all series completed since May 2021. India (120) are just four points behind Australia (124) and 15 points clear of third-placed England. South Africa are the fourth team above the 100-point mark with 103 points. India slipped mainly because their 2-1 series win in Australia in 2020-21 has dropped from the rankings. The order of teams ranked from third to ninth remains the same. Only nine teams are now ranked as Afghanistan and Ireland have yet to play sufficient Tests, while Zimbabwe too are out as they have played only three Tests over the past three years. Teams need to play a minimum of eight Tests over a three-year period to get on the rankings table. India, however, remain atop the ODI and T20I rankings after the annual updates, that weight matches completed prior to May 2023 at 50 per cent and subsequent matches at 100 per cent. India may have lost the ODI World Cup final to Australia but have increased their lead over them from three to six points, leading the table with 122 points. There are no changes in the top 10 but Ireland have overtaken Zimbabwe to 11th position. Third-placed South Africa have closed the gap with Australia from eight to four points, while Sri Lanka are just two points behind fifth-placed England. The T20I rankings see Australia move ahead of England to second place but they are seven points adrift of India, who lead with 264 rating points. South Africa are just two points behind England after leapfrogging two places from the sixth position that they had before the update. New Zealand also have 250 points like South Africa but behind on fractions, while the West Indies are at 249 points, which means that just three points separate third-placed England from sixth-placed West Indies. In other movements, Pakistan have dropped two places to seventh, while Scotland have overtaken Zimbabwe to 12th position.

IPL-17: RCB vs GT | Royal Challengers will strive to keep their momentum going as they host Gill’s Gujarat Titans

Danijones7 months ago04 mins

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be meeting Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru to notch a mandatory win to keep the dream of reaching playoffs flickering. | Photo Credit: ANI Having notched up wins in its last two fixtures, Royal Challengers Bengaluru has kept its IPL playoff hopes alive. RCB will strive to keep the momentum going with a good result against Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru on May 4. RCB holds sway, having gotten past the same opponent last week at Ahmedabad. The victory was set up by a brilliant unbeaten 41-ball 100 from Will Jacks, with Virat Kohli (70 n.o.) playing the supporting role. Unlike many other sides, RCB has not been able to take full advantage of home conditions. Faf du Plessis and his men have managed only one positive result in four games held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here. Jacks believes that RCB is now well poised to do well at home, given that their batters have found form. “We do not want to focus on our losing record here. Because of the playing conditions, it is hard to have home advantage. The pitches are good and the boundaries are small. If a batter gets going, it is hard to stop. Now that our batters are in form, we can hopefully finish our home games strongly,” Jacks said. The city welcomed a long-awaited spell of rain on Friday, even if it mildly disrupted the training schedule of the teams. The skies cleared up later, allowing players to get a hit under lights. Much like RCB, GT is teetering on the edge of elimination. With eight points from 10 matches, the visitor needs to get on a winning streak to push for a playoff spot. GT must address its bowling woes, having conceded 200-plus scores in its last two outings. Teams (from): Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan. Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), David Miller, Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, B. Sai Sudharsan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma, Azmatullah Omarzai, Umesh Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi, Manav Suthar, Spencer Johnson, Sandeep Warrier, BR Sharath. Match starts at 7.30 PM.