Sport Info

In what can be a big blow to the WPL franchise Gujarat Giants , Australian pacer Lauren Cheatle will miss out on the tournament, after having a skin cancer removed from her neck. The 25-year-old left-arm bowler, who made her Test debut for the Aussies last year, underwent the procedure on Wednesday. As per a report in abc.net.au, she had undergone a similar procedure on her leg in 2021 as well. Cheatle, back in December, was bagged by Gujarat for INR 30 lakh, at the WPL auction, and will, unfortunately, not be able to make her debut in the tournament. In fact, as per the report, she won’t be able to participate in the ongoing Women’s National Cricket League season. “Cheatle is aiming to return to training with NSW following the players’ scheduled off-season break,” Cricket NSW said in a statement. Meanwhile, her career has been affected by constant injuries — including three shoulder reconstructions. The talented bowler had marked her Test Debut last month, in the one-off match agai...

The England Cricket Team has been slapped with a major injury crisis. Star spinner Jack Leach is likely to be ruled out after encountering a knee injury. This means the Three Lions will give debut to the much awaited Shoaib Bashir in the IND vs ENG 2nd Test in Vizag. The visitors staged a sensation comeback to snatch victory on Day 4 in Hyderabad by 28 runs. The English spinners ran riot to prevent India to chase down 231 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the 5-match Test series. England are likely to field 2 major changes in their otherwise set Playing XI. Both the changes comes in the bowling department. Jack Leach is likely to be unavailable while pacer Mark Wood can be rested. This means Shoaib Bashir and the veteran James Anderson gets a chance in the team . Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will retain their spot in the team despite not scoring big runs for the visitors. However, on the both the innings in the 1st Test, the duo began well, showcasing their ‘Bazball’ style of gameplay. O...

Talented India all-rounder Deepti Sharma is now the joint second-best bowler in T20Is, in the latest ICC women’s rankings released on Tuesday, while compatriot Renuka Singh has entered the top 10. England spinner Sophie Ecclestone continues to be at the top, with 777 points, maintaining a big lead over all the others in the list. Deepti , who is ranked second alongside Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal, saw a spine in her rankings, largely due to the slip of South Africa’s Nonkululeko Mlaba. As far as the all-rounder rankings are concerned, Deepti held on to her fourth position, with West Indian Hayle Matthews leading the way. In the batting department, India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana is the best-placed player at fourth. The next-best Indian at the moment is Jemimah Rodrigues, at 13th. Aussie Beth Mooney surpassed teammate Tahila McGrath to be the best batter in T20Is. Also Read Absolute nonsense: Harsha Bhogle & Kevin Pietersen exchange blows on switch-hit rules Ex-England ski...

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi wants the PCB to bring major changes in the current team setup, appoint a captain for the long term, and also abolish the vice-captain position. “ PCB should announce the captain for two to three years so that the captaincy debate can come to an end,” Afridi was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s The Nation. “There is no need to appoint anyone as vice-captain. If the captain is not available for any reason, assign the captaincy responsibility to a player who seems suitable,” he added. Afridi also backed former teammate Mohammad Hafeez, to stay as the team director for a bit longer.“[Mohammad] Hafeez has played a lot of cricket; he should be given more time [as team director],” Afridi said. “If someone thinks that everything will change in one series, it is wrong thinking.” Also Read Absolute nonsense: Harsha Bhogle & Kevin Pietersen exchange blows on switch-hit rules Ex-England skipper labels Rohit Sharma & Co as ‘biggest underach...

ISL giants FC Goa has been handed a major injury crisis. Star defender Sandesh Jhingan suffered a right knee injury during India vs Syria in AFC Asian Cup. The club stated that the player needs ‘a period of rest from competitive play will be necessary for his complete recovery’. This is a big blow for the Gaurs who are eyeing to top the ISL Points Table. FC Goa is currently placed second behind Kerala Blasters, despite having played 2 games less. FC Goa Statement – FC Goa regret to announce that defender Sandesh Jhingan has suffered an injury to his right knee while on duty with the senior Indian National Men’s team in the AFC Asian Cup 2023. Following the injury, Sandesh has undergone a thorough series of examinations and the initial indications suggest a period of rest from competitive play will be necessary for his complete recovery. The Club is currently in the process of consulting with medical professionals to determine the most effective course of action for his rehabilitati...

The Big Bash League (BBL), Australia’s vibrant T20 tournament, is hitting the gas for its next season, with a critical focus on improving playing surfaces. Pitches that spark high-scoring thrillers are on the menu, and Cricket Australia is considering a dedicated pitch consultant to ensure every ground delivers. This past summer’s shortened BBL saw crowds roar back in record numbers, a 27% increase over the previous season. But officials know the competition remains in a delicate stage, and pitches are a key piece of the puzzle. Venues like Marvel Stadium and Sydney Showground have drawn flak for low-scoring affairs, with the Showground being the tournament’s slowest ever this year. Ricky Ponting’s scathing criticism of the Showground after a dour Sydney Thunder loss, calling it “substandard,” perfectly echoed the frustration of fans and players alike. However, the Thunder are firmly rooted in western Sydney, a crucial market for Cricket Australia, and relocation is off the table. ...

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) will meet in Bali for it’s Annual General Meetings (AGM). Among the other important decisions, a major decision will be taken on Jay Shah. Shah is the ACC President but he is most likely to vacate his position for the ICC Chairman role. Though the ACC Presidential election is not on the agenda for in ACCs AGM, but the topic can be discussed. The ACC Presidential term stands for 2 years. The BCCI Secretary is currently on his second 2-year term as the head of the ACC. Also Read BCCI likely to release IPL 2024 schedule in two phases, first half in India ICC ignores Rohit Sharma’s plea, WTC Final 2027 set for England after IPL in June Zee scraps $1.4 Billion ICC TV rights deal with Disney Star SRH star Shahbaz Ahamad’s vanishing act leaves Bengal fuming, Ranji season in jeopardy The ICC Chairman position is up for grabs and Jay Shah is targeting the coveted position. Under such circumstances, Shah will have to vacate his position as the supremo of ...

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen some brilliant bowling performances over the years, especially from the spinners. Spin bowlers often hold the key to success on Indian pitches, which are traditionally spin-friendly. Ahead of the IPL 2024, let us take a most successful spinners in IPL history. Player Wickets Yuzvendra Chahal 187 Piyush Chawla 179 Amit Mishra 173 Ravichandran Ashwin 171 Sunil Narine 163 Most successful spinners in IPL history Yuzvendra Chahal In the 2022 edition of the IPL, Chahal won the Purple Cap with 27 wickets in 17 matches. He picked up crucial wickets in the middle overs throughout the tournament at an excellent economy rate of 7.75. Chahal has scalped 187 wickets in 145 matches. Piyush Chawla Piyush Chawla is another highly experienced campaigner who has been plying his trade in the IPL since its inception in 2008. Chawla has scalped 179 wickets in 181 IPL matches and holds the second position as most successful spin...

England Cricket Team pacer Mark Wood has claimed that Jasprit Bumrah bowled like a genius. While Wood went wicketless in the IND vs ENG 1st Test, Bumrah on the other hand managed to scalp 6 wickets. Wood claimed that Bumrah did him no favours by bowling like a genius. England went with a spin heavy team keeping Wood as the lone pacer in the attack. While the 4 spinners bagged all 20 wickets in the match, Wood didn’t get much chance to bowl. But Jasprit Bumrah constantly picked wickets for India on a slow and turning track. “Bumrah didn’t do me any favours by bowling like a genius. That was tough. It was a bit odd, a bit weird at times. Usually at points during the game I’d think ‘I might bowl here’ but the spin is doing the damage,” said Mark Wood. “I said to Jimmy [Anderson] that I found it more bizarre that I didn’t have anyone to talk to. I was sort of working it out as I went along. Usually if Jimmy is bowling a spell he can say to me ‘this worked well’, or ‘what about this?’...

India’s star shooter Divyansh Singh Panwar is off to a rousing start to 2024, as he not only won the gold medal in men’s 10m air rifle at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun stage in Cairo, Egypt but also broke a world record in the process. The 21-year-old shot an unbelievable 253.7 in the final, surpassing the previous record held by China’s Sheng Lihao (253.3). For Divyansh, it all started at the qualification round itself, where he scored 632.4, topping the precursor event. He had a lead of 1.9 points over silver-winning Italian Dani Sollazo. What is even more praiseworthy is, during his 24-round qualification, Divyansh did not even once get a score below 10, with two of them being perfect 10.9s. “I am happy to win gold after a long time. I had been shooting well in recent times but was missing out. This will surely give me confidence coming into an important year,” said Divyansh. Meanwhile, it wasn’t a very rewarding day for compatriot Arjun Babuta, who finished sixth in t...

Former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam , who has shown some decent form in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League , was pushed to play the fifth T20I vs New Zealand recently, despite suffering a groin injury. As per a report in Cricket Pakistan, the team management wanted the star batsman to play in the match, despite the concern. While the series was already lost, the management feared a clean sweep, and to avoid that, it was necessary for Babar to be there in the last match as well. As far as his performance in that particular match is concerned, he scored only 24 runs in 13 balls and also dropped a catch. On top of that, he did not even field for half innings, when Pakistan bowled. But such performance notwithstanding, the visitors posted a big 42-run win, to avoid a 0-5 series loss. In fact, Babar emerged as the top run-scorer in the entire series with 213 runs, with three fifties to his name. Also Read BCCI likely to release IPL 2024 schedule in two phases, first half in India I...