Australia's swashbuckling batsman Travis Head could open the innings for the side in the two Test matches against Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Sam Konstas is also likely to get more opportunities to prove his skills, said the chairman of selectors George Bailey. Travis Head who had a great run in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Team India in the middle order, has been tested in the opener's slot on the sub-continent. Travis Head had come in for an injured David Warner during the 2023 tour of India and scored 223 runs at 55.75 in five innings at the top of the order. "Trav's an option (to open). We've got a number of options and there's been a few preliminary discussions around where that may land, and that may depend on the makeup of that first XI," George Bailey told cricket.com.au. "I think (head coach) Andrew (McDonald,) and (stand-in captain) Steve (Smith) will settle on that in due course, once we hit Sri Lanka," he added. Australia announced a 16-member squad on Thursday with several fresh faces added to the group that played India in the fifth and final Test at Sydney last week. Australia won the marquee series 3-1. Also Read: Robin Uthappa blames this star Indian player to cut short Yuvraj's career Steve Smith will be leading the Australian pack as regular skipper Pat Cummins is on leave for the birth of his second child. With 19-year-old Konstas turning heads with his refreshing style of batting during the Border-Gavaskar Tests, Bailey said the youngster's ability to read match situations quickly would help him excel in Sri Lanka, his maiden international tour. "What we have seen is he's (Konstas) a quick learner. (He) absorbs a lot of information," George Bailey said. "So (we're) expecting him to get to get a lot out of it. I know from his spin play in Australia, and the opportunities he's (had) in different parts of the world, we think he's got a game that's well suited, and a technique that can stand up." "But that's one of the exciting things about this tour we will learn a bit more about his game in different conditions to what he's just faced in Australia," he added. George Bailey further spoke about Nathan McSweeney, who is there for the Sri Lanka Test series. The chairman said that McSweeney handled his exclusion quite well and will remain in the scheme of things despite an underwhelming show as an opening batsman. The debutant had a trial by fire against Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, failing to put up a decent score in the first three games. "We still view (McSweeney) as a great Test prospect, and a long-term Test prospect. "I think at times when someone is left out of a team or squad, there's a view that they fall out of favour, or down the pecking order, but that wasn't the case with Nathan," said George Bailey. "I think it shows the character... and the sort of person he is, the way he responded and spoke so well about (being dropped) publicly pretty soon after it happened." (With PTI Inputs)
10 January,2025 11:56 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentMI Cape Town got their Betway SA20 Season 3 off to a perfect start with a commanding 97-run victory over defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the competition opener at a sold-out St George’s Park on Thursday. The Orange Army had come out in their thousands to welcome home the back-to-back champions, but went back home disappointed as MICT delivered an inspired performance. Robin Peterson’s MICT outfit dominated all facets on the night with Dewald Brevis smashing 57 off just 29 balls (2x4; 6x6) to lift the visitors to 174/7 before Delano Potgieter and Trent Boult combined to dismiss the Sunrisers for just 77. Potgieter claimed the dreamlike career-best figures of 5/10, but it was the New Zealand international Boult (2/16) that set the tone with a superb new-ball spell that yielded a double-wicket maiden third over. The 35-year-old showed his world class ability to swing the new ball back into the right-hander, which accounted for Sunrisers’ England Test opener Zak Crawley. Also Read: Robin Uthappa blames this star Indian player to cut short Yuvraj's career Boult showed that he will be a major addition not only to the MICT squad, but also a wonderful asset to the League in its entirety with his high skill certainly set to be an attraction at all the venues around the country. It was the first time that MICT had beaten the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in five attempts since the inception of Betway SA20. And it was only fitting that Brevis played a major role in the victory with the Rising Star delivering on his potential that was first seen in the competition opener at Newlands two seasons ago. The 21-year-old was in rousing form striking the ball cleanly from the outset. His first task was to take on the dual spin of Simon Harmer and Liam Dawson before launching successive straight sixes off seamer Beyers Swanepoel. One of Brevis’ half dozen sixes was caught one-handed in the crowd by Christopher Moolman, who became the first entrant into the Betway Catch R2-million competition for Season 3. Although MICT lost Brevis heading into the final five overs, the momentum was maintained by Potgieter (25 not out, 12 balls) and George Linde (23 not out, 17 balls) with an unbroken 41-run partnership. The pair took 24 runs off Sunrisers’ Marco Jansen’s final over which swung the momentum in MICT’s favour which they never relinquished for the remainder of the evening. MICT will hope to maintain their winning momentum when they face Joburg Super Kings at the Wanderers on Saturday, while Sunrisers will look to bounce back against Paarl Royals at Boland Park also on Saturday. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
10 January,2025 11:06 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer Team India cricketer Robin Uthappa has indirectly held Virat Kohli for cutting short Yuvraj Singh's career after the star all-rounder returned to the game after beating cancer. One of India's premier all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, was one of the big reasons for the team's World Cup wins. After winning the ODI World Cup in 2011, the veteran was diagnosed with cancer and was taken to the US for further treatment. Yuvraj Singh made a stunning comeback in the team and also scored a century against England in ODI. Later, after a few outings in the Champions Trophy 2017, he was ignored and the veteran decided to draw curtains on his career in 2019. Telling the story as he saw it, Robin Uthappa said during an interview on 'Lallantop', "Take Yuvi Pa's instance. The man beat cancer, and he is trying to come back into the international side. He is the man who won us a World Cup, won us two World Cups for that matter, along with the other players, but played an integral role in helping us win." "Then for such a player, when you become captain, you say his lung capacity has diminished and you have been with him when you have seen him struggle. Nobody has told me this, I observe things." Also Read: Mumbai Marathon 2025: Laces tied? Here's all you need to know about the annual sporting event Robin Uthappa added, "You have seen him struggle, then when you are captain, yes you have to maintain a level of standard, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Here is a man who deserves to be an exception because he is not just beaten and won you tournaments, but he has beaten cancer." "He has beaten the hardest challenge in life in that sense. Some question room for someone like that." Robin Uthappa revealed that Yuvraj asked for a point deduction in the fitness test but was denied any leniency by the team management. However, he was able to clear the test and make a comeback to the side before being dropped after a poor outing in the Champions Trophy in England. "So when Yuvi requested for that two-point deduction, he didn't get it. Then he did the test because he was outside the team and they weren't taking him in. He passed the fitness test, came inside the team, had a lean tournament, took him out totally. Never entertained him after that. "Whoever was in the leadership group, didn't entertain him. That time Virat was the leader and it went according to him due to his strong personality, and that time it was according to him," Uthappa said. Expressing his views about Virat Kohli's captaincy, Robin Uthappa said, "I haven't played under Virat as a captain very much. But Virat as a captain, he was very 'my way or the highway' kind of a captain. It's not like these guys aren't also like that, but how to treat your team, how you treat your personnel, because it is not just about results." Yuvraj Singh, 43, announced his international retirement in 2019, having last played in the IPL in the same year for Mumbai Indians. (With PTI Inputs)
10 January,2025 10:33 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAs the third season of the SA20 got underway on Thursday with defending champs Sunrisers Eastern Cape facing MI Cape Town at St George’s Park, League Commissioner and former South Africa captain Graeme Smith insisted the tournament would be highly competitive given the quality talent on view. Also Read: "Everybody must play domestic cricket, giving rest should be coach's decision": Sunil Gavaskar “We have some quality local players, the best of South Africa, and some outstanding international players that have come now. This year, I think the squads are looking even stronger, which is exciting going into Season 3. You look across the six squads, and you can see so many match-ups and so many potential great games along the way,” said Smith. “The fans have come out in numbers. Seeing people in the stands having a great time and enjoying the atmosphere. The feedback we get is when that people tune into the TV, they see a happy South Africa, summer, filled stadiums, and incredible cricket.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 January,2025 07:58 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSIndia's disappointing 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, despite a promising start with a victory in Perth, has highlighted several flaws in the team’s preparation and adaptability. This defeat also means India have failed to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final for the first time. Amid these circumstances, former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar believes it’s time for Team India to plan more carefully for long Test tours and include more proper first-class matches in the schedule. “When you play overseas, you need some first-class matches there to get used to the weather and playing conditions. So go there early and play those games and get the experience. Even between Test matches, when there is a gap of over a week, use that to play another first-class game so that those out of form can try and regain it while those in the reserves get the opportunity to show they can be selected if required. The seniors don’t have to play these matches if they don’t want to, but the guys touring that country for the first time need to get this invaluable practice,” Gavaskar suggested. Also Read: Vish we had more like him Sunil Gavaskar India’s batting line-up, despite its depth and experience, failed to deliver on the challenging Australian tracks. “The key area that India failed was in batting. Have a look at the scores, but for the second innings in Perth and the first innings in Melbourne, the batting has failed continuously. This was surprising since, in the top six, you had four batters who had toured Australia before too,” Gavaskar remarked. Poor shot selection He also identified the technical and mental shortcomings of the batters as one of the primary reasons behind this failure. “It’s a combination of technical as well as temperamental issues. On the bouncy Aussie pitches, the batters have to be able to play on the back foot, which we hardly saw. And then some of the shot selection showed poor judgment and a lack of appreciation of the situation.” ‘Get ready for 2027 final’ Looking ahead to the next WTC cycle, Gavaskar added, “India have not qualified for the WTC final for the first time. The next cycle of qualifying for the WTC final begins in mid-June. So India should be looking at players who can be groomed and ready for the final in 2027.” The former India opener also emphasised the importance of domestic cricket for maintaining red-ball form. “Everybody must play domestic cricket unless they are injured. Giving rest to anybody should be the decision of the coach and not the individuals,” he stated. India’s next challenge in red-ball cricket will be a five-match Test series in England, starting June 20, 2025, at Headingley. OneNo. of warm-up games that India played in Oz recently
10 January,2025 07:55 AM IST | Mumbai | Sandipan BanerjeeIt was October of 1974, when Raj Singh Dungarpur (national selector) asked Tiger Pataudi to lead India against the West Indies. I was standing next to my uncle and I will never forget his words, “Raj, I can’t see very well. I will be useless as a batsman, but as long as I have Vishy I know I will have enough runs to win a few.” Such was the captain’s belief in his No. 4. GR Vishwanath won two Test matches for India in Kolkata and Chennai, back to back, levelling the series. Ian Botham once had the Ashes named after him (in 1981). We should have named that 1974-75 series after Vishy. We didn’t. Further, we never celebrated him as we should have. Let’s do so now. Let’s celebrate Vishy, a God of cricket most loved, least worshipped. Disastrous start The first two Tests of the 1974-75 series (in Bangalore and New Delhi) against the West Indies were a disaster. The third Test was in Kolkata, played over New Year. India had to win to keep the series alive. Sunil Gavaskar was injured. Our batting was dithering. India batted first in Chennai and from the very beginning it was clear — Andy Roberts & Co were too quick for us. But there was hope. Hope in one man. Vishy. Tiger Pataudi would tell us later that the only batsman who was middling the ball in the first two Test was Vishy and he never lost hope. Also Read: "Pratika has done really well, but Shafali is in the scheme of things": Smriti Mandhana Andy Roberts, who claimed 12 wickets in Chennai After winning the toss at Kolkata, India batted first. With the ball seaming at 90-plus MPH, with most batsmen at sea, the little master, stepped out with the score at 23. Vishy (52), that day, had a hard fought outing that laid the foundation for the Test. India were all out for 233. As feared, the fiery pace of Andy Roberts had been too much for our batters. The Windies managed 240. The Indian second innings started poorly losing two quick wickets but with a plucky Engineer in support, the swashbuckling Vishy (139) laid into the tourists decimating them. He helped India post 316. Chandrasekhar and Bedi bowled us to victory. Vishy not only ensured that we win but also sent a message to fellow batsmen that the fearsome West Indies could be tamed. Many believe that this innings was the turning point in Indian cricket, it had proven that no matter what, where or who, we had the talent and the strength to humble the greatest of teams. Exactly fifty years ago, on January 11, 1975, A week after India’s stunning victory at Eden Gardens, it was at Chennai where the master decided to cement his authority. Those who have played at Chepauk know the moods of the ground. It’s smiling for a day or two and then it’s a death trap for batsmen of poor technique. If a wicket could hiss, spit and bite, it was Chepauk. Gavaskar injured Pataudi knew this well and chose to bat first. Gavaskar was still injured and with the ball taking off after pitching, the fiery pace of Roberts yet again proving too much for all but one. Vishy came in and scored a breathtaking 97 not out. The little master considers this to be one of the most difficult pitches he has played on and feels this was the best innings he ever played. I will never forget Alvin Kallicharran patting him on the back as he walked back, bat in the air, acknowledging the praise. He followed up with a 46 in the second innings to seal victory. Vishy proved time and again that in cricket, there are two kinds of Gods. Those that see a perfect batting wicket and get their records. And those that see an opportunity on challenging tracks to win Tests. Getting an international team out twice on batting wickets is quite improbable. For that, our spinners needed challenging tracks. Yet, every time such a pitch was prepared, leave alone the touring side, India’s batsmen found it hard to put on the required runs to set a winning total. It was under such conditions, where others floundered, that Vishy thrived. He stood up and delivered when his captain most needed him. Spinners got credit Though he has won numerous matches for India, sadly, in an era when visiting players and the media were in awe of our fearsome foursome, our spinners took the accolades for the victory. Precious runs scored by the little genius were lost in the noise. Pataudi placed him up there with other Gods of cricket. He believed that Tat (Vijay Manjrekar) and Vishy were the best we ever had and for me, his disciple, he remains a God most loved, most worshipped. The writer is a former India U-22 and Hyderabad Ranji Trophy player and the late MAK Pataudi’s nephew Brief scoresIndia 190 (GR Vishwanath 97 not out; AME Roberts 7-64) and 256 (GR Vishwanath 46, AD Gaekwad 80, KD Ghavri 35; AME Roberts 5-57) beat West Indies 192 (IVA Richards 50, CH Lloyd 39; EAS Prasanna 5-70, BS Bedi 3-40) and 154 (AI Kallicharran 51; EAS Prasanna 4-41, BS Bedi 3-29) by 100 runs. The win made the series scoreline 2-2 before the final Test in Mumbai, where India lost
10 January,2025 07:53 AM IST | Mumbai | Saad Bin JungDropped following poor returns last year, big-hitting opener Shafali Verma “definitely” remains in the scheme of things, Indian women’s team captain Smriti Mandhana said on Thursday. Mandhana is leading the Indian team in the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur, who has been rested for the three-match ODI series against Ireland, along with pacer Renuka Thakur. Known for her penchant to go after the bowlers from the get-go, Shafali was dropped from the squad for the ODI series against Australia in December. “Harman is rested. Shefali in the last two or three one-day series, she’s not been part of the squad. Pratika [Rawal] in the last series has done really well in her absence, but definitely Shafali scored a lot of runs in domestic cricket, so she’s definitely in the scheme of things. I’m really happy that she went back and got those runs,” Mandhana said on the eve of the series opener at Rajkot yesterday. Also Read: "They couldn’t play, and that’s unfortunate": Sunil Joshi on the snub of these two Indian players during BGT Mandhana said the team is looking forward to doing well with resources at her disposal: “As a team, we do not have to think about what’s not there because we want to have a positive mindset, we have a really balanced squad. The girls who have come in are really good.” While India lost to Australia, they beat the West Indies in the last series and that’s a confidence-booster, said Mandhana. “We had a good series against West Indies... 2-1 in the T20I series, 3-0 in the ODIs. That has given us a lot of confidence, different batters at different times got runs, and our bowling attack was on point too. Hoping we keep the form going,” added Mandhana. India W v Ireland W ODI series scheduleThe three ODIs will be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on January 10, 12 and 15 This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 January,2025 07:32 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIIndia’s historic twin Test series victories in Australia were greatly influenced by their impressive bowling line-up. However, the gap between Jasprit Bumrah (32 wickets) and the other bowlers was clear in their recent 3-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series loss to Australia. The inexperience of pacers and over-reliance on Bumrah does raise questions on India’s fast-bowling stocks for the future. Sunil Joshi, ex-India spinner and chief selector during India’s 2-1 series victory in Australia in 2020-21, is optimistic about the fast-bowling prospects, but felt India missed having a left-arm pacer in their line-up. Also Read: "He’s got a little bit of a sore ankle": Bailey on Pat Cummins' feature in Champions Trophy 2025 “If a left-arm seamer would have been there, then there would have been a little bit of change in angles because most of the Australian, English or New Zealand batters, they are not very comfortable for the left-arm seamer because you’re taking the ball away with a different angle. “We just needed variety, but fortunately or unfortunately, both the bowlers Yash Dayal and Khaleel Ahmed were there, but they couldn’t play, and that’s unfortunate,” said Joshi. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 January,2025 07:27 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSAustralia’s chairman of selectors, George Bailey, has provided an update on the fitness of Pat Cummins, raising concerns over the Australian skipper’s availability for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. Also Read: Why Shreyas Iyer is a must-have for India’s 2025 Champions Trophy squad Cummins has not been included for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, as the fast bowler is on paternity leave. However, his fitness ahead of the Champions Trophy, set to begin on February 19, remains a pressing concern for the Australian camp. “He’s got a little bit of a sore ankle as well. In the next week or so, he’ll undergo scans, and we’ll have more information about where things stand,” Bailey told reporters. When questioned about Cummins’ chances of featuring in the Champions Trophy, Bailey adopted a cautious tone. “Not really sure yet. We’ll have to wait and see the results of his scan and how he progresses,” he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 January,2025 07:20 AM IST | Melbourne | IANSOpener Abhijeet Tomar struck a well-paced hundred as Rajasthan recorded their first ever win over Tamil Nadu in Vijay Hazare Trophy history to enter the quarterfinals on Thursday. At the Kotambi Stadium, Tomar (111 off 125) shared a 160-run stand with skipper Mahipal Lomror (60 off 49) for the second wicket to set the platform for Rajasthan's 267 all out in 47.3 overs. Tamil Nadu and India mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy outfoxed the opposition to take a five-wicket haul but it was not enough to get his team over the line. 💯 for Abhijeet Tomar 👏An excellent knock so far laced with 1⃣2⃣ fours and 4⃣ sixes 👌👌#VijayHazareTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBankScorecard ▶️ https://t.co/pSVoNE63b2 pic.twitter.com/29QbPnUg4z — BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 9, 2025 Chakravarthy (18 off 22) also chipped in the with the bat as wickets kept falling at the other end before being the last man to be dismissed, limiting Tamil Nadu to 248 all out in 47.1 overs. Rajasthan pacer Aman Singh Shekhawat (3/58) dropped one short and the ball got big on Chakaravarthy who was caught at long-on. Rajasthan will face Vidarbha in the quarterfinals scheduled on Sunday. The star for the winning team was undoubtedly Tomar who struggled a bit against the new ball before gaining in confidence to complete his fourth List A hundred. He played all around the ground and his innings included 12 fours and four sixes. Tomar brought up a memorable hundred with a single in the 30th over. In the other Preliminary quarterfinal staged at Motibaug Cricket Ground, Haryana bulldozed over Bengal by 72 runs following an all-rounder effort form Parth Vats (62 off 77) and Nishant Sandhu (64 off 67), who struck half-centuries before taking couple of wickets each. S P Kumar came up with a timely cameo down the order to push the score to 298 for nine in 50 overs. Mohammad Shami, playing his third game of the tournament, picked up three wickets but Bengal came a cropper in the run chase, folding up for 226 in 43.1 overs. Haryan take on Gujarat in a quarterfinal scheduled on Saturday. The other two quarterfinals will be played between Karnataka and Baroda, and, Maharashtra and Punjab. (With agency inputs)
09 January,2025 06:57 PM IST | Vadodara | mid-day online correspondentSouth Africa's sports minister has joined public calls for the Proteas to boycott the Champions Trophy game against Afghanistan next month and criticised the International Cricket Council (ICC) for not upholding its own rules. Gayton McKenzie said on Thursday he felt 'morally bound to support' a match boycott because the Taliban government has banned women's sport and disbanded the national women's cricket team. "It is not for me as the sports minister to make the final decision on whether South Africa should honour cricketing fixtures against Afghanistan. If it was my decision, then it certainly would not happen," McKenzie said in a statement. "As a man who comes from a race that was not allowed equal access to sporting opportunities during apartheid, it would be hypocritical and immoral to look the other way today when the same is being done towards women anywhere in the world." The Proteas are scheduled to play Afghanistan on Feb. 21 in a group match in Karachi, Pakistan. England was also urged to forfeit its match against Afghanistan on Feb. 26 by more than 160 U.K. politicians on Monday. McKenzie believed the ICC was also being hypocritical for not upholding its own mandates that member nations develop men's and women's cricket. McKenzie noted Sri Lanka Cricket was suspended by the ICC from November 2023 to January 2024 for government interference. "This does not happen in the case of Afghanistan, suggesting that political interference in the administration of sport is being tolerated there," McKenzie said. "Cricket South Africa, the federations of other countries and the ICC will have to think carefully about the message the sport of cricket wishes to send the world,and especially the women in sports. "I hope that the consciences of all those involved in cricket, including the supporters, players and administrators, will take a firm stand in solidarity with the women of Afghanistan." (With agency inputs)
09 January,2025 05:18 PM IST | Pretoria (South Africa) | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
