Proteas beat India in 2nd T20I

South Africa rode on some powerful batting by Heinrich Klaasen and Jean-Paul Duminy to defeat India by six wickets in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) at the SuperSport Park here on Wednesday.

Chasing a formidable target of 189 runs, the hosts romped home with eight balls to spare. The three-match series is now locked at 1-1.


Klaasen brought up his maiden T20I half-century, producing an awe inspiring show of power hitting to plunder 69 runs off just 30 balls.

Duminy remained unbeaten on 64 runs off 40 balls with four boundaries and three sixes.

The South African chase was off to a decent start before J. J. Smuts stepped out to pacer Jaydev Unadkat, only to be surprised by a slower delivery as Suresh Raina picked up an easy lofted catch at cover-point.

Reeza Hendricks handed pacer Shardul Thakur a wicket on his T20I debut when he went after a short piched delivery only to send his mistimed attempt into the hands of Hardik Pandya at deep mid-wicket.

With both opener back in the pavilion after five overs, the hosts seemed to be in deep trouble.

But Heinrich Klaasen and Jean-Paul Duminy brought the South African innings back on track with a 93-run partnership.

Klaasen brought up his half-century in style, hitting Hardik Pandya for a boundary to reach 51 in just 22 balls.

The right-hander went berserk in the next over, smashing Yuzvendra Chahal for two sixes and a boundary to send the home crowd into a frenzy.

Unadkat brought his superb innings to an end in the very next over as Klaasen edged a slow off-cutter to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps.

David Miller was removed by Pandya in the next over as the Indians looked to make a comeback.

However, Duminy led from the front to take the battle to the Indian bowlers and kept the asking rate within range.

Fittingly, it was the Proteas captain who hit the winning runs. He smashed Unadkat for two consecutive sixes to bring up the victory in some style.

Earlier, India rode on some power packed batting to post 188/4 in their 20 overs.

Manish Pandey was the highest scorer for India with an unbeaten 79 runs off just 48 balls.

His power-packed knock, which included six boundaries and three sixes, provided the late impetus to the Indian innings.

The veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave him excellent support from the other end, remaining unbeaten on 52 runs off a mere 28 balls, hitting four boundaries and three sixes along the way.

Coming together in the 11th over, the duo added 98 runs between them to carry the visitors to a formidable total.

Fast bowler Junior Dala bowled well on his T20I debut, notching up figures of 2/28.

Asked to bat first, the visitors suffered a scare off the very first ball when Shikhar Dhawan edged a Chris Morris delivery onto his pads.

The umpire had initially ruled the left-hander out but had to reverse his decision after television replays revealed a clear inside edge.

But the Indians' relief was only temporary as Dala struck the first blow for the hosts with a delivery that kept low and trapped and outfoxed Rohit Sharma plumb before the stumps.

However, the arrival of Suresh Raina saw the momentum shift to the Indians' favour as he and Dhawan started to play in an aggressive manner and dominated the South African pacers. The duo kept the Indians on track with a 43-run partnership.

That prompted South African captain Jean-Paul Duminy to come into the attack and the off-spinner had an immediate impact as Dhawan hit his second delivery into the hands of Farhaan Behardien at mid-on.

Dhawan was in good touch, scoring 24 runs off 14 balls with three boundaries and two sixes.

Dala removed Virat Kohli in the next over, outfoxing the Indian skipper with some extra bounce as overjoyed wicket-keeper Heinrich Klaasen latched onto to the outside edge.

The momentum however, stayed with the Indians as Raina and Manish Pandey added 45 runs between them off the next five overs.

Fast bowler Andile Phehlukwayo broke the crucial partnership when he trapped Raina leg before. Raina's 24-ball knock produced 30 runs which included five hits to the fence.

That was the last bit of celebration the hosts will eventually manage as Pandey and Dhoni virtually tore the Proteas' bowling apart.

Brief scores:

South Africa: 189/4 in overs (Heinrich Klaasen 69, Jean-Paul Duminy 64 not out; Jaydev Unadkat 2/42) vs India: 188/4 in 20 overs (Manish Pandey 79 not out, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 52 not out; Junior Dala 2/28).


source: news agency

Netherlands gearing up to shine on world stage

The Netherlands are all set to show the world that they are worth being the 13th side on the ODI League (which kicks-off in 2020) by shining on the big stage and qualifying for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales.

They qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier by winning the ICC World Cricket League Championship 2015-2017 and claiming the 13th position in the ODI League, which now guarantees the Dutch ODI status following the Zimbabwe event which will run from March 4 to 25.

They have been a frequent participant in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, having played 75 matches with 54 wins and 20 defeats from 1982 to 2014.

Captain Peter Borren, who led his team to victory in the ICC World Cricket League Championship, believes it is a positive time to be involved in associate cricket.

"Going to Zimbabwe is something to look forward to, there is obviously a lot of exciting cricket coming up, it is a good time to be involved with Dutch cricket and Associate cricket, there are opportunities and hopefully we can grab them," he said.

Borren, who has played 13 matches, scoring 389 runs in 11 innings with a high score of 65 not out in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, cannot wait to show world cricket what his team is made of.

"We are now the 13th-ranked ODI nation on the ODI League, earned through three years of hard work, and this will be our chance to show to the world that we want to be more than just the 13th team, what better stage for us to shine," he said.

The team will depart for Pretoria, South Africa next week for a set of warm-up fixtures against, Scotland, Hong Kong and Ireland between 16 and 23 February. Following that they will travel to Zimbabwe to face the Windies, Ireland, Papua New Guinea and the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 winners in Group A. 



source: news agency

Virat Kohli rues missed chances after Wanderers defeat

JOHANNESBURG: Indian captain Virat Kohli lamented two crucial errors which effectively cost his team a chance of wrapping up the series in the fourth one-day international against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium on Saturday.

"You have to take your chances in this game," said Kohli after David Miller escaped twice in one over at a time when India seemed to have taken control.

South Africa chased down a rain-reduced target of 202 in 28 overs with five wickets and 15 balls to spare to keep alive their hopes of sharing the six-match series after losing the first three games.

But the home team's chances looked slim when returning star AB de Villiers was fourth man out with 100 runs still needed and only 67 balls remaining.

In the next over David Miller, on six, was dropped by Shreyas Iyer at deep square leg off leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Back on strike in the same over he missed a sweep and was bowled -- only to be recalled when a replay showed Chahal had sent down a no-ball.

Miller went on to hit 39 and shared a quickfire stand of 72 with Heinrich Klaasen, whose 43 not out off 27 balls earned him the man of the match award.

Two weather interruptions played a key role. India were 200 for two, with Shikhar Dhawan on 107 not out when the threat of lightning caused a stoppage after 34.2 overs.

Dhawan added only two runs after the resumption and India lost five wickets for 89 runs to finish with a slightly disappointing 289 for seven.

South Africa were 43 for one after 7.2 overs when lightning, followed by rain, caused a lengthy delay. They came came back needing another 159 runs off 20.4 overs.

"It basically became a T20 game," said Kohli. "We did not grab our chances so we did not deserve to win."

Indian spinners Chahal and left-armer Kuldeep Yadav, who took 21 wickets between them in the first three matches, conceded a combined 119 runs off 11.3 overs on Saturday as they struggled to control a wet ball against aggressive batting.

"It was nice to put some pressure on the Indians. The message today was to put fear aside," said South African captain Aiden Markram.


Kohli, the star of a series in which India hold an unbeatable 3-0 lead, played another valuable innings, hitting 75 in a second-wicket stand of 178 with Dhawan. His 83-ball innings took Kohli to 393 runs for a series in which he has only been dismissed twice.

It was the third successive big partnership between Dhawan and Kohli. They put on an unbeaten 93 in chasing down a small target in the second match in Centurion and added 140 in setting up a win in the third match in Cape Town.


This time, though, it was the left-handed Dhawan who made the biggest contribution, hitting his 13th ODI century in his 100th match in the format. His 109 runs were scored off 105 balls, with ten fours and two sixes.


source: news agency

Sachin Tendulkar, his wife launch book on child health care

Mumbai: Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali Tendulkar launched a book on child health care titled 'Even When There Is A Doctor'.

The book was launched on February 8 in Mumbai.

Penned down by Dr Yashwant Amdekar along with Dr Rajesh Chokhani and Krishnan Sivaramakrishnan, the book describes the role of an individual or parents in improving their child's health.

Speaking at the event, Sachin said, "The book tells us how important first 1,000 days are in a child's life. I always followed my teacher's advice of 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away' until I met a doctor (referring to wife Anjali) and felt like going back to my teacher and telling her, 'An apple along with a doctor is a better option'."

He added that he was a naughty child, who was tough to manage.

"It's good to be naughty but respecting elders is equally important," the cricket icon said.

Meanwhile, Anjali emphasised on the message the book conveys saying, "The book is a manual we have all been looking for. Nowadays, parents are busy and their routines leave them with no time to devote to their kids".

She added that the book will help parents identify simple problems and rectify them. 


source: news agency

No evidence of Ashes match-fixing, says ICC

LONDON: The International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Thursday that it had found no evidence of match fixing in the third Ashes test between Australia and England last year.

An investigation was launched following allegations in The Sun newspaper that underground bookmakers from India had offered to sell undercover reporters information about spot-fixing ahead of the game in Perth.

Spot-fixing occurs when corrupt players agree to manipulate part of a match by, for example, bowling a wide on a particular delivery or ensuring a particular run rate.

“We have carried out an extensive global investigation with anti-corruption colleagues from Member countries based on the allegations in The Sun and the material they shared with us,” said Alex Marshall, general manager of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit in a statement on Thursday.

“I am satisfied that there is no evidence to suggest any match has been corrupted by the individuals in the investigation nor is there any indication that any international players, administrators or coaches have been in contact with the alleged fixers.”

source: news agency

Don't know what I would do on the field without intensity: Virat Kohli

CAPE TOWN: Intensity is the hallmark of his batting and India captain Virat Kohli says he has no idea what he would do if that was gone, the primary reason behind his obsessive focus of physical fitness.

The 29-year-old run-machine slammed his 34th one-day hundred in the third ODI against South Africa on Wednesday, once again playing a pivotal role in a massive India win.

"Look I am going to be 30 this year...I want to play this kind of cricket even when I am 34-35. That's why I train so much because I am a guy who likes to play with intensity. Once that is gone, I don't know what I am going to do on the field," Kohli said reflecting on his unbeaten knock of 160, which guided India to a 124-run triumph for an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.

"I try to protect that. I try to train as much as I can. Keep a check on my diet. Those things pay off on days like these. When the team needs it, and you stand up, and you are able to pull through. As an athlete you crave for days like these," he added.


Kohli said Wednesday's hundred was special in the sense that he had to continuously change his game through the innings. He said these were hard earned runs on a tough wicket against a good bowling attack.

"International runs are never easy. They are hard earned. Some might come on more batting-friendly pitches, but I think with their attack, and the pace and bounce they were getting initially, you had to adjust your game.

"Then the wicket got considerably slower after the 30th over, so you had to again adjust your game, and make sure, with wickets falling also, that you continued adjusting through the innings," Kohli said.

Kohli said thinking of the team's requirements helps him gloss over the physical strains of playing a marathon knock.

"I was pleased from that point of view that I was able to bat through because I was struggling with a bit of cramp around the 90s. Then wickets kept falling, I decided to hit out, because I thought I might not have enough energy left.

"Then amazing things can happen when you are thinking about the team all the time. You can push your body beyond limits that you might not push yourself otherwise. I experienced that today, and that was an amazing feeling," he added.

This was Kohli's second highest ODI score. He also became the first Indian batsman to score a hundred against South Africa at Newlands. Overall, he scored his 12th ODI hundred as Indian skipper, going past Sourav Ganguly's record of 11 centuries.

Kohli said that there is a marked difference in how he approaches scoring runs when batting first and when chasing.

"Today I wanted to accelerate at different times. When Shikhar Dhawan was batting, my job was to take singles...and keep rotating the strike, to be able to get the partnership going. When he got out I wanted to accelerate but we lost 2-3 wickets immediately.

"When batting first, you switch roles -- one guy is aggressor and you become the guy who is rotating strike. When he goes, you take that role up and another guy rotates strike. That is how it is usually done," he said.

While chasing, Kohli said, it is easier to compartmentalise since the target is already there to be chased.

"Batting second is very different in terms of knowing what you need to do, when to accelerate, when to keep those singles coming, etc. Batting first, you want to score as many as possible but sometimes the situation doesn't allow you to play in a certain way that you want to throughout the innings," he explained.

India have now won three matches in an ODI bilateral series in South Africa for the first time. So much so, they are now on the cusp of a series win should they win the fourth ODI in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Given the Proteas' problems against wrist spin though, there is a possibility of a 6-0 scoreline as well, even if Kohli didn't agree to it just yet.

"We have to make sure we're not letting our guard down because we worked really hard from that last Test to win four games in a row on a tough tour of South Africa. We are really proud of ourselves as a team. But I think the job is not even half done yet.

"It's quite a far-fetched thing and still three games to go in the series," he said about the possibility of a 6-0 whitewash.


Kohli promised to up the ante in the remaining three games.

"Biggest positive out of today, with 3-0 up, is that there is no way we can lose the series now. That is certainly something that lifts the team even more. As I said we would have more intensity and more passion when we step out for the fourth game," Kohli signed off.


source: news agency

Soccer, cricket and golf handicapped by UK climate change

OSLO: Golf, cricket and soccer are suffering from wetter weather linked to climate change in Britain, the nation which laid down the modern rules for the games, a study said on Wednesday.

More downpours meant pitches and fairways were more likely to be soggy or unplayable while sea level rise was also aggravating erosion of coastal golf courses in Scotland, such as Montrose which dates back to 1562, it said.

The Climate Coalition, of 130 non-governmental groups in Britain, said its report underscored that warming threatens sports beyond those dependent on snow and ice on display at this month’s Pyeongchang Olympics.

A main problem is that six of the seven wettest years on record in Britain have been since 2000, said Piers Forster, a professor of climate change at the University of Leeds who contributed to the study.

“Britain is particularly susceptible to storms coming in from the North Atlantic,” he told Reuters.

Rain, extreme weather and erosion meant “cancelled football matches, flooded cricket grounds and golf courses crumbling into the sea,” it said.

Steve Isaac, director of golf course management at the R&A, the governing body for golf outside the United States and Mexico, said in the report that he reckoned golf was “more impacted by climate change than any sport aside from skiing”.

Coastal golf courses were suffering from storm surges and a rise in sea levels, caused by a melt of ice from Greenland to the Himalayas.

Montrose, for instance, has moved tees and fairways inland because of erosion, said Chris Curnin, director at the Montrose Golf Links. Dredging and natural shifts in the North Sea explained some of the erosion, of 70 metres in places.

“Climate change and rising seas are accelerating the retreat,” he told Reuters. U.S. President Donald Trump, who doubts that greenhouse gas emissions are the prime driver of climate change, owns two courses in Scotland.

The England and Wales Cricket Board said it was suffering from less predictable weather. Twenty seven percent of England’s home One Day Internationals were played with reduced overs since 2000 due to rain disruptions, the study said.

And for soccer, extreme weather events caused the cancellation of 25 Football League fixtures during the 2015-16 season, the study said. It did not give comparisons to other years.

source: news agency

BCCI seeks suggestions on shifting headquarters to Bengaluru

New Delhi: BCCI acting president C. K.Khanna on Monday wrote to all the board members seeking their suggestions on shifting the national cricket board's headquarters from the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to Bengaluru once the National Cricket Academy (NCA) takes shape in the next couple of years.

The BCCI has now got its own land -- a huge 40 acre plot on the outskirts of the Garden City where a state of the art NCA will be built with five-star lodging facility.

Khanna, in his letter has sought suggestions from all the members so that it can be brought up at the governing body meeting.

"People are of strong view that present administrative premises of the Board do not have adequate and appropriate office infrastructure nor is there any further scope of expansion," Khanna wrote in his letter.

"I strongly suggest that since BCCI has acquired 40 acres of land at Bengaluru which is in the close vicinity of airport for its most ambitious project of NCA, this whole land can be used optimally along with NCA," he wrote.

The acting president wants all the meetings to be held at its upcoming new set-up, where the members can also put up, thereby cutting down on hotel costs. Also a part of the premises can be rented out for commercial activities.

"BCCI also uses a part of this land to build a new state of the art headquarter.

"This plot after earmarking major part of the land for NCA on the advice of experts, may also be used for BCCI's new office and residential accommodation, after assessing the need for various categories of guests that are likely to use the same such as our own Board officials, affiliated states officials, VIP guests, cricketers and others," the letter added.


source: news agency

Wicketkeeper De Kock adds to South Africa's injury woes

CAPE TOWN: South Africa’s worrisome injury-list has been lengthened after wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock was ruled out for up to four weeks with a wrist injury, officials said on Monday.

De Kock joins stalwarts Faf du Plessis, Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers on the sidelines, though the latter is expected to resume training in the next few days.

De Kock was injured during South Africa’s heavy nine-wicket loss to India in the second match of their six-game series in Pretoria on Sunday which the hosts lost to go down 2-0 ahead of the third fixture in Cape Town on Wednesday.

“Quinton suffered an extreme blow to the left wrist while batting in the second ODI on Sunday and felt severe pain and discomfort,” team manager Mohammed Moosajee said in a media release from Cricket South Africa.

”Further investigation revealed severe bony bruising to the area, with associated swelling around the tendon in the wrist.
“This type of injury will require between 2-4 weeks to heal, which subsequently rules him out of the remainder of the ODI and T20 series against India.”

South Africa already have uncapped wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen in their squad.

Du Plessis (finger), Steyn (heel) and De Kock will now face a race against time to be fit for the first of four home tests against Australia that start on Mar. 1.


source: news agency

Five Indians in ICC Under-19 World Cup team

DUBAI: The Indians expectedly dominated the Under-19 World Cup team announced by the ICC on Sunday, with five players from the triumphant side making it to the world eleven.

India on Saturday lifted a record fourth U-19 World Cup trophy after an eight-wicket rout of Australia in the final at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand, underlining their dominant run in the tournament.

The world team has the top three of the Indian batting line-up -- captain Prithvi Shaw (261 runs), player of the final Manjot Kalra (252 runs) and player of the tournament Shubman Gill (372 runs).

Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy (14 wickets) and fast bowler Kamlesh Nagarkoti (9 wickets) are the other Indians named in the world team.

The team of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup was picked by a five-person selection panel that comprised former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop, former India women's captain Anjum Chopra, former New Zealand captain Jeff Crowe, journalist Shashank Kishore and former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody.

South Africa captain Raynard van Tonder was named to lead the side which has representation from six countries. Van Tonder, who aggregated 348 runs in six matches including a highest score of 143 against Kenya, was selected to lead ahead of other captains for his better cricket acumen, the ICC said in a statement.

South Africa went out of reckoning for the title with a three-wicket loss to Pakistan in the quarter-finals but finished fifth beating Bangladesh by eight wickets in a play- off, which saw Tonder knocking an unbeaten 82.

Apart from van Tonder, the other South Africa players making the team are wicket-keeper Wandile Makwetu and fast bowler Gerald Coetzee. Makwetu had 11 victims during the tournament besides some useful runs while fast bowler Gerald Coetzee finished with eight wickets.

New Zealand batsman Finn Allen was rewarded for a consistent run which saw him get 338 runs while Pakistan's left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi (12 wickets) and Afghanistan leg-spinner Qais Ahmad (14 wickets) are the ones in the playing eleven.

West Indies batsman Alick Athanaze was named the 12th man after finishing as the highest run-getter in the tournament with 418 runs, which included centuries against Sri Lanka and Kenya.


The ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup Team (in batting order): Prithvi Shaw (India), Manjot Kalra (India), Shubman Gill (India), Finn Allen (New Zealand), Raynard van Tonder (South Africa, captain), Wandile Makwetu (wicket-keeper) (South Africa), Anukul Roy (India), Kamlesh Nagarkoti (India), Gerald Coetzee (South Africa), Qais Ahmad (Afghanistan), Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan).


12th man: Alick Athanaze (West Indies).



source: news agency

Injured Du Plessis ruled out of India series

CAPE TOWN : South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of the remainder of the one-day and Twenty20 series against India due to a fractured finger.

The injury could also sideline the 33-year-old from the first two tests against Australia next month.

It is another injury blow for the Proteas, who have already lost AB de Villiers due to a finger injury for the first three matches of the 50-over series against India.

Du Plessis fractured his right index finger in the six wicket loss to India in the opening ODI in Durban on Thursday, a match in which he scored a 120 runs to anchor the home innings.

He will be out of action for between three and six weeks, Cricket South Africa said in a statement on Friday, leaving him in a race against time to be fit for the first of four tests against Australia that start on March 1.

Farhaan Behardien has been called into the limited overs squad as a replacement, while the Proteas have also added uncapped Heinrich Klaasen as a reserve wicketkeeper-batsman.

There are five more ODIs in the series against India followed by three Twenty20 internationals.

source: news agency

India, Australia chase 4th ICC U-19 World Cup title

In a repeat of the 2012 edition, three-time champions India and Australia will aim to outplay each other when they face off in the final of the ICC Under-19 World Cup at the Bay Oval here on Saturday.


Fresh from a 203-run thrashing of Pakistan in the semi-final, India set their date with Australia, who had comfortably defeated Afghanistan by six wickets in the battle of the last four.

While both sides have been impressive throughout the tournament, India will believe they have edge, being the only unbeaten side in the competition.

Furthermore, Australia's only defeat -- by 100 runs -- came against India in their tournament opener.

The Group B fixture saw India's top-order batting fire excellently, with openers Prithvi Shaw (94) and Manjot Khalra (86) putting on an opening stand of 180.

India made an imposing 328/7 from their 50 overs before their bowlers dismissed the Australians for 228 to secure a 100-run win.

Since then, Australia have been ruthless, beating Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea, England and Afghanistan, with their bowling attack taking the full 10 wickets in each match.

Along with beating Australia in the first game, India have defeated Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Going into the final on Saturday, all eyes will be on India's stellar batting line-up led by the skipper Prithvi and the likes of Shubhman Gill, who has been the most consistent batsman in the tournament averaging 170.

Shubman blasted 102 from 94 balls to bat Pakistan out in the semi-final and add to his scores of 63, 90 not out and 86.

In the bowling department, fast bowlers Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Ishan Porel will have their work cut out against a strong Australian batting line-up.

Abhishek Sharma is another important player in the squad and he will, along with other spinners, look to aggravate Australian batsmen's weaknesses against spin.

Abhishek is also a hard-hitting lower middle order batsman, who can score some quick runs at the end of the innings.

On the other hand, Australia can boast of leg-spinner Lloyd Pope, who took 8/35 -- the best U19 World Cup figures of all time -- to hand the team a brilliant win over England en-route the semi-finals.

Australia's batting will revolve around the likes of skipper Jason Sangha, Jack Edwards and Nathan McSweeney. India previously won the Cup in 2000, 2008 (under Virat Kohli, now the captain of the senior team) and 2012.

Squads:

Australia: Jason Sangha (Captain), Will Sutherland, Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Jack Edwards, Zak Evans, Jarrod Freeman, Ryan Hadley, Baxter Holt, Nathan McSweeney, Jonathan Merlo, Lloyd Pope, Jason Ralston, Param Uppal, Austin Waugh.

India: Prithvi Shaw (Captain), Shubman Gill, Aryan Juyal, Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Harvik Desai, Manjot Kalra, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Pankaj Yadav, Riyan Parag, Ishan Porel, Himanshu Rana, Anukul Roy, Shivam Mavi, Shiva Singh.

source: news agency

Stokes named in England one-day squad

LONDON: England included all-rounder Ben Stokes in their squad for the five-match one-day international series against New Zealand starting later this month.

Stokes is due to appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on Feb. 13 to answer a charge of affray following an incident outside a nightclub in September.

England are scheduled to play New Zealand in a Twenty20 international in Wellington on the same day.

Stokes, who has not played for England since the incident in Bristol, was cleared for selection by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) last month.

Fast bowler Jake Ball has been dropped from the squad along with batsman Dawid Malan who was called in as cover for Stokes during last month’s 4-1 one-day series victory over Australia.

“Our ODI side has made excellent progress over the last three years and it’s encouraging to see with the 2019 World Cup on the horizon,” chairman of selectors James Whitaker said in an ECB statement.

The first match in the one-day series against New Zealand is in Hamilton on Feb. 25.

England squad - Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.


source: news agency

Captain Kohli leads India to opening win in Durban

DURBAN: Captain Virat Kohli struck a stylish century to lead India to a comfortable six-wicket victory over South Africa in the first one-day international on Thursday and end the hosts’ 17-match winning streak on home soil. 

India amassed 270-4 to reach their target with 27 balls to spare at Kingsmead after South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, who won the toss, scored 120 of his side’s 269-8. A record 189–run third-wicket partnership between Kohli, who made 112, and Ajinkya Rahane (79) set up India’s victory at the start of the six-match series.

Kohli reached his 33rd ODI ton off 105 balls while Rahane’s flamboyant knock came off 86 balls.

Their partnership was the highest for the third wicket in an ODI at the Durban venue, beating a two decade-old mark held by Pakistan, and ensured India eased to victory with wickets and overs to spare.

Du Plessis carried his side as his team mates were strangled by India’s wrist spinners, slumping to 134-5 with Kuldeep Yadav the pick of the bunch as he finished with figures of 3-34 in an economical 10-over spell.

Together with Chris Morris (37), Du Plessis piled on late runs to take South Africa to a better than expected total, and hand a sell-out crowd hope but still significantly short of a defendable target.

India have won eight of their previous nine ODIs chasing down a target and Kohli felt his side always in with a chance of doing so again.

“It was a special knock for me because the first game of a series is always important. When we restricted South Africa we knew we needed one partnership to effectively take us home,” Kohli said at the presentation ceremony.

The second game of the series is at Centurion in Pretoria on Sunday. South Africa top the International Cricket Council’s ODI team rankings with India second.

source: news agency

Pujara to play County cricket before England tour

London:India Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara will warm up for India's tour of England by playing county cricket for Yorkshire.

"It goes without saying that Cheteshwar is a highly-driven individual and very skilled batsman," Yorkshire's director of cricket Martyn Moxon was quoted as saying by espncricinfo website.

"We're delighted to have him on board.

The plan is for him to relieve some of the pressure on the top order that we struggled with at times in 2017. Just as he did in 2015, Pujara will relish the challenge of performing in English conditions."

Pujara previously had two spells at Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Pujara has amassed 816 runs in County cricket with three fifties and as many hundreds.

source: news agency

IPL auction: Stokes goes to Royals for Rs 12.5 cr, Ashwin to Kings XI

Bengaluru: England's Ben Stokes has once again made the headlines as he has been sold for a whopping Rs 12.5 crore to the Rajasthan Royals in the much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction for the 11th edition of the tournament here on Saturday.

Stokes, who was on the marquee list, had a base price of Rs 2 crore.

He played the last season with the Rising Pune Supergiant and has been the top-priced overseas player in the competition's history.

Meanwhile, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been sold to Kings XI Punjab for Rs 7.6 crore, departing ways with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

West Indies' Chris Gayle, who played last season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), has remained unsold.

Australia's Mitchell Starc has been sold to Kolkata Knight Rider (KKR) for Rs 9.4 crore.

Rajasthan Royal's used the Right To Match (RTM) to retain India's Ajinkya Rahane for Rs 4 crore.

Meanhwile, Shikhar Dhawan with a base price of Rs 2 crore has been sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 5.20 crore.

Sunrisers Hyderabad used the Right To Match (RTM) to retain Dhawan.

West Indies's Kieron Pollard with a base price of Rs 2 crore has been sold to Mumbai Indians for Rs 5.4 crore.

Up to 578 players, out of the 1,122 players, have been kept for the final two-day auction, which includes 244 capped players (62 from India), 332 uncapped players (34 from overseas), and two players from Associate countries.

source: News Agency

IPL auction 2018: Daredevils take Glenn Maxwell for Rs 9 crore, Root unsold

Bengaluru : In a bidding war for Australian superstar Glenn Maxwell, Delhi Daredevils snapped up the right-handed batsman for Rs 9 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction for the 11th edition of the tournament here on Saturday.

Daredevil also bought left-handed batsman Gautam Gambhir for Rs 2.8 crores.

Gambhir had earlier led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014 but the franchise did not retain the Indian this time.

Yuvraj Singh was welcomed by the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) as they bought him for Rs 2 crore, also his base price.

He played the last season with the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bought Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for Rs 2 crore, not a penny more than his base price, and retained West Indies' Dwayne Bravo for Rs 6.4 crores.

Harbhajan last played the league with the Mumbai Indians.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was sold for Rs 3 crore to the Sunrisers Hyderabad while England captain Joe Root, who was making an IPL auction debut, remained unsold.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was sold to the Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 2 crore.

Up to 578 players, out of the 1,122 players, have been kept for the final two-day auction, which includes 244 capped players (62 from India), 332 uncapped players (34 from overseas), and two players from Associate countries.

source: News Agency

IPL auction to begin today, 578 players to go under hammer

New Delhi : The much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for the 11th edition of the tournament will begin on Saturday.

Up to 578 players, out of the 1,122 players, have been kept for the final two-day auction, which includes 244 capped players (62 from India), 332 uncapped players (34 from overseas), and two players from Associate countries.

The players have been divided into different sets and the auction will kick start with the 'marquee' list, where 16 players, in two batches of eight each will go for the bid.

The marquee list includes Gautam Gambhir, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan and Harbhajan Singh from India while from overseas, players such as Ben Stokes, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Christopher Gayle, Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Shakib Hasan - each priced at Rs 2 crore - are on that list.

The auction pool will also include players from the Under-19 India team squad in the form of skipper Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Himanshu Rana, Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Arshdeep Singh and Harvik Desai.

The eight IPL franchise have been allowed to spend a maximum of Rs 80 crore on their squad salaries.

Players who have already been retained by the franchises are- MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja- by the Chennai Super Kings; Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah by the Mumbai Indians; Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Sarfaraz Khan by the Royal Challengers Bangalore; Sunil Narine, Andre Russell by the Kolkata Knight Riders; Rishabh Pant, Chris Morris, Shreyas Iyer by the Delhi Daredevils; Axar Patel by the Kings XI Punjab; David Warner, Bhuvneshwar Kumar by the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Steven Smith by the Rajasthan Royals. 



source: news agency

CoA chief Vinod Rai backs under-fire Kohli

KOLKATA: BCCI Committee of Administrators (CoA) chief Vinod Rai backed under-fire Virat Kohli, saying there is nothing wrong in giving the India skipper a free hand in selection matters.

Kohli was criticised for his bold selection decisions in the ongoing Test series against South Africa with former batsman Virender Sehwag saying there is no one in the dressing room to point out Kohli's mistakes.

However, Rai said there's nothing wrong in giving Kohli a "free hand".

"He has motivated the players. He's very aggressive and systematic on the field. He's doing an excellent job," Rai said.

"A captain should be given a free hand in the matter (of team selection). You can't have a captain being controlled from outside. I think he's given a total free hand and he's been able to mould an excellent team."

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is pushing for an Olympic return of the sport, probably with the T20 version, in the 2024 edition.

But the ICC's hopes hinge on India as without the BCCI approval, the cricket's international body can't dare to make the bid.

Rai said: "It's still under consideration. We will see. It depends a lot on the cricket loving population of the country. What's the kind of cricket they want. It will take place slowly."

Rai also urged former greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev to get into cricket administration.

"I think it's high time that cricketers come into administration too. The pain of playing was demonstrated this year and Sourav will agree," he said while speaking at a session on cricketers at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet.

"The Lodha Committee has done a very good thing. They have said that one of the members in the BCCI has to be an ex-cricketer. I've been feeling for a long time that people like Sourav, Sachin and Kapil whom I've personally requested come into cricket in a big way.

"They are the people who have come up the hard way. They learnt at every level what it means to be playing cricket. Cricket administration must at least some sprinkling of former cricketers in it to make the game much better in terms of quality."

On the upcoming IPL, he said they are trying their best to maintain the sanctity of the sport as there's an "emotional connect".


"The number of people who follow the sport passionately are Indians all over the place. We would very much like to ensure their interest and trust and the way forward for them is preserved for this country."

He said they would like to nurture the team in a way that they deliver the 2019 World Cup.

source: news agency

Ngidi named in ODI squad; Morkel, Morris return

Johannesburg: Young pace sensation Lungi Ngidi has been rewarded for his recent performances with a place in South Africa's squad for the six-match ODI series against India starting in Durban on February 1.

The 21-year-old had made his Test debut at Centurion and was named man-of-the-match for returning 7-for-90 as South Africa took the series 2-0.

Ngidi had previously missed out on ODI call-up because he was injured.

Pacer Morne Morkel and all-rounder Chris Morris have also been included in the 15-man squad. The duo returns after missing the ODI series against Bangladesh (in October 2017) owing to injuries.

More noticeably, South Africa have named two leg-spinners in the squad with orthodox Imran Tahir pairing up with chinaman Tabraiz Shamsi.

Middle-order batsman/wicket-keeper Khayelihle Zondo is another inclusion. He had previously toured India in 2015 but didn t feature in a single game as South African had won that five-match series 3-2.

Squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Lungisani Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Khayelihle Zondo.


Source: News Agency