Category: Cricket

Defeat against India in the 2011 World Cup semi-final was the biggest regret of my career, former Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul has admitted.

Pakistan have never defeated India in a World Cup match and had a chance to break their winless streak nine years ago in Mohali. However, the Shahid Afridi-led side failed to chase down a target of 261 and lost the match by 29 runs at the IS Bindra Stadium on March 30, 2011. The MS Dhoni-led side went on to be crowned champions as they defeat Sri Lanka in the summit clash in Mumbai.

“If we talk about my cricket career then the only and biggest regret is that we failed to win the semi-final of the 2011 World Cup in Mohali,” Gul told PakPassion.

“We had done so well in that tournament until that match but could not complete the job and that will remain as a huge regret. We had been performing really well as a team and even at an individual level, but we just could not translate that into a win at the semi-final stage,” he added.

The 36-year-old, who recently called time on his career after picking 427 international wickets, further said Pakistan could have gone to lift the trophy if they had not lost in the semi-finals against the arch-rivals.

“…I feel that had we not lost the semi-final, we were quite capable of going all the way to win the 2011 World Cup. Of course, one can say that this is all part of the game, but I will always regret the fact that we missed a golden opportunity to win another World Cup for Pakistan,” Gul said.

Also Read: ‘Indo Pak Cricket Unlikely In Near Future’

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has been overwhelmed with the response which the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is getting in terms of viewership and ratings.

The IPL 2020 edition was initially scheduled to be played in March but following the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus, it was postponed indefinitely.

Later after months of deliberation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India decided to stage the tournament in the United Arab Emirates from September 19 to November 10.

“Unbelievable and I am not surprised at all. When we were discussing with Star (official broadcasters of the Dream11 IPL 2020) and all the people concerned – if we have to do it this year and one-month prior to the tournament, we were contemplating, whether this can happen or not, what will be the ultimate result of the bio-bubble and will it be successful,” Ganguly said while speaking on Star Sports Cricket Live show.

“We decided to move ahead with our plan, because we wanted to bring normalcy in everyone’s lives and wanted to bring the game back. I am not surprised with the feedback. This is the best tournament in the world,” he added.

The opening week of the tournament was watched by 269 million viewers, 11 million more per match compared to the like period of last year’s edition. According to a BARC-Nielsen report titled ‘Television Viewership and Advertising Consumption of IPL-13 2020’, the opening week of the ongoing IPL edition saw a 15 per cent growth in viewing minutes as compared to 2019.

The IPL 13 has already witnessed many thrilling clashes with matches being decided in Super Overs.

“There have been so many Super Overs, we recently witnessed a double super over, we saw Shikhar Dhawan’s batting, we saw Rohit Sharma, we saw all the young players and we witnessed the comeback of KL Rahul’s KXIP from the bottom of the table,” said the BCCI President.

“You will get everything here! I can bet you that the IPL has been a smashing success this year, in terms of the ratings, the number of people who have watched the game,” he added.

The league stage of the tournament is scheduled to end this week while the playoffs will be played next week, with the final to be played in Dubai on November 10.

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Mumbai Indians (MI) on Wednesday took a two-point lead at the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) table with a five-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Jasprit Bumrah’s heroics with the ball restricted RCB to 164/6 wickets after which Suryakumar Yadav led his team to victory with an unbeaten 79 off 43 balls at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Suryakumar hit the winning runs with a four and took MI to victory with five balls to spare. He hit 10 fours and three sixes in his innings. He anchored the innings after walking into the middle in the sixth over, notably putting up a 51-run stand with Hardik Pandya for the fifth wicket that all but sealed the win for MI.

Kieron Pollard faced just one ball after Pandya’s dismissal, which he dispatched for four and thus left his team needing just three to win off the last over.

Earlier, RCB were off to a strong start with openers Devdutt Padikkal and Josh Philippe putting up a partnership of 71 runs in 47 balls. Padikkal then struck up useful partnerships with RCB captain Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers but the team went into a tailspin after the latter’s dismissal.

de Villiers looked like he was on his way to a big score before MI’s stand-in captain Kieron Pollard dismissed him in the 16th over. Bumrah was then brought back for the 17th and the over ended up being a double-wicket maiden as he got Shivam Dube and the big wicket of Padikkal in the over.

Boult then dismissed Chris Morris in the 18th over after which Gurkeerat Mann Singh and Washington Sundar took RCB beyond the 160-run mark.

Brief scores: RCB: 164/6 wkts in 20 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 74, Josh Philippe 33; Jasprit Bumrah 3/14) lost to MI 166/6 wkts in 19.1 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 79 not out, Ishan Kishan 25; Mohammed Siraj 2/28) by 5 wkts

The Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) has stated that it has been an “extremely disappointing result” as they have been snubbed from the international cricket season.

On Wednesday, Cricket Australia confirmed the dates for the upcoming Indian tour, which will comprise three ODIs, three T20Is and four Test matches.

The tour will commence with the three ODIs at the Sydney Cricket Ground (November 27, 29) and Manuka Oval, Canberra (December 2). That will be followed by the three-match T20I series at Manuka Oval, Canberra (December 4) and the SCG (December 6, 8). The four-Test Border Gavaskar series will begin with the pink-ball game at the Adelaide Oval from December 17, followed by Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26), the Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7) and the Gabba (January 15).

Perth, on the other hand, will host none of the matches.

“It is an extremely disappointing result for our members, fans and our cricket community that WA will miss out on hosting international cricket fixtures this summer,” WACA CEO Christina Matthews said in a statement.

She said WACA worked tirelessly with Cricket Australia and the Western Australia government to find a way to bring international cricket to Perth.

“Limitations with border restrictions, and complexities around scheduling as a result of COVID-19, led to the decision to play the three-match ODI series at the Sydney Cricket Ground (November 27 and 29) and Canberra’s Manuka Oval (December 2),” Matthews said.

“We are dealing with circumstances and obstacles beyond our control. We respect and understand that difficult decisions need to be made to ensure our country can secure as much international cricket as possible this summer,” she added.

The WACA maintains that it is fit to host BBL matches this summer but negotiations are ongoing, the WACA CEO said further.

Also Read: Boxing day test at MCG set to have crowd

Both Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will look to stamp their authority going into the playoffs when they square off in the 48th match of the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday.

Both sides have 14 points each but MI are top of the table due to their superior net run rate.

MI’s captain Rohit Sharma, who had missed the previous two games due to a hamstring injury, is unlikely to feature in the contest and once again Kieron Pollard will be leading the charge.

The MI top-order comprising Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Saurabh Tiwary are in great form. de Kock (374 runs from 11 games) had failed to click against Rajasthan Royals but the wicketkeeper has been excellent throughout the season.

Their middle-order features Hardik Pandya, Pollard and Krunal Pandya, all of whom have at some point taken the opposition bowlers to the cleaners in the death overs. It was Hardik who starred in their previous match against Rajasthan Royals, smashing an unbeaten 21-ball 60.

Their pacers – Jasprit Bumrah (17 wickets), Trent Boult (16 wickets) have been at their lethal best barring the last game when their side was handed a reality check by Ben Stokes and Sanju Samson.

Apart from them, either James Pattinson or Nathan Coulter-Nile could be their third pacer while the spin workload will be shared by Rahul Chahar and Krunal.

RCB too have an injury issue as their pacer Navdeep Saini suffered a split webbing and his participation remains doubtful.

RCB opener Aaron Finch (236 runs) is yet to have a big innings while young opener Devdutt Padikkal (343 runs) has been the find of the season for them. AB de Villiers (324 runs) and captain Virat Kohli (415 runs) have meanwhile provided the goods after the openers.

All-rounder Chris Morris and Gurkeerat Mann would be expected to chip in with some fireworks in the lower-middle order.

With Saini’s uncertainty, Mohammad Siraj, who was quite expensive against Chennai, will be looking to get back his rhythm as their opposition has some quality batters in their ranks. Isuru Udana and Morris would also need to deliver with the ball while the onus of the spin attack will be on Washington Sundar and experienced Yuzvendra Chahal.

Both the sides are coming after suffering defeats in their respective last games. The last time the two sides met earlier in the season, MI lost in the Super Over.

Also Read: IPL First: Kohli plays 200 games for a single team

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Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has called for transparency regarding Rohit Sharma’s fitness after the star opener, who has not been named in any of the three Indian squads for the Australia tour, was pictured training with his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians.

On Monday evening, BCCI named the Indian squads for three T20Is, three ODIs and four Tests against Australia in which it left out Rohit who has missed the last two IPL matches due to a hamstring injury.

“The BCCI medical team will continue to monitor the progress of Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma,” a media release from BCCI quoted Secretary Jay Shah as saying.

However, soon after the announcement, Mumbai Indians tweeted pictures and a video showing the 32-year-old taking part in net session.

“I didn’t see what was shown something about him practising in the nets for Mumbai Indians. So I don’t know what his injury is. If his injury was serious, he won’t even be padded up. So we’re talking about a tour which is starting in December, the Test matches start around December 17 which is a month and a half away,” Gavaskar told Star Sports after the conclusion of Kings XI Punjab-Kolkata Knight Riders match.

“If he is practising in the nets for Mumbai Indians, honestly I don’t know what kind of injury it is. I think a little bit of transparency and a little bit of openness about what actually is the problem with him will help everybody. The Indian cricket fan deserves to know more than anything else,” he added.

The former Indian captain also referred to another opener Mayank Agarwal, who has not played for Kings XI in the last two matches but has been named in all the three squads for the Australia tour.

“”I understand the franchises don’t want to give the hand away, they are here to win the game. They don’t want to give oppositions any psychological advantage,” said the 71-year-old.

“But we are talking about the Indian team. Even Mayank Agarwal has not played. Indian cricket fans, they ought to know, what is happening with two of their key players,” he added.

The squad for the Australia tour will depart from the UAE immediately after the IPL which is slated to end on November 10.

The Australia tour will comprise three T20Is, three ODIs and four Test matches, expected to be played between November 27 and January 19. The official itinerary is, however, yet to be announced.

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Cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar feels KL Rahul is “very lucky” to be recalled to the Indian Test side on the basis of his performance in white-ball cricket and Indian Premier League (IPL).

Rahul, who has been in scintillating form in the ongoing IPL as he has scored 595 runs in 12 matches so far for Kings XI Punjab and holds the Orange Cap, has been named in the Test squad for the upcoming four-match Border-Gavaskar series against Australia to be played in December-January.

According a Manjrekar, a bad precedent is set when a played is recalled for Test on the basis of his IPL performance and it “massively demotivates” players playing the Ranji Trophy.

“You set a bad precedent when you recall a player for Tests on IPL performance. Especially if the player has been an abject failure in his last few Tests. Whether that player succeeds or fails is irrelevant, such selections massively demotivate Ranji players. #INDvsAUS (sic),” Manjrekar, a veteran of 37 Tests and 74 ODIs, said in a tweet.

Incidentally, Rahul was dropped from India’s Test squad after a forgettable series in West Indies last year, where he aggregated 101 runs from four innings. He was not even included even in the A side for the tour of New Zealand earlier this year.

“KL Rahul in his last 5 Test series – v SA – Avg 7.1, – v Eng – Avg 29, – v WI at home – Avg 18, – v Aus – Avg 10.7, – v WI – Avg 25.4, I say very lucky to get a recall based on IPL and white ball performance. But now let’s just hope he makes the most of this chance. Good luck to him! (sic)” Manjrekar said in other tweet while putting out Rahul’s performance in last five Test series.

Rahul has so far played 36 Tests for India in which he has scored 2006 runs, including five hundreds and 11 half-centuries. He has also played 32 ODIs and 41 T20Is in which he has scored 1239 and 1461 runs respectively.

The Australia tour will comprise three T20Is, three ODIs and four Test matches, expected to be played between November 27 and January 19. The official itinerary is, however, yet to be announced.

Also Read: Gavaskar lauds KL Rahul’s captaincy

The upcoming Boxing Day Test between Australia and India during the Border-Gavaskar Series is all set to have crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

This comes following the announcement from the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria Daniel Andrews in which he eased Covid-19 restrictions following a sharp decline in the number of infections.

“The Boxing Day Test of course is very different because that is some way off,” Premier Andrews told reporters as per a report in cricket.com.au.

“I am very confident that we will get a crowd at the MCG for the Boxing Day Test. I don’t know how big it will be but there will be a crowd, that’s the advice that I have, that’s what we’re working towards,” he added.

During their last tour to Australia in 2018-19, the Virat Kohli-led side had won the third Test at MCG by an innings to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The upcoming Australia tour of the Indian team will comprise three T20Is, three ODIs and four Test matches, expected to be played between November 27 and January 19. The official itinerary is, however, yet to be announced.

It is believed that the limited-overs leg of the tour will be played in Sydney and Canberra next month.

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, Cricket Australia and the New South Wales state government reached an agreement last week for the Indian team and Australian players returning from the ongoing IPL edition being held in the UAE to quarantine in Sydney while also being granted access to nearby training facilities.

As per the tentative schedule, the first two ODIs are set to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on November 27 and 29 while the third ODI on December 1 and the first T20I on December 4 will take place at Canberra’s Manuka Oval. The teams will then return to Sydney for the final two T20Is at the SCG on December 6 and 8.

Also Read: Aussie Health Minister calls for easing Covid curbs

KL Rahul has led Kings XI Punjab brilliantly in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), feels former India captain Sunil Gavaskar.

Apart from leading the team from the front, Rahul has been in great form with the bat as well as he has scored 567 runs in 11 matches and is holding the Orange Cap.

“They (Kings XI Punjab) have been brilliantly led by KL Rahul. KL Rahul has grown into the captaincy role, and though he didn’t score as many as he normally does, he made sure, with his field placing, with his bowling changes, even giving Chris Jordan that 19th over and then trusting Arshdeep to defend 14 in the final over is fantastic,” Gavaskar said while speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Live.

Kings XI, after losing five matches in a row, were at the brink of losing a spot in the playoffs. However, they have registered four consecutive wins in the last four matches and have kept their chances alive of ending in top four at the end of the league stage. In their last game against SunRisers Hyderabad, Kings XI defended a paltry score of 126 in Dubai to register their fifth win of the tournament.

“You know, they have just found the winning way! They seem to have lost that at the start of the tournament. Remember, every time they were close to winning and they went into the Super Over in their first-ever game and then again, after that they were losing in the final overs,” said Gavaskar while praising Kings XI for their tremendous comeback.

“Then, somewhere down the line, they found that key that takes them to a win and the last few games, they have played exceptional cricket. Last match, to defend a 126 takes a lot of doing, takes a lot of self-belief and that’s what they showed,” he added.

The 71-year-old also highlighted the fighting spirit of head coach Anil Kumble and how it has been transferred to the entire squad.

“Do not forget the role of Anil Kumble. Anil Kumble has been a fighter all his cricketing career, you could see when he went out with a broken jaw and bowled, and that sprit is seen in the KXIP,” said Gavaskar.

“That is the reason why they have comeback from impossible situations and are now in the hunt for the place in the playoffs,” he added.

Also Read: Kings XI Punjab back in race after hiccups