The new UK government has overturned previous legal opposition to Khan’s move, which CAABU in a press release described as a “welcome first step.”..reports Asian Lite News
The overwhelming majority of people in Britain believe that the UK should arrest the subjects of arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court, a new poll has found.
Commissioned by the Council for Arab-British Understanding and Medical Aid for Palestinians, the survey follows a request by Karim Khan, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The poll, conducted on July 30-31, found that 84 percent of the UK public believe that Netanyahu and Gallant should be arrested if they enter British jurisdiction.
The new UK government has overturned previous legal opposition to Khan’s move, which CAABU in a press release described as a “welcome first step.”
The organization’s director, Chris Doyle, said: “At some point, perhaps within weeks or even days, the British government may have to enforce ICC arrest warrants relating to the atrocities over the last 10 months. This government has assured the electorate it will adhere to international law.
“This poll shows the electorate overwhelmingly wants to see that and that full accountability and justice matters to them, regardless of who is accused. The climate of impunity enjoyed by so many for so long must end.”
Fifty-eight percent of Britons support ending weapons sales to Israel, the poll found. Only 18 percent oppose the move.
Despite the previous British government’s unwillingness to support a ceasefire in Gaza, 74 percent of the public believe that the UK should back an end to the war, which has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians and injured 91,000.
Rohan Talbot, MAP’s director of advocacy and campaigns, said: “As Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment, including of homes, healthcare and so-called ‘safe zones,’ wages on, the British public has reaffirmed widespread support for action by the UK government to bring the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza to an end.
“This includes suspending arms sales to Israel which may be used in violations of international law. Ten months in, people in Gaza cannot wait any longer — the government must act now.”
India now join West Indies and England as two-time winners of the Men’s T20 World Cup, and give a winning farewell to head coach Rahul Dravid.
South Africa needed 30 runs off 30 balls to win the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup. But Hardik Pandya’s 3-20 and Jasprit Bumrah’s 2-18 helped an unbeaten India to come back and clinch their second title in the shortest format with a seven-run win at the Kensington Oval on Saturday.
Talismanic batter Virat Kohli stepped up to end his lean run with a 59-ball 76 to help India post a competitive 176/7, the highest total in a Men’s T20 World Cup final. His 72-run stand for the fourth wicket with Axar Patel, who made 47 off 31 balls, and a 57-run partnership with Shivam Dube, who hit a 16-ball 27, helped India go past 175-run mark, as they got 42 runs off the last three overs.
In reply, South Africa were very much in sight to chase down the total. But Hardik taking out Heinrich Klaasen propelled India to come back into the match and emerge victorious to end a long 11-year global trophy drought as they restricted South Africa to 169/8.
India now join West Indies and England as two-time winners of the Men’s T20 World Cup, and give a winning farewell to head coach Rahul Dravid. With the ultimate glory achieved, it made way for emotional scenes – hugs, handshakes and tears welling up in the Indian camp, with ‘chak de india’ and ‘lehra do’ blaring from the loudspeakers.
(Photo X@ICC)
It also meant Virat Kohli signed off from playing T20Is for India on a high with the World Cup trophy and the Player of the Match award in the final. When it mattered the most for India, Kohli stood up to be the hero of India’s innings with his crucial knock laced with six fours and two sixes.
Kohli got India going with three boundaries – drive through point, whip through square leg, and straight drive – on overpitched deliveries from Marco Jansen, as 15 runs came off the opening over. Rohit Sharma got going with a cut and reverse-sweep fetching him consecutive deliveries off Keshav Maharaj.
But Maharaj bounced back as he had Rohit sweeping aerially to square leg to fall for nine, followed by dismissing Rishabh Pant for a two-ball duck when the top-edge on his sweep off a full and wide ball ballooned off the toe-end to keeper Quinton de Kock.
Kagiso Rabada struck in the fifth over when Suryakumar Yadav moved across to whip a back-of-a-length ball, but fine leg advanced to his left and took a spectacular catch to fall for just three, as India were reduced to 34/3 in 4.3 overs.
With Kohli taking up the busy strike rotation role in rebuilding India’s innings, pinch-hitter Axar took up attacking mantle by clipping Rabada for four, clearing deep mid-wicket to get a six off Markram, slog-sweeping Maharaj for a maximum over the same region and hitting a flat six down on one knee to just clear long-on for a six off Tabraiz Shamsi.
Axar brought up India’s hundred in 13.1 overs by hammering Rabada for a six down the ground. But a ball and wide later, South Africa produced a moment of magic when Kohli missed a delivery and the ball went behind to de Kock, who ran-out Axar, who turned back and ran slowly, with a direct hit and send him back for 47.
(Photo X@ICC)
With Kohli still finding fielders and not getting timing to hit boundaries, Dube got in to loft Jansen for six and then slog-sweep Shamsi for four more. After Kohli got his first fifty of the tournament in 48 balls with a single off Nortje, Dube ended the 17th over with a slice past backward point for four.
Kohli got his first six of the competition by slogging Rabada over long-on for six and then pulled the pacer for four more, as 16 runs came off 18th over. Kohli clipped and slogged Jansen for four and six respectively, before the pacer dragged his length back and had the batter holing out to long-on.
Hardik Pandya came in and top-edged a pull off Jansen over keeper’s head for four, as 17 runs came off the 19th over. Dube struck Nortje down the ground past a diving mid-on for four, before the pacer bounced back by taking out him and Ravindra Jadeja on the last three balls of the innings to take India to a competitive total.
Player of the Tournament Bumrah gave India the perfect start to their defence of 177 by castling Reeza Hendricks with an outswinger in the second over. Arshdeep Singh struck in the next over as Aiden Markram chased a wide wobble-seam delivery and Pant dived to his right to complete the catch.
Quinton de Kock guided Bumrah in the gap between slip and short third man for four, before he and Tristan Stubbs took a boundary each off Axar Patel in the fifth over. De Kock ended the power-play with a four cut off Kuldeep Yadav as South Africa made 42/2 in the six-over phase.
Stubbs nailed his slog-sweep off Axar for four, before smashing an off-drive off Kuldeep for picking another boundary. De Kock brought up the half-century of his partnership with a booming slog-sweep off Kuldeep sailing over the solar-panelled stadium roof for six.
Stubbs stayed low to sweep a short ball from Axar for four, before moving across to sweep again off the spinner. But he missed the delivery and was bowled around his legs to be out for 31 as India broke the 58-run third-wicket stand in the ninth over.
Heinrich Klaasen began by slapping a short and wide ball from Hardik Pandya for six, before going on backfoot to club Ravindra Jadeja down the ground for another maximum. The shot of the innings came from Klaasen when he stood still and deep in the crease to loft Kuldeep over extra cover for six.
De Kock welcomed Arshdeep with a flicked four, but an attempt to pull resulted in the batter giving a catch to fine leg in the 13th over. Miller got into the act by cutting Kuldeep through four and rocking back at the crease to pull over mid-wicket for six.
Klaasen again stayed deep in the crease to whack Axar down the ground for four and followed it up with muscling consecutive leg-side sixes, before bringing out lofted drive over extra cover for another boundary as 24 runs came off the 15th over.
Klaasen got his fifty in 23 balls, but the turning point of the match came when he nicked behind to Pant while chasing a wide delivery from Pandya to fall for 52 off 27 deliveries. With pressure building in, Bumrah came to castle Jansen through the gate to end his day with 2-18.
After Arshdeep gave away four runs in the 19th over, the equation came down to 16 needed off the last over. Miller went for a loft off Hardik, but it came off the toe-end and Suryakumar, at long-off, ran to lob the ball in the air and came back on the field to take the catch and have him out for 17-ball 21. Hardik had Rabada holing out in the deep as India held their nerve to win the title and spark jubilant plus emotional scenes in Barbados and at home.
Brief Scores: India 176/7 (Virat Kohli 76, Axar Patel 47; Keshav Maharaj 2-23, Anrich Nortje 2-26) beat South Africa 169/8 (Heinrich Klaasen 52, Quinton de Kock 39; Hardik Pandya 3-20, Jasprit Bumrah 2-18) by seven runs
US president insists Israel and Hamas cannot be compared after ICC seeks warrants over alleged Israeli war crimes…reports Asian Lite News
President Joe Biden has defended Israel against war crimes charges in the world’s top courts.
Biden’s remarks came after Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes committed during the war in Gaza.
“Let me be clear, we reject the ICC’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders,” Biden said at a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the White House on Monday, the same day Khan announced he was applying for the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes.
“There is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas,” Biden added. Hours earlier, he had issued a strongly-worded statement saying that the ICC warrants were “outrageous”.
Israel is also facing a separate case on alleged genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which was brought by South Africa. Biden said that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza.
“Contrary to allegations against Israel made by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), what’s happening in Gaza is not genocide. We reject that,” Biden said in his speech.
In January, the ICJ ruled there was a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, ordering Israel to take a series of provisional measures, including preventing any genocidal acts from taking place.
While Biden’s defence of Israel was met with warm applause at the White House event, his election campaign has been marred by pro-Palestinian protests across the US, with some antiwar advocates labelling the president “Genocide Joe”.
The ICC prosecutor outlined specific charges against Netanyahu and Gallant, including “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” and “extermination”, although he said his full investigation was ongoing.
Khan also applied for arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders – Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri (also known as Deif) and Ismail Haniyeh – for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including extermination and murder, the taking of captives, torture, rape and other acts of sexual violence.
The charges were supported by evidence prepared by a panel of experts that included international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.
In a statement issued on the report prepared by the experts, Clooney wrote, “I do not accept that any conflict should be beyond the reach of the law, nor that any perpetrator should be above the law.”
“My colleagues and I look forward to make sure neither Khan, his associates nor their families will ever set foot again in the United States,” Republican Senator Tom Cotton wrote on X.
The ICC is the world’s first permanent international war crimes court and its 124 member states are obliged to immediately arrest the wanted person if they are on a member state’s territory.
The US is not a member of the ICC and its “biggest leverage” could be to pressure its allies – mostly European nations which are signatories to the ICC – to not act on the warrants, said Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro, reporting from Washington, DC.
Lawmakers seek sanctions to “punish” ICC
United States lawmakers are contemplating imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) if it issues an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
“In the absence of leadership from the White House, Congress is reviewing all options, including sanctions, to punish the ICC and ensure its leadership faces consequences if they proceed. If the ICC is allowed to threaten Israeli leaders, ours could be next,” the US House Speaker said in a statement on Monday (local time).
He further said “The ICC has no authority over Israel or the United States, and today’s baseless and illegitimate decision should face global condemnation.”
Republican lawmakers on Monday called for the United States to impose sanctions on the ICC.
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik told the New York Post that “The ICC is an illegitimate court that equivocates a peaceful nation protecting its right to exist with radical terror groups that commit genocide”. Stefanik met with Netanyahu on Monday morning as the warrants were announced.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a statement called the warrants “shameful and unserious.”
Earlier this month, Representative Texas introduced the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act to revoke visas for ICC officials who investigate or prosecute US officials or American allies.
Meanwhile, human rights attorney Amal Clooney is among the experts who advised the ICC prosecutor to seek the arrest warrants.
The wife of actor George Clooney in a statement said explained how she had found herself advising ICC chief prosecutor Khan.
“I served on this panel because I believe in the rule of law and the need to protect civilian lives. The law that protects civilians in war was developed more than 100 years ago and it applies in every country in the world regardless of the reasons for a conflict,” Clooney said in the statement shared on the shared on the Clooney Foundation for Justice website.
Bumrah is now only the fourth bowler from his country to attain number one position in Test bowlers’ rankings after spinners Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Bishan Singh Bedi…reports Asian Lite News
Fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has become the first India pacer to top the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings. In the latest update to the rankings on Wednesday, Bumrah was propelled to top of the Test bowlers’ ranking after an outstanding haul of nine wickets in the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, which India won by 10 runs.
Bumrah’s nine-wicket match haul, which included a brilliant 6/45 in the first innings at Visakhapatnam, has helped him leapfrog Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada and compatriot Ravichandran Ashwin. Bumrah is now only the fourth bowler from his country to attain number one position in Test bowlers’ rankings after spinners Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Bishan Singh Bedi.
Bumrah, who was named Player of the Match after helping India level the five-match series with a 106-run victory in Visakhapatnam, ended Ashwin’s 11-month long reign at the top. Bumrah now has a tally of 881 rating points with Ashwin (904) and Jadeja (899) the only India bowlers to have aggregated more rating points.
Ashwin, who is now at second place in the bowlers rankings after picking just three wickets at Visakhapatnam, and Jadeja, currently nursing a hamstring injury, also have the unique distinction of being jointly top-ranked, in March 2017. Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has moved up four places to 45th position after a strong return to the Test team in Visakhapatnam.
The batting rankings see left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal progress 37 places to 29th after completing a fine career-best 209 in the first innings, while right-handed batter Shubman Gill go up 14 places to a career-best 38th after notching 104 in the second innings.
For England, opener Zak Crawley is another player to gain after the Visakhapatnam Test, moving up eight places to a career-best 22nd position after scores of 76 and 73. Rookie leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed has moved up 14 places to 70th position.
Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, who became just the second England player with at least 50 runs and five wickets in each of his first two Tests, has advanced in both lists – up from 103rd to 95th in the batting rankings and from 63rd to 53rd in the bowling rankings.
Post the completion of the one-off Test between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in Colombo, left-arm spinner Prabhath Jayasuriya has moved up to three places to a career-best sixth position after his eight-wicket match haul helped the hosts’ win by 10 wickets.
Asitha Fernando (up seven places to 34th) and Vishwa Fernando (up nine places to 51st) are other Sri Lanka bowlers to move up while Angelo Mathews (up four places to 24th) has advanced in the batting rankings after top-scoring in the match with 141.
For Afghanistan, opener Ibrahim Zadran has moved up 17 places to 54th after a fighting 114 in the second innings while Rahmat Shah (up 16 places to 66th) and Noor Ali Zadran (entered the rankings in 92nd position) are some other notable movements.
In the Men’s ODI Rankings, Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa is up one place to third and fast bowler Sean Abbott’s six wickets in the three-match series against the West Indies this past week have lifted him 35 places to joint-33rd position. West Indies’ left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie has improved his ranking from 61st to 54th after finishing with four wickets in the series.
Rohit continued his remarkable record in ODI cricket with yet another sensational year in 2023 with the bat as he amassed a whopping 1255 runs at an average of 52….reports Asian Lite News
India skipper Rohit Sharma was named captain with five other Indians making the cut for ICC Men’s ODI team of the year released on Tuesday.
Joining Rohit in the ODI team of the year are Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Mohammad Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammad Shami, with Travis Head (Australia), Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand), Heinrich Klaasen (wk) (South Africa), Marco Jansen (South Africa), Adam Zampa (Australia) also making the cut.
Rohit continued his remarkable record in ODI cricket with yet another sensational year in 2023 with the bat as he amassed a whopping 1255 runs at an average of 52. He was at his brilliant best throughout much of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, with his magnificent knock of 131 against Afghanistan in Delhi a clear highlight.
Gill established himself as Rohit’s preferred partner at the top of batting order at the start of 2023 when he smashed a wonderful 208 from just 149 deliveries against New Zealand in Hyderabad.
It was one of five occasions that Gill managed to reach triple figures in 50-over in 2023 and no player finished with more runs (1584) than the star right-hander compiled during the calendar year.
Kohli compiled yet another consistent 12 months in 2023 and only teammate Shubman Gill bettered his total of 1377 runs during the calendar year.
Kohli reached three figures on six occasions in 2023, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most international centuries during India’s World Cup campaign on his way to winning the Player of the Tournament award at the showcase event.
The exciting right-armer, Siraj, collected a total of 44 wickets during 2023, with his most impressive performance coming in the final of the Asia Cup as he single-handedly destroyed Sri Lanka’s strong batting line-up.
He ripped through the Sri Lanka top-order on his way to career-best figures of 6/21 as India clinched the Asia Cup title in style, and entered their home World Cup campaign full of confidence.
No player in the world picked up more wickets than Kuldeep last year, with the in-form left-arm spinner finishing 2023 with an imposing total of 49 ODI scalps.
Kuldeep’s biggest haul came against arch-rival Pakistan during the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup as the spinner collected the excellent figures of 5/25 to help India on their path to the title
Ashwin, Jadeja in Test Team
Ace Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been named in the ICC Men’s Team of the Year led by Australia skipper Pat Cummins released on Tuesday.
Ashwin and Jadeja joined Usman Khawaja (Australia), Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Joe Root (England), Travis Head (Australia), Ravindra Jadeja (India), Alex Carey (wk) (Australia), Mitchell Starc (Australia), Stuart Broad (England) in the Test Team of the Year.
Ashwin was the leading wicket-taker for India in the Border-Gavaskar series, finishing with 25 wickets in four matches. In the very first Test, Ashwin bagged a five-for in the second innings to go with handy contributions with the bat in each innings.
His all-round showing fetched him the Player of the Series. Despite the stellar showing, Ashwin did not find a place in India’s XI for the WTC23 Final against the same opponent but made a mark on his comeback into the Test team with 12 wickets (5/60 and 7/71) in the first game against West Indies followed by fifty and three wickets in the next game.
On the other hand, Jadeja kicked off 2023 in spectacular fashion, delivering a standout performance against Australia in Nagpur with a five-wicket haul and a half-century. He followed up with an even more impressive showing in the next game, securing a 10-wicket match haul, including a seven-for in the second innings, instrumental in India retaining the trophy.
Continuing his fine form, he claimed five more wickets in the series and carried the momentum into the World Test Championship Final against Australia, where he contributed with four wickets and a valuable 48 with the bat, despite India ultimately facing defeat.
Jadeja began the new iteration of the World Test Championship in the same vein, scalping seven wickets and scoring a fifty against West Indies in the two-match series away from home.
The ICC-appointed female umpires will get match-day pay parity with their male counterparts on the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires and receive comparable perks…reports Asian Lite News
England’s Sue Redfern will become the first female neutral umpire appointed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to stand in a bilateral series after being named for the upcoming ICC Women’s Championship and T20I fixtures between Australia and South Africa.
Sue’s appointment follows the ICC’s decision to appoint one neutral umpire for all ICC Women’s Championship series as well as any T20I matches scheduled between two same opponents. The move will ensure some neutrality in running matches while also keeping in mind the long-term development of female umpires.
“It’s an honour to be named by the ICC as its first official female neutral umpire and I’m very excited about the upcoming series between Australia and South Africa. This is a defining moment for both women’s cricket and female cricket officials, who have worked hard and been given development opportunities in recent years.”
“I’ve seen the landscape evolve for female officials and how many are now being recognised and supported across many countries. I am sure this appointment can help build momentum and visibility to help further develop female officials across the world in the future. Personally, I would like to thank the ICC and the ECB for their support over the years and I look forward to more such appointments,” said Sue in the ICC statement.
Sue played in six Tests and 15 ODIs for England between 1995 and 1999, including four in the 1997 Women’s ODI World Cup in India. Post the end of her playing career, Sue has been on the ICC Development Panel of Umpires since 2016. She has officiated in two ICC Women’s ODI Cricket World Cups (2017 and 2022) and three ICC Women’s T20 World Cups (2018, 2022 and 2024).
The ICC said it will prioritise female officials for the neutral umpires’ role in ICC Women’s Championship series. The ICC-appointed female umpires will get match-day pay parity with their male counterparts on the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires and receive comparable perks.
The female neutral umpires will be selected on merit and more of them will find themselves in the ICC International Panel of Umpires in the coming years, as part of ICC’s strategic ambition to advance the involvement and visibility of women both on and off field within the game.
“This is a watershed moment for women’s cricket as we look to both implement a female match officials’ pathway programme and accelerate officiating opportunities for our very best performers.”
“Neutral appointments will give female umpires more exposure to different conditions and will support the learning and development of local female umpires who officiate alongside them.”
“Last year we had the first all-female match officials’ panel at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa and so it is important that we build on that momentum through a combination of development and high-quality opportunities,” said Wasim Khan, ICC’s General Manager of Cricket.
Meanwhile, In a ground-breaking decision in last November, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced equal pay for female match officials, signalling its commitment to gender equality in cricket.
The reforms include the equalisation of match-day pay for ICC umpires, regardless of whether they are officiating men’s or women’s cricket matches.
The initiative, which is set to be implemented in January 2024, marks a pivotal moment in cricket’s history, as it takes another stride towards equal opportunities in the sport.
The Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) also recommended including at least one neutral umpire in every series of the ICC Women’s Championship, in line with the long-standing practice in men’s international cricket.
“The changes to the gender eligibility regulations resulted from an extensive consultation process and are founded in science, aligning with the core principles developed during the review,” remarked ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice.
The ICC Board also approved new gender eligibility regulation for women’s cricket according to which male-to-female participants who have undergone male puberty will not be eligible to compete in the international women’s game, irrespective of any surgical or gender reassignment treatment they may have undertaken.
ICC will revisit these regulations within two years to align with the sport’s evolving landscape. At the domestic level, though, these regulations will remain under the jurisdiction of individual member boards.
Despite missing the first few games of the World Cup, Shami got into the playing eleven due to Hardik Pandya’s injury and finished the tournament as the highest wicket-taker…reports Asian Lite News
India’s trio of Talismanic batter Virat Kohli, senior fast-bowler Mohammed Shami and young batter Shubman Gill have been nominated for the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2023 award. New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell is the fourth and lone non-Indian nominee for the award.
Kohli built on his stunning international cricket comeback in 2022 with a spectacular 2023, where was adjudged Player of the Tournament in the Men’s ODI World Cup on home soil. He smashed at least a half-century in nine of his 11 innings at the World Cup, finishing with a mind-blowing 765 runs.
His 765 runs are the most ever scored by an individual batter at a men’s ODI World Cup, going past the previous record set by Sachin Tendulkar in 2003. Kohli finished the tournament with an average of 95.62 and a strike rate of 90.31, with three centuries including one in the semifinal against New Zealand at Mumbai, as India made a match-winning 397.
Kohli’s hundred against New Zealand in the semifinal was also his 50th ODI hundred, making him the leading century-hitter in the format’s history. While he ended the tournament with another half-century in the final, it didn’t lead India to a victory. He finished the year with 1377 runs at an average of 72.47, recording six centuries and eight half-centuries in 24 innings.
On the other hand, despite missing the first few games of the World Cup, Shami got into the playing eleven due to Hardik Pandya’s injury and finished the tournament as the highest wicket-taker with 24 scalps at a staggering average of 10.7.
Notably, Shami took three five-wicket hauls and a four-wicket haul in the seven matches he played in the tournament. The seamer also broke the record for India’s leading wicket-taker at Men’s ODI World Cups, taking his tally up to 55 wickets in just 18 games, with the notable performance being a record haul of 7/57 against New Zealand in the semifinal.
Gill, meanwhile, produced performances in ODIs that would make 2023 his coming-of-age year in international cricket. He made 1584 runs at an average of 63.36 in the format in 2023, making it the fifth-highest tally of runs by an Indian men’s batter in a year in ODIs, only surpassed by Sachin Tendulkar (1996, 1998), Rahul Dravid (1999) and Sourav Ganguly (1999).
With five hundreds and a strike-rate of over 100, Gill was a rock at the top of the order for India alongside skipper Rohit Sharma, and the duo put on several memorable opening stands in the year. He ended the Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 with 354 runs at an average of 44.25.
Unfortunately, the opener missed the first two matches due to dengue, but soon returned and hit his straps with a half-century against Bangladesh. He ended the tournament with four fifties, including an unbeaten 80, where he retired hurt midway with cramp and returned later in the final over. His notable performance though was a scintillating 208 off 149 balls against New Zealand in Hyderabad.
Mitchell was in top form in ODIs in 2023, finishing the year with a whopping 1204 runs, the third-most recorded in a calendar year in the format by a New Zealand player. He had a modest start to the year in the bilateral series in Pakistan and India, and the home series against Sri Lanka, but turned it around spectacularly with back-to-back hundreds in Pakistan in April.
Mitchell went on to hit another century in England but saved his best for the World Cup, where he became New Zealand’s middle-order lynchpin with Kane Williamson absent for a large part of the tournament.
Mitchell amassed 552 runs at the World Cup at an average of 69 and a strike rate of over 100. His smashing performance included two hundreds against hosts’ India in Dharamshala and Mumbai.
Shammi bagged 15 wickets at an average of 12.06 with an economy rate of 5.68. Overall, he finished as the leading wicket-taker of the 2023 Cricket World Cup, with 24 wickets to his name from merely seven innings…reports Asian Lite News
India pacer Mohammed Shami, who ended the recently concluded ICC World Cup as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, has been nominated for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month Award for November 2023 along with Australia’s batting sensation Travis Head and all-rounder Glenn Maxwell.
“Two ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 champions and an Indian fast-bowling veteran have made the shortlist for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month Award for November 2023,” the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement.
Shami continued his golden run in the World Cup into November. He bagged 15 wickets at an average of 12.06 with an economy rate of 5.68. Overall, he finished as the leading wicket-taker of the 2023 Cricket World Cup, with 24 wickets to his name from merely seven innings.
Among his highlight efforts this month was a stunning 5/18 against Sri Lanka at Wankhede. Already under pressure in a 358-run chase, Shami’s arrival at the end of the first Powerplay spelt the end for Sri Lanka. In his five overs, he batted through their middle and lower order.
A focused 2/18 aided in the demolishment of South Africa at Eden Gardens. The quick bowler, however, shone in the semi-final against New Zealand.
Australia’s batting sensation Head returned to the squad after a long injury layoff at the end of October with a spectacular century against New Zealand and continued his good vein of form throughout November.
In November, he scored 220 runs in five One-Day Internationals at a remarkable average of 44, including a half-century and a century. Notable were his efforts in the Cricket World Cup semi-final and final, where he was named Player of the Match and played a key role in Australia’s sixth title.
Meanwhile, Australia’s star all-rounder Maxwell gathered 204 runs at an average of 204 with a strike rate of 152.23 in his three ODI outings last month, along with two wickets. In two T20Is in the series against India, he amassed an impressive 116 runs at a stunning strike rate of 207.14.
A golfing mishap had led to Maxwell’s absence from Australia’s match against England at the Cricket World Cup at the beginning of the month, but the all-rounder returned in style against Afghanistan.
His double hundred was the first by an Australian in Men’s One-Day Internationals and the second-fastest ever. It was also the first time a chaser scored a double century. This was also the highest score from someone ranked sixth or lower.
He later appeared in the T20I series against India, and his century in the third T20I in Guwahati helped Australia win. His 104* came off just 48 balls, with eight fours and eight sixes. It aided in the pursuit of India’s 223. (ANI)
The regulations will be reviewed within two years…reports Asian Lite News
The International Cricket Council on Tuesday decided not to allow participation in international women’s cricket by transgender players and those who have undergone gender reassignment treatment from male to female.
The decision to not allow anyone who has attained any form of male puberty came into effect after the ICC Board approved the new gender eligibility regulations for the international game.
Decided after a 9-month consultation process with the sport’s stakeholders, the new policy is based on the following principles (in order of priority), protection of the integrity of the women’s game, safety, fairness and inclusion.
“This means any Male to Female participants who have been through any form of male puberty will not be eligible to participate in the international women’s game regardless of any surgery or gender reassignment treatment they may have undertaken,” the ICC said in a release on Tuesday.
The review, which was led by the ICC Medical Advisory Committee chaired by Dr Peter Harcourt, relates solely to gender eligibility for international women’s cricket, whilst gender eligibility at the domestic level is a matter for each individual Member Board, which may be impacted by local legislation.
The regulations will be reviewed within two years, the ICC release said on Tuesday.
ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “The changes to the gender eligibility regulations resulted from an extensive consultation process and are founded in science and aligned with the core principles developed during the review. Inclusivity is incredibly important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect the integrity of the international women’s game and the safety of players.”
Pay-parity for match officials
The Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) endorsed a plan to accelerate the development of female match officials which includes equalising match day pay for ICC umpires across men’s and women’s cricket and ensuring there is one neutral umpire in every ICC Women’s Championship series from January 2024.
Shami is now the highest wicket-taker in this World Cup with 23 wickets in six just matches, overtaking Adam Zampa of Australia at the top…reports Asian Lite News
While the world swears by variations in bowling to do the trick, India pacer Mohammed Shami still believes in pitching it up and getting wickets with the new ball as he came up with a brilliant 7-57 to help India beat New Zealand and storm into the final of the ICC men’s ODI World Cup on Wednesday.
On a Wankhede pitch that was slow, dry and conducive for batting despite providing seam and swing early and sharp turn later, Shami provided India early breakthrough by claiming both the openers.
Player of the Match Shami, who came into the playing XI after Hardik Pandya got injured in India’s fourth match against Bangladesh, then came back to break the 163-run partnership between Kane Williamson (69) and Daryl Mitchell (134) to claim two wickets in an over to help India fight back.
“I was waiting for my chances. I didn’t play a lot of white-ball cricket. My return started against New Zealand [in Dharamsala]. We talk a lot of variations, but I still believe in pitching it up and getting wickets with the new ball,” Shami said in the post-match press conference on Wednesday.
Shami is now the highest wicket-taker in this World Cup with 23 wickets in six just matches, overtaking Adam Zampa of Australia at the top.
Shami’s third five-wicket haul in this tournament helped India reach the World Cup final after failing to cross the semis hurdle in the 2015 and 2019 editions.
“It feels amazing [this kind of performance]. Last two World Cups, we lost [in the semifinals]. Who knows when or if we’ll get a chance, so we wanted to do everything for this, one chance we didn’t want to let go,” he added.
He said though the wicket was good for batting, it also helped the bowlers as the usual dew was not there.
“The wicket was very good, lots of runs were scored in the afternoon. There was some fear of dew, the grass had been shaved off from the wicket. If dew was there, it skids on and there’s a chance runs could’ve been made,” he added.
