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Bumrah Breakthrough

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.

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Rohit Captains ICC ODI Dream Team

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.

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Sue Redfern Breaks Barriers

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.

ALSO READ: Deepti Sharma, Pat Cummins Win ICC Player of the Month

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ICC ODI Race: India’s Best in the Mix

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.

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Shami Tops ICC Player of the Month Nominations

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)

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ICC Bars Trans Players from Women’s Cricket

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.

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Shami’s Seven Sensation

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.

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Rohit, Siraj, Jadeja better ICC Men’s Test Rankings

Rohit has risen up to ninth place in the batters’ rankings after scores of 80 and 57…reports Asian Lite News

India captain Rohit Sharma, fast-bowler Mohammed Siraj and left-arm spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja have made gains in the latest ICC Men’s Test Rankings, released on Wednesday.

Following India’s draw in the second Test against the West Indies in Trinidad which propelled them to 1-0 series triumph, Rohit has risen up to ninth place in the batters’ rankings after scores of 80 and 57.

On the other hand, Siraj, who picked five wickets in the first innings at Trinidad, has jumped six places to a career-best 33rd place overall on the list for bowlers, while Jadeja has moved to sixth place in the rankings. 

Meanwhile, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has claimed a new career-high of 63 on the list for batters after he shot up 10 places courtesy of making 57 and 38 in just his second Test appearance in Trinidad.

For Pakistan, left-handed batter Saud Shakeel’s heroics with the bat, including a brilliant double hundred which fetched him the Player of the Match award, has now propelled him to rise 12 spots to 15th place, in what is also a new career-best rating for him.

His team-mates, all-rounder Agha Salman shot up 17 places to 58th overall for batters, while seamer Naseem Shah (up one place to 44th) and spinner Abrar Ahmed (up 12 spots to equal 45th) found new highs on the list for bowlers after excellent performances with the ball against Sri Lanka.

For Sri Lanka, who ended up on the losing side at Galle, Dhananjaya de Silva progressed 11 spots to reach 24th position with scores of 122 and 82.

Spinner Prabath Jayasuriya’s seven-wicket haul has lifted him seven places to a career-best seventh position, while his spin partner Ramesh Mendis is up one place to 21st after finishing with six wickets in the match.

In the Ashes, Australia’s top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne’s scores of 51 and 111 in the drawn fourth Test in Manchester have lifted him to 869 rating points and be at second place while Joe Root’s knock of 84 takes him to 852 points, taking him to third place. New Zealand batter Kane Williamson remains at the top of the list with 883 rating points.

Player of the Match Zak Crawley is up 13 places to 35th after smashing a magnificent 189, while Harry Brook has risen to 11th position and Jonny Bairstow has advanced three places to joint-19th after his unbeaten 99. In bowling, Mark Wood (up three places to 23rd) and Chris Woakes (up five places to 31st) are the main gainers for England.

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ICC issues arrest warrant against Putin over war crime allegations

ICC accused the Russian president of responsibility for war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine…reports Asian Lite News

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian official Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova for the alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia, reported CNN.

The Hague-based ICC accused the Russian president of responsibility for war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine during the war that has been ongoing for over a year.

The Hague-based court said in a statement on Friday Putin “is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of the population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”

It also issued a warrant for the arrest of Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the commissioner for children’s rights in the office of the president of the Russian Federation on similar allegations, reported Al Jazeera.

Russia did not immediately comment following the ICC’s move on Friday. Russia denies committing atrocities since it invaded Ukraine in February last year.

The warrants came a day after a United Nations-backed inquiry accused Russia of committing wide-ranging war crimes in Ukraine, including the forced deportations of children in areas it controls, reported Al Jazeera.

The UN genocide convention defines “forcibly transferring children of the group to another group” as one of five acts that can be prosecuted as genocide.

However, the successful extradition of President Putin could prove a far greater challenge as Russia does not recognise the jurisdiction of the international criminal court in The Hague, reported DW News.

Russia denies deliberately harming civilians but its defence ministry has claimed to have targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Russia signed the Rome statute, which governs the ICC, in 2000 but never ratified the agreement to become a member. It formally withheld its signature from the founding statute of the ICC in 2016, a day after the court published a report classifying the Russian annexation of Crimea as an occupation.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin has severed ties with several prominent international organisations, deepening the country’s isolation from the west.

In March last year, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights watchdog, over its attack on Ukraine.

Moscow is also pulling out of the International Space Station after 2024 and has threatened to withdraw from the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization. (ANI)

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ICC to ensure safer digital space for women

The pledge comes on the back of recent episodes of gender-based digital abuse during the ICC U19 and senior Women’s T20 World Cups…reports Asian Lite News

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced that it will launch a dedicated in-tournament social media monitoring initiative to ensure the digital sport’s channels are a safer space for women to enjoy free from sexism, misogyny or threats of gender-based violence.

The pledge comes on the back of recent episodes of gender-based digital abuse during the ICC U19 and senior Women’s T20 World Cups.

The ICC will work with their Members to deliver a plan that will help protect female players and officials from abuse on social media during its global events and will look to implement the program with an in-tournament service that will tackle the problem – combined with an education programme at U19 events.

“As part of the commitment to reducing gender-based digital abuse, the ICC will launch a dedicated in-tournament monitoring service to tackle the problem combined with an education programme at U19 events. It will also work with Members to develop a common policy to minimise the impact of online abusers,” the world cricket governing body said in a statement.

A host of international stars that featured at the recent ICC Women’s T20 World Cup spoke of the ongoing issues they faced online and welcomed the introduction of the program in the future.

“I’ve been subject to a lot of online bullying over the last three years. I’ve always thought that people should be allowed to have their own opinions but where does one draw the line? I think that ICC pledging to do something about this now is actually going to protect me and also the players around me,” South Africa wicket-keeper Sinalo Jafta said.

Pakistan’s Aliya Riaz added: “I welcome this step by the ICC to protect us from online abuse. Online abuse and trolling is amplifying day-by-day and there is an urgent need to deal with it.”

England bowler Kate Cross and rising Ireland all-rounder Orla Prendergast echoed the sentiments of their contemporaries.

“It’s really important that we do everything we can to take a stand against online trolls. It’s not a problem confined to women’s cricket, it’s a society-wide thing, but it can often make life online for a female athlete unpleasant and toxic,” Cross said.

ICC CEO Geoff Allardice called on the support of all who play, work in and support the game of cricket to do what they can to help protect cricketers and officials.

“Every year millions more fans are enjoying the women’s game but sadly that has also seen a significant increase in digital abuse towards female players, match officials and administrators,” Allardice said.

“Online toxicity or discrimination of any sort has no place in our sport and on International Women’s Day we want to play our role in embracing equity. We will do more to protect players in the digital space at ICC events, whilst working with our fans we can ensure cricket is a safe and vibrant environment for everyone,” he added.

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