Legislation has been tabled in Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, to introduce a two-rate personal income tax regime, in place of the current flat tax regime.

The Russian Government is reportedly considering the introduction of a number of new taxes, including a tax on hotel stays.

In a letter dated August 8, 2019, the Russian Federal Tax Service amended the rules for non-resident holding companies to be considered as the beneficial owner of Russia-sourced income.

To the team of Equitymaster , I became a member in January 2016 and am very impressed by your website and the ideals you stand for. Making profit or loss is a different issue altogether. Taking calculated risks and playing Russian Roulette are two differe..

With stock prices gyrating every day to coronavirus related developments, the weekend must come as a relief.

Here's a look at how deep the impact has been felt in the global financial markets:

1. Stock markets worldwide saw sharp losses on Thursday, with the benchmark indices on Wall Street and London saw their steepest daily falls since the Black Monday in 1987.
2. In the US, stocks witnessed a sharp sell-off on Thursday.
   • Thursday's dive follows the intense fall on Wall Street seen throughout the week. The S&P 500 triggered the first circuit breaker of the week on Monday after falling 7%. This fall came after the crash in crude oil prices.
   • The markets bounced back Tuesday, only to retreat on Wednesday after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus a pandemic.
   • At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished down around 2,350 points (down 10%). The S&P 500 plunged 9.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite Index tumbled 9.4%.
   • Stocks were deep in the red the entire session, which was paused for 15 minutes early in the day. Automatic suspension was triggered after the S&P 500's losses hit 7%.
   • On Thursday, equities erased their losses briefly after the US Federal Reserve announced measures to inject an additional US$ 1.5 trillion in cash into financial markets. The announcement, which came after European markets had closed, sent shares higher, but they dropped back by the end of the day.
3. Coming to the European markets now, the main UK index dropped more than 10% yesterday in its worst day crash since 1987. Losses on the UK's FTSE 100 wiped some 160.4 billion pounds in wealth from the market.
4. Frankfurt had its worst day since 1989, the year the Berlin Wall fell, while Paris suffered its biggest one-day loss on record.
5. However, European stock markets rallied this morning. The signs of a US stimulus package helped soothe fears about an economic shock. At the time of writing, European indices were trading mixed. Shares in London were up 4.1%, while the Paris CAC gained 3.5%. However, the Frankfurt DAX crashed 9.3%.
6. Stocks in Asia also saw consistent sharp falls throughout the week. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed 6.1% lower today.
7. Shanghai was down around 1% as the number of new cases in China shrunk and people slowly returned to work in the worst-hit areas.
8. In Asia, circuit breakers were also triggered in many exchanges including India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines this week.
9. Indian share markets saw their biggest ever single day fall this week. The indices today hit their lower circuit limits within 15 minutes of the opening session. This was seen the first time in 12 years that trading in Indian markets had to be halted. The carnage didn't continue, however, as Indian indices recovered after major free-fall as trading resumed after 45-minute halt.
   
   From there on, it was an upward rally as markets went on to witness buying interest and saw their biggest intraday recovery ever.
10. On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, the worst fall has been witnessed by European markets. Here's a view on how the world markets have performed since January 2020.

US Markets			European Markets			Asian Markets
The Dow	Nasdaq	S&P 500	London	Paris	Germany	Hang Seng	Nikkei 225	Shanghai	Sensex
-27%	-21%	-24%	-31%	-33%	-32%	-16%	-25%	-6%	-17%

This worldwide crash has put March 2020 into the history books. Now, how markets perform in the coming days will be something to watch out.



This article (Worst Week for Global Stock Markets: Coronavirus Impact in 10 Points) is authored by Equitymaster.

Equitymaster is a leading 'independent' equity research initiative focused on providing well-researched and unbiased opinions on stocks listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange.


Full Article

Coronavirus fears have spooked the investors worldwide with BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty falling over 25% this month, in line with many other global indices.

After sharp corrections in three trading sessions on March 9, March 12, and March 16 by 5.1%, 8.1% and 7.9% respectively, the Sensex crashed by an overall 22% this month.

Let's dive a bit deeper and look at how the impact has been on individual sectors...

1. While all sectoral indices are in a sea of red since the outbreak of coronavirus, here's a look at the worst hit sectors since coronavirus outbreak:

   Sector	Since 1 March (%)	Since 1 Jan (%)
   BSE Metal	-30%	-45%
   BSE Bankex	-31%	-37%
   BSE Oil & Gas	-24%	-36%
   BSE Auto	-24%	-36%
   BSE Finance	-30%	-36%
   BSE Realty	-31%	-36%
   BSE Capital Goods	-25%	-33%
   BSE Power	-22%	-32%
   BSE Basic Material	-26%	-32%
   BSE Consumer Discretionary	-24%	-28%
   BSE IT	-25%	-27%
   BSE FMCG	-18%	-22%
   BSE Consumer Durables	-24%	-20%
   BSE Healthcare	-15%	-15%
   BSE Telecom	-18%	-14%

   *Note that prices are as on 19 March 2020
2. As you can see in the table above, metal sector has been hit the worst on year-to-date (YTD) basis. Note that, the sector has been witnessing selling pressure since last two years. The coronavirus situation has only exacerbated the situation.
3. Another sector that is largely impacted is banking and NBFCs. After being the most preferred in the Indian equity indices for over half a decade, things have changed for stocks in the financial sector. In India it is a double blow for financial sector in the form of YES Bank fallout and prolonged slowdown which increased the chances of credit quality deterioration.
4. To put things into context, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were heavily positioned in the Indian financial space, and stocks in the sector witnessed maximum inflows during good times. Downward spiral for financial sector began since IL&FS crisis.
   
   Both, BSE Bankex and BSE Finance Index have plunged over 30% since the beginning of the month.
5. Shares of most hotel, leisure and airline firms have tumbled over 60% year-to-date, as the coronavirus outbreak across the world has forced people to cancel vacation plans. India also stand to lose foreign tourists due to the entry restrictions that have been put in place. And this has meant things getting worse for hotels and airlines sector.
6. Out of the 90 stocks listed on BSE from tourism, hospitality and film distribution segments, only 15 have given positive returns YTD.
7. Another sector that's facing the brunt is the automobile sector. Coronavirus couldn't have come at a worse time for India's auto sector that is battling a prolonged slump in demand. The virus outbreak has added to the pain, hitting production and lowering the demand even further as consumer spending is unusually low. Reportedly, the correction in the auto index is now close to what was seen during the 2008 global financial crisis. BSE Auto Index is down 36% on a YTD basis.
8. The fall in other indices like FMCG, consumer durables, capital goods and IT is relatively moderate as they do not have any direct impact of the pandemic. However, they too have been witnessing selling amid the sharp correction in Indian share markets.
9. Interestingly, Indian pharma has been doing much better than the overall index. Since the beginning of March 2020, the Sensex is down by 26% while the BSE Healthcare index is down only by 15% (till 19 March 2020).
   • One factor is the rupee weakness which has weakened well beyond the Rs 75/$ mark. A weak rupee helps exporters and pharma obviously benefits.
   • Another factor is the spread of the novel coronavirus has led global investors to rush for pharmaceutical stocks recently, on back of a rise in demand for generics and branded generics leading to shortages and over-pricing for drugs.
10. However, as the markets took a breather on Friday, the sectors that rallied the most were BSE FMCG, BSE IT and BSE Oil & Gas indices, gaining over 8% each.

What do you think will be the long-term impact for these sectors? Well, you can let us know by dropping your views in the comments section below.

While most sectors have been falling, our co-head of research, Tanushree Banerjee believes in long term, Indian auto ancillaries, textiles, chemical companies, Pharma R&D contract manufacturers, will all be the major beneficiaries of what she calls the Rebirth of India megatrend.

Also, in times like these, our special report, How to Trade the Coronavirus Crash, will help you get a grip on the current market situation...and figure out ways to profit from it.

This is the most comprehensive report on how to trade the coronavirus, both from a short-term and long-term perspective. I strongly recommend you read it now. Claim your FREE copy here...

Happy Investing!

With the ongoing panic in the global as well as Indian stock markets, there is no end to foreign investors dumping Indian shares.

This wasn't the case a while back. Foreign institutional investor (FII) were making a beeline for Indian equities few months back.

How has this trend been so far this year? What has changed in recent weeks and months? And what's behind the heavy movement of foreign funds in India?

Let us look at some key points to answer these questions...

1. September 2019: FII Money Returns to India Again

   If we track the trend of FII flows in financial year 2019-20, after the Union Budget in July 2019, foreign investors began selling. They pulled out a ton of money from Indian equities.

   Why? Well, they were disappointed with the budget as it did not address the key concerns the economy was facing.

   However, the month of September was a different ballgame altogether as foreign money once again made its way into Indian equities. Not surprisingly it was also the month in which the Government made amends for its failed budget.

   This is evident in the chart below:

   September 2019: Foreign Money Returns to India Again

2. 3rd Quarter 2019-20: FIIs Keep Pouring Money in Indian Equities

   There were two reasons behind the above FII rush to Indian equities:

   1. Clarification by the FM that the tax on the super-rich was not applicable on foreign investors
   2. Cut in corporate tax rates, among other efforts, that had the potential to make Indian manufacturing globally competitive

   Both the above points strengthened the case for investing in Indian for FIIs.

   And they kept on pouring money in the following months.

   Here's how much money came by FIIs to Indian stock markets in the third quarter of FY20:

   Month	Net Investment (Rs, m)
   Oct-19	85,956
   Nov-19	129,249
   Dec-19	6,941
   Total	222,146

   Data Source: Equitymaster

3. 2019: Best FII Flows in Six Years

   Overall, in calendar year 2019, FIIs pumped in a net of more than Rs 1,000 bn (billion) in Indian stocks. This made it their best such infusion in six years. The previous high was Rs 1,130 bn in 2013.

4. 2020: The Downtrend Starts

   The buying trend, however, didn't last long. FIIs rushed out of India amid concerns of slowing economic growth and high stock valuations.

   In the month of January, they pulled out Rs 126.8 bn from Indian stock markets.

5. Feb-Mar 2020: Coronavirus Triggers FII Sell off

   The selling intensified further in February and March 2020. The major trigger was the coronavirus led panic sell-off across global financial markets.

   In February and March, Nifty and Sensex corrected sharply. It was not just Indian share markets but even global indices like the Dow Jones, NASDAQ, FTSE, DAX, CAC and the Nikkei that witnessed the brunt.

   In the Indian context, the stock market correction was exacerbated by the weak foreign investor sentiments. The real surprise was not the FII selling. It was the ferocity and the intensity of the selling in such a short span of time.

   From February 14th, the FIIs have been sellers on all days except one.

6. March FII Outflows to date to Surpass the 2008 Crisis Level

   So far in March, FIIs have sold a net of Rs 478.9 bn of Indian shares.

   And this makes the outflows of the month set to surpass the 2008 crisis level.

   While India is still better placed relative to other emerging market peers, the wipe-out has been massive.

What Should Market Participants Do?

There is no denying that FIIs play an important role in the Indian stock markets.

Strong FII participation is good from the domestic investors' point of view in the sense that it leads to enhanced liquidity and greater depth in the market.

However, in the event of FIIs pulling out on a larger scale and a free fall in the markets, the correction in valuations of fundamentally solid companies would be just temporary. It may in fact offer some lucrative value buying opportunities.

How do you zero in on these opportunities?

Our special report, How to Trade the Coronavirus Crash, has the answer. Just claim your FREE copy here...

South African swashbuckler AB de Villiers says he doesn't want to create any "false hopes" of a much-awaited comeback at the T20 World Cup this year, which, he feels, could be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak of COVID-19 has forced the cancellation or postponement of many events but the T20 World Cup remains on schedule in Australia later this year for now. "I can't see six months into the future. If the tournament is postponed to next year a whole lot of things will change. At the moment I feel available, but at the same time I don't know how my body will see it and if I will be healthy at that time," De Villiers told Afrikaans-language Sunday newspaper 'Rapport'.

"...I might get to a point where I have to tell 'Bouch' (coach Mark Boucher) I was interested, I would like to play a role but I'm not going to be able to play myself. I'm afraid of such a commitment and creating false hope," he added. De Villiers said he does not feel entitled to walk into the South African team as has been alleged in the past. "If I am 100 per cent as good as I want to be, then I will be available. But if I am not I won't open myself up to that because I am not the type of person who does things at 80 per cent. Then I have to do trials and show 'Bouchie' I'm still good enough. "They should choose me because I'm really better than the guy next to me. I've never been the type of person who felt I should get just what I wanted."

The T20 World Cup in Australia in October and November could be a perfect stage for de Villiers coming back but he was mindful of avoiding a repeat of the debacle that unfolded during last year's 50-over World Cup in England after reports emerged that he casually expressed offer to come back and was rejected. "I am uncertain about giving a definite answer because I have been very hurt and burned in the past. Then people will again think I have turned my back on our country. I can't just walk into the team. "...I have to work for my place and deserve it. It was very hurtful for me last year when people thought I assumed there was a place for me. I feel available and I will give it a go with everything I have, but I don't want special treatment."

If de Villiers can make a comeback, the credit would go to South Africa coach Mark Boucher, who convinced him to rethink his retirement decision, taken in 2018. "I could write a book on 'Bouchie's impact just on my life, never mind cricket. I rediscovered that when I played under him at the Spartans (in the Mzansi Super League) in December. He was born to be an instructor. When he talks there's respect." "'Bouch' asked me why don't I give it another go," de Villiers said. "I've always said to him, 'I've never not wanted to be there. I've always wanted to be there. It's just, my life has changed'." De Villiers played in 176 of Boucher's 461 matches for South Africa across the formats.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Former Pakistan first-class cricketer Zafar Sarfraz has died of COVID-19. According to a report in geo.tv, Zafar succumbed to the novel coronavirus at the Lady Reading Hospital late Monday. The 50-year old is the first professional cricket player from Pakistan to succumb to the coronavirus, after testing positive last Tuesday. He had been on a ventilator for the past three days, hospital officials added.

Zafar, a left-handed batter and slow left-arm orthodox bowler, played first-class cricket from 1988 to 1994 and List A cricket from 1990 to 1992. He made 616 runs from 15 first-class games for Peshawar and also had 96 runs from six one-day games before retiring in 1994 and moving on to coach both the senior and the Under-19 Peshawar teams in the mid-2000s.

Zafar was the brother of late Pakistan international cricketer Akhtar Sarfraz, who went on to play four ODIs between December 1997 and October 1998, scoring 66 runs in four innings.

Last month, great Pakistani squash player Azam Khan had also died of novel coronavirus at the age of 95. Azam, who won four consecutive British Open titles between 1959-62, had tested positive for COVID-19 in March end and breathed his last in London's Ealing Hospital.

Over 5,000 confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported so far in Pakistan, including 96 deaths.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

India cricketer Hardik Pandya is not just an entertainer on the cricket field but off it too.

On Tuesday, a video of Hardik Pandya surfaced on Instagram where he is seen entertaining his social media followers alongside fiancee Natasa Stankovic.

In the video that went viral, Hardik Pandya asks Natasa Stankovic, "Baby, main kya hoon tera? [who am I to you]." The Serbian model-actor hesitates for a bit before replying: "Jigar ka tukda [a piece of my heart]" after which both burst out laughing at her accent. Take a look at the video below.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

@hardikpandya93 blood💥💯#hardikpandya #nature #nature #naturalhairstyles #naturephotography #photo #photographer #photography #photooftheday #photoshoot #photographylovers #photoshop

A post shared by hardikpandya_93 🔵 (@hardikpandya_93_blood) onApr 12, 2020 at 7:15pm PDT

Hardik Pandya and Natasa Stankovic's dating rumours began in early 2019. Hardik Pandya shocked the world when he announced that he proposed to Natasa Stankovic on New Year's Day 2020 confirming that they were engaged.

Natasa Stankovic has appeared in many reality shows, most notable ones being, Bigg Boss 8 and Nach Baliye 9.  

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

The current lockdown has seen people restricted indoors and many are picking up new hobbies. Energetic India opener Shikhar Dhawan on Tuesday revealed he is trying his hand at playing a flute and honing his overall musical skills.

"Playing a musical instrument, the vibrations you can feel inside your body. Music gives you peace and everybody should try to learn how to play a musical instrument now especially because we have so much time to spend at home due to the lockdown," Dhawan said while chatting with India middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer on Instagram Live.

The dashing southpaw also played the flute on Iyer's request.

Dhawan picked Dale Steyn as the most difficult bowler he has faced along with off-spinners on turning wickets.

Asked to pick his most special knock, Dhawan chose the match-winning hundred against Australia in the 2019 World Cup.

"Mardo walli feeling aayi (it was a big daddy innings)," Dhawan said.

Dhawan had slammed 117 off 109 balls against the defending champions at The Oval on June 10 as India won by 36 runs. That turned out to be the final tie he played as he was ruled out with a thumb fracture for the remainder of he competition.

India crashed out in the semi-finals, losing to New Zealand.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Former Indian captain and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday recalled the historic Test victory against Australia at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 2001.

A user had shared the celebratory moments from the 2001 Test. On that post, Ganguly commented, "What a win." In that Test, India clinched a 171-run win over Australia and became the third team in the history of Test cricket to win a match after being forced to follow-on.

Australia had made 445 in their first innings, courtesy Steve Waugh's brilliant hundred. However, it was Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh who stole the show at Kolkata with his spectacular seven wickets, including the first hat-trick in India's Test history.

In its first innings, India folded for 171 runs and were asked to follow-on by Australia. The Sourav Ganguly-led side played cautiously in the second innings and lost three wickets for 115 runs. India lost Ganguly in the 67th over of the innings, with the side getting reduced to 232/4.

Rahul Dravid joined VVS Laxman in the middle. The next 104 overs were a nightmare for the Aussies as the Indian duo stitched a 376-run stand to revive the innings and helped the team stage a dramatic comeback in the match.

Dravid scored 180 runs, while Laxman slammed 281, his highest score in Test cricket. India gave a target of 384 runs to Australia. However, the Waugh-led side were not able to achieve the target and bowled out for 212, handing India a massive win.

Harbhajan was again the pick of the Indian bowlers as he scalped six wickets. The Eden Gardens Test is best remembered for India's miraculous revival in the second innings and Laxman's knock of 281 runs, which was one of the most marvellous innings played in the modern era. Laxman's stunning innings also halted Australia's record of 16 successive Test wins.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

New Zealand pacer Matt Henry will not be playing for England's county Kent Cricket due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and disruption to the 2020 county cricket season.

"Kent Cricket can confirm that New Zealand International Matt Henry will no longer be joining the Club for the first seven County Championship matches of 2020," the club said in a statement.

Henry was due to join Kent - for whom he starred in 2018 - for seven County Championship games at the start of the season, but with all professional cricket cancelled in the UK until May 28 at the earliest, it became clear that he would be unable to play for the club.

The Kiwi player becomes the fourth player - after Nathan Lyon, Cheteshwar Pujara and Michael Neser - to miss out on a stint in county cricket due to the virus.

Paul Downton, Kent's director of cricket, said: "Once the decision was announced by the ECB that there would be no cricket until at least the end of May it became inevitable the Matt would not be returning to Kent this season."

"The club continues to enjoy a good relationship with Matt. He has many friends here and the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received when we announced that he would return in 2020 is a measure of Matt himself: he's a fantastic person on and off the cricket field," he added.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Asserting that sledging cannot help teams win matches, former India batsman Krishnamachari Srikkanth has rubbished Michael Clarke's claims that the Australian team were being nice to Virat Kohli's men during the 2018/19 Test series Down Under. "You do not win matches just by sledging. Aussie's loss is a loss, his (Clarke) statement was ridiculous I would say," Srikkanth said while speaking on Star Sports 'Cricket Connected' show. "If you ask Nasser Hussain or Sir Vivian Richards who are experienced players, you can never score runs or get wickets through sledging.

"You need to play good cricket and showcase determination; you need to bowl well to get wickets and bat well to achieve targets. Sledging cannot help in any way according to my opinion," he added. Clarke had also said current Australian players were too scared to "sledge" Kohli and in order to protect their million dollars IPL deals, they "sucked up" to the India captain which resulted in their cricket becoming "soft".

However, former India batsman VVS Laxman feels players can't win an IPL contract by just being nice to a particular player. "Just by being nice to someone doesn't get you a place in IPL. Any franchise will look at the player's calibre and value add to the team, which gives them desired results by winning matches/tournaments," Laxman said while speaking on the same show.

"These are the kind of players who get IPL contracts. So just being nice to someone will not earn you a spot in the IPL," he added.

Kohli's men had become the first-ever Indian team to register a Test series win in Australia in 2018-19. It was the first time since 1947, that India were able to register a Test series victory in Down Under as they defeated the Tim Paine-led side 2-1 in the four-match rubber.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif on Wednesday said KL Rahul should only be used as a backup wicket-keeper so that workload on the player can be managed.

"People think that Rahul may become our main keeper in the future. But I feel that Rahul should be used as a backup wicketkeeper, if the main keeper is injured or he is not with the team then Rahul should be there because if you rely on him as the main keeper then chances of injuries will grow as the workload will increase on him," Kaif told ANI.

Kaif also feels that MS Dhoni should feature in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup and ruling the former captain out from the tournament will be 'unfair'.

"See people may have eyes on Dhoni that how he is going to play in the IPL (Indian Premier League) and then there will be talks of the T20 World Cup but my view is different from others. I do not judge Dhoni based on his IPL form. He is a great batsman and he is fit now, he wants to play IPL, do captaincy and is showing his availability. He has a winning mentality and knows how to win games under pressure," Kaif said.

"So, I think ruling him out will be unfair. See a lot of cricket is still left in Dhoni and when a player plays for this long, there are ups and downs in his career. It happens with every cricketer not just Dhoni," he added.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2020 is scheduled to be played between October 18 and November 15 at seven venues across Australia.

As the country continues to fight against the coronavirus crisis, Kaif urged people to adhere to the guidelines laid by the government and stay home.

"My message for the society is to be at home and follow what the government is saying then only we can beat this virus. At this stage, this is something very important for one and all to be at home," he said.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is 'exploring all options available' to them to complete the World Test Championship amid the coronavirus pandemic. "We are continuing planning for ICC events as they are but given the rapidly evolving situation as a prudent and responsible measure we are also undertaking a comprehensive business contingency planning exercise," a source within ICC told ANI. "This includes exploring all options available to us based on a range of scenarios connected to the pandemic," the source added.

The source further added that as of now, no decision has been taken. The coronavirus pandemic has taken a huge toll on sports all across the globe and cricket also had to bear the brunt of the deadly virus as several series have been postponed owing to COVID-19. In the ongoing World Test Championship, a total of 71 Test matches will be played across 27 series over two years. The championship began on August 1 last year when Australia faced England in Ashes.

The top two teams will then contest in the ICC World Test Championship final in June 2021 in the UK. Currently, India hold the top spot on the World Test Championship table with 360 points followed by Australia and New Zealand with 296 and 180 points respectively.

The second ICC World Test Championship will run from July 2021 to June 2023.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim will be putting his most cherished bat on auction in order to raise funds for the relief efforts put in place in the country to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Mushfiqur will be putting the bat -- with which he scored his first double hundred against Sri Lanka at Galle in 2013 -- for online sale and has urged people to contribute to the cause so that maximum funds can be generated for the poor.

"I am putting up the bat with which I made a double hundred for auction," Mushfiqur told the Dhaka-based Bengali daily 'Prothom Alo'.

"It will be put up online, so let's see how we can go about it. I urge everyone with the ability to push up the price of the bat since the proceeds will be spent entirely for the poor people," he added.

Last week, Shakib-al-Hasan had called upon the players to auction their belongings like jerseys and cricket equipments.

"We can do anything like that. It can also be a bat with any of our autographs. We can auction these things through Facebook or the foundation," Shakib had said on Facebook Live.

More than 2000 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported and many people have also lost their lives till now in Bangladesh.

England batsman Jos Butter had raised more than 65,000 pounds for two London-based hospitals by auctioning the shirt which he wore in the 2019 World Cup final.

Legendary Pakistan bowler Wasim Akram also auctioned a bat and ball signed by him to raise funds for a charity as the entire world fights against COVDI-19 pandemic which has so far claimed more than 1.6 lakh lives.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Having fought cancer four years ago, former India batsman and Bengal coach Arun Lal knows a thing or two about conquering a dreadful disease and as the country battles the COVID-19 pandemic, he feels both immunity and optimism need to be kept high. The former player was detected with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare type of salivary glands cancer, but he overcame the disease and gained abundant hope in the process.

"It's a disease after all. You have to believe that you can fight it. You have no other choice. You have to be prepared for the worst. Hope for the best," Lal, under whom Bengal made their first Ranji final after 13 years this season, told PTI in an interaction. "You have to keep your immunity level high. You have to fight it. You have to stay positive, and believe in yourself. Eat well, sleep well, keep your immunity level high." Lal was slated for a fortnight's holiday in Europe from April 15, but the COVID-19 pandemic put paid to all his plans and he's now confined at home, like everyone else. "You have to prevent it not only for yourself but for everybody else around you. That's what I'm doing, I'm staying isolated. Looking after the elderly in the house," he said. "Nobody knows very much about it yet. You have to be very very clear that you have to stay isolated. You have to wash your hands, wear a mask. You've to be careful." With the world under lockdown to stop the spread of the deadly virus, Lal is doing his bit, looking after his ailing mother and wife, doing household chores that include cooking and cleaning.

"Gardening, cooking, cleaning. Then I've to look after my mother and wife, both are sort of semi bed-ridden. No help is also coming. Only one person I have," he said. "I sometime make the sweet dishes, or may be the odd gobhi-aloo, bhindi or karela. I also love to cook meat. I make lovely meat. 24 hours is less for me. We are managing somehow." A hard taskmaster, Lal is also making sure that his wards are engaged in training. "Now everybody is training on their own. We have laid out plans for the fast bowling unit. They are given whole plan on what to do everyday and what training, and how to do. We want to be fitter than last year." "They don't have grounds so they can only train on the roofs of their buildings, inside home, or in the drive-in and things like that. We hope to get together from July 1. But you never know. Future is very uncertain," he said. "So far we are only working with the bowling unit. Not the batsmen yet. It's been our major deficiency area. We will work very hard on them from next week," he added.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

The ICC's Chief Executives Committee (CEC) will discuss the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic over a conference call on Thursday in which the World Test Championship and the ODI league schedule will also come up for deliberation. The ODI league was to start in June but the first series under it -- South Africa's away three-match rubber against Sri Lanka in the first week of June -- was cancelled on Monday due to the pandemic.

ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said: "This meeting is the first step of a collective process as we assess the impact of this ongoing global pandemic and work together so the sport can emerge from it in a strong position. "We need to share knowledge and start to build a deep understanding of what it will take to resume international cricket." It is clear that no concrete decision can be taken unless the ICC is able to figure out how many events it will lose due to the global lockdown which has brought the world to a standstill. "We are almost at the halfway point of the World Test Championship, and the Super League is yet to commence so we will consider a range of options for each with our Members. But it's still some way to go before," a senior ICC Board member told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Sawhney admitted that they have a tough road ahead in uncertain times. "The scale of this task should not be underestimated and will encompass a myriad of factors until the public health situation has improved to a point that it is safe for our players, our employees, our fans and in a way that will not impact the public health situation adversely. "Countries will start to reopen at different stages and in different ways and we will need to respect that and have a holistic view of this to enable us to take well-informed decisions that mitigate the various risks as much as possible," the ICC Chief Executive added. Sawhney said that ICC is taking advice from Australian government with regards to hosting the World T20 in October.

"...we will continue to take advice from experts and authorities, including the Australian government. We will utilize all of the data and information available to us to ensure we can take responsible decisions around all competitions at an appropriate time that are in the best interests of our sport." The senior official, who has attended a number of ICC board meetings, made it clear that cancellation of another couple of Test series could heavily impact the WTC calendar. "Look, we had to finish the league phase by March 2021 with final at Lord's in June, 2021. India are more secured as they don't have any cancelled series till now and their next Test series in Australia starts end of November," the official said. "But England already have lost one against Sri Lanka. Also you don't know if West Indies and Pakistan can tour England this summer," he added. Although everyone is tight-lipped, an option of extending the calendar for the WTC might be explored where teams get to complete their bilateral Test engagements. Add to that, the 13-team ODI league with points system, where each team has to play eight bilateral 50-over series (three-match series). The ODI league will continue till March, 2022.

As per points table as on March, 2022, India as hosts (automatic qualification) and seven other teams will qualify directly to the World Cup. The bottom five will play a Qualifier with five associates and top two from there will complete the 10-team World Cup in 2023. "At this time CEC will discuss the collective process to consider impact of COVID-19 on the sport. The members would like to get an understanding from each other as to when cricket might restart in their respective regions and under what conditions," a CEC member said. It has also been learnt that as of now, the ICC won't tinker with the existing World T20 schedule in October-November as save 'Big Three' -- India, Australia and England-- the smaller nations might find it difficult to sustain without the event is expected to generate. In case the World T20 is shifted, the revenue stream, especially cash-flow will be severely affected. India will be represented at the CEC meet by BCCI secretary Jay Shah.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

While the country is in lockdown due to Coronavirus, at least two Indian cricket legends decided to have some fun of their own.

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and current India captain Virat Kohli have had their hair cut. However, while Sachin chopped his own hair, Virat's Bollywood star wife Anushka played hair stylist for him.

Sachin, 46, recently posted a series of pictures of his new hairdo on social media. "From playing square cuts to doing my own haircuts, have always enjoyed doing different things. How's my new hairdo looking @aalimhakim and @nandan_v_naik?," he captioned his post.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

From playing square cuts 🏏 to doing my own hair cuts 💇🏻‍♂️, have always enjoyed doing different things. ‪How’s my new hairdo 💁🏻‍♂️ looking @aalimhakim & @nandan_v_naik? 😋

A post shared by Sachin Tendulkar (@sachintendulkar) onApr 19, 2020 at 4:59am PDT

Meanwhile, Virat, 31, who got his beard trimmed too, insisted that being well groomed keeps him in the zone. "While we're all indoors, it's extremely important to do stuff that makes you feel good. Staying well groomed is one of the things that keeps me in the zone. So I thought of giving myself this new look. I want all of you to take the #TrimAtHome challenge & post your new look!" Virat posted on Instagram.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

While we're all indoors, it's extremely important to do stuff that makes you feel good. Staying well groomed is one of the things that keeps me in the zone. So I thought of trimming my beard at home and giving myself this new look. 😊 Now I want all of you to take the #TrimAtHome challenge and post your new look! 😎

A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) onApr 18, 2020 at 4:20am PDT

Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar are regarded as one of the finest batsmen to ever play for India. Virat Kohli is second behind Sachin Tendulkar with regards to most hundreds scored in ODIs.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Sunil Gavaskar says India can swap the T20 World Cup with Australia and host it this year instead of the scheduled 2021 edition, provided the COVID-19 curve flattens in the country. Global sporting activities have come to a halt due the COVID-19 pandemic, jeopardising events like the 2020 T20 World Cup, scheduled in Australia from October 18-November 15.

India are supposed to host the next edition in 2021. "As we all know, Australia has barred foreigners from entering the country till September 30. The tournament starts mid-October so it is looking difficult at the moment," Gavaskar told India Today.

"Next year the T20 World Cup is in India. If India and Australia come to an agreement and the COVID-19 curve in India flattens out, they can swap. It can be held in India this October-November and next year in Australia around the same time."

The IPL too has been indefinitely postponed but there is a possibility of it being held in September. "If it (T20 WC swap) happens that way, IPL is just held prior to T20 World Cup so there is enough practice for the players. Then you can have T20 World Cup in November and Asia Cup in December in UAE. December is a much better time to host a tournament in the UAE," said the 70-year-old.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Veteran India wicketkeeper-batsman and former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni seems to be enjoying his quality time back at his lavish farmhouse located in Ranchi.

MS Dhoni's wife Sakshi Dhoni apparently shared ain Instagram Live video in which Mahi can be seen giving his daughter Ziva a ride on a motorbike in their farmhouse. 

The video was also shared by MS Dhoni's Indian Premier League (IPL) team Chennai Super Kings on Twitter immediately after it went viral. CSK went on to caption the photo with some fun play of words: "Thala Suthifying, literally. #WhistlePodu VC: @SakshiSRawat."

Thala Suthifying, literally! 😍ðŸ¦ÂðŸ’› #WhistlePodu VC: @SaakshiSRawat pic.twitter.com/0xpOxVoVET

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 20, 2020

Sakshi Dhoni had also shared a cute photo of herself and MS Dhoni during lockdown as she playfully goes to lick his toes while he was immersed in his mobile phone.

In normal circumstances, MS Dhoni would have been currently leading three-time champions CSK in the 13th edition of the IPL. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the cash-rich league has been postponed indefinitely by the BCCI.

The former captain's participation at this year's T20 World Cup remains in doubt as he hasn't played international cricket since India's defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final last year.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts has expressed the board's desire to host a five-Test series against India later this year. India's tour of Australia currently consists of four Tests and three ODIs. However, Roberts has hinted that there could be an additional Test in the series when Virat Kohli and company reach their shores in November. Terming their relationship with the BCCI as 'strong', Roberts said a five-Test series is a possibility but not a certainty at this stage. "There's no certainty about that [five-Test series] for the coming season, but what I can say is that the relationship between the BCCI and Cricket Australia is really strong," Roberts told reporters on a video call.

"We've discussed a shared desire to evolve to five-Test series between Australia and India in the future. "It's something we've both committed to in principle in the future, the big question is whether or not we can bring that in before the next future tours cycle in 2023. "We don't know what prospect there is of that next season, but certainly with a changing landscape...we won't rule out a possibility of that until we get closer to the time," he added.

Kevin Roberts

Roberts also revealed the board is looking at the prospect of hosting all the matches at a single venue in their bid to keep the players and staff safe amid Coronavirus pandemic. "We won't rule anything out in terms of the Indian series. Along with the BCCI and Indian players, we want to stage a series that inspires the cricket world, whether or not there are people in the stands," Roberts said.

"We need to face into all possibilities. Fortunately, we have a little bit of time to work out the scenarios," he added. The cancellation of the Test series against India could cost Cricket Australia potentially up to $300 million (R2307 crore) in lost TV revenue.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

India captain Virat Kohli has said that he has learnt to stay calm and patient ever since his wife Anushka Sharma has come in his life. The couple met in 2013 and got married in 2017.

"To be honest the patience bit I have learnt ever since me and Anushka met each other. I was a very impatient before," said Kohli on Tuesday as he and Anushka spoke about their lives and careers in an online session with students on how to get motivated.

"The learnings from one another that we have had, looking at her personality, looking at her composure in situations has really inspired me to fight it out. Even when things are tough you have to swallow your ego and keep being there in adversity, keep fighting your way out and eventually you will find a way.

"So that's what I have seen her do and I have learnt from that," he added. The 31-year-old also revealed that once he "howled" through the night after getting rejected by his state side.

"The first time I was rejected in the state selections, I remember it was late at night and I just cried," Kohli said.

"I howled till about three in the morning and I could not believe it. Because I scored well, everything was going perfectly for me. I performed till I reached that stage and I was rejected.

"And I kept asking my coach for two hours, why didn't it happen? And I couldn't make sense of it. But when there is passion and commitment, that motivation comes back to you," he added.

Kohli, who made his debut for Delhi in 2006, broke into the international scene in 2008. Since then he has played 86 Tests, 248 ODIs and 82 T20Is in which he has scored 7240, 11867 and 2794 runs respectively and is now counted among the greats of the game.

He, like other cricketers, is currently enjoying the forced break with his family amid to the nation-wide lockdown in place due to coronavirus pandemic.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel on Tuesday revealed that he got really disappointed when he was not picked in the Indian squad for the 2007-08 Australia tour.

Patel also said that he knew he was fighting for the second wicket-keeper slot, but was disappointed after not being picked in the squad.

The wicket-keeper batsman was doing an Instagram Live session with former pacer RP Singh.

"It is important to be at the right place at the right time. When the team got selected for Australia tour in 2008, I was competing for the second wicket-keeper slot as Dhoni had cemented his place as first choice pick. I was disaapointed when I did not get picked in the squad," Parthiv told RP Singh during the session.

"Dilip Vengsarkar was the chairman of selectors, he called me and said you have been performing well, keep at it and then he told me that I was not selected for the Australia series," he added.

In the 2007-08 series, Australia defeated India 2-1, but the four-match contest was marked with controverseies.

The second Test of the tour at the Sydney Cricket Ground is commonly known as the 'MonkeyGate Test' as it saw a fiery on-field contest between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds.

In the Instagram Live session, Parthiv also said that all wicket-keepers in the country knew that they cannot be selected as first choice keepers as MS Dhoni had made the place is own.

"We all were competing for the second-wicket keeper slot. At that time, I used to think of giving my best in every match I play, you knew the reality thaat the skipper of the side is wicket-keeper, so you cannot be selected in the squad as first choice," Patel said.

Parthiv has played 25 Tests, 38 ODIs for India. He had made his debut in 2002 against England at Trent Bridge and he created the record for being the youngest wicket-keeper to play the game of cricket.

He was just 17 years and 153 days old at that time and had eclipsed the previous record of being the youngest wicketkeeper, previously held by Pakistan's Hanif Mohammed (17 years and 300 days).

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Swashbuckling India opener Rohit Sharma believes the presence of David Warner and Steve Smith will make the tour of Australia later this year a "different ball game" for the his side, which is also at its best right now. India won the 2018-19 Test series 2-1, their first in 71 years of touring Down Under, but it came against a depleted Australian team which didn't have Warner and Smith, who were both serving a one year ball-tampering suspension.

"I was looking forward to the New Zealand series but unfortunately, injury (calf muscle) happened at the wrong time," Rohit told 'India Today' on Wednesday. "I can't wait to go to Australia and play the Test matches there. Australia in Australia with those two guys will be a different ball game," India's white ball vice-captain said.

For him, opening is a challenge that he has relished and a testimony to that was his stupendous start against South Africa at home. However, he has been ready for the job since the 2018 Australia tour when the team management gave him enough hints. "I was told you might be opening in Tests as well. It was two years ago. I was preparing myself from then onwards," he said.

For him, watching the game from the dressing room is no fun. "You wanted opportunity, everybody wants to be out there in the middle. I wanted to play and not watch the game. "When the chance came along, I was ready. There were some technical aspects, I needed to be aware of," he said. Rohit said the Australia series will be an exciting one as this Indian team is currently playing its best cricket.

"As a team, we are playing best cricket right now, everybody wants to take the game back to the opposition. If it happens (amid the COVID-19 pandemic), it will be a great series to be part of," he said. The tour is planned between October and January but there is speculation on whether it can be conducted smoothly amid the global heath crisis which hasn't shown any signs of being under control as of now.

With the entire world currently fighting the coronavirus pandemic, athletes across sports are utilising time to make the most out of the forced break. Delhi Capitals opener Prithvi Shaw recently revealed what he has been spending time during the nationwide lockdown. "I've been working out a bit indoors and shadow practicing to maintain my fitness levels. I've also been helping my father in the kitchen. I can cook eggs quite well and I'm trying to learn a few new things. I've been playing some PUBG too," Shaw said on Tuesday during an Instagram LIVE session on the franchise's official handle.

Talking about the importance of mental health in such unprecedented times, Shaw said: "Mental strength is very important at this time, given that we are all restricted indoors. A lot of us don't have patience for things in life, so now is a great time to work on it." "Everyone should find something to do that they like, and work towards perfecting that. That process in itself will help one grow calmer and become more patient." Shaw also spoke about the 2019 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) where Delhi Capitals finished third, having made it to the play-offs after a seven-year gap.

"On and off the field, our team was like a family," he said. "We had Ricky (Ponting) Sir, Dada (Sourav Ganguly), (Mohammad) Kaif Sir to help us with anything – the environment was perfect." When asked to recall a funny anecdote from the season gone by, Shaw spoke about how Ponting had once scared him by ordering him to take ten rounds of the Feroz Shah Kotla as he had reported slightly late for a pre-training team meeting.

"I was looking for some new spikes in the dressing room that day and reached the ground a bit late," he said. "I completed the entire training -- fielding and batting sessions -- and had no energy left to run ten rounds of the ground. Luckily, I didn't have to. Turns out Ricky Sir just wanted to scare me off for my late attendance that day!" The 20-year-old, who spent a part of 2019 serving a doping ban, reflected on his time away from the game and the lessons learnt.

"It was a mistake. And the period away from cricket was a torture," he said. "Doubts and questions arise, but I kept the faith and belief. I spent some time in London where I was working on my fitness, as I wasn't allowed to bat anywhere.

"When the ban got over, and I returned to domestic cricket, I was hungrier than before. I picked up my bat and realised I hadn't lost my touch at all. If anything, that time off made me a more determined person," he added.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

The current crop of players cannot be compared to the likes of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and other past stars, according to former Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf.

Yousuf, who faced the Indian team a number of times in bilateral series across formats and in the World Cup in his playing days, said that in the past, all teams had a few players who were of high quality.

"In the past, teams, such as India, Australia and South Africa, had three-four quality players in the side. India, for example, had players like (Rahul) Dravid, Sachin (Tendulkar), (Virender) Sehwag, (Sourav) Ganguly, (VVS) Laxman and Yuvraj Singh. These six batsmen were playing in a single team," said Yousuf during a TV show as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.

"The current Indian team does not have such batsmen. You can't compare the current players (such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma) with the class of Sachin and Dravid," he said.

Kohli is constantly rated as the best batsman in the world. In ODIs, he is the second highest run-scorer for India of all time with 11,867 runs in 248 matches at an average of 59.33. He is only behind Sachin Tendulkar who scored 18426 runs in 463 ODIs and is ahead of the likes of Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh despite having played far lesser ODIs than them.

Rohit Sharma has scored 9115 runs at an average of 49.27. In Tests, Kohli is the sixth highest run-scorer of all time with 7240 runs at an average of 53.62 in 86 matches.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum on Wednesday advocated for this year's T20 World Cup to be postponed to early next year, saying the currently-suspended IPL should take the mega-event's slot. The COVID-19 pandemic has halted all global sporting activities, jeopardising the T20 World Cup, scheduled in Australia from October 18-November 15, and also "indefinitely" suspending the 13th IPL, which was slated to begin on March 29. "I think the IPL will try and target that October window and the T20 World Cup will get pushed back," McCullum, the coach of IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders, told 'Sky Cricket Podcast'. There is also the women's ODI World Cup scheduled in New Zealand in February, 2021.

"That may mean the Women's World Cup gets pushed back but hopefully we get to see all three tournaments operate." McCullum said he neither sees the T20 World Cup happening without the stadium fans nor does he believe that teams from 16 nations will be able to travel to Australia in the wake of the pandemic, which has infected more than 20 lakh people globally. If IPL doesn't happen, none of the players or support staff get paid. The ICC's Chief Executives Committee (CEC) is set to meet on Thursday to discuss the financial implications of COVID-19 and also the contingency planning for all ICC global events, including the T20 World Cup, over a conference call. "For Australia to move 16 international teams plus all of their support staff and then broadcasters, seems a bridge too far. I can't see them playing the T20 World Cup behind closed doors either," McCullum said. "There may be a window a bit later in the new year of 2021 which could then open up a window for the IPL (in October and November). You'd have to move some overseas players for the IPL but with the broadcasters based in India, it is a lot easier to pull it all together. "The ICC and world cricket need crowds to operate but India can probably sustain things commercially behind closed doors because they are going to get so many eyeballs."

Former New Zealand seamer Simon Doull, who joined McCullum and Ian Smith on the podcast, also believes spectators will be important to get the revenues flowing from the T20 World Cup. "A lot of the ICC's revenue for down the track comes from the World Cups so they want as many people in the stands as possible," he said. "They would hate to see a T20 World Cup under lockdown where no one could go and watch and the atmosphere would probably be a little bit less." Doull also said ICC needs to decide how important is the T20 World Cup. "How important is the T20 World Cup? That the first question from an ICC point of view," he said. "Is it important enough to have private jets out of each county with cricket teams on them, two weeks in quarantine in Australia and then the tournament taking place, whether there are fans in the stands or not? Is it that important?".

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Saliva and sweat are components that cannot be entirely done away with, insist a few distinguished India cricketers, as the ICC contemplates legalising ball tampering post COVID-19 by using artificial substances to prevent virus spread. Former India pacer Ashish Nehra and spinner Harbhajan Singh feel that saliva's use in shining the ball is a "must". While discussions are at nascent stage, questions are already being asked about what external substances could be used if ball tampering becomes legal?

Is it going to be bottle cap in pocket to scuff up one side of the ball, vaseline to shine (made famous by English cricketer John Lever) or chain zipper? "Get one thing clear at the onset. The ball will not swing if you don't apply sweat or saliva on the ball. That's basic necessity of swing bowling. The moment ball gets scuffed up from one side, sweat and saliva must be applied on the other side," said Nehra, who completely shot down the idea of using external substances. "Now let's understand why do you need saliva? Sweat is heavier than saliva but both are heavy enough to make one side of the ball heavier for reverse swing. Vaseline comes into the picture only after sweat and saliva, not before that.

"It is lighter and doesn't even ensure conventional swing. It can keep the shine, but doesn't make the ball heavy," he added. Harbhajan also agreed that saliva if one has already chewed mint, which has sugar in it, makes it heavier. But when it comes to using external substance, he wants to know what can be the options. "It's not that murray mint can be used without putting it in your mouth.

The coat of sugar on the saliva makes it heavier after one side gets scuffed. A scuffed up ball is also good for spinners as it ensures a better grip than a shiny new ball. But my question is, if you allow, what's the limit?" Harbhajan questioned.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Former Australian cricketer Graeme Watson who was fighting cancer, has died at the age of 75. Primarily a middle-order batsman and a medium-pace bowler, he featured in five Tests from 1967 to 1972 and two ODIs in 1972, ESPNcricinfo reported.

The all-rounder earned the national call during the 1966-67 tour of Rhodesia and South Africa. Watson slammed a half-century in the first innings of the second Test of the series.

However, the medium-pace bowler was ruled of the next test after suffering an ankle injury. He returned for the fourth Test in Johannesburg where scalped his career-best 2 for 67 but failed to leave a mark with the bat as Kangaroos lost the series.

In 1971-72 he moved to Western Australia and played a major role in their Sheffield-Shield win in 1971-72, 1972-73, and 1974-75 seasons.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Australia's world number one pacer Pat Cummins finds India's middle-order mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara the toughest batsman to bowl at in Test cricket and called him a "pain in the back" for his team.

With his solid batting at number three, Pujara had played an influential role in India's historic triumph Down Under in 2018-19. Cummins held Pujara in high esteem when asked which batsman he found toughest to bowl to during a Question & Answer session that was arranged by the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA).

"There are a lot of them out there, unfortunately. But I am going to go with someone different, and he is (Cheteshwar) Pujara from India. He was a real pain in the back for us," Cummins said. The unassuming Pujara had helped India claim their maiden Test series victory in Australia last year by amassing a staggering 521 runs at an average of over 74 with three hundreds and a half-century. Cummins recalled the difficulty the Australian bowlers faced in dislodging Pujara.

"He (Pujara) was an absolute rock for them in that series. (He was) really hard to get out. Just ultra concentration all day, day after day. He is the hardest one in Test cricket so far, I think," Cummins added. Pujara was named the Man of the Series for his stellar showing, proving to be the player that made all the difference.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Pakistan spin great Saqlain Mushtaq fails to understand how a proven performer like Ravichandran Ashwin has been kept out of India's limited-overs set-up, saying a successful Test bowler is bound to succeed in the shorter formats. Ashwin, a regular in the IPL, has been kept out of the shorter formats since July 2017. Same was the case with Ravindra Jadeja but he is back playing all three formats, largely because of his all-round abilities.

"Class is permanent whether you are a finger-spinner or wrist-spinner. Your skills, game reading abilities matter a lot. I was surprised when Ashwin was sidelined from one-day cricket," Saqlain, the inventor of 'Doosra', told PTI. "He knows how to get batsman out in the five-day game, which is much tougher than limited overs cricket. Anyone can do the containment job but someone who knows how take wickets can contain also. He knows both. How can you keep him out? You have to back your best players." Seeking more variety, the selectors had opted for wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal after the 2017 Champions Trophy. They both have established themselves in limited overs cricket but have not featured in the eleven together since the 2019 World Cup.

Though Ashwin remains India's number one spinner at home, he is not a sure starter in overseas Tests. He was benched for the two-Test series in the West Indies last year, drawing a lot of attention and more recently, played a Test in New Zealand in the two-match series with Jadeja playing the other one. "They sidelined Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh) at the expense of Ashiwn back then. After Ashwin, you have tried many off-spinners but none of them has been of his class. "In fact, I was surprised when a a great like Bhajji was dropped. Both Ashwin and Bhajji have different styles and could have easily played together in the playing eleven. If two right-hand pacers can play regularly, why not spinners?" asked Saqlain. "Such was Bhajji's class that he could have easily taken 700 Test wickets (ended at 413 wickets in 103 Tests," he said referring to Harbhajan, who is in the twilight of his career and plays only the IPL. Saqlain was part of a world-class bowling attack but now Pakistan doesn't have spinners of his pedigree. The 43-year-old feels India, who are much stronger than Pakistan at the moment unlike his times, still possess quality spinners despite the departure of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan.

"The spinners you have are pretty good actually. Kuldeep has been impressive, Ashwin and Jadeja have been doing well consistently. They are world- class bowlers. In fact Pakistan is struggling a bit on that front. Yasir Shah has done well but his form has dipped recently. Shadab is still a work in progress. "I am pretty confident that Ashwin and Jadeja will end up playing 100 Tests each," said Saqlain. Like his former teammates Shoaib Akhtar and Shahif Afridi, Saqlain also feels India and Pakistan should resume their cricketing rivalry. Akhtar's proposal of an India-Pakistan series to raises funds for the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in both countries had attracted criticism from big names like Kapil Dev. India did not need the money, Kapil had said.

However, Saqlain downplayed the financial factor. "What do you call sportspersons? You call them heroes and what is their job? Their job is to do good deeds. Winning and losing is part of the game. Cricket is not war. That is why I feel cricket should be played between the two countries. "To say that Pakistan cricket will suffer because of not playing India is the not right way to look at this. The bigger picture is that the game should be promoted on both sides. And if we do play, there is a possibility of relations improving." He recollected an experience that made him realise the power of sport. "Sachin and Shane Warne had organised All Stars matches in America (in 2015). You won't believe I saw a flag with colours of both India and Pakistan flags. An Indian and Pakistani were holding that together. "It brought the two nations closer. I would request the ICC too look into this. Financially also, it is a win-win for both BCCI and PCB. The series is much bigger than the Ashes," Saqlain signed off.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Australian cricketers are not going to be "greedy" if they are asked for a pay cut as it is important that the game thrives well into the future in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Test captain Tim Paine. With India's tour of Australia and the upcoming T20 World Cup in doubt due to the fast-spreading coronavirus, Cricket Australia has already stood down 80 per cent of its staff and now is in talks with Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) regarding a potential players' pay cut. "Players need to know the absolute financial positions of the game and the players aren't going to be greedy," Paine said on ABC Radio.

"Our livelihood, all the people associated with the CA and the players association, their livelihood is dependent on the game of cricket being healthy. "So at the moment if a pay cut for us is on the cards and that keeps our game thriving well into the future, then that's something we'll certainly have to look at." Cricket Australia might lose a staggering AUD 300 million dollars if the Indian team fails to turn up for the bilateral series due to the global health crisis. Paine said he wasn't surprised at the poor financial state of the board.

"I think commercially a lot of sponsors have been pretty hard hit and it's obviously going to hit Cricket Australia at some stage then as well," Paine said. "I think there's a bit of safeguarding towards the potential of India not coming (on a tour in December/January) which is worth something like 250 to 300 million dollars." Australia's borders are sealed till September 30 but in a bid to salvage the India tour, the government is considering providing international exemptions to allow the Indian team arrive in Australia. The 35-year-old Paine said he is not aware of any contingency plan if the India tour doesn't go ahead and hoped Virat Kohli and his men can arrive in Australia as planned.

"I haven't just yet and I don't want to be. I'm hoping that they get here, that would solve a lot of issues," Paine said. "I know there's been some early talks with Cricket Australia and the government around the potential of what could be done, chartering planes and getting them in isolation when they get here to make sure that we can get India here. "But apart from that I've only heard a few things on the rumour mill about maybe New Zealand coming out and us going there."

Asked about Michael Clarke's claims that the Australians had "sucked up" to Indian captain Kohli in recent years to protect lucrative IPL deals, Paine said the former Aussie captain should have taken individual names if he wants to take people on. "If you're going to come out with a big quote and try and take people on and cause any sort of trouble and have a crack at people, I think you name people individually and he certainly didn't," Paine said. "It was certainly unfounded because I was out on the field and there was no one taking it easy (on Kohli)."

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

India opener Shikhar Dhawan and wife Ayesha on Monday put out a video on social media to send an important message regarding domestic violence. With people staying at home amid coronavirus lockdown, reports of domestic violence have also come out a lot more in recent times.

While I enjoy my time at home with my loving family, I am truly disheartened and sad to hear about domestic violence still existing in today's time & we need to put an end to it. Choose a kind and loving partnership and say no to violence. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ulh1zb0zmY

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) April 27, 2020

Dhawan, who is currently spending time with his family during the lockdown period, urged people to put an end to this social evil by choosing the right partner for themselves.

His Twitter post read: "While I enjoy my time at home with my loving family, I am truly sad and disheartened and sad to hear about domestic violence still existing in today's time and we need to put an end to it. Choose a kind and loving partnership and say no to violence."

India is currently on a nationwide lockdown till May 3 as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus. In India, more than 27,000 people have been infected by the virus so far while in excess of 850 individuals have lost their lives.

In normal circumstances, Dhawan would currently be playing for Delhi Capitals in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) but due to the pandemic the tournament has been postponed indefinitely by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Flamboyant West Indies opener Chris Gayle has called his former teammate Ramnaresh Sarwan "worse than coronavirus", accusing the Guyanese of plotting his exit from Caribbean Premier League outfit Jamaica Tallawahs. The big-hitting Gayle, who has since moved to St. Lucia Zouks, blamed Sarwan for an alleged fallout with Tallawahs franchise, which did not retain him for the 2020 season after playing for them as a marquee player last year.

The opener claimed that Sarwan was behind his ouster as the former middle-order batsman wanted to take control of the franchise. "Sarwan, you are worse than the coronavirus right now," Gayle said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel. "What transpired with the Tallawahs, you have a big part to play because you and the owner are like this (very close). You were the one at my last birthday party here in Jamaica, giving big speech about how far we have come."
Sarwan is the assistant coach of Jamaica Tallawahs.

Continuing his ballistic attack on his former West Indies teammate, Gayle went on, "Sarwan, you are a snake. You are so vindictive. You are so immature. You still stabbing people in the back. "When are you planning to change? Don't even consider seeing the 'Universe Boss' and saying 'Yo Chris' because I am telling you this straight up, that's it."

Gayle played his first four CPL seasons with Tallawahs before turning out for St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the next two seasons respectively. He returned to Tallawahs the previous season as a marquee player before his alleged fall-out with the franchise.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

England's Ben Stokes has said his Australian rival and IPL teammate Steve Smith is a "genius" as well as "strange" as he hailed the number one Test batsman. "He's still strange to play against and he's still strange to play with. And the best thing about it is that he admits it," Stokes said in a podcast broadcast by their Indian Premier League side Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday. "But I feel to be a genius you have to be a bit strange and you know he's certainly both," Stokes said from Britain. "Personally, I could not think about cricket in the way that he does when it comes to batting.

I could never be like that. Obviously, he's on all the time but that's why he averages 60-plus in Test cricket." The 30-year-old Smith averages over 62 in 73 Tests and improves to 65.11 when playing against arch-rivals England. Smith was the leading scorer in the 2019 Ashes in England, retained by Australia after the series finished 2-2, with a whopping 774 runs in four matches.

Ben Stokes

"Even though he plays for Australia, biggest rivals England and Australia, you've just got to hold your hands up sometimes to players like that and go 'yeah you're on a different level when it comes to batting,'" said Stokes, who scored 441 runs in five matches during the series. "You have to be on a different level with something to be like those guys when it comes to batting." The flamboyant all-rounder also threw his backing behind Test cricket, saying the five-day format is the "pinnacle" for him and there is no room to tinker with it.

The International Cricket Council has floated the idea of four-day Tests to deal with the cluttered cricket calendar, but the plan met with intense criticism from many within the game.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Veteran batsman David Warner believes Australia's upcoming limited-overs tour of England will be scrapped because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Australians were scheduled to play three one-dayers and three Twenty20 matches against England in July. But last week the England and Wales Cricket Board delayed the start of their season until July 1 at the earliest and players may need some warm-up cricket before returning to the international arena.

There has been speculation the tour could be delayed until September, but Warner was doubtful if it would go ahead. "At the moment it's highly unlikely we're going to go over there given what's happened in England," Warner told cricket.com.au. He said the fact British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been hospitalised with COVID-19 showed the gravity of the problem in the host nation.

"He's back up on his feet now and that's fantastic news, but there's a lot more to this than just sport being played," Warner added. Australia have already cancelled a two-Test tour of Bangladesh in June, and a limited-overs home series against Zimbabwe is also in doubt. Australia are due to host the Twenty20 World Cup in October-November, for which the International Cricket Council has said it is "exploring all options".

Cricket Australia is particularly keen to go ahead with a Test series against India due to be played after the T20 tournament, warning this month it could lose hundreds of millions of dollars if it were scrapped.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal could have a part of his three-year anti-corruption ban suspended when the judge heading the Cricket Board's disciplinary Panel gives out his detailed judgement soon, a source in the PCB has said.

After the hour-long hearing of the panel held on April Monday in Lahore, where Umar appeared himself to plead his case, Justice (retd) Miran Chohan announced a three-year ban on the batsman for failing to report corrupt approaches.

"People are jumping to conclusions about the three-year ban but the detailed order is yet to come out. Umar might eventually get a three-year ban with two years suspended or something like that," the source told PTI.

He said there are chances the judge will suspend most part of the three-year ban given the clauses under which Umar has been charged by the Anti-Corruption Unit and also given his past track record.
"Umar could get a suspended sentence in his three-year ban because this will also test him as an individual to see how he behaves and conducts himself in future," the source said.

"When majority part of a ban is suspended, the player has to be careful with his behaviour or he could end up being banned for the entire duration of the ban,¿ he explained.

Umar has the right to appeal against the panel decision 14 days after he gets a copy of the detailed judgement. His appeal will be heard by an independent adjudicator to be appointed by the board.

Two years ago, the Anti-Corruption Tribunal of the PCB, headed by Lt. General (retd) Tauqir Zia, had also banned Sharjeel Khan for five years with half of the sentence suspended, which allowed him to make a comeback in the Pakistan Super League 5 in February.

Umar was suspended from playing in the PSL 5 on February 20 by the PCB in the spot-fixing approach case.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Batting maestros Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli have made a cut to former Australia batter Michael Hussey's "Best Enemies XI" in Test cricket.

Hussey picked Sehwag and former South African captain Graeme Smith as openers in the batting line-up which consists stalwarts like Brian Lara, Tendulkar, Kohli, Jacques Kallis and Kumar Sangakkara.

The bowling unit included South Africans Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, England's James Anderson and legendary Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

The left-handed batsman, who played Test cricket for Australia from 2005 to 2013, however didn't included his former Chennai Super Kings teammate MS Dhoni.

"I wrestled with this one between Kumar Sangakkara, MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers. But I think the latter two have got more impact in the shorter formats T20s and ODI," Hussey said while picking the Best XI of opponents he has played against in Test cricket on "The Unplayable Podcast".

"Sangakkara had immense impact in Test cricket," he added.

Hussey played a total of 79 Tests, 185 ODIs and 38 T20Is in which he scored 6235, 5442 and 721 runs respectively.

Michael Hussey's 'Best of Enemies' XI: Virender Sehwag, Graeme Smith, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis, Kumar Sangakkara, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, James Anderson, Muttiah Muralitharan.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Pakistan's discarded wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal is keen for his disgraced younger brother Umar Akmal to learn from the conduct of India's three superstars -- Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar. Umar was banned by Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) panel for three years from all forms of cricket for his failure to report a corrupt approach. Over the years, Umar has had a number of issues which has left many following Pakistan cricket upset. "It has been a difficult time for us as a family with not just COVID-19, but with the situation around Umar. He can never be what the media says he did. He may have reported late, but PCB should deal with him like anyone else.

Cricket is our bread and butter. He has been dealt a very raw deal by the previous management (led by former coach Mickey Arthur). He needs a bit more support," Karman said on the Cow Corner Chronicles. The elder brother is therefore keen for his younger brother to learn and improve by observing India's superstars. "My advice for Umar is that he has to learn. If he has made a mistake, he must learn from others. We play together and our focus is only on cricket. He is still young. There are many distractions in life. But he must learn from say Virat Kohli. In the early days of IPL Virat was different and then he changed his attitude and approach. Look how he has turned into world's number one batsman. Then there is our own Babar Azam who is now in the top three in the world. "Then there are other examples like Dhoni. Look at the way he led his team.

Then Sachin paaji who was always away from controversies. These are fantastic examples before us. We should observe and learn from them. They only looked at the sport. Off the ground their behaviour was impeccable with their fans and they are fine ambassadors for the sport. We can only benefit from their examples. All this benefits our country as well just from looking at these guys, especially the current lot of Kohli, Babar Azam and Abid Ali," Kamran said. Kamran has played 53 Tests, 157 ODIs and 58 T20Is in his career that started in 2002. He last played for Pakistan in 2017 in the white ball format. During his career he has had a number of controversies both on and off the field. Most famously he had skirmishes with India's Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma. He clashed with Gambhir during the 2010 Asia Cup in Dambulla and later with Ishant during a Twenty20 International in Bengaluru in 2012-13. But Kamran says he has left all that behind and forgotten about it, as he referred to the Delhi pair as good friends. "It was all due to misunderstanding and happened due to the heat of the moment then. Gautam and I are good friends because we have played a lot in 'A' cricket. We meet regularly, have food together. It was all due to me not understanding what he said.

The same with Ishant in Bangalore. You know me I don't say much on the field. Both Gautam and Ishant are very good boys. We respect them and they respect us. What happens on the field, stays there," remarked Kamran. In recent times, Gambhir and Pakistan's retired former captain Shahid Afridi have had a number of social media tussles. Akmal believes Gambhir should forget all about the past. "Gautam should make a statement that brings the two teams and the two countries closer. I will never forget the warmth we got in 2005, 2007 and 2012 trips to India and vice versa. We should end this hostility and bring ourselves closer. We are drifting away from each other as teams and nations despite being similar in many ways. "We should be prepared to play in bilateral series. Either you come here or we come there. That is the only way to end this misunderstanding. Bringing up old topics will not solve any problems. Playing each other only in ICC events and Asia Cup is just not enough. We can build memories for a lifetime which everyon

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

e can talk about for a long time to come and get the two countries closer," Kamran said.

Looking to suck out every dollar available, cricket was suffering from an overkill and the Coronavirus-forced break should be used to introspect whether the game is heading in the right direction, says West Indies fast bowling great Michael Holding. The cricketer-turned-commentator personally believes hitting the pause button for a while was necessary amid excessive commercialisation of the sport. "Just use the pause to look within the game, to look at what has been happening with the administrators, with the players, and think: Are we heading in the right direction? Is everything okay with our game? Personally, I don't think so," Holding told ESPNcricinfo.

"Everybody has just been head-over-heels charging down the hill, looking for every dollar available. But can we just pause a bit, hit a plateau for a bit and sit down and look and see if everything is fine? There is too much cricket being played, for one." The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world to a standstill with sporting events around the globe have been postponed or cancelled. The hugely-popular IPL has been postponed indefinitely and the T20 World Cup, to be held later this year in Australia, is also under doubt.

The deadly disease has so far claimed around 2,18,000 lives with India accounting for more than 1000 deaths. Holding, nicknamed 'whispering death' for his quiet approach, said sooner or later the administrators will have to resume cricketing action and if needed, behind the closed doors.

"A lot of administrations figure that they have to play some form of the game to satisfy their broadcasters. Because if the broadcasters don't get what they pay for, they are going to demand their money back," said the Jamaican, who is an avid fan of horse racing and is currently locked down at Cayman Island. "So they have to try and play cricket behind closed doors, or whatever form they can get to play. I can't fault them for trying to do that."

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Australia have moved to the top of the Test and T20I rankings for men while England continue to lead the men's ODI rankings after the annual update carried out on Friday, which eliminates results from 2016-17. In the latest update, that rates all matches played since May 2019 at 100 per cent and those of the previous two years at 50 per cent, Australia (116) have taken over from India as the top-ranked side in the ICC men's Test team rankings with New Zealand (115) remaining in second place. India are now third with 114 points.

With only two points separating them, this is the second closest the top three teams have been since the Test rankings were launched in 2003. The closest for the top three teams were in January 2016, when India had led Australia and South Africa by a single point. India have yielded the top spot for the first time since October 2016. This is largely because India had won 12 Tests and lost just one Test in 2016-17, the records of which were removed in the latest update. They had won all five series during this period including against Australia and England.

On the other hand, Australia had lost to South Africa as well as to India in the same period. South Africa have suffered the biggest rating fall of eight points, which sees them drop below Sri Lanka into sixth place. They had won three series in the period culled, while they have lost eight of their nine Tests since February 2019, playing against Sri Lanka, India and England. India still lead the ICC World Test Championship, a league comprising six series played by each of the top nine Test sides.

In the ICC men's ODI team rankings, reigning World champions England (127) have increased their lead over India from six to eight points. New Zealand remain in third place, three points behind India, The top ten rankings remain unchanged. By contrast, the updated ICC Men's T20I team rankings see plenty of changes. Australia (278) top the list for the first time since the T20I rankings were introduced in 2011. Pakistan, who had overtaken New Zealand to reach top position in January 2018 and then spent 27 months there, are now fourth with 260 points.

England have moved into second position with 268 points while India are up one place to third, just two points behind. Afghanistan are down from seventh to tenth while Bulgaria are the biggest gainers, up 12 places to 51st in the 84-country list of teams that played the requisite six matches in the past three years.

When the global T20I rankings were launched 12 months ago, there were 80 ranked teams. Since then seven teams have joined the table (Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania and Turkey), while three countries (France, Isle of Man and France) have lost their rankings having played insufficient matches.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

India cricketer Rohit Sharma turned 33 yesterday and wife Ritika wrote him a sweet message accompanying this picture she Instagrammed to her 1.8 million followers:

Ritika Sajdeh wrote, “Happiest birthday to the one that makes me laugh till I can’t breathe, to my favourite travel companion, to my best friend, to the best dad, to the one that can’t sing even if his life depended on it. To the best I could ever wish for, happy birthday, Love you, Ro.” The post received a whopping 250,000-plus ‘likes’ within a few hours.  

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Happiest birthday to the one that makes me laugh till I can’t breathe, to my favourite travel companion, to my best friend, to the best dad, to the one that can’t sing even if his life depended on it. To the best I could ever wish for, happy birthday ❤️ love you Ro

A post shared by Ritika Sajdeh (@ritssajdeh) onApr 29, 2020 at 11:02pm PDT

Ritika Sajdeh and Rohit Sharma were dating for a few years after they met via a mutual friend in none other than Yuvraj Singh. Rohit and Ritika got married on December 13, 2015. Three years later, in 2018, they welcomed their child Samaira into the world.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Australia will not allow the use of saliva or sweat to shine the ball once cricket training resumes in the post COVID-19 world, says a framework released by the federal government regarding the staged return of sports amid the pandemic. There is speculation that use of saliva to shine the ball will be stopped to cut down the risk of the highly contagious infection with reports suggesting that the ICC is considering the possibility of allowing the use of artificial substances to polish the red ball under the supervision of umpires.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in consultation with medical experts, sporting bodies and federal and state governments, has come up with guidelines, restricting the use of saliva and sweat to shine the ball. The framework, which outlines a staged return to play, has three stages—Level A, Level B and Level C.

Currently, restrictions on sport are outlined as being at "Level A", which restricts all training except that of the individual kind. But in little more than a week from now, restrictions will be moved to "Level B" which will allow the following: "Nets—batters facing bowlers. Limit bowlers per net. Fielding sessions—unrestricted. No warm up drills involving unnecessary person-person contact. No shining cricket ball with sweat/saliva during training."

The third and final "Level C", to be permitted later in the year, is outlined as: "Full training and competition. No ball shining with sweat/saliva in training."

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

With so much of disarray caused in cricket scheduling by the Coronavirus, it's a time to expect the unexpected. And that includes some plans which appear far-fetched yet do-able. Probably, the cricket establishment worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic-caused chaos is Cricket Australia, who is scheduled to host October's T20 World Cup and a Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in the Australian summer of 2020-21. Not only has the India-Australia rivalry become the only second to the Ashes in terms of significance, but it is also a major money-spinner. It is safe to assume that no more virus-related threats to this summer's Border-Gavaskar Trophy will give the rulers of Australian cricket much hope to regain lost ground on the financial front.

Five-match Test series likely

A source in the know of cricket administration in Australia says that there could well be a five-Test match India v Australia series and an equal amount of ODI and T20 matches between the two nations. "The administrators here have it all planned. An Australian airline giant will step in to fly the Indian cricketers on a special flight. Social distancing norms will be maintained on board, ruling out all health threats to the players. Matches could be held in no more than two venues with no spectators in the stands of course," said a source. What happens to the Indian Premier League and the T20 World Cup dates? "From what I hear, the T20 World Cup will be held in February-March and India's tour of Australia for the five Tests and limited overs series will be staged from November to early January. The IPL will hopefully take place in the months of October to November," said the source.

Adelaide to host most games

It is learnt that the Australian authorities will propose to hold most matches at the Adelaide Oval, where a hotel is situated at the ground's premises. The Indian players will be extremely busy considering England are to tour India for a series which will be held on the Indian team's return from Australia.

India and Australia have not engaged in a five-Test battle on Australian soil since 1991-92 when the hosts won 4-0. Post the 1999-2000 Border-Gavaskar series which comprised three Tests, both countries have always engaged in a four-Test series Down Under.

India won their first Test series in Australia in January 2019 while Australia have not won a Test series in India since 2004-05.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

India cricket captain Virat Kohli had a low-key birthday celebration for his actor wife Anushka Sharma, who turned 32 on Friday.

Virat, who has been vocal about how his wife inspires him to fight it out during tough times, shared a picture with his 56.1 million followers on Instagram and wrote: "You my love bring light into this world. And you light up my world everyday. I love you." The post received 4,840,33 'likes' as of Sunday morning.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

You my love bring light into this world. And you light up my world everyday. I love you ❤️

A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) onMay 1, 2020 at 7:01am PDT

Meanwhile, the couple has shared some of their cute moments with fans on social media like Anushka giving a haircut to Virat, urging people to stay at home during lockdown or enjoying a game of Monopoly with family members.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is deeply saddened and intimidated by the devastation caused because of the COVID-19 pandemic and has equated the unprecedented crisis to playing a Test match on a dangerous wicket. The decorated former player opened up on life under lockdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic that has claimed over 2.40 lakh lives across the world while infecting more than 34 lakh people. "This situation is a Test match on a very dangerous wicket. The ball is seaming and spinning as well - the batsman has very little margin of error," Ganguly said while speaking on '100 Hours 100 Stars', an initiative started by Fever Network.

"So, the batsman has to score runs and keep his wicket safe with this little margin of error, and win this Test match," he added. A winner of innumerable fierce battles during his playing days when there was no dearth of fearsome fast bowlers and quality spinners, Ganguly was tempted to draw a parallel between the tough moments in the sport and the health crisis. "This is very difficult, but we hope that we will win this match together," he added. Ganguly expressed his sadness at the number of lives lost in the pandemic and the irreparable damage that it has caused. "I am really upset seeing the current situation, because so many people are suffering outside. We are still struggling to understand how to stop this pandemic," he said. "This atmosphere all over the world has really bothered me. We don't know how, when and where it came from - we all were unprepared for this," he added. Not just upset, Ganguly conceded he cannot help feeling a big scared of what's unfolding because of the disease. "People are being affected by this so much. There have been so many deaths. This situation upsets me, and I also feel scared," he said.

"People come to my house to deliver groceries, food, so I feel a little scared as well. So it's a mixed feeling. I just want this to end as quickly as possible," he added, He said cricket has taught him to face tough situations in life and the importance of staying alert at all times. Asked how he keeps himself positive, the former captain said: "Cricket has taught me a lot. I faced real life, high-pressure situations. You have to make runs and there is just one ball left. "If you make one wrong move, one wrong footwork, you will not get another chance. These kind of situations make you alert and aware about real life situations," he said. The BCCI chief, though, also added that he is getting to spend a lot of time with his family after a long time. "It's been a month into the lockdown. I didn't mind it earlier. Earlier, I wouldn't get time at home like this. My lifestyle involved travelling for work everyday. "For the past 30-32 days, I have been at home with my family, spending time with my wife, daughter, my mother and my brother. "I have got a time like this after long, so I am enjoying myself," he said.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir feels that Rohit Sharma has made of an impact in white ball cricket as compared to Virat Kohli despite the Indian skipper's staggering statistics in shorter formats. Gambhir however, believes that Kohli will end up scoring more runs than Rohit. "For me, white ball cricket is all about impact. Kohli will end up getting many more runs than Rohit, and Kohli is among the greatest right now but Rohit has an edge over Kohli because of the impact he has," Gambhir said on Sports Tak, according to the India Today website.

Record-breaking stuff
"I think Rohit is the best white ball cricketer in the world right now. He is not the greatest overall but at the moment he is the best. He is the only player to have hit three ODI double hundreds, five World Cup hundreds [in one edition] and he is also the only player, who if he gets past the 100-run mark, makes people feel that he missed a double century [if he gets out]." Comparing Kohli and Rohit further, the 2011 World Cup winner said, "It is very difficult to compare them. Virat is unbelievable. His stats prove that. But when your reputation is such that when you get out after a hundred, people say he has missed out on a double hundred, that speaks volumes about you."

Virat Kohli. Pics/AFP

Rohit, 33, has 9115 runs from 224 ODIs at an average of 49.27 at a strike rate of 88.92. He has 29 hundreds and 43 fifties. In T20Is, Rohit has 2273 runs from 108 matches at an average of 32.62 and a strike rate of 138.78. Kohli, 31, meanwhile, has 11,867 runs from 248 ODIs at 59.33 and a strike rate of 93.25. He has scored 43 centuries and 58 half centuries. Kohli has 2794 runs from 82 T20Is at an average of 50.80 and a strike rate of 138.24.Gambhir felt that former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had a key role to play in supporting Rohit and now it was time for Kohli and Rohit should groom youngsters in the current Indiah team in the same way.

'Groom youngsters now'
"Rohit is the prime example of how a player's fortunes can turn around if he is nurtured by the seniors. I hope the young cricketers in the current generation, be it Shubman Gill or Sanju Samson, they also get the similar kind of support. And now when Rohit is a senior, I expect him to back youngsters."

Gautam Gambhir

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma recently had a candid chat with former Australian pacer Brett Lee about what he’s doing in order to keep himself busy during the lockdown on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected. Rohit Sharma went on to address the issue of space in Mumbai on streets as well as houses. Rohit said, "I wish I had enough place to play indoor cricket, but unfortunately in Mumbai, the place is very secluded, and you have to stick to your apartment. We are not as lucky as you guys where you have your own backyard to play."

"In Mumbai, it’s very expensive to get your own house where you have your own backyard. I live in an apartment and I am lucky to have a little balcony where I can run around and do some activities that my trainer has given me. I am trying to follow whatever little I can. Hopefully, the gyms will open soon, and I can go there," Rohit added.

"But I am missing hitting the ball, that’s for sure. As you know, I like to hit big, so space is not enough. I just can’t wait to go out there and start hitting the ball."

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Rohit Sharma is also the captain for the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians and has won a record 4 IPL titles with the team.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news