YouTube is becoming more than just a great ally during the Coronavirus-caused lockdown. On Friday, ace cricket statistician Mohandas Menon stumbled upon something that could force a change in the record books if dug deeper.

Menon happened to watch a Pathe Films news clip of the 1936-37 Ashes Test in Brisbane, where Gubby Allen’s Englishmen were in early trouble against Don Bradman’s Australia on a sticky wicket.

Arthur Fagg, who came in at the fall of TS Worthington’s wicket, is seen being caught by a short midwicket fielder. However, in the scorecard of that Test, Fagg is mentioned as caught behind by Bert Oldfield off Ernest McCormick for four.

Worthington departed, caught by Oldfield off the first ball in the Test.

Arthur Fagg

“While watching the 1936/37 #Ashes series - the 1st Test at Brisbane (4 Dec 1936), I find that England’s Arthur Fagg in the first innings was caught by a fielder at short mid-wicket and not by wicketkeeper Bert Oldfield. But all sources since then, ie in the last 83-and-a-half years have recorded it in the scorebooks as ‘caught Oldfield’. Time to change this error,” wrote Menon on his Facebook page. When this writer asked Menon what made him compare the footage to the scorecard, he replied: “Usually, when I watch old film clippings, I keep the scorecard ready so I can match the unknown players who are batting, bowling or fielding.”

There is a small possibility that the producers of the newsreel may have got the batsman wrong and the scorecard is right, but with Australians being no slouches when it comes to digging up archives (one Aussie recently found coloured footage of Bradman’s last competitive game at the Sydney Cricket Ground in February 1949 in his garage), this case is worth digging up. If the footage is right, will there be a change in Oldfield’s 130 Test dismissals?

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Binge watching has become the most common activity in the Coronavirus-forced lockdown. Mumbai's India all-rounder Shivam Dube is no different than the rest but his choice is rather unusual.

Dube, 26, who was drafted in the Indian team in place of injured Hardik Pandya (India v Bangladesh T20I series in November 2019), has been watching India's World Cup title campaigns spearheaded by MS Dhoni, for motivation.

India lifted the inaugural World T20 trophy in 2007 and the 50-over World Cup in 2011. "To keep my mindset healthy, I am watching India's two World Cup titles. They inspire me and provide me a pathway for what I can do for my country in the future. It keeps me motivated," Dube told Sunday mid-day on Saturday.

All-rounder Shivam Dube (right) with father Rajesh, mother Madhuri and sister Pooja at their Andheri East residence on Saturday

"I watched the 2011 ODI World Cup final many times because I am confident India can do it again [in 2023]. I also watched the T20 World Cup games several times. I think India are the best team in any format. I am sure we can win these two World Cups again," said Dube, who has featured in 13 T20Is and one ODI. Dube is working hard on his fitness at his Andheri East home. He was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the last IPL, where he scored 40 runs in four games. He was looking forward to playing the IPL again but it has been indefinitely suspended.

"I am missing everything of the IPL. It's difficult but we don't have a choice. We have to stay home and fight the virus," remarked Dube. But there are positives: "I am with my family after a long time, so I am helping my mother, father and sister as much as I can with household chores. I sometimes help my mother with cooking and cleaning. This also helps in bonding."

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Educating about the importance of face mask, Indian cricketers- both men and women- on Saturday came together in a video, making an appeal to fellow countrymen to use a home mask and join the 'team mask force'. Wearing a facial mask for anyone stepping out was made compulsory in Delhi on April 8. Several other states had also made wearing maks compulsory as coronavirus in the country continues to rage. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video in which cricketers were urging people to wear a homemade mask.

The video features the likes of former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Indian captain Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Mithali Raj, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Rahul Dravid. At the end of the video, Tendulkar also reminded everyone to wash hands at least for 20 seconds and practice social distancing.

#TeamIndia is now #TeamMaskForce!

Join #IndiaFightsCorona and download @mygovindia's @SetuAarogya mobile application 📱@PMOIndia @narendramodi 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/M06okJhegt

— BCCI (@BCCI) April 18, 2020

Meanwhile, according to the Union Health Ministry, a total of 14,378 people have tested positive for the infection so far in the country and 480 deaths have been reported from across the country due to the coronavirus till now.

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Bollywood actor Athiya Shetty seems to have found the perfect day to make her relationship with India cricketer KL Rahul official on social media as he turned 28 on Saturday. She shared the picture with her 2.3 million Instagram followers along with a white heart emoji and wrote: "Happy birthday, my person. @rahulkl." To which, Rahul replied with three heart emojis.

 

 

 

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happy birthday, my person ðŸ¤Â @rahulkl

A post shared by Athiya Shetty (@athiyashetty) onApr 18, 2020 at 12:59am PDT

Rahul's friend Hardik Pandya commented: "Hay," while tennis star Sania Mirza wrote: "Awee" along with two heart emojis.

Rumours about them seeing each other began last year after the cricketer posted an adorable picture, recreating a scene of Athiya's dad Suneil Shetty's film, Hera Pheri and captioned it: "Hello, Devi Prasad?"

 

 

 

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Hello, devi prasad....?

A post shared by KL Rahul👑 (@rahulkl) onDec 27, 2019 at 10:15pm PST

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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.

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Cricket is rightly considered as a religion in India and is the most celebrated sport in the country. Whoever makes a career in cricket has one longing wish to play for the country and Indian cricketers rightly inspire with their story and innumerable achievements. With a dream to become a cricketer since childhood, Jeel Pareshbhai Gajipara grew up looking at his hero Mahendra Singh Dhoni's journey as a sportsperson. Gajipara born on October 24, 2001, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat is a notable name in the cricket. Since his school, he was fascinated by the sport after which he decided to make become a cricketer.

Currently, he is pursuing his B.Com from GLS University. The young and good looking guy also loves to do modeling. However, he considers cricket as his only passion in life. He has played for both domestic as well as international tournaments. He has played for many tournaments from Nepal, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, and Hyderabad. The batsman has also created many records for himself including his smashing batting of 97 runs from 32 deliveries for the Mumbai domestic team. Some of his other best scores include 136 runs in 67 deliveries, 116 runs in 71 deliveries and 177 runs in 122 deliveries respectively.

These batting scores totally show his love for the sport and prove that he is here to stay. His hard work and passion for cricket will one day surely fulfill his dream. Calling MS Dhoni as his idol, Jeel has a dream of playing for India and be successful as the former Indian skipper. "Before playing for India, I want to play in the IPL (Indian Premier League)", he quoted. For his achievements, Jeel was also featured in a Gujarati newspaper and had his interview on E24 news channel. The young blood's journey is commendable and we hope to see him play for the Indian Cricket Team one day.

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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.

 

 

 

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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.

 

 

 

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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.

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Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar made a stunning claim, saying he would have taken Wasim Akrams life if the latter made an approach regarding match-fixing.

"I was watching few matches of the 1990s and I was amazed to see how Wasim Akram got Pakistan through impossible situations with his brilliant bowling," Cricket Pakistan quoted Akhtar as saying during a television show.

"I will say it very clearly that if Wasim Akram had asked me to do match-fixing, I would have destroyed him or even kill him. But he never said such a thing to me," he added.

The Rawalpindi Express also thanked Akram for supporting him during the early days of his cricketing career.

"I played with him for seven to eight years and I can quote many instances where he gave me cover by taking the responsibility of picking up the top-order wickets while leaving the tail-enders for me," said the 44-year-old.

"He even let me bowl from my preferred bowling even though he had a lot more wickets that I did," he added. Akhtar represented Pakistan in 46 Tests, 163 ODIs and 15 T20Is in which he scalped 178, 247 and 19 wickets respectively. Akram, on the other hand, played 104 Tests and 356 ODIs in which he bagged 414 and 502 wickets respectively.

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Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar recalled a hilarious incident which ended up with his former teammate Mohammed Kaif getting a new nickname. The Master Blaster was referring to an incident that took place recently in the first match of Road Safety Series against West Indies XI.

Tendulkar stated that Kaif was giving his all in the field despite being 39 and that prompted others to caution him that it is the first match of the tournament and there is still a long way to go.

"We had to tell Kaif to be cautious. We nicknamed him 'bhai sahab, bhai sahab, thoda sambhalke.' It's the first match of the tournament and there are a lot of matches to be played," Tendulkar said in a video uploaded on 100 MB YouTube channel.

"What if you pull a hamstring or something. It (diving and fielding quickly) comes naturally to him. He thinks if you are fit, you continue doing those things. He was a really fit guy. He was an outstanding fielder in team," he added.

Kaif was regarded as one of the finest fielders ever to don the iconic blue jersey. He, along with Yuvraj Singh, marshalled the cover-point area with great aplomb in an era where fielding wasn't Team India's strongest suit.

Despite his incredible fielding skills, Kaif is fondly remembered by almost every Indian cricket fan for his Man of the Match performance in the Natwest Trophy final against England at Lord's in 2002.

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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.

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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.

Former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq believes the difference between India and Pakistan teams during his playing days was that Indian players played for themselves while Pakistani players played for the team.

"When we played against India, their batting was more powerful than us on paper. But even our batsmen scored 30 or 40 runs, it was for the team, but for India, even if they scored 100 runs, they played for themselves," Inzamam said during the chat show with Ramiz Raja on YouTube.

"So, that was the difference between the two sides," he added.

Inzamam, who represented the national team in 120 Tests, 378 ODIs and 1 T20I between 1991 to 2007, played at a time when Pakistan used to dominate India on the cricket field.

However, in recent times, the tables have turned with India having an upper hand over their Asian neighbours.

Overall, Pakistan and India have played 59 Tests, 132 ODIs and 8 T20Is against each other in which India have won 9, 55 and 6 matches respectively while Pakistan have emerged victorious in 12, 73 and 1 games respectively.

When it comes to 50-over World Cup, India have won all the seven matches they have played against Pakistan. In T20 World Cup, India have won four out of five matches against Pakistan while the remaining one yielded no result.

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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.

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Veteran India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Thursday said the current Indian team lacks a match-winner down the order and is too dependent on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

"This team is too dependent on Virat and you (Rohit). After Virat and you are gone, we lose 70 percent of the matches. Lower down the order few (players are there who can) win matches," Harbhajan said during an Instagram chat with India limited overs vice-captain Rohit.

"During our time, we had the trust that someone will make runs even after top three is out, taaki match na nikal jaaye haath se (match does not slip out of our hands). This is one area I think this team can work on. You need to find more match-winners," said Harbhajan, India's third highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.

"Like you (Rohit) had great World Cup (2019). But one had a great World Cup and we reach the semi-finals. Had we got three who did well in the World Cup, we could have won"

The ace offie, who helped India win the 2011 50-over World Cup, also heaped praise on K.L. Rahul saying he is another match-winner besides Virat and Rohit and can bat anywhere in the order.

"Apart from you (Rohit) and Virat, K.L. Rahul is a real match-winner. He can play at No. 5, No. 6 and can open as well," said the Turbanator, as he is fondly called.

Harbhajan also urged the team management to give longer ropes to players who can then express themselves better.

"They play well in the IPL but I don't see them playing like that for the national team. They are a totally different player in IPL. I think they are scared of their place being gone. If you give them a run of 9-10 games, they have a better chance to succeed," said the 39-year old.

"Same in Tests also. The team won in Australia we played well in India too. But in New Zealand you (Rohit) were injured, Prithvi Shaw was brought back which is a good thing. My concern is someone like Shubman Gill..he was in team from before. Now Rohit is a successful Test opener. But Gill...if he is not playing it is not healthy for him and the team as well. So he has to get a chance. It is not just for Gill I am saying."

Harbhajan also said it is good to see Shreyas Iyer doing well at No. 4 and the team management has done well by giving him a long rope.

On M.S. Dhoni making a comeback to the Indian team, he said: "When I was in Chennai Super Kings camp, people asked me about Dhoni. I don't know its upto him. You need to know whether he wants to play for India again.

"As far as I know him, he won't want to wear India blue again. IPL he will play but for India I think he had decided World Cup (2019) was his last."

Harbhajan, who now plays for CSK but has also turned out for Mumbai Indians, said while the former are a chilled out unit under Dhoni, the pressure of expectation is there in MI.

"It is a chilled out setup here. MI... we were under pressure that you need to win. There was pressure of expectation always."

Harbhajan also named the likes of Jacques Kallis, Mathew Hayden, Brian Lara, Younis Khan, and Inzamam-ul-Haq as the foreign batters he found it tough against.

As far as the best spinners are concerned, he named Nathan Lyon, Muttiah Muralitharan, Graeme Swann and Saqlain Mushtaq among those that come to his mind.

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West Indies cricketers haven't received their match fees since January as Cricket West Indies (CWI) seem to be struggling to generate funds amid coronavirus pandemic which has stalled the game.

According to a report published in ESPNcricinfo, international West Indies men players have not been paid their match fee for the Ireland series at home and the subsequent tour of Sri Lanka in February-March.

Meanwhile, international women players of the country are owed match fees for the four matches they played in the Women's T20 World Cup held in February-March.

"Cricket West Indies is facing a tough time financially," CWI chief executive officer Johnny Grave told ESPNcricinfo. "Whilst all of our contracted players have received their salaries and allowances, and some players have received prize money and match fees, there is still money that is outstanding and we are trying to settle these player payments as a priority."

"We are two months behind making match fee payments," he added.

West Indies players' association secretary Wayne Lewis revealed players have been receiving their allowance salaries but not their match fees.

"The players who are contracted, their monthly salary (and allowances) are up-to-date," Lewis said. "The problem we are having is the retained players in the regional first-class competition have not been paid their match fees for the eight rounds that have been played so far."

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has also pointed out that it will become increasingly difficult for cricket board across the world to continue giving salaries to players and staff if matches are not held in the near future.

"Cricket fans are starved now and the coronavirus pandemic has brought life to a standstill but I don't think cricket boards can survive for long like this. They can't continue to pay out salaries and expenses without having cricket activities it would be disastrous for them," Raja said in a video uploaded on his Youtube channel.

"I would also urge the Pakistan Cricket Board to think on these lines and hold talks with other boards to see how cricket activities can be resumed even behind closed doors."

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Across the 22 yards for 24 years, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar almost single-handedly captivated the beautiful game of cricket. Be it in his debut match against Pakistan on November 15, 1989, to his swansong at the Wankhede Stadium in 2013, the legend from Mumbai became an image of inspiration, an idol of reverence and a man of honour! It was Tendulkar who was solely responsible to transform the game into a religion in a land of diverse faiths and beliefs. The game eventually grew richer with chants of ‘Sachin Sachin’ reverberating across every venue worldwide as SRT soon became a phenomenon that would only grow stronger.

To celebrate a glorious career on the Little Master’s 47th birthday on Friday, April 24th, 2020, Star Sports, India’s leading broadcaster, has lined up a day-long list of programmes that would make any Sachin or cricket fan salivate. From his historic innings on his debut as an opener in ODIs, to his last interview at the Wankhede weeks after he played his final match, get ready to walk down memory lane with the best of Sachin Tendulkar!

2003 India vs Pakistan World Cup match – When Sachin Tendulkar tamed the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar

It seems only yesterday, but it’s been 17 years since Tendulkar’s iconic 98 guided Team India to yet another victory over Pakistan at the Centurion on March 1, 2003. Pakistan captain Waqar Younis called it right at the toss on that fateful day and opted to bat. Bombastic opener Saeed Anwar’s scintillating century powered Pakistan to 273 for 7 which was a formidable target in those days.

Then came an epic chase where Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar opened the innings for Team India. After a few nervy moves, Tendulkar smashed Wasim Akram past cover for a boundary. What was special about that shot was Tendulkar’s footwork, a backfoot punch that was pure class! Sehwag too got into the act and launched a few lusty blows before being dismissed for 21 off 14. Up came Mohammad Kaif, who turned out to be the perfect partner for Tendulkar. Despite suffering a bout of cramps, Tendulkar stitched a 100-run partnership, with Kaif scoring 31, as the duo put Team India in total control. Tendulkar’s cramps became unbearable and Sehwag soon was called to be his runner, but it was short-lived as he ended up on 98 in what was a valiant innings decorated with 12 boundaries and a six. India won that match by 6 wickets and Tendulkar received his Man of the Match award. It’s been more than a decade, but the discussions still exist! Watch this entire match from 11 AM IST.

Following an exciting contest, viewers can get a chance to understand what was going on in Sachin’s mind as he doles tales about his retirement in a special interview shot at the Wankhede Stadium weeks after his final match. Watch this interview from 6.30 PM.

Sachin open's again! Revisit his iconic debut opening in ’94 against New Zealand

A stunning tactical move by then captain Mohammad Azharuddin to promote Sachin Tendulkar to open the innings along with Ajay Jadeja led to a significant turning point in the Master Blaster’s career. The day: March 27, 1994. It was in the 5th match of the series against New Zealand in Auckland when Azhar pulled off a stunning move and asked Tendulkar to open because India's regular opener Navjot Sidhu had a stiff neck. The rest is history! Tendulkar took the Kiwi bowling attack - Danny Morrison and Chris Pringle to the cleaners, as he smashed 82 off 49 balls, with a whopping 15 boundaries and 2 sixes to his credit. Team India won the match by 7 wickets with 160 balls to spare. Watch highlights of this memorable knock at 7 PM IST.

.@sachin_rt knows a thing or two about staying 'not out' - just what you need to do during this #Lockdown!#StayHome, stay safe, celebrate the legend's birthday with us on Star Sports.#CricketConnected pic.twitter.com/Nz41o8gkEC

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 24, 2020

Celebrate Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday on 24th April from 11 am onwards only on Star Sports

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India limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma wants his team to win at least two out of the next three World Cups and says the management is making a conscious effort to give young players adequate chances to prove themselves. Rohit spoke his mind in an Instagram live session with former India spinner Harbhajan Singh.

"My personal aim is that we as a team should be able to win at least two World Cups out of three coming up," he said referring to the T20 World Cup in 2020 and 2021 and 50-over World Cup in 2023.

India have not won a global event since the 2013 Champions Trophy. Rohit had hit a record five hundred in the 2019 World Cup but India could not go beyond the semi-finals. "Probably, if we did not lose wickets in that opening half-hour [against New Zealand], we could have won the game. Those 10 overs were really important," said Rohit, recalling India's batting collapse in the all-important semi-finals.

In the recent past, India have tried many players in the middle-order but that department still looks unsettled, though Shreyas Iyer has emerged as a solid No. 4. "We keep talking about backing players in the team so that they can cement their places. There is a lot of pressure on captain and coach to pick the players and back them.

"It is important to give them enough chances. We have heard about how dada [Sourav Ganguly] backed you [Harbhajan] and Yuvi [Yuvraj Singh]. How they backed you and then you delivered. The same way we should do it, the process is on. Whoever is being backed at the moment will get adequate chances." Rohit recollected the time when he got into the Indian team. "When you don't get a consistent run, the player's confidence is hit. It happened with me also. It depends on the individual how he utilises that opportunity.

"We should back the players till the time you are absolutely sure that he is not in the scheme of things in the long run," he said.

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The ICC T20 World Cup (Oct 18 to Nov 15 in Australia) is under threat of getting postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

mid-day has learnt that the ICC, along with Cricket Australia (CA), is exploring a possible date in December to host the mega event. It is also good news for the BCCI, which is keen to hold the IPL in Oct-Nov as no international cricket is planned.

Australia has banned international travellers for six months, which is likely to end mid-September. 
However, it remains to be seen what quarantine guidelines the Australian government will issue.

Monumental task

If the outbreak causes havoc again, it will be a monumental task to quarantine 15 national teams (apart from hosts Australia), scores of fans and other support staff who will converge Down Under.

As of now, it is understood that efforts are on to hold the T20 World Cup this year itself as India is set to host another T20 World Cup next year. In such a scenario, India’s much-awaited tour to Australia in December is likely to take a hit.

Australia might have to take a tricky call. Hosting the T20 World Cup will mean the bulk of revenue will be shared with ICC. But if they manage to host India, which they eagerly want to, the entire revenue will directly go into CA coffers.

IPL franchises in the know

Meanwhile, mid-day has learnt that some franchises have sounded out their players about a possible IPL in October-November if the T20 World Cup is postponed.

The BCCI has already charted out contingency plans of holding the IPL in different scenarios—30 playing days, restricted venues and behind closed doors.

“IPL is an important tournament not just for the BCCI but also for other boards. They make money just by releasing their players. In times when the resumption of bilateral cricket is under a cloud, IPL provides a silver lining for cricket to get back on track,” said a source.

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Pakistan's top female cricket star and former captain Sana Mir retired from international cricket on Saturday and sports lovers from the country have showered honours on her achievements in the game.

The 34-year-old Mir announced her retirement after 14 years in cricket which she was honoured as one of the most successful female spin bowlers in ODIs cricket history, reported Xinhua news agency.

Sana Mir took to Instagram to share a heartfelt post about her retirement.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

For all my fans and cricket lovers, words fall short when I want to thank all of you for your love, support and encouragement you extended in the past 15 years. It has been an honour to serve Pakistan in cricket and to wear the green Jersey with absolute pride. It is time for me to move on. In sha Allah the service will continue in essence in a different form. Pakistan Zindabad. 💚🏏🇵🇰

A post shared by Sana Mir (@mir.sana05) onApr 25, 2020 at 2:18am PDT

Mir said in a statement that it was an honour for her to serve Pakistan and she has retired with absolute pride, adding, "words fall short when I want to thank you all for the love, support and encouragement in the past".

Here are some of the fan reactions on Instagram as well as Twitter.

aqsa_javed__ - I'll miss you my inspiration for sure thankyou for motivating me and yeah you have set a very high goal for every girl out there. Thankyou for making Pakistan so proud. Pakistan zindabad

saboora1532 - Sana you are the biggest inspiration for all of us ...We love you ... Your hard work and your passion has made so many people to rethink over the fate of Pakistani girls in cricket... Thank you And God Bless You

omama__siddiqui - Thankkkkk you for whatever you did for Pakistan and cricket for those great and wonderful 15 years!!! You deserve all the love, support, and appreciation for being an amazing, strong, and courageous woman. Stay happy and loved for the rest of your life You have been an extraordinary inspiration for thousands of women around the world. Thank you for being SANA MIR!!!!!

ovaisfazal7
Thank you for your services. You will be missed on the field. But your passion and dedication for the game have left a deep impact on how women are perceived in sports. LEGEND!!! May Allah guide and bless you in all your endeavours. Ameen

i_am_muhammadusman - I wish you best of luck for your future endeavours, Miss Sana Mir. We are proud of you. Thanks for your services for the country.

amalmurtaza - Congratulations and all the very best for whatever comes your way! You are Pakistan’s pride and our family’s too mA!

A fan named Adil Tasawar said on Twitter, "when we talk about Pakistan women cricket, one person first in our mind she is Sana Mir, thank you Sana you give honour and dignity."

Another fan named Shamilo paid tribute, saying, "Sana Mir truly changed the course of women's cricket, became the first household name in the women's game. That in and of itself is an achievement, but she also helped create a legacy of players behind her."

Four years after her appearance at the international level cricket, Mir took the reins of Pakistan women team as captain and played a vital role to lift the team's international ranking. She led Pakistan team to win gold medals from the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games.

Inputs from IANS

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Jasprit Bumrah has risen rapidly to become one of the leading fast bowlers in the world but he says many thought that he would be the "last person to play for India" given his unusual bowling action. The Indian pacer made this revelation during a live session on Instagram with former India batsman Yuvraj Singh.

"Many people told me that I won't play for long, there was an expectation that the last person to play for the country would be me," said Bumrah when Yuvraj asked him about his high-arm bowling action. "They told me that I would just play one or two Ranji Trophy games, that it (the action) is difficult for the body. But I kept on improving and I persisted with my action," said the 26-year-old, who made his India debut in January 2016 following his exploits in the IPL. Bumrah, without taking names, also revealed the inspiration behind his action. "I have not taken special coaching and whatever I have learnt is from seeing the TV. I used to replicate the action of a tennis ball bowler. "I don't know when this action was developed.

Till under-19, I had a different action. That used to change, but when this action got developed, then nobody allowed me to change it and I worked on it," he said. Bumrah has gone on to play 64 ODIs, 50 T20s and 14 Tests for the country since breaking into the side. He made his Test debut in January 2018 and in quick time, became Virat Kohli's go to bowler even in the five-day format. "...I value Test cricket as we have to work hard for every wicket and it's satisfying. Every Test is important for me, even though I haven't played (a Test) in India, I'm waiting (for it)," he said. During the chat, Yuvraj reminded Bumrah that he had predicted that the pacer would go on to become the "number one bowler in the world". And he did in 2017 when he reached the top spot in the T20 rankings.

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Temperamental Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal was on Monday banned for three years by the PCB for failing to report corrupt approaches ahead of the country's premier T20 league this year. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had suspended the 29-year-old in February pending an anti-corruption investigation by its disciplinary panel.

The PCB charged him for two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of its Anti-Corruption Code in two unrelated incidents in February this year ahead of the Pakistan Super League -- a T20 event also featuring international cricketers. Akmal had decided against appealing against the charges last month. "Umar Akmal handed three-year ban from all cricket by Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel Mr Justice (retired) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan," read a tweet from the official handle of the PCB's media department.

Akmal was suspended hours before his PSL team Quetta Gladiators was to take on Islamabad in the opening match of the 2020 edition. Reacting to the ban imposed on him, former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja said time has come to criminalise match-fixing. "So Umar Akmal officially makes it to the list of idiots! Banned for 3 years. What a waste of a talent! It's high time that Pakistan moved towards passing a legislative law against match fixing. Behind bars is where such jack asses belong! Otherwise brave for more!!"

Raja tweeted. Akmal is the younger brother of former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal, who played 53 Tests, 58 T20s, and 157 ODIs for Pakistan, and cousin of current captain Babar Azam. Akmal, who last played for Pakistan in October, has featured in 16 Tests, 121 ODIs and 84 T20s, scoring 1003, 3194 and 1690 runs respectively. Akmal promised a lot after making a hundred in New Zealand on his Test debut, but failed to live up to the high expectations that came with some fine performances early in his career. Constant run-ins with the authorities also marred his stop-start career. Akmal had earlier escaped a PCB ban in February for allegedly making crude remarks to a trainer during a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

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Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja has welcomed PCBs decision to ban Umar Akmal on corruption charges, saying the batsman has officially made it to the "list of idiots" and that people like him should be put in jail.

Umar has been banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board from all forms of cricket for three years after pleading guilty to failing to report match-fixing approaches.

"So, Umar Akmal officially makes it to the list of idiots! Banned for three years. What a waste of a talent! It's high time that Pakistan moved towards passing a legislative law against match fixing. Behind bars is where such jack a**** belong! Otherwise brave for more!!" Raza said in a tweet.

PCB informed about the ban imposed on Akmal on Monday on Twitter and said: "Umar Akmal handed three-year ban from all cricket by Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel Mr Justice (retired) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan."

Umar, who has played 16 Tests, 121 ODIs and 84 T20Is for Pakistan, had earlier stated in an interview that he was offered money to skip matches against India. He had also revealed that he was asked to leave two deliveries in a match by the bookies.

"I was once offered $200,000 for leaving two deliveries. I was also offered to skip matches against India," Akmal was quoted as saying by GeoTv.

Umar's brother Kamran reacted to the three-year ban, saying that he was shocked to hear the decision.

"We will reach out to every platform for justice and will definitely exercise our right to appeal," Kamran was quoted as saying by GeoTv, adding that there are instances when punishments of lower degrees were allotted for similar charges.

"It is incomprehensible that why Umar Akmal is penalised so severely," he objected, adding that a detailed decision is awaited in this regard.

Umar had not requested for a hearing before the Anti-Corruption Tribunal after he was charged for two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code in two unrelated incidents.

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The coronavirus outbreak has brought the world to a standstill and sporting events across the globe have either been cancelled or suspended. And former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has said that with the way things are going, live sporting action may return only after another 4-5 months.

"The way things are going we might not be able to see any live sport for maybe 4-5 months. That's gonna be tough not just on the current players but also those who follow sport," Gavaskar told India Today.

"There are so many fans of different sports, for them to be able to only look at the old action after a time it gets boring, for nostalgia you can go back and see what happened earlier but actually you wanna see live sport be it on television or ground and for that not being able to be seen till September that's a worrying thing and I am pretty certain that the officials of all the sports are planning plan a, b, c to get over this period of uncertainty," Gavaskar explained.

While there have been talks of holding an IPL behind closed doors, Gavaskar said that it should be the last option.

"I think that's gonna be absolutely the last resort otherwise you know when you can't have absolutely anyone at the ground only then you should play without crowds.

"Every performer likes to perform in front of a crowd which appreciates the skills and temperament. Same in theatre. So i think it's not going to be easy on the performers as well. Players also want to do the high fives and hugs."

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Former Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal is still not over the disappointment of missing Sachin Tendulkar's wicket in the lost 2011 World Cup semifinal against India and is now deriving solace from English umpire Ian Gould's recent assertion that the iconic batsman was indeed out. Tendulkar, who made crucial 85 runs in the semifinal at Mohali, was on 23 when Gould ruled him out LBW off Ajmal. But third umpire Billy Bowden, after a review, overturned the decision.

Gould, who served on the ICC's elite panel of umpires, recently said that he would stands by his decision of giving Tendulkar out. Recalling the incident, Ajmal, now 42, said, "It was straight in front and I was 100 percent sure he was out. Shahid Afridi, Kamran, Wahab and other players asked me was he (Tendulkar) out and I told them he is gone." He said he was heart-broken after the third umpire ruled Tendulkar not out. "I never got a chance to bowl to him in a Test so whenever I played against him in white ball cricket I always wanted to do my best. "More disappointing was that we lost the semifinal and it is obvious that Tendulkar's 85 runs made all the difference," he said on a television channel," he said.

"Even today, the third umpire's decision baffles me. Maybe luck was with him that day and he went on play such a crucial innings for his team," said Ajmal who played 35 Tests between 2009 and 2014, taking 178 wickets. He also took 183 wickets in 113 ODIs and 85 in 64 T20 Internationals. Ajmal said Gould was upset after his decision was overturned by the third umpire. The off-spinner's career, however, came to an unceremonious end after a tour of Bangladesh. His bowling action was reported in 2014 and he could not cope with the subsequent modification and retired in 2017.

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Australia batsman Chris Lynn feels that the T20 World Cup should not go ahead as planned this year in the country as it would be a logistical nightmare to arrange for the visiting teams amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking to 'Fox Sports', the 30-year-old said that administrators would do well to accept the enormity of the crisis, which has claimed over 2 lakh lives the world over.

"My personal opinion is no," Lynn said. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in October-November and there is intense speculation about the fate of the event given the current circumstances. "Obviously we're praying for it to go ahead but we've just got to play what's in front of us," he reasoned. Lynn then went on to list the many challenges that the organisers will be confronted with should they decide to move ahead.

"Having teams come from all over the world is going to be a logistical nightmare. "Hotels, travel, keeping the teams in the hotels for a number of weeks before the tournament is going to be tough work moving forward," he said. Lynn was also asked about the possibility of Australian players having to take pay cuts amid the financial crisis that is unfolding because of the virus.

"No-one likes to take pay cuts but I think for the longevity of the game you've got to be realistic," he responded.

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Former India player VVS Laxman on Tuesday conducted his first online session for batsmen of Ranji Trophy runners-up, Bengal, and to start with, he focussed only on the mental aspect. During his two separate 45-minute sessions with Abhishek Raman and Kazi Junaid Saifi, Laxman also had in attendance Bengal coach Arun Lal, cricket operations manager Joydeep Mukherjee, and state U-23 coach Sourasish Lahiri. Bengal opener Raman, who frittered away a bright start last season, was given lessons on how to deal with failures and ways to regain confidence. "We talked about our last season. What were my mindset through the season."

A session with lot to learn from and how to prepare the mindset during ups and downs of the season," Raman said in a statement issued by the Cricket Association of Bengal. Raman started the season with successive hundreds, against Kerala and Andhra, but eventually aggregated 406 runs at 25.37 from 10 outings. Laxman talked about how to control the mind in order to avoid playing loose shots, importance of batting in the the first one hour of play on bowling friendly pitches. Rookie batsman Kazi, who made his debut and went on to play two matches, was told about how to ensure a seamless transition from age-group to senior cricket. "It was a very useful and important session today. Laxman sir was sharing his experience with me, how it is normal to be nervous, to be doubtful but at the same time one need to keep faith in himself and his abilities.

"What I learnt is that cricket is a learning process and you have to be consistent in your thought and preparation," Kazi said. The CAB will continue with its online classes with focus being on their top-order batsmen, their biggest letdown in an otherwise eventful season when they reached their first Ranji Trophy final in 13 years. But their dream to lift the title for the first time since 1989-90 remained unfulfilled with the team's top-order batting failing to rise to the occasion against Saurashtra. CAB president Avishek Dalmiya said this exercise is the way forward at a time when the world is under lockdown owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Our cricketers are at home yet working out under the guidance of the trainers. We also need to keep them in the proper frame of mind. "And the right way to do it was to engage them with mentors and coaches who would analyse their performances from the previous season and chalk out ways to overcome the challenges," he said.

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VVS Laxman speaks about Sachin Tendulkar’s batting against Shane Warne on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected: “Sachin was really well prepared for the Test match in Chennai. In the first innings, he was dismissed for 4 runs. He hit a boundary and then tried to play a big shot over mid-on, hitting against the turn and was caught by Mark Taylor.

VVS Laxman went on to reveal saying, "I remember Sachin locked himself in the physio’s room and only came out after almost an hour. When he came out, we could see his eyes were red. I felt he was very emotional because he was unhappy in the manner he was dismissed."

VVS Laxman continued, "Then, in the second innings, the way he blasted and hammered Shane Warne, who was bowling into the rough outside the leg stump. Warne was using the depth of the crease and when he used to pitch it up, Sachin used to hit it through the mid-off, mid-on region. He went on to get a hundred. That battle with Shane Warne is the best I have seen.”

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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.

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Batsman Suresh Raina on Thursday asked Rohit Sharma to stay home and bake a cake as the right-handed batter celebrates his 33rd birthday today.

"Happy birthday, Rohit! Wishing you and the family health and happiness in these dire times. Stay home, stay safe, bake a cake. @ImRo45 #HappyBirthdayRohit," Raina tweeted.

Happy birthday, Rohit! Wishing you and the family health and happiness in these dire times. Stay home, stay safe, bake a cake. @ImRo45 #HappyBirthdayRohit pic.twitter.com/E2ToRIkGIS

— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) April 29, 2020

Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) official handle also shared a video of some of the special knocks played by Rohit in Test cricket to wish the batsman a very happy birthday.

"Happy Birthday, Hitman. On @ImRo45's special day, here is a recap of The Hitman show in whites. This one was in one of his favourite hunting grounds - Kolkata, #HappyBirthdayRohit," BCCI tweeted.

Coach of the Indian side, Ravi Shastri tweeted: "Happy Birthday, Sharmaaaa! Have a great year ahead. Here's wishing you and your family health and happiness, God Bless".

Pacer Mohammed Shami also took to Twitter to send in his wishes for Rohit Sharma.

"Happy birthday to you. From good friends and true, from old friends and new, may good luck go with you and happiness too! @ImRo45," Shami tweeted.

In the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Rohit Sharma finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer after registering 648 runs from just nine matches at an average of 81.00.

During the tournament, he had also become the first batsman to score five centuries in a single edition of the World Cup.

Rohit, who is now the vice-captain of the ODI team, has played 224 ODIs, 108 T20Is, and 32 Tests so far.

The limited-overs vice-captain has so far scored 14,029 runs across all formats.

Rohit is the only player in the world to have three double tons to his name in ODI cricket. He also holds the record for the highest individual score in the 50-over format as he played a knock of 264 runs against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens.

In the longest format, he has also reinvented himself as the batsman started opening the batting in Test cricket last year.

Rohit would have been in action for the Mumbai Indians had the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced from March 29.

However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Shoaib Akhtar has yet again landed himself into trouble after PCB legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi filed a criminal as well as defamation suit against the former fast bowler for his allegedly inappropriate comments against him in a YouTube show. Rizvi, the long serving legal advisor of the board, made it clear he had initiated defamation and criminal proceedings against Akhtar and also lodged a complaint with the Federal Investigation Agency under its cyber crime laws.

In the legal notice sent to Akhtar, Rizvi highlighted legal charges and punishments awarded to the former fast-bowler throughout his career. He also demanded that he retracts his statements, tendean unrs conditional apology, pays PKR 100 million in damages and refrains from repeating and making defamatory remarks against the lawyer in the future. Akhtar, who did a video on the three year ban imposed on the controversial Umar Akmal has also ended up irking the Pakistan Bar Council which in a statement cautioned him to be careful with his words while talking about the legal fraternity. The council in particular said it was disappointed to hear the comments Akhtar had made about Rizvi, a respected member of the legal fraternity. "Shoaib Akhtar should be very careful in his discussions on matters pertaining to the legal community," the statement said. The Pakistan Cricket Board said it was disappointed with Akhtar's poor choice of words while commenting about its legal department.

"The language used by Akhtar was highly inappropriate and disrespectful, and cannot be condoned in any civilised society. The PCB's legal advisor, Mr Taffazul Rizvi, in his own discretion, has initiated defamation and criminal proceedings against Shoaib Akhtar, while the PCB too reserves its rights." Akhtar, who has also got into trouble in the recent past because of his YouTube channel, defended Umar in his video and criticised the three-year ban on him imposed by the PCB Disciplinary Panel. He also mocked Tafazzul Rizvi and questioned his legal experience, claiming he (Tafazzul) always only complicated matters between the board and players.

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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

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

As the ace cricketer Rohit Sharma turns 33 today, let us go down the memory lane and relive the three double tons scored by the right-handed batsman in the ODI format.

Rohit, popularly known as the 'Hitman' made his ODI debut on June 23, 2007, but the batsman came into his known once he became the full-fledged opener in the limited formats.

Opening the batting, Rohit played his natural game and dominated the bowling attacks from the very start of his innings.

It is a testament to Rohit's aggressive batting abilities that the batsman has three double tons to his name in the ODI format.

Now, let's relive Rohit's three double tons in the 50-over format.

209 vs Australia, Bengaluru, 2013

Batting first, Rohit was slow off the mark and he took his time in building the innings. However, as soon as he got the scheme of things, Rohit started to go after the spin bowlers and in no time went past the 100-run mark. After reaching his century, he shifted gears and went on to bring up his first double century in ODIs. He went on to play a knock of 209 off just 158 balls. This innings helped India post 383 runs on the board, and the effort helped the side win the match by 57 runs.

264 vs Sri Lanka, Kolkata, 2014

Rohit went on to score 264 runs off just 173 balls against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata and this knock remains the highest score by any batsman in the 50-over format to date. The 32-year-old was given a reprieve when he was just on a score of four runs, and the batsman went on to make the most of it as he scored 260 more runs to make the Sri Lankan bowlers toil on the field.

208 vs Sri Lanka, Mohali, 2017

Batting first, Rohit Sharma went on play a knock of 208 runs off just 153 balls to take the Men in Blue's score to 392/4. The right-handed batsman's innings was studded with 13 fours and 12 sixes. This effort helped India win the match by 141 runs.

In the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Rohit Sharma finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer after registering 648 runs from just nine matches at an average of 81.00.

During the tournament, he had also become the first batsman to score five centuries in a single edition of the World Cup.

Rohit, who is now the vice-captain of the ODI team, has played 224 ODIs, 108 T20Is and 32 Tests so far.

The limited-overs vice-captain has so far scored 14,029 runs across all formats.

In the longest format, he has also reinvented himself as the batsman started opening the batting in Test cricket last year.

Rohit would have been in action for the Mumbai Indians had the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced from March 29.

However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Australia opener David Warner is making most of the time he is getting to spend with his family due to the coronavirus pandemic which has brought the entire cricketing calendar to a grinding halt. On Thursday, Warner posted yet another Tik Tok video in which he and his wife Candice are dancing on a popular song 'Butta Bomma'. The couple can be seen swaying to the hook steps of the song. "It's tiktok time buttabomma get out of your comfort zone people lol Candice Warner," the Australian opener captioned the video on Instagram.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

It’s tiktok time #buttabomma get out of your comfort zone people lol @candywarner1

A post shared by David Warner (@davidwarner31) onApr 29, 2020 at 11:58pm PDT

The song is a popular number from Telegu movie Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo and featured Allu Arjun along with Pooja Hegde. Earlier this week, Warner had upload a hilarious video featuring Candice in which they are seen switching 'jobs'. The video started with Warner in full kit and his wife virtually kayaking just beside him. Then they switch characters and Warner is seen wearing his wife's swimsuit and she, on the other hand, is in full Australian ODI kit.

Before that, Warner had shared a TikTok video in which he was dancing with his daughter on popular Bollywood track 'Sheila Ki Jawani'.

In normal circumstances, Warner would have been currently leading Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League but due to COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament stands indefinitely postponed.

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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.  

 

 

 

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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.

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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.

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Calling MS Dhoni his mentor, wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant said the World Cup-winning skipper has his own way of helping the younger crop as he never provides a full solution to a problem, encouraging them to look for answers. Pant, was heir apparent to Dhoni until KL Rahul emerged as a wicketkeeper-batsman in the limited overs format, making the southpaw no more a certainty in the playing XI.

Mentor MSD

"He [Dhoni] has been like a mentor to me, on and off the field. I can approach him freely with any problem I may be facing, and he will never give me the entire solution for it," Pant said in an Instagram live session with his IPL team Delhi Capitals. "This is so that I don't become entirely dependent on him, he gives me hints only that helps me solve the issue myself. He's also one of my favourite batting partners, though we don't bat together often.

Perfect planning

"If Mahi bhai is at the crease, you know things are sorted. He's got a plan in his head, and all you need to do is follow it!" Dhoni, who has not played competitive cricket since July, was supposed to make a much awaited comeback with the IPL, which has now been postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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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.

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The thought of standing up to Brett Lee's thunderbolts had taken Rohit Sharma's "sleep away" when he first started out but among the current lot, Josh Hazlewood is one speedster the India swashbuckler "doesn't want to face" in Tests.

Rohit said he will have to be mentally prepared to face Hazlewood when India tour Australia for a Test series later this year, provided the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. Asked to name the toughest pacers he has faced so far, Rohit said, "One bowler is Brett Lee because he didn't let me sleep the previous night on my first tour to Australia in 2007, as I was thinking how to play this bowler who bowls in excess of 150 kmph."

"In 2007, Brett Lee was at his peak. I used to watch him closely and noticed that he was consistently bowling at the speed of around 150-155 kmph. The thought of a youngster like me facing that kind of speed took away my sleep," Rohit said of the former Australian speed merchant on Star Sports' 'Cricket Connected'. Since making his debut in 2007 as a precocious talent, Rohit has gone on to become one of the world's most prolific batsmen, and his exploits in limited overs cricket are second to none.

Rohit has racked up 29 ODI hundreds and six centuries in Test cricket, besides four three-figure mark in the T20 Internationals. "Currently, someone whom I don't want to face in Test cricket would be Josh Hazlewood because he's disciplined and does not move away from that length. He does not give you loose balls," he said. Among the retired lot, Rohit said South African pace great Dale Steyn has also given him nightmares because of his ability to swing the ball at great speed.

"I have two retired favourite bowlers who I never wanted to face, one was Brett Lee and the other was Dale Steyn. I never wanted to face Steyn because playing pace and swing at the same time was a nightmare, it was just unreal." Rohit said he continues to face quality bowlers in the present day with Hazlewood being among the best . "I have watched him enough to understand that. I know for a fact that if I have to go to Australia to play a Test, then I have to be mentally prepared to be disciplined while facing Josh," said the scorer of three double hundreds in ODIs.

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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.

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India cricketer Shreyas Iyer has been entertaining his fans both on and off the field. In order to make things a bit positive during the COVID-19 pandemic, Shreyas Iyer shared a fun video on Instagram.

On Sunday, Iyer posted a video for his 2.3 million Instagram followers and captioned it: "Fielding practice is everywhere you look."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Fielding practice is everywhere you look 😏

A post shared by Shreyas Iyer (@shreyas41) onMay 3, 2020 at 12:30am PDT

In the video, Shreyas Iyer is seen diving to save an egg, catching the remote control of his TV, arranging chairs quickly and even collecting clothes thrown out of the washing machine.

One could hear American rapper Tyga's song, Bored, playing in the background. Shreyas Iyer, born in Mumbai, made his debut for India in 2017. He has since played 18 ODIs and 22 T20Is. Shreyas Iyer is also the captain of the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.

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Feeling like a kid again, England batsman Jason Roy can't wait to get back on the cricket field but says it would make sense to postpone the T20 World Cup in October-November if teams don't get enough time to prepare for the mega event. All cricketing activities have come to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of T20 World Cup in Australia is also in doubt.

"If players aren't able to prepare in the right way and are not able to get over to Australia, then it makes sense to postpone it," Roy was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "But if it goes ahead, it's our job to play cricket - and if we're told we have three weeks to prepare to go and play in the World T20, all the boys will be putting the yards in to make sure we're ready for that.

"I think all the boys are on edge, waiting for the call saying, 'Right, we have a month turnaround or a six-week turnaround. Get in the nets and go hit some balls.' I think the boys will be as ready as they can be," said the 29-year-old opener. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) too has suspended activities until July 1. While Roy is eager to be playing again, he said safety is paramount.

"I've got a huge amount of trust in the ECB. I think they will look into every single avenue of all the positives, all the negatives. So, I guess I would trust in what they say, probably have a chat with Morgs (Morgan) and see where his head's at and go with that. "I don't think I'll have too many questions, especially when it got to the stage of 'Right, we're going to play', because there'll be a lot of people in those meetings discussing whether it's the right thing to do or not."

Roy also has no issues in playing in front of empty stadiums. "I just want to play some cricket to be honest. I think for us to be able to go out there and play some cricket would be an incredible feeling. I feel like a kid again. "I guess we're governed by the government here, we don't really know what is going on or what the safety measures are. There's way bigger things out there. I'm more than happy to play behind closed doors, it would just be nice to get out there," he added.

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Amidst the break from cricketing events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, legendary Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf picked his favourite Indian batsman of the current era.

During a recent Question and Answer session on social media with fans, Yousuf was asked to name his favourite Men In Blue cricketer.

The legendary middle-order batsman then picked Indian skipper Virat Kohli and swashbuckling batsman, Rohit Sharma, as his favorite cricketer.

Rohit, who is now the vice-captain of the ODI team, has played 224 ODIs, 108 T20Is, and 32 Tests so far. The limited-overs vice-captain has so far scored 14,029 runs across all formats.

In the longest format, he has also reinvented himself as the batsman started opening the batting in Test cricket last year. Rohit is the only player in the world to have three double tons to his name in ODI cricket.

He also holds the record for the highest individual score in the 50-over format as he played a knock of 264 runs against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens.

On the other hand, Kohli is widely hailed as the run-machine and has many records under his belt.

In 86 Test matches, he had 7,240 runs studded with 27 centuries and 22 half-centuries. In 248 ODIs, he has amassed 11,867 runs with an average of 59.33.

In the shortest format of the game, he has played 82 games in which he slammed 2,794 runs at an average of 50.80 with the help of 24 fifties.

Both Rohit and Kohli would have been in action for their respective franchise had the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced from March 29.

However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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England star all-rounder Ben Stokes will run his first ever half marathon on Tuesday to raise funds for the National Health Services (NHS) Charities Together and national children's cricket charity Chance to Shine. The 28-year-old all-rounder who admitted that the longest he had ever run was 8 km, will be running a half marathon near his home. "A half marathon is always been something that I've thought about doing a but never really got around to overdoing it. Obviously we have been in lockdown so I thought what a great option to go out and if I'm going to do it I might as well try and raise some funds for a good cause," Stokes said in an Instagram video.

Stokes got inspired by the efforts of three men who ran full marathons in their back gardens over the weekend. "I will be hopefully inspiring people to make some donations towards the Cricket Garden Marathon, I'm just trying to add some more funds to what they've managed to do for the great cause," said Stokes. "I've done absolutely no training, the longest distance that I've ever run is 8 kilometres. So, I don't even know I'm going to be able to complete it but hopefully, I can," he added.

The left-handed Stokes on April 8 became the first English cricketer since 2005 to be named as Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World. In 2005, Andrew Flintoff was named as Wisden's Leading Cricketer of the Year.

The year 2019 proved as an instrumental year for Stokes as he played a key role in England's first 50-over World Cup win and then he went on to play a memorable inning against Australia during the third Ashes at Headingley.

Also, the English all-rounder was named as ICC's cricketer of the year in January 2020.

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Former Pakistan fast-bowler Shoaib Akhtar wants Bollywood superstar Salman Khan to play the lead character if ever a biopic is made on his cricketing journey.

Akhtar has always been a fan of Khan, considering the number of times he has praised the Bollywood star. In 2016, he met the Bollywood actor in Dubai and tweeted a picture saying, "I really enjoyed my time with Salman Khan in Dubai. Great work is being done by his Being Human foundation."

And now, the Rawalpindi Express has stated he would like to see the 54-year-old Indian actor portray him on the big screen if a biopic was made on the former Pakistan speedster.

"If ever my biopic is made, I want Salman Khan to play the lead in it," Akhtar was quoted as saying by Pakistan journalist Saj Sadiq on his Twitter handle.

Biopic of a cricketer has the potential to attract many eyeballs as was the case when a movie on former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was made few years ago.

More recently, a movie on Team India's historic 1983 World Cup winning campaign Kapil Dev was supposed to hit the theatres but had to be postponed due to coronavirus pandemic.

Akhtar represented Pakistan in 46 Tests and 163 ODIs in which he scalped 178 and 247 wickets respectively. Besides, he also played 15 T20Is for the Men in Green in which he picked 19 wickets. He is counted among one of the fastest bowlers to have played the gamne of cricket.

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With no cricket in sight in the near future due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sport's groundsmen are the worst affected. Touched by their plight, India women's all-rounder Anuja Patil has came forward to help the groundsmen in her hometown, Kolhapur. Patil has distributed groceries worth approximately Rs 40,000 to groundsmen besides providing financial aid to some in dire need.

Supporting Patil in this cause are former Maharashtra pacer Ramesh Kadam, her Maharashtra teammate Rutuja Deshmukh, U-23 batsman Ranjit Nikam and trainer Swapnil Kadam. The group visited Kolhapur's Shaupuri Gymkhana, Shivaji Maharaj Stadium and Shau Stadium and provided aid to 11 groundsmen.

'Challenging times'

"This is a challenging time for all. And having undergone some of these tough situations personally, I understand how challenging it is to manage things. I feel it's my duty to help the needy," Patil, whose father Arun used to be an auto rickshaw driver till a few years ago, told mid-day.

"This crisis may last for another couple of months, so I plan to meet these groundsmen again to help out," added Patil.

Kadam said: "So far, we have distributed 11 grocery kits comprising rice (25kg), wheat (25kg), sugar (10kg), oil (5litre), dal (5kg), tea powder, soap etc."

India A's Anuja Patil during the first ODI against Australia A at Brisbane last December. pic/Getty Images

Having represented India in 50 T20Is, Patil can't wait to put on her India jersey and get on the cricket field again. But before that, she is keen to use this lockdown phase to upgrade her skills. "I'm utilising this time to work on my game. I'm following the schedule that has been given to us by our coach WV Raman sir and also speaking to my local coaches—Suraj Jadhav and Anil Sangawkar. I spend two hours training every morning and evening. I do my batting drills by hanging the ball on a rod and also bowl a bit in my parking lot. I'm also working on improving my visualisation of the ball with certain drills," said Patil, who has claimed 48 T20I wickets with her off-spinners.

Mental preparation

Patil made a fine impression in the fifth and final T20I on November 20 last year at the Providence Stadium in West Indies, returning with figures of 3-1-3-2 to help India win by 61 runs. "I want to ensure that I am mentally prepared because whenever the situation is normal again, cricket will begin and I should be ready to perform," Patil concluded.

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England star all-rounder Ben Stokes on Tuesday ran his first half marathon to raise funds for the National Health Services (NHS) Charities Together and national children's cricket charity Chance to Shine. The 28-year-old all-rounder completed the run in the one hour 39 minutes and 41 seconds. Stokes who has played 63 Test and 95 ODIs for England completed the marathon near his home and made an appeal to fans to donate towards the foundation.

"Please donate! That was so hard! it's all for a great cause: the NHS Charities Together and Chance to Shine foundation if you can please go and donate," said Stokes in a video posted on Instagram. "Guys please check my story if you are able to help out and donate towards @NHSCharities and @Chance2Shine ..I've just competed a half marathon to support the 3 guys with their efforts to raise money who did a full marathon in their back gardens," wrote Stokes on Instagram.

The left-handed Stokes on April 8 became the first English cricketer since 2005 to be named as Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World. In 2005, Andrew Flintoff was named as Wisden's Leading Cricketer of the Year. The year 2019 proved as an instrumental year for Stokes as he played a key role in England's first 50-over World Cup win and then he went on to play a memorable inning against Australia during the third Ashes at Headingley.

Also, the English all-rounder was named as ICC's cricketer of the year in January 2020.

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India wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel recalled an incident when former Australia opener Matthew Hayden wanted to punch him in the face. Parthiv said he made fun of the Australian after he was dismissed during a match and that made Hayden lose his cool.

Parthiv was just 18-year-old when he travelled Down Under and got into the bad books of Hayden. Chasing a stiff target of 304 against India in Brisbane in 2004, the southpaw slammed a century but was dismissed for 109 by Irfan Pathan.

Hayden's wicket proved to costly for Australia as India ended up winning the match by 19 runs. After getting dismissed, Hayden was in no mood for fun and games and Pathiv got to know that in the most hostile manner.

"I was carrying drinks in Brisbane, it was the match in which Irfan Pathan got him out. He had already scored a hundred and it was a crucial stage when Irfan got him out. I was just passing him by and I did a 'hoo hoo' to him," Parthiv said during an interaction on 100 hours 100 stars.

"He got so angry at me. He was standing at the Brisbane dressing room which is like a tunnel. He was standing there and said 'if you do this again, I will punch your face'. I said 'sorry', I stood around and he went off," he added.

Parthiv also revealed the duo went on to become good friends after they opened the innings for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.

"Yeah, Hayden wanted to beat me up in Brisbane. But we became good friends after that. We played a lot of cricket together at CSK," Parthiv said.

"We enjoyed each other's company. Opening the batting was fun with him. We've had good times off the field as well. So we patched up after that Brisbane incident.

"Even after the IPL finished, I went to Australia with an emerging side. Hayden called me home, prepared chicken biryani and dal for me," he added.

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Cricket Australia is set to begin the team's pre-season later this month under a set of new training protocols devised for the safety of players amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report in 'The Sydney Morning Herald', CA is churning out strategies for the resumption of training under the watchful eyes of its chief medical officer Dr John Orchard and head of sports science and sports medicine Alex Kountouris.

The duo is working closely with counterparts of other cricket playing nations and are part of committees of the Australian government and the ICC which are trying to find ways for the resumption of sports. The report said CA's immediate priority is to draw up protocols for players' pre-season, which include barring the use of saliva or sweat to shine the ball during training.

"There's physical distancing in the nets—there are two or three bowlers in each net. One bowls at a time, the batter is 22 yards away so it's not a big problem," Kountouris said.

"We don't see it as too big a problem to manage, but these are the things we're spelling out. This is what you should do: keep your distance."

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India captain Virat Kohli recently took to Twitter to share his views on playing behind closed doors exclusively on Star Sports show cricket connected, "It’s quite a possible situation, it might happen, I honestly don’t know how everyone is going to take that because we all are used to playing in front of so many passionate fans, I know it will be played at a very good intensity but that feeling of the crowd connecting with the players and the tension of the game where everyone goes through it in the stadium, those emotions are very difficult to recreate."

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Virat Kohli went on to add, "Things will still go on, but I doubt that one will feel that magic happening inside because of the atmosphere that was created. We will play sports how it is supposed to be played, but those magical moments will be difficult to come by."

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South African spinner Keshav Maharaj admitted that he is interested in captaining the Proteas in all formats one day. The position of South Africa's Test captain has been vacant since Faf Du Plessis stepped down from the position in February. Maharaj has not been among the frontrunners for the position but he led the Dolphins to the domestic One Day title. The Dolphins were awarded the title by Cricket South Africa after the season had to be curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I've really enjoyed captaincy from the time I've been handed the opportunity this past season," he is quoted as saying by Sport24. "I really want to captain the Proteas. It's been my dream. Not a lot of people in the national set-up actually know that, but the few who have approached me on the matter know that." Maharaj even said that he would like to captain South Africa in all formats and lift trophies with the team. Wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock is captain of the ODI side and had led South Africa in T20Is against England and Australia this year.

"I'd like to captain the South African team across all three formats and I want to raise a World Cup trophy with my own hands, as the leader of the side," he said.

"I didn't merely want to play for the Proteas. Lifting that silverware has always been my childhood dream."

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