Former Indian cricketer Joginder Sharma, who is now serving as a Deputy Superintendent of Police in Hisar district of Haryana, is currently making sure people stay indoors and adhere to the guidelines of the government during the ongoing lockdown in place amid the coronavirus outbreak.

And for discharging his duties, he has to be available 24/7. As he comes in contact with many people, the former Indian cricketer said that he doesn't even go home to avoid any risk after his duty hours end. However, on Sunday, he finally got a chance to meet his family in Rohtak, 110 kilometres from Hisar.

"Finally, after a long, I got time to spend with my family...Motivating kids to be strong and stay happy at home…," Joginder tweeted along with a video of him playing cricket with his children.

Finally After a long,I got time to spend with my family...Motivating kids to be strong n stay happy at home.. pic.twitter.com/Ie3xXfhCic

— Joginder Sharma (@jogisharma83) April 12, 2020

Joginder recently gave an interview wherein he divulged the details of his routine as a DSP.

"My day starts around six in the morning. Today I started at 9am and am returning home now (8pm). But I need to be ready for emergency calls, so effectively I am available for duty 24 hours, and I can't say no," Joginder said.

"The area that I need to oversee is mostly in the rural belt of Hisar. Right now, it involves guarding various check-posts and instructing not just truck and bus drivers but also common people about the virus. The basic message is: do not get out of the house unless you need to. If someone is outside without any purpose, we can sanction them under various legal acts," he added.

The former medium pacer had a short international career of four ODIs and four T20Is but was immortalised when he took the wicket of Misbah-ul-Haq in the 2007 World T20 final against Pakistan in South Africa.

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

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

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

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

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

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Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Tuesday revealed the misconception he had about cricket while growing up.

The International Cricket Council had posted a tweet, asking everyone to reveal the misconception they had about cricket growing up.

To this Ashwin replied: "That all cricketers had aerated drinks to regain lost energy and keep good health".

Ashwin was last seen in action during India's two-match Test series against New Zealand in February this year.

The off-spinner played just one match in the series and went on to take three wickets in it.

India ended up losing the series 0-2, but the side is still at the top of the World Test Championship standings.

All sporting action across the world has come to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ashwin would have been in action for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) if the tournament had started on March 29.

However, the tournament was postponed until April 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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

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

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

 

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Pakistan Cricket Board has suffered massive revenue losses but it doesn't need India to "survive" and keep its finances flowing, PCB chairman Ehsan Mani said on Tuesday.

Terming the BCCI as "unreliable", Mani said Pakistan cricket is vibrant and strong enough despite not playing any bilateral series with India for long. "We have suffered losses but they (India) are not in our thinking or planning. It is like a Pie in the Sky situation. We have to live without them and we don't need them to survive," he said in a podcast released by the PCB's media department.

"I am clear if India doesn't want to play we have to plan without them. Once or twice they have made promises to play against us but pulled out at the last moment," the former ICC head added. India had avoided playing Pakistan in a full bilateral series since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

Mani said resumption of bilateral cricketing ties with India in the foreseeable future is uncertain. "Right now we play against them (India) in ICC events and Asia Cup and that is okay because we are interested in playing cricket. "We want to keep politics and sports apart," he said.

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With most people struggling with the Coronavirus pandemic-caused lockdown, staying upbeat is becoming a challenge.

Former Mumbai club cricketer and coach Kishore Harkisandas Kuvavala, 73, who is also a laughter therapist, is trying to make a difference albeit in the virtual space.

For the last 18 days, every evening at 6.30, Babulnath-resident Kuvavala goes live goes live from his Facebook account in an attempt to make people laugh and relieve some stress.

'Stress, a bigger threat'

He claims around 350 to 400 people join him live everyday for his fitness and laughter sessions. "Most people are worried about Coronavirus even if they are confined 24x7 to their homes. They are only watching and hearing about the pandemic during the day through various mediums. Corona will not be the biggest killer, but stress will surely have a huge impact on everybody.

There is nothing else left for people to talk about except Corona, it seems these days. So, I am trying to ease a bit of tension that's surrounding us today. Laughter is the best medicine. I have been championing this cause for over two decades now. I feel it can make a lot of difference to people especially in these times," a fit Kuvavala tells mid-day.

Kuvavala has always believed in leading an active life. He played competitive cricket on Mumbai's local circuit till he was 50. Kuvavala owes a lot to cricket. He got the Bank of Baroda job for his cricketing credentials. "I led the bank team too," he says with pride.

He played the famous Dr HD Kanga Cricket League in the 'A' Division for Young Maharashtra Cricket Club. He was also a Managing Committee member of the Mumbai Cricket Association in 1988-89 before taking up coaching.

Fitness first

Kuvavala decided to work towards spreading awareness on the importance of fitness after giving up the sport. In 1995, he began his journey as a laughter therapist, starting with lessons at Priyadarshini Park. Before the lockdown, Kuvavala and his group of 30 to 35 people would gather each morning at Chowpatty on Marine Drive for their dose of laughter. "Do we ever laugh at ourselves? When we do that, we laugh from the heart. There is an expression and feel involved in it. It is the best form of exercise. It fills you up with positivity," explains Kuvavala, who is often invited by top hospitals for laughter sessions. He also conducts laughter therapy activities for corporates. "I do that for a fee, though," he clarifies. "People nowadays have forgotten to laugh," he remarks.

With anxiety and sadness around due to the pandemic, all that Kuvavala wants to ensure is that people do not stop smiling.

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Indian women's cricket team has qualified for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women's ODI World Cup 2021, the cricket governing body announced on Wednesday. "The ICC Women's Championship Technical Committee (TC) has decided that teams will share points in all three series in the ICC Women's Championship that did not take place during the competition window," the ICC said in a statement.

The series between India and Pakistan could not be played because of a 'Force Majeure' event after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) demonstrated that it was unable to obtain the necessary government clearances to allow India to participate in the bilateral series against Pakistan that forms part of the ICC Women's Championship.

Also, the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of two series. South Africa was to host Australia and Sri Lanka was to host New Zealand in the last round of matches. New Zealand, the hosts of the World Cup 2021, and four highest-placed team on the ICC Women's Championship points table, has qualified for the premier tournament.

Australia topped the table with 37 points followed by England (29), South Africa (25) and India (23). Pakistan (19), New Zealand (17), West Indies (13) and Sri Lanka (5) completed the table. The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier is scheduled to be played from 3-19 July in Sri Lanka, this is subject to review due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

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

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

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

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

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Fast bowler Ishant Sharma said that he can't pick between his seven-wicket haul at Lord's in 2014 and the fifer he took in India's maiden pink ball Test against Bangladesh in November 2019.

"Both of them are equally memorable," Ishant said in a video tweeted by his Indian Premier League side Delhi Capitals. "Taking seven wickets at Lord's is obviously something I can't forget. And taking those five wickets with the pink ball also I can't forget because after 12 years I had taken a five-wicket haul."

Ishant's 7/74 was crucial in India recording a historic win at Lord's over England in 2014. It was the first time in 28 years that India had won a Test at the famous stadium.

Ishant's career went through many troughs after that before he resurfaced and became an integral part of the fierce pace battery that Virat Kohli's team now possesses alongwith Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

In the pink ball Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens, Ishant blew the opposition away in the first innings and ended up with figures of 5/22. It was his first fifer at home since 2007.

Ishant last played for India at Wellington in their first Test against New Zealand before his ankle injury resurfaced. He was expected to play for Delhi Capitals in the 2020 edition of the IPL but it has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The great Michael Holding has picked South African Dale Steyn among his top-four fast bowlers across generations and his list includes fellow West Indians Malcolm Marshall and Andy Roberts besides Australian Denis Lillee. In a Sky Sports podcast, the 66-year-old said he would pay to watch Steyn, who retired from Tests last year.

"I have experience with those three guys (Marshall, Roberts and Lillee, but just watching, you can't go Dale Steyn outside of photography. He has been one of the great fast bowlers in an era. You'd pay to see it," said Holding, who picked 249 wickets in 60 Tests at 23.68. Steyn picked 439 Test wickets at a stellar average of 22.95 and has one of the smoothest actions in the game. Talking about Lillee, Holding said he was a complete package. "Lillee had it all: rhythm, aggression control. He was extremely fast when he started, but he had to completely reshape his action after a back injury and find different ways to get hitters out after losing a lot of rhythm.

"When you see that someone can adapt in that way, you have to rate him highly, as many players are not as effective when they miss a beat," said Holding, who was nicknamed 'Whispering Death' for his smooth and silent run-up. On fellow West Indians Marshall and Roberts, Holding said: "Malcolm started with a good rhythm, but as time went on he learned a lot about fast bowling. He could evaluate opposition hitters so quickly and so easily.

"In those days you didn't have many tapes or computers, it was all in his head. He understood how to deal with hitters." On Roberts, he added: "Andy was someone I learned a lot from. He hardly ever spoke, he used to walk around the field with a sullen face and people thought he looked aggressive and must be a miserable guy. But that wasn't Andy. "He was my roommate for most of my career and we used to talk about cricket almost every night. A lot of times, we would order food, we would stay in our room and talk about cricket. You would never believe how much this guy knows."

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Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif on Wednesday backed MS Dhoni to play in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, saying that the wicket-keeper batsman has 'a lot of cricket' left in him and ruling him out will be 'unfair'.

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

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

Dhoni last played competitive cricket during the 2019 World Cup. India was knocked out of the tournament after suffering a semi-final defeat at the hands of New Zealand. Dhoni was run out in the 49th over after scoring 50 runs. After his dismissal, India failed to chase the 240-run target.

Despite Dhoni failing to take India over the line, Kaif termed him a 'champion player'.

"The semifinal of World Cup which we lost, everyone was expecting Dhoni to win it but it did not happen. So, from there on, people thought that Dhoni should not be there. But for me, Dhoni is a champion player. People should look at Dhoni's record in the last 10 to 15 years. See, the current form is important but at the same time his form was not that bad that you rule him out," Kaif said.

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

As the nationwide lockdown as been extended to May 3 due to the coronavirus, the IPL has been postponed indefinitely. "IPL 2020 season has been postponed indefinitely," sources within BCCI told ANI on Wednesday.

Kaif feels that postponing the league is the right decision as life is more important than sports at the moment.

"In the present scenario, life is more important than sports. I think the decision of BCCI is right. When the situation improves, we will think of sports. Sporting events all over the world have either been postponed or cancelled. In our country, cases are rising. So, as of now, the situation is not under control. So I think it's the right decision because at this stage first priority is to beat coronavirus and save the people," he said.

When asked about his views on the window for IPL, Kaif said: "I feel when things are sorted out and there is the possibility of games to be played, then they (BCCI) will look for options."

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

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

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

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

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) is not in a hurry to take a decision whether the T20 World Cup should be postponed in the wake of COVID-19 or staged as scheduled, saying it is "exploring all options" as part of its comprehensive contingency planning for all its events. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15 but with all sporting events either postponed or cancelled due to the global health crisis, the fate of the tournament remains uncertain.

With Australia sealing its borders and putting restrictions on travel to contain the dreaded disease, there have been speculations that the T20 World Cup could be postponed to next year or held inside closed doors. "We are continuing with our planning for ICC events as they are, but given the rapidly evolving situation as a prudent and responsible measure we are also undertaking a comprehensive contingency planning exercise," an ICC spokesperson was quoted as saying by SkySport. "This includes exploring all options available to us based on a range of scenarios connected to the pandemic."

The T20 World Cup is still six months away and ICC said it will take a decision after consulting all stakeholders, including the Australian government. "We will continue to take advice from experts and authorities, including the Australian government and will take decisions at the appropriate time," the spokesperson said. "We will utilise all the data available to us to ensure we can take well-informed, responsible decisions that are in the best interests of our sport."

Former captain Allan Border and star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell have already given a thumbs down to the prospect of the tournament happening without spectators, while former batsman Simon Katich and wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey feel delaying the event remains an option.

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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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The threat of online corrupt approaches does not cause much anxiety to BCCI's head of Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) Ajit Singh, who says Indian players are well aware of the modus operandi of fixers and are quick to report anything suspect. The ICC ACU head Alex Marshall, in an interview to 'The Guardian', said that prolonged lockdown and players using various social media platform could lead to corrupt approaches being made and people need to tread carefully. Singh said BCCI ACU is in control. "...we have made our players aware about the way people approach you and modus operandi through social media. We have told them 'look this is how they (potential fixers and bookies) would approach you'," the veteran IPS officer told PTI in an interaction. "(They will) try and behave like a fan and then try to meet you through someone who may be your acquaintance," he added. "Somehow these elements try and touch base with players. Most of them (India players), whenever it happens, they do report to us that I have got a contact."

Most of the top players, with millions of followers, have been very active online with Q and A sessions on twitter, interactive chats on instagram and Facebook live. So is the BCCI's ACU team tracking the online content? "Whatever can be tracked online, we do that. But obviously the physical verification part of going out and checking locations is out of question in times of a lockdown," he spoke about practical problems. "But if something comes to our notice, it automatically goes into our database and once lockdown is over, we will verify those if the need arises." Singh said the easiest aspect of tracking social media content is that it doesn't require too much manpower. "A few men who know their jobs can do it pretty well," the former DGP of Rajasthan said. But Singh said that, in his two year stint, all current India players have been honest and upright, very aware about their responsibilities. "We are not adversaries of players. The players and ACU are one team. It's the people who are trying to corrupt the games, they are the ones we need to track down." He said that both tracking social media and physical verification of corrupt approaches has its own set of challenges.

"Those who were trying to corrupt the players with physical presence and those using fake IDs on social media handles, converge at some point," he said. "Either it's the same person with a fake ID who tries to approach the player or uses someone on his behalf. So there is a pattern of convergence. One has to follow both the lines," he added. Singh said even former players have approached the ACU when they have found something unusual. "There have been things coming from current players and also retired players. There has been information coming from them. Things that they doubted, which look suspicious. "Any information is useful. Even if it's a false alarm, it raises the awareness level of the players as well as the skills of the team investigating it," the retired top cop said. There are some structural plans for the BCCI's ACU which will only materialise once normalcy returns after the COVID-19 pandemic. "Every zone will have a zonal head as it had been said earlier. A few zones don't have zonal heads, so we will fill those posts," he said.

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

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

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

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

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

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Reminiscing the old days, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Monday shared a classic throwback picture with brother Krunal.

In the 2011 photo, the duo are smiling while posing for the camera with a 'desi swag.'

 

 

 

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Throwback to 2011 😅 How time changes @krunalpandya_official Swag mera desi hai

A post shared by Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya93) onApr 20, 2020 at 6:42am PDT

"Throwback to 2011, How time changes @krunalpandya_official, Swag Mera desi hai," Hardik captioned the post on Instagram.

The flamboyant all-rounder, who was out of the Indian team due to back injury, made a comeback during the South Africa tour of India.

The first match of the series got washed out due to rain, and the series was eventually postponed following the outbreak of coronavirus.

Pandya made his ODI debut against New Zealand at Dharamsala in October 2016.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all sporting action across the world has been stopped including the 13th edition of the IPL.

On April 16, the IPL 2020 was suspended till further notice due to 'evolving global health concerns'.

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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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Ex-Australia skipper Michael Clarke has revealed that legendary spinner Shane Warne shared a boisterous relationship with former coach John Buchanan and they never got along. Speaking on Big Sports Breakfast, Clarke said: "The fact him and John didn't get on and Warnie didn't respect John Buchanan as a coach at all, that he thought I'm not getting told what to do from this dude. "If it was Ricky Ponting there, Warnie would have found a way to either bite his tongue or he might have said something to Ricky one-on-one...it wouldn't have been in front of everyone. At that stage Warnie was so done with John Buchanan he didn't care," he added.

Clarke, the 2015 World Cup-winning captain, also divulged details of the Australian dressing room culture when both him and Warne were together in the side. He said that the leg-spinner chose cigarettes for the three-day training camp instead of the essential items which the players were allowed. "For someone like Warnie who loved a smoke, he pretty much told them he is not coming unless he can bring his smokes. It was World War five," Clarke said.

According to Clarke, Warne and Buchanan had a deal where the latter told the former that he would have to chuck a piece of clothing for every pack of cigarettes he took. "Warnie flicked his three pairs of undies, flicked his three pairs of socks and put six packs of darts in and off we went.

"In the middle of the bush, sleeping bag only, no cover, no shelter, on the ground and it was pitch black. All you could see was this orange light coming out of someone's sleeping bag and it was Warnie just sucking his dart back," Clarke said.

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

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

Kevin Roberts

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

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

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Gloucestershire batsman George Hankins has been arrested for a drunk-driving incident in Surrey following a car crash.

Hankins, who has featured in 28 first-class games, was arrested after the collision in Portsmouth Road, Cobham, on April 19 and will now appear in Guildford Magistrates' Court in July, reports BBC Sport.

"Gloucestershire Cricket has been made aware of an incident - being investigated by Surrey Police - regarding one of its players, who has been based in Surrey during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

The club is in touch with the player concerned and has initiated a full internal investigation," the club said in a statement.

The 23-year-old has scored 961 first-class runs since making his debut in 2016 against Durham. He has also featured in 15 List A games and seven T20 games - scoring 535 and 17 runs respectively.

Gloucestershire is the same club where ace India Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara was supposed to play the first six matches of this year's County Championship. The deal was, however, called off earlier this month due to the COVID-19 pandemic which is spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom and has claimed thousands of lives in the country.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith on Tuesday said his country will welcome back former Kolpak players willing to be part of the domestic structure as he sees it as a possible way to provide more depth to the national team. Kolpak registrations, which give sportsmen from countries with associate trade agreements with the European Union the same rights as EU workers, are set to be terminated at end of 2020 following the UK's exit from the EU.

Dozens of South African cricketers have signed lucrative contracts with county cricket sides over the years but this automatically disqualifies them from playing for the national team. "With Kolpak coming to an end, I guess the willingness is always to have our best players in the system. It is up to the players to come back into the system and to make decisions on their careers," Smith, who was recently appointed as Director of Cricket by his Board, said. "From our perspective, we want to encourage all our best players to play here domestically, and then give themselves the opportunity to be selected for the national side," he was quoted as saying in 'Sky Sports'.

Kyle Abbott, Wayne Parnell, Rilee Roussow and Duanne Olivier are among the more prominent names to have taken Kolpak deals over the years, while Dane Paterson, who played two Tests against England in January, is the latest to do so. "We don't ever want to exclude players from being part of our system and we understand that the landscape of the world game is very different now to what it was," Smith said. "Open minds and how we look at these things is going to be key to how we keep our best players ¿ how we keep them motivated and in our game."

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The COVID-19 pandemic has not just made cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar realise the importance of freedom to do simple things in life. It has also left the record-breaking Indian batsman a bit worried about the impact it will have on his beloved sport.

In an interaction with mid-day over the phone on the eve of his 47th birthday on Thursday, the former India captain said he is expecting the sport to change where the dynamics of shining the ball is concerned. He also felt it will be strange to see matches being played before empty stands when action resumes.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

How do you see cricket when normalcy comes around?

Time will tell. You can't put saliva on the ball so how are you going to shine the ball as much? Those landing marks leave dry patches on the ball. How do you cover that all the time with sweat instead of saliva and still maintain the shine? If you are not going to shine the ball frequently then how will the ball swing? All these elements will come into play, which nobody is familiar with. So the game could change.

To get the ball to reverse [swing], you keep one side dry and then you keep shining the other side. So, how shiny would that other side be will also determine how much the ball is going to swing or reverse. As you keep shining one side, the other side gets automatically lighter.

Cricket boards are contemplating hosting matches in front of empty stands…

It's going to be strange because you are used to having crowds around and that noise, that buzz inside the stadium. When you hit a boundary or a six or pick a wicket, the crowd also becomes a big part of your celebration. You draw energy from the crowd when you hit a boundary. So, all that won't be there and it's going to be strange. It's like watching Wimbledon with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal playing but there are no spectators. It's going to look strange and feel different for sure.

Would you recommend closed-door matches?

This is the government's call, especially the health ministry. We have to follow their guidelines. Whatever they feel is safe should be done. I've tried to do the same things with whatever directives have been given. We have also tried to spread the message on our social media platforms. There are a lot of rumours floating around. It's important to convey the right message to everyone and show them the complete picture because rumours can sometimes disrupt your thought process and make you think otherwise.

How would you have handled this situation in your playing days and what's your advice to youngsters who are eager to be on the park again?

I would continue my training and I'm sure all players are continuing their physical preparations. But sometimes, it's good to give yourself a break after a reasonable long season. So it's good to get that break for a while and then come back to action. There are two elements—batting and bowling. One has to prepare yourself by practising various drills. The other would be to practise mentally by doing visualisation and mental drills. Both these elements coming together from a good combination for preparation. I fully understand that nothing beats being on the field, hitting the ball again. If someone who is thinking otherwise—that this is a period where I can't do much except sit back and relax—those guys will be caught napping.

What has the lockdown made you realise?

The freedom we have to do simple things in life. Like, the last time I met any outsider—that includes my friends—was March 15. So, it's a long time. The most important thing is freedom, the freedom to be what you like and go out, do certain things which you are not able to do now. These are different kind of circumstances, completely unprecedented. I cannot instruct elderly people, so my friendly message to them would be: You wished well for me for such a long time and prayed that I don't get out and stay at the crease. So, my wish for you is, not to get out too—from your homes. That way, you will be safe and secure. So, follow the government's guidelines and let's stay safe.

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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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The usage of artificial substances to polish the cricket ball, which effectively means ball tampering, could be considered for legalisation when the game resumes after the COVID-19 pandemic that has made bowlers wary of applying saliva on the red cherry. 'ESPNCricinfo' reported that administrators are "open to the option of allowing for the use of an agreed artificial substance to polish the ball under the supervision of the umpires", which amounts to ball-tampering as per the current rules governing the sport.

However, an ICC CEC member, who PTI spoke with, refused to say whether such a discussion will happen and only revealed that "saliva on the ball is something they will consider but at a later date when it looks like we will have a return to cricket." The matter of saliva being unsafe was raised by the ICC's medical committee and it would be addressed before cricket resumes. All sports activities have come to a halt after the coronavirus outbreak. Shining the ball is an integral part of Test cricket as it helps the bowlers swing the ball, both conventional and reverse.

If the move gets the go ahead, it would be quite ironic for the game's administrators after the 2018 ball-tampering controversy which led to one-year bans on Steve Smith and David Warner for conspiring to use sandpaper to alter the ball. Following the chief executives meeting of the ICC on Thursday, its medical committee, headed by Peter Harcourt, had issued an update.

"Our next step is to create a roadmap for the resumption of international cricket which will include a criteria for decision making and a checklist for what needs to happen. "This will consider everything from player preparation to government restrictions and advisories and bio-bubbles. The scale and complexity of getting cricket started again cannot be underestimated particularly with respect to a global event," Harcourt said. Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood recently said that Test cricket will become harder if the bowlers did not have enough means to move the ball.

"I think the white ball would be fine, (but) Test cricket would be very hard. Bowlers rely on any sort of sideways movement in the air," said Hazlewood. "If you didn't maintain the ball at all for 80 overs it would be quite easy to bat after that initial shine has gone. Whether you use saliva or sweat, maybe one person can do it.

Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad supports the idea of not using saliva on the ball. "When the action resumes, they should use only sweat for some time as safety of the players is paramount," former pacer Prasad, who played 33 Tests and 161 ODIs for India, told PTI. However, he reckons it will be tough for the bowlers to stop all of a sudden.

"When you are in the thick of things, you tend to forget it. You have to get the upper hand over the batsmen as you can't use anything else besides sweat and saliva. "The question is what do you do when the batsman is pulping you? You need to swing the ball and what helps swing the ball is the aerodynamics," the 50-year-old explained.

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Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is convinced that MS Dhoni will not play for India again, adding to the guessing game over the former captain's future. Dhoni, 38, has not appeared for club or country since last year's 50-over World Cup and India's Coronavirus lockdown could threaten his chances of getting back into the national team.

IPL-caused hurdle

The Indian Premier League, the main platform before this year's scheduled T20 World Cup, is likely to be truncated or cancelled because of the pandemic. Harbhajan, who plays with Dhoni at IPL side Chennai Super Kings, said that international retirement was on the cards for Dhoni and that he was increasingly being asked about his teammate. "It's up to him. You need to know whether he wants to play for India again," Harbhajan said in an online forum. "As far as I know him, he won't want to wear India's blue jersey again. IPL he will play, but for India I think he had decided the [2019] World Cup was his last."

Meanwhile, India's limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma said he has no idea what's happening with elusive former captain Dhoni, about whom he hasn't heard anything since India's semi-final exit from the World Cup last year. With the IPL postponed indefinitely, the chances of an improbable India comeback look even more bleak for Dhoni, who has not played cricket for months now.

During an instagram chat with Harbhajan, Rohit said that he has "no news about Dhoni". "We don't know what's happening with him. We haven't heard any news about him. The last match of the World Cup was in July. From there, till now we haven't heard anything, I have no idea," Rohit said during the live chat.

'MS is off the radar'

In his typical tongue-in-cheek manner, Rohit said that anyone who wants to know about Dhoni should personally contact him. "When MS Dhoni is not playing cricket, he goes off radar. He goes underground. Whoever wants to know, can directly go to him, you know he stays in Ranchi. You can't go now but after the lockdown, you take a car, bike or flight go to his place and ask him 'What are you going to do? Will you play or not?" he quipped.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Former Indian captain Kapil Dev said that his new bald look with a beard is inspired by West Indies great Viv Richards whom he described as his hero and 2011 World Cup-winning Indian captain M.S. Dhoni.

"I had seen Sir Vivian Richards on your Instagram. He is my hero so (I thought) why not? I'll follow my hero. I also saw Dhoni who is also my hero and he had cut his hair after winning the World Cup. So I thought why not, now I have the chance so I did it," Kapil said in a video tweeted by Chennai Super Kings.

Richards respond to the CSK tweet, saying: "Hahaha You took the right inspiration my friend @therealkapildev (sic.)"

Dhoni had famously cut off his long locks after winning the 2007 World T20 and even sported a semi-bald look after winning the 2011 World Cup.

Kapil's bald look with a beard is also quite similar to what Richards has carried for the better part of his retired life. The two have faced off on the field a number of times, most prominently in the final of the 1983 World Cup in which Kapil's rather unheralded Indian team stunned the mighty West Indies and won the trophy.

It was only the third time that the tournament was being held and the first time that a team apart from the West Indies had won it.

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

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

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) April 27, 2020

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

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

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

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

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Michael Holding feels legalising ball tampering in the post COVID-19 world is a bit "self contradictory" while Proteas great Allan Donald is completely on the opposite end of the spectrum on a subject that has divided opinions. The International Cricket Council (ICC), during its recent CEC meeting, considered the use of artificial substances on the ball instead of saliva.

"I have read that ICC is contemplating preventing people from using saliva on the ball due to COVID-19 and allowing them to use foreign substances on the ball to keep the shine on but in front of the umpire. I don't understand the logic behind that," Holding told ESPNCricinfo. The West Indies great also questioned the ICC for shifting its stand on the issue by allowing foreign substance instead of saliva or sweat. "Before they got to that point they said if they restart cricket it has to be played in a bio-secure environment.

"They were saying cricketers for instance would have to isolate themselves for two weeks to make sure that everything was fine for when they got to the venue before the match started. And everyone involved (with the match) will have to do the same thing," he said. What Holding can't fathom is that if people quarantine themselves and then start playing, why saliva can't be used then.

"Now, if you are saying everyone is in the bio-secure environment, you are staying in the same hotel, you are not moving for the length of time you are playing the matches, if that is the case why are you worried about someone's saliva? "That person according to what you are doing should be free of Covid-19. If the ICC thinks that the two-week period to prove that you are free of Covid-19 is not foolproof, then that means you are putting everyone in that environment in jeopardy?

"Why would you want to play cricket under those circumstances? It's either safe or it's not. No guessing, please," one of the most respected voices in world cricket said. Pakistan legend Waqar Younis made it clear that use of saliva is a must and can't be done away with when competitive cricket resumes. "As a fast bowler, I reject this because this (using saliva and sweat) is a natural process. A ball exchanges hands all day, you run in, huffing and puffing, you sweat and using saliva is natural rather than on intent. It's a habit and you just can't control this aspect," Waqar said.

He felt that all these kind of ideas show desperation to start proceedings. "I don't know how this discussion came up but I feel people who want the game to be played are frustrated with the lockdown. They are overthinking about it. I doubt this new idea of using (artificial) substance instead of saliva is a solution.

"You can make a bowler use a predefined substance on the ball, but at the same time practically it's not possible to prevent a bowler using his sweat or saliva," Pakistan's current bowling coach said. Donald, however, is open to the idea. "I absolutely agree with legalising ball-tampering. I said so in an article sometime in the 2000s. It happens anyway, we see guys throwing the ball on the ground and umpires say to throw it up and it's pretty obvious what they are doing. It could work if it is well-monitored."

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Australia cricketer David Warner has been on fire on social media by sharing various photos and videos on Instagram and Twitter as well as being part of many live sessions on these sites.

David Warner’s wife, Candice is also not too far behind. Quite a social media enthusiast herself, Candice Warner Instagrammed this picture to her 2.2 lakh followers, having swapped costumes with her husband David. “Switching it up on a Monday. @davidwarner31 looking the goods in my old costume #fun #switchitupchallenge,” she captioned her post.

 

 

 

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Switching it up on a Monday. @davidwarner31 looking the goods in my old racing costume. #fun #switchitupchallenge

A post shared by Mrs Candice Warner (@candywarner1) onApr 26, 2020 at 10:55pm PDT

Candice Warner's Instagram post received over 30,000 ‘likes’ within a few hours. Candice was a professional Ironwoman and surfer before becoming a model.

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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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Senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's deal with English county side Yorkshire Cricket Club was on Monday cancelled by mutual consent amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently suspended all forms of professional cricket till July 1 due to the pandemic which has wreaked havoc across the globe. Ashwin, who signed for the club in January, was expected to play in the majority of the remaining County championship fixtures. It would have been the 33-year-old's third county stint, having represented Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire in the past.

The club also announced the termination of contracts for its other two overseas players, South African spinner Keshav Maharaj and West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran. "Firstly, I really appreciate the players' understanding in this matter. We have been in regular contact with the players and their agents throughout this Covid pandemic. They have been extremely professional and appreciate the uncertainty facing counties at present," Yorkshire's Director of Cricket, Martyn Moxon said.

"We hope that we will be able to see them at Emerald Headingley in the future," he added. Maharaj had agreed to re-join the White Rose for their opening two Specsavers County Championship fixtures against Gloucestershire and Essex. While Pooran had agreed a second stint at Emerald Headingley after agreeing to re-join as Yorkshire Vikings' Vitality Blast overseas player for the 2020 campaign. However, with the COVID-19 outbreak forcing a cricket shutdown in UK until May 28, means the trio will not be able to play for the club this season.

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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 Australia cricket captain Michael Clarke is reportedly still seeing fashion designer Pip Edwards, but doesn't want the world to know. According to British tabloid, The Daily Mail, Michael was spotted at Pip's apartment, but made a dash for it moments later.

Michael, nicknamed Pup, and Pip broke up earlier this month as the former cricketer was not too happy about the publicity that accompanied their relationship.  However, on Monday morning, he was spotted with Pip at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

It is learnt that the couple emerged from Pip's home in a black car at around 9am and drove to a nearby juice bar. Pip, who turned 40 on the day, then headed to collect their order, but on noticing the paparazzi, left in a huff, forgetting to pick their drinks.They then drove back to her place from where Michael took off on his motorbike. Later, Pip returned to the juice bar and picked up three juices.

Michael separated from his wife of seven years, Kyly in September last year. They have a daughter Kelsey Lee, four.Pip has a teenaged son Justice.

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned Deepak Agarwal from all cricket for two years, with six months of that suspended, after he accepted one charge of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code, the ICC said in a release.

Agarwal was charged as a participant under the Code due to the fact he was one of the team owners of the Sindhi's franchise in the 2018 T10 Cricket League. The charge is as follows:

Article 2.4.7 -- obstructing or delaying an investigation, including concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and / or that may be evidence of or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

Under the provisions of the Code, Agarwal chose to admit the charges and agreed the sanction with the ICC in lieu of an Anti-Corruption Tribunal hearing. Subject to him satisfying conditions in respect of the suspended part of the sanction, he will be free to resume his involvement in the game on October 27, 2021.

Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager -- Integrity said: "There were a number of examples of Agarwal obstructing and delaying our investigations and it was not just a one off occurrence. However, he made a prompt admission of his breach of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and continues to provide substantial assistance to the ACU in relation to several investigations involving other participants. This cooperation is reflected in his sanction."

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Kumar Sangakkara and Brett Lee were the only overseas players that made it to veteran South African pacer Dale Steyn's best XI of players he has faced or played with.'

Interestingly, the team included his "school bowling partner", "best friend" and his "club captain," Cricket South Arica said in its tweet.

Steyn picked his former South African skipper Graeme Smith and former Sri Lankan captain Sangakkara as openers. Jacques Kallis, widely rated as one of the greatest all- rounders of all time, slots in at no.4 while Jhonty Rhodes comes in at no.5.

Wicketkeeper and current South African limited overs skipper Quinton de Kock came in at no.6.

Australia's Lee, former South African spinner Paul Harris and Proteas fast bowling great Allan Donald made up the bowling department.

A notable omission from Steyn's XI is AB de Villiers, with whom he played most of his international matches with and was considered among the batsmen in the world throughout his international career. Also, there was no India in the XI picked up by Steyn.

Steyn's Best XI he played with or against: Kumar Sangakkara, Graeme Smith, Dave Hawken, Jacques Kallis, Jonty Rhodes, Quinton de Kock, Bret Bargiachi, Peter Lombard, Brett Lee, Paul Harris, Allan Donald.

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Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, 67, who succumbed to cancer on Thursday, was an avid cricket fan with a feel for the history of the game.

Balvinder Singh Sandhu, the man who claimed the first West Indies wicket (Gordon Greenidge) in the fabled 1983 World Cup final at Lord's, remembered how Kapoor was happy to hear about past matches while a lot of his conversations with the departed film stalwart centered around India's 1983 triumph.

Sandhu was present on the sets of the 2011 film, Patiala House for which he had trained star actor Akshay Kumar, who played the role of a cricketer called Parghat Singh Kahlon.

Sandhu's special evening

"I was tucking into an early dinner one evening at Nottingham and Rishi comes to me and says that no one has dinner so early. He urged me to accompany him to a Trent Bridge bar and that's where we were for a few hours, sipping whiskey and talking cricket. I told him I was a big fan of his father, Raj Kapoor and we enjoyed a lovely, memorable evening," Sandhu told mid-day on Thursday.

The former swing bowler was amazed how Kapoor got immersed in his character, Gurtej Singh Kahlon (aka Bauji), who initially did not approve of his son Parghat (aka Gattu) playing cricket for England. "It was tremendous to see him display his skills before the camera. I told him that his performance was going to fetch him an award. He did it so well," remarked Sandhu.

Balvinder Singh Sandhu

Meanwhile, across the border, Pakistan's former wicketkeeper Wasim Bari said he cherished Kapoor's friendship ever since they met on his first Test tour to India in 1979-80. Kapoor met Pakistan cricket journalist Qamar Ahmed at a party during the series and expressed a desire to speak to Bari. Qamar arranged that and Rishi became good friends with Bari, then arguably, the No. 1 wicketkeeper in world cricket.

"I am very sad to hear the news of Rishi's death. I tried reaching out to him while he was undergoing his cancer treatment but couldn't. I remember being invited for a meal at his home and him even giving me a gift for my wife. My condolences to the Kapoor family, including Neetu," Bari, 72 told mid-day.

Those Sharjah trips

Meanwhile, Bari's former teammate and captain Zaheer Abbas recalled a great bond with Kapoor which got stronger during the departed actor's visits to Sharjah and Zaheer's trips to India.

Wasim Bari

"Rishi would always offer me a cigar and would cut and shape it for me," Zaheer told Qamar during a lunch meeting on Thursday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Veteran Kiwi batsman Ross Taylor on Friday claimed the top honour on the final day of the 2020 New Zealand Cricket Awards, winning the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the third time while Tim Southee was named Test Player of the Year. The virtual ceremony also saw Canterbury umpire Kim Cotton's meteoric rise through the officiating ranks recognised with the GJ Gardner Homes New Zealand Cricket Umpire of the Year award. Taylor had a great season, he helped guide the Blackcaps to a second successive ICC Cricket World Cup Final. He surpassed Stephen Fleming's all-time Test runs scoring record for New Zealand and became the first cricketer to play 100 international games in each of the three formats.

The 36-year-old was once again the glue in the top-order, amassing 1,389 runs across the three formats in a season in which he played in all but one of the Blackcaps' 32 internationals, from England to Sri Lanka, Australia and at home. Taylor reflected on the influence of the late Martin Crowe who was instrumental in developing the right hander's Test technique and helping him to set his goals. "I'm sure he would be proud of this. Marty was able to pass on a lot of his experience and wisdom which has played a massive part in my career," Taylor said.

"It was always something that he always pushed me to do (break records). I think he would probably be surprised at how well I have done. But I've been fortunate to be helped by a lot of people over the years and I guess when you win awards like this it's nice to be able to thank them," he added. On the other hand, Southee claimed 40 wickets from eight Tests, including 14 in the two-Test wins against India, in Wellington and Christchurch.

In the four Tests, the Kiwis won during the judging period, he took 25 wickets at an average of 16.40.

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New Zealand batsman Henry Nicholls has donated his ICC 2019 World Cup shirt to UNICEF to help raise funds for the battle against COVID-19. The 28-year-old has offered his half-sleeve shirt signed by his teammates to facilitate meals for Kiwi families. The official Twitter handle of UNICEF New Zealand wrote, "NZ Cricketer @HenryNicholls27 has offered up one of his prized 2019 Cricket World Cup jerseys, signed by the whole team! One lucky donor who has supported our #FoodForKiwiFamilies appeal will receive it. You've got to be in it, to win it so donate now!"

Anyone who donates by Monday, irrespective of the amount, will enter a draw and one lucky person will get the shirt. The Blackcaps played their second consecutive final but failed to bring the trophy home as they lost to England on the basis of the boundary-countback rule. As a result, the Three Lions went on to lift their first-ever 50-over title.

The normal 50-over match action and super over had ended as a tie, and in the end, England was announced as the winners after scoring more boundaries in the match. As all the sporting activities including cricket have been suspended due to the global surge of the coronavirus pandemic, the left-handed batsman was last seen in action against Australia in an ODI on March 13.

He has played 33 Tests, 49 ODIs, and 5 shortest format games for Kiwis. The player has scored 3,095 runs across all formats including six centuries.

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