Marriages may be made in heaven but have to go through trying and testing times on Earth. One such marriage is of Kannada star Kiccha Sudeepa and Priya Sudeepa. The two tied the knot on October 18, 2001, and the actor's fans couldn't keep calm at that point of time. But as stated, all marriages see their ups and downs and theirs was no different.

14 years later, in the year 2015, the couple mutually filed for divorce but none of the parties turned up for the proceedings. Was a possible reconciliation on the cards? Was it time for them to give their marriage another opportunity? Yes! But the actor admitted how he erred and couldn't be a good father or a good husband in an interview with Bangalore Mirror. And in an interview with Silverscreen India, he said, "My daughter is my whole life. She's like a ray of sunshine in my life. Pure, dazzling and so very important to my being."

It seems they won't part ways and that seems to be a piece of great news for his fans. In fact, they both celebrated their wedding anniversary in the Bigg Boss (Kannada) House and it met with a fantastic response. We hope they continue staying together and be the happy and happening couple they always were!

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

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

After a series of doodle honouring coronavirus warriors, Google launched a new series since April 27 where they have been urging people to stay home and play games amid the COVID-19 crisis. Today, google shared an interactive doodle featuring the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.

It’s day 2 of our throwback #GoogleDoodle series...

Today, crickHIT for 6 in our 2017 Doodle game celebrating cricket! 🏏🦗#GoogleDoodle → https://t.co/hokoBrGUtO pic.twitter.com/NSFpjSmbjg

— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) April 28, 2020

The doodel features the letter G where a person can be seen donning a Chef's hat as he uses a rolling pin in place of a bat while the letter E shows another person ready to bowl to the batsman like a bowler. When one hovers over the final doodle, it shows the message, "Stay and play at home with popular past Google Doodles: Cricket (2017).

The game provides you a virtual experience of playing cricket at a stadium

Once clicked on the animation, google takes the user to a game where one can play cricket on a pitch. The 2017 ICC Champions Trophy doodle was originally shared to celebrate the launch of the ICC Champions Trophy. the interactive feature gives you the surreal feeling of being in a stadium while playing the sport.

Explaining the motive behind launching the 10 game series to be played at hime, Google said, "As Covid-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people and families everywhere are spending more time at home. In light of this, we're launching a throwback doodle series looking back at some of our popular interactive Google Doodle games!"

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

The International Cricket Council (ICC) 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."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

London’s Piccadilly line will be suspended in a TfL strike, slated to coincide with Donald Trump’s visit and could affect England fans heading home after watching the World Cup semi-final match.

Drivers on the Piccadilly Line will walk out for 24 hours on November 7 following industrial action last month. RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said the union was 'frustrated' with management.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union on the Piccadilly Line, which links central London to Heathrow Airport, were due to strike from noon tomorrow - but this has been suspended.

The campaign has yet to get going due to the coronavirus pandemic.

LONDON, May 9 (Reuters) - Daniel Ricciardo cannot wait for Formula One to get back to racing in a COVID-19 blighted season, and when it does he reckons the...

He's the former Geordie Shore star who planned to relocate from the UK to Australia in April to pursue opportunities in TV presenting and acting.

Between 1987 and 1991 she served as an MP with the Radical Party and made headline-grabbing policy pledges, such as offering to have sex with Saddam Hussein in return for peace in Iraq.

Some of London's biggest tourists spots have been left empty as stark aerial images reveal eerie shots of Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus sparsely populated because of the coronavirus.

International pop star Katy Perry has announced she's returning to Australia.

She's scheduled to perform at the ICC Women's World Cup Final in Melbourne on March 8th.