 Brian Lara - West Indies batting legend Brian Lara received a lifetime achievement award at the 2025 edition of the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai, India, on October 7. Tyre manufacturers CEAT devised the cricket rating system in 1995, with the 2025 awards being the 27th edition of the awards ceremony. Lara, who holds the world record for the highest individual Test match score of 400, won the CEAT Cricketer of the Year award in 1996. Lara was presented with this year's lifetime achievement award by Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar. An Instagram post from CEAT Tyres on October 7 praised Lara for his outstanding career. "Some careers set records; a few set horizons," the CEAT post said. "Tonight, we honour Brian Lara with the CEAT Lifetime Achievement Award – a salute to craft, charisma, and a legacy that continues to guide how greatness is imagined." English star batsman Joe Root won CEAT's International Cricketer of the Year award, with his countryman Harry Brook copping the men's Test Batsman of the Year prize in a year which has seen him scoring over 500 runs at the Test level at an average of 53.90. The Test Bowler of the Year award went to Sri Lanka's Prabath Jayasuriya. The top One-day International (ODI) awards went to the Kiwi pair of Matt Henry (ODI Bowler of the Year) and batting star Kane Williamson (ODI Batsman of the Year). The T20 International Bowler of the Year award went to Indian leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy, with Indian teammate Sanju Samson getting the honours as the top T20 International Batsman of the Year. Lara aside, former Indian leg-spinner BS Chandrasekhar also got a lifetime achievement award, with South Africa's Test captain Temba Bavuma receiving an award for his exemplary leadership in leading the Proteas to a World Test Championship title win over Australia in June. Indian stalwart Rohit Sharma received a special memento for leading his country to the International Cricket Council Champions Trophy earlier this year.The Indian pair of Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma won the respective women's International Batter and Bowler of the Year awards. Brian Lara receives lifetime achievement honour at CEAT Cricket Rating awards - Trinidad and Tobago Newsday |
Cricket inequalities in England and Wales are untenable – our report shows how to rejuvenate the game (2023-10-10T13:30:00+05:30)
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After more than two years of research, interviews and evidence gathering, a landmark report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) was published on June 27 2023. Holding Up a Mirror to Cricket contains strong and disturbing evidence about the class prejudice, racism and misogyny that runs through all levels of the game in England and Wales. The ICEC was established in 2021 by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the sport’s official governing body, to assess evidence of inequalities and discrimination, and to recommend actions to address these issues. I was one of the four commissioners working with the ICEC’s chair Cindy Butts (previously the deputy of chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority). We found that class prejudice is extensive in cricket. Racism is still entrenched. Women players and staff are marginalised and routinely experience sexism and misogyny. We also noted that the self-styled “home of cricket” – Lord’s in London, where the second men’s Ashes Test is being played – still cannot find time in the diary for the England national women’s team to play a test match. Our report, which runs to 317 pages, is in part based on in-depth interviews with everyone from the grassroots to the upper echelons of playing, administration and management. Unusually, it also includes a 10,000-word chapter on the history of cricket, which shows the specific role of cricket, over the long term, in establishing hierarchies of class, gender and ethnicity within British society. What our survey found: We also conducted a survey that was distributed within and by cricket clubs across England and Wales, and also by the county teams to both players and coaches. We had more than 4,000 responses, of which a shocking 50% of people who play and organise cricket in England and Wales said they had experienced discrimination of some kind. A key detail is that 79% of the respondents were “white British”. The survey’s distribution within cricket clubs led to less women participants than men, at 18%. Our report highlights elitism and class-based discrimination, and how both overlap with ethnicity and gender. Although we found widespread evidence of racism, the report is not simply a “race report”. Instead, it highlights the overlaps of class, race and gender, and the way in which a culture of elitism inhibits access to the game for a large majority of the population of England and Wales. The reason the report is getting so much welcome engagement is because – sadly – many people relate to its findings. Recommendations for change: Our report contains 44 recommendations designed to transform the game into a truly inclusive sport. Major recommendations are made on governance of the ECB, pay equity for women, creating a new regulator for the sport, a funding and engagement package for state schools, and reforms to the way in which “talent” is identified and nurtured. We also called on the ECB to make a full public apology to all those who have experienced discrimination in cricket – something it has already done in response to the report’s publication. That call is supplemented by a further demand for a specific apology for the historical neglect of, and discrimination against, women’s cricket and black Caribbean cricket in England and Wales. The findings and recommendations of the report relating to black cricket build on my Windrush Cricket project at UCL, which looks at the role of cricket in the black experience of migration and settlement in Britain after the second world war. This research will be published as a book in 2024: Windrush Cricket – Caribbean Migration and the Remaking of Postwar England (Oxford University Press). The historical injustices suffered within the game of cricket by black Britons in the post-war period can never be fully compensated for – but we must build a better future for the current and next generations. We recommend a new, properly financed Black Cricket Action Plan (BCAP) to invest in grassroots black cricket and talent development. Elitism in cricket: Our report also calls for the Eton v Harrow and Oxford v Cambridge fixtures at Lord’s to be discontinued immediately. I believe these matches are untenable, that they portray the worst possible image of elitism in cricket, and should have no place in modern Britain. They should be replaced by finals days for new national state school and universities competitions. This will make a material difference in terms of widening participation, but the symbolism of replacing one with the other is important too. We have proposed an action plan to rejuvenate state school cricket – which has been left to decay – and level the playing field between the state and private sectors. Ninety-three per cent of England and Wales attend state schools, yet the professional game is overwhelmingly dominated by the privately educated. When the England men’s team stepped on to the hallowed turf of Lord’s to play Australia, not only was the team 100% white, it was 73% privately educated. Radical reform of the “talent pathway” is needed. Many counties enrol children on to their elite pathway as young as 10 years old. This creates a sizeable structural advantage for privately educated children, at an age where most state primary school children have never played a formal game of cricket. In line with much of the sports science research, we suggest that there is too much selection too early, before children move through puberty, and that county “representative cricket” should not start until the age of 14. Cricket is Britain’s national summer sport. We can and must do better. This is a matter of social justice but also a rational move. Imagine how good the England men’s and women’s cricket teams might be if we truly broadened the talent pool.  Michael Collins, Associate Professor of Modern and Contemporary British History, UCL, This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. |
ICC ODI ranking: Kohli and Rohit occupy top two spots, Bumrah third in bowlers' list (2020-12-16T12:18:00+05:30)
 DEC 10, 2020 DUBAI: India skipper Virat Kohli cemented his place at the top of the ICC ODI rankings after scoring two half-centuries in the recently concluded three-match series against Australia. Limited-overs deputy Rohit Sharma sits at the second spot despite missing the recent ODIs against Australia. In the ranking for bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah sits on the third spot. Players from India and Australia have made significant gains in the latest rankings issued on Thursday. During the first ODI of India's tour of Australia in Sydney, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya missed out on becoming the third batsman to score a century in the match following the likes of Australia captain Aaron Finch and batsman Steven Smith. Playing his first ODI since the 2019 World Cup, Pandya struck 90 in the first game and 92 not out in the third to make his first appearance in the top-50 for batsmen by occupying the 49th place with a career-best 553 points. From the Australian camp, captain Finch's innings of 114 in the first ODI, followed by 60 and 75 helped him up to a career-best tally of 791 points and fifth place. Steve Smith's pair of 62-ball centuries in the first two matches enabled him to move back into the top-20 for the first time since 2018. He is currently at number fifteen with 707 points. Glenn Maxwell's 167 runs in the series came at a strike rate of 194.18 and featured two half-centuries, to push him back up to 20th in the rankings. This is the first time he has been in the top-20 since February 2017. In a series dominated by batsmen, Adam Zampa made a big impact with the ball, enabling him an entry in the top-20 ODI bowlers for the very first time. Zampa's seven wickets at 23 took him to the fourteenth position with a career-best 623 points. Josh Hazlewood took six wickets and moved up a place to the sixth rank. Copyright © Jammu Links News, Source: Jammu Links News |
Jasprit Bumrah considers alternative to saliva to maintain ball (2020-08-06T12:15:00+05:30)
 NEW DELHI : Premier India pacer Jasprit Bumrah won't miss the hugs and high-fives as part of a wicket celebration but he will certainly miss applying saliva on the ball and feels an alternative should be provided to maintain the red cherry. The ICC Cricket Committee, led by former India captain Anil Kumble, recommended a ban on using saliva on the ball as an interim measure to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Committee did not allow the use of artificial substances as a substitute move. The new rule makes life tougher for the bowlers and Bumrah, like many former and current fast bowlers, feels there ought to be an alternative. "I was not much of a hugger anyway and not a high-five person as well, so that doesn't trouble me a lot. The only thing that interests me is the saliva bit," said Bumrah in a chat with Ian Bishop and Shaun Pollock on ICC's video series Inside Out. "I don't know what guidelines we'll have to follow when we come back, but I feel there should be an alternative," he added. Bumrah said not being able to use saliva makes the game more batsman-friendly. "If the ball is not well-maintained, it's difficult for the bowlers. The grounds are getting shorter and shorter, the wickets are becoming flatter and flatter. "So we need something, some alternative for the bowlers to maintain the ball so that it can do something, maybe reverse in the end or conventional swing." When former West Indian pacer Bishop pointed out that the conditions have been favourable to the fast bowlers over the last couple of years, Bumrah nodded in agreement. "In Test match cricket, yes. That is why it's my favourite format, because we have something over there. But in one-day cricket and T20 cricket one-day cricket there are two new balls, so it hardly reverses at the end. "We played in New Zealand, the ground (boundary) was 50 metres. So even if you are not looking to hit a six, it will go for six. In Test matches I have no problem, I'm very happy with the way things are going." He finds it amusing that the batsmen keep complaining about the swinging ball. "Whenever you play, I've heard the batsmen-not in our team, everywhere-complaining the ball is swinging. But the ball is supposed to swing! The ball is supposed to do something! We are not here just to give throwdowns, isn't it?" "This is what I tell batsmen all the time. In one-day cricket, when did the ball reverse last, I don't know. Nowadays, the new ball doesn't swing a lot as well. So whenever I see batsmen say the ball is swinging or seaming and that is why I got out-the ball is supposed to do that. "Because it doesn't happen so much in the other formats, it's a new thing for the batsmen when the ball is swinging or seaming," said the 26-year-old. The Ahmedabad-born pacer finds himself in an unusual position as he has not bowled for over two months due to the lockdown imposed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. When India will play next is not clear yet and Bumrah said he is not sure about how his body will hold up when he returns to action. "I really don't know how your body reacts when you don't bowl for two months, three months. I'm trying to keep up with training so that as soon as the grounds open up, the body is in decent shape. "I've been training almost six days a week but I've not bowled for a long period of time so I don't know how the body will react when I bowl the first ball. "I'm looking at it as a way to renew your own body. We'll never get such a break again, so even if you have a small niggle here and there, you can be a refreshed person when you come back. You can prolong your career," he said. Bumrah has risen rapidly in international cricket despite experts having reservations about his longevity due to his unorthodox action. The gritty fast bowler sees similarities in his career graph to Swedish football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. "Our personalities are a different. But the story I could relate to is that not many people thought he would make it big. There was a similar case with me growing up as well. "Wherever I went, it was the general feedback from people that ‘this guy would not do anything, he would not be a top-rated bowler, he won't be able to play for a long period of time with this kind of action'. "So, having the self-belief is important and the only validation that is required is your own validation. I saw that in his (Ibrahimovic's) story, so that's the thing I could relate to," added Bumrah. Copyright © Jammu Links News, Source: Jammu Links News |
Boycott leaves BBC's Test commentary team citing COVID-19 concerns (2020-07-23T10:26:00+05:30)
LONDON: Former England captain Geoffrey Boycott, who is 79, has ended his 14-year long association with BBC's Test Match Special commentary team citing concerns arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Boycott made the call ahead of next month's home series against the West Indies, which marks the resumption of international cricket. "I would like to thank @bbctms @BBCSport for a wonderful 14 years. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and just love cricket with a passion. I also wish to thank all those that have said how much they have enjoyed my commentary and for those that haven't- too bad," Boycott wrote on Twitter. "My contract with BBC finished end of last summer. I would loved to continue but need to be realistic & honest with myself. Covid-19 has made the decision for both of us." Boycott said his age and a quadruple heart bypass surgery was also behind his decision. The England-West Indies series will be played in a highly protected bio-secure environment to combat the coronavirus threat. "Recently I had a quadruple heart by-pass and at 79 am the wrong age to be commentating in a bio secure area trapped all day in confined spaces with the same people- even if some of those commentators I regard as friends and others I admire," Boycott added. Copyright © Jammu Links News, Source: Jammu Links News
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India lose top spot in ICC Test rankings to Australia (2020-07-17T13:08:00+05:30)
MAY 01, 2020 DUBAI: India lost the top spot in the ICC Test rankings to Australia on Friday, dropping to third after their stupendous 2016-17 record was eliminated from the annual update as per rules. India yielded the top spot in Test rankings for the first time since October 2016 but continue to lead the ICC World Test Championship, a league comprising six series played by each of the top nine sides. India dropped in the ladder largely because the record of 12 Tests victories and just one Test defeat in 2016-17 was removed in the latest chart, the ICC said in a statement. Virat Kohli's men had won all five series during that 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. The latest update rates all the matches played since May 2019 at 100 per cent and those of the previous two years at 50 per cent. Australia not only moved to the top of the Test rankings but also grabbed the no.1 spot in the T20I list for the first time while England continued to lead the men''s ODI rankings after the annual update, which eliminates results from 2016-17. Australia now have 116 points and are followed by New Zealand (115) and India (114). 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 was in January 2016, when India had led Australia and South Africa by a single point. 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 lost eight of their nine Tests since February 2019, playing against Sri Lanka, India and England. In the 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. In contrast, the updated 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 10th 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. Copyright © Jammu Links News, Source: Jammu Links News
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2014 Adelaide Test an important milestone for Team India: Virat Kohli (2020-07-16T13:33:00+05:30)
JUN 30, 2020 NEW DELHI: India skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday went down the memory lane and recalled the Adelaide Test during India's tour of Australia in 2014 which according to him will always remain as an important milestone for the team. In the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy played from December 9-13, Team India gave a tough fight to Michael Clarke and his team. However, they were not able to cross the line despite Kohli scoring twin centuries in both the innings of the Test match. "Throwback to this very special and important Test in our journey as the Test team that we are today. Adelaide 2014 was a game filled with emotion on both sides and an amazing one for people to watch too," Kohli said in an Instagram post along with a photo from the game. "Although we didn't cross the line being so close, it taught us that anything is possible if we put our mind to it because we committed to doing something which seemed very difficult to begin with but almost pulled it off. All of us committed to it. "This will always remain a very important milestone in our journey as a Test side," he added. Australia had scored a mammoth 517/7 declared in their first innings, riding on centuries from David Warner, Clarke and Steve Smith. India replied strongly and scored 444, with Kohli contributing with 115. In their second innings, the hosts declared for 290/5, setting a 364-run target for Team India. Kohli once again scored a brilliant ton (141) and Murali Vijay also contributed with valuable 99. However, their efforts didn't prove to be enough as India lost the match by 48 runs, bundling out for 315. Off-spinner Nathan Lyon was declared Man of the Match as he played a crucial role in Australia's win by scalping a total of 12 wickets. India lost the four-match series 0-2. However, in 2018/19, under Kohli, India became the first Asian team to register a Test series win Down Under, defeating Tim Paine's men 2-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Copyright © Jammu Links News, Source: Jammu Links News
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Sony acquires Ten Sports from Zee for $385 mn (2016-11-14T09:07:00+05:30)
Sony Pictures Networks has acquired sports channel Ten Sports from Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd (ZEEL) for $385 million in an all-cash deal, in one of the biggest deals in the broadcasting space in India.
Subhash Chandra-owned Zee has also agreed to a non-compete clause for four years.
With the $385 million acquisition, Sony Pictures will now own the seven channels in the Ten Sports bouquet, and also emerge as a major cricket broadcaster in Asia.
Sony Corp-owned SPN holds broadcast rights for the annual cash-rich Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament while also having the rights for the domestic leagues in South Africa and the West Indies.
''The investments required to continue in the sports business were high. Sony approached us and the valuation seemed good to exit and focus on our core category. We hope to complete the deal in the next 4-5 months,'' Business Line quoted Punit Goenka, MD, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, as saying.
ZEEL had bought Ten Sports from Dubai-based Abdul Rahman Bukhatir's Taj Group in 2006. Zee operates the sports broadcasting business under Taj TV Ltd, Mauritius, which has been distributing the TEN brand in India. The sports broadcasting business accounted for Rs631 crore in revenue and a net loss of Rs37.20 crore for 2015-16.
Commenting on the deal, Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India CEO NP Singh said, ''The acquisition will strengthen SPN's offering for viewers of cricket, football and fight sports, complementing our existing portfolio of international and domestic properties.''
Sony Corp-owned SPN holds broadcast rights for the annual cash-rich Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament while also having the rights for the domestic leagues in South Africa and the West Indies.
TEN sports will now add all three formats of international cricket to the network with the broadcast rights of boards in South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
SPN's biggest competitor Star Sports, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox, owns rights to cricket giants India's home matches, Australia, England and also the International Cricket Council-organised World Cups. Source: domain-b.com
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John Wright 'comes home' as new T20 coach (2016-11-05T14:05:00+05:30)
 I had a feeling that something would be announced today, when the membership packages for 2017 are announced. Perhaps a player but, as it turns out, the news that one of the biggest coaches in cricket is returning to a club that was his cricketing home for many years. John Wright is a giant of the game. First as a player, one who rightly stakes a claim as one of the best in the club's history. He did it on the international stage too, averaging just under forty in an era when opening batsmen faced genuine fast bowling, whoever the opposition. All of it - well, nearly all of it - with a smile on his face and a genial manner that made him hugely popular with supporters. It was the same when Wright became New Zealand coach and then the first non-Indian coach of their national side. He had previously enjoyed a county stint in charge at Kent and quickly became established as an outstanding coach at international level. Of course, having the likes of Tendulkar, Sehwag, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman in the batting line up never does any harm, but Wright stressed to them all the role that they were expected to play in winning matches. He explained this well - shameless plug time - in an interview for my recent book In Their Own Words: Derbyshire Cricketers in Conversation, which gave an insight into the man and the way that he worked as a player and subsequently as a coach. That same interview also clearly showed how important Derbyshire was and remains for John. He has made regular trips over here and has remained on very good terms with the club. He is also an unashamed fan of the area, which he loves. He was in charge of India for five years, in which time they beat Australia at home for the first time, drew a series in that country, won a fiercely competed series against their arch rivals, Pakistan and reached the final of the 2003 World Cup. At the end of his tenure - and five years is a long time in a role that rarely carries a suggestion of longevity, even with success - Wright became a successful coach in the IPL, leading Mumbai Indians to that title and the Champions League T20 double in 2013. Since then he has been a talent scout for that side, a role well-explained in this Cricinfo article. It was Wright who spotted the raw, unorthodox but precocious talent of Jasprit Bumrah, as well as that of Hardik Pandya, both of who have gone on to greater things. That Wright has the coaching credentials is undeniable, but he also brings a huge network of contacts. As was explained recently by Kim Barnett, the T20 coach will recruit his overseas players and work solely on that format. Might that see another return, this time for Martin Guptill? I won't attempt to second-guess, but John could go in any number of directions and will doubtless know a lot about what he has in the squad already and how that might best be complemented. For my money, a powerhouse batsman and either a quick bowler or spinner of class would do nicely. If either offer a second string to their bow, so much the better, but we are in very good hands with John Wright. If you are considering coaches who have made a reputation and a contribution to a dynasty, his work in making India more 'professional' is acknowledged across the world. That he is now bringing those talents back to the county that gave him his first major opportunity in the game constitutes a pretty major coup by Kim Barnett. If this is the standard we are aiming at this winter, only the most churlish will find something to moan about. Of course, we all want to know who is coming to play here next summer. With a man of this stature in charge, it could be absolutely anyone. Welcome back to Derbyshire, John. It will be a pleasure to see you again. Source: http://derbyshirecricket.blogspot.com/ |
Peakfan's blog: Future bright for Knight and White (2016-09-27T12:46:00+05:30)
I wasn't going to miss out on a potential headline like that now, was I? The engagement of Tom Knight (pictured) and Harry White on one-year deals is one of those that might slip under the radar on a busy news day, but be assured that both have the potential to be big players for Derbyshire. Cynics will point to the fact that neither played much senior cricket last season and Knight, one of our bijou collection of spinners, barely turned his arm over in club or county cricket. Yet such comment belies the fact that people who know the game far better than any of us feel that he has what it takes to be a serious player. His destructive ability with a bat in his hands is well known to local cricket fans and if the coaching team have changed his bowling in a positive manner, he could be a very good all-round asset. As I have written before, Tom was formerly a spin bowler with good control but with insufficient flight and turn to dismiss good batsmen on anything other than a helpful track. If I play devil's advocate for a moment, that might have been enough to make him a useful one-day cricketer, in a similar way to Stephen Parry is at Lancashire. The latter has played only nine one-day games in eight summers, yet is a key member of their one-day side. Yet I don't think we have the resources at Derbyshire to employ single format players and it is in both the player's and our interests to take time to mould him into something more at a formative stage of his career. In doing so there is, of course, a danger that he could fail to recapture the bowling skills of his teenage years, but also the possibility that he could be transformed from a decent cricketer to one who is quite special. Given the dearth of English spin bowlers at present, I'd suggest it was a 'gamble' worth taking. Read More At: http://derbyshirecricket.blogspot.com/
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Another day, another win - another convincing argument (2016-06-14T13:23:00+05:30)
By Peakfan: Although the rules of the two-day game against Worcestershire changed as it progressed, Derbyshire were declared winners today and produced another fine day of cricket. After our 276-3 in two sessions on day one, Worcestershire struggled to 237-7 in their two sessions. Curiously, all the wickets today fell to left-arm bowlers - with two to Harry White and one each to Greg Cork, Chesney Hughes and Tom Knight. All will have enjoyed their success but Hughes and Knight have each come a long way to get to this stage. Chesney hardly bowled a ball last year as he fought back from a serious shoulder injury and was missed. While his left arm spin could hardly be deemed slow (he's quicker than me off my long run...) it is a potent weapon, especially in the one-day game. As for Knight, his action has been remodelled and grooved better than a flower power classic. A proper bowl will have done him the world of good and the wicket will be a timely boost of confidence. In the Worcestershire one session second innings, they reached 126-3, with wickets to the Hughes boys and one to Shiv Thakor, leaving Derbyshire 88 to 'win'. They did this with some ease, making 114-4, largely thanks to an unbeaten 67 from Ben Slater. There were early dismissals for Chesney, Alex Hughes and Tom Poynton, but all have runs under their belt and Wayne White got a few in the middle of the bat today. Slater continued the good impression made at the end of last season and looks increasingly like a potential county opener for years to come. I have watched him bat several times and like his uncomplicated method. He is a busy little player who could become a good one-day bat, as well as a lynchpin in the longer game. One to watch, that's for sureSource: Derbyshire Cricket, Read More<<<
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Murali Kartik retires from all forms of cricket (2016-01-21T15:33:00+05:30)
By: Express News Service | New Delhi | Updated: June 14, 2014 7:55 pm, Veteran left-arm spinner Murali Kartik on Saturday retired from competitive crickethaving played eight Tests and 37 ODIs for India between 1999 and 2007 taking 24 and 37 wickets respectively. However it was first-class cricket where Kartik was always a force to reckon with 644 wickets from 203 games which also included stints with English county sides like Middlesex, Surrey and Somerset. “I have decided to hang up my boots from all forms of competitive cricket but will honour my commitments for Kings XI Punjab during this year’s Champions League T20. I want to thank everyone for their support and felt that it is the right time to go. I have enjoyed playing this game and it has given me a lot,” Kartik said in a press conference in New Delhi on Saturday. “I would like to thank my parents and wife Shweta for their support, my coaches MP Singh, Gurcharan Singh and the greatest motivator of all Bishan Singh Bedi. Not to forget the influence that Maninder Singh had on my career,” said one of the premier left-arm spinners in the world. Kartik also thanked BCCI’s president-in-exile N Srinivasan as he first got a chance toplay competitive cricket for India Cements. “I would like to thank N Srinivasan sir and Kasi sir (Kashi Viswanthan) for giving a chance to play Buchi Babu as a teenager for Vijay Sports Club. My first captain VB Chandrasekhar who gave me a lot of confidence.” Asked about his high point in international cricket, Kartik said, “The Mumbai Test (match haul of 7/76) where I won the man-of-the-match award will always be special as we were able to restrict an Australian side to 103, chasing 107. Also when Sachin presented me with my India Test cap and Kapil Paaji (then coach) presented the Indiahat.” Talking about his best captain, he said,”It’s got to be Azzu bhai (Mohammed Azharuddin), who would tell you that as a bowler, you should be knowing what to do rather than me telling you.” He profusely thanked Indian Railways as a team that had a lot of intent despite limitations. “Winning the Ranji Trophy in 2001 gave us a lot of joy. We beat teams like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu before beating Baroda in the final. We were defending a first-innings score of 270-odd and Baroda were over 100 for no loss. We won it from there and it was a special feeling. “In Railways, we never had the facilities but we believed in each other and stood by one and another. Probably that’s an ingredient that a learned man like Sanjay (Bangar) carried in his job when he decided to take up the Kings XI assignment,” said Kartik, who will be seen more as a media pundit rather than getting into full fledged coaching role after the retirement. Source: The Indian Express, Image: http://photobucket.com......
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Prince William and Kate Middleton are presented with cricket bats by Perry and McGrath (2015-08-21T17:26:00+05:30)
Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton are presented with cricket bats by Australian Women's cricket team member Ellyse Perry and former Australian cricket team member Glenn McGrath in front of the Cricket World Cup trophy at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney. (AP Source: The Indian Express
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Lou Vincent opens up on match-fixing involvement (2015-08-17T14:19:00+05:30)
By: Associated Press | Wellington | Published on:July 2, 2014 1:59 pm, Disgraced former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent says he’s “a good lad” whose participation in match-fixing – for which he is banned from cricket for life – was like “being dragged into a thick spider web.” In an interview with the New Zealand Herald on Wednesday, Vincent said he doesn’t want sympathy but hopes for understanding of how he succumbed to the temptation to fix matches. Vincent said he was motivated by greed when he first became involved in fixing while playing in the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League. He was approached by a bookmaker who offered him $15,000 and the services of a prostitute to manipulate the outcome of games. Vincent reported the approach to a fellow player who he trusted, but found that player was already a match fixer. “Being around this person who oozed self-confidence and self-esteem was uplifting,” he was quoted as saying. “I went to this person’s room, explained my situation, then he paused, looked up and said ‘that’s great, a good cover because now you’re working for me and we’re going to be fixing matches.” “Try saying no to that. He said the ICL was unsanctioned, like backyard cricket, exhibition stuff, so fixing was OK and he’d pay me $50,000 per game.” Vincent variously refers to the player involved as “The Don” or “My Hero.” He said the player threatened him with a cricket bat when a fix failed because of his mistakes. Vincent said he renewed his arrangement with the player involved when he went on to play for Lancashire in English county cricket. He admits approaching his Lancashire teammate, England player Mal Loye and offering him money to fix matches. Loye refused and reported the approach to the England and Wales Cricket Board. On Tuesday the ECB banned Vincent for life from all involvement in cricket after he pleaded guilty to 18 fixing chargers relating to county matches. Vincent describes the intricate system under which payments for his services were made. “One time I was given an address at an industrial site in Birmingham,” he said. “I went to a pre-instructed street number and knocked. I heard a latch and then the door opened and I walk into a small laundry. An elderly Indian couple in their 60s or 70s welcomed me. I’d been rung to say pick out any 20 pound note, and text the barcode to a bookie. I passed it on to these guys to verify my entrance. They said ‘there’s your bag of cash’ and off I went.” Source: The Indian Express
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Morgan victim of attempted blackmail (2015-08-15T18:07:00+05:30)
Eoin Morgan will look to lead England to victory on Friday and book a berth in the final. AFP
Hobart, January 22England’s World Cup captain Eoin Morgan has been victim of an attempted blackmail over a former relationship, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Thursday. According to the ECB, an Australian man had demanded a five-figure sum to prevent a story about One-day skipper Morgan and a previous girlfriend appearing in national newspapers in Australia and Britain. “The allegations related to a brief relationship Eoin had with a woman from Australia five years ago,” a statement said. “Following liaison with the Metropolitan Police, our support team on the ground in Australia investigated the blackmail. “This involved approaching the man in question who, when confronted, admitted and apologised for his actions, blaming jealousy.” The man involved is understood to be in a relationship with the woman Morgan once dated. The ECB said they would not seek to press charges. “We will not allow anyone to disrupt our team’s preparation or performance in the tri-series and as we build up to the World Cup. I am pleased that this issue has now been brought to a swift conclusion,” Paul Downton, the ECB’s managing director, said. Morgan was named as England’s One-day captain after Alastair Cook was removed from the post in December. After drubbing India, England face Australia All-rounder Moises Henriques was on Thursday drafted into the Australian squad in place of fellow all-rounder Shane Watson for the tri-series match against England in Hobart on Friday. “Watson reported tightness in his right hamstring during training at Blundstone Arena on Thursday morning and has been stood down from the match as a result,” Cricket Australia (CA) said in a statement. “Henriques will link up with the squad in Hobart Thursday evening and, as a result, will miss the Sydney Sixers — Sydney Thunder KFC Big Bash League (KFC BBL)encounter at the Sydney Cricket Ground.”Source: tribuneindia.com
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Giles not shy of taking 'strong' coaching decisions despite 'nice guy' reputation (2015-08-12T19:04:00+05:30)
London (ANI): England's limited overs coach Ashley Giles has claimed that he is not afraid of making tough coaching decisions despite his 'nice guy' reputation if he is appointed as the team's new head coach. Giles said that while coaching Warwickshire County Cricket Club for five years, he had to make some tough decisions and he went ahead with them. According to the BBC, the limited-overs coach said that people say a lot about his style of coaching, whether he is tough enough, but he claims that he can make 'strong decisions'. Giles also said that if does not make those tough calls, his superiors will make judgements about his style of coaching, the report added. (ANI) Source: Article, Image: photobucket.com
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Lauren wows with babydoll act at Zee 20 Cricket League (2015-05-22T21:10:00+05:30)
 New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) Dancer Lauren Gottlieb, who made her debut as a lead protagonist in the dance-based movie "Any Body Can Dance" (2013), turned into a babydoll and delivered an exquisite performance at the "Zee 20 Cricket League". Zee TV blends cricket with daily soap in "Zee 20 Cricket League". The 25-year-old was sporting a bright cheerleader's outfit that had babydoll written across her back and wowed the audience with her spunky act on remix versions of "Babydoll", "Drama Queen", "Dhating Naach" and "Kamli", said a statement. "I made my entry into the Indian film industry with ABCD (Any Body Can Dance) that had some of the finest dancers in the country who'd emerged from Zee TV's 'Dance India Dance' -- a show that I have immense regard for. It was only a matter of time. "The 'Zee 20 Cricket League' presented me with an exciting opportunity of doing a very punchy, power-packed dance act to a medley of some of my favorite songs," said Lauren. "I think it's most unusual for all the actors of a television channel to be brought together to play a cricket match. It's something that hasn't been done before and I am excited to be a part of it. The response to my dance act was overwhelming at the stadium," she added. Zee TV has launched the game show where actors from the channel's prime time shows come together on a cricketfield. TV actors of the show "Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya" split into two teams led by Raj (Mishkat Varma) and Samarth (Navi Bhangu)and battle it out in a nail-biting 20-over match packed with high-voltage drama. Raj's team is called 'Raj Ke Challengers' whereas Samarth's team is called 'Samarth ke Daredevils'. The cricket tournament with the flavour of family entertainment will be aired on May 24 and May 25. Source: newstrackindia.com, Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org |