Author: WebDesk

Mackenzie Arnold won the battle of the goalkeepers in a gripping penalty shootout as Australia became the first hosts since the USA in 2003 to make it to the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup. They will now play England in the last four, after the European champions bounced back from a goal down to beat a spirited Colombia 2-1. After France and Australia had failed to find a way to goal in 90 minutes of regulation and half an hour of extra time, the focus was squarely on the goalkeepers as Australia edged it 7-6 in a shootout marked…

Vaibhav Tripathi Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara remains hopeful about his chances of returning to the Indian Test team. His omission from the national squad for the West Indies tour earlier this year followed his disappointing performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. Pujara emphasized that his pathway back to the Indian team relies on his ability to accumulate runs in first-class cricket, which he believes will be instrumental in earning his place once again. “Look, I always try and control the things which I can. It’s always about getting as many runs as possible in whatever…

Vaibhav Tripathi New Zealand’s white-ball skipper Kane Williamson has acknowledged that playing in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India remains a challenging objective. However, he finds contentment in achieving incremental milestones during his ongoing recovery from injury. Following his ACL injury during the IPL 2023, Williamson underwent surgery, casting uncertainty over his potential participation in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. Nonetheless, positive progress has been evident as he returned to practice earlier this month and actively participated in New Zealand’s training camp in Mount Maunganui. “To be at the World Cup is always special. It’s still just guesswork…

In 124 seasons, going back to the first in 1888-89, no team has won English football’s top-tier title – the English Premier League replaced the old Division 1 in 1992-93 – four times in succession. With last season’s incredible treble of league, FA Cup and European Champions League, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City joined a select group of clubs that had won the top-division title three years in a row – Huddersfield Town, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United (twice) are the others. Now, the challenge is to push on and go where no team has gone before. Can City do…

Vaibhav Tripathi Former Indian and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) cricketer Ambati Rayudu could become the second player from India to partake in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Rayudu, who retired from IPL after the 2023 season, has reportedly inked a deal with St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, where he will serve as their marquee player. Rayudu was also set to represent the Texas Super Kings (TSK) in the inaugural season of the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States. However, just five days prior to the league’s commencement, Rayudu withdrew his participation due to the BCCI’s suggestion of implementing…

The Women’s World Cup will have a new name on the trophy. Days after upsetting the United States of America – the four-time winners who were aiming for a hat-trick of titles – Sweden, ranked No. 3 in the world, took out the competition’s in-form side, Japan. The Swedes were good value for their 2-1 win, and will now face Spain, who made it to the last four for the first time after seeing off the Netherlands, runners-up in 2019, 2-1 after extra time. Sweden had been poor against the USA, barely summoning up an attack of note in the…

Vaibhav Tripathi Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has chosen star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan to captain the ODI team for the upcoming Asia Cup and the 50-over World Cup in India. BCB President Nazmul Hassan revealed this decision during a press conference at his residence. “We have appointed Shakib as the captain for Asia Cup and World Cup. The World Cup and Asia Cup squad will be announced tomorrow. The selectors will name a squad of 17 members,” he informed reporters. Following Tamim Iqbal’s decision to step down due to injury concerns, Shakib, Liton Das, and Mehedi Hasan Miraz were the…

Vaibhav Tripathi Veteran Australian cricketer Steve Smith has shared his positive viewpoint regarding accepting the opportunity to initiate the batting in T20I matches for Australia. While conversing on SEN 1170’s The Run Home, Smith communicated his enthusiasm when the chance was offered. Smith, who made his T20I debut in 2010 against Pakistan, has played 63 T20I, accumulating a total of 1008 runs. “They said they were going to give me an opportunity up the top a couple of weeks ago. It was something I jumped at, I haven’t done a great deal of it,” Smith told. “It was something I did…

Vaibhav Tripathi Veteran Indian batter Shikhar Dhawan conveyed his astonishment regarding his exclusion from the roster for the men’s cricket event set to take place at this year’s Asian Games, slated for September-October. The selection committee assembled a youthful squad for the Asian Games in September-October, given that the key players are immersed in preparations for the forthcoming ODI World Cup, scheduled to be played in India. Dhawan, who hasn’t participated in any match for the Indian team since December 2022, was expected to captain India’s second string Indian team in China. However, the selectors chose Ruturaj Gaikwad instead…

Vaibhav Tripathi Anil Kumble, former Indian leg-spinner and captain, talked about the importance of approaching a cricket match against arch-rival Pakistan with a mindset that treats it like any other game. Kumble believes that not succumbing to the pressure of the rivalry is crucial. He noted that during his playing days, the intense anticipation around matches against Pakistan was such that fans would have accepted a loss against Kenya, but not against Pakistan. “In our times, the word was ‘lose even to Kenya but not to Pakistan’. There was pressure and expectation on the players. That’s how the matches between…