Author: WebDesk

We’ve seen this before, a decade ago, when Didier Drogba left Chelsea after winning them a first European Champions League in May 2012. He went to Shanghai, where Nicolas Anelka, his one-time Chelsea teammate, had moved six months earlier. At the time, Drogba’s salary was rumoured to be an eye-watering $16m a year, though much of his brief stint in China was spent fighting with the club about pending or lapsed payments. Half a decade later, Carlos Tevez, once of Boca Juniors, Manchester United, Man City and Juventus, followed the same path. He managed all of 16 appearances for Shanghai,…

Vaibhav Tripathi England Test captain Ben Stokes has addressed concerns about his knee injury, confirming his readiness to bowl in the opening Ashes Test against Australia, starting June 16 in Birmingham. During Thursday’s training session, Stokes made adjustments to his schedule, prioritizing his bowling practice. He opted to delay his batting practice, and instead focused on delivering around four overs on a training strip located on the outfield. The session garnered attention from England’s bowling coach, David Saker, who closely monitored Stokes’ performance and offered valuable guidance to the all-rounder. “The last three days (of training) have been…

Vaibhav Tripathi Pat Cummins, the Australian Test captain, believes he would be able to play all five Test matches of the Ashes series. During their previous tour of England, Australia employed a rotation system with their five fast bowlers to ensure effective workload management. As the the upcoming Ashes follows their recent triumph in the World Test Championship (WTC) against India, it is anticipated to be even more physically demanding. “That’s the plan,” Cummins said when queried on whether he would be able to play all the five matches. “I have done it a few times at home before, we…

“I grew up revering Ashes cricket,” wrote Greg Chappell in the Sydney Morning Herald before the start of the last series in 2021-22. “My first memory of an Ashes Test was going to the Radio 5AD studios in Adelaide in 1953 to watch our grandfather, Vic Richardson, call the simulated broadcast of the Ashes series. “A cable (similar to a modern-day text message for the age-challenged reader) would come through at the end of each over and the in-studio commentator would read the cable describing the action and tap a pencil on the desk to simulate the sound of ball…

Written by Vaibhav Tripathi Ahead of Ashes 2023, England middle-order-bat Harry Brook observed that he would take the aggressive route against Australian’s premier spinner, Nathan Lyon. The young Yorkshire batter has gained a reputation for playing a wide of range of shots. In his short Test career so far, Brook has amassed 818 runs at an average of 81.8, and more importantly, those runs have come at an astounding strike rate of 99.03. Meanwhile, Lyon has taken 487 Test wickets. “If he (Nathan Lyon) bowls a good ball then I’m going to respect it,” he told reporters. “But other than…

Vaibhav Tripathi Surrey pulled off an incredible feat on June 14th, completing the second-largest run chase in County Championship history. They chased down a daunting target of 501 runs to defeat Kent by five wickets in the County Championship Division One. The impressive partnership between Dom Sibley and Ben Foakes played a crucial role in Surrey’s victory. Resuming their innings at 263-3, the pair extended their partnership to 207, firmly taking control of the game. Sibley’s resilient knock of 140 runs from 368 balls lasted 511 minutes. Foakes also contributed with 124 runs as Surrey achieved the target in 146.1…

Vaibhav Tripathi Australia’s preparations for the upcoming Ashes 2023 Test series have been shaken by a potential injury setback, as ace batter Steve Smith suffered a blow to his finger while batting in the nets, leaving him in discomfort, according to Fox Sports. The severity of the injury is yet to be determined. During Australia’s recent triumph in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India at The Oval, Smith showcased his brilliance by scoring a century. His contributions have been vital in previous Ashes encounters as well, notably in 2019 when he notched up centuries in both innings of…

The Delhi police has finally filed the chargesheet in the alleged case of sexual harassment involving Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) supremo. The next hearing has been fixed for July 4. The police has also filed a cancellation report in the minor’s case in the Delhi Patiala House Courts. A cancellation report, legal experts confirm, is filed in cases when no corroborative evidence is found. The chargesheet comes at a time when the WFI is bracing for elections, which are to be held on July 6, with the last date for filing nominations fixed for…

Written by Vaibhav Tripathi Moeen Ali, the spin-bowling all-rounder, has been officially included in the England team to take on Australia in the first Test at Edgbaston. The off-spinner made a comeback from retirement to fill the void left by the injured Jack Leach. Furthermore, James Anderson and Ollie Robinson have returned to the side, joining forces with Stuart Broad to lead the England pace attack. The duo missed the previous match against Ireland at Lord’s due to niggles. As a result, Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts have been omitted from the line-up. Anderson has successfully recovered from his mild…

Written by Vaibhav Tripathi Moeen Ali, the English all-rounder, shared that he couldn’t resist the opportunity to play Test cricket again, especially with Ben Stokes as captain and Brendon McCullum as head coach. He explained his decision to come out of retirement and be part of the first two Tests in the upcoming Ashes series. Moeen made a second U-turn on his retirement and made himself eligible for Test selection prior to the Ashes. “The fact that it is The Ashes and it is such a big series, to be part of it would be amazing. The exciting cricket the…