Author: WebDesk

Kane Williamson has announced his retirement from T20 International cricket, bringing down the curtain on a career that spanned 14 years and included 93 matches. The talismanic batter, who made his debut in 2011, amassed 2,575 T20I runs at an average of 33, including 18 half-centuries and a top score of 95. His last appearance in the format came last year in Tarouba against Papua New Guinea. “It’s something that I’ve loved being a part of for a long period of time and I’m so grateful for the memories and experiences,” said Williamson. “It’s the right time for myself and…

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia is planning to increase the number of Test matches for the Indian women’s team and introduce more multi-day competitions at the domestic level, similar to the Ranji Trophy. Since 2014, the Indian women’s team have played only seven Test matches. The last time they were involved in a series comprising more than one Test was in 2006. There was a period between 2015 and 2021 when India did not play a single Test match. Saikia emphasised the need to include multi-day matches in all bilateral series. “Basically, women…

Ahead of the Ashes, scheduled to begin later this month, Josh Hazlewood has called for more all-rounders in the playing XI to share the workload with the ageing fast bowlers during the long, gruelling five-match series at home. With the Ashes three weeks away, Australia’s playing eleven is far from settled, and there are still spots up for grabs. In recent months, there has been much discussion about the team’s balance. Since his debut last summer, Beau Webster has been brilliant for Australia, as has Cameron Green, who has started bowling again. However, it will be difficult for Australia to…

Australia captain Alyssa Healy lamented the missed chances in the field, admitting her side underperformed with the bat and struggled to contain runs with the ball after their semi-final defeat to India in Navi Mumbai. Batting first, on the back of a hundred from Phoebe Litchfield and fifties from Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner, Australia posted a total of 338. In their defence, there were a lot of freebies bowled, coupled with dropped catches, which didn’t help the cause of the defending champions. “Winning the toss and batting first, I think we could have been a little bit better and…

Veteran pacer Matt Henry has been ruled out of the third ODI against England on Saturday. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has called up uncapped all-rounder Kristian Clarke as his replacement. According to NZC, Henry has returned to Christchurch after failing to recover from the left calf strain that ruled him out of the second ODI against England in Hamilton, which the home side won to seal the series. This is the second enforced change in the squad for the ongoing series. Earlier, Blair Tickner replaced Kyle Jamieson ahead of the second ODI and helped his team secure victory. Clarke joins…

Former India head coach Rahul Dravid credited Rohit Sharma for adopting an aggressive brand of play and changing the team’s mindset in white-ball cricket. Speaking on Breakfast with Champions, Dravid said that during his time as head coach, he had many discussions with then-captain Rohit about the direction they wanted to take the side in limited-overs cricket. “From the time I came in, a lot of the discussion with Rohit was around the fact that we wanted to play a more aggressive brand of cricket,” he said. “And we tried; we started right from the beginning because we could see…

In tragic news from Down Under, seventeen-year-old cricketer Ben Austin has passed away after being struck on the head and neck during a practice session in Melbourne. Reportedly, Ben was facing deliveries from an automatic bowling machine in the nets while wearing a helmet, ahead of a local T20 game in Melbourne on Tuesday, when he was hit in the head and neck area. He was immediately taken to hospital, where he later passed away. Austin’s father, Jace, said in a statement: “For Tracey and me, Ben was an adored son, a deeply loved brother to Cooper and Zach, and…

India batter B Sai Sudharsan lavished praise on head coach Gautam Gambhir for backing him despite a difficult start to his Test career. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the first unofficial four-day Test between India A and South Africa A in Bengaluru, Sudharsan opened up about his conversation with Gambhir during the last home series against the West Indies and how it boosted his confidence. “The support has been impeccable,” Sudharsan said in Bengaluru, where he will be India A’s vice-captain in the first unofficial Test against South Africa A, which begins on Thursday. “After the first game…

Former India head coach Greg Chappell has launched a fresh attack on the BCCI by revealing how the former BCCI and ICC Chief Jagmohan Dalmiya had offered to reduce Sourav Ganguly’s suspension in 2005. This revelation comes after Chris Broad accused the BCCI of misusing its power and politicising matters during his time as a match referee. In an interview with The Telegraph, the former England cricketer opened up about how he was once instructed over the phone during a match not to fine the Sourav Ganguly-led Indian team despite allegations over slow over rate. Although he did not specify…

South Africa’s two mainstays – Laura Wolvaardt (169) and Marizanne Kapp (five-for) – made major contributions as they thrashed England by 125 runs in Guwahati to progress to their maiden 50-over Women’s World Cup final. England could muster just 194 in a monstrous chase of 320. The foundation stone for South Africa’s memorable victory was laid by the skipper, Wolvaardt. The opener, who also crossed 5,000 ODI runs during her innings, scored more than half of the team’s runs. At one point of time, South Africa were 202 for 6, with England having an opening to run through the lower…