Author: WebDesk

Stand-in captain Steve Smith took a cheeky dig at Monty Panesar for his comments ahead of the first Test of the five-match Ashes series, starting in Perth on November 21. Panesar had urged the England team to make Smith feel guilty about the Sandpapergate scandal of 2018 in Cape Town during the upcoming series. When asked about the former England spinner’s remarks, Smith’s sarcastic reply left reporters in stitches. “I am going to go off topic here — who in the room has seen Mastermind, and Monty Panesar on it? Any of you?” Smith said ahead of the Perth Test.…

Playing his 100th Test, Mushfiqur Rahim made the occasion memorable by scoring a century in Dhaka on Thursday, November 20. With this, he became only the 11th batter in the history of Test cricket to score a hundred in their centenary match. Mushfiqur remained unbeaten on 99 on the opening day of the ongoing first Test against Ireland. The veteran Bangladesh cricketer reached the magical three-figure mark by nudging Jordan Neill off his pads for a single. As soon as he completed the runs, the small crowd at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium rose to acknowledge the special milestone and erupted…

Marnus Labuschagne has returned to his preferred number three position in the playing XI, which includes two debutants – Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett – for the first Ashes Test in Perth, set to begin tomorrow (November 21). This will mark the first time the hosts have selected multiple debutants in a Test since early 2019. On the back of a stellar run for Queensland in domestic cricket, Labuschagne has earned his spot back. With his return, Beau Webster, who played an important part in the WTC final, has been left out. Labuschagne’s reinstatement at number three means that Cameron…

Despite being released by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Venkatesh Iyer hopes to represent his former franchise once again to repay the faith the team has shown in him over the years. Ahead of the November 15 deadline, KKR released the highest number of players among the ten franchises. Iyer was one of the most notable releases, alongside Andre Russell. The team management had appointed Iyer as vice-captain after he was acquired for Rs 23.75 crore by the Knight Riders in the mega auction. “For players like us, it’s the opportunity to play in the IPL that matters. It doesn’t…

Ollie Pope has been named in the 12-man squad announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) a day prior to the start of the first Ashes Test, which begins in Perth on November 21. Pope has pipped Jacob Bethell in the race for the number three spot after scoring a century in the warm-up game against the England Lions. There are no surprises in the probables named for the Ashes opener. Four frontline pacers have been named – Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson and Mark Wood, who is returning from a long injury lay-off. Shoaib Bashir, the…

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday (November 19) issued an update on Shubman Gill ahead of the second and final Test of the two-match series, which will be played in Guwahati. Gill suffered a neck injury during the second day of the Kolkata Test, which kept him on the sidelines for the remainder of the game. Later in the day, he was admitted to hospital, where he was kept for a day before being discharged. According to the latest update from the BCCI, Gill will travel to Guwahati on Wednesday, and a call on his…

Bangladesh Women’s team skipper Nigar Sultana Joty took a subtle dig at Harmanpreet Kaur while responding to her teammate Jahanara Alam’s accusations of assaulting and humiliating junior players in the team. “Why would I hit anyone? I mean, why would I strike the stumps with my bat? Am I Harmanpreet, that I would go around hitting the stumps like that? Why would I do it? In my personal space, if I’m cooking or something, I might bang my bat around or hit my helmet—that’s my own business,” Joty said in an interview with Daily Cricket. Earlier this year, Jahanara made…

Lungi Ngidi has linked up with the South Africa team in Kolkata ahead of the second and final Test match of the series, which is scheduled to be played from November 22 at Guwahati’s Barsapara Stadium. Three days before the start of the series decider, Ngidi landed in Kolkata on Tuesday morning (18 November). The right-arm pacer has not yet been officially included in the squad, but it is understood that this will be done in due course. Ahead of the first Test in Kolkata, South Africa’s pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada was ruled out due to a rib injury sustained…

Australia’s stand-in captain for the first Ashes Test, Steve Smith, has heaped praise on Scott Boland, calling him one of the best bowlers in the world. Boland has played just 14 Tests since making his debut in Melbourne in the 2021–22 Ashes series. With an extraordinary average of 16.53, the Victorian has taken 62 wickets. Despite not being a regular part of the line-up, Boland has been a constant presence in the squad and was involved in memorable wins in the 2023 WTC final and the home series against India last summer. Boland will form a pace attack with Mitchell…

Dasun Shanaka will lead Sri Lanka’s T20I side for the upcoming tri-series involving Pakistan and Zimbabwe. This move comes after incumbent captain Charith Asalanka was ruled out by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) due to illness. Returning home along with Asalanka is Asitha Fernando, who is also out through sickness. Pavan Rathnayake, who has played a solitary ODI, has been drafted into the squad as a replacement. “Two players returning home: captain Charith Asalanka and fast bowler Asitha Fernando, both suffering from illness, will return home. The two players will not take part in the upcoming tri-series featuring Sri Lanka, Pakistan,…