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Day: December 21, 2022

Sports

ICC Test rankings: Axar Patel surges to career-best position, Kuldeep Yadav jumps 19 spots | Cricket News – Times of India

DUBAI: India all-rounder Axar Patel jumped 20 spots to reach a career-best 18th position while spinner Kuldeep Yadav catapulted 19 places to 49th in the latest ICC Test rankings released on Wednesday.Kuldeep, who was adjudged the Player of the Match for his eight for 113 in the first Test of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) against Bangladesh, has 455 rating points.Axar, who claimed five five scalps in the match, has 650 points as he broke into the top 20.Meanwhile, the injured Jasprit Bumrah (4th) and Ravichandran Ashwin (5th) continued their stay in top five.Among batters, veteran Cheteshwar Pujara and young Shubman Gill jumped 10 positions each to be 16th and 54th.Pujara knocks of 90 and 102 in the first Test against Bangladesh last week helped him break into the top 20 with 664...
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Watch Shahid Afridi enjoy 52-year old Inzamam-ul-Haq’s monster six

With his incredible power-hitting abilities at the age of 52, former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq left everyone stunned during Pakistan’s Mega Star League match. Another Pakistan legend Shahid Afridi, who also plays in the tournament, was also astonished to see Inzamam’s swashbuckling batting skills. Afridi, who was sitting in the dugout was visibly surprised by Inzamam’s monstrous hitting. Inzamam smashed 29 off just 16 balls for his team Karachi Kings. Watch video: Inzi Bhai scores 29 of just 16 and becomes the cricketainer of the day.#KingdomValleyMSL2022 #MSL #KingdomValleyMSL#MegaStarsLeague #Cricketainment #KingdomValley#CricketLeague #Cricket #ShahidAfridi #mediasniffers#Pakola #Daikin #Pindi #islamabad #InzimamUlHaq pic.twitter.com/EdkQVg6GmL — Mega Stars League (@megastarsl...
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It would be great if Rehan Ahmed is picked in IPL auction: Brendon McCullum | Cricket News – Times of India

KARACHI: England red-ball coach Brendon McCullum says it would be "awesome" if leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed bags an IPL deal following his stellar Test debut and he would want the the teenager to play as much franchise cricket as possible.The 18-year-old Ahmed became the youngest to take a five wicket haul on Test debut as he claimed the impressive figures of (5/48) against Pakistan on day three in the third Test here.Ahmed, who already has a deal to play in the inaugural ILT20 in the UAE in January and February, has entered the IPL auction, to be held in Kochi on Friday, with a base price of Rs 40 lakh."It would be great if he got picked up at the IPL. It would be awesome if he did," McCullum told BBC's Test Match Special on Tuesday."Why not give him that opportunity to rub shoulders with o...
Sports

Steve Smith backs David Warner to regain form | Cricket News – Times of India

MELBOURNE: Australia batter Steve Smith on Wednesday backed under-fire David Warner to find Test form, saying the opener has a tendency of doing well when his "back's up against the wall".Warner has been struggling in the longest format of the game. His last Test century came almost three years ago.The opener could manage only three runs, which included a golden duck, in the first Test against South Africa, which the hosts won by six wickets inside two days.Prior to the first Test against the Proteas, he had scores of 5, 48, 21, 28 in the four innings this summer."You only have to look back a (few) weeks ago (to) a one-day game out here (at the MCG) against England, he scored 100 on what was a pretty tough wicket," Smith was quoted as saying by Australian Associated Press (AAP)."We've s...
Sports

MCG under pressure to deliver contest after Gabba let-down | Cricket News – Times of India

MELBOURNE: The Melbourne Cricket Ground is under pressure to produce a pitch that delivers a fairer contest between bat and ball in the Boxing Day Test between Australia and South Africa after the series-opener at the Gabba was over within two days.Australia won the Brisbane Test by six wickets as batters struggled on a green-top pitch that was criticised by South Africa captain Dean Elgar and earned a "below average" rating by the International Cricket Council.Along with fans denied action lasting up to five days, broadcasters also lost out on advertising revenue.Cricket Australia operations chief Peter Roach said the governing body had no control over MCG curator Matt Page and his work on the pitch but would engage with him in the lead-up to the Test starting Monday."We expect our cur...
Sports

2nd Test: India to go for the kill against Bangladesh as WTC battle heats up | Cricket News – Times of India

MIRPUR: Stand-in skipper KL Rahul would be eager to overcome his lean patch as India are expected go for the kill in the second Test against Bangladesh, beginning here on Thursday, to strengthen their position in the World Test Championship.The race for the top-two spots in the WTC standings has become more interesting with India (55.77 PCT) moving up to the second position following South Africa's (54.55 PCT) heavy loss to Australia (76.92 PCT) in two-day Gabba Test.The upcoming home series against Australia will be decisive in India's bid for a second straight WTC final but they also can't afford any slip-ups against Bangladesh, who showed plenty of fight in the first Test after a poor first innings with the bat.With regular skipper Rohit Sharma yet to recover from his thumb injury, n...
Sports

It would be great if Rehan is picked in IPL auction, says Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum. File Photo | Photo Credit: Reuters England red-ball coach Brendon McCullum says it would be "awesome" if leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed bags an IPL deal following his stellar Test debut and he would want the the teenager to play as much franchise cricket as possible. The 18-year-old Ahmed became the youngest to take a five wicket haul on Test debut as he claimed the impressive figures of (5/48) against Pakistan on day three in the third Test here. Ahmed, who already has a deal to play in the inaugural ILT20 in the UAE in January and February, has entered the IPL auction, to be held in Kochi on Friday, with a base price of ₹40 lakh. "It would be great if he got picked up at the IPL. It would be awesome if he did," McCullum told BBC's Test Match Special on Tuesday. "Why not g...
Sports

MCG under pressure to deliver contest after Gabba let-down

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is under pressure to produce a pitch that delivers a fairer contest between bat and ball in the Boxing Day test between Australia and South Africa after the series-opener at the Gabba was over within two days. Australia won the Brisbane test by six wickets as batters struggled on a green-top pitch that was criticised by South Africa captain Dean Elgar and earned a “below average” rating by the International Cricket Council. Along with fans denied action lasting up to five days, broadcasters also lost out on advertising revenue. The Gabba pitch has received one demerit point under the ICC Pitch and Outfield monitoring process. Details ⬇️https://t.co/Y40BXAc23n — ICC (@ICC) December 20, 2022 Cricket Australia operations chief Peter Roach said the governing bo...
Sports

India vs Bangladesh 2nd Test: Cheteshwar Pujara set to go past Don Bradman | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: India's Test batting icon Cheteshwar Pujara played a magnificent role in the opening Test match against Bangladesh which India won by a huge margin of 188 runs. Pujara missed out on a century in the first innings and departed for 90 but the star batter left that disappointment behind soon and reached the triple-figure mark in the second innings. The right-hander notched up his 19th Test century, scoring 102 off 130 balls at a strike rate of 78.46. This was his fastest century in Tests.With 19 centuries, Pujara has joined the greats like Ross Taylor (New Zealand), Gordon Greenidge (West Indies), Clive Lloyd (West Indies), and Mike Hussey (Australia). With India, who are 1-up in the two-match series, slated to take on Bangladesh in the second Test from Thursday (December 22), P...
Sports

Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023: India schedule and full list of matches | Hockey News – Times of India

Hoping to build on its return to the Olympic podium with a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021, India will look to break their World Cup hoodoo as well when they begin their quest to end a 47-year wait for another World Cup trophy with their opening match against Spain on January 13 next year.India registered its only World Cup triumph way back in 1975.The 15th edition of the men's World Cup will be held from January 13 to 29, 2023, in the state of Odisha, which hosted the last edition as well in 2018. However, this time, the tournament will be hosted by two cities in the state, with Rourkela joining Bhubaneswar as the second venue.India are currently ranked No. 6 on the latest International Hockey Federation rankings, which is the second best in Pool D, behind England who are No. 5...
Sports

Cristiano Ronaldo: No club, exit from Portugal virtually sealed and an uncertain future beckons

A forlorn figure stood in the middle of the pitch a couple of minutes before the referee blew the final whistle for the Portugal vs Morocco quarter-final clash in the 2022 World Cup. And as soon as the match was over, he did not wait to console his teammates, nor did he exchange formalities with his nation’s conquerors. In a familiar scene to his former club’s fans, he stalked away from the cacophony emanating from the wall of sound and made his way to the tunnel. The beads of sweat running down his face were replaced by tears during that lonely walk as Portugal’s one-time talisman Cristiano Ronaldo broke down in front of the cameras before making his way to the locker room. Portugal had been knocked out and consequently snuffed out what might very well be Ronaldo’s last chance at addin...
Sports

Hardik, Surya and Shreyas set for contract upgrade

India’s Suryakumar Yadav, left, and India’s Hardik Pandya, right, run between wickets during the second T20 international cricket match between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham, England, Saturday, July 9, 2022. File photo | Photo Credit: AP Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer are set to be promoted in the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI’s) list of centrally contracted cricketers for 2022-23. The list is set to be ratified by the BCCI’s apex council during a virtual meeting on Wednesday evening.The trio has been among India’s standout performers in various formats over the last 12 months. As a result, all three are set to be promoted from Grade C (₹1 crore) to Grade B (₹3 crore). Should Hardik be promoted to Grade A (₹5 crore) retainer category, i...
Sports

ICC gives below average rating to Gabba pitch after Aus-SA Test

A general view of The Gabba in Brisbane, Australia. | Photo Credit: Getty Images The International Cricket Council on Tuesday gave a below average rating to the Brisbane pitch after the first Test between Australia and South Africa ended in two days. Australia won the game by six wickets after South Africa managed 152 and 99 in their two innings. Australia made 218 in their first innings. ICC match referee Richie Richardson said: "Overall, the Gabba pitch for this Test match was too much in favour of the bowlers. There was extra bounce and occasional excessive seam movement. "The odd delivery also kept low on the second day, making it very difficult for batters to build partnerships. I found the pitch to be 'below average' as per the ICC guidelines since it was not an even contest bet...
Sports

All the slips between the FIFA World Cup 2022 and the lips | Football News – Times of India

The unusual winter World Cup threw up its share of unexpected results, symbolised as much by Argentina's run to the trophy after a sputtering start as Morocco's progress to the semifinals. The surprises are not confined to the headline moments but also reflected in the match records and the minutes of the meetings.TOI brings you a digest of the numbers that stood out after the sumptuous Qatar 2022:If heavyweights flattered to deceive, some of the minnows made jaws drop in disbelief in Qatar. But while only the faithful may claim they knew all along how it would play out, the devil actually lies in the data. Analysis by pundits using advanced tools shows where the top teams fell short and how some of the unfancied sides outperformed expectations.One such metric is 'expected goals' or xG,...
Sports

While You Were Asleep: Argentina forced to abandon open bus celebration, More than 25m watched World Cup final in US, Ten Hag fears WC has set Man United back

The Argentina squad were forced to abandon their open-top bus for a helicopter after a member of the crowd managed to get onto the vehicle during their victory parade. Argentina’s football team returned to Buenos Aires after winning the World Cup with a penalty shootout defeat of France in Sunday’s final. After staying at the Argentina Football Association’s headquarters, they then took to an open-top bus. The incidents began when firefighters went to the Obelisk, the iconic Buenos Aires landmark that is the traditional site of celebrations, to evict a few people who had broken their way inside the monument. Buenos Aires celebration packed with ~5m people. The Argentina team bus couldn’t drive through, so they had to call in helicopters 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Yc5eLUpFDS — Trung Phan (@Trung...