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New Zealand captain Tom Latham on Tuesday conceded that beating a “well-rounded” India would be an enormous task but said his team is ready to face the challenge over the course of a three-match Test series, beginning from Wednesday. The presence of a host of experienced batters and bowlers, Latham said, makes India a formidable opponent. “You obviously look at the spinners when you come over these conditions. But they've got an equally good seam attack in Bumrah, Siraj, Akash Deep, who's played the last couple of Tests against Bangladesh. So just a well-rounded side,” Latham said in the pre-match press meet on Tuesday. “From a batting point of view. You have a lot of match winners who can take a game away from you pretty quickly. “We're looking forward to the challenge. Hopefully, we can lean back on the experiences that we've had here the last couple of times that we've toured,” he added. In that context, Latham said the Kiwis will miss the presence of former c

From making Virat Kohli "angry" in the nets to castling Cheteshwar Pujara in a crucial Ranji Trophy match, Tamil Nadu pacer Gurjapneet Singh has caught the eyes of cricket lovers in India. Born and raised in Ambala, Gurjapneet constantly failed to get into Punjab age-group team, before finally deciding to move to Chennai for better opportunities. After initial struggles, Gurjapneet is now winning games in Ranji Trophy for his adopted state, Tamil Nadu. The 25-year-old claimed a six-wicket haul to help Tamil Nadu beat Saurashtra in their Elite Group D match on Monday. His remarkable figures of 14-5-22-6 included the crucial wickets of veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Sheldon Jackson . For the unversed, Gurjapneet was one of the net bowlers for India for their two-match Test series against Bangladesh recently. In a recent interaction, Gurjapneet recalled castling Kohli in the nets, which infuriated the star batter. "After I bowled him, I looked at him and didn't d

India were eliminated from the Women's T20 World Cup after New Zealand scripted a commanding 54-run victory over Pakistan in Dubai on Monday to reach the semifinals for the first time since the 2016 edition. India's only chance to make the semifinals was depended on a Pakistan win with an inferior Net Run-rate compared to theirs. Pakistan were very much in the game after restricting New Zealand to a meagre 110 for six in 20 overs. However, Pakistan's batting crumbled badly as they were shot out for 56 in just 11.4 overs as White Ferns entered the semifinals with three wins from four games in Group A. Australia topped the group with eight points while New Zealand came second with six points. The loss to New Zealand in their tournament opener effectively cost India a place in the last four. Spinner Amelia Kerr took three wickets but it was seamers Lea Tahuhu (1/8) and Eden Carson (2/7) who opened the floodgates. Pakistan were supposed to reach the target in less than 12 o

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not pleased that Fakhar Zaman questioned the selection panel's decision to sideline Babar Azam from the Test side. The panel dropped former captain Babar Azam when they announced the squad for the remaining two Tests against England in Multan and Rawalpindi. Zaman took to X to question the decision, inviting the ire of the PCB. "The top board officials are not pleased with the tweet sent out by Fakhar and relevant persons are having a word with him about it," a well-informed PCB source said. "It's concerning to hear suggestions about dropping Babar Azam. India didn't bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023, when he averaged 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively. "If we are considering sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the best Pakistan has ever produced, it could send a deeply negative message across the team. There is still time to avoid pressing the panic button; we should focus on sa

India captain Suryakumar Yadav reaffirmed the stance that no one is "bigger than the team" and having a "selfless" approach after the hosts handed Bangladesh a shellacking in the final T20I. On the final night of the tour, India dished out a thumping 133-run defeat to the visitors, but this one will be remembered for ages. On Saturday, a selfless approach that has been a constant theme since the inception of head coach Gautam Gambhir's era. Sanju Samson epitomised the selfless and fearless approach with a dashing performance. From 62 off 29 balls, Samson raced to 92 off 35 balls with five consecutive towering maximums in the 10th over bowled by wrist-spinner Rishad Hossain. With four runs away, Samson drilled the ball over Mahedi Hasan Miraz to celebrate his 40-ball hundred. His heroics laid the foundation for India to slam 297/6, the second-highest total in T20I history. "I think we have achieved a lot as a team. Most importantly, as I said at the start

India lost to defending champions Australia by nine runs in their last group match to find themselves in a difficult position to qualify for the semifinals of the women's T20 World Cup, on Sunday. Chasing 152 for a win, India ended at 142 for 9 with captain Harmanpreet Kaur top-scoring with 54 not out off 47 balls. Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma chipped in with 29 and 20 respectively. India ended their Group A campaign on four points after two wins and two losses. Australia, who topped the group with all four wins, qualified for the semifinals while New Zealand (4 points) need a win against Pakistan on Monday to make it to the last-four stage. Opting to bat, Australia were restricted to 151 for 8 with opener Grace Harris top-scoring with 40 off 41 balls. Stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath and Ellyse Perry chipped in with 32 each. For India, Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma took two wickets apiece while Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil got one each. Brief Scores: Aus

Sanju Samson's ebullient maiden T20 International hundred dotted India's resounding 133-run victory and 3-0 series sweep over a listless Bangladesh in Hyderabad on Saturday. Once India broomed away records like rotten twigs while posting 297 for 6 after electing to bat, it was always a case of eventual margin of win and Bangladesh never really offered a meaningful fight, ending up at 164/7 in the third and final T20I. Pacer Mayank Yadav (2/32) and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (3/30) led the hosts' bowling effort. Samson (111, 47 balls, 11x4, 8x6), who hammered the second fastest T20I century by an Indian after Rohit Sharma (35 balls), and skipper Suryakumar Yadav (75, 35 balls, 8x4, 5x6), biffed 173 runs during an electrifying second wicket stand, propelling the hosts past several records. The total was second in the all-time list of the highest T20I team totals behind Nepal's 314 and ahead of Afghanistan's 278/3, and also India's highest in the shortest format.

England registered a dominant win over Pakistan in the first Test in Multan on Friday. The Three Lions won by an innings and 47 runs to take an early lead in the three-match series. The win was England's fourth consecutive Test triumph on Pakistan soil, after a 3-0 whitewash two years ago. England had only won two away Tests against Pakistan in the previous 61 years. It was also filled with several new milestones for England. Opting to bat first, Pakistan posted 556, thanks to captain Shan Masood 's 151 and centuries from Agha Salman and Abdullah Shafique . In reply, Harry Brook smashed 317 and Joe Root a record-setting 262 in England's mammoth 823 for 7 declared, giving the visitors a 267-run lead. The Ollie Pope-led side then bundled out Pakistan for mere 220 to win the game by an innings and 47 runs. A Test match that kept the record-keepers on their toes England win the first #PAKvENG Test match by an innings in Multan Scorecard href="https://t.co/60exXWg

Premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah was on Friday named vice-captain of India for the upcoming three-match home Test series against New Zealand, strongly indicating his possible elevation to the leadership role when the team travels to Australia from next month. The three-match series against the Kiwis will start on November 16 in Bengaluru, followed by the second Test in Pune from October 24 and third game in Mumbai from November 1. As reported by PTI on October 10, regular captain Rohit Sharma could skip one of the first two Test matches in Australia owing to personal reasons. The five-match Test series in Australia starts on November 22 in Perth and the second match will be held at Adelaide from December 6, and there is a possibility that Rohit could give either the first or the second game a miss. Adding strength to that thought is the fact that India did not name a vice-captain for the recent home series against Bangladesh, which they won 2-0. Bumrah has prior experience of leading t

England batter Harry Brook slammed his maiden Test triple hundred on Day 4 of the ongoing 1st Test against Pakistan in Multan. Brook took just 310 balls to reach the mark, which made him only the sixth Englishman to hit a triple century in Test cricket. Brook got out on 317 while trying to up the ante, but his breathtaking batting allowed England to pile 823/7d and take a first innings lead of 267 runs. However, his knock, which was laced with 28 fours and three sixes, allowed him to break a two-decade-long record. Brook now holds the record of registering the highest individual Test score in Multan, surpassing former India batter Virender Sehwag 's 309 against the same opponents in 2004. His latest feat placed him in the list of legends like Andy Sandham, Len Hutton, Wally Hammond, Graham Gooch, and Bill Edrich, who also scored triple centuries for England. Brook joined Joe Root in the middle on Day 3 when England were comfortably placed at 249/3. Brook and Root put on 454 fo

Off-spinner Karishma Ramharack starred with an impressive four-wicket haul as West Indies cantered to an eight-wicket victory against Bangladesh in the women's T20 World Cup in Sharjah on Thursday. After restricting Bangladesh to 103 for 8, courtesy Ramharack's fine bowling spell of 4/17 from her four overs, the West Indies overhauled the target with as many as 43 balls to spare. Captain Hayley Matthews (34) and Stafanie Taylor (27 retired hurt) shared 52 runs for the opening wicket before Deandra Dottin made a quickfire 19 not out off just 7 balls with the help of two sixes. West Indies scored 104 for 2 in 12.5 overs, to notch their second win in three matches and keep themselves afloat for a semifinal spot. Earlier, put in to bat, Bangladesh were going strong at 58 for 2 at the end of the first 10 overs but they could never accelerate from there. Instead, they lost six wickets in the second half of their innings for the addition of just 45 runs. Captain Nigar Sultana top-s

Updated Women's T20 World Cup Points Table: The Indian women's cricket team finally showed great intent as they thrashed Sri Lanka by massive 82 runs in their third match of the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup. After losing to New Zealand in the first match, things had become tricky for the Harmanpreet Kaur -led side. But with back-to-back wins against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the side's semi-final chances have received a boost. Before the match against Sri Lanka, India were fourth in Group A with two points from two matches and a run-rate of -1.217. ( Women's T20 World Cup points table ) After the win against Sri Lanka, India have climbed up to the second position in the table with four points from three matches and a run-rate of +0.576. Earlier, a 98-run opening partnership between Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma , along with a blistering knock from captain Harmanpreet Kaur, propelled India to 172/3 in their Group A Women's T20 World Cup match against Sri La

Indian cricket team all-rounder Hardik Pandya impressed with both bat and ball as the Rohit Sharma -led side beat Bangladesh in the first T20I encounter in Gwalior on Sunday. Hardik slammed an unbeaten 39 off just 16 deliveries and recorded bowling figures of 1/26 to emerge as the top performer for the Indian cricket team. Hardik's show earned him a lot of praise from both fans and experts but former India fast bowler RP Singh believes that Bangladesh are not the right opponents to gauge his progress. “Bangladesh team ko leke kisi ka true form judge karna, mujhe lagta hai itna sahi soch nahi hai. (I think using a performance against Bangladesh to judge a player's form is not right). The way they are playing, it is not at the highest level at the moment,” RP Singh, an expert for Jio Cinema, told the media. “Hardik did well, he is capable of doing things like that. But using a performance against this team as a criterion in my opinion is not right. Do that maybe against a bett

India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana on Tuesday said skipper Harmanpreet Kaur will be leading the side against Sri Lanka in the Women's T20 World Cup, having got retired hurt in the previous game due to discomfort in her neck. Harmanpreet had walked off the field when she was batting on 29 against Pakistan on Sunday. India won that game by six wickets but still face early elimination from the tournament following the loss to New Zealand in their opener. "She (Harman) is doing fine and she will be fine for tomorrow," Mandhana told reporters. However, there is no clarity over the fitness status of all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar who missed the Pakistan game. "Pooja, I think the medical team is still working on her. So, the update will come only tomorrow during the match. But yeah, I don't think I can say anything at the moment," said Mandhana. Conditions different from our expectations Mandhana, the best batter in the side, has failed to get going thus far on

Former captain Babar Azam's horrid run in the red-ball format continued after Chris Woakes trapped him lbw for 30 on the first day of the first Test against England in Multan. The former No. 2 Test batter hasn't hit a single fifty in the last 17 innings he had played since the start of 2023. His last Test century was against New Zealand in Karachi in December 2022. He was heavily trolled after the latest failure. Suddenly the Multan Highway turned into Lords Day 1 pitch under clouds as Babar Azam walked onto bat pic.twitter.com/JB5PAsTOUc — Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) October 7, 2024 On a Pitch where 70 Balls 50 is easy to score, Babar Azam dismissed for 30 Runs in 71 Balls Real Tuk Tuk at Multan #PAKvsENG #PAKvENG pic.twitter.com/P17ujkPw3K — Richard Kettleborough (@RichKettle07) October 7, 2024 This picture sums up Babar Azam's career pic.twitter.com/67ekWQQtwY — Jitender Singh (@j_dhillon8) October 7, 2024 Pitch when Babar Azam batting: #PAKvsENG pi

The Indian team is all set to make a return to playing in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes tournament, scheduled to take place from November 1 to 3 this year. The tournament began in 1992 and was last held in 2017 before being revived this year. “Team India is gearing up to smash it out of the park at HK6! Prepare for explosive power-hitting and a storm of sixes that will electrify the crowd! Expect More Teams, More Sixes, More Excitement, and MAXIMUM THRILLS! HK6 is back from 1st to 3rd November 2024! Don't miss out!,” wrote Cricket Hong Kong on its ‘X' account on Monday. The 20th edition of the tournament, to be played between 12 teams, will be held at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground. Other participating teams include Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, Hong Kong, Nepal, New Zealand, Oman, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The competition has previously witnessed various legends of the game like Brain Lara, Wasim Akram, Shane Warne, Sachin Te

Riding on their excellent show with the ball, West Indies got the better of Scotland by six wickets in their Women's T20 World Cup match in Dubai on Sunday. With this, West Indies opened their account in the tournament after losing the first match to South Africa by 10 wickets. For Scotland, it was their second successive defeat. Opting to bat after winning the toss, Scotland could only manage 99 for eight in their allotted 20 overs with leg-spinner Afy Fletcher (3/22) doing the star turn for the Windies with the ball. Skipper Kathryn Bryce and Ailsa Lister made 25 and 26, respectively, for the Scots who are currently placed at the bottom of the table. When their turn to bat came, the West Indies too were off to a bad start and lost their opener Stafanie Taylor with just 5 runs on the board in the innings' first over. Qiana Joseph (31 off 18 balls) stabilised the innings before the duo of Deandra Dottin (28 off 15 balls) and Chinelle Henry (18 off 10 balls) remained unbeaten

Pace sensation Mayank Yadav is expected to unleash his raw speed while the absence of India's T20 regulars will provide another opportunity to the fringe players in the three-match series against Bangladesh, beginning here Sunday. Having consistently generated speed in excess of 150kmph in his maiden IPL earlier this year, Mayank had drawn the attention of the cricketing world before a side strain ruled him out of the tournament. Usually, one has to prove fitness in domestic cricket to be considered for national selection but the 22-year-old has been fast-tracked into the side considering his special talent. The series against Bangladesh will be a test of his fitness and temperament. It is yet to be figured if he can display the same accuracy and control that he exhibited in the IPL. Besides Mayank, fellow Delhi pacer Harshit Rana and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy could also make their India debut over the course of the series. Nitish was picked for the Zimbabwe tour post the T

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain heaped praise on Brydon Carse ahead of his Test debut for the Three Lions and said that the 29-year-old has got a lot of pace. Carse will be playing maiden long-format match in the upcoming first Test match against Pakistan in Multan. Earlier on Saturday, the England Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement and announced that pacer Brydon Carse will be making his Test debut in the first Test match of the three-game series. "England Men have confirmed their XI for the first Test against Pakistan, set to commence on Monday in Multan. Durham seamer Brydon Carse will be making his Test debut. With England Captain Ben Stokes still recovering from a hamstring tear, Ollie Pope will captain the side in his absence," ECB wrote in a statement. Speaking to Sky Sports Cricket, Hussain said that Carse can do Mark Wood's role in a match. The former cricketer added that he was impressed after seeing the 29-year-old's performance in the white-b

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed his shock over Hardik Pandya 's snub as captain of the T20I team. Hardik was all set to replace Rohit as captain following the latter's retirement from the format. He was India's vice-captain during the T20 World Cup success in June. However, the BCCI made a surprise call by elevating Suryakumar Yadav for the captaincy role. During a recent interaction, it wasn't right to ignore Hardik for captaincy. "I was (surprised). Upto some extent, I was (disappointed). He was your vice-captain...when Rohit Sharma is not the captain, your vice-captain becomes the captain. But if you tell him on fitness ground that you will not be the captain - there's no T20I cricket round the year," Harbhajan told Sports Yaari . Harbhajan added losing captaincy must be a huge setback for him. "He came after winning the T20 World Cup and suddenly, it's a big setback for him. It's not right. I have great respect for Sury

A completely out of sorts India were trumped by opposition skipper Sophie Devine's flamboyant batting and tactical astuteness as New Zealand powered to 58-run win in a lopsided Women's T20 World Cup game in Dubai on Friday. The 'White Ferns' also put an end to their 10-match losing streak with their biggest win against India in T20Is. On a pitch which was extremely difficult for batting, Devine's power-packed unbeaten 57 off 36 balls took New Zealand to an above-par 160 for 4 in 20 overs. The 35-year-old Kiwi legend then used her slow bowlers to first choke the 'Women in Blue' and then asked her seamers to take pace off deliveries blowing the opposition for a meagre 102 in 19 overs. The difference between two sides was brute power, a mandatory requirement on such surfaces, which Devine and her two openers Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer possessed. For India, most of their batters didn't have enough muscle to even clear the 30-yard circle. The game for

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russel took to social media to launch an explicit-filled rant following a controversy during the eliminator match of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024. Russell, who plays for Trinbago Knight Riders, wrote that he felt 'robbed' following his team's loss against Barbados Royals. The encounter was affected by floodlight failure and after a lengthy delay, Royals were given a new target using DLS rule which they achieved thanks to an explosive knock from David Miller . During the match, three out of the six floodlights stopped working with five balls to go in the Trinbago Knight Riders innings. They were 168/3 after 19.1 overs when the match was stopped. The power was restored with 10 minutes to go before the cut-off time for a 5-over match and Royals were given a target of 60. Miller ended up scoring a 17-ball fifty to guide his team to victory. “Am not the person to come on the internet and voice my opinion but this year CPL I feel robbed,

Pakistan staged a determined fightback to beat Sri Lanka by 31 runs in their opening game of the Women's T20 World Cup campaign in Sharjah on Thursday. Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal claimed three wickets with Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail and Fatima Sana all taking two each for Pakistan as Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka fell comfortably short of their target of 117. Pakistan needed a crucial lower-order knock from their captain Sana to post a competitive total, having slumped to 84-8 after choosing to bat. "We won the toss and we wanted a lot of runs but we didn't get. But we still achieved the target in the game," said Sana. Sugandika Kumari had both Pakistan openers caught behind off her left-arm spin and the wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals. Sohail made 18 and Nida Dar added 23 but Pakistan looked in danger of failing to reach 100 as Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu picked up three wickets with her off-spin. Athapaththu finished with 3-18 and

India's talismanic batter Virat Kohli registered another illustrious milestone to his name, as he breached the 1000 fours mark in Test cricket. Having already done so in one-day internationals, Kohli reached the 4-digit mark in the longest format too, as India defeated Bangladesh in the second Test at Kanpur. Virat, who has a total of 1302 fours to his name in ODI cricket, reached 1001 fours mark in Test cricket during his stay on the crease on Day 5 of the second Test against Bangladesh at the Green Park Stadium on Tuesday. With the milestone, Kohli joined the likes of Sachin Tendulkar , Kumar Sangakkara , Ricky Ponting , etc. in the list of batters with more than 1000 fours each in ODIs and Tests. However, Virat is the only active batter to do so. All the other batters on the list have already retired from the game. Player | Boundaries in Tests | Boundaries in ODIs Sachin Tendulkar | 2058 | 2016 Kumar Sangakkara | 1491 | 1385 Ricky Ponting | 1509 | 1231 Virat Kohli | 1001

Sri Lanka's left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama has been banned from all forms of cricket for a year, of which "six months will be suspended," as per the ICC. The ban was imposed on Jayawickrama after he admitted breaching the ICC's Anti-Corruption Code. Jayawickrama admitted to being in breach of Article 2.4.7 of the Code, which deals with: "Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU, including concealing, tampering with, or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code." Jayawickrama last represented Sri Lanka in 2022. He has featured for the Island nation in five Tests, five ODIs, and five T20Is, with a total of 32 international wickets to his name across those 15 matches, the ICC said. The charges relate to international cricket and the Lanka Premier Lea

Mohammed Shami in a post on X on Wednesday refuted reports claiming he is doubtful for Indian cricket team's Tour of Australia. Shami has been out of action due to an ankle injury. After giving a memorable performance in the ODI World Cup 2023, Shami underwent a surgery for his injury and has been recovering from it since then. It was expected that the star pacer will returning to the national duty for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in November this year.  A report in Times of India quoted a BCCI source as saying: "Shami had resumed bowling, and he was looking on track to make a comeback to competitive cricket soon. But this knee injury has flared up recently. BCCI's medical team is assessing the injury, but it may require quite a bit of time. "It's a jolt for the NCA medical team. They have been working on him for over a year. They have one of the best workload management systems in place. The medical team is trying its best to put him back in t

The Indian cricket team showed ultimate domination in the second India vs Bangladesh Test to romp to a seven-wicket win. Despite rain washing out over days' play, India defeated Bangladesh with a session left in the second Test on Friday. With the victory, India clean sweeped the Test series 2-0. At the start of Day 5, Bangladesh were 26/2. But they collapsed spectacularly, losing four wickets for just three runs at one point of time. They took a slender 94-run lead but India chased down the target with ease.  During the fifth day, former Indian cricket team captain Sunil Gavaskar was asked by former Bangladesh player Athar Ali whether he had any advice for the Bangladesh batters. Sunil Gavaskar was cheeky in his reply, saying: "As an Indian, I'll say get out quickly.” India's 2-0 series victory over Bangladesh at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur further solidified their position at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings. With the seven-wicket win, Indi

Babar Azam , in a late night post on Tuesday, announced that he is stepping down from his role as the white-ball captain of the Pakistan cricket team. Babar Azam was earlier the all-format skipper of Pakistan. He stepped down previously as captain after Pakistan's poor show at the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi succeeded him as the T20I captain but was soon replaced by Babar, who was reappointed as the skipper in March 2024. However, his second tenure as the Pakistan captain was not successful at all as the side was knocked out of the groups stage at the 2024 T20 World Cup. That campaign saw Pakistan losing to USA, a much lower-ranked team. Pakistan even lost to India, despite being in a comfortable position in the match. The pressure has been mounting on Pakistan cricket in recent months, especially after their loss to Bangladesh in a Test series at home. Here's the full text of Babar Azam's retirement post on X: "Dear Fans, "I&