Manchester City on Tuesday eased into the FA Cup sixth round after beating second-tier club Bristol City 3-0. Phil Foden scored two goals for City, while Kevin De Bruyne scored the third for them.IND vs AUS, 3rd Test Day 1 Live Updates: India will take on Australia in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Wednesday at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore. Leading 2-0 in a four-match series, Team India will now be playing for a record-extending 16th straight series win at home and a guaranteed spot in the World Test Championship final in June. In the absence of pacer and skipper Pat Cummins, Australia will be led by Steve Smith. (LIVE SCORECARD)
IND vs AUS, 3rd Test Day 1 Live Updates: India will take on Australia in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Wednesday at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore. Leading 2-0 in a four-match series, Team India will now be playing for a record-extending 16th straight series win at home and a guaranteed spot in the World Test Championship final in June. In the absence of pacer and skipper Pat Cummins, Australia will be led by Steve Smith. (LIVE SCORECARD)
Aiden Markram hit a century on his return to Test cricket but the West Indies mounted a strong fightback on the first day of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park on Tuesday. Markram made 115 in a South Africa total of 314 for eight. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph spearheaded the West Indian bowling attack, taking three for 60. South Africa looked set to take full control when they reached 221 for one after new captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and decided to bat.
But they lost seven more wickets before the close while adding another 93 runs, with the West Indian bowlers finding swing, lateral movement and more consistency with the old ball.
An opening partnership of 141 between Markram and former captain Dean Elgar (71) was followed by a stand of 80 between Markram and new cap Tony de Zorzi. The left-handed De Zorzi was looking comfortable before he was run out for 28.
De Zorzi punched a ball from Joseph through the covers and completed a confortable two runs.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul made a good sliding stop and De Zorzi was sent back after setting off for an unlikely third.
Chanderpaul's throw was off target but wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva cleverly flicked the ball into the stumps.
Bavuma, on his first appearance as South Africa's first Black African captain, was leg before wicket for nought to a full ball from Joseph two balls later and Joseph struck again when he yorked Markram.
Markram was dropped last year after a poor run of form in which he went 15 innings without a half-century, with only two scores above 30. He had not made a hundred since scoring 108 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in February 2021.
After a watchful start, he was soon into his stride, hitting 18 fours in a 174-ball innings, studded by his trademark cover drives and powerful pull shots.
Elgar, who was stripped of the captaincy after South Africa were heavily beaten on tours of England and Australia, made 71 off 118 balls.
Two of Elgar's 11 fours were ramp shots over the slips but in trying to hit a third boundary in that fashion he fell to a leaping catch by Jermaine Blackwood at third man off Joseph.
Blackwood earlier put down a sharp chance at third slip off Kyle Mayers when he was on 10.
The South African team showed five changes from the side that played in the third Test of a losing series in Australia in January with De Zorzi and fast bowler Gerald Coetzee both handed their first caps.
The West Indies made one change from the side that beat Zimbabwe by an innings and four runs in Bulawayo earlier this month.
Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who took 13 wickets in the win in Bulawayo, had a back injury and was replaced by fast bowler Kemar Roach.
Aiden Markram hit a century on his return to Test cricket but the West Indies mounted a strong fightback on the first day of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park on Tuesday. Markram made 115 in a South Africa total of 314 for eight. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph spearheaded the West Indian bowling attack, taking three for 60. South Africa looked set to take full control when they reached 221 for one after new captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and decided to bat.
But they lost seven more wickets before the close while adding another 93 runs, with the West Indian bowlers finding swing, lateral movement and more consistency with the old ball.
An opening partnership of 141 between Markram and former captain Dean Elgar (71) was followed by a stand of 80 between Markram and new cap Tony de Zorzi. The left-handed De Zorzi was looking comfortable before he was run out for 28.
De Zorzi punched a ball from Joseph through the covers and completed a confortable two runs.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul made a good sliding stop and De Zorzi was sent back after setting off for an unlikely third.
Chanderpaul's throw was off target but wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva cleverly flicked the ball into the stumps.
Bavuma, on his first appearance as South Africa's first Black African captain, was leg before wicket for nought to a full ball from Joseph two balls later and Joseph struck again when he yorked Markram.
Markram was dropped last year after a poor run of form in which he went 15 innings without a half-century, with only two scores above 30. He had not made a hundred since scoring 108 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in February 2021.
After a watchful start, he was soon into his stride, hitting 18 fours in a 174-ball innings, studded by his trademark cover drives and powerful pull shots.
Elgar, who was stripped of the captaincy after South Africa were heavily beaten on tours of England and Australia, made 71 off 118 balls.
Two of Elgar's 11 fours were ramp shots over the slips but in trying to hit a third boundary in that fashion he fell to a leaping catch by Jermaine Blackwood at third man off Joseph.
Blackwood earlier put down a sharp chance at third slip off Kyle Mayers when he was on 10.
The South African team showed five changes from the side that played in the third Test of a losing series in Australia in January with De Zorzi and fast bowler Gerald Coetzee both handed their first caps.
The West Indies made one change from the side that beat Zimbabwe by an innings and four runs in Bulawayo earlier this month.
Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who took 13 wickets in the win in Bulawayo, had a back injury and was replaced by fast bowler Kemar Roach.
Following on from their first innings total of 209, New Zealand made a strong comeback on Day 4 of the ongoing second Test against England at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Monday. Riding on Kane Williamson's century, New Zealand posted a total of 483, handing England a decent target of 258. However, an interesting incident occured during the final session when the cameraman spotted a female fan, who was sitting alongside her boyfriend, with a unique placard for 'Ben'.
The placard read: "Ben, my boyfriend's here to see the cricket. I'm here to see you."
However, the confusion arised when the camera was panned at the three 'Ben's in the England side -- Stokes, Duckett and Foakes'.
— Anna 24GhanteChaukanna (@Anna24GhanteCh2) February 27, 2023
On Day 4, Williamson earned two standing ovations at the Basin Reserve during a superb innings which brought up his 26th Test century.
He raised his bat fleetingly after reaching 29 not out early on Monday to pass Taylor's record of 7,683 runs.
Williamson left the field to more applause when he fell for 132 to part-time seam bowler Harry Brook.
Williamson was typically modest about his place in the history books.
"It's not something I have thought a whole lot about but it's an honour if you look at the names on that list," he said.
"I admired a lot of them growing up, then played alongside some of them, but it's special to be in that company."
Stephen Fleming, also a former Black Caps captain, sits third on 7,172 runs.
Williamson reached the milestone in his 92nd Test and 161st innings, considerably quicker than Taylor's 112 Tests and 196 visits to the crease.
Now-retired Taylor was quick to compliment Williamson.
"Congratulations, Kane," Taylor posted on Twitter. "This achievement is a testament to your hard work and dedication to Test cricket, of which I was privy to for a number of years."
Williamson, a right-handed batsman, started the two-match England series needing only 39 runs to clinch the record.
But he totalled only 10 runs through his first three innings, forming part of a New Zealand top order that struggled against the English seam attack.
He sits 35th on the all-time Test leaderboard, which is topped by Indian great Sachin Tendulkar with 15,921 runs.
Chasing a target of 258, England were 48/1 at stumps.
(With AFP Inputs)
With Australia trailing India 0-2 in the four-match Test series, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh has labelled the visitors as a 'mentally fragile' side. With the the third Test starting in Indore on Wednesday, India have a chance to go 3-0 up and clinch the series. The hosts have already retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, thanks to the Australian batters inability to tackle India's spin trio -- Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel. Harbhajan feels that the Australian team, which is currently in India, has looked "clueless" at times.
"If you compare to other Australian teams which toured earlier - we don't want to go 30-40 years back but even if we go that far - I think this is probably the weakest team. Not in terms of skills, mentally they are very fragile. They are not able to handle pressure the way the Aussies used to. It'll be fair to say this is not the Aussie-Aussie kind of team that we used to see or play against," Harbhajan told The Indian Express in an interview.
Harbhajan, who announced his retirement from the sport last year, said that Australia have always been a tactically sound cricketing nation, but the current side has looked "clueless", since arriving in India.
"The Aussies used to have a lot of plans before touring any country. They understood the conditions better than the other teams. That's the reason they were a bit more successful than others, even in India. This team, particularly, are clueless. They don't have any plans. In the first game, they were clueless. They knew these conditions would be challenging for any batter - the ball will spin from the first ball. It's not something that's started to happen now; it's been happening for the last eight-10 years. In 2012-13, they lost on similar wickets. They were clueless even at that point in time but they fought better than this. But this team, I don't see anyone standing up and taking those challenges and trying to do something different than what others are doing," he added.
Lionel Messi's most-desired wish to win the FIFA World Cup for Argentina came true last year, and on Monday he was named the Best FIFA Men's Player for 2022, while Alexia Putellas of Spain continues to be in possession of women's award for another year.Lionel Messi won The Best FIFA men's player prize for 2022 on Monday on the back of his World Cup triumph with Argentina and Spain's Alexia Putellas retained the women's award at a ceremony in Paris. Messi beat his Paris Saint-Germain teammate, and World Cup final rival, Kylian Mbappe to the men's gong with Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema the other contender to claim the prize. It is the second time that Messi has won the honour inaugurated by FIFA in 2016 after football's world governing body split from Ballon d'Or organisers France Football.
The award, which is voted for by national team coaches and captains, journalists and also fans, recognises a year in which the former Barcelona star crowned his glorious career by leading Argentina to victory at the World Cup.
Messi scored twice in an epic final in Doha as Argentina beat France on penalties despite Mbappe netting a hat-trick for Les Bleus in a remarkable 3-3 draw.
The 35-year-old, a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, succeeds Robert Lewandowski on the FIFA honours list, while Putellas retained the women's prize despite spending the second half of last year out injured.
The 29-year-old beat England's European Championship-winning striker Beth Mead and United States star Alex Morgan to add the FIFA crown to the Ballon d'Or, which she has also won two years running.
Putellas is currently recovering from a serious knee injury suffered last July which saw her miss the Euro in England with Spain.
Prior to that she had scored 11 goals on Barcelona's run to the Champions League final, which they lost to Lyon.
Full list of other award winners:
Argentina - FIFA Fan Award 2022
Luka Lochoshvili - FIFA Fair Play Award
Lionel Scaloni - FIFA Men's Coach 2022
Sarina Wiegman - FIFA Women's Coach 2022
Marcin Oleksy - The FIFA Puskas Award (best goal)
Emiliano Martinez - FIFA Men's Goalkeeper Award 2022
Mary Earps - FIFA Women's Goalkeeper 2022
New Zealand vs England, 2nd Test Day 5 Live Updates: England will begin the final Day of the second Test against New Zealand at 48/1 with the visitors needing 210 runs more to win. Ben Duckett (23*) and Ollie Robinson (1*) are standing unbeaten at the crease. Earlier, Record-breaker Kane Williamson stroked a superb century Monday to steer New Zealand to 483 all out in their second innings and set England a target of 258 runs to win the second Test in Wellington. Former captain Williamson hit 132 and Tom Blundell was last man out for 90 as the hosts fought back after being asked to follow on. (LIVE SCORECARD)
New Zealand vs England, 2nd Test Day 5 Live Updates: England will begin the final Day of the second Test against New Zealand at 48/1 with the visitors needing 210 runs more to win. Ben Duckett (23*) and Ollie Robinson (1*) are standing unbeaten at the crease. Earlier, Record-breaker Kane Williamson stroked a superb century Monday to steer New Zealand to 483 all out in their second innings and set England a target of 258 runs to win the second Test in Wellington. Former captain Williamson hit 132 and Tom Blundell was last man out for 90 as the hosts fought back after being asked to follow on. (LIVE SCORECARD)
Barcelona wasted a golden opportunity to extend their lead at the top of LaLiga as they were shocked 1-0 at lowly Almeria on Sunday thanks to a first-half strike by El Bilal Toure.Australian skipper Meg Lanning now has the highest number of major International Cricket Council (ICC) trophies as a captain in the history of the sport. Lanning accomplished this milestone during her side's ICC Women's T20 World Cup final against South Africa on Sunday. In the match, after posting 156/6 in 20 overs while batting first after winning the toss, the Aussies were able to defend the total and keep South Africa away from their first-ever world title across men's and women's senior teams, defeating them by 19 runs.
Lanning as a skipper has won a total of five tournaments. These tournaments include the 2022 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup and 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023 editions of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup. This makes her the most decorated captain in the history of the sport.
Behind Lanning is her compatriot and legendary Australian batter Ricky Ponting, who took his side to new heights in men's cricket. Under his leadership, Australia won four major titles, which includes two back-to-back ICC Cricket World Cup triumphs in 2003 and 2007 and ICC Champions Trophy wins in 2006 and 2009.
At the third position is legendary Indian wicketkeeper-batter and captain MS Dhoni, who is the only captain to win all three major ICC tournaments. Under his leadership, India won the first-ever ICC T20 World Cup in 2007. They followed it by winning their second ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, bringing the trophy back home after 28 years. India's last triumph under his captaincy was the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, which also remains the final major ICC title India has won to this day.
Australia has won its 21st title in their rich cricketing history.
The women's side has captured the 50-over World Cup seven times, in the years 1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2005, 2013, 2022. It has also captured six T20 World Cup titles, in years 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023. This makes it 13 title wins in women's cricket.
The Australian men's team also has had a lot of success. It has won the 50-over World Cup five times, in years, 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015. It also won its solitary ICC Men's T20 World Cup title in 2021. It has also won two ICC Champions Trophy titles, in 2006 and 2009. This makes it a total of eight titles in men's cricket.
Coming to Lanning, she had a solid tournament with the bat, scoring 149 runs in five innings at an average of 49.66. Her highest individual score in the tournament is 49*.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Australia added a new feather to their cap on Sunday as the Meg Lanning-side lifted their sixth Women's T20 World Cup title after defeating South Africa in the summit clash on Sunday. This was Australia's third title on the trot and Meg Lanning's fifth ICC trophy as a captain. Opting to bat first, Australia posted a total of 156/6 in 20 overs after Beth Mooney plays an unbeaten knock of 74 off 53 balls. Later, South Africa fell short of 19 runs despite a powerful knock of 61 off 48 balls by Laura Wolvaardt. As Australia created a new record in Cape Town, fans took to Twitter to congratulate the team on their spectacular win.
6th Title it is for the Aussies in #T20WorldCup
— Shreyas Srinivasan (@ShreyasS_) February 26, 2023
Their dominance is unmatched!
SA did put up a fight #AUSvsSA #T20WorldCup2023 pic.twitter.com/agCckayv4T
I am proud to be a fan of the most dominant Sports Team in the World @AusWomenCricket #AUSvsSA #T20WorldCup #T20WorldCup2023 pic.twitter.com/am3YQkknpb
— Cricket Fan in Toronto (@HabsFanInTO) February 26, 2023
Aus womens team when it comes to winning World cups #AUSvsSA pic.twitter.com/sDfmk0s5x2
— ً (@SarcasticCowboy) February 26, 2023
Meg Lanning Now has 5 ICC Trophies as a Captain#ICCWomensT20WorldCup #SAvAUS #AUSvsSA pic.twitter.com/VOct1M2me4
— Pandu Raj (@CricketPanduRaj) February 26, 2023
Australia won their 6th Women's T20 World Cup.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 26, 2023
The greatest team ever.
Coming to the match, riding on Beth Mooney's unbeaten 74 off 53 balls, Australia first posted a competitive 156 for 6 and then restricted the home team to 137 for 6.
Mooney's knock proved to be the deciding factor as she single-handedly carried the Australian innings with nine boundaries and one hit over the fence.
Chasing, opener Laura Wolvaardt (61 off 48 balls) played a valiant lone hand while wickets kept tumbling at the other end for the hosts.
Wolvaardt hit five boundaries and three huge sixes during her knock.
(With PTI Inputs)
Novak Djokovic says breaking Steffi Graf's record of 377 weeks at number one in the rankings on Monday is "surreal" and that he is proud to surpass one of the sport's all-time greats. The Serb will spend his 378th week at the top of men's tennis competing in Dubai, where he will play his first tournament since capturing a 10th Australian Open crown and record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title last month. "I still want more achievements," Djokovic told reporters in Dubai on Sunday. "I'm driven by the goals. I'm as dedicated to the sport really as anybody else.
"Of course, it's surreal in a way to be that many weeks world number, to match Steffi Graf, who is one of the all-time greats of our sport, both men and women. Just being amongst these legendary names is flattering. I'm very proud of it."
Undefeated in all 12 matches he has contested so far this season, Djokovic says he has been pain-free for the past week, having recovered from a muscle tear in his left hamstring he had sustained in Australia.
"I'm getting closer to a hundred percent. Still not there in terms of the game itself, how I feel on the court. But the important thing is that there is no pain. I don't have a hindrance to the way I move on the court," declared the 35-year-old.
Djokovic will begin his Dubai campaign against Czech qualifier Tomas Machac on Tuesday, where the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Andy Murray are also expected to take the court.
Murray, who is one week older than Djokovic and has been the Serb's rival since their early teen years, is coming off a stunning week in Doha, where he battled through four three-setters before losing to Medvedev in the final.
It has been a theme for the British former world number one, who also put on heroic displays at the Australian Open last month.
"What is happening now this year with his match points saved in literally every match he plays, the amount of hours he spent on the court since the beginning of the year, particularly in Australia, is just something you must admire and say 'chapeau' because of everything he has gone through with his hip," said Djokovic of Murray.
- 'Great guy Murray' -
"You have to note that he has an artificial hip and he's moving the way he does. He's constantly looking to improve and to get back to the highest level, which it seems like he's been doing. He's just rising in the rankings. The level is better and better.
"I'm very happy for him because he's a great guy, respects the sport, works very, very hard. So very committed, he deserves his success."
Djokovic has also been paying attention to the recent exploits of Chinese players on the ATP tour.
There are two Chinese men ranked in the top 100 - Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen - with teenager Shang Juncheng not far behind.
Djokovic said he always knew it was only a matter of time before China's men made their way up the rankings the way Chinese women have on the WTA tour.
"I'm happy for China's tennis. It's important. It's important that a country like China is doing well in men's tennis, as well. I think for us globally, as part of tennis ecosystem, it's great news," he added.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India have dominated Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy so far. After easy wins in the first two Tests, which the hosts achieved in less than three days on both occasions, the third Test starts in Indore on March 1. The Australian team has been dealt with several blows owing to injuries while their regular captain Pat Cummins too will not be available for the third Test as he has gone back home due to his mother's illness. Amidst this, former India captain and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has predicted that Australia will be clean-sweept.
"I see 4-0. It will be hard for Australia to beat India. In these conditions, we are a far superior team," Ganguly was quoted as saying to Rev Sportz.
Meanwhile, citing Mike Tyson, Australian great Greg Chappell has slammed the team's forgettable performance in the first two Tests against India, saying the visitors "punched themselves in the mouth long before the first ball was even bowled".
Australia have already conceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after being hammered in the first two Tests of the four-match series, both games ending under three days and prompting sharp reactions from the country's former cricketers.
"It was Mike Tyson who said in the lead-up to a fight with Evander Holyfield: Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
"My concern after watching the first two Tests is that the Australian team punched themselves in the mouth long before the first ball was even bowled," Chappell wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.
He has also questioned Australia's planning for the ongoing tour of the country.
"It is one thing to plan, but to base that plan on a flawed premise is an exercise in futility," he added.
India have dominated Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy so far. After easy wins in the first two Tests, which the hosts achieved in less than three days on both occasions, the third Test starts in Indore on March 1. The Australian team has been dealt with several blows owing to injuries while their regular captain Pat Cummins too will not be available for the third Test as he has gone back home due to his mother's illness. Amidst this, former India captain and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has predicted that Australia will be clean-sweept.
"I see 4-0. It will be hard for Australia to beat India. In these conditions, we are a far superior team," Ganguly was quoted as saying to Rev Sportz.
Meanwhile, citing Mike Tyson, Australian great Greg Chappell has slammed the team's forgettable performance in the first two Tests against India, saying the visitors "punched themselves in the mouth long before the first ball was even bowled".
Australia have already conceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after being hammered in the first two Tests of the four-match series, both games ending under three days and prompting sharp reactions from the country's former cricketers.
"It was Mike Tyson who said in the lead-up to a fight with Evander Holyfield: Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
"My concern after watching the first two Tests is that the Australian team punched themselves in the mouth long before the first ball was even bowled," Chappell wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.
He has also questioned Australia's planning for the ongoing tour of the country.
"It is one thing to plan, but to base that plan on a flawed premise is an exercise in futility," he added.
Daniil Medvedev beat fellow former world number one Andy Murray 6-4, 6-4 in the Qatar Open final on Saturday to win his second ATP title in a week. The 27-year-old world number eight, who won in Rotterdam seven days earlier, convincingly ended his 35-year-old opponent's comeback heroics that saw Murray fight four three-set battles and overcome eight match points to reach the final in Doha.
Medvedev broke Murray's first serve in each set as he remained unbeaten in three encounters between the two. "A very tough match, it was a little bit more windy today so both of us were struggling to find the rhythm," Medvedev said on court in which he also complained about the balls.
"Honestly now I can say this now that the tournament is over, and also I won, I think that these balls are not good for hard courts.
"They changed something this year and I don't like them. I heard a lot of other players are struggling with shoulders, elbows and wrists.
"Myself I had wrist problems in Australia. Generally I think I was struggling all week to find the perfect rhythm with these balls, but I am happy to win."
Medevedev said both players had their "bad" patches in the match. The Russian fired down five aces but also committed five double faults. Murray repeatedly shouted at himself and his support team after errors.
Medvedev had seemed to be cruising to victory in the second set until he was serving at 3-2 up with two game points. Murray fought back and produced a brilliant backhand winner to surge back into the clash at 3-3.
At 4-4, Murray was leading 40-0 in a bid to produce another shock, but the Scot let Medvedev get back into the game for the key break that decided the title.
"Daniil is one of my favourite players to watch and one of the best on the tour," said Murray, who acknowledged he had been through an "amazing week".
Murray saved three match points in his first round game and five against Czech challenger Jiri Lehecka in his semi-final.
Arsenal opened up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League thanks to a 1-0 win at Leicester on Saturday as Leeds beat Southampton 1-0 to give new boss Javi Gracia a winning start. The Gunners snapped a four-game winless streak with two late goals at Aston Villa last week to take back control of the title race after briefly being usurped at the top of the table by Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta's men needed no such drama at the King Power and should have run out far more convincing winners.
"For the amount of time we dominated ball possession, territory and the amount of situations we had in the final third, we should have created much more and scored more goals," said Arteta.
"When you don't, you have to be exceptional in your defensive work and we conceded one shot. Defensively we were outstanding."
Arteta's decision to start both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard in the front three at the expense of Eddie Nketiah paid dividends. Trossard had a brilliant first half strike into the top corner controversially ruled out by a VAR review for a foul by Ben White on Leicester goalkeeper Danny Ward.
But Martinelli was not to be denied one minute into the second period when he coolly slotted home from Trossard's pass. Bukayo Saka had a second goal ruled out for offside as Arsenal failed to turn their domination into a more convincing scoreline.
However, they did enough to pile the pressure on second-placed City ahead of their trip to Bournemouth later on Saturday.
Leeds end long wait for win
Leeds had not won a league game since before the World Cup break, a run which saw Jesse Marsch sacked. But they snapped that streak in a clash between the bottom two before kick-off at Elland Road.
Junior Firpo scored the only goal 13 minutes from time to lift Leeds out of the relegation zone. "The club needed it after 10 games without a win," said Gracia after his first match in charge.
"I'm very happy for everyone who works for the club, the fans and especially the players because they were working without rewards."
West Ham were the other big winners of the day in the battle to beat the drop as four goals in the final 20 minutes potentially saved David Moyes' job in a 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
According to reports this week, the former Manchester United manager faced the sack if the Hammers lost. Two goals in three minutes from Danny Ings transformed the mood around the London Stadium before Declan Rice and Michail Antonio sealed West Ham's second league win since October.
Everton slipped back into the bottom three after losing 2-0 at home to Aston Villa.
Ollie Watkins' penalty and Emi Buendia's strike condemned Sean Dyche to a first home defeat since taking charge of the Toffees.
New Zealand vs England, 2nd Test Day 3, Live: On Day 2, James Anderson validated his elevation to top spot in the world Test bowling rankings with a lethal opening spell as England took full control of the second Test against New Zealand on Saturday. Veteran seamer Anderson snared 3-37, sending the Black Caps crashing to 138-7 when rain forced an early end to day two in Wellington, after England declared their first innings at 435-8. Spinner Jack Leach also took three scalps, leaving New Zealand staring at a 297-run deficit with three days remaining. (LIVE SCORECARD)
Kenya's legendary world 800m record holder and double Olympic champion David Rudisha has come to New Delhi to inspire a host of Indian marathon and long distance runners. The simplicity of the genius Rudisha is awe-inspiring. Speaking at the pre-marathon press conference, Kenya's legendary middle-distance runner pointed out that this was the last opportunity and platform for India's top marathoners to win their berths for the Hangzhou Games in September.
"The weather is perfect. I believe the flat course is also ideal for a marathon. So, remain confident, don't lose sight of your targets, and give it your all," he said.
"The marathon is a very special race, the oldest sport in the world," he said, admiring the sport that requires extreme resilience and endurance.
"I can imagine how tough running 42 kilometre is. My event lasts just 1 minute and 40 seconds," Rudisha, who is the only athlete to ever run the 800m in 1 minute and 41 seconds, added, amidst thunderous applause.
The Apollo Tyres New Delhi National Marathon on Sunday is a huge opportunity for Indian marathon runners to qualify for the coming Hangzhou Asian Games. However, it is highly unlikely that many athletes would meet the qualifying standards, as the mark appears to be better than the best of most of the athletes. The qualifying time for men's in the Asian Games is 2:15:00, while the time for women is 2:40:00.
World 800m record holder and double Olympic champion David Rudisha urged India's top athletes to go all out in the Apollo Tyres New Delhi National Marathon on Sunday (February 26) and qualify for the Asian Games later this year.
As many as 16,000 runners will be competing in the New Delhi Marathon, organised by NEB Sports under the aegis of the Athletics Federation of India and Fit India. The iconic run will cover key landmarks in the heart of the capital, including Humayun's Tomb, Lodhi Garden, and Khan Market.
India's highest-ranked marathon runner, AB Belliyappa, will lead a pack of 32 men and 7 women elite athletes as they aim to breach the target (2.15 minutes for men and 2.40 minutes for women) for the Asian Games.
"The NDM is run on perhaps one of the best courses in India. Our aim is to facilitate the elite athletes, with 28 stations for hydration and cheering teams en route to encourage them," Race Director Nagraj Adiga of NEB Sports revealed.
Vikram Bangriya, who recently won the Bangladesh Marathon 2023 in 2:18:28, is another strong contender.
Belliyappa from Karnataka had a time of 2:16:51 in Valencia 2022 and will need to shave nearly 2 minutes off his time to get to Hangzhou in September. Anish Thapa Magar, who won the silver medal in the 2022 New Delhi Marathon with a timing of 2:16:41, will also fancy his chances.
Srinu Bugatha (2:14:59; 2021), Govindan Lakshmanan (10,000 and 5,000 Asian Champion; 2017), and Man Singh (2:16:58; 2023) will also be keenly watched. Among women, Jyoti Gawate (2:45:48; 2019) will be India's best bet.
The runners will participate across the four categories of Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K.
The marathon has prize money of 3 lakh INR for the top three men and women, while the winners of the half marathon will get 1.12 lakh INR, and the prize money for the podium finishers of the 10K run is 35,000 INR.
There's no denying Virat Kohli's stature. The superstar batter has done wonders for the Indian cricket team over the years, establishing his stature as one of the finest in the world. It isn't just India where Virat enjoys a terriric fan-following but also outside the globe. Not just that, even some of Kohli's teammates are his fans, and an epic story of one such fan was narrated by India's former bowling coach Bharat Arun. And, that player was none other than pacer Mohammed Siraj.
Siraj entered the Indian team having already played under the captaincy of Kohli at Royal Challengers Bangalore. It was there that the pacer had a chat with Arun, revealing how much he admired the then-franchise skipper Kohli.
"Siraj was Virat's biggest fan. After the first season with RCB, he came and told me 'Sir, mujhe Virat ki tarah banna hai (Sir, I want to be like Virat)," Arun revealed on Cricbuzz Special show 'The Rise of New India'.
"I think it was the hunger in him; he had seen what Virat has achieved. So I told him 'Agar Virat ki tarah banna hai, toh phir uski tarah bohut kuch sacrific karna padega (If you want to be like Virat, then like him, you'll have to sacrifice a lot of things)," he added.
It is quite common for budding batters to look up to Virat Kohli and say that they want to be like him. But for a bowler to say so, it was unique. But, that also highlights the impact Virat can have on a player, not just with his batting but his mindset.
But, when Siraj told Arun he wanted to be like Kohli, the former India bowling coach knew the iconic batter had a big influence on the pacer.
"In bowling, you can be somebody who can be remembered. He said 'No sir, I will do whatever it takes because I want to emulate him'. So the fact that he was such a Virat fan-boy and later on, getting to play under him and alongside him had a great influence on Mohammed Siraj," he further said.
There's no denying Virat Kohli's stature. The superstar batter has done wonders for the Indian cricket team over the years, establishing his stature as one of the finest in the world. It isn't just India where Virat enjoys a terriric fan-following but also outside the globe. Not just that, even some of Kohli's teammates are his fans, and an epic story of one such fan was narrated by India's former bowling coach Bharat Arun. And, that player was none other than pacer Mohammed Siraj.
Siraj entered the Indian team having already played under the captaincy of Kohli at Royal Challengers Bangalore. It was there that the pacer had a chat with Arun, revealing how much he admired the then-franchise skipper Kohli.
"Siraj was Virat's biggest fan. After the first season with RCB, he came and told me 'Sir, mujhe Virat ki tarah banna hai (Sir, I want to be like Virat)," Arun revealed on Cricbuzz Special show 'The Rise of New India'.
"I think it was the hunger in him; he had seen what Virat has achieved. So I told him 'Agar Virat ki tarah banna hai, toh phir uski tarah bohut kuch sacrific karna padega (If you want to be like Virat, then like him, you'll have to sacrifice a lot of things)," he added.
It is quite common for budding batters to look up to Virat Kohli and say that they want to be like him. But for a bowler to say so, it was unique. But, that also highlights the impact Virat can have on a player, not just with his batting but his mindset.
But, when Siraj told Arun he wanted to be like Kohli, the former India bowling coach knew the iconic batter had a big influence on the pacer.
"In bowling, you can be somebody who can be remembered. He said 'No sir, I will do whatever it takes because I want to emulate him'. So the fact that he was such a Virat fan-boy and later on, getting to play under him and alongside him had a great influence on Mohammed Siraj," he further said.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter and his family have received anonymous death threats following the Premier League club's poor run of results, he told reporters on Friday.NZ vs ENG, 2nd Test Day 2, Live Updates: England will begin Day 2 of the 2nd Test against New Zealand at 315/3 with Harry Brook (184*) and Joe Root (101*) standing unbeaten at the crease. Red-hot Harry Brook made a majestic 184 not out to put England firmly in control against New Zealand in Wellington on Friday in the second Test. Joe Root was unbeaten on a classy 101 as the tourists rampaged their way to 315-3 before rain ended the opening day of the series decider early. (LIVE SCORECARD)
NZ vs ENG, 2nd Test Day 2, Live Updates: England will begin Day 2 of the 2nd Test against New Zealand at 315/3 with Harry Brook (184*) and Joe Root (101*) standing unbeaten at the crease. Red-hot Harry Brook made a majestic 184 not out to put England firmly in control against New Zealand in Wellington on Friday in the second Test. Joe Root was unbeaten on a classy 101 as the tourists rampaged their way to 315-3 before rain ended the opening day of the series decider early. (LIVE SCORECARD)
Read more on TOI SportsThe World Cricket Committee of the MCC, the custodians of the laws of the game, wants to see the non-striker being run out by the bowler normalised at all age-group levels besides calling for "calm" on the contentious subject. Last month, the MCC issued a clarification to the wording of the law following an incident in which bowler Adam Zampa attempted to run out non-striker Tom Rogers in a Big Bash game in January. The clarification involved changing the wording of Law 38.3 to deliver better clarity and dispel "misconceptions" on it.
The World Cricket Committee (WCC) of the MCC, which met at the ICC headquarters in Dubai last week, is now calling for calm across all levels of the game -- from the grassroots level of recreational cricket to the elite level -- given that the act of running out a non-striker who opts to steal ground is within the laws of the game.
"The overriding factor is that there is a simple way that all confusion and controversy around this form of dismissal can be eradicated - by non-strikers complying with the Law and remaining within their ground until they have seen the ball being released from the bowler's hand," the MCC said in a statement.
"Part of the discussion in Dubai touched on the growing narrative for the bowler to be vilified for this type of dismissal. The committee members were unanimous in their view that the batter stealing ground is the one breaking the Laws of the game and therefore deserving of recrimination.
"They were also in agreement that there is no precedent to require a bowler to give a warning to a batter, confirming they are completely within their right to dismiss the batter on the first occasion they break the Law," it added.
The WCC comprises greats of the game including Kumar Sanakkara, Sourav Ganguly, Justin Langer, Alastair Cook, with Mike Gatting being the chairman.
"The bowler is not the villain here. Every batter has a choice; to stay in their ground, or risk being given out if they try to steal ground. If they choose the latter, they are the ones who are breaking the Law," said Sri Lankan great Sangakkara.
Gatting added: "We have seen suggestions that this method of dismissal will be attempted more and more at recreational level and there is the possibility of matches descending into chaos.
"Whilst attempts may increase in the short term, we would expect batters to learn their responsibilities under the Laws very quickly and drive it out of prominence.
"Although the wording of the Law has recently been clarified, the timing of when the run out can be attempted is unchanged since 2017, so very little has actually changed.
"Our stance on this is simple - batters must not steal ground if they do not wish to be given out in this manner. Nor should they be expecting to be given a warning if they do.
"If all non-strikers only left the popping crease once the ball had been released, there would never be the need for such a dismissal again," said the former England batter.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Team India chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has urged the team management to play young opener Shubman Gill instead of the out-of-from batter KL Rahul. Team India took an unassailable 2-0 in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy, but Rahul's form has been a major concern for Rohit Sharma's team. Rahul has managed to retain his place in the squad for the third and fourth Tests against Australia, but is no longer the vice-captain of the team. However, captain Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid have backed the under-firing player.
Srikkanth said that if he was the chief selector, he would've asked Rahul to take a break from the sport.
"I have tremendous admiration for the class of Rahul, in fact I call him Rolls Royce Rahul...but it is just not happening for him at the moment. If I was the chairman of selectors, I would have gone up to him and told him to take a break for a while," Srikkanth told TOI.
Speaking further on Rahul's struggles, Srikkanth said that it is more of a mental battle, rather than a technical deficiency in his game.
"I cannot pinpoint a technical deficiency in his game at the moment. I think this is more mental and all Rahul needs to do is take a break and sort his mind out. There's no reason why he can't come back all guns blazing. But with all due respect to Rahul, it is time to play Shubman. You can't keep a player waiting when he is in the form of his life," Srikanth added.
(With PTI Inputs)
The Indian women's cricket team fell at the penultimate hurdle as Australia book their seventh successive Women's T20 World Cup final spot. Despite a disappointing fielding performance, India did well with the bat in phases to come close to Australia's total of 172 runs. Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues kept India's hopes alive before the skipper got run out in the most bizarre fashion. When Harmanpreet was asked about her dismissal, she admitted that there can't be a more 'unlucky' way to get dismissed.
It was the 15th over of India's chase, with Harmapreet keeping the team afloat. During the 4the delivery of the over, Harmanpreet's bat got stuck into the ground while running. The batter was found just inches shy of her crease as the bails were dislodged.
The incident changed the momentum of the game, with Australia taking the driving seat.
Speaking of the incident, Harmanpreet said that she couldn't have been unluckier.
"Can't be unluckier than this, to get that momentum back when me and Jemi were batting. And to lose after that, we didn't expect this today. The way I got runout, can't be unluckier than that. Putting in the effort was more important. We discussed about fighting till the last ball. The result didn't go our way, but I am happy with the way we played in this tournament. We know we have a good batting line up even if we lose early wickets," she said.
Harmanpreet also credited Jemimah Rodrigues for her performance that saw her score a quick-fire 43 off 24.
"Need to give credit to Jemi for the way she batted today. She got us the momentum we were looking for. Happy to see such performances. Happy to see them play their natural game. We even though we didn't play to our strengths, we reached the semis," said the India captain.
At the end, Harmanpree also confessed that India were poor in the field.
"We gave those easy catches away. Got to take those when you want to win. We misfielded. We can only learn from these lessons and not repeat the mistakes," she concluded.
Australia captain Meg Lanning described it as "one of the best games I have played in" after her team gained a five-run win over India in a thrilling Women's T20 World Cup semi-final at Newlands in Cape Town on Thursday.
Everton and Liverpool were fined by the Football Association (FA) on Wednesday for failing to control their players following a mass confrontation during the Merseyside derby earlier this month.Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh will make their international returns from lengthy injury layoffs after being named Thursday in Australia's one-day squad for the series in India. All-rounder Maxwell broke his leg and underwent surgery in November after slipping and falling during a friend's 50th birthday party. Marsh went under the knife soon after for a long-standing left ankle problem, with loose bone fragments removed and cartilage repaired. They both return for ODIs in Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Chennai between March 17 and 22, giving Australia an early look at conditions ahead of the World Cup in India later this year.
Opener David Warner was also in the squad, despite leaving their Test tour of India this week with concussion and a hairline fracture in his elbow.
But pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood was left out after he too returned home early with an Achilles' injury.
Fellow fast bowler Jhye Richardson was called up having recovered from a hamstring strain.
"With the World Cup just over seven months away, these matches in India are an important step in our preparation," said chairman of selectors George Bailey.
"Glenn, Mitchell and Jhye are all important players in what we think the squad might look like come October.
"It would be great for Josh to be part of this series but we have taken a conservative view ahead of a very important winter in England of which he will be an integral part," he added.
Australia ODI squad: Pat Cummins (capt), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol scored a second-half header, cancelling out Riyad Mahrez's strike to earn a 1-1 with Manchester City in their Champions League last 16 clash on Wednesday. One of the breakout stars of the Qatar World Cup as the cornerstone of Croatia's miserly defence, Gvardiol showed his attacking flair, launching himself above the City defence to head in the equaliser in the 70th minute. City took the lead after 27 minutes through Mahrez and looked on course for a comfortable away win but their fluency deserted them after the interval in the first leg tie.
The home side, who have only lost once in their past 20 games, found their zip in the second half and looked the team most likely to head to the Etihad for the return leg with a victory under their belt.
City's star striker Erling Haaland suffered for a lack of service, with the Norwegian clearly missing ill midfielder Kevin de Bruyne.
City dominated possession in trademark fashion for the first quarter of the match, but failed to carve out any opportunities against a well-drilled and structured home side.
"At the end, we were a little nervous, the coach told us to calm down, there are 90 minutes left to play," said Mahrez.
Leipzig coach Marco Rose added: "Two very, very different halves. We just didn't happen in the first half, just chased the ball, were very bad when we had it. The second was quite different, we were better with the ball, won it back better and played how we had envisioned to play."
The breakthrough came in the 27th minute, when City midfielder Jack Grealish took advantage of a sloppy pass from Xaver Schlager, pouncing with threading a vertical ball goalwards.
City captain Ilkay Gundogan attracted the attention of the Leipzig defence but let the ball run through his legs into the path of Mahrez, who cut a shot past the fingertips of 'keeper Janis Blaswich and into the net.
Rodri went close to doubling City's lead just three minutes later but put his header just wide.
Former Chelsea striker Timo Werner had half a chance in first-half injury time, but waited too long to unleash a shot and his deflected effort was easily claimed by Ederson.
Leipzig swapped out wing backs Lukas Klostermann and Benjamin Henrichs at halftime looking for additional penetration.
The new man went close to scoring an equaliser twice in the space of two minutes early in the second half, first through a looping header and second when he shanked a close-range attempt when one-on-one with Ederson.
The introduction of Christopher Nkunku in the 66th minute came during the home side's best period of the game and gave them an immediate boost, striker Andre Silva forcing a rushed save from Ederson a minute later.
Gvardiol snuffed out an Haaland counter attack and got the home side on the scoreboard soon after, climbing a metre higher than the City defence to head in the equaliser from a Marcel Halstenberg corner.
Man City held on as Leipzig searched for a winner, meaning both teams head to Manchester on an equal footing ahead of the return fixture on March 14.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh will make their international returns from lengthy injury layoffs after being named Thursday in Australia's one-day squad for the series in India. All-rounder Maxwell broke his leg and underwent surgery in November after slipping and falling during a friend's 50th birthday party. Marsh went under the knife soon after for a long-standing left ankle problem, with loose bone fragments removed and cartilage repaired. They both return for ODIs in Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Chennai between March 17 and 22, giving Australia an early look at conditions ahead of the World Cup in India later this year.
Opener David Warner was also in the squad, despite leaving their Test tour of India this week with concussion and a hairline fracture in his elbow.
But pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood was left out after he too returned home early with an Achilles' injury.
Fellow fast bowler Jhye Richardson was called up having recovered from a hamstring strain.
"With the World Cup just over seven months away, these matches in India are an important step in our preparation," said chairman of selectors George Bailey.
"Glenn, Mitchell and Jhye are all important players in what we think the squad might look like come October.
"It would be great for Josh to be part of this series but we have taken a conservative view ahead of a very important winter in England of which he will be an integral part," he added.
Australia ODI squad: Pat Cummins (capt), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol scored a second-half header, cancelling out Riyad Mahrez's strike to earn a 1-1 draw with Manchester City in their Champions League last-16 clash on Wednesday.Olympian Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar claimed the gold medal in the men's individual 50m rifle 3 positions competition at the ISSF World Cup in Cairo on Wednesday as India continued their dominance in the tournament. This was India's sixth medal, including four gold, in the tournament as the country strengthened its position at the top of the medals tally. The 22-year-old Tomar, who had also won a gold in the Changwon World Cup last year, won 16-6 in the gold-medal contest to comfortably beat Austria's Alexander Schmirl.
Tomar was placed second in the ranking round, with a total score of 406.4, while Schmirl was at the top with 407.9.
Earlier, the Indian had topped the qualification after aggregating 588 over the three stages of kneeling, prone and standing.
Akhil Sheoran, another Indian participating in the event, was second in the qualification with 587.
This was the Indian's second individual World Cup gold, the first coming in South Korea.
Speaking after the event, Tomar said, "I had not performed well twice earlier at this range so this time I was determined to go back with a medal." Asked what was his mindset after a slow start in the ranking round, he said, "It did not affect me much. As I said, I was very determined and was confident that I could always come back in my favourite 'standing' position and that's what happened." Tomar first topped the qualification round with a score of 588 after 20 shots each in the kneeling, prone and standing positions. He had teammate Sheoran for company in the ranking round.
The Indian duo began slow in the ranking round with Tomar sixth and Sheoran eighth after the first five kneeling position shots.
After the end of the allocated 10 shots in the second prone position however, both had moved up with Sheoran in second and Tomar in fifth. All the while the Austrian Schmirl was leading the match and did so till the end of the ranking round.
It changed dramatically after the first five standing position shots, as India number one Tomar got up to second, just 0.5 behind Schmirl who was still leading.
Sheoran was down to fifth and eventually bowed out in seventh place after 30 shots. After 40 shots both the Austrian and the Indian held on to the top two positions to set up a gold medal clash.
In the gold medal round, which is basically a race to 16 points with two points being awarded to the winner of each single-shot series, Tomar took the first series.
However, it remained tight with the scores reading 4-4 and then 6-6 before the Indian broke away with some sensational shooting to close out the match.
A timeout taken by the Austrian at 6-12 did nothing to break Tomar's momentum.
Rhythm finishes outside podium
In the day's first medal event, India's Rhythm Sangwan, who had qualified for the ranking rounds after shooting 589 in the women's 25m pistol, could not make the final four medal round.
She had shot 295 to lead the first precision round on Tuesday and then 294 in the rapid-fire round to qualify second behind Doreen Vennekamp of Germany.
Rhythm bowed out in the second ranking round match, finishing fourth with nine hits out of 20. Hungary's Veronika Major won gold in the event.
Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh shot 571 and 570 to finish 32nd and 34th respectively.
The entire Indian cricketing spectrum seems to be asking for a change as KL Rahul's struggles with the bat continue. Not just in Tests, the opening batter has been unproductive across formats for a while now. While there's no denying the potential he has, some former cricketers and experts are asking for Rahul to be replaced with Shubman Gill. Dinesh Karthik, who has turned into a pundit, also feels that Rahul would benefit from some time off from the game.
"I think he [KL Rahul] played the best shot possible to that ball. But he would also know that if he is going to be dropped for the remaining matches, which is pretty much an eventuality, it is not because of this one innings. It is because of what has happened and transpired over the last five or six Test matches," said Karthik in his analysis of Rahul on Cricbuzz.
Karthik continued to maintain that he holds Rahul in high regard and called him a 'very good' batter across formats. But, keeping in mind the current situation, the veteran wicket-keeper batter feels it's time for the Karnataka batter to be dropped.
"He is a class player and is very good in all formats. But at this point in time, I don't think it's the technique. I think it's because of what happens between the ears that's really troubling him. He might need some time off from the game to go back and come back fresh for the ODIs," Karthik added.
Speaking of Rahul's replacement, Karthik is of the strong opinion that Shubman Gill should come into the Indian team for the remaining two matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
"I have to go with Shubman Gill, he's just batted beautifully. There will be just one change in the playing XI. I feel very bad for KL Rahul, I think he's been under the scanner," Karthik opined.
World champion Rudrankksh Patil braved fatigue and fever to clinch his first World Cup individual gold in men’s 10m air rifle event at the ISSF World Cup in Cairo on Tuesday.
The City Football Group's chief operating officer Roel de Vries believes that the future is all type of partnerships and co-operations between clubs. The City group owns 11 clubs across the world and has tasted rich success.Veteran Pakistan spinner Nida Dar became the highest wicket-taker in the history of women's T20I cricket on Tuesday. The 36-year-old accomplished the landmark during Pakistan's final Group 2 match against England in the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup. In the match, Dar ended with figures of 1/47 in four overs. She picked up the wicket of England skipper Heather Knight for just four runs. In 130 matches, she has 126 wickets at an average of 18.18 and an economy rate of 5.47. Her best bowling figures in the format are 5/21.
Other leading wicket-takers in the format behind Dar are Anisa Mohammed (West Indies, 125 wickets), Megan Schutt (Australia, 122 wickets), Ellyse Perry (Australia, 122 wickets) and Shabnim Ismail (South Africa, 117 wickets).
Coming to the match, England posted 213/5 after electing to bat first. They were reduced to 33/2 before the conclusion of the powerplay. A 74-run stand between Danni Wyatt (59 off 33 balls) and Nat-Sciver Brunt brought England back in the game. After a couple more quick wickets, England was 113/4. From that point, Brunt and wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones (47 off 31 balls) stitched a quick century stand. Brunt finished with an unbeaten 81 in 40 balls, with 12 fours and a six.
Fatima Sana (2/44) finished as the leading bowler for Pakistan. Dar, Sadia Iqbal and Tuba Hassan finished with a wicket each.
Chasing 214, Pakistan was never in the game and finished at 99/9 in their 20 overs, losing the game by 114 runs, the biggest margin in Women's T20 WC history. Tuba Hassan top-scored with 28 runs.
Katherine Sciver-Brunt (2/14) and Charlie Dean (2/28) were the standout bowlers for England. Sophie Ecclestone, Nat Sciver, Sarah Glenn took a wicket each.
Nat Sciver won the 'Player of the Match' award for her all-around performance.
England has finished the group stage on top of Group 2 with four wins in four games and eight points. Pakistan finishes at fourth in the group with just one win in four games and two points.
Veteran Pakistan spinner Nida Dar became the highest wicket-taker in the history of women's T20I cricket on Tuesday. The 36-year-old accomplished the landmark during Pakistan's final Group 2 match against England in the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup. In the match, Dar ended with figures of 1/47 in four overs. She picked up the wicket of England skipper Heather Knight for just four runs. In 130 matches, she has 126 wickets at an average of 18.18 and an economy rate of 5.47. Her best bowling figures in the format are 5/21.
Other leading wicket-takers in the format behind Dar are Anisa Mohammed (West Indies, 125 wickets), Megan Schutt (Australia, 122 wickets), Ellyse Perry (Australia, 122 wickets) and Shabnim Ismail (South Africa, 117 wickets).
Coming to the match, England posted 213/5 after electing to bat first. They were reduced to 33/2 before the conclusion of the powerplay. A 74-run stand between Danni Wyatt (59 off 33 balls) and Nat-Sciver Brunt brought England back in the game. After a couple more quick wickets, England was 113/4. From that point, Brunt and wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones (47 off 31 balls) stitched a quick century stand. Brunt finished with an unbeaten 81 in 40 balls, with 12 fours and a six.
Fatima Sana (2/44) finished as the leading bowler for Pakistan. Dar, Sadia Iqbal and Tuba Hassan finished with a wicket each.
Chasing 214, Pakistan was never in the game and finished at 99/9 in their 20 overs, losing the game by 114 runs, the biggest margin in Women's T20 WC history. Tuba Hassan top-scored with 28 runs.
Katherine Sciver-Brunt (2/14) and Charlie Dean (2/28) were the standout bowlers for England. Sophie Ecclestone, Nat Sciver, Sarah Glenn took a wicket each.
Nat Sciver won the 'Player of the Match' award for her all-around performance.
England has finished the group stage on top of Group 2 with four wins in four games and eight points. Pakistan finishes at fourth in the group with just one win in four games and two points.
Renowned coach Dmitry Dmitruk will add some Irish flavour to Indian boxing. He was on Tuesday appointed as the chief foreign coach of the country’s elite men and women’s teams for a period of two years. The 47-year-old Dmitruk’s first big assignment as coach will be the upcoming women’s World boxing championships, scheduled to be held here from March 15-26.Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has joined the engrossing debate over KL Rahul's place in the Indian team. As the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) announced the squad for the 3rd and 4th Test against Australia, there was no change as Rahul continued to enjoy the selectors' and team management's trust. Rahul, who failed to fire in the first two Tests against Australia, however, isn't expected to open alongside Rohit Sharma in the next two matches, as per Harbhajan Singh.
Bhajji, having noticed that there's no “vice-captain” tag next to Rahul's name in the India squad, strongly feels that Shubman Gill will open alongside skipper Rohit in the next match.
"Well, I guess so,” Harbhajan told India Today when asked about Rahul being dropped from the playing XI. “Because when you're not the vice-captain, it becomes easier for the management and selectors to make you sit out. Once you're a vice-captain, no matter what sort of performances you have given, you're still featured in those eleven guys who will participate in the game. But not that vc tag is not there.”
“With KL Rahul, you know he's a quality player who's going through a dry patch where he is not scoring runs. We all know that. But I'm sure he will come good with the bat. But yes, the vc tag is not there, which means we will see Shubman Gill opening with Rohit Sharma," Harbhajan opined.
Rahul, who was the vice-captain in the first two Tests against Australia, no longer had that tag in front of his name as the BCCI announced the squads for the 3rd and 4th match of the series. The change does indicate that Rahul's credibility in the Indian team has taken a hit.
When India skipper Rohit was asked about Rahul in the press conference after the conclusion of the second Test in New Delhi, he refused to give up on the batter and gave him his full backing. Whether this backing will see him being trusted once again to open in the Indore Test or not, will be known in due time.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has joined the engrossing debate over KL Rahul's place in the Indian team. As the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) announced the squad for the 3rd and 4th Test against Australia, there was no change as Rahul continued to enjoy the selectors' and team management's trust. Rahul, who failed to fire in the first two Tests against Australia, however, isn't expected to open alongside Rohit Sharma in the next two matches, as per Harbhajan Singh.
Bhajji, having noticed that there's no “vice-captain” tag next to Rahul's name in the India squad, strongly feels that Shubman Gill will open alongside skipper Rohit in the next match.
"Well, I guess so,” Harbhajan told India Today when asked about Rahul being dropped from the playing XI. “Because when you're not the vice-captain, it becomes easier for the management and selectors to make you sit out. Once you're a vice-captain, no matter what sort of performances you have given, you're still featured in those eleven guys who will participate in the game. But not that vc tag is not there.”
“With KL Rahul, you know he's a quality player who's going through a dry patch where he is not scoring runs. We all know that. But I'm sure he will come good with the bat. But yes, the vc tag is not there, which means we will see Shubman Gill opening with Rohit Sharma," Harbhajan opined.
Rahul, who was the vice-captain in the first two Tests against Australia, no longer had that tag in front of his name as the BCCI announced the squads for the 3rd and 4th match of the series. The change does indicate that Rahul's credibility in the Indian team has taken a hit.
When India skipper Rohit was asked about Rahul in the press conference after the conclusion of the second Test in New Delhi, he refused to give up on the batter and gave him his full backing. Whether this backing will see him being trusted once again to open in the Indore Test or not, will be known in due time.
India made it to the semifinals of the Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa on the back of a five-run win over Ireland in their rain-hit last group game, which has raised the confidence of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur leading up to a likely semifinal against defending champoins Australia.
Star opener Smriti Mandhana on Monday described the match-winning 87-run knock against Ireland as one of her toughest innings due to the difficult conditions at St George's Park. Thanks to Mandhana's career-best knock, India posted 155 for six after opting to bat first in their last group match of the Women's T20 World Cup. In their run chase, Ireland were 54 for two in 8.2 overs, when heavy rains stopped play. The DLS par score after 8.2 overs was 59, and Ireland were five runs short of that total.Star opener Smriti Mandhana on Monday described the match-winning 87-run knock against Ireland as one of her toughest innings due to the difficult conditions at St George's Park. Thanks to Mandhana's career-best knock, India posted 155 for six after opting to bat first in their last group match of the Women's T20 World Cup. In their run chase, Ireland were 54 for two in 8.2 overs, when heavy rains stopped play. The DLS par score after 8.2 overs was 59, and Ireland were five runs short of that total.
As the match could not be restarted, India won the match under the D/L method.
"The finger is fine. One of the most toughest innings I would have played. Not the wicket but the pace they were bowling and with the wind, it got worse," Mandhana said after the match.
"We were telling each other (with opening partner Shafali Verma) to try and maintain our shape. I was batting bad and she was not timing it well," said Mandhana, who was named the player of the match for her 56-ball knock.
"But we were trying to discuss that and there was a lot of wind and we needed to get used to the pace they were bowling. Good to post some runs and go into the semis. The England match wasn't the way we wanted." India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said it was a good game for her side.
"Smriti got runs, which is very important for us. Whenever she gives us starts we get to good total." Asked why she batted at number three, Harmanpreet, who made 13, said, "Just wanted to go up and spend some time in the middle, since I haven't really got that.
"(Making to semis) Means a lot, we are working a lot and wanted to do well whenever we get the opportunities. Good to get into the semis and we will give our 100%. We always enjoy our match against them (Australia in semifinal). It will be a do or die and we want to play good cricket." Ireland captain Laura Delany was disappointed with the manner in which the match ended.
"We were preparing for wind and we just tried to build partnership but rain got in our way.
"After 2018, Cricket Ireland have invested a lot in contracts. We want to improve on our fielding, it has overall been a very positive experience. Orla Prendergast has gone from strength to strength and if we could emulate her, it will be great."
