Cricket

Australia vs West Indies 2nd Test Day 3 Live Score Updates:  West Indies look to strengthen their position on Day 3 of the second Test match against Australia. At stumps, West Indies were 13-1 with a lead of 35 runs but they lost the wicket of Tagenarine Chanderpaul . Earlier, West Indies were all out for 311 in the first innings and in reply, Australia declared at 289-9 late in the night session. ( Live Scorecard ) Follow Australia vs West Indies 2nd Test Day 3 Live Score Updates here - from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/X0ZiBve

The newly-appointed acting chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Shah Khawar on Friday said frequent changes in the board are not responsible for the national team's poor on-field performances in the last one year. Addressing the media on Friday, Khawar asserted that there were several other reasons for the team's below-par showing. "I don't think changes in the board in the last one year have affected the team. It might be a minor reason, but there are other other factors and once the new board of governors is formed and the new chairman takes charge, they will look into this," he said. Khawar also insisted that there was no interference from the government in the cricket board's affairs. "It is a wrong impression that the ministry of inter provincial coordination or government interferes in cricket affairs or is taking decisions," he said. "The patron in chief of the board, as per powers vested in him and laid out in the PCB constitu...

The rollicking 80 that Yashasvi Jaiswal made against England in the first Test in Hyderabad is a validation of the team management's belief that the left-hander is India's next all-format opener. Jaiswal might have used a cliche - intent to play positive cricket - to describe his 74-ball blitz that gave India early momentum against the visitors, but the knock is certain to resonate more deeply within the walls of the dressing room. "I don't think it was any tactic (attacking England spinners early on Thursday evening), as I was just thinking to play well against certain balls, play some positive shots," Jaiswal humbly offered in his post-day press meet on Friday. But the positive mien Jaiswal showed in snatching the initiative from England would have reminded many of a certain Virender Sehwag, as he made his runs at a strike-rate of 108. Another school of thought will ascribe that innings to him being a child of the T20 era. Yes, the 22-year-old is a brilliant T...

Australia vs West Indies 2nd Test Day 2 Live Score Updates:  Australia look to strengthen their grip on the game on Day 2 of the second Test match against West Indies. At stumps, West Indies were 266 for the loss of eight wickets thanks to gritty knocks from  Kavem Hodge and Joshua Da Silva . The duo put on 149 runs for the sixth wicket after the visitors were struggling at 64-5. Mitchell Starc was the top performer for Australia with four wickets while Josh Hazlewood took two. ( Live Scorecard ) Follow Australia vs West Indies 2nd Test Day 2 Live Score Updates here - from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/oU1YWrK

India picked a total of three spinners for the ongoing first Test match against England at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad but Kuldeep Yadav still failed to make a cut into the team. On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja , Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel were the ones who were included for the game. At the toss, Rohit informed that the team management had to take call between Axar and Kuldeep Yadav but the former got preference due to his batting ability. "It was a tough one (to leave out Kuldeep Yadav), we thought a lot about it. Axar (Patel), whenever he had played, he has done well and bats really well in these conditions. He got some really good score the last time we played against Australia. Probably the reason we went with Axar," said Rohit Sharma after England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bat first. Meanwhile, Rohit put a lot of trust in his team and said the at the side is up for the England challenge. "A good series, I am p...

There continues to remain mystery behind India stalwart Virat Kohli 's decision to pull out from the first two Tests against England. Kohli decided to withdraw over 'personal issues' as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) advised against speculation on the matter. AB de Villiers , Kohli's former teamamte at Royal Challengers Banglore and a close friend, admitted that he too doesn't know what reason behind his exit is. But, he plans to find out soon. De Villiers said that the reason behind Kohli's withdrawal could be because he wanted some time off or it could be a family issue. De Villiers plans to soon find out be he isn't going to reveal it to the public as his friendship with Kohli is too important to him. "No one knows what has happened yet. I am sure we will get to know soon. If Virat talks about personal reasons, there must be a very good reason for that. Maybe he is also tired. He has been playing a lot of cricket. Could be family ...

Opener Ben Duckett believed that England's first innings total of 246 was above par and said they were not expecting Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma to play belligerent cricket from the word go on the first day of the first Test on Thursday. At stumps, India were placed at 119 for one with Jaiswal making a quick, unbeaten 76 and he shared a fine 80-run stand with Rohit in just 12.2 overs. "I think we're over par. It was a tricky Day 1 pitch with consistent spin from earlier on. Stokes was fantastic. I just said come down Day 3, Day 4, that could be a match winning knock if that pitch keeps getting harder to bat on," said Duckett in the post-day press meet. Duckett was quick to give credit to the Indian openers for producing a rollicking stand, and also considered it as a hint to the gradually deteriorating nature of the pitch. "Credit to them. They played really well and were very attacking. You know, they don't always go about it like that...

India skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday hinted that the Test career of veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane might not be revived as the focus has shifted to giving more opportunities to younger players. Once Virat Kohli decided to skip the first two matches against England, the possibility of including either Pujara or Rahane to the India Test squad was discussed widely but if one is aware about the thought process of current selection panel headed by Ajit Agarkar , they are not in a mood to look back. As it turned out, India opted to bring in Rajat Patidar as Kohli's replacement. Rohit explained the rationale behind the decision to bring in Patidar. "Look, actually, we did think about it (going back to a senior player). But all these younger players, when are they going to get their opportunity? That's something we thought, I thought as well," Rohit said during his pre-match press conference. However, Rohit said leaving out some of the senior pros w...

West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews on Wednesday was named the ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year and became just the second women's cricketer from the Caribbean to get the honour. Before Matthews, former skipper Stafanie Taylor was crowned with the coveted accolade in 2015. Matthews was sensational with her skills from the bat and the ball. She defeated competition from Australia's Ellyse Perry, England's Sophie Ecclestone, and Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu. "I have been really blessed to have a pretty good year with West Indies wearing those colours, performing really well and helping the team," Matthews said, according to ICC. "Growing up I saw many of my idols getting these type of awards a lot, so to be able to come out as a player with this award is special for me," she added. The No.1 ranked ICC Women's T20I all-rounder embarked on a journey that saw her produce a remarkable performance for the ages against Australia in a bilat...

India are all set to take on England in the five-match Test series at home, starting January 25 in Hyderabad. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already announced the squad for the first two games of the series. While England will aim to repeat the glory of 2012 where they won 2-1 in India, the hosts will eye to maintain their dominance against the Three Lions in Tests at home. Indian cricket team's head coach Rahul Dravid has given a hint on the kind of surface that will be offered for the first Test. "It's hard to say. We will see once the game starts and figure it out. It looks like a good one from where I have seen it. The pitch may spin a little bit, how quickly and how fast that I don't know," Dravid said in the pre-match press conference. Rahul Dravid on Tuesday also said that Virat Kohli, who will miss the first two Tests of the England series due to personal reasons, is a "phenomenal player" and other players will have opport...

Bangladesh bowler Maruf Mridha on Tuesday received a reprimand from the ICC for using "abusive language" during his team's U-19 World Cup match against India in Bloemfontein last Saturday. Mridha was found to have breached Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to "using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match." In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Mridha's disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period, the ICC said in a press release. The incident occurred in the 44th over of India's innings when, after dismissing the batter, Mridha pointed aggressively to the changing room twice, giving the batter a send-off. Mridha admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Shaid Wadvalla of the international panel of ICC matc...

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced the Men's Test Team of the Year 2023 with five Australian players and two Indian spinners featuring in the eleven. Australia's World Test Championship-winning captain Pat Cummins was crowned as the skipper of the team while Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja found their way into the team. Usman Khawaja's rich vein in form saw him feature in the ICC Men's Test Team of the Year for a second consecutive year. He ended 2023 as the highest scorer in Tests, becoming the only batter to get past the 1000-run mark. The left-handed batter amassed 1210 runs in 13 matches at an average of 52.60, which included six centuries and six fifties. Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne was named the other opening batsman despite having played only six matches in 2023. During Sri Lanka's away series against New Zealand, the experienced batter scored three fifties in four innings and amassed 207 runs. Overall, he scored 608 ...

Indian cricket team star batter Virat Kohli opted out of the first two Tests in the upcoming five-match series against England citing 'personal reasons' on Monday. Kohli and wife Anushka Sharma were both invited for the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya but they ended up not attending. However, a lookalike of Kohli was mobbed by fans for selfies and the video of the entire incident has gone viral on social media. The video showed that fans were excited to catch a glimpse of the Virat Kohli lookalike and there was a huge crowd gathered around the individual who wanted to meet him and take selfies. Meanwhile, Kohli has pulled out of the first two Tests against England due to personal reasons which "demand his presence and undivided attention", the BCCI said on Monday. The BCCI urged the fans and media to refrain from speculating about the exact reason for his forced break before the five-match series begins in Hyderabad on January 25. The Board said it ...

With the clean sweep against Afghanistan in the recently-concluded T20I series, Team India started their preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup on a positive note. The series marked the return of India skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli in the T20I format after a gap of 14 months. It is highly likely that both the players will feature in India's squad at the marquee event. However, there are doubts over the selection of wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul . Team India has found potential batters in the form of Tilak Varma , Rinku Singh and even wicketkeeper like Jitesh Sharma , who is known for his destructive batting. So, it will be quite a challenge for Rahul to find a place for himself in the squad. Former India opener Aakash Chopra stated that to find a spot in the World Cup squad, Rahul needs to bat at No 4 in IPL 2024. Rahul, who is the captain of IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants, plays the role of an opener. "You might see KL Rahul at No. 4. If he w...

Shubman Gill has got an admirer in India-origin Snehith Reddy, a member of the New Zealand U-19 World Cup team, who copied the Indian opener's batting and celebration style. Snehith took off his helmet, raised his bat and bowed down to the crowd, similar to the trademark celebration of Gill, after reaching his century against Nepal in an U-19 World Cup match at Buffalo Park on Sunday. "We were talking before the game, the boys, on what the celebrations are gonna be. I decided the Shubman Gill bow is my celebration, it was special," Snehith said later. "One of my favourite players, I love the way he makes contact with the ball, his timing is exceptional and I tried to copy that to my batting a little bit," he said in a video footage uploaded by the ICC. A moment shared with family ? Enjoying the occasion Shubman Gill's influence New Zealand's Snehith Reddy reflects on his #U19WorldCup century pic.twitter.com/szYB81B0yi — ICC (@ICC) January 22, 20...

The world of social media stood still for a bit as former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik decided to marry actor Sana Javed, sharing their wedding pictures on social media on Saturday. While the rumours of Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik's divorce had been afloat for a few months, the two never released a statement on the matter. However, a day after Shoaib shared his wedding pictures of his third wedding, Sania's family confirmed her divorce from Shoaib, saying that they were legally separated for 'some months'. While several fans in India were shocked upon hearing the news, the reactions were pretty similar in Pakistan too. Taking to his Instagram handle, the former Pakistan all-rounder shared several pictures of his nuptials with the divorced Pakistani actress. Sana, too, took to her social media handles to share dazzling images from their 'Nikaah' ceremony. The newlyweds shared the images from the wedding ceremony with the caption, "And We created you in ...

The upcoming Test series between India and England will see two members of the 'Fab-4' of Test cricket square off against each other. India's Virat Kohli and England's Joe Root have been two of the most consistent batters in the format over the past decade. Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson are the other two members of the 'Fab-4' of Test cricket. After overcoming a lean patch with the bat, former India opener Aakash Chopra suggested that Kohli is back among his peers. "Yours truly also said that he is no longer part of the Fab 4. He is now, by the way. It was about the runs at that time, in that period of two years, but he is back again. Steve Smith has fallen away. Kane Williamson is also going 50-50 but this guy is still there. He was there then also and has returned now," Chopra said on his YouTube channel. Despite scoring runs, Kohli failed to score a century in over three years between 2019 and 2022. Chop...

Former England cricket team spinner Monty Panesar believes that England cricketers should sledge Virat Kohli and try to 'mentally pinch' him in the upcoming Test series in India starting January 25. India and England will play five Test matches and Kohli is expected to play a huge role in determining the result of the series. In a recent interaction, Panesar said that England bowlers need to play with Kohli's ego and sledge him on the lines of India being 'chokers' when it comes to international competitions. "Play with his ego and get psychologically stuck into him. They should also say things to him like, you guys are chokers when it comes to the final. They should sledge him on those lines because Stokes has won the ODI and T20 WC and Kohli has not and that is going to mentally pinch him," Panesar told India.com . When asked about which bowler will be most likely to dismiss Kohli during the series, Panesar picked veteran fast bowler James Anderson ...

Young batter Rinku Singh is emerging as one of the most reliable finishers for Team India. Rinku, who is just 15 matches old in T20I format, has played many marvelous innings and taken Team India across the line on numerous occasions. The biggest example of his talent was seen during the third T20I match against Afghanistan, where he played a crucial 69-runk knock off 39 balls. Recently, Afghanistan wicketkeeper and his Kolkata Knight Riders teammate Rahmanullah Gurbaz made a massive prediction about Rinku's future. Gurbaz called Rinku a great finisher, who has the ability to carry forward the legacy of the Indian legends like MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh . "Of course, he can. The way he is going right now is unbelievable. If you see his recent performances in the Indian team, against every side he performs really well. It shows that he is young and he proved that ' I am here for something and not just be in the team and go out'. He is hungry and always working hard,...

Afghanistan batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz on Friday revealed that he has been taking batting tips from India's batting talisman Virat Kohli and World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni on how to improve his performance. In the recently concluded three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, Gurbaz notched up 87 runs in 3 innings. In the last T20I, he smashed a half-century in 32 balls and stitched up a 93-run stand with Ibrahim Zadran giving his team a chance to fight back against India. Speaking to ANI, Gurbaz said, "I always talked to Virat and MS Dhoni about how to improve my cricket. I have a lot of things in my mind and I have to work on it. I was talking to Virat (bhai) about my cricket journey and how should i grow, and reach the next level." The final T20I saw double Super Over drama as Afghanistan managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat and level India's mammoth total of 212 and push the game to super over. It needed not one but two Super Overs to finally decide the w...

MI Cape Town got back to winning ways on Friday after beating Paarl Royals eight wickets at the Newlands, Cape Town. Put into bat first, Paarl Royals were restricted to 172/8, thanks to Thomas Kaber 's 3/20. Jos Buttler scored 46 for Royals, while Jason Roy smashed 38 off just 14 balls to give the Royals a flying start. In response, Ryan Rickelton led the charge with the bat for MI, smashing an unbeaten 94 off just 52 balls. He hit seven fours and six sixes to take his team across the finishing line with eight wickets and 19 balls to spare. Amid the action on the field, a girl took the internet by storm with his hilarious act which was caught on camera. In a video uploaded by SA20, a girl was seen chugging a glass of beer in one large gulp. It's hot out there, hydrate responsibly. #Betway #SA20 #WelcomeToIncredible #MICTvPR pic.twitter.com/pIlBQQPUrt — Betway SA20 (@SA20_League) January 19, 2024 Here's how social media reacted: Half of it down the chin but sh...

Ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup, Adelaide Oval head groundsman Damien Hough explained on Friday the making of the pitch in New York at Eisenhower Park that would be used for the India-Pakistan match in the extravagant ICC tournament. While speaking to Channel 7, Hough said that the job is a bit tricky. "It's a bit tricky, we basically built six of the 10 trays here in Adelaide. We made them modular. We're really proud of them. We've got a couple out of the back that will probably come out here [on Adelaide Oval] next year," Hough was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying. He confirmed that the pitch in New York's Eisenhower Park is currently in the "grow-in phase". "We put them in a shipping container and send them really wherever we want around the world. But they've gone over to Florida. And I've just come back from a month of work over there putting the trays together, putting the soil in, compacting them and putting the grass on. So we...

The Tata Group has retained the title sponsorship rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the next five years, sources confirmed to NDTV. The new deal will see Tata continue as the title sponsor of the marquee T20 event until 2028. Tata cracked the deal after matching the figure presented by Aditya Birla by using its Right to Match (RTM) card. One of India's largest business conglomerates, the Tata Group had earlier replaced Chinese mobile manufacturer Vivo as the IPL title sponsor. It was a two-year deal from 2022 to 2023. Vivo had a deal of Rs 2200 crore for title sponsorship rights of IPL from 2018-2022 but after the 2020 Galwan Valley military face-off between the Indian and Chinese Army soldiers, the brand took a break for a year with Dream11 replacing it in the IPL. However, Vivo was back as IPL tittle sponsor in 2021 even as speculation raged that the company was looking to transfer the rights to a suitable bidder and the BCCI approved the move. from NDTV Sports-C...

India head coach Rahul Dravid was a pleased man after the 3-0 series win over Afghanistan as few fringe players performed well to give the team more options for the T20 World Cup in June. India played 11 T20s after the ODI World Cup last year and the thinktank was able to have a closer look at some contenders such as Jitesh Sharma and Shivam Dube after frontline players were given a rest. Dravid was quite chuffed at their efforts. “We've had different people play after the last ODI World Cup for a variety of reasons. But I think it's just nice to see that there are some options (ahead of the World Cup) who have put their hand up, and certainly shown that they've got skills to address. "Some areas we might need some addressing in, and we were thinking about it,” Dravid said in his post-match press conference. The only concern for Dravid was the lack of team-time ahead of the showpiece to be held in the West Indies and the USA. The three-match series against Afghanis...

Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn and Andrew Puttick have resigned from their respective positions at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore, announced the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday. "Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn and Andrew Puttick, who were assigned duties at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore after a change in their portfolios in November 2023, have resigned from their respective positions," said a statement from PCB. In the aftermath of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, Pakistan introduced a new group of coaching staff and reassigned Arthur, Bradburn, and Puttick to roles with the NCA. In April 2023, Arthur was appointed Director of the Pakistan men's cricket team while Bradburn was announced head coach of the Pakistan national men's side earlier last year. Former South Africa cricketer Puttick has been Pakistan's batting coach since April 2023. Prior to his recent stint, Arthur was the head coach of the Pakistan Men's Crick...

Australia vs West Indies 1st Test Day 3 Live Updates: An inspired spell of bowling from Josh Hazlewood and a brilliant attacking century from Travis Head put Australia in complete control of the first Test against the West Indies in Adelaide on Thursday. After Head smashed 119 from 134 balls to take Australia to 283 and a first-innings lead of 95, Hazlewood took four wickets for just two runs at the start of the West Indies second innings to deal a hammer blow to the visitors. At stumps on the second day, the West Indies were 73-6, still 22 runs from making Australia bat again. ( LIVE SCORECARD ) from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/8mKWpDZ

Sri Lanka have roped in former India bowling coach Bharat Arun as part of the board's endeavour to impart advance training to coaches and other support staff in the country. Arun had played a big role in developing India's formidable pace attack along with former head coach Ravi Shastri. "Sri Lanka Cricket decided to obtain the services of some of the best-known talents in international cricket to provide advanced training for local coaches, trainers, and physiotherapists to enhance their skills and competencies by conducting periodic training programs in selected areas," the SLC stated after its executive committee meeting. Apart from Arun, the SLC has also drafted in former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes, who is now a specialist fielding coach, and Alex Kountouri, a well-known physiotherapist who had earlier worked with the Lankan national team. The Lankan board is hoping for its suspension to be lifted after International Cricket Council (CEO) Geoff Allardi...

The Indian cricket team made history by completing a 3-0 whitewash in the three-match series against Afghanistan after a hard-fought victory in the third encounter in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The match needed two Super Overs to finally end in India's favour with Rohit Sharma , Rinku Singh and Ravi Bishnoi emerging as the top performers. With this series win, India now have 9 whitewash series wins in T20I cricket - the most by any country in the shortest format of the sport. India were tied at 8 with Pakistan but the victory on Wednesday means that the Rohit Sharma-led side claimed the sensational T20I feat. India beat Afghanistan in third T20 International after two thrilling super overs. Chasing 212, Afghanistan too ended with the same score. India equalled Afghanistan's score of 16 in the first super over to stretch the match, but the visitors could not chase down a target of 12 in the second super over as Rohit Sharma's side picked the required two wickets through Ra...

The news of Hardik Pandya rejoining Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season caused ripples in the cricket community. Hardik Pandya was the skipper of GT in the past two seasons and on both occasions, he led them to the final. The franchise won their maiden title in 2021 and the next year, they finished runners-up after losing to Chennai Super Kings in the final. However, Pandya completed a shocking trade to MI - his former team - ahead of the new season and India fast bowler Mohammed Shami had a clear verdict on the incident. In an interview, Mohammed Shami was asked about the whole 'chapter' with Hardik Pandya no longer the GT captain.  “Kisike jane se kisiko farak nahi padta (See, it doesn't matter who is leaving). You have to see the team's balance. Hardik was there, he captained us well. He took us to the final in both editions and we won once. But Gujarat hadn't signed Hardik for a lifetime. It's his decis...

Australia vs West Indies, 1st Test: Live Updates: Australia will be squaring off against West Indies in the first Test of the two-match series on Wednesday in Adelaide. Pat Cummins confirmed the return of Cameron Green to the side that has been rearranged after David Warner retired from the longest format. Steve Smith will play the role of an opener in Test cricket for the Aussies. Meanwhile, West Indies have announced that they will bring in three debutants. ( Live Scorecard ) from NDTV Sports-Cricket https://ift.tt/eh7oKrv

With the T20 World Cup set to be held later this year in June, all-rounder Shivam Dube has boosted the hopes of his selection in India's squad for the marquee event. With all-rounder and vice-captain Hardik Pandya nursing an ankle injury since October last year, Dube's resurgence as a fast-bowling all-rounder has proved to be a blessing for India. In the ongoing T20I series, Dube has scored back-to-back half-centuries in the first two matches, also picking up two wickets in the process. Dube has notched up unbeaten scores of 60 and 63, respectively, striking over 150 in both matches. During the second T20I on Sunday, Dube entertained the crowd and his teammates by smashing three sixes on the trot in the 10th over of India's chase. Virat Kohli was also impressed by the show put on by Dube. Up, Up and Away! Three consecutive monstrous SIXES from Shivam Dube #INDvAFG @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/3y40S3ctUW — BCCI (@BCCI) January 14, 2024 On way to his an unbeate...

Former Australia captain Kim Hughes has hit out at the team management for elevating star batter Steve Smith to the opener's role following David Warner 's Test retirement. Warner played his last Test earlier this month against Pakistan in Sydney as Australia swept the series 3-0. While Western Australia's Cameron Bancroft made a strong case for himself to replace Warner, the Australian team management announced that Smith will be opening the innings with Usman Khawaja , starting with a two-match series against West Indies later this week. On Smith's elevation as opener, Hughes revealed that he almost "vomited" upon hearing the latest development. The former Aussie skipper took shots at the selection committee for ignoring Bancroft, who is in the form of his life," Hughes told WA Sports Talk, as quoted by Sports ABC . "I nearly vomited. I've got no doubts in my mind that if Cameron Bancroft played for New South Wales, he'd be in the Test ...

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has questioned India youngster Ishan Kishan 's decision to take a break from the sport, citing mental fatigue. Kishan had pulled himself out of the India squad for the Test series against South Africa in December 2023. The wicketkeeper-batter was then ignored for the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan. Speaking on the issue, India head coach Rahul Dravid said that the player did not make himself available for selection, and will now have to play domestic cricket to get back into the side. Kishan also did not find a place in India's squad for the first two Tests against England, with KS Bharat and youngster Dhruv Jurel part of the squad as the wicketkeepers. Akmal slammed Kishan for taking a break so early in his career, and highlighted how veterans like Rohit Sharma , Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah also face the same amount of mental fatigue. "There has been talk about Ishan Kishan being released from the Test ...