National and International Affairs and News

  The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on May 25 (Wednesday) confirmed that VVS Laxman will take up the coaching responsibility for India’s tour of Ireland, slated to start on June 26. Meanwhile, India head coach Rahul Dravid will be managing the senior member squad for the rescheduled fifth Test as well as the white-ball series in England. Dravid is expected to join the touring team after the completion of the five-match T20I series against South Africa on June 19 in Bengaluru. BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Wednesday confirmed that Laxman will travel with the Indian squad to Dublin. A similar kind of arrangement was also made last year when Dravid, then head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), took on Sri Lanka in a white-ball series when Ravi Shastri was in England with the Test team. Meanwhile, the former Indian batter will be doing the coaching duties to fill in for Dravid in Ireland. The former Indian batter is currently serving as the Director of Cri...

  Jos Buttler had a dream run in the first half of the ongoing IPL 2022 where he registered three centuries with two of them being back-to-back. The Englishman looked in such great nick that at one point in time it appeared he would surpass Virat Kohli’s tally of 973 runs of IPL 2016. However, the second half witnessed a dip in his performance, as he has amassed single-digit scores in his last three innings. Analysing his own performances, the wicketkeeper-batter has said that while he is disappointed with the recent failures, he is confident that there will definitely be a revival of form in the playoffs. “I’ve obviously been delighted with my form in the IPL, but a bit disappointed with the last few games. The first half of the tournament, I was playing some of the best cricket, and I’m still taking lots of confidence from that going into playoffs”, said Buttler. Buttler might have failed in the second half, but he is comfortably placed at the top of the Orange Cap list, h...

  Sri Lanka has announced their provisional squads for the forthcoming Test and white-ball series against Australia, which begins on June 7 at home. The schedule comprises three T20Is, five ODIs, and two Test matches. Dimuth Karunaratne will lead in the longest format of the game, while Dasun Shanaka will oversee the limited over games. Australia has already announced a strong team for the tour, with Pat Cummins leading the Test squad and Aaron Finch leading the white-ball squads. To prepare for the forthcoming series, the hosts have chosen a 24-member provisional Test team and two 26-member preliminary ODI and T20I teams. The 50-over games will account for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, whereas the red-ball games will be a part of the World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle. The three T20Is will be played between June 7 to 11, followed by the five-match ODI series scheduled from June 14 to 24. The tour will conclude with the two Test matches that wi...

Wriddhiman Saha is amidst a purple patch in IPL 2022 as the veteran stumper has scored 281 runs for the Gujarat Titans in just eight games. His opening partnership with Shubhman Gill has played a pivotal role in the success of the table-toppers Gujarat franchise. But for the past six months, Saha has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. After his dismissal from the Test squad for the Sri Lanka series, Saha made an alarming revelation that head coach Rahul Dravid advised him to consider retirement. He landed in further controversy after an alleged altercation with senior journalist Boria Majumdar. In the latest turn, the wicketkeeper has been named in the Bengal squad for the upcoming Ranji knockout games, but the batter is seeking a NOC as he has no interest in representing his domestic side. Saha’s wife revealed that the batter was hurt when his intent was questioned after leaving the domestic side for personal reasons earlier this season. “A few months ago, when Wri...

  Former Pakistani wicketkeeper batter Kamran Akmal believes that Jammu & Kashmir speedster Umran Malik would have already received an international call-up had he been a part of the Pakistan setup. Malik is currently representing the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League 2022 and has emerged as the franchise’s second-highest wicket-taker scalping 15 wickets from 11 matches. Akmal, a former Rajasthan Royals member of the 2008 winning squad, feels that although Malik’s economy is relatively high, the pacer creates a big impact in the game owing to his ability to provide the team with regular breakthroughs. The veteran also praised Indian cricket for altering the face of the game by developing a slew of great fast bowlers over the past year. “If he was in Pakistan, maybe he would have played international cricket. His economy is high, but he is a strike bowler since he is getting wickets. After every match, his speed chart comes where he clocks around 155 k...

  Former India batter and cricket expert Sanjay Manjrekar has praised Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Mayank Agarwal, emphasizing the fact that he is a ‘true team man’. The former Indian batter said that Mayank had sacrificed his opening position for the benefit of his franchise. Mayank was named as PBKS skipper before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 after KL Rahul moved out from the Punjab Kings and joined the new entrants Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Agarwal has not been at his best so far, but his best can be seen when is opening the innings. The right-handed batter had scored over 400 runs at an excellent strike rate of above 130 during IPL 2020 and 2021. The PBKS skipper began the IPL 2022 as an opener along with the veteran Shikhar Dhawan. However, Mayank sacrificed his opening slot for the England hard-hitter Jonny Bairstow and demoted himself in the order. The move has worked for the team as Bairstow has stroked two back-to-back fifties, a...

  Veteran New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori has hailed Pakistan skipper Babar Azam as the best batter in the world right now. To note, Babar is currently ranked number one in International Cricket Council’s (ICC) ODI and T20I rankings. In the longest format, the right-handed batter is ranked fifth behind Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root. It may be noted that Babar was in red hot form during Pakistan’s last series against visitors Australia. Babar was the second highest run-getter in the ODI series behind Imam-ul-Haq. Babar scored 276 runs at an outstanding average of 138 in the three matches. Similarly, he was the top run-getter in the one-off T20I as he amassed 66 runs in the game. During a recent Question and Answers session, Vettori emphasized the fact that Babar is the most in-form batter at the moment with his excellent batting antics during the recently conducted Australia tour of Pakistan. However, it may be noted that the homes-si...

  In a good piece of news for Netherlands cricket fans, the Dutch side coach Ryan Campbell has been discharged from the hospital and is expected to join the Men in Orange camp within a few weeks. It may be noted that the former cricketer suffered a cardiac arrest in April and successfully managed to come out of a coma with doctors stating that there are no signs of any damage to the brain. Recent tests conducted by the doctors showed no damage to the heart and the hospital authorities have also ruled out the possibility of a heart attack as the cause of the cardiac arrest. On the occasion of being discharged, the former Australian cricketer paid his gratitude to the doctors and the hospital staff for his treatment over the past three weeks. The 50-year-old is expected to re-join the Netherlands camp ahead of their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League three-match 50-over series at home against West Indies later this month. It may be noted that Campbell was selected a...

  It has been a breakthrough year for the Caribbean batter, Rovman Powell. After returning as the second-highest run-scorer in the January T20I series against England with 147 runs in three innings, he was snapped up by Delhi Capitals (DC) for the Indian Premier League 2022. In his last outing for DC, the Jamaica-born cricketer registered his top score of 67* off 35 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), comprising six sixes, which also included a 102-m six off Umran Malik. In the latest interaction, Powell seemed confident about breaking Liam Livingstone’s record (117m) and is aiming for a 130-m six. He thinks the batter needs to have a stable presence in the crease and should not overhit the ball. Then, the 28-year-old thinks that he has got a strong core, and can muscle it out on a good batting surface, by swinging the ball across the line. It is known to all that the biggest six (125m) in the IPL history has been hit by Albie Morkel in 2008. “I think I can get there, I...

  New Zealand coach Gary Stead looks forward to seeing what Kyle Jamieson receives as a result of his decision of opting out of the IPL 2022 after his stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2021. Jamieson will be seen with the New Zealand team when they clash with England for a three-match series this year. The Black Caps will be touring England next month for the Test series, and Jamieson, who is a part of the squad, is training in New Zealand. That is not the case with some of his fellow teammates who are playing the IPL in India. Jamieson was roped in by RCB last year, however, he opted out of the league this year to spend time at home and focus on improving his game. Thus, instead of joining his New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and other teammates like Daryl Mitchel, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, and Tim Southee, he decided to play the Plunket Shield followed by the ODI series against the Netherlands in March-April 2022 to end his season. “I thin...

  Cheteshwar Pujara’s father and coach Arvind Pujara revealed the reason behind the cricketer’s consistent performance at the County Championship 2022, and said that regular match practice helped him do well for his team Sussex in the recent games. He also mentioned that the Indian batter was not able to practice regularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Pujara has played 95 Test matches for India and has amassed more than 6500 runs in the format. But due to his poor form, he was dropped from the Indian Test squad after the conclusion of the South Africa series in January. He was not included in India’s squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka after inconsistent performance. However, the 34-year-old has regained his mojo at the County Championship and has smashed two double-centuries and a century for Sussex in just three games as he eyes a place in the Indian Test squad. “I feel the lack of game time was a big reason why he could not be consistent over the past three sea...