Virat Kohli Turns ‘Virtual Captain’ In MCG vs Australia. Viral Video Proves
Virat Kohli was seen setting the field during Australia’s second innings of the 4th Test in Melbourne on Sunday. The former India captain rolled back the glory days as he was actively involved in team discussions. Kohli, who stepped down as Test captain in 2022, was seen helping India skipper Rohit Sharma in making the field changes. He was also constantly on Rohit’s ear as Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj stunned Australia’s top-order. A video of the same went viral on social media. Siraj and Bumrah dismantled the Aussies top and middle order, but the hosts fought hard on the back of Marnus Labuschagne (70) and Pat Cummins (41). Tailenders Nathan Lyon (41 not out) and Scott Boland (10 not out) extended Australia’s lead to 333 at stumps on Sunday. The duo will resume on Day 5, having already put on a 55-run stand for the final wicket.
Shortlist for Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Men’s Cricketer of the Year announced
England’s marathon run-scoring duo, Australia’s swashbuckling left-hander and India’s pace-bowling icon make for a stellar list of nominees for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy. Harry Brook emerged as one of England’s most reliable performers in the longest format in the year gone by. The 22-year-old not only scored a heap of runs, but was also a flagbearer of England’s quickfire brand of cricket. Having been a major contributor with the bat during the home series wins against West Indies and Sri Lanka, Brook raised the bar even higher with his displays away from home. The right-handed batter piled back-to-back centuries against New Zealand, helping England win their first Test series in the country since 2008. His consistent performances helped the 22-year-old dethrone teammate Joe Root atop the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings. But his best innings came in the sub-continent, guiding England to a mammoth win against Pakistan.
Zimbabwe thwart Afghanistan’s victory push to hold on for draw
A late push for an unlikely win from Afghanistan was thwarted by Zimbabwe towards the end of the final day’s play as the teams settled for a draw in the opening Test in Bulawayo. The Test that was clearly heading for a draw with both teams putting up massive first-innings totals, suddenly sparked some interest right at the end with Afghanistan picking up a few wickets but the experienced duo of Sean Williams and Craig Ervine ensured that it ended in a stalemate. When play began on the fifth day, it was only a matter of time before Afghanistan fetched the first innings lead. Hashmatullah Shahidi and Afsar Zazai continued to pile on the runs and eventually, the skipper brought up his second double century in Test cricket. Zazai then became the third Afghanistan player in the game to reach three figures as Zimbabwe looked clueless on the field. While Williams finally managed to end the massive stand, Shahid carried on further before getting dismissed four short of 250.
Warner and Wes Agar combine to take Thunder to second place
David Warner hit his highest BBL score in 13 years to lead Sydney Thunder to a drought-breaking eight-run win over Melbourne Renegades on Monday. Low on runs to start the tournament, Warner returned to form with an unbeaten 86 from 57 balls to guide Thunder to 156 for 4. Wes Agar then claimed 4 for 32 to restrict Renegades to 148 for 8, as Thunder claimed their first win at their home ground of Engie Stadium in 734 days. The result moved Thunder to second on the BBL table behind cross-town rivals Sydney Sixers, while Renegades slipped to third with a 2-2 record. Renegades’ loss came despite Will Sutherland pulling off what may well be the catch of the summer to dismiss Sam Billings (10), in what had loomed as a crucial moment in the game. Fielding at mid-on, Sutherland sprinted five metres to his right and jumped back towards the boundary to claim a one-handed hanger. Making the catch even more impressive was that Billings had struck the ball hard and flat, leaving Sutherland little time to react.
India lose seven in the final session, Australia snatch 2-1 series lead
Early in the final hour at the MCG, Australia won an epic Test that had been played in front of a record crowd to take a 2-1 lead in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, having snared seven wickets in the final session when it appeared India were on track to save the game. Yashasvi Jaiswal defied the home side for 208 deliveries before falling to the herculean Pat Cummins while hometown star Scott Boland made three key incisions to secure one of Australia’s most significant victories of recent history. Nathan Lyon claimed the final wicket, when he pinned Mohammed Siraj lbw, sparking wild celebrations for the home side: a margin of 184 runs did not do justice to the tension and drama of the final day and the importance of the result to this Australia team who have turned their fortunes around after the crushing opening defeat in Perth.
Nominees for Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2024 revealed
Three stylish all-rounders and a batting stalwart who enjoyed a stellar 2024 across formats make it to the nominees for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for Women’s Cricketer of the Year. Laura Wolvaardt has been a force to reckon with for the Proteas, leading the team from the front as the all-format skipper as well as piling up runs when needed at the top of the batting order. She leads the charts as the premier batter in the 50-over format in the ICC Women’s rankings for batters in ODIs. Wolvaardt’s absolute best with the bat came when she scored her career-best 184* against Sri Lanka in Potchefstroom in April. The 25-year-old led South Africa to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Final, where she top scored for the Proteas as they emerged runners-up in the tournament, losing out to the White Ferns in the decider. Wolvaardt was also the leading run-getter at the tournament.
Shamim Hossain credits AB de Villiers for change in batting approach
Shamim Hossain was watching his favourite South African great AB de Villiers batting on YouTube during their tour of the High Performance Unit in Australia this year. Shamim’s attention was drawn to the elbow position of the legendary batter and it probably changed his life all together. Shamim came up with a different batting approach during the T20I series against the West Indies and went on to help the tourists clinch the series due to his late resistance. It was also his comeback series. The left-handed batter has been known for playing through the legside along with trying scoops and sweeps but hardly seemed very comfortable playing in front of the wicket. However, it was a different sight altogether against West Indies as he adopted a higher backlift, a slight tweak to his technique.
Rohit on Bumrah’s bowling workloads: ‘We’ve been very careful’
India have had Jasprit Bumrah bowling like few ever have in this Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has 30 wickets at an average of 12.83. The rest have 36 wickets at 41.33. Soon after India lost the Melbourne Test, where the 31-year-old fast bowler picked up a five-for, and went 1-2 down with one Test to play, Rohit Sharma, the captain, was asked if there is a risk of over-bowling Bumrah. “Yeah, there is,” Rohit said. “To be honest, he has bowled a lot of overs. There is no doubt about it. But again, every Test match we play, we keep that in mind. You know, the workloads of all the bowlers in fact. But again, if somebody is in such a great form, you want to try and maximise that form how much ever you can. And that is what we’ve been trying to do with Bumrah. “But there comes a time where you need to step back a little bit and give him that little bit of extra breather as well. So, we’ve been very careful.
Glamorgan fire coach Grant Bradburn following misconduct charge
Grant Bradburn has been fired as Glamorgan’s head coach with immediate effect, following a recent charge of misconduct by the independent Cricket Regulator. Bradburn, 58, was referred to the regulator by the club after receiving allegations of inappropriate behaviour. In a press release, they said they were “confident a fair and transparent process has been followed in this case”. Glamorgan have a “zero-tolerance policy towards discriminatory behaviour of any kind”, the club added. Having completed their own internal investigation, Glamorgan said it was clear Bradburn’s position was untenable and the club is now providing the appropriate support to those affected. “At Glamorgan we put the well-being of our people first and are providing support for those affected,” Mark Rhydderch-Roberts, the club chair, said. “We’re incredibly proud of our track record in terms of making sure everyone who is involved with the club feel they are respected, belong and are treated fairly.”
‘Disappointed’ Rohit looks forward to Sydney redemption
India skipper Rohit Sharma hoped that his side could bounce back from the Melbourne loss to tie the series in Australia. As Mohammed Siraj fell to Nathan Lyon in the final hour of play in Melbourne, India succumbed to a 184-run loss to Australia, and now trail 2-1 in the series. Though they fought well in the last three days, the tourists were well and truly outplayed by Pat Cummins’ side, who made the most of a handy first-innings lead. Like the remainder of the series, India’s senior batters Virat Kohli (167 runs at 27.83) and captain Rohit Sharma (31 runs at 6.2) failed to get going with a cumulative score of 53 from their four outings in the match. Speaking to the reporters, skipper Rohit took responsibility as a captain and as a batter. “There is nothing to think about what has happened in the past,” Rohit said. “Obviously, a few results have not gone our way, as a captain, yes, that is disappointing, and yes, as a batter as well.”
