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Cricket

India A’s Ball-Tampering Row Takes New Turn. Player Says, “Nail From…”

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The fireworks had already started even before the senior Indian cricket team landed in Australia. The India vs. Australia series is often considered one of the most marquee series, and tempers often fly high in the contest. Currently, India A is touring Australia with players like Abhimanyu Easwaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy (both part of the main squad), and Ishan Kishan in the team. The India A team has been accused of ‘ball tampering’ during the practice match against Australia A.  Ahead of the start of the day’s play on Sunday, the match officials informed India A players that the ball had been changed as it was tampered with. Umpire Shawn Craig brought the development to Indian players’ notice during the first unofficial Test. He said, “When you scratch it, we change the ball. No more discussion; let’s play.” India A’s wicketkeeper batter for the match, Ishan Kishan, fumed at the umpire’s call and called it a “stupid decision.”. In a statement, Cricket Australia said that the ball had to be changed “due to deterioration,” while both the managers and the captains were informed of the decision before the start of the day’s play.  Now, according to a report in The Indian Express, a player, requesting anonymity, denied tampering allegations, suggesting a “nail from the sideboards may have brushed the ball.” According to Cricket Australia’s code of conduct, players involved in the ball-tampering incident could be handed bans if the team is found to have intentionally changed the condition of the ball. “Any action(s) likely to alter the condition of the ball which is not specifically permitted under Law 41.3.2 may be regarded as unfair,” Cricket Australia’s code of conduct reads. After the controversy spiraled up, Cricket Australia issued a statement saying the ball change happened “due to deterioration. The story has not been edited by 24x7sportshub and is published from a syndicated feed.  

Cricket

“No One Should Be Surprised…”: England Great’s Brutal Take On India-NZ

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Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen recently took to X to express his concerns about the declining quality of batting techniques in Test cricket. Pietersen highlighted the shift in focus towards aggressive, boundary-centric play, which he believes has led to a deterioration in traditional batting skills. “No one should be surprised by the lack of batting application and technique in Test Match cricket. Cricket is a smackers game now, and there is a disintegration of Test Match batting skill in the game. When it comes to playing spin, the only way is to spend time playing against it for hours and hours and hours. There’s no quick remedy!” Pietersen tweeted. No one should be surprised by the lack of batting application and technique in Test Match cricket. Cricket is a ‘smackers’ game now and there is a disintegration of Test Match batting skill in the game.When it comes to playing spin, the only way, spend time playing against it… — Kevin Pietersen(@KP24) November 4, 2024 Pietersen’s comments reflect a growing sentiment among cricket purists who worry that the emphasis on T20 and limited-over formats is undermining the art of Test batting. His call for extensive practice against spin underlines the necessity for batters to invest significant time and effort to hone their skills in the longer format of the game. As cricket continues to evolve, Pietersen’s remarks serve as a reminder of the enduring value of traditional techniques and the need for a balanced approach to batting across all formats. Recently, India was whitewashed in their home against New Zealand (NZ), where they struggled against spin. They lost the series 3-0 and suffered heavy losses in all three games. Coming to the third Test match, chasing a target of 147 runs, India was five down at 29 runs. However, a fighting half-century by Rishabh Pant (64 in 57 balls, with nine fours and a six) kept India in the game. After his dismissal, India once again lost their footing in the game and was bundled out for 121 runs. Ajaz (6/57) took a memorable six-wicket haul. Also, Phillips (3/42) was fine with the ball, taking timely and crucial wickets. Earlier, Kiwis (NZ) were bundled out for 174, thanks to a five-wicket haul from Jadeja (5/55) and some fine bowling from Ravichandran Ashwin (3/62). A fighting half-century from Will Young (51 in 100 balls, with two fours and a six) was the NZ innings highlight. The Kiwis took a 146-run lead over India, who made 263 in their first inning while replying to NZ’s first-inning total of 235 runs. In their first innings, India had taken a 28-run lead over New Zealand. India was 84/4 at one point, but a 96-run stand between Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant (60 in 59 balls, with eight fours and two sixes) helped India recover. Gil played a memorable knock of 90 in 146 balls, with seven fours and a six. A fine knock of Washington Sundar (38* in 36 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) pushed India towards a lead, taking them to 263. Ajaz Patel (5/103) was the pick of the bowlers for the Kiwis. Phillips, Ish Sodhi, and Matt Henry took a wicket each. Coming to the NZ first innings, Kiwis had won the toss and opted to bat first. Though spinners Jadeja (5/65) and Sundar (4/81) dominated the proceedings, half-centuries from Will Young (71 in 138 balls with four boundaries and two sixes) and Daryl Mitchell (82 in 129 balls with three fours and three sixes) pushed New Zealand to 235. An 87-run stand between Young and Mitchell was what helped the Kiwis get to a respectable score. The story has not been edited by 24x7sportshub and is published from a syndicated feed.

Cricket

Shakib Al Hasan Faces Scrutiny Over Suspected Bowling Action: Report

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Shakib Al Hasan, the star Bangladesh all-rounder, has been asked to undergo an official review of his bowling action by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). This request came after on-field umpires raised concerns about the legality of his action during his one-off appearance for Surrey in the County Championship. The 37-year-old all-rounder was reported by umpires Steve O’Shaughnessy and David Millns after delivering more than 63 overs during a crucial match against Somerset at Taunton in September, reported ESPNcricinfo. The fixture marked Shakib’s return to the County Championship for the first time since his stint with Worcestershire in 2010-11. He joined Surrey on a short-term contract, stepping in to support their push for a third consecutive Championship title at a time when Surrey’s ranks were thinned due to eight players’ absences on England duty. Notably, both of Surrey’s frontline spinners, Will Jacks and Dan Lawrence, were unavailable. Despite Shakib’s impressive showing, where he claimed nine wickets, Somerset managed a remarkable comeback, securing a 111-run victory and temporarily halting Surrey’s title march. While Shakib was not penalized with any no-balls for throwing during the match, the umpires nevertheless deemed his action to be “suspect,” raising enough concern for the ECB to initiate a review. Currently, Shakib is not suspended from playing, and negotiations are underway to arrange for him to undergo an official analysis in an approved testing facility. ESPNcricinfo has reported that the evaluation is likely to take place in the coming weeks. This marks the first time Shakib’s bowling action has come under scrutiny in his extensive career. Over two decades, Shakib has made a significant impact on the global cricketing stage, amassing a total of 712 wickets across 447 international matches, including 246 in 71 Test matches. The scrutiny over Shakib’s action comes as his international career is already in a state of uncertainty. Last month, he withdrew from Bangladesh’s Test squad set to face South Africa in Mirpur, citing security concerns, which sparked protests in Bangladesh. The withdrawal followed Shakib’s political involvement with the Awami League-led government, which was recently unseated in a historic student-led protest movement in July. The story has not been edited by 24x7sportshub and is published from a syndicated feed.  

Cricket

“Have Bowlers Like Ajaz Patel In Every Local Club”: Kaif Ridicules NZ Star

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The top wicket-taker for the India vs. New Zealand Test series, Ajaz Patel, ran riot with the ball as the tourists secured a 3-0 series sweep against the Indians. The result of the series was as astonishing as the struggles of India’s batters against Kiwi spinners, considering the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, etc. are considered good players of spin. Despite Ajaz completing the series with a whopping 15 wickets in three matches to his name, with 11 of those coming at Wankhede, Mohammad Kaif refused to call the New Zealand spinner a quality bowler. In a video on social media, the former India batter ridiculed the Kiwi star, saying India has bowlers of his quality in every single club. Kaif went on to blame the Indian team for allowing Ajaz to claim as many as 11 wickets in the third Test. “Ajaz Patel didn’t bowl well. If you see his pitch map, he delivered two full-toss, two short balls, and two length deliveries but still managed to take wickets,” said Kaif. The former India batter also ridiculed New Zealand’s part-time spinner Glenn Phillips, who clinched 4 wickets in the Mumbai Test. “Glenn Phillips is a part-timer, and he doesn’t know how to bowl good deliveries. We lost to part-timers and not to quality spinners. Let people say that Ajaz Patel has taken 22 wickets at the Wankhede Stadium. He can’t even land the ball properly. Ajaz Patel bowled just two good deliveries in an over and got wickets. The defeat in the final Test is embarrassing. There was no bowler in the New Zealand side in the Mumbai Test,” Mohammad Kaif added. The only New Zealand spinner Kaif praised was Mitchell Santner, who claimed 11 wickets in the Pune Test before being ruled out of the final match of the series due to an injury. “Santner did bowl well. The bowling he produced in Pune was a classic Test match performance,” Kaif said, lauding the left-arm spinner.   The story has not been edited by 24x7sportshub and is published from a syndicated feed.

Cricket

“Sold For Rs 50 Crore…”: Ex-Pakistan Star’s Big IPL Take On India Batter

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Former Pakistan cricket team star Basit Ali was all praise for Rishabh Pant and said that the India wicket-keeper batter should be sold for Rs 50 crore in the IPL 2025 Auction. Pant was the only shining light in India’s performance as they slumped to a massive loss against New Zealand in the third Test encounter in Mumbai. Following the loss, Basit said that Pant looked the track look ‘flat’ when he was batting and said that although media reports are claiming that he can go for Rs 25 crore in the auction, his shot selection puts him in another level and the bidding for him should go up to Rs 50 crore. “Rishabh Pant scored 60 in the first innings and 64 in the second. What can I say about this kid? People say he should go for INR 25 crore in the IPL auction. However, I think he should be sold for INR 50 crore. When he batted on this pitch, it seemed like a flat track. He hit wherever he wanted to but his shot selection was good,” Basit said on his YouTube channel. With stars like Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul up for grabs, many IPL team owners will be rubbing their hands in glad anticipation at the upcoming players’ auction which promises to create all-time record deals given the available Indian talent in the pool. Aside from Pant and Rahul, there will be Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami also in the auction pool. All of them can trigger bidding wars but let there be no confusion that Pant will be cynosure of all eyes at the two-day event supposed to be held in third week of December. The Rs 75 crore retention cap on international players coupled with Right To Match cards will certainly make it an intriguing auction as some teams, which have exhausted their retention quotas, will now have to recruit at least 15 more players for a lesser sum. But a few others like Punjab Kings (Rs 110.5 crore) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Rs 83 crore) will be making some insane bids. Never before in an auction has one witnessed three IPL captains back in the pool — Pant of Delhi Capitals, defending champions KKR’s Iyer and Lucknow Super Giants’ KL Rahul. In case of Pant, more than money, he was not happy about his powers being curbed by GMR, the co-owners, who will run the show for the next two years. He was also, it is learnt, not happy with Hemang Badani as head coach and Y Venugopal Rao as Team Director. (With PTI inputs)

Cricket

“India Cannnot Beat Australia 4-0”: Sunil Gavaskar’s Blunt Prediction

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Legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar has made his prediction for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia. India must win at least four Tests out of their remaining five in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle to guarantee qualification to the final without relying on other results. Gavaskar has stated that he does not believe Team India will be capable of beating Australia 4-0 in Australia. However, Gavaskar also mentioned that India’s focus should be solely on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, not on the possibility of making the WTC final. “India cannot beat Australia 4-0 in the Test series; I’d be very, very over the moon. If they do that, I would be over the moon. But 4-0. India can win 3-1, 4-0 is… don’t talk about the World Test Championship final. Now focus on trying to win the series in Australia. Never mind whether you win 1-0, 2-0, 3-1, or 2-1. But go and win. Because that is how all of us Indian cricket fans are going to be back to feeling good again,” said Gavaskar, speaking to India Today. India have won the previous four Test series against Australia, all by a margin of 2-1. Two of these series have been in Australia.  The last time Australia defeated India in a Test series was in the 2014/15 season, 10 years ago. World Test Championship (WTC) scenario: How can it play out? While on paper India needs four wins to guarantee qualification, it is unlikely they will need to win all. This is because the other nations in contention for the WTC final face each other and will hamper each other’s results. Australia will tour Sri Lanka, which will tour South Africa and will also host Pakistan. New Zealand will host England for three Tests as well, leaving plenty of scope for the WTC standings to change dramatically. The story has not been edited by 24x7sportshub and is published from a syndicated feed.

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