Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim announced his retirement from international cricket for the second time on Friday. The 35-year-old has expressed his desire to continue playing domestic and franchise cricket around the world. Imad, earlier had announced his retirement from international cricket in 2023 too but his stellar performance in the Pakistan Super League, where he was named player of the match in all three playoff games for eventual champions Islamabad United, prompted a return to international cricket in the T20 format. He went on to play for Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA. However, Pakistan made an early exit from the tournament after losing to the USA and India in the group stage. His last international match came against Ireland in the T20 World Cup in June this year. He was unable to get his place back in the team. Also Read: Khawaja shows guts as Australia reach 28 for no loss at lunch Imad played 75 T20Is and 55 ODIs for Pakistan and accumulated 1,540 runs and scalped 117 wickets in the white-ball format. He didn't play Test cricket for Pakistan. "To all fans & supporters: After much thought and reflection, I have decided to retire from international cricket. Representing Pakistan on the world stage has been the greatest honor of my life, and every moment wearing the green jersey has been unforgettable," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Your unwavering support, love, and passion have always been my biggest strength. From the highs to the lows, your encouragement has pushed me to give my best for our beloved country. While this chapter comes to an end, I look forward to continuing my journey in cricket through domestic and franchise cricket, and I hope to keep entertaining you all in new ways. Thank you for everything. Pakistan," he added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 09:08 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSStar Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been banned from bowling in all competitions organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after his action was deemed illegal during independent testing, according to a report. The 37-year-old, who has retired from Tests and T20Is, was reported for his bowling action by on-field umpires Steve O'Shaughnessy and David Millns during a one-off appearance for Surrey in the County Championship in September. Following this, an independent test at Loughborough University earlier this month confirmed his action was illegal, and he will need to undergo a reassessment to lift the suspension, the report said. For the reassessment, Shakib's elbow extension must be below the 15-degree threshold set by the regulations. "The suspension is officially dated from December 10, the date when the ECB received the results of the assessment from Loughborough University," according to the ESPNcricinfo report. Shakib had a standout performance in that match against Somerset in September, taking nine wickets for Surrey in Taunton. This was his first County Championship appearance since a brief stint with Worcestershire in 2010-11. Also Read: Shakib Al Hasan says not returning to Bangladesh over 'security issue': Media Shakib has not played any international cricket since deciding not to return to Bangladesh for what would have been his farewell Test against South Africa in Mirpur, following protests in Dhaka. Shakib, who has scored 4609 runs and taken 246 wickets in 71 Tests, 7570 runs and 317 scalps in 247 ODIs, and another 2551 runs and 149 wickets in 129 T20Is for Bangladesh, has not returned to his home country since the ousting of the Awami League government. He is currently based in the USA with his family. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 09:07 AM IST | London | PTIWith his maiden T20I ton, Reeza Hendricks lifted South Africa to its first T20I bilateral series win since August 2022, as the Proteas celebrated a 7-wicket win in the second match against Pakistan at the SuperSport Park. South Africa needed something special from its players after Pakistan hammered 206/5 on the board. With David Miller out of the fray, all eyes were on South Africa's playing XI, contemplating who could rise to fill in his role. The question remained unanswered until Hendricks walked in to decide the fate of the game. His exploits with the bat handed Rob Walter his first T20I series win since taking over the white-ball coaching role in March 2023. After being invited to field first, the inexperienced South African line-up conceded the fifth-highest first-innings total at SuperSport Park, but they chased it down with three balls to spare. Also Read: Khawaja shows guts as Australia reach 28 for no loss at lunch The spine of South Africa's record-breaking chase was forged by the 157-run partnership between Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen. While Hendricks went berserk and fired sixes for fun, Van der Dussen scored his seventh T20I half-century to make Pakistan's star-studded bowling line-up look ordinary. While chasing a testing total of 207, South Africa lost Ryan Rickelton (2) and Matthew Breetzke (12) in the powerplay. With the asking rate starting to mount up, Hendricks upped the ante and went about his business without breaking a sweat. The duo navigated South Africa towards victory as Pakistan's over-reliance on the slower deliveries started to hurt their cause. Hendricks eventually holed it to Irfan Khan towards the end before Dussen settled the series in style, smoking the ball into the stands. Earlier in the match, Pakistan lost its skipper Mohammad Rizwan early forcing Babar Azam and Saim Ayub to go after the South African bowling unit. The duo took Pakistan to 101/1 after 11 overs but South Africa found a way back into the mix, courtesy of debutant Dayyaan Galiem and spinner George Linde. The duo bowled in tandem as Pakistan were reduced to 136/4 in 16 overs. Ayub and Irfan Khan combined to rack up 73 from 32 balls for the fifth wicket, propelling the visitors total to 206/5. With an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, Pakistan and South Africa will face in the final match of the T20I-leg on Saturday. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 09:01 AM IST | Centurion | ANIThe Australian openers, especially local hero Usman Khawaja, displayed a lot of grit as they confidently negotiated Jasprit Bumrah's opening spell to reach 28 without loss against India during the rain-affected first session of the third Test here on Saturday. Only 13.2 overs of play were possible during the first session, as the weather forecast predicts more interruptions throughout the game. Bumrah (0/8 in 6 overs) bowled his least potent opening spell of the series so far. Despite overcast conditions and enough bounce on offer, he didn't bowl too many wicket-taking deliveries in that six-over first spell while Mohammed Siraj (0/13 in 4 overs) was guilty of occasionally pitching it short. In case of Bumrah, he rightly pitched it up but there was very little hint of swing on offer and only on few occasions was he able to square up Khawaja (19 batting, 47 balls) while coming round the wicket. The lines weren't exactly exciting and were drifting towards the leg-side more often. Also Read: Play resumes after rain interruption on opening day of Gabba Test With not many probing questions asked, the first 25 minutes before the steady drizzle stopped proceedings for some time saw Australia reach 19 for no loss. While Nathan McSweeney (4 batting, 33 balls) defended dourly, Khawaja did pull Siraj for a boundary before the break and added one more after play resumed. Siraj was removed after a three-over first spell and it was Akash Deep (0/2 in 3.2 overs), who looked good first up, keeping the ball on the off-stump channel with his stock delivery that would dart in to put batters in uncomfortable positions. But where Australia won the session was how Khawaja dealt with Bumrah. He defended well by dropping his bottom hand and trying to play as late as possible. The balls that went past Khawaja's outside edge weren't about being beaten; rather, he kept the bat close to his body, allowing the ball to deviate past the willow. He only played deliveries that were bowled into his body He knew that if they can manage Bumrah's first spell which is generally between six to eight overs, they can dominate other bowlers. The second rain break came due to a sharper spell of showers, just as Akash and, especially, Siraj in his second spell began pitching the ball further up and started using angles well. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 08:35 AM IST | Brisbane | PTIPlay resumed after a brief rain interruption on the opening day of the third cricket Test between India and Australia here on Saturday. Australia were 19/0 in 5.3 overs when rain stopped play. Invited to bat, Usman Khawaja (13 not out) and Nathan McSweeney (2 not out ) survived the first 25 minutes, during which neither Jasprit Bumrah (0/6 from 3 overs) nor Mohammed Siraj (0/9 from 2.3 overs) managed to bowl consistently good lines, despite hitting the right length. Also Read: Indians must 'run' hard The line was more drifting towards the pads which made it easier to survive the initial spell without fuss. India have made a couple of changes, bringing in Akash Deep and Ravindra Jadeja in place of rookie pacer Harshit Rana and veteran off-spinner R Ashwin. Brief Score: Australia 19 for no loss in 5.3 overs (Usman Khawaja 13 not out; Jasprit Bumrah 0/6). There is forecast of intermittent rain on day one at the Gabba. The five-match series is locked in at 1-1. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 06:54 AM IST | Brisbane | PTIAjinkya Rahane continued his T20 re-invention with a brutal 98 that carried Mumbai to a six-wicket victory over Baroda and into the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Friday. Mumbai bowlers chipped away at regular intervals as Baroda were restricted to 158-7, and Rahane’s blistering knock off 56 balls (11x4, 5x6) took his team to 164-4 in 17.2 overs in the first semi-final. Mumbai will face the winner of the second semi-final between Delhi and Madhya Pradesh in the final on Sunday. It was quite remarkable to see Rahane, a batsman of classic mould, playing like a T20 thoroughbred and the right-hander brought up his fifty in 29 balls with a massive six over mid-wicket off pacer Hardik Pandya. After the early departure of Prithvi Shaw (8), who scooped Hardik to Atit Sheth in the circle, Rahane and skipper Shreyas Iyer (46, 30b, 4x4, 3x6) added 78 runs for the second wicket in just nine overs. Earlier, Mumbai bowlers were on the money right through the innings while exploiting some early movement on a damp day. Later in the day, Skipper Rajat Patidar led from the front with a scintillating unbeaten fifty as Madhya Pradesh trashed former champions Delhi by seven wickets to storm into their first final in 13 years. Opting to field, Madhya Pradesh’s bowlers put up a clinical performance, with all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer (2-12) leading the charge by taking two wickets to restrict Delhi, the 2018 winners, to a modest 146-5. In reply, MP overhauled the target in 15.4 overs with Patidar top-scoring with a 29-ball 66 not out, which included four fours and six sixes. Brief scoresBaroda 158-7 in 20 overs (S Sharma 36*, S Rawat 33, K Pandya 30; S Shedge 2-11) lost to Mumbai 164-4 in 17.2 overs (A Rahane 98, S Iyer 46) by six wickets This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 06:35 AM IST | Bangalore | PTIFive-time champions Mumbai Indians have appointed Carl Hopkinson as their new fielding coach ahead of IPL 2025, said the franchise on Friday. Hopkinson replaces James Pamment, who was MI’s fielding coach for seven years. Pamment, a native of New Zealand, was a part of MI’s back-to-back title wins in 2019 and 2020. “We would like to thank him and wish him all the best for his future endeavours,” the franchise said in a statement. Hopkinson recently finished his stint as England’s long-standing fielding coach, a role which he took up in 2018. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 06:34 AM IST | Mumbai | IANSThe West Indies wrapped up a clean sweep of their one-day international series with Bangladesh on Thursday as Amir Jangoo became just the second West Indian to score a hundred on ODI debut. The hosts slipped to 234-6 chasing 322 to win the third and final match in St Kitts, but Jangoo guided them to a four-wicket victory with a sublime 104 not out off only 83 balls. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 06:33 AM IST | Basseterre (Saint Kitts and Nevis) | AFPRookie cricketers Pratika Rawal and Tanuja Kanwer on Friday received maiden ODI call-ups, while all-rounder Raghvi Bist was also included in the India T20 squad for the six-match women’s white-ball series against West Indies. The series will begin with three T20Is at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on December 15, 17 and 19, and followed by ODIs in Vadodara on December 22, 24 and 27. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 06:32 AM IST | Mumbai | PTIAustralian captain Pat Cummins has promised to inundate Indian batters with bouncers at “some point” of the third Test starting here on Saturday after employing the strategy with telling effect in the second game in Adelaide. The Australian quicks, particularly Cummins, tormented the India batters with grunt balls in both the innings during the pink ball Test that Australia eventually won by 10 wickets to level the five-match series 1-1. Pat Cummins “Yeah, potentially. It worked out in the Adelaide Test. It’s always in the back of your mind as a bit of a Plan B,” Cummins told the media in his pre-match press meet.“If it’s something really uncomfortable, you’re likely to take a look at it and come to a Plan A. It worked in Adelaide, so I’m sure we’ll give it a shot at some point [in the third Test],” he added. Cummins was also chuffed with the way the Australian batters embraced the unique challenge of facing Jasprit Bumrah after succumbing to the talismanic Indian pacer in the first Test at Perth. “Yeah, that’s right. The professional players that we are, obviously, we’ll be ready for it. The guys always relish who they come up against, whatever the conditions are,” he said. “Look, going to India and seeing a spinning wicket... for someone like Smithy [Steve Smith], he loves that challenge where it is really difficult to bat on. Those conversations, they’re always up for it and exciting for the next round,” he noted. Ace batter Smith is yet to fire in the series, but Cummins was confident that the former skipper would return to his run-making ways sooner than later. “He’s looking fantastic in the nets. Just looking really sharp, looking like he’s got plenty of time, doing all the right things like he always does. “So, I am sure he’ll get scores, just around the corner. Obviously, a big leader around the group, and he’s been awesome. So, really hoping he gets a good result,” he said. Also Read: Indians must 'run' hard Hazlewood replaces Boland in Australia XI Australian captain Pat Cummins on Friday announced that pacer Josh Hazlewood will replace Scott Boland in his playing XI for the third Test against India after having recovered from a side strain. The injury had forced Hazlewood to sit out of the pink ball Test in Adelaide last week. Cummins exuded confidence that Hazlewood would pull through the match without any hiccups. “He had a really good bowl yesterday, he had another bowl in Adelaide a couple of days previously. Him and the medical team are really confident,” Cummins said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2024 06:32 AM IST | Brisbane | PTIIndia’s young batting star Shubman Gill won’t forget Friday’s nets session at the Brisbane Cricket Ground in a hurry. His stumps were uprooted twice by a net bowler called Nathan Branwell, who hails from Surrey, England. Also Read: Indians must 'run' hard Branwell earned the appreciation of India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel. “I am currently here to practise with the Queensland team. It’s the off-season in England, so this is a good city for advanced training. We train at the Gabba. Team India needed net bowlers, so Morne Morkel contacted me. He too played for Surrey,” said Branwell, who has played one first-class match and eight List A games for the county. The resident of South London was part of the England U-19 team too. “It was enjoyable bowling to such a big batsman. I am learning many new things and I applied this in the nets against an international player. Shubman is a very smart batsman. He certainly looked a bit wobbly against my deliveries, but his confidence is remarkable. This was an excellent practice session for me, and I hope to play against him someday,” remarked Branwell.
14 December,2024 06:31 AM IST | Brisbane | Amit ShahADVERTISEMENT
