South Africa pacer Dale Steyn has revealed his favourite bowling spells. Steyn was doing an #AskDale session on Twitter and a fan asked him about his best spells in international cricket. The Proteas pacer replied: Nagpur (7 against India) and Wanderers (6 against Pakistan). Steyn picked up a seven-wicket haul against India at Nagpur in 2010 in the first Test of the two-match series.

His exploits helped South Africa defeat India by an innings and 6 runs. Steyn achieved the feat in the first innings after Proteas put up a mammoth score of 558/6. Steyn picked up the wickets of Murali Vijay, Sachin Tendulkar, S Badrinath, Wriddhiman Saha, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Amit Mishra to finish with figures of 7-51. In the Test match against Pakistan at Johannesburg, Steyn finished with figures of 6-8 in the first innings to bundle out the opponents for just 49. Steyn picked up the wickets of Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saeed Ajmal, and Rahat Ali.

In the second innings against Pakistan, Steyn took five wickets and South Africa won by 211 runs. Steyn announced his retirement last year from red-ball cricket, which he termed as the ultimate form of the game. Explaining his decision, Steyn said that it was in the best interest of prolonging his career. He continues to remain available for South Africa in both One-Day International and T20 cricket. The fast bowler represented South Africa in 93 Tests and took 439 wickets at an average of 22.95. Steyn became the leading wicket-taker for his nation in the longest format after he went past Shaun Pollock in 2019.

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Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has stated the real inspiration behind his swashbuckling batting technique was 'Angad' -- a character in mythological epic 'Ramayan'.

Sehwag, who was known for his great hand-eye coordination with minimal footwork, on Sunday shared a picture of 'Angad' on Twitter and said: "So here is where I took my batting inspiration from. Pair hilana mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai. #Angad Ji Rocks."

So here is where i took my batting inspiration from :)

Pair hilana mushkil hi nahi , namumkin hai . #Angad ji Rocks pic.twitter.com/iUBrDyRQUF

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) April 12, 2020

According to mythology, it is believed that Angad -- who was part of vanar sena which helped Lord Ram in rescuing his wife Sita from Lanka -- was sent as an emissary to the court of Ravan in order to avoid war.

However, Ravan declined the offer and then to break his ego, Angad challenged that if anyone present in the court would be able to lift his feet from the ground then Lord Ram would accept defeat and leave Lanka.

But it is believed that none of the warriors present in Ravan's court was able to lift Angad's feet.

Sehwag, who played 251 ODIs and 104 Tests for India, scored 8,273 and 8,586 runs respectively. In fact, he is the only Indian cricketer to hit two triple centuries in Test cricket.

The swashbuckling opener also played 19 T20Is for India in which he amassed a total of 394 runs.

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Working out, washing utensils, watching movies and playing Ludo online -� these are some of the few activities which ace Indian batter Smriti Mandhana is indulging during the lockdown period in place as the country battles the coronavirus outbreak.

In a one-minute 38 second video shared by the BCCI, Mandhana has revealed her day to day activities in order to make sure how she makes the most of the lockdown period currently in place in the entire country.

WATCH📽ï¸Â: Lockdown Diaries with Smriti Mandhana 👊

Workouts, troubling her brother, Ludo & a lot more. @mandhana_smriti reveals how she is keeping herself engaged indoors🏠🏋ï¸Â‍♀ï¸ÂðŸ‘Œ

Full Video 👉 https://t.co/e7EyhdNh3h

— BCCI (@BCCI) April 13, 2020

She is working out as per the training schedule given by Team India trainer. "Staying fit is very important, so I am working out. I keep in touch with the trainer and receive the feedback. He keeps sending us (all Indian players) all the workouts that we need to follow."

"The other thing I like is spending time with my family. We love playing cards. I help my mother with cooking. I guess washing utensils has become a part of my daily routine. However, my favourite pass time is to trouble my brother," said the left-handed Indian batswoman.

"The third thing which is love is watching movies. I am a big movie buff. So, I make sure I watch two-three movies a week, not many because I don't want to get addicted. I want to spend time with my family.

"The best thing which I love doing the most at home is sleeping. I make sure I sleep for at least 10 hours to keep myself happy the entire day," she added.

The star Indian batswoman also urged people to stay indoors during the lockdown. "Stay home, stay safe and keep yourself physically and mentally fit."

India has been in lockdown since March 25, a step taken in order to stop the spread of coronavirus which has so far claimed more than 300 lives in the country. However, with an upstage in number of infected people, the lockdown is likely to be extended further after Tuesday.

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As all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja shared a video to show-off his swashbuckling swordsmanship, former England skipper Michael Vaughan left a cheeky comment on the Instagram post.

Jadeja had shared a video on Instagram on Sunday to show off his trademark swordsmanship. However, taking the note of the grass in Jadeja's lawn, Vaughan replied: "Your grass needs a mow rockstar".

On Sunday, the left-handed Jadeja was displaying various moves with the sword in the video posted on Instagram.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A “SWORD” MAY LOOSE IT’S SHINE,BUT WOULD NEVER DISOBEY IT’S MASTER. #rajputboy

A post shared by Ravindra Jadeja (@royalnavghan) onApr 12, 2020 at 6:45am PDT

The cricketer is very-well trained in swordsmanship and he has also made it popular by swinging his bat like a sword in cricket matches whenever he crosses the mark of 50 or 100.

Last week, Australian batsman David Warner had also shared a throwback video from the last year's Indian Premier League (IPL) in which he was swinging his bat like a sword.

The SunRisers Hyderabad skipper was swinging the bat like a sword for a commercial and he immediately broke into laughter once the director said cut.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Throwback to this time last year to a commercial we were doing for @sunrisershyd Do you think I’ve got @royalnavghan covered for the sword?? 😂😂

A post shared by David Warner (@davidwarner31) onApr 7, 2020 at 11:21pm PDT

Warner had also asked the fans to give their opinion on as to how he did as compared to Jadeja.

With the country battling COVID-19, all sporting activities have been either postponed or stand cancelled. The upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) has also been suspended till April 15.

Jadeja is part of the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings and he would have been in action if the tournament had started as planned on March 29.

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Former Australia batsman and Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup-winning coach, Dav Whatmore is set to become the Baroda Ranji Trophy team's first overseas coach.

Whatmore, 66, who coached Kerala for the last three seasons, will replace Sanath Kumar as head coach of the team. He will also be the Baroda Cricket Association's cricket director for next two seasons.

"We have almost finalised Whatmore and will give him a letter of intent in a couple of days. Chandrakant Pandit and Sulakshan Kulkarni were also in the fray, but Pandit became coach of Madhya Pradesh, so we decided to go with Whatmore," BCA secretary Ajit Lele told mid-day on Monday.

Ajit, the son of former BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele, also revealed that Whatmore will be the most expensive first-class coach in India. "He will become the most expensive coach of a first-class team in our country and also the first foreign coach of a Baroda Ranji Trophy team. He has huge experience of handling national teams like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh so we gave him priority," Lele remarked.

Whatmore's manager Kaustuv Lahiri, who also manages South Africans Lance Klusener (head coach of Afghanistan) and Russell Domingo (Bangladesh's head coach) confirmed the development. Baroda, who were Ranji Trophy champions in the 2000-01 season, managed to win just two games for 14 points in eight matches last season.

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With people finding various ways to spend time during quarantine amid the Coronavirus pandemic, a Brazilian model challenged her cricket coach boyfriend to teach her how to bat during the 21-day isolation period.

And they are doing it. According to a report in dailymail.co.uk, Coco Cuhna suggested her boyfriend Gio Colucci that it might be fun to see if he could show her how to bat. "I was joking...he took it very seriously," Coco said.

"I thought Oh my gosh, what have I got myself in for!" Coco revealed she is spending 25 minutes a day learning how to pull, cut and drive from Gio, who is a director at The Cricket Academy in Cape Town, South Africa and has coached the likes of England batsman Tom Wesley, Derbyshire captain Billy Godleman and Ben Curran, brother of England duo Tom and Sam.

"I had never had any contact with cricket before, I never even knew about it before I moved to South Africa," said the Brazilian model. However, after a fortnight, Coco is now enjoying the drill.

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Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria might be currently serving a life ban for his involvement in fixing, but he has once again taken the attack to the Pakistan Cricket Board saying that he wasnt supported enough by the PCB.

In a YouTube video, former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq had spoken about how Brian Lara had taken Kaneria to the cleaners even though the Pakistan captain had placed fielders on the boundary and thereby shown his true class.

But taking to Twitter, Kaneria wrote: "I have taken @BrianLara's wicket 5 times in my career. He was a good cricketer. If PCB had supported me, I would have broken many big records."

Describing the episode, Inzamam had said: "Kaneria bowled a googly and Lara hit the ball back towards the bowler, coming out of his crease. Danish said ‘well played Brian', which prompted Lara to say ‘okay sir'. The next three balls were all dispatched over the boundary.

"I was the captain of the side so I went over to Danish and told him to tease Lara a bit more. I felt he was angry so we might make him throw away his wicket. I placed the fielders on the boundary in anticipation of big shots but he still managed to outfox us by hitting Danish to all parts of the ground."

Kaneria had earlier asked Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh to help the hindus in Pakistan as they fight the coronavirus outbreak.

"I request @YUVSTRONG12 and @harbhajan_singh to make a video for the minorities living in Pakistan as well. They need your help in this moment of #coronacrisis," Kaneria had said in a tweet.

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Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Tuesday revealed the misconception he had about cricket while growing up.

The International Cricket Council had posted a tweet, asking everyone to reveal the misconception they had about cricket growing up.

To this Ashwin replied: "That all cricketers had aerated drinks to regain lost energy and keep good health".

Ashwin was last seen in action during India's two-match Test series against New Zealand in February this year.

The off-spinner played just one match in the series and went on to take three wickets in it.

India ended up losing the series 0-2, but the side is still at the top of the World Test Championship standings.

All sporting action across the world has come to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ashwin would have been in action for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) if the tournament had started on March 29.

However, the tournament was postponed until April 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Former Australia captain Allan Border has given a thumbs down to the concept of Australia hosting the ICC WorldT20 in empty stadiums in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, the Australian government has sealed its border for six months till September 30 to deal with the global health crisis which has claimed 61 lives and infected 6400 in the country. With the flagship event starting October 18, there are speculations that Cricket Australia might be forced to conduct matches in empty stadiums, something that is not acceptable to the World Cup winning former skipper.

"I just can't imagine playing at empty stadiums ... it defies belief," he told Fox Sports News. In fact, Border said that he doesn't see the World T20 happening if spectators are not allowed inside the stadiums as the purpose of the sport is lost. "Having teams, support staff and everyone else associated with the game wandering around the country, playing games of cricket, but you can't let people into the grounds. I just can't see it happening," Border said.

For him, it's an either-or situation for Cricket Australia. "It's either you play it and everyone just gets on with the job and we're past this pandemic or it just has to be cancelled and you try to fit it in somewhere else," said the 64-year-old Border.

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The current lockdown has seen people restricted indoors and many are picking up new hobbies. Energetic India opener Shikhar Dhawan on Tuesday revealed he is trying his hand at playing a flute and honing his overall musical skills.

"Playing a musical instrument, the vibrations you can feel inside your body. Music gives you peace and everybody should try to learn how to play a musical instrument now especially because we have so much time to spend at home due to the lockdown," Dhawan said while chatting with India middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer on Instagram Live.

The dashing southpaw also played the flute on Iyer's request.

Dhawan picked Dale Steyn as the most difficult bowler he has faced along with off-spinners on turning wickets.

Asked to pick his most special knock, Dhawan chose the match-winning hundred against Australia in the 2019 World Cup.

"Mardo walli feeling aayi (it was a big daddy innings)," Dhawan said.

Dhawan had slammed 117 off 109 balls against the defending champions at The Oval on June 10 as India won by 36 runs. That turned out to be the final tie he played as he was ruled out with a thumb fracture for the remainder of he competition.

India crashed out in the semi-finals, losing to New Zealand.

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Former Indian captain and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday recalled the historic Test victory against Australia at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 2001.

A user had shared the celebratory moments from the 2001 Test. On that post, Ganguly commented, "What a win." In that Test, India clinched a 171-run win over Australia and became the third team in the history of Test cricket to win a match after being forced to follow-on.

Australia had made 445 in their first innings, courtesy Steve Waugh's brilliant hundred. However, it was Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh who stole the show at Kolkata with his spectacular seven wickets, including the first hat-trick in India's Test history.

In its first innings, India folded for 171 runs and were asked to follow-on by Australia. The Sourav Ganguly-led side played cautiously in the second innings and lost three wickets for 115 runs. India lost Ganguly in the 67th over of the innings, with the side getting reduced to 232/4.

Rahul Dravid joined VVS Laxman in the middle. The next 104 overs were a nightmare for the Aussies as the Indian duo stitched a 376-run stand to revive the innings and helped the team stage a dramatic comeback in the match.

Dravid scored 180 runs, while Laxman slammed 281, his highest score in Test cricket. India gave a target of 384 runs to Australia. However, the Waugh-led side were not able to achieve the target and bowled out for 212, handing India a massive win.

Harbhajan was again the pick of the Indian bowlers as he scalped six wickets. The Eden Gardens Test is best remembered for India's miraculous revival in the second innings and Laxman's knock of 281 runs, which was one of the most marvellous innings played in the modern era. Laxman's stunning innings also halted Australia's record of 16 successive Test wins.

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New Zealand pacer Matt Henry will not be playing for England's county Kent Cricket due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and disruption to the 2020 county cricket season.

"Kent Cricket can confirm that New Zealand International Matt Henry will no longer be joining the Club for the first seven County Championship matches of 2020," the club said in a statement.

Henry was due to join Kent - for whom he starred in 2018 - for seven County Championship games at the start of the season, but with all professional cricket cancelled in the UK until May 28 at the earliest, it became clear that he would be unable to play for the club.

The Kiwi player becomes the fourth player - after Nathan Lyon, Cheteshwar Pujara and Michael Neser - to miss out on a stint in county cricket due to the virus.

Paul Downton, Kent's director of cricket, said: "Once the decision was announced by the ECB that there would be no cricket until at least the end of May it became inevitable the Matt would not be returning to Kent this season."

"The club continues to enjoy a good relationship with Matt. He has many friends here and the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received when we announced that he would return in 2020 is a measure of Matt himself: he's a fantastic person on and off the cricket field," he added.

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With the coronavirus outbreak bringing the world to a standstill, sporting events across the globe have either been cancelled or suspended and that has seen sporting heroes spending time with fans on social media. And Australia opener David Warner has now opened a TikTok account and has asked fans to help him.

Taking to Instagram, Warner wrote: "Ok, I have zero idea what's going on but have been told to do tik tok by my 5 year old @davidbullwarner31 and I have zero followers I need some help please and they love @tonesandi."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Ok I have zero idea what’s going on but have been told to do tik tok by my 5yr old 🤷🏼‍♂ï¸ÂðŸ¤·ðŸ¼‍♂ï¸Â @davidbullwarner31 and I have zero followers 😂😂 I need some help please and they love @tonesandi

A post shared by David Warner (@davidwarner31) onApr 14, 2020 at 2:51am PDT

Warner had earlier shaved his head in support of those working on the frontline for COVID-19. "Been nominated to shave my head in support of those working on the frontline #Covid-19 here is a time lapse. I think my debut was the last time I recall I've done this. Like it or not??" Warner said in an Instagram post with a video of the dashing left-hander trimming his hair in time-lapse mode.

The Australia opener has been constantly interacting with fans on social media and he took to Instagram to show fans a shoot from last year during the IPL where he is wielding the bat like a sword just as Ravindra Jadeja does after scoring a fifty.

Taking to Instagram, he posted the video and wrote: "Throwback to this time last year to a commercial we were doing for @sunrisershyd Do you think I've got @royalnavghan covered for the sword?"

Warner's teammate and former Australia skipper Steve Smith had said that he was hoping that the IPL is played out at some stage this year rather than getting cancelled due to the pandemic.

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Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday urged people to beat coronavirus by staying at home and by maintaining social distancing. He termed the virus 'mother of all World Cups' and asked people to combat this disease together and win the World Cup of humanity.

Taking to Twitter, Shastri shared a video post where he cited cricket examples to aware people about the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic. "As I would know, sports teaches you life lessons that can be applied to just about anything you want to pursue in rest of your life. Today the COVID-19 has put us in a situation where we got our backs to the wall. To combat this coronavirus is like chasing a World Cup where you give your everything in trying to win it. What's staring you at the face is no ordinary World Cup. This is the mother of all World Cups where not just eleven are playing but 1.4 billion are in the playing arena and competing. Guys we can win this. For that, we have to observe the basics. You have got your Prime Minister leading from the front ahead of the curve like other countries have farmed out," Shastri said.

Stay Home, Stay Safe! 🙏#Lockdown2 #COVID19 #StayHome #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/JQTZVib2in

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) April 15, 2020

"You have to obey the orders that come from the top: be it centre, state or the frontline workers who are risking their lives. Two orders that stand out: staying home and maintaining social distancing. It is not easy but to win the game you got to go through the pain to break the chain and see the gain. Come on, guys! let's do it together. Let us get out there in a bruit force of 1.4 billion and beat this corona and get your hands on the World Cup of humanity. Let's do it," he added.

With 1,076 new COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 11,439, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

Out of the total tally, 9,756 cases are active while 1,306 patients have been cured/discharged and migrated. With 38 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll rises to 377.

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England batsman Jos Buttler was effusive in his praise for Rohit Sharma, describing the India opener as an awesome player, who can "effortlessly" take down any opposition by scoring big hundreds. "Rohit Sharma I think is an awesome player," Buttler said during an Instagram live session on Rajasthan Royals page.

"Effortless. Quite a lot of Indian players have that awesome style. "He has been fantastic for a long time and I just like the way he bats and the effortless nature in which he takes people down." Rohit is currently regarded as one of the greatest ODI players, ranked only behind India skipper Virat Kohli at the top of the ICC rankings. The Mumbaikar is the only batsman to have scored three double hundreds in the format. The 32-year-old had equalled Sachin Tendulkar's record for most centuries in World Cup matches when he scored five hundreds at the 2019 World Cup to end up as the highest-scorer with 648 runs.

"One of the things I have seen with Rohit is that if he gets in, he scores big runs and really affects the game. He must have scored 4-5 hundreds in the World Cup last year," said Buttler, who had shared the dressing room with Rohit at Mumbai Indians in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Buttler feels the Indian players now have become better in negotiating short balls. "I think a few years ago people used to attack Indian players with the short ball but Rohit smashes them. Then you go fuller and he smashes them right down the ground."

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Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar responded to Sunil Gavaskar after the former India skipper said that it was more likely to snow in Lahore than a bilateral series to take place between India and Pakistan any time soon. Akhtar pointed out in a tweet that there was indeed snowfall in Lahore last year. "Well Sunny bhai, we did have a snowfall in Lahore last year.. So nothing is impossible," said Shoaib in his tweet which included an image of Gavaskar with his quote and an image of snow in Lahore.

Akhtar was the first to suggest that India and Pakistan should play a bilateral series to raise funds in the fight against coronavirus for both countries. Gavaskar however said in a Youtube chat with former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja that any possibility of such a series happening is next to nothing. "There are more chances of snowfall in Lahore than bilateral series between India and Pakistan," said Gavaskar in a Youtube chat with former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja.

"Both teams will keep on meeting in World Cups and ICC tournaments, but a series between them seems unlikely right now." Earlier, Akhtar's suggestion got backing from his former teammate Shahid Afridi. But India's 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev said that the match wasn't needed because India doesn't need funds.

"The entire world is fighting against coronavirus and we need unity in our region to defeat this common enemy. Such negative comments don't help at all. I don't see anything wrong with Shoaib Akhtar's suggestion for Pakistan and India to play cricket. "Kapil's reaction has surprised me. I expected better from him and feel one should not talk like this in these crisis times. Sport is supposed to bring people together and build bridges. It is pretty disappointing," Afridi had said.

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Indian women's cricket team has qualified for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women's ODI World Cup 2021, the cricket governing body announced on Wednesday. "The ICC Women's Championship Technical Committee (TC) has decided that teams will share points in all three series in the ICC Women's Championship that did not take place during the competition window," the ICC said in a statement.

The series between India and Pakistan could not be played because of a 'Force Majeure' event after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) demonstrated that it was unable to obtain the necessary government clearances to allow India to participate in the bilateral series against Pakistan that forms part of the ICC Women's Championship.

Also, the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of two series. South Africa was to host Australia and Sri Lanka was to host New Zealand in the last round of matches. New Zealand, the hosts of the World Cup 2021, and four highest-placed team on the ICC Women's Championship points table, has qualified for the premier tournament.

Australia topped the table with 37 points followed by England (29), South Africa (25) and India (23). Pakistan (19), New Zealand (17), West Indies (13) and Sri Lanka (5) completed the table. The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier is scheduled to be played from 3-19 July in Sri Lanka, this is subject to review due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ehsan Mani has asserted that the PCB will not agree to cancelling the Asia Cup, scheduled in the UAE in September, to make room for the Indian Premier League, which has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The IPL was to be held from March 29 to May 24 but has been postponed indefinitely because of a extended lockdown to combat the deadly virus in India. "I have read and heard about these speculations but right now just remember that having or not having the Asia Cup is not a decision between Pakistan and India it involves other countries as well," asserted Mani here on Tuesday.

Pakistan were to host the event but it was shifted to Dubai and Abu Dhabi after India expressed reluctance to come here owing to security concerns and the strained diplomatic ties between the two countries. "...it is important to have the Asia Cup if cricket activities resume by then because development of Asian cricket depends on funding from the tournament. It is important for many countries who are members of the Asian Cricket Council," he added in a podcast released by the PCB.

However, he also conceded that holding the Asia Cup this year is a big challenge because right now "we don't know if it can be held or not." "But if the conditions change and we can have the Asia Cup, it must be held as earnings from it are distributed as development funds to member countries for next two years," he said.
He said reports about the Asia Cup being hosted by Bangladesh or UAE were mere speculation at this stage.

Speaking about another big event, Mani warned that if the T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia in October-November, is postponed, the financial fallout will be big for many countries. "The financial impact will be felt by many countries if the ICC can't distribute their shares from the tournament. Many countries including Pakistan will feel the pinch," he admitted.

Mani confirmed that Pakistan was to receive around USD 7 to 8 million in June and January. "Pakistan is fortunate it has good financial controls in place and in short term, it will be better off than most countries if the lockdowns continue because of the coronavirus pandemic," he claimed. "We are to get 7 to 8 Million dollars from the ICC in June but we know they might not come so we have planned accordingly," he added.

On whether Pakistan's forthcoming tours to Holland, Ireland and England between late June and August will gohead, Mani said the PCB was prepared for disruptions.
But he ruled out resumption of international cricket in empty stadiums. "Empty stadiums also offer their big challenges as teams have to travel by air and stay in hotels so the risks start there. The logistical arrangements have to be manageable," he explained. Mani said Pakistan was prepared to show goodwill and flexibility and support the hosts of these tours.

"We wouldn't mind if two series are held at the same time like one team playing Tests and another white-ball cricket. In these difficult times we need to support each other," he said. Mani also revealed that Pakistan had shown interest in hosting several ICC tournaments to be held between 2023 and 2031, including the ICC Youth Cup and World Cups.

"Unfortunately the last time the cycle of ICC events were bid for the big three, India, Australia and England distributed all the main events among themselves. This time I can say there are more countries interested in hosting the events," he said.

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Fast bowler Ishant Sharma said that he can't pick between his seven-wicket haul at Lord's in 2014 and the fifer he took in India's maiden pink ball Test against Bangladesh in November 2019.

"Both of them are equally memorable," Ishant said in a video tweeted by his Indian Premier League side Delhi Capitals. "Taking seven wickets at Lord's is obviously something I can't forget. And taking those five wickets with the pink ball also I can't forget because after 12 years I had taken a five-wicket haul."

Ishant's 7/74 was crucial in India recording a historic win at Lord's over England in 2014. It was the first time in 28 years that India had won a Test at the famous stadium.

Ishant's career went through many troughs after that before he resurfaced and became an integral part of the fierce pace battery that Virat Kohli's team now possesses alongwith Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

In the pink ball Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens, Ishant blew the opposition away in the first innings and ended up with figures of 5/22. It was his first fifer at home since 2007.

Ishant last played for India at Wellington in their first Test against New Zealand before his ankle injury resurfaced. He was expected to play for Delhi Capitals in the 2020 edition of the IPL but it has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif on Wednesday said KL Rahul should only be used as a backup wicket-keeper so that workload on the player can be managed.

"People think that Rahul may become our main keeper in the future. But I feel that Rahul should be used as a backup wicketkeeper, if the main keeper is injured or he is not with the team then Rahul should be there because if you rely on him as the main keeper then chances of injuries will grow as the workload will increase on him," Kaif told ANI.

Kaif also feels that MS Dhoni should feature in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup and ruling the former captain out from the tournament will be 'unfair'.

"See people may have eyes on Dhoni that how he is going to play in the IPL (Indian Premier League) and then there will be talks of the T20 World Cup but my view is different from others. I do not judge Dhoni based on his IPL form. He is a great batsman and he is fit now, he wants to play IPL, do captaincy and is showing his availability. He has a winning mentality and knows how to win games under pressure," Kaif said.

"So, I think ruling him out will be unfair. See a lot of cricket is still left in Dhoni and when a player plays for this long, there are ups and downs in his career. It happens with every cricketer not just Dhoni," he added.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2020 is scheduled to be played between October 18 and November 15 at seven venues across Australia.

As the country continues to fight against the coronavirus crisis, Kaif urged people to adhere to the guidelines laid by the government and stay home.

"My message for the society is to be at home and follow what the government is saying then only we can beat this virus. At this stage, this is something very important for one and all to be at home," he said.

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The great Michael Holding has picked South African Dale Steyn among his top-four fast bowlers across generations and his list includes fellow West Indians Malcolm Marshall and Andy Roberts besides Australian Denis Lillee. In a Sky Sports podcast, the 66-year-old said he would pay to watch Steyn, who retired from Tests last year.

"I have experience with those three guys (Marshall, Roberts and Lillee, but just watching, you can't go Dale Steyn outside of photography. He has been one of the great fast bowlers in an era. You'd pay to see it," said Holding, who picked 249 wickets in 60 Tests at 23.68. Steyn picked 439 Test wickets at a stellar average of 22.95 and has one of the smoothest actions in the game. Talking about Lillee, Holding said he was a complete package. "Lillee had it all: rhythm, aggression control. He was extremely fast when he started, but he had to completely reshape his action after a back injury and find different ways to get hitters out after losing a lot of rhythm.

"When you see that someone can adapt in that way, you have to rate him highly, as many players are not as effective when they miss a beat," said Holding, who was nicknamed 'Whispering Death' for his smooth and silent run-up. On fellow West Indians Marshall and Roberts, Holding said: "Malcolm started with a good rhythm, but as time went on he learned a lot about fast bowling. He could evaluate opposition hitters so quickly and so easily.

"In those days you didn't have many tapes or computers, it was all in his head. He understood how to deal with hitters." On Roberts, he added: "Andy was someone I learned a lot from. He hardly ever spoke, he used to walk around the field with a sullen face and people thought he looked aggressive and must be a miserable guy. But that wasn't Andy. "He was my roommate for most of my career and we used to talk about cricket almost every night. A lot of times, we would order food, we would stay in our room and talk about cricket. You would never believe how much this guy knows."

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Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif on Wednesday backed MS Dhoni to play in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, saying that the wicket-keeper batsman has 'a lot of cricket' left in him and ruling him out will be 'unfair'.

"See, people may have eyes on Dhoni that how he is going to play in the IPL (Indian Premier League) and then there will be talks of the T20 World Cup but my view is different from others. I do not judge Dhoni based on his IPL form. He is a great batsman and he is fit now. He wants to play IPL, do captaincy and is showing his availability. He has a winning mentality and knows how to win games under pressure," Kaif told ANI.

"So, I think ruling him out will be unfair. See a lot of cricket is still left in Dhoni and when a player plays for this long, there are ups and downs in his career. It happens with every cricketer, not just Dhoni," he added.

Dhoni last played competitive cricket during the 2019 World Cup. India was knocked out of the tournament after suffering a semi-final defeat at the hands of New Zealand. Dhoni was run out in the 49th over after scoring 50 runs. After his dismissal, India failed to chase the 240-run target.

Despite Dhoni failing to take India over the line, Kaif termed him a 'champion player'.

"The semifinal of World Cup which we lost, everyone was expecting Dhoni to win it but it did not happen. So, from there on, people thought that Dhoni should not be there. But for me, Dhoni is a champion player. People should look at Dhoni's record in the last 10 to 15 years. See, the current form is important but at the same time his form was not that bad that you rule him out," Kaif said.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2020 is scheduled to be played between October 18 and November 15 at seven venues across Australia.

As the nationwide lockdown as been extended to May 3 due to the coronavirus, the IPL has been postponed indefinitely. "IPL 2020 season has been postponed indefinitely," sources within BCCI told ANI on Wednesday.

Kaif feels that postponing the league is the right decision as life is more important than sports at the moment.

"In the present scenario, life is more important than sports. I think the decision of BCCI is right. When the situation improves, we will think of sports. Sporting events all over the world have either been postponed or cancelled. In our country, cases are rising. So, as of now, the situation is not under control. So I think it's the right decision because at this stage first priority is to beat coronavirus and save the people," he said.

When asked about his views on the window for IPL, Kaif said: "I feel when things are sorted out and there is the possibility of games to be played, then they (BCCI) will look for options."

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) is 'exploring all options available' to them to complete the World Test Championship amid the coronavirus pandemic. "We are continuing planning for ICC events as they are but given the rapidly evolving situation as a prudent and responsible measure we are also undertaking a comprehensive business contingency planning exercise," a source within ICC told ANI. "This includes exploring all options available to us based on a range of scenarios connected to the pandemic," the source added.

The source further added that as of now, no decision has been taken. The coronavirus pandemic has taken a huge toll on sports all across the globe and cricket also had to bear the brunt of the deadly virus as several series have been postponed owing to COVID-19. In the ongoing World Test Championship, a total of 71 Test matches will be played across 27 series over two years. The championship began on August 1 last year when Australia faced England in Ashes.

The top two teams will then contest in the ICC World Test Championship final in June 2021 in the UK. Currently, India hold the top spot on the World Test Championship table with 360 points followed by Australia and New Zealand with 296 and 180 points respectively.

The second ICC World Test Championship will run from July 2021 to June 2023.

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Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir has called upon all countrymen to stand united and adhere to the guidelines of the government amid the ongoing lockdown in place in order to win the battle against coronavirus pandemic. "We can only win this war if we stand together and the most important thing is to follow the guidelines," Gambhir said while speaking on Star Sports 'Cricket Connected' show. "If we have been asked to stay at home and not leave our house at any circumstance then it's really important for us to follow this, as it is for the betterment of our nation," he added while requesting people to stay indoors and maintain social distancing.

"Since we were talking about donations, according to me there's no limit, if a person gives one rupee with the right emotion, it's a very big contribution," the former Indian opener further said while calling on people to make a contribution in fight towards COVID-19 which has so far claimed more than 400 lives in the country. Gambhir, who is also a BJP MP from East Delhi, has donated Rs one crore to the Delhi Government for procurement of medical equipment and treatment of COVID-19 patients in the national capital.

Besides that, he has pledged to donate his two years' salary towards Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) and has already released Rs one crore out of his MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) Fund towards the relief efforts amid the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking about how he spends time at home during the lockdown, the 38-year-old said: "I have been given a responsibility during this lockdown to maintain the plants and the lawn in our garden."

"But the interesting part is that I've been watering the lawn for three days, but there's still no grass growing. Just as (VVS) Laxman does not listen to me, so also does this grass not listen to me," he added.

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Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan is making most of the forced break by spending quality time with his family at home with the ongoing lockdown in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

From washing clothes to playing and training with his kids at home, Dhawan has been keeping himself busy with all kinds of different activities.

On Thursday, he posted another video of him dancing with his son Zoravar on a popular Bollywood song "Daddy Cool".

"Life is so much fun with this mastikhor insaan! Sachi bolu toh daddy aur beta dono hi cool! Love this little one," the left-handed opener captioned the video on Instagram.

Recently, he had revealed he is trying his hand at playing a flute and honing his overall musical skills.

"Playing a musical instrument, the vibrations you can feel inside your body. Music gives you peace and everybody should try to learn how to play a musical instrument now especially because we have so much time to spend at home due to the lockdown," Dhawan had said while chatting with India middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer on Instagram Live.

Before that, the southpaw alongwith his wife Ayesha, had recreated popular Bollywood number "Dhal gaya din, ho gayi sham" from the movie �Hamjoli'.

The 34-year-old had earlier posted a hilarious video in which he was seen washing the clothes of the house and in the background the Bollywood film song- 'Jab se hui hai shaadi, aansu baha hoon ...' was playing.

In normal circumstances, Dhawan would have been currently involved in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which now stands "indefinitely suspended" due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The entire sporting calendar has come to a grinding halt with the coronavirus outbreak which has claimed more than 1.4 lakhs lives across the world thus far.

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YouTube is becoming more than just a great ally during the Coronavirus-caused lockdown. On Friday, ace cricket statistician Mohandas Menon stumbled upon something that could force a change in the record books if dug deeper.

Menon happened to watch a Pathe Films news clip of the 1936-37 Ashes Test in Brisbane, where Gubby Allen’s Englishmen were in early trouble against Don Bradman’s Australia on a sticky wicket.

Arthur Fagg, who came in at the fall of TS Worthington’s wicket, is seen being caught by a short midwicket fielder. However, in the scorecard of that Test, Fagg is mentioned as caught behind by Bert Oldfield off Ernest McCormick for four.

Worthington departed, caught by Oldfield off the first ball in the Test.

Arthur Fagg

“While watching the 1936/37 #Ashes series - the 1st Test at Brisbane (4 Dec 1936), I find that England’s Arthur Fagg in the first innings was caught by a fielder at short mid-wicket and not by wicketkeeper Bert Oldfield. But all sources since then, ie in the last 83-and-a-half years have recorded it in the scorebooks as ‘caught Oldfield’. Time to change this error,” wrote Menon on his Facebook page. When this writer asked Menon what made him compare the footage to the scorecard, he replied: “Usually, when I watch old film clippings, I keep the scorecard ready so I can match the unknown players who are batting, bowling or fielding.”

There is a small possibility that the producers of the newsreel may have got the batsman wrong and the scorecard is right, but with Australians being no slouches when it comes to digging up archives (one Aussie recently found coloured footage of Bradman’s last competitive game at the Sydney Cricket Ground in February 1949 in his garage), this case is worth digging up. If the footage is right, will there be a change in Oldfield’s 130 Test dismissals?

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Team India boasts of a fast-bowling attack that skipper Virat Kohli says he is proud to lead. And the man who has been an integral part of the transformation of a young attack into world beaters is Mohammed Shami. Having started off under former skipper MS Dhoni, Shami is now the leader of the pack under Kohli. While bowlers tend to get slower as a Test match progresses, Shami is someone who gets better with each passing session and has time and again shown that he can be a match-winner in the second innings for Team India. So what is his area of focus when he has that ball in hand?

"I try to ensure that my pace doesn't fall below the 140kmph mark, but my focus is on the seam and swing. I have always tried to make sure that these two things remain perfect. I can bring pace with my physical strength and you can always work on it by doing strength training. But I have always given priority to swing and seam and never for a minute let them take a backseat," he smiles.

"As you keep playing, you learn a lot of things. It is all about following one process after the other. So, when you have learnt one trick and mastered it, you then move to the next one and work on that. In the beginning, I didn't have much idea about reverse swing. But slowly I came to understand what the process of reverse swing is all about and how it can be an integral part of a pace bowler's armoury," he explained.

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) is not in a hurry to take a decision whether the T20 World Cup should be postponed in the wake of COVID-19 or staged as scheduled, saying it is "exploring all options" as part of its comprehensive contingency planning for all its events. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15 but with all sporting events either postponed or cancelled due to the global health crisis, the fate of the tournament remains uncertain.

With Australia sealing its borders and putting restrictions on travel to contain the dreaded disease, there have been speculations that the T20 World Cup could be postponed to next year or held inside closed doors. "We are continuing with our planning for ICC events as they are, but given the rapidly evolving situation as a prudent and responsible measure we are also undertaking a comprehensive contingency planning exercise," an ICC spokesperson was quoted as saying by SkySport. "This includes exploring all options available to us based on a range of scenarios connected to the pandemic."

The T20 World Cup is still six months away and ICC said it will take a decision after consulting all stakeholders, including the Australian government. "We will continue to take advice from experts and authorities, including the Australian government and will take decisions at the appropriate time," the spokesperson said. "We will utilise all the data available to us to ensure we can take well-informed, responsible decisions that are in the best interests of our sport."

Former captain Allan Border and star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell have already given a thumbs down to the prospect of the tournament happening without spectators, while former batsman Simon Katich and wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey feel delaying the event remains an option.

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Binge watching has become the most common activity in the Coronavirus-forced lockdown. Mumbai's India all-rounder Shivam Dube is no different than the rest but his choice is rather unusual.

Dube, 26, who was drafted in the Indian team in place of injured Hardik Pandya (India v Bangladesh T20I series in November 2019), has been watching India's World Cup title campaigns spearheaded by MS Dhoni, for motivation.

India lifted the inaugural World T20 trophy in 2007 and the 50-over World Cup in 2011. "To keep my mindset healthy, I am watching India's two World Cup titles. They inspire me and provide me a pathway for what I can do for my country in the future. It keeps me motivated," Dube told Sunday mid-day on Saturday.

All-rounder Shivam Dube (right) with father Rajesh, mother Madhuri and sister Pooja at their Andheri East residence on Saturday

"I watched the 2011 ODI World Cup final many times because I am confident India can do it again [in 2023]. I also watched the T20 World Cup games several times. I think India are the best team in any format. I am sure we can win these two World Cups again," said Dube, who has featured in 13 T20Is and one ODI. Dube is working hard on his fitness at his Andheri East home. He was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the last IPL, where he scored 40 runs in four games. He was looking forward to playing the IPL again but it has been indefinitely suspended.

"I am missing everything of the IPL. It's difficult but we don't have a choice. We have to stay home and fight the virus," remarked Dube. But there are positives: "I am with my family after a long time, so I am helping my mother, father and sister as much as I can with household chores. I sometimes help my mother with cooking and cleaning. This also helps in bonding."

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Bollywood actor Athiya Shetty seems to have found the perfect day to make her relationship with India cricketer KL Rahul official on social media as he turned 28 on Saturday. She shared the picture with her 2.3 million Instagram followers along with a white heart emoji and wrote: "Happy birthday, my person. @rahulkl." To which, Rahul replied with three heart emojis.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

happy birthday, my person ðŸ¤Â @rahulkl

A post shared by Athiya Shetty (@athiyashetty) onApr 18, 2020 at 12:59am PDT

Rahul's friend Hardik Pandya commented: "Hay," while tennis star Sania Mirza wrote: "Awee" along with two heart emojis.

Rumours about them seeing each other began last year after the cricketer posted an adorable picture, recreating a scene of Athiya's dad Suneil Shetty's film, Hera Pheri and captioned it: "Hello, Devi Prasad?"

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Hello, devi prasad....?

A post shared by KL Rahul👑 (@rahulkl) onDec 27, 2019 at 10:15pm PST

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Australia opener David Warner is making most of the forced break by spending quality time with his family at home as the cricket world remains on a standstill due to coronavirus outbreak. On Saturday, Warner shared a TikTok video in which he is dancing with his daughter on a popular Bollywood track.

The Australian batsman, who this week only joined TikTok, shared a video where he is seen moving his body with her daughter -- who is wearing an Indian dress -- on 'Sheila Ki Jawani'. He captioned the post, "Indi has asked to also do one for you guys! please help me someone."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by David Warner (@davidwarner31) onApr 17, 2020 at 11:37pm PDT

Earlier this week, Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan had also posted a video of him dancing with his son Zoravar on a popular Bollywood song "Daddy Cool". "Life is so much fun with this mastikhor insaan! Sachi bolu toh daddy aur beta dono hi cool! Love this little one," Dhawan had captioned the video on Instagram.

Warner also shared a video with wife Candy Warner:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Two battler Tik Tik parents #help us lol @candywarner1

A post shared by David Warner (@davidwarner31) onApr 18, 2020 at 11:37pm PDT

In normal circumstances, Warner would have been currently involved with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which now stands "indefinitely suspended" due to COVID-19 pandemic which has claimed more than 1.4 lakh lives across the world thus far.

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It is common for any captain to have a favourite player and when it came to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, it was Suresh Raina, who enjoyed unstinted backing from the former India captain, feels Yuvraj Singh. One of India's greatest limited-overs cricketers, Yuvraj remembered how Dhoni faced selection dilemma when he had to choose two out of him, Yusuf Pathan and Raina in the playing XI during the 2011 World Cup.

"Suresh Raina had a lot of support then, because MS used to back him. Every captain has a favourite player and I think Mahi really backed Raina at that time," Yuvraj said told 'Sports Tak'. Ultimately all three players made the playing XI (although Yusuf was dropped from playing XI mid-tournament) with Yuvraj playing a pivitol role in winning the title. "Yusuf Pathan was also performing well at that time and even I was doing well and was also picking wickets. And Raina was not in a good touch then," he said.

"They did not have a left-arm spinner at that time and I was picking wickets so they did not have any choice," he added. The swashbuckling batsmen also revealed questions were raised over the bat he used to famously hit Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over during the 2007 T20 World Cup, leading the match referee to check the willow. "The Australian coach at that time came to me and had asked if there was a fibre behind in my bat and asked if it was legal. Has the match referee checked it? So I told him to get it checked."

"Even (Adam) Gilchrist asked me who made our bats. So match referee had also checked my bat. But honestly, that bat was very special for me. I have never played with a bat like that. That one and the 2011 World Cup bat, there were special." Yuvraj was lavish in his praise for Sourav Ganguly for nurturing young talent and picked the BCCI President as his favourite skipper. "Dada would be my favourite captain. He supported me a lot, the most. We were young also so he nurtured the talent," Yuvraj said.

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The threat of online corrupt approaches does not cause much anxiety to BCCI's head of Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) Ajit Singh, who says Indian players are well aware of the modus operandi of fixers and are quick to report anything suspect. The ICC ACU head Alex Marshall, in an interview to 'The Guardian', said that prolonged lockdown and players using various social media platform could lead to corrupt approaches being made and people need to tread carefully. Singh said BCCI ACU is in control. "...we have made our players aware about the way people approach you and modus operandi through social media. We have told them 'look this is how they (potential fixers and bookies) would approach you'," the veteran IPS officer told PTI in an interaction. "(They will) try and behave like a fan and then try to meet you through someone who may be your acquaintance," he added. "Somehow these elements try and touch base with players. Most of them (India players), whenever it happens, they do report to us that I have got a contact."

Most of the top players, with millions of followers, have been very active online with Q and A sessions on twitter, interactive chats on instagram and Facebook live. So is the BCCI's ACU team tracking the online content? "Whatever can be tracked online, we do that. But obviously the physical verification part of going out and checking locations is out of question in times of a lockdown," he spoke about practical problems. "But if something comes to our notice, it automatically goes into our database and once lockdown is over, we will verify those if the need arises." Singh said the easiest aspect of tracking social media content is that it doesn't require too much manpower. "A few men who know their jobs can do it pretty well," the former DGP of Rajasthan said. But Singh said that, in his two year stint, all current India players have been honest and upright, very aware about their responsibilities. "We are not adversaries of players. The players and ACU are one team. It's the people who are trying to corrupt the games, they are the ones we need to track down." He said that both tracking social media and physical verification of corrupt approaches has its own set of challenges.

"Those who were trying to corrupt the players with physical presence and those using fake IDs on social media handles, converge at some point," he said. "Either it's the same person with a fake ID who tries to approach the player or uses someone on his behalf. So there is a pattern of convergence. One has to follow both the lines," he added. Singh said even former players have approached the ACU when they have found something unusual. "There have been things coming from current players and also retired players. There has been information coming from them. Things that they doubted, which look suspicious. "Any information is useful. Even if it's a false alarm, it raises the awareness level of the players as well as the skills of the team investigating it," the retired top cop said. There are some structural plans for the BCCI's ACU which will only materialise once normalcy returns after the COVID-19 pandemic. "Every zone will have a zonal head as it had been said earlier. A few zones don't have zonal heads, so we will fill those posts," he said.

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Amid the nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus crisis, former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday cut his own hair and said he went from 'playing square cuts to doing my own hair cuts'.

Tendulkar took to Instagram and shared pictures of him doing his own haircut.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

From playing square cuts 🏏 to doing my own hair cuts 💇🏻‍♂ï¸Â, have always enjoyed doing different things. ‪How’s my new hairdo 💁🏻‍♂ï¸Â looking @aalimhakim & @nandan_v_naik? 😋

A post shared by Sachin Tendulkar (@sachintendulkar) onApr 19, 2020 at 4:59am PDT

"From playing square cuts to doing my own hair cuts, have always enjoyed doing different things. How's my new hairdo looking @aalimhakim and @nandan_v_naik," Tendulkar captioned the post.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 announced the extension of lockdown till May 3 in an attempt to contain COVID-19.

According to the latest update by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of positive cases in India has mounted to 16,116 and 519 deaths have been reported till now.

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Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is a "bit" surprised that Cricket Australia is struggling financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic but said players will work together with the governing body to overcome the crisis. With the coronavirus outbreak halting all cricketing action, Cricket Australia (CA) has laid off 80 per cent of its staff for the rest of the financial year which ends on June 30. Reports suggest that CA will run out of cash by August. "I was a bit surprised there but there has to be some impact, no doubt," Hazlewood was quoted as saying by 'Sydney Morning Herald'. Hazlewood said the financial crisis will hit cricketers too and they are ready for a reduced salary.

"We are no different from any other sport. It just depends how long it hangs around as to how much it is going to affect us, I guess. If it leads into next summer, it will be quite serious," Hazlewood said. "We're obviously partners in the game and we've always said that. We have ridden the highs and now its probably time to ride the lows, a little bit." CA and Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) had an ugly pay dispute in 2017 but Hazlewood said relations have improved since and hoped this crisis will be handled better this time. "I think the relationship is a lot better now, between the ACA and CA. It's developed a long way in the last 18 months to two years, probably," he said. "... so that will go a long way towards having this episode (handled) a lot better than last time. It's all positive from our end and I think, from both ends. "Hopefully it's a lot better communication this time and I think you will see that in the coming weeks and the coming months. As long as they show a lot of transparency on all the numbers, all the players will be pretty happy with that."

According to the MOU signed in 2017, CA has to provide ACA with revenue estimates and a national contract list for the upcoming summer by April 30 and Hazlewood expects the deadline to be met so that players can be better prepared for the financial fallout. "April 30 is what the players want and it's in the MOU but I guess these are strange times. Anything can happen," Hazlewood said. "The ideal (situation) is that they're put out before April 30 and obviously then we will know, financially, what we can get ready for and how much of a percentage is lost and how much of our contracts are affected. "The sooner we know that, the more we can plan for the next 12 months." The global health crisis, which has killed more than 1.6 lakh worldwide, has put this year's T20 World Cup and India's tour of Australia under threat.

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New Zealand legend Glenn Turner is concerned about the impact of T20 cricket on the "more worthwhile forms" of the game and feels that the coronavirus-forced break is a good time to "reassess" the future of the sport. The 72-year-old Turner, who is also the former chairman of New Zealand's selection panel, believes that cricket administrators have "gone down a path of capitalism". "...money rules and you've got Twenty20 dominating to such an extent where it is putting what I consider to be more worthwhile forms of the game virtually into the background," Turner was quoted as saying by 'stuff.co.nz'. "That is only happening because of the money that they can get from that and of course the argument too, is that it is getting more people interested in the game," he said. "But if you dine at a fast food takeaway, does that mean that you are going to go on to fine dining? I don't think so and that doesn't appear to be happening."

Turner, who has written a new book 'Cricket's Global Warming' with noted author Lynn McConnell, said the shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity to reassess the future. "More and more money is going to the top end and it's a bit like society where the gap between the rich and the poor as got greater. Hopefully after this pandemic things are going to be reassessed," the former New Zealand captain and coach said. "I think they should be reassessed in cricket as well because your top players are really taking most of the cream and even the next group are really struggling," he pointed out. "Then, of course, they (administrators) don't have the sort of money I believe they need to foster the game further down. That's the real concern." Turner said in the last few decades players have more power than the boards which govern them. "The power has shifted almost totally to the players where boards step back and let the game be run largely by senior players. Things have turned 180 degrees and I don't think either is ideal," Turner said.

"But the thing that is happening, which I see as a mistake, is that they are getting full 12-month retainers while being able to sign contracts with as many other people as they can and not making themselves fully available for New Zealand. "That's too big a sacrifice I feel." The 72-year-old, who scored 2991 runs in 41 Tests and 1598 runs in 41 ODIs, was also not happy with the outcome of last year's World Cup where England were adjudged winners on the basis of boundary-count after regulation play and subsequent Super Over ended in a tie in the final against New Zealand. During the final, New Zealand were left to rue a last-over overthrow from Martin Guptill that went for four after getting a deflection off England all-rounder Ben Stokes' bat, helping England take the match into Super Over. Turner said Stokes should have been given out for obstructing the field. "I think that they gave the wrong result. But to have given out the man of the match at the time for obstructing the field which ought to have happened would have of course changed the result," he said. "Now that you are getting third umpires involved and they are seeing replays of things they will be able to make those sorts of decisions in the future I would hope," he added.

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Flamboyant India batsman KL Rahul is auctioning the bat he used during the World Cup last year and other memorabilia to raise funds for vulnerable children.

In a video message posted on Twitter on his birthday, Rahul said all proceeds from the auction will go to the Aware Foundation, that works to provide dispossessed, disadvantaged and vulnerable children in India the right to education. "I have decided to donate my cricket pads, my gloves, helmets and some of my jerseys to our collaboration partner Bharat Army. They are going to auction these things out and the funds will go towards the Aware Foundation," Rahul said. "It's a foundation that look towards helping children. It is very special and I couldn't pick a better day to do this."

The items up for auction, which started on Monday, includes Rahul's signed 2019 World Cup bat, Test, ODI and T20 jersey along with his batting gloves, helmet and pads. "Go on check out the auction and show some love for me and the children and let's stay strong together during this difficult time and all of us will come out of this stronger," Rahul said. The coronavirus outbreak has infected over 24 lakh people and caused more than one lakh deaths worldwide. In India, more than 17,000 people have been infected with 550 deaths reported.

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While the country is in lockdown due to Coronavirus, at least two Indian cricket legends decided to have some fun of their own.

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and current India captain Virat Kohli have had their hair cut. However, while Sachin chopped his own hair, Virat's Bollywood star wife Anushka played hair stylist for him.

Sachin, 46, recently posted a series of pictures of his new hairdo on social media. "From playing square cuts to doing my own haircuts, have always enjoyed doing different things. How's my new hairdo looking @aalimhakim and @nandan_v_naik?," he captioned his post.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

From playing square cuts 🏏 to doing my own hair cuts 💇🏻‍♂️, have always enjoyed doing different things. ‪How’s my new hairdo 💁🏻‍♂️ looking @aalimhakim & @nandan_v_naik? 😋

A post shared by Sachin Tendulkar (@sachintendulkar) onApr 19, 2020 at 4:59am PDT

Meanwhile, Virat, 31, who got his beard trimmed too, insisted that being well groomed keeps him in the zone. "While we're all indoors, it's extremely important to do stuff that makes you feel good. Staying well groomed is one of the things that keeps me in the zone. So I thought of giving myself this new look. I want all of you to take the #TrimAtHome challenge & post your new look!" Virat posted on Instagram.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

While we're all indoors, it's extremely important to do stuff that makes you feel good. Staying well groomed is one of the things that keeps me in the zone. So I thought of trimming my beard at home and giving myself this new look. 😊 Now I want all of you to take the #TrimAtHome challenge and post your new look! 😎

A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) onApr 18, 2020 at 4:20am PDT

Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar are regarded as one of the finest batsmen to ever play for India. Virat Kohli is second behind Sachin Tendulkar with regards to most hundreds scored in ODIs.

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Reminiscing the old days, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Monday shared a classic throwback picture with brother Krunal.

In the 2011 photo, the duo are smiling while posing for the camera with a 'desi swag.'

 

 

 

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Throwback to 2011 😅 How time changes @krunalpandya_official Swag mera desi hai

A post shared by Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya93) onApr 20, 2020 at 6:42am PDT

"Throwback to 2011, How time changes @krunalpandya_official, Swag Mera desi hai," Hardik captioned the post on Instagram.

The flamboyant all-rounder, who was out of the Indian team due to back injury, made a comeback during the South Africa tour of India.

The first match of the series got washed out due to rain, and the series was eventually postponed following the outbreak of coronavirus.

Pandya made his ODI debut against New Zealand at Dharamsala in October 2016.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all sporting action across the world has been stopped including the 13th edition of the IPL.

On April 16, the IPL 2020 was suspended till further notice due to 'evolving global health concerns'.

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Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar made a stunning claim, saying he would have taken Wasim Akrams life if the latter made an approach regarding match-fixing.

"I was watching few matches of the 1990s and I was amazed to see how Wasim Akram got Pakistan through impossible situations with his brilliant bowling," Cricket Pakistan quoted Akhtar as saying during a television show.

"I will say it very clearly that if Wasim Akram had asked me to do match-fixing, I would have destroyed him or even kill him. But he never said such a thing to me," he added.

The Rawalpindi Express also thanked Akram for supporting him during the early days of his cricketing career.

"I played with him for seven to eight years and I can quote many instances where he gave me cover by taking the responsibility of picking up the top-order wickets while leaving the tail-enders for me," said the 44-year-old.

"He even let me bowl from my preferred bowling even though he had a lot more wickets that I did," he added. Akhtar represented Pakistan in 46 Tests, 163 ODIs and 15 T20Is in which he scalped 178, 247 and 19 wickets respectively. Akram, on the other hand, played 104 Tests and 356 ODIs in which he bagged 414 and 502 wickets respectively.

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Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar recalled a hilarious incident which ended up with his former teammate Mohammed Kaif getting a new nickname. The Master Blaster was referring to an incident that took place recently in the first match of Road Safety Series against West Indies XI.

Tendulkar stated that Kaif was giving his all in the field despite being 39 and that prompted others to caution him that it is the first match of the tournament and there is still a long way to go.

"We had to tell Kaif to be cautious. We nicknamed him 'bhai sahab, bhai sahab, thoda sambhalke.' It's the first match of the tournament and there are a lot of matches to be played," Tendulkar said in a video uploaded on 100 MB YouTube channel.

"What if you pull a hamstring or something. It (diving and fielding quickly) comes naturally to him. He thinks if you are fit, you continue doing those things. He was a really fit guy. He was an outstanding fielder in team," he added.

Kaif was regarded as one of the finest fielders ever to don the iconic blue jersey. He, along with Yuvraj Singh, marshalled the cover-point area with great aplomb in an era where fielding wasn't Team India's strongest suit.

Despite his incredible fielding skills, Kaif is fondly remembered by almost every Indian cricket fan for his Man of the Match performance in the Natwest Trophy final against England at Lord's in 2002.

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Former India captain Kapil Dev has shocked fans with his new bald look.

Kapil told mid-day on Tuesday that he had requested his daughter Amiya to cut his hair since it had grown rather long. But since Amiya cut it too short, he decided to shave his head and keep a French beard. The 1983 World Cup-winning captain said he is busy helping wife Romi and Amiya with household chores and has indulged in some cooking too during the Coronavirus-caused lockdown. "I am doing all sorts of things; only thing left is polishing my shoes," he said with a chuckle.

Sanjay Manjarekar

Meanwhile, Kapil's former India teammate Sanjay Manjrekar tweeted his bald picture and wrote: "Love this look Paaji! Keep it!" Sanjay and Kapil went on cricket tours to West Indies, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, UAE, Australia, ZImbabwe and South Africa.

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Sunil Gavaskar says India can swap the T20 World Cup with Australia and host it this year instead of the scheduled 2021 edition, provided the COVID-19 curve flattens in the country. Global sporting activities have come to a halt due the COVID-19 pandemic, jeopardising events like the 2020 T20 World Cup, scheduled in Australia from October 18-November 15.

India are supposed to host the next edition in 2021. "As we all know, Australia has barred foreigners from entering the country till September 30. The tournament starts mid-October so it is looking difficult at the moment," Gavaskar told India Today.

"Next year the T20 World Cup is in India. If India and Australia come to an agreement and the COVID-19 curve in India flattens out, they can swap. It can be held in India this October-November and next year in Australia around the same time."

The IPL too has been indefinitely postponed but there is a possibility of it being held in September. "If it (T20 WC swap) happens that way, IPL is just held prior to T20 World Cup so there is enough practice for the players. Then you can have T20 World Cup in November and Asia Cup in December in UAE. December is a much better time to host a tournament in the UAE," said the 70-year-old.

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Ex-Australia skipper Michael Clarke has revealed that legendary spinner Shane Warne shared a boisterous relationship with former coach John Buchanan and they never got along. Speaking on Big Sports Breakfast, Clarke said: "The fact him and John didn't get on and Warnie didn't respect John Buchanan as a coach at all, that he thought I'm not getting told what to do from this dude. "If it was Ricky Ponting there, Warnie would have found a way to either bite his tongue or he might have said something to Ricky one-on-one...it wouldn't have been in front of everyone. At that stage Warnie was so done with John Buchanan he didn't care," he added.

Clarke, the 2015 World Cup-winning captain, also divulged details of the Australian dressing room culture when both him and Warne were together in the side. He said that the leg-spinner chose cigarettes for the three-day training camp instead of the essential items which the players were allowed. "For someone like Warnie who loved a smoke, he pretty much told them he is not coming unless he can bring his smokes. It was World War five," Clarke said.

According to Clarke, Warne and Buchanan had a deal where the latter told the former that he would have to chuck a piece of clothing for every pack of cigarettes he took. "Warnie flicked his three pairs of undies, flicked his three pairs of socks and put six packs of darts in and off we went.

"In the middle of the bush, sleeping bag only, no cover, no shelter, on the ground and it was pitch black. All you could see was this orange light coming out of someone's sleeping bag and it was Warnie just sucking his dart back," Clarke said.

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Former India batsman and Zimbabwe coach Lalchand Rajput has created a training module encompassing both the physical and mental aspects, and is monitoring his players' progress through the use of technology. Like in India, the lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic has been extended in Zimbabwe, too. "We have given a training programme to the players. The activities we have included are the ones which can be done at home like skipping, side to side running and thera bands. We have also included stretching and Yoga activities," Rajput told PTI.

According to Rajput, he shared the training-cum-fitness programme with the team's trainer and Zimbabwe cricket director of coaching, who shared it with the players. "Skipper Sean Williams messages me sometimes about what he does, also one-two others are also in touch with me. Not all players are from Harare (a prominent city)," he added.

Citing an example, he said he has asked the batsmen to follow a simple drill - put a ball inside a sock and hit it indoors. According to the Zimbabwe head coach, there are some players who reside in bungalows and he has asked them to do short sprints inside its premises. "I have asked the trainer to follow up with the players on a day-to-day basis and he informs me on weekly (basis) about the development," he added.

Rajput, who has been a manager with the Indian cricket team, said he has asked the players to also follow the programme given by the psychologist to keep their mind free of any negativity. Rajput has asked the Zimbabwe cricket board to give at least a month's time for training when sporting activities resumes.

"Once the action resumes, it won't be feasible to immediately start the tours as they will need practice," said Rajput, who also thanked Zimbabwe Cricket for providing help. On a personal front, Rajput headed home following the Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh.

Rajput, who has also coached Afghanistan and domestic teams, is enjoying spending time with his family.

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Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar were two of the fastest bowlers of their generation. Shoaib recently shared a clip from a popular Indian television show in which Lee talks about facing Shoaib in his prime.

Lee admits on the show that he was afraid of everyone while batting, "even the spinners."

While talking about the experience of facing Shoaib, he said, "So, I'm out batting and I'm sweaty and nervous," said Lee.

"My nickname is 'Binga' and I suddenly hear 'Binga, Binga'. I look up, and there's Shoaib, about 75 metres back. He goes 'I'm going to kill you'," Lee says pointing a finger to his forehead to mimic Shoaib at the time.

The Pakistani bowler was thus indicating that he was going to aim for Lee's head but instead the ball went to his toes.

"It's hit me straight on the foot. I've appealed to the umpire - 'Howzzat! That's gotta be out, surely?'" Lee says, with the audience in splits. "And you know what happened? That silly Australian umpire said not out."

Shoaib in his tweet said that Lee himself was quite a terror while bowling. "Binga being very humble there honestly. @BrettLee_58 himself was quite a terror on the field for the batsmen of that era," he said.

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Wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel on Tuesday revealed that he got really disappointed when he was not picked in the Indian squad for the 2007-08 Australia tour.

Patel also said that he knew he was fighting for the second wicket-keeper slot, but was disappointed after not being picked in the squad.

The wicket-keeper batsman was doing an Instagram Live session with former pacer RP Singh.

"It is important to be at the right place at the right time. When the team got selected for Australia tour in 2008, I was competing for the second wicket-keeper slot as Dhoni had cemented his place as first choice pick. I was disaapointed when I did not get picked in the squad," Parthiv told RP Singh during the session.

"Dilip Vengsarkar was the chairman of selectors, he called me and said you have been performing well, keep at it and then he told me that I was not selected for the Australia series," he added.

In the 2007-08 series, Australia defeated India 2-1, but the four-match contest was marked with controverseies.

The second Test of the tour at the Sydney Cricket Ground is commonly known as the 'MonkeyGate Test' as it saw a fiery on-field contest between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds.

In the Instagram Live session, Parthiv also said that all wicket-keepers in the country knew that they cannot be selected as first choice keepers as MS Dhoni had made the place is own.

"We all were competing for the second-wicket keeper slot. At that time, I used to think of giving my best in every match I play, you knew the reality thaat the skipper of the side is wicket-keeper, so you cannot be selected in the squad as first choice," Patel said.

Parthiv has played 25 Tests, 38 ODIs for India. He had made his debut in 2002 against England at Trent Bridge and he created the record for being the youngest wicket-keeper to play the game of cricket.

He was just 17 years and 153 days old at that time and had eclipsed the previous record of being the youngest wicketkeeper, previously held by Pakistan's Hanif Mohammed (17 years and 300 days).

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Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith on Tuesday said his country will welcome back former Kolpak players willing to be part of the domestic structure as he sees it as a possible way to provide more depth to the national team. Kolpak registrations, which give sportsmen from countries with associate trade agreements with the European Union the same rights as EU workers, are set to be terminated at end of 2020 following the UK's exit from the EU.

Dozens of South African cricketers have signed lucrative contracts with county cricket sides over the years but this automatically disqualifies them from playing for the national team. "With Kolpak coming to an end, I guess the willingness is always to have our best players in the system. It is up to the players to come back into the system and to make decisions on their careers," Smith, who was recently appointed as Director of Cricket by his Board, said. "From our perspective, we want to encourage all our best players to play here domestically, and then give themselves the opportunity to be selected for the national side," he was quoted as saying in 'Sky Sports'.

Kyle Abbott, Wayne Parnell, Rilee Roussow and Duanne Olivier are among the more prominent names to have taken Kolpak deals over the years, while Dane Paterson, who played two Tests against England in January, is the latest to do so. "We don't ever want to exclude players from being part of our system and we understand that the landscape of the world game is very different now to what it was," Smith said. "Open minds and how we look at these things is going to be key to how we keep our best players ¿ how we keep them motivated and in our game."

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India pacer Mohammed Shami on Tuesday revealed what role Zaheer Khan and Wasim Akram have played in shaping his bowling career. Shami also revealed that growing up he used to look up to Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer, and Akram.

The pacer was doing an Instagram Live session with batsman Manoj Tiwary. "When we were growing up, we used to witness that India and Pakistan used to be the most intense matches. Sachin Tendulkar is a great of the game and I looked up at him when I was growing up. The best pair was of Virender Sehwag and Sachin. When it comes to batting, I used to look up to Sehwag and Sachin," Shami said during the Instagram Live session.

"When it comes to bowling, I used to look at Zaheer Khan. When India and Pakistan faced off against each other, I also used to like Wasim Akram. Both Zaheer and Akram were left-arm bowlers," he added.

Shami had a stint with Kolkata Knight Riders and as a result, he got the chance to learn from Wasim Akram as the former Pakistan bowler used to be the bowling coach of KKR.

The Indian pacer also had a chance to learn from Zaheer as the duo enjoyed a stint together at IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.

"When I came to KKR, I realised the skill and value associated with cricket. I watched Wasim Akram all my life on television, but with KKR, I had the chance to learn from him. For the initial days, I was not even able to talk to him.

"Wasim Bhai came up to me then, and he initiated the conversation with me and he started telling me things about bowling. He read me very fast, he realised what I am all about, I learnt a lot from him. If you have someone experienced close to you, then you should not shy away and try to learn maximum things as well," Shami said.

"Zaheer Bhai and I did not play much together, but whenever I got the chance to talk to him, he was very helpful. I spent time with him during IPL stint with Delhi Capitals, Zaheer Bhai is very experienced, I just wanted to learn how to go about bowling with the new ball," he added.

Shami was last seen in action during the two-match Test series against New Zealand. The pacer would have been in action for the Kings XI Punjab if the IPL had started on March 29.

However, the tournament has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has described Brian Lara as "sheer class", saying he never felt confident whenever he bowled to the West Indies legend. Afridi and Lara locked horns only twice in Test cricket but the former Pakistan skipper said the left-handed batting great had quite an "effect" on him.

"I got him out a few times but whenever I was bowling to him I always had the feeling in the back of my mind that he is going to hit me for four the next ball. He had an effect on me. I never bowled with any confidence to him," Afridi was quoted as saying by Wisden.

The 40-year-old Afridi, who snapped 395 and 48 wickets in 398 ODIs and 27 Tests, lavished praise on Lara, saying he had a brilliant footwork. "He was a world-class batsman who dominated the best spinners he came up against, even the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka," said Afridi. "His footwork against spinners was brilliant and the way he batted against such bowlers was a wonderful sight. He was sheer class."

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