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DUBAI: Star Indian batter Virat Kohli claimed the third position and is now in striking distance from top-ranked fellow Indian batter Shubman Gill and second-ranked Pakistani batter Babar Azam  in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings. Virat Kohli jumped one place to third, earning the reward for his record-breaking performance during the ICC World Cup 2023. He scored 765 runs during the mega-event, setting the record for most runs in a single edition of the World Cup, a record previously held by Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli scored three centuries during the ICC World Cup 2023 and became the first batter to score 50 centuries in ODI cricket, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 49 centuries. The third-ranked Virat Kohli has closed the gap with top-ranked Shubman Gill to only 35 rating points with 791 rating points, while Gill has 826 rating points, holding on to a close lead over Babar Azam who has 824 rating points. The top three...

Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 on Tuesday in an ill-tempered FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers clash marred by pre-match crowd trouble that forced kick-off to be delayed. A 63rd-minute header from veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi secured victory for Argentina as the world champions bounced back from last week’s defeat to Uruguay to beat their bitter South American rivals. The win at Rio’s iconic Maracana Stadium leaves Argentina on top of the South American qualifying standings with 15 points from six games. Brazil’s third defeat of qualifying, meanwhile, leaves the five-time world champions in sixth place with seven points from six games. Tempers had flared in the stands at the Maracana moments before kick-off, with Brazilian police seen using batons to drive back a block of Argentine fans at one end of the ground. Several Argentina players went towards the disturbances in an apparent attempt to plead for calm, with goalkeeper Emi Martinez attempting to jump into the seating area at...

Experienced Australia opener David Warner on Tuesday, withdrew from the upcoming five-match T20I series against India after his ICC World Cup 2023 exploits. His withdrawal means just seven players from Australia’s World Cup-winning squad will feature in the away T20I series against India, among them are Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith. Follow us on our Official  WhatsApp channel Consequently, all-rounder Aaron Hardie has been named the replacement for David Warner,  who is all set to bid adieu to Test cricket. “Selectors decided Warner would return home on the back of a successful yet demanding World Cup campaign,” Cricket Australia said in a statement. Notably, David Warner played a pivotal role in Australia’s successful World Cup campaign as the left-handed opener was their top-scorer with 535 runs at 48.63. In the grand final on Sunday, Australia outclassed unbeaten hosts India by six wickets to lift their sixth title. The two sides meet again in the five-...

Members of the 2009 T20 World Cup and 2012 Asia Cup winning squad, and former Pakistan cricketers Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, have been appointed as the Fast Bowling and Spin Bowling Coaches, respectively, for the Pakistan Men’s Team. Their inaugural assignments in these roles include the Test series against Australia scheduled from 14 December 2023 to 7 January 2024 and the T20I series against New Zealand from 12 to 21 January 2024. Umar Gul previously served as the bowling coach for the Pakistan Men’s Team during the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, and the subsequent series against New Zealand at home. Follow us on our Official  WhatsApp channel He has also been the bowling coach for Quetta Gladiators in the last PSL season and Afghanistan’s bowling coach in the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2022. He made his international debut in 2003, representing Pakistan in 47 Tests (163 wickets at 34.06), 130 ODIs (179 wickets at 29.34), and 60 T20Is (85 wickets at 16.97) ...

India were left grappling for answers after the team’s devastating defeat to Australia in the final of the ICC World Cup 2023 at home extending their drought in global tournaments.   A much-fancied India team led by skipper Rohit Sharma went into Sunday’s final in front of nearly 100,000 fans in Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad undefeated and favourites to capture the ODI crown. But they were outplayed by Pat Cummins’ Australia, going down to a six-wicket defeat and leaving players, fans and pundits with a familiar feeling of disappointment. “You can’t deny the fact that it’s been more than 10 years since they won a global title,” Indian sports journalist R. Kaushik told AFP on Monday. “If you look at the semi-final losses then there is a pattern, maybe there is something wrong in the planning,” he added. “You can interpret that as, ‘Yes, they freeze on the big stage’, or you can say that, ‘On that day they were not good enough’. But it’s hard to say they freeze mentally.” In...

WAZIRABAD: Peshawar Tigers came out victorious for the second time in the Muslim Hands Inter-Schools Football Championship 2023. Muslim Hands organized the second annual National Inter-Schools Football Championship from November 16 at Muhammad Rasheed Football Ground, Wazirabad for the promotion of football in the country. The tournament featured a total of 12 teams from Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalakot (Azad Kashmir), Kotli (Azad Kashmir), Bagh (Azad Kashmir), Gujar Khan, Wazirabad, and Sohdra . Wazirabad Falcons faced the defending champions Peshawar Tigers in the first semi-final on the last day of the event, whereas, Sohdra Spartans squared off against Rawalakot Eagles in the second semi-final. Peshawar Tigers and Sohdra Spartans won their respective games and made it to the final of the Muslim Hands Inter-Schools Football Championship, where the former came out victorious 1-0, winning the trophy for the second time. Muslim Hands, a charity organisation, has been heavily activ...

DUBAI: Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been named captain of the ICC World Cup 2023 Team of the Tournament featuring five other players from his team. Team India gave a dominant performance and remained undefeated throughout the tournament before losing to Australia in the final, resulting in six of their players being part of the ICC Team of the Tournament. Other than India, two players from champions Australia, one player each from semi-finalists South Africa and New Zealand, as well as one Sri Lankan featured in the ICC Team of the Tournament. Notably, no player from the Pakistan cricket team made it to the glittering line-up. The selection panel included commentators Ian Bishop, Kass Naidoo, Shane Watson, Wasim Khan (ICC General Manager, Cricket), and Sunil Vaidya (Journalist, Ahmedabad Mirror). ICC World Cup 2023 Team of the Tournament Here is the team of the ICC World Cup 2023 (in batting order): Quinton de Kock (wk) (South Africa) – 594 runs at 59.40 Rohit Sharma (c) (I...