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He has torn three key ligaments in his knee, two of which were reconstructed recently while surgery on the third is expected after six weeks

Nagraj Gollapudi and Sidharth Monga14-Jan-2023Rishabh Pant is unlikely to play any cricket for most of 2023 and is set to miss a slew of marquee tournaments including the IPL. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the medical update given to the BCCI on Pant, who survived a car crash on December 30, says the wicket-keeper batter has torn all three key ligaments in his knee, two of which were reconstructed recently while surgery on the third is expected after six weeks.As a consequence, Pant is in danger of being sidelined for at least six months, which could also potentially affect his chances of being fit for selection for the ODI World Cup, scheduled to take place in India in October-November.Last week, Pant underwent knee surgery after his right ligaments were damaged in the accident that occurred when he was driving from Delhi to meet his family in Roorkee. As one of India’s top contracted players, Pant was airlifted from Dehradun at the BCCI’s behest and flown to Mumbai last week to be put under the supervision of Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, one of the specialist surgeons contracted by the board.The BCCI issued three medical bulletins since the accident and the surgery, including one that stated Pant had also injured his right ankle. ESPNcricinfo has learned that all three ligaments in the knee – anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament, which are necessary for movement and stability – have been torn in Pant’s case. It is understood that in the surgery conducted recently, both the PCL and MCL were reconstructed. Pant will need to undergo another surgery to reconstruct his ACL, but the doctors will wait for at least six weeks before going ahead with it.Related

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There is no definitive timeline given by the doctors yet on how long it would take Pant to resume training, but both the BCCI and the selectors have concluded that the wicketkeeper-batter would be out for a minimum of six months.Pant, who last featured in the away series in Bangladesh in December, was rested for the home series against Sri Lanka. On Monday he was absent from the squads announced for the New Zealalnd series followed by the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Pant, who is Delhi Capitals’ captain, will also miss the IPL, which begins on April 1. Another key match Pant will be absent from is the World Test Championship final in June in case India make it to the summit clash.The selectors have named KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan as the wicketkeeper options in Pant’s absence for the first half of the Australia Test series. Bharat and Kishan will also contest the keeper’s role in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting next week.

Fifties to James Rew, Craig Overton only prolong the inevitable for Somerset

ECB Reporters Network27-Jul-2023Jordan Clark claimed four wickets as Surrey strengthened their position at the top of the First Division table with a comprehensive LV= Insurance County Championship victory over Somerset inside three days at Taunton.The hosts began their second innings at the start of play trailing by 198 runs and were bowled out for 226, Clark taking 4 for 36 to help set up a ten-wicket victory.James Rew contributed 55, becoming the first player in Division One to pass 1,000 runs for the season at the age of 19, while Craig Overton smacked five sixes in a defiant 70 not out. But Surrey were left to make only 29 and reached their target in 8.3 overs.Somerset took only three points from the match after two brittle batting efforts, while their opponents claimed 22 to maintain a healthy lead over nearest challengers Essex.Related

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With only four balls bowled, the morning session was interrupted by rain. When play resumed at 12.10pm, any hope Somerset had of getting back into the game disappeared with some abject top-order batting.Sean Dickson had already survived a chance to third slip when in the same Clark over, the fourth of the innings, he edged to first slip where Dom Sibley made no mistake.Four overs later, Tom Lammonby swished at a wide delivery from Clark, which he might have left and Will Jacks held a low two-handed catch.It was 23 for 3 when George Bartlett shouldered arms to a Clark delivery that crashed into his pads on off stump and fell lbw.With only five runs added, Kohler-Cadmore directed a sharp catch off Dan Worrall to Jamie Overton at backward point.Clark finished his opening spell with figures of 3 for 15 from six overs. But Tom Abell put a blameless pitch in perspective with sound shot selection and by lunch, which was taken at 46 for 4, the Somerset skipper had struck four boundaries in moving to 27.Rew, who had taken 32 balls to get off the mark in the first innings, again displayed a patience lacking in more experienced team-mates and had yet to open his account, having faced ten deliveries.The afternoon session saw Rew and Abell progress their partnership to 64 with few alarms, the prolific teenager reaching a four-figure run tally for the summer when moving to 21 with a single to cover off Worrall.But Clark returned at the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End to pin Abell leg before for 46 with a yorker and at 92 for 5 Somerset still required 106 to make Surrey bat again.Kasey Aldridge edged a short, wide ball from Tom Lawes to third slip where Jacks took an excellent diving catch as his side continued to gift wickets with injudicious strokes.An exception was Rew, content to accumulate quietly without resorting to big shots until, with his score on 31, he effortlessly lifted a ball from Lawes over deep backward square for six.Ben Green was caught behind looking to drive a full-length delivery from Jamie Overton to make it 130 for 7 before Rew went to fifty for the seventh time this season, off 96 balls, with four fours and a six.The unflappable young wicketkeeper, who doesn’t turn 20 until January, had turned five of his previous half-centuries into hundreds, with a top score of 221 against Hampshire at Taunton.At tea, Somerset were 139 for 7, still trailing by 59. They had added just six runs when Rew, perhaps feeling he was running out of partners, top-edged a pull shot off Gus Atkinson and skied a catch to fine leg. He had faced 106 balls in another mature contribution.The end looked nigh as Atkinson quickly followed up by sending back Matt Henry, lbw to a yorker. But Craig Overton had other ideas, launching a savage attack with powerful pulls and drives that saw him take 20 off an Atkinson over and dominate a last wicket stand of 77 in 13 overs with Shoaib Bashir.It merely prevented the inevitable and Surrey wrapped up victory at just before 6.15pm with openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley completing the job.

Stokes faces both offspinners in floodlit nets session as England consider change to all-pace strategy

Vithushan Ehantharajah01-Dec-2025Around 20 punters watched England’s first evening net at the Gabba ahead of the day-night Ashes Test starting on Thursday.The outdoor facilities at this historic but ageing colosseum are the most amenable in the world for observers, offering a behind-the-batter view of what it’s like to face the fiercest bowlers going. There were plenty of eyes on the lane closest to Main Street, as Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson steamed in with the pink Kookaburra ball.But it was the net furthest away that had the most immediate interest ahead of the second Test. Both Shoaib Bashir and Will Jacks were bowling their offspin to England captain Ben Stokes, duking it out for what seems, at this juncture, the last available spot in the XI.Related

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• Wood set to miss second Test after long road back from injury

Mark Wood has been ruled out – England are optimistic his heavily strapped left knee will get adequate rest to ensure he is back in the mix for Adelaide – but the other 10 starters from the defeat in Perth are likely to be rolled out again.Josh Tongue is the most like-for-like replacement if the tourists want to repeat their all-pace attack from Perth. But they are understood to be trending more towards spin in their bid to come back from 1-0 down, with the expectation that the pink Kookaburra will soften earlier than the red one.The pair have had very different routes to these Ashes. Bashir has been the captain’s go-to spinner since a shock call-up to the India tour at the start of 2024, with 68 wickets in 19 caps to date. His traits – a high release-point, revs coming from over the top of the ball – were deemed better suited to Test pitches (particularly Australian ones) compared to traditional English, doorknob-turning finger spinners.Jacks, an allrounder, was the first conventional offspinner picked by Stokes, drafted on the tour of Pakistan in the winter of 2022 for his only two Test caps after developing as Surrey’s primary spin option. He took 6 for 161 in his first go on debut – the first Test at Rawalpindi – and showed his dexterity as a batter by slotting in at No. 3 in the second innings of the next Test in Multan to give Ollie Pope extra rest after keeping. That he is on this tour owes as much to his batting – destructive qualities, and comfort filling in any top six position – and his tall action and ambition with the ball.Bashir is understood to be the one in pole position, though it was Jacks who seemed to have the better of it on Monday night, before padding up. Nets can only tell you so much, of course. Stokes and the rest of England’s batters were focused on getting attuned to the shift from day to night, and then how the floodlights transformed the grass beneath their feet. They will have one more hit in similar conditions on Wednesday before they get going in their attempts to square the series.Visiting spinners have had very little success with the pink ball over here, collectively managing just 28 wickets at 64.03. Joe Root’s three in the Adelaide Test on the 2021-22 tour has him joint-second on that list (with Yasir Shah); Dawid Malan is joint-fourth with two picked up from that same game. R Ashwin sits top with six at 20.66.England would not be wrong to look at Nathan Lyon’s impressive record of 43 dismissals at 25.62 from his 13 day-night home Tests and surmise spin is a must. But they may take more meaningful notes from Kevin Sinclair’s cameo in Australia’s one and only pink ball defeat.That came here at the Gabba last year. Sinclair – also an offspinner – struck a vital 50 and then 14 not out, both from No. 7, in a tight eight-run win. He bowled just eight overs, all in Australia’s first innings which sandwiched his batting efforts, but was able to snare Usman Khawaja for 75. Replicating Sinclair’s impact rather than Lyon’s is a far easier task and would favour Jacks.It will be these cues from day-night affairs in Australia, and England’s own learnings from the seven they have played, that will continue to be disseminated among the group over the coming days. The entire top five played in England’s last pink-ball Test – against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui in 2023 – but Jamie Smith, for instance, will be playing his first of any kind.”We’ve spoken with the guys who have played some pink-ball games, and had a look at some of the pink-ball games that have been played in Australia in the past four or five years,” Carse said. His only day-night match happened to be in this country for England Lions against Australia A at Melbourne in January 2020.”On an evening, it does seem to do a little bit more, especially if you have a slightly newer ball, which I’m sure we’ll take into consideration throughout the game. It’s going to be exciting. I’m expecting a massive crowd, a hostile crowd. The guys are really looking forward to it.”I think looking back at a couple of highlights of previous games played in Australia, it’s certainly very admirable how their new-ball bowling goes. You know, they strike early and I think that’s going to be important, whether that’s certain lines we’ll be bowling or maybe bowling a touch fuller to let it swing. They’ve played some really good cricket with a pink ball. So, yeah, I’d like to say that we’ve had a look at some of the stuff that they’ve done over the previous years.”

Defending 14 in the final over, Sutherland took 2 for 4 to help a hobbled Australia reach the semi-final

Valkerie Baynes14-Oct-2024″How was your heart rate?” Tahlia McGrath asked Annabel Sutherland after an extraordinary final over in which she defended 14 runs, took two wickets and denied India the right to decide their own destiny at the T20 World Cup.A high-stakes game played before a sold-out 14,946-strong crowd at Sharjah Stadium made up almost exclusively of Indian supporters had gone Australia’s way by nine runs after the tightest contest of the tournament so far. And Sutherland was “chill as”.It is testament to Sutherland’s character and why Australia see her as such a bright prospect that, having celebrated her 23rd birthday the day before, she took it all in her stride, claiming 2 for 22 from her four overs after adding a vital 10 runs in six balls from No.8.Related

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“She’s so composed,” McGrath said, standing in as captain for the injured Alyssa Healy. “She knew her plan, she executed beautifully. I said to her after, ‘how was your heart rate?’ and she goes, ‘no I was fine, I was chill as’ so I think that just shows the type of maturity that Belsey has.”She’s been in those big moments and delivered for us time and time again, even at the back end with some handy runs for us. She was huge for us today and very cool under pressure.”And it was testament to this Australian side that they were able to shut out all the noise on the night and the upheaval beforehand to seal their place in the semi-finals.A few hours before the match, it was announced that Tayla Vlaeminck would be replaced in the squad by Heather Graham after dislocating her right – bowling – shoulder just four balls into Friday night’s win against Pakistan. Vlaeminck’s plight hit her team-mates hard given her battles with injury which have restricted her to just 28 appearances for her country since her debut in 2018.Australia are also waiting to hear whether Healy will be fit to take any further part in this World Cup after she injured her foot in the same match and turned up to watch the India clash on crutches and in a moon boot, her condition to be monitored over the coming days.Alyssa Healy was unavailable for India clash due to foot injury•ICC/Getty Images

“There’s been a lot going on,” McGrath said. “Friday night, that was a tough night for us and a lot to process but in tournaments like this it’s move on, you’ve got a job to do.”We’ve been really trying to get around each other as a group, whether it be the injured girls, the girls playing slightly different roles, and just really sticking together as a group and focusing on the job at hand. I thought we did a really good job of that and came out and played really well tonight. I’m really proud of the group.”There were elements of chaos as Australia posted 151 for 8 upon winning the toss and opting to bat first. Georgia Wareham chose not to review an lbw decision which would have saved her and Sophie Molineux was run out walking back to the dugout not realising Jemimah Rodrigues had grassed a catch at backward point.McGrath’s handy innings of 32 off 26 balls had moments of drama after she survived India’s review for lbw, then was dropped by Harmanpreet Kaur at cover and finally stumped charging at Radha Yadav, all in the space of six deliveries.But she had kept her cool amid a rejigged middle-order and at the helm while Grace Harris, opening in Healy’s place top-scored with 40 off 41 and Ellyse Perry played a cool 32 off 23.However, it was Megan Schutt’s nerveless over in the 17th, when she conceded just one run and saw Richa Ghosh run out by a superb direct hit from Phoebe Litchfield at short cover, stood out for McGrath.”She bowled outstanding,” McGrath said. “She nailed her plan and that swung the game right back in our favour. That was a really crucial moment in the game for us.”McGrath has now captained Australia three times, twice in T20Is, including a match in India in 2022. Australia also had recent experience of pro-India full houses during their tour there in December and January.”It was very loud,” she said of Sunday in Sharjah. “We’re quite used to that now whenever we play against India. Lots of it was about just making eye contact with bowlers and trying to get everyone to look at me because trying to tell bowlers they’ll bowl the next over or move fielders, is almost impossible with that noise.”But for us it’s almost trying to ignore the crowd at times because they can make you seem like you’re behind the game when you maybe might not be. They’re so passionate, cheer so loud and we love it but at times you can think that the game’s getting away from you just with how loud the crowds cheering so it’s just about staying level-headed, staying focused and getting a good read on the game.”So when Harmanpreet threatened to take the match away from them with her 54 not out, the India captain’s second unbeaten half-century in as many games at this tournament, Australia just had to stay “chill as”. Now, waiting on the result of Monday’s clash between New Zealand and Pakistan, it is India who will have to sweat it out.

Both men believe criticism of the players is wide of the mark

Alex Malcolm08-Feb-2022Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey doesn’t subscribe to the theory that a small group of players and staff were key to Justin Langer’s departure as head coach while Usman Khawaja believes Test captain Pat Cummins or limited-overs captain Aaron Finch needs to answer some questions to end the speculation.The current Australian players and staff have been conspicuous in their collective silence in the days following Langer’s resignation on Saturday morning.Related

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Alex Carey and Khawaja were the first players to do any media appearances, with both men speaking in the lead-up to the restart of the Sheffield Shield season on Friday, while Bailey spoke following the announcement of Australia’s 18-man Test squad to tour Pakistan.Bailey said he was consulted by Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley and head of national teams Ben Oliver about Langer’s position but he did not believe the accusations that a “faceless few” individuals had been key to the coach not getting a long-term contract were accurate.”I was consulted,” Bailey said. “I’m led to believe that it was a very, very broad consultation. It went wide. Again, I’ve been consulted back since the middle of last year,” Bailey said.”I don’t subscribe to the fact that there was individuals that were key to making the decision.”Bailey also thought Langer’s apology in his letter of resignation was unnecessary.”In JL’s letter that he apologised for being too intense, I mean, I don’t think that’s something he had to apologise for,” Bailey said. “One if he felt that way, but two, I don’t think he was too intense.”A number of ex-Australia players, many of them Langer’s former teammates, have rebuked the current playing group in the media following the coach’s resignation. Bailey encouraged many of them to reach out if they had any concerns about the inner workings of the Australian team.”It’s hard as a past player to keep your finger completely on the pulse of what’s going on within the team,” Bailey said. “A lot of their opinions can be based on hearsay and second and third-hand information. So I would always encourage those players to reach out and get a good understanding of what’s happening.”Khawaja said he wasn’t consulted on the coach’s contract and noted he had not been around the team during the India Test series last summer and the West Indies and Bangladesh limited-overs tours last winter where issues between Langer and the players had bubbled to the surface. But he urged Cummins and Finch to address the issue.”I think at some stage one of the captains, probably Finchy or Patty will probably have to stand up and answer some questions just to get rid of all the speculation that’s going around and to just put an end to it all,” Khawaja said.Both Khawaja and Bailey said they had contacted Langer since his resignation. Both praised the departed coach for bringing humility back to Australia’s men’s cricket team.”One thing that I do love JL for, what I feel he bought back into Australia was humility,” Khawaja said. “I felt like he brought humility back in the Australian cricket team. You talk about legacy, for me, that’s one thing that he’s left behind. Because I know what we were playing like before he was coach, and I know what we were playing like after he became coach. So I haven’t said that to him yet. So I’m saying it to you guys.”Bailey added a similar sentiment recalling Langer’s first day on the job.”Funnily enough through a bit of a quirk of fate, and I can’t remember why it was, but I was actually present in Brisbane the day that JL first spoke to the Australian group when he took on the role,” Bailey said.”I sort of feel like I was there for day one of the journey despite coming on in this role halfway through. But I vividly remember his two points that day. He wanted the team to earn respect with Australians and he wanted to develop great cricketers and great people. And I think he has absolutely done that. I think the team have done that. JL has done that. The staff around the team have done that.”

The Australia fast bowler with a finger injury wants to play a part in the ongoing ODI series, but not at the cost of his Test place

AAP17-Jun-2022Australian quick Mitchell Starc is still holding out hope of featuring in the ODI series against Sri Lanka, but only if it doesn’t compromise his chances of playing in the Tests.Starc sliced open his left index finger on his shoe spike during his follow through in the T20I series opener last week. The 32-year-old has been able to bowl full steam at training in recent days, but ICC rules preventing bowlers from using tape on their fingers means Starc hasn’t been able to feature in games.Starc had the stitches removed on Thursday, but just how well his finger recovers from this point on will determine whether he will be fit for game three of the ODI series against Sri Lanka on Sunday. He is hopeful of playing at least some part in the five-match series, but only if it won’t compromise his chances of featuring in the two Tests that follow.”I’m still holding onto hope that I will,” Starc said of his chances of featuring in the ODI series. “There’s still a fair bit of glue still in the wound. That will start to dissolve a bit more in the next couple of days. Once we get to Colombo we’ll have a look at it again and see where it’s at.”I’m still training. It’s just a matter of where the wound is at, and obviously with one eye on the Test series as well and not compromising that.”Starc said it was frustrating to feel super fit and still unable to play.”I feel really good with the ball in hand,” he said. “I’ve had to bowl at training with the tape on, and it’s purely that I can’t do that in the fixture due to the ICC rules which is why I’m not playing.”If it’s game three, four, or five [that I play], I’m not sure yet. We’re just making sure we’re not compromising the Test series [which starts on June 29].”Australia have been riddled by injuries on the tour to Sri Lanka. Marcus Stoinis (side strain), Sean Abbott (finger) and Kane Richardson (hamstring) will play no further part, while Ashton Agar (side strain), Starc and Mitchell Marsh (hamstring) have also been injured. Agar is out of the remainder of the ODI series but hopeful of being fit in time for the second Test.Star batter Steven Smith sent a scare through the camp in Friday’s 26-run ODI loss when he pulled up lame while sprinting for a second run. Although he was able to play on after receiving strapping on his upper left leg, he will be assessed over the coming days.”I don’t know how sore he is or how much of a niggle he might be,” Starc said. “After he got the strapping he played a pretty nice drive through mid-wicket, so I’m sure he’ll be fine to play the next game.”

Irfan, Arif fifties guide Royals to 225 before Zeeshan, Kharote skittle Sharks for 139

Rvel Zahid22-Oct-2022
Bahawalpur Royals carved their name on the inaugural Pakistan Junior League (PJL) trophy by beating Gwadar Sharks by 86 runs in the final, in Lahore on Friday. Shawaiz Irfan smashed 79 off just 32 deliveries and Tayyab Arif hit a quick fifty to set the platform for an imposing total of 225. In the chase, Sharks were bowled out for 139, thanks to Mohammad Zeeshan and Nangeyalia Kharote’ three wicket-hauls.Sharks won the toss and elected to bowl, but the decision backfired. The damage inflicted by Irfan, Arif, Basit Ali and Kharote was massive for Sharks. While Arif made a 34-ball 56, Kharote remained unbeaten on 47 off 30 balls to help the Imran Tahir-mentored side post the highest total of the season.The Lahore-born Shawaiz, who was promoted up the batting order, was crowned Player of the Match after he thumped the fastest half-century of the tournament. His innings had seven fours and six sixes. His glovework has also been impressive throughout the PJL, drawing praise from Rashid Latif as well.Sharks never got a sniff while bowling as Arif and Afghanistani southpaw Kharote teed off and added 87 runs for the third wicket. Arif scored his first fifty of the PJL and his innings was laced with seven fours and one six, while Kharote hammered two sixes and three fours in his unbeaten knock.Sharks finished the group stage at the top of the table and beat Royals in the Qualifier 1 but on Friday, they were outclassed in all departments. Royals brought their A game in the all-important final and went in with an attacking mindset right from the start.In reply, Sharks did manage a flying start in the powerplay and got to 103 for 4 in the first ten overs, but the innings nosedived after the dismissal of their captain Shamyl Hussain, who notched up 67 off 34 balls. In the end, the team was skittled for 139 in under 16 overs.Their innings was a story of two halves as Sharks were meeting the asking rate in the first ten overs with Hussain leading the charge. But the moment Zeeshan was introduced into the attack, he removed Hussain and the floodgates were opened. Thereon, the wickets fell at regular intervals as the spinners applied the choke and the equation became tougher with each passing over.Sharks’ overseas signing Luc Martin Benkenstein has been in good nick in this competition and even guided his side to the doorstep of victory with a well-crafted 71 in Qualifier 1, but he couldn’t get going in the final and holed out to long-on off Sajjad Ali’s bowling. Another lynchpin of Sharks’ batting line-up Mohammad Zulfikal was snared by Kharote early on. Eventually, Sharks lost their last seven wickets for 43 runs.Sharks will rue the missed opportunities, overthrows and losing their composure when Arif and Shawaiz went berserk with the bat.Basit Ali, who hails from a remote city of Pakistan – Dera Murad Jamali – finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer with 379 runs at a strike rate of 150.39. He struck one century and two half-centuries in the PJL and a crucial 35 in the final. Zeeshan ended the tournament as highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps at an economy of 7.25 from eight matches.

Fast bowler says he has recovered from a stress fracture and quad grade 3 tear following extensive rehab at the NCA

PTI21-Feb-2023After struggling with two “big” injuries last year, India fast bowler Deepak Chahar says he is fully fit and set to make his comeback with the IPL, starting March 31.Chahar, 30, has had a tough time recovering from a stress fracture and more recently a quad grade 3 tear. He last played for India in the second ODI against Bangladesh in Mirpur last December, where he broke down after bowling three overs.Chahar could only feature in 15 games for India in 2022, and was also ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to injury. Having done an extensive rehab at the National Cricket Academy, Chahar is now preparing for the IPL where he will represent the Chennai Super Kings.”I have been working hard for the past two three months on my fitness, I am fully fit and preparing well for the IPL,” Chahar told PTI. “I had two big injures. One was a stress fracture and one was a quad grade 3 tear. They are both very big injuries. You are out for months. Anyone who comes back after the injury it takes time, especially for the fast bowlers.”If I was a batter, I would be playing way back, but as a fast bowler, when you have a stress fracture, it is very tough to get back on track. You can see other bowlers struggling with the back as well.”Chahar made a return to competitive cricket with a first-class game against Services last month but that was his only appearance in the Ranji Trophy.Multiple injuries have pushed him down in the Indian pecking order but he hopes to be part of the team for the ODI World Cup at home later this year.”I have lived by one rule all my life. If I am fully bowling the way I want, if I am batting the way I want, there is no stopping me. That was the basic rule with which I started my career.”I don’t care who is playing, who is not playing , my motive is to get fully fit and perform with the ball and bat 100%. If I do that, I will get my chances.”The men’s IPL will be preceded by the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL), and Chahar could not be more excited for the new tournament.”IPL changed men’s cricket forever, people got a lot of opportunities. Same thing will happen with Women’s Premier League. Women’s cricket will grow very fast as they will face international players very early in their careers. It will also help a lot of women cricketers who have not been able to make money and will fuel competition.”

Captain Rashid Khan said a World Cup victory over Australia was something they had missed in the last two years

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2024

Gulbadin Naib is carried on his shoulders by Afghanistan’s bowling coach Hamid Hassan•ICC/Getty Images

Gulbadin Naib, who orchestrated Afghanistan’s historic win against Australia, was a figure of relief when he collected his Player-of-the-Match award for his spell of 4 for 20. Drenched in sweat while sporting a beaming smile, he held the award while soaking in the feeling of “at last” beating Australia.”We were waiting [for this] for a long time. It’s a great moment not just for me but for my nation and my people,” Naib said at the presentation. “[It is a] big achievement for our cricket. I have no words to say but thanks to the fans for supporting our career and cricket journey. It’s a great teamwork, we worked hard for the last two months and the result is in front of you.”Thank god we at last beat Australia. It’s a great achievement for our cricket in Afghanistan. If you look at history of our cricket, it is not much. Last 10 years, we achieved a lot of goals. This is a big achievement.”Related

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Australia’s fourth-wicket pair of Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell were threatening to take the match away from Afghanistan in the 149 chase, when captain Rashid Khan turned to Naib for his eighth bowling option. Naib picked a wicket off his third delivery, removing Stoinis for 11. Bowling four overs straight, he then dismissed Tim David in this next over and then got the prized wicket of Maxwell, for 59, in the 14th to all but end Australia’s hopes.Naib thanked Rashid for trusting him in the crunch moments of the game and further said Afghanistan’s “journey starts now”.The win was sweeter for Afghanistan, who dealt with a heartbreak against the same opponents at the ODI World Cup last year. With Australia on 91 for 7, a one-legged Maxwell, battling severe cramps, took them to a stunning win with an unbeaten double-century.Naib expressed relief at the result in Kingstown that opened up Super Eight Group 1 standings.”We played very good cricket and in the first round we beat New Zealand,” he said. “Then [to beat] Australia is not easy. They are a world champion team and it is a big achievement for our cricket. We can carry this to the next level.”Our journey starts now. We are very lucky to have such a staff and management.”

Rashid Khan: ‘It’s something we missed in last two years’

After being asked to bat, Afghanistan were given a strong platform with an opening stand of 118 between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran before they lost 6 for 23 with Pat Cummins picking up yet another hat-trick. Afghanistan were only able to post 148 for 6.Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran put on another strong opening stand•AFP/Getty Images

Rashid said they were confident of defending anything over 130, adding the importance of having many allrounders in the team.”The thought was although we didn’t finish as well as we would have liked to, but this is how this wicket is,” Rashid said at the presentation. “The more important thing was that the opening partnership gave us the best start. That let us get to a total we had in mind. We all watched two games before, and on this wicket anything 130-plus we said we were capable of defending. We keep calm and have that belief.”The beauty of this team is having too many allrounders gives you options. As a captain, it makes it easy.”Beating Australia is a “great feeling” and will make Afghanistan fans “proud”, Rashid said.”It’s a massive win for us as a team and as a nation,” he said. “In the World Cup, beating champions is a great feeling. It’s something we missed in last two years – in 2023 World Cup and also in 2022 in Australia where we lacked some runs.”It is so much important for people at home and for everyone all over the world where Afghans are there. They were badly missing this win. I am sure they would be proud of this and would have enjoyed the game. It is just the beginning for us, big game next and we have all the chances of making the semis.”

Sanjay Govil, US tech entrepreneur, submitted the higher of two sealed bids in a process on Friday evening

Matt Roller31-Jan-2025Sanjay Govil, the US-based tech entrepreneur and owner of Washington Freedom, is set to buy a minority stake in Welsh Fire, the Cardiff-based team in the Hundred. ESPNcricinfo understands that Govil submitted the higher of two sealed bids in a process on Friday evening which was delayed by the three-hour bidding war for London Spirit.ESPNcricinfo understands that the winning bid valued 100% of the Fire at £67.5 million, implying Govil will pay just over £33m for his minority share in the team.He will now enter a period of exclusivity with Glamorgan, the Fire’s host county. The two parties will negotiate contractual details with the help of the ECB and their advisors over the next eight weeks. Glamorgan told their members earlier this month that they intend to retain their 51% controlling stake in Welsh Fire.Related

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Govil is the chairman of two tech companies in the US: Infinite Computer Solutions, a leading technology services company, and Zyter, a health technology services company. Two years ago, he made his first substantial cricketing investment by buying Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket and the franchise won the title in their second season, with Ricky Ponting serving as head coach.ESPNcricinfo understands that Govil outbid one other contender in the final round. Capri Global, the Indian loans company who own UP Warriorz and Sharjah Warriorz in the WPL and ILT20 respectively, were understood to be the losing bidder. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny, the Hollywood actors and Wrexham AFC co-owners, held talks with Glamorgan but dropped out before the final round of bidding.The Freedom’s bid is understood to have impressed Glamorgan from early in the process, with chief executive Dan Cherry telling ESPNcricinfo last year that the club valued the idea of identifying a “true partner” rather than simply an investor. “We are keen to build a partnership where people can add value to us as a club,” Cherry said.Washington Freedom were MLC champions in 2024•MLC

The Fire have failed to reach the play-offs in the first four editions of the men’s Hundred, but their women’s team have been more successful and were losing finalists last year. They are expected to be the team with the lowest valuation of the eight, having attracted relatively small crowds to date.The valuation means that the ECB has brought around £278 million into the English game with the sale of 49% stakes in four Hundred teams over the past two days. The revenue will be split between the 18 first-class counties, MCC and the recreational game in England and Wales, and is designed to “future-proof” the county game for at least the next two decades.The ECB declined to comment, while Glamorgan were also contacted for comment.