Category: Sports

Rafael Nadal won a record 21st Grand Slam men’s title in the most stunning fashion, fighting back from two sets down to beat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in a classic Australian Open final.

Backed by a loud Melbourne crowd, sixth seed Nadal rallied to win 2-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena.

US Open champion Medvedev was going for his second successive major title.

Medvedev, 25, was in command before Nadal showed all of his renowned grit and fight to earn an extraordinary win.

The 35-year-old Spaniard has been at the centre of some of the sport’s most incredible triumphs – but this surely goes down as the most amazing Grand Slam victory of his illustrious career.

Nadal’s achievement comes only a few months after he thought he would never be able to return to the tour because of a foot injury.

In the absence of the deported Novak Djokovic and the injured Roger Federer in Melbourne, Nadal has moved one ahead of his great rivals in the race to finish with most major men’s singles titles.

It is the left-hander’s second Australian Open title and comes 13 years after his only previous success.

“Without a doubt it is one of the most emotional wins of my career,” Nadal, who had also previously lost four Australian Open finals, said after the trophy presentation.

Nadal’s emotional celebrations after adversity

Chronic pain in Nadal’s left foot restricted him to only one tournament in the final seven months of 2021, while a bout of coronavirus in mid-December also left him “very sick with fever”.

Those setbacks meant the Australian Open was just his second competitive event in five months, having won a warm-up tournament at Melbourne Park earlier in January.

Nadal sealed victory against Medvedev after five hours 24 minutes – and at 01:11 local time in Melbourne – when the second seed could not return a net volley on the first of the Spaniard’s three match points.

Dropping his racquet to the floor, Nadal stood motionless with his hands on hips as his jaw dropped. After a warm embrace with Medvedev, he walked towards his support team and exploded with emotion.

A triple first-pump was followed by a drop to his knees, his hands covering his face as he looked up to the sky.

Nadal slowly walked over to his players’ box, hugging Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley, on his way to embrace his father Sebastian.

The intensity of his celebration illustrated the euphoria Nadal felt after the obstacles he had overcome – on the night and in the recent months – to win.

Previously in his career, Nadal had only won three matches from two sets down and the most recent of those came at Wimbledon in 2007 against Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny.

Victory came at the end of the second longest Grand Slam final in history, just 30 minutes short of the 2012 final at Melbourne Park when Nadal lost to Djokovic.

So much had he given to his record-breaking achievement that during the trophy presentation, Nadal was brought a chair so he could sit down rather than stand.

“I’m physically destroyed,” Nadal said in his post-match news conference.

Medvedev’s irritation at the pro-Nadal support

At two sets up, Medvedev had looked well on course to back up his victory in New York with another triumph at Melbourne Park.

Nadal lacked fluency with his groundstrokes in the first set, particularly on the backhand side, and Medvedev took five games in a row to seal it, Nadal dumping another backhand into the net, the Spanish left-hander’s 16th unforced error against just five from his opponent.

The younger man’s dominance was also illustrated by his winning 31 of the total points compared to 17 by Nadal.

With all the statistics in favour of Medvedev, the second set unexpectedly turned Nadal’s way at 2-1.

Nadal ended a 40-shot rally with an angled backhand winner, setting up break points for the first time in the match, and an unforced error from Medvedev handed over the game.

Suddenly Nadal had a spring in his step – and had the crowd getting noisier too – as he moved 4-1 ahead.

Three successive breaks of serve soon followed, a run that ended with a dramatic ninth game that stunned the Laver crowd.

It included a set point for Nadal, five break points for Medvedev and the game being halted when a protester jumped on to court before being dragged away by security.

The set eventually went to a tie-break which Medvedev finished the stronger and it appeared doubtful Nadal, already looking tired and sweating a lot, could fight back.

Another pivotal moment came in the sixth game of the third set when Nadal, facing going two sets and a break down, fought off three break points.

Both men continued to hold serve until the ninth game when Nadal, whose indomitable spirit began to grow, pounced.

Medvedev, perhaps as a result of the finishing line coming into view, lost clarity of thought when he tried to prod over a volley and instead hit it into the net.

That brought raucous cheers from the crowd and Medvedev responded with a sarcastic clap of his racquet.

The Spaniard broke and served out the set to love, sending the pro-Nadal crowd into further raptures.

A tense fourth set featured 15 break points, with Nadal taking two of his 10 opportunities to tee up a decider.

Medvedev continued to be irritated by the support being given to Nadal, and the frequent noise during his service points, prompting umpire John Blom to repeatedly ask for calm.

Nadal now looked the man with the mental resilience needed to see the job through.

He broke for 3-2 but then wobbled when he served for the match at 5-4, only to break straight back to lead 6-5 and serve out victory at the second attempt.

In his on-court speech, Medvedev thanked his team, and joked: “I’m sure my wife is watching back home but I think the TV will be broken now.”

Medvedev, who lost last year’s final to Djokovic, was aiming to become the first man in the Open era to win his second Grand Slam title at the next major event after his maiden triumph.

He was the highest seed men’s player in Djokovic’s absence.

“If we talk about tennis, I’m not that disappointed,” Medvedev said.

“It was a huge match, for sure, and there were some small points, small details, that I could have done better if I wanted to win. But that’s tennis. That’s life.

“Rafa played unreal and raised his level. I mean, two sets to love up, I wanted just to go for him, go for more.

“He was really strong, the way he played for four hours, I was even surprised.” (BBC)

For the first time since September 2019, USA are set to host an international cricket match when they face ICC Full-Member Nation Ireland in the inaugural T20I at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground here on December 22.

The series involves two T20Is, followed by three One-day Internationals and will conclude on December 30. The preparations haven’t gone as planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the practice games getting cancelled and both teams training individually on the centre wicket.

Ireland have had to make many changes to their squad after several of their members — including Barry McCarthy, George Dockrell, Harry Tector and Gareth Delany — tested COVID-positive ahead of the limited-overs series. They will join the team after 10-day isolation.

With several uncertainties, Josh Little cut short his Lankan Premier League stint to join the Ireland squad here. For the USA, Karima Gore, Jaskaran Malhotra and Aaron Jones have been ruled out after being named in the initial squads. To cover for the absentees, four players have received their maiden national call-up, three of whom are U-19 players.

Ritwik Behera has been named in both the ODI and T20I squads, while Yasir Mohammed and Ali Sheikh have been called up for the T20I squad along with Ryan Scott. Rusty Theron too will be unavailable due to a groin injury.

All the games will be played at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground here.

Squads:

Ireland T20I: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Shane Getkate, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, William McClintock, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.

Ireland ODI: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, William Porterfield, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.

USA T20I: Monank Patel (c), Ali Khan, Ali Sheikh, Gajanand Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Marty Kain, Nisarg Patel, Ritwik Behera, Ryan Scott, Saurabh Netravalkar, Steven Taylor, Sushant Modani, Vatsal Vaghela, Xavier Marshall, Yasir Mohammed.

USA ODI: Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones, Ali Khan, Gajanand Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Jaskaran Malhotra, Marty Kain, Nisarg Patel, Nosthush Kenjige, Rahul Jariwala, Ritwik Behera, Saurabh Netravalkar, Steven Taylor, Sushant Modani, Vatsal Vaghela, Xavier Marshall.

Australia beat their Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand by 8 wickets to lift their first T20 World Cup on Sunday, November 14^th in Dubai by chasing down the 173-run target set by the Kiwis with 7 balls to spare. Put into bat first, New Zealand struggled early on, managing to score just 57 runs for the loss of one wicket in the first 10 overs before the Kiwi captain Kane Williamson grabbed the bull by the horns and stepped on the gas, scoring a quickfire 85 off 48 balls to lead the team to 172 for the loss of 4 wickets.

Australia, who won the toss, began the run chase at a blistering pace with opener David Warner scoring 53 off 38 deliveries, enabling his team to be at 82 for the loss of 1 wicket at the halfway stage. Injury ravaged Mitchell Marsh, who top scored for his team with a 77 not out off 50 deliveries also achieved a personal milestone for himself by becoming the first Aussie to score 600 runs in T20Is in 2021.

While for the Kiwis, it was yet another heartbreak against the Kangaroos in a World Cup final — they lost to the Aussies in the 2015 World Cup ODI final — they did have a consolation in Williamson becoming the highest scoring captain in a T20 World Cup final, beating the record of former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara. Williamson in fact singled out Mitchell Starc for special treatment, who went for 60 runs in his 4 overs, including 19 runs off the 11th over of the innings, including surviving a chance off a dropped catch by Josh Hazlewood.

It was New Zealand’s third white-ball World Cup final in six years, a superb achievement particularly when coupled with their victory in the World Test Championship earlier this year, but all three have been lost. “You sign up to play the game, and you win or you lose. These are things that can happen on any day,” their captain, Kane Williamson, said.

Through a combination of good bowling and a tough pitch, New Zealand was restricted for runs, also losing the wicket of opening batsmen Daryl Mitchell for just 11.

The turning point for New Zealand came when captain Williamson bwas dropped by fast bowler Josh Hazlewood on the boundary.

At that point, he had scored 21 runs off 21 balls. After that, he exploded, reaching a 32-ball 50 and also hitting Mitchell Starc for 22 runs off a single over.

However, in what proved to be a big over for Australia, Hazlewood claimed the wickets of Glenn Phillips and Williamson — after a remarkable innings of 85 runs off of 48 balls.

“If you look at the campaign as a whole, and the type of cricket we have been able to play, I can say we are very proud of our efforts through this period of time. You get to a final and anything can happen. We turned up and played some really good cricket, and it wasn’t quite enough.”

The winner of T20 World Cup 2021, Australia, will get Rs 11.9 crore. Additionally, the Aussies will also receive Rs 1.2 crore for winning four Super 12 matches. All in all, Finch’s side will receive Rs 13.1 crore.

Coming to New Zealand, the runner-up team will receive a prize money of Rs 5.95 crore. Since the Kiwis also won four of their five Super 12 matches, they also get Rs 1.2 crore. So, the Blackcaps will get richer by Rs 7.15 crore.

This was the first-ever T20 World Cup final for New Zealand, while Australia had played only one final before, in 2010 when it lost to England. Warner was named the Man of Tournament for his wonderful figure of 289 runs in the ICC event.

The seventh edition of the ICC T20 Men’s T20 World Cup is finally upon us and it will take place in UAE and Oman in a total of 4 venues — Muscat, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.

The World Cup is being co-hosted by Oman and UAE after original hosts India were forced to take the ICC event to the Middle East due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The seventh World Cup begins with a double-header at the 3,000-seat venue outside Muscat.

The group stage of the tournament begins on Sunday with Papua New Guinea taking on Oman in the 3.30 PM IST slot while Bangladesh takes on Scotland in the 7.30 PM IST slot.

From October 23, the Super 12 round will start, and this will end on November 8. The knock-out round of the T20 World Cup 2021 will start on November 10 and the final of the tournament is set to take place on November 14.

The top two teams in each group of the Super12 stage progress to the semi-finals, with the final set to be played in Dubai on 14 November. India kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on October 24.

The eight teams in the first round of qualifying are chasing four places in the Super 12 round-robin stage.

England, Australia, South Africa, defending champions West Indies, India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Afghanistan will be waiting with all matches in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

The top four then progress to the semi-finals before the final in Dubai on 14 November.

There is plenty at stake. A place in the next round guarantees a spot in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

There is also a financial incentive. Teams exiting at the first hurdle take home a modest $40,000.

The eventual champions pocket a $1.6 million winner’s CASH PRIZE. 

For the first time in T20 World Cup history, DRS has been made available. Like is the case with T20Is, each team will have a maximum of two unsuccessful reviews per innings.

Here’s all you need to know about the group stage matches:

Schedule:

Oman vs Papua New Guinea– Sunday, October 17 – 3.30 PM

Bangladesh vs Scotland – Sunday, October 17 – 7.30 PM

Ireland vs Netherlands – Monday, October 18 – 3.30 PM

Sri Lanka vs Namibia – Monday, October 18 – 7.30 PM

Scotland vs Papua New Guinea – Tuesday, October 19 – 3.30 PM

Bangladesh vs Oman – Tuesday, October 19 – 7.30 PM

Namibia vs Netherlands – Wednesday, October 20 – 3.30 PM

Sri Lanka vs Ireland – Wednesday, October 20 – 7.30 PM

Bangladesh vs Papua New Guinea – Thursday, October 21 – 3.30 PM

Oman vs Scotland – Thursday, October 21 – 7.30 PM

Namibia vs Ireland – Friday, October 22 – 3.30 PM

Sri Lanka vs Netherlands – Friday, October 22 – 7.30 PM

Pakistan have won their last 10 Twenty20 internationals in the UAE and captain Babar Azam claimed Saturday that run will give his men the edge over India next weekend. “Definitely we have played a lot of cricket in the UAE,” Babar said Saturday when asked about his team’s dismal 0-5 record against India in T20 World Cup clashes. “These conditions suit us and we know how to play here.”

Chicago IL: United Cricket League and Entertainment Gold cup tournament held Midwest Cc club team settle for a spectacular win against the Cougars on Monday September 06, 2021 at Skokie Sports Park, 3459 Oakton St, Skokie, IL.

 UCL & E Chicago gold cup this tournament played for 3 days at Skokie and Camera Park yesterday 2 matches was played semi-final and final and we finish final match yesterday at Skokie Sports Park first semi-final was played by cougars v/s Dee park it was hard job for both teams and second semi-final Midwest Cc club v/s yeh/ cheez and final match was played by Midwest Cc club v/s Cougars and Midwest Cc club win the final match and kamran syed win man of the series and Man of the match syed Kabir and best bowler salman khan and best batman syed kamran and in final match and also we gave trophy and cash prize.

Skokie Mayor and pramod C Shah Skokie Trustee and also Skokie commissioner and directors also came and also 1 minutes silent for Covid 19 and MC was Norman khan,and syead Mustaq Hussain gave speech and thanks for people’s a d Adil Azeem Khan thanks for all guest and also for salman khan family and Babar family and Midwest Cc 2 owner also came Mr sandip and Dr Hyder and also I thanks for Mr Navid and Mr Raja razak and Mr Dev and syed Iqbal UCL Director and Sufiyan Dukaanwala UCL Manager and Mr Isaac and Mohammed Rafi and Mohammed Afroz and Mohammed Yunus and also thanks for Aiyas patel and javid patel a d sayed Aishan and chirag patel and moin Babar and also Norman khan and Daniel and syed shabir and also for emperor Mr Anwar, Mr Shabbir Patel, Abdul roof a d Mr Mahdi, Ameen, Mr Hasim and also sponsors, Pepsi, Little Caesar, Devon Discount Pharmacy, AV Stones, and also thanks for Pakistani player Mohammed Asif and Mr Adam Westindies international player and Mr Bharat international player of India and under 19 international player and Fahad Babar USA

 

Joe Root held back and allowed Ollie Robinson to lead England off with a souvenir stump in his left hand, cap in the other, to lap up the acclaim of Headingley after a startling victory by an innings and 76 runs. Root had just made history, becoming England’s most successful Test captain with 27 wins, overtaking his boyhood hero Michael Vaughan, but he recognised he should step back for this was a victory set up by his bowlers. Robinson deserved his moment. “Sensational throughout the whole game,” was Root’s snap verdict moments after levelling the series and it was hard to disagree despite his own brilliant century strengthening England’s grip. Root was relieved though. It is six months since he levelled Vaughan’s record and this result stopped a seven match winless streak.

Robinson took five for 65 including four for 25 from an eight-over spell with the second new ball in the morning that destroyed India’s resilience, ensured the match was over 10 minutes before lunch and left Yorkshire having to fork out 50 per cent refunds. The ECB will be happy. This was all over in 112 balls. Surely someone can market that as a new version of Test cricket. How the mood had changed from Monday when the teams were netting at Headingley and Root learned he had lost another bowler – Mark Wood – and admitted he had to remind himself he was living his boyhood dream as England captain while coming to terms with the Lord’s defeat.

“When I was 10 years old I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted to do.” In truth, the break refreshed England, gave them time to regroup and remind themselves India’s batting had looked vulnerable in both Tests. They took advantage of good bowling conditions on day one, dismissing India for 78 and played on Virat Kohli’s hubris when he opted to bat first, ignoring 20 years of results at Headingley. Robinson admitted afterwards he had only learned to bowl the wobble seam delivery that served him well here by speaking to James Anderson in the week leading up to the Test. He is clearly a remarkably quick learner for he has taken to Test cricket like a natural, with 23 wickets at 17 in his four matches to date, with seven for 81 here.

He has endured the ups and downs already after his suspension for racist tweets but proved his maturity by focussing completely on his bowling despite the storm around him. He must have enjoyed his man-of-the-match award at Headingley which he left under a dark cloud as a youngster when Yorkshire despaired at his lack of professionalism. Members of the India squad were in the nets while the post-match presentation was taking place and Kohli was going through his interviews. He knows his middle order is in deep trouble, himself included. Cheteshwar Puajra made 91 but did not add to his overnight total and Kohli nicked off again playing in the channel outside off stump, where he averages 7.25 in this series.

India collapsed from 215 for three at the start of play to 278 all out in 18.3 overs with only Ravindra Jadeja scoring more than six runs on Saturday.   Robinson and Anderson looked as if they were sore on Friday night, both leaving the field for treatment as India rallied. But with the new ball due in their hand, they were refreshed and started with three maidens to crank up the pressure. Robinson, for the second time in the innings, worked his way through an eight-over spell and this time it was hot, the sun beating down for the first time in the match. He struck first from the Kirkstall Lane End, angling the ball into Pujara who shouldered arms and was struck on the pads. It was given not out, but England reviewed and Root leapt in the air, punching his fists towards the packed out Emerald Stand when it was given out, the relief obvious given Pujara’s stickability. Robinson (left) celebrates taking the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara after review Credit:PA. On 46, Kohli turned and walked when he was given out off the outside edge but partner Ajkinkya Rahane called him back to review. It was wise. Kohli had clipped his pad and was not out.

But it did not matter. Kohli reached fifty, drove Robinson for four but next ball fiddled at a wobble seam delivery which bounced, held its line and took the outside edge with Root pouching a good catch at first slip. Kohli, head bowed, walked off slowly. He had fallen into the trap again. Joe Root wheels away after claiming the catch to dismiss Virat Kohli Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Anderson will need to produce a book as thick as Wisden to record all his records and he added another one when Rahane dangled the bat and edged behind, another India batsmen playing at a ball he should have left. It was Anderson’s 400th Test wicket in England. Only Muttiah Muralitharan had taken 400 wickets in one country before. More importantly to Anderson, it was his first second-innings wicket of the summer and now England could realistically look forward to the afternoon off. Rishabh Pant has no defence to speak of in these situations, the ball seaming and swinging just enough to challenge the edge. He is batting a place too high, especially in England, and it has to be rectified. He charged down to two of his seven balls and it was never going to last. He chased a wide ball and edged Robinson to third slip for one.

Robinson thought he had his fifth wicket when Mohammed Shami was given lbw playing across the line, but it was going over the top of leg stump on review. Root cleverly turned to Moeen Ali, who has a hold over Shami, and bowled him with his second ball, a perfect offbreak that spun between bat and pad. Root gave Robinson one more over, desperately wanting him to take a fifth wicket. Ishant Sharma obliged, propping forward to edge behind for two. There would be no tailend resistance this time,  England homing in on the offstump relentlessly. Robinson deserved his break after nearly 90 minutes of bowling, stepping aside for Craig Overton to wrap up a decent Test return with the final two wickets, striking twice in three balls to remove Jadeja for 30 and last man Mohammed Siraj, both caught off the edge. Surrey, always canny commercial operators, announced straightaway there are tickets available for all five days of the fourth Test. Be quick, grab a seat. This series is brilliantly set up by two

Ten overs into the morning, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli have already both been dismissed. The second new ball is swinging and seaming; James Anderson and Ollie Robinson are bowling with immaculate control. Batting in Test cricket in England is seldom so challenging.   To Rishabh Pant there is only one response: charge. And so when he receives his first delivery from Anderson, Pant shuffles down the wicket. To his second ball, he does the same, and steers a single into the on side. From his third ball, against Robinson, Pant again advances, only this time with palpable intent, and attempts to smear him through the on side for a boundary. His bat only connects with air.  It seems the acme of recklessness; you can almost sense the tut-tutting as Pant moves up the pitch. The idea of Pant’s impetuosity obscures the rationale to what Pant is doing: by advancing, he hopes to negate seam movement.

In Test cricket, there exists a curious hierarchy of dismissal. A batsman dismissed defending is sparred opprobrium; one who is removed attacking is vilified, even if he scored more runs. For a top-order batsmen to be dismissed attacking early on in an innings is seen as not merely a cricketing fallibility but a moral one: evidence of a lack of character, a dearth of judgement and sheer arrogance. There is an alternative view. Part of the rich tapestry of Test cricket is that it is a game for all sorts; there is no one set way to approach an innings, as the brilliant, contrasting partnerships shared by Pujara and Pant during India’s victory in Australia last winter attest.  Pant’s propensity to attack is rooted in the simple belief that this is the best way for him to score runs. The rationale is two-fold. Firstly, Pant has an extraordinary array of attacking shots; when he last encountered Anderson with the second new ball, in Ahmedabad in March, Pant reverse-scooped him for four. Secondly, Pant resembles a man who does not trust his defence in English conditions. What can look like bravado is also a mask for insecurity.  Perversely, Pant’s dismissal also provides some vindication for his method. After his first three balls, he returns to a slightly more conventional approach to batting against the moving ball in England. He bats a little outside his crease, but does not advanced further towards the ball as the ball is bowled. And, rather than attempt to swish against the line, instead Pant reverts to defence.

From his fourth ball with this more conventional approach, Pant pokes forward at a delivery pushed across him from Robinson. It is angled across Pant at a line that he could have left alone; instead, his circumspect prod only steers the ball into the slips. All that reverting to orthodoxy has done is get Pant dismissed. There are very legitimate qualms with Pant’s approach in the second innings at Headingley: trying to hoick his third ball, when Anderson and Robinson seemed to be nearing the end of their spells, hardly gave himself the best chance. Pant’s real problem, though, was less of method than the durability of his defence. In seven Tests in England, he has been dismissed defending every 27 balls, compared to 49 balls for all batsmen in the top six in this time.  So when he defends the ball in England, Pant is almost twice as likely to be dismissed as the average top-order batsman. Seen through this light, Pant’s embrace of attacking is not so much a deliberate choice as a reflection of a lack of alternatives.

None of this obscures that Pant is an extraordinary cricketer. Aged 23, he averages 40, and has hit Test centuries in England, Australia and India. In consecutive weeks in Australia in January, India needed over 300 in the final innings; Pant responded with 97 and 89*, two innings of remarkable audacity and self-belief, to help India clinch a draw and a win and seal their heist in Australia. But against the seaming and swinging ball, Pant’s method has been altogether less robust: he now averages just 22.6 in seven Tests in England, and floundered in New Zealand too. For all the temptations to castigate his approach, Pant’s bigger problem is simply his porous defence – and the white heat of a five-match Test series is no time to change a player’s technique. And so perhaps India would be wiser to hope that, with a little fortune, a phenomenal talent can trust in his method and score runs in his own unique way.

(Courtesy: The Independent)

Cricket League and Entertainment held its Night Tournament Closing Ceremony was on August 23, 2021 Monday at Skokie Sports Park, IL. 12 teams that participated are Anjuman, Chicago Indians, Cougars, Mavericks, American Eagles, Deccan Heroes, Deepark, Rogers park, Gujju boys, Hawks, Kimball 11, and Maharishi CC. The two teams that played in the final are Anjuman and Deccan Heroes. Anjuman won the toss and the Captain, Ayaz Patel decided to bat first. Deccan Heroe captain Jibran led the team very well. Anjuman scored 206 runs and Deccan Heroes scored 115 runs. Anjuman won the final. Man of the Match was Ayaz Patel, and Man of the Series was Gul Khan.

The chief Guests included Masood Chik, former cricketer of Pakistan, Pramod Shah: Skokie Village Clerk , Jim McCarthy: Skokie Caucus Party Chairman, Susan Aberman: Skokie Park Board President, Mike Reid: Skokie Park Board Vice President. Mike Shah: Skokie Planning Commissioner, Robert DeLeonardis: Sports park supervisor, Syed Mustaq Hussain: main advisor, and Syed Sikander: advisor. Other guests were Mohammed Afroz, Mohammed Anwar, Faheem Shehzad, Abdul Faheem, Mohammed Rafi, Sidiq Khan, Mohammed Yunus, Mukhram Mehmood, Ayaz Patel, Sufuyian Dukanwala, Syed Ehsan, and everyone who attended. The empires were Syed Shabbir, and Hanif Lala. UCL&E would like to thank their sponsors which includes Pepsi, PPG, Devon Discount Pharmacy, Sabri Nahari, NP Jewelers, Free Covid Care, AV Stone, Patel Brothers, Air Tour, Shalimar Banquet Hall, Little Ceaser pizza, Noble Services, Lyca Mobile, and Okay Auto Repair.

There was also media coverage by TV Asia, Hi India, Asian Media USA, Crickcom, and Crickclub. The President of United Cricket League and Entertainment, Adil Azeem Khan would like to thank everyone and encourage teams to participate in the Gold Cup Tournament during Labor Day weekend.

Ending the long drought, India’s hockey team has come home with an Olympic medal in 2021. The dreams of billions of hockey fans came true when India bagged a historic bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics, beating Germany 5-4 in an edge-of-the-seat thriller to claim its first medal in 41 years that will hopefully revive the sport’s fortunes in a country that is considered the spiritual home of the game on August 5th. India last won an Olympic medal in 1980 — a gold in Moscow. The Olympic men’s field hockey is the country’s first medal in that sport since 1980 – a decade before any of the current players were even born.

Manpreet Singh’s fought back brilliantly from a two-goal deficit (1-3) to score four goals in four minutes just around half-time for a sensational victory that would remind fans of the glory days when the Indians were a force to reckon with in world hockey.

India unleashed a four-goal blitz in four minutes as they came roaring back after being pinned down 1-3 by the Germans who started aggressively and created good pressure by going full press from the start itself.

But the Indians took control of the midfield, capitalized on the gaps created by the hard-pressing Germans, and counter-attacked brilliantly, cutting the German defense to shreds in those four minutes that left the opponents shocked. Till that time, it looked like Tobias Hauke’s side had taken control of the match as they opened the scoring in the second minute of their first attack and then scored twice within a minute as they took control of the proceedings with a 3-1 lead.

But the Indians were not done yet. They scored two goals of their own in the 27th and 29th minute through Hardik and Harmanpreet Singh, the latter powering a brilliant drag-flick into the German goal, capitalising on swift counter-attacks. The score was 3-3 at half-time and both teams had a lot to play for.

The Indians continued with the momentum in the third quarter and a minute after the restart, earned a penalty stroke when Mandeep Singh was brought down by Oruz in the shooting circle. Rupinderpal Singh’s push had too much power for German goalkeeper Alexander Stadler, who guessed the direction but could not get down fast enough to stop it.

India made things more difficult for Germany when Simranjeet Singh was on target again in the 34th minute after he was set up by Gurjant Singh, who made a good run to the goal-line and sent a minus ball inside the circle.

The Germans pulled one goal back with Windfeder converting a penalty corner in the 48th minute and India survived some anxious moments when Germany earned a penalty corner in the dying minutes of the match. PR Sreejesh, who has stood like a rock throughout the match pulling off many saves, blocked Windfeder’s attempt and the Indians jumped in celebration as the clock ran out.

Simranjeet Singh (17th, 34th) scored a brace of goals while Hardik Singh (27th min), Harmanpreet Singh (29th min), and Rupinderpal Singh (31st min) scored a goal apiece for India while for Germany Timur Cruz (2nd min), Niklas Wellen (24th min), Benedict Furk (25th min) and Lukas Windfeder (48th min) were on target. Sreejesh, ecstatic after winning the bronze medal in his third Olympics, climbed on to the top of the goal post to celebrate as his teammates ran around the ground, hugging and congratulating each other. As his teammates cried with joy, India’s goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh scrambled atop his goalposts, his padded legs dangling, and stretched his arms wide, pumping two fists in the air.

But even bigger history might still be made Friday, when India’s field hockey women — who’ve never won any Olympic medal — compete for their own bronze.  On Friday morning local time, India’s women faced, fighting brilliantly against Britain. The Indian women shocked undefeated Australia in the quarterfinals, but they lost to Argentina in the semifinals. It was the Indian women’s first-ever appearance in a semifinal match.

The Indian men’s hockey team has received a total funding of Rs 50 crore in the five years since 2016. The team that finished eighth in Rio de Janeiro Olympics after losing to Belgium in the quarter-finals, has received Rs 50 crore as part of Annual Calendar for Training and Competitions’ (ACTC) funding.

Besides this, the team received Rs 16.80 lakh under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), the Sports Authority of India informed. Thus the total government contribution in their preparation for the last five years comes to Rs. 50,19,80,000 (Rs 50.2 crore).

The team, which was stuck at Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Bengaluru centre for the entire duration of the nationwide lockdown in 2020, has mostly trained at home last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant travel restrictions. Besides the above mentioned funding, the team also received visa assistance for various international competitions and foreign training trips. It was worth all the investment India has done for the hockey game, which used to be one of the most popular sports in India.

It was India’s fourth medal in the Tokyo Olympics after one silver and three bronze. Weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu won the (silver medal while shuttler PV Sindhu and boxer Lovlina Borghain claimed the other two bronze medals.

India has won more Olympic medals in field hockey than any other sport. But prior to Tokyo, its 11 hockey medals were all won by men, and all before 1980 – until now. On August 5th, the Indian team overcame four decades of disappointments as it captured a well-deserved bronze medal to take India’s tally in Olympic Games hockey competitions to 12 medals — eight gold, one silver and three bronze, surpassing Germany, with whom they were tied at 11 (4 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze).

The curse has been broken.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted moments after India won the hockey medal in Tokyo: “Historic! A day that will be etched in the memory of every Indian.”

Taking home Argentina’s first major title since 1993, Lionel Messi and the Argentinian national soccer team celebrated their long awaited victory when Argentinian player Ángel Di Marían scored the first and final point in the Copa América Final Saturday night. Starting only for the second time in the Copa, Ángel Di Marían delivered the finishing shot in the 22nd minute, sending the ball over Brazil’s goalkeeper, Enderson, landing directly in the back of Brazil’s net.

Argentina’s win was especially meaningful for captain Lionel Messi, 34, who is largely considered one of the best soccer players globally, with many previously won titles and honors with his Spanish club team, Barcelona. Even with all these accomplishments, he was unable to secure a single international trophy with his home team.

Beginning from the 2014 World Cup, Messi and Argentina consecutively lost three international championships. The repeated failures have had Messi retire from the national team more than once. But despite the critics after the defeats in three Copa finals and one World Cup final with Argentina, Messi had returned each time to chase that ultimate victory.

Standing in the same stadium 7 years ago where Messi and Argentina sustained arguably one of their largest defeats against Germany in the World Cup final, they finally stood victorious at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

“I was close many times,” Messi said after the match, according to The Associated Press. “It’s crazy. I can’t explain how happy I feel. I’ve been sad many times [with Argentina after tournaments] but I knew it would happen and there’s no better moment. This team deserved it,” he added.

Although the Argentinian team was unable to celebrate their win with their fans in person due to COVID-19 transmission fears, soccer enthusiasts all over the world were seen rejoicing over the 28-year long wait for victory.

The noise and energy from the Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday shook the world. English fans repopularized the 1996 song “Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home)”, landing its spot at the top of the British music charts, while Italian fans were seen waving flags and dancing in the streets from Italy all the way to Brooklyn, New York.

The Italian national team had won the 2020 men’s European soccer championship against England, crushing the hopes of England bringing home their first major title in over half a century, since the 1966 World Cup. This win also marks Italy’s first victorious Euro championship since 1968, after 3 failed attempts in the finals over the last two decades. The 90 minute match had the scores tied at 1-1, with England leading the first half of the game in behalf of an early goal from Luke Shaw. This lead was lost in the 67th minute when Italy’s Leonardo Bonucci managed to score the crucial goal, which resulted in 30 minutes of extended time, before Italy claimed victory during a penalty shootout, ending with three goals compared to England’s two.

With the help from goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma, 22, Italy managed to avoid England’s rising 19 year old star, Bukayo Saka, from scoring, ultimately leading to Italy’s win. This final save by Donnarumma justified his earning of player of the tournament award, which was notably the first time a goalie has received the title. Italy’s astonishing accomplishment on Sunday further proved the team’s formidable talents, as this victory marked their 34th consecutive win.

For English fans, the entire day was filled with overwhelming emotions, alternating between hope and disbelief. Many left the stadium into the London rain devastated and disappointed, believing that they would finally bring victory home. With Italian fans celebrating the outcome of Sunday’s game, the phrase “It’s coming to Rome!” has taken the world by storm.

This year’s T20 World Cup, which has been moved to the UAE and Oman from India due to the COVID-10 pandemic, will be played from October 17 to November 14, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Tuesday. The ICC statement came a day after BCCI intimated the governing body that the event can be moved out of India. “The BCCI will remain the hosts of the event, which will now be held in Dubai International Stadium, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Stadium, and the Oman Cricket Academy Ground, from 17 October to 14 November 2021,” the ICC stated.

The first round of the tournament, comprising the eight qualifying teams, will now be split between Oman and UAE. Four of these teams will then progress to the Super 12s round where they’ll join the eight automatic qualifiers. The upcoming edition will be the first men’s T20 World Cup played since 2016, when West Indies beat England in the final in India. The eight teams competing in the preliminary stage are Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman and Papua New Guinea, before the play-off stage and the Final on November 14.

“Our priority is to deliver the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 safely, in full and in its current window,” said acting ICC CEO Geoff Allardice. “…the decision gives us the certainty we need to stage the event in a country that is a proven international host of multi-team events in a bio-secure environment. “We will work closely with the BCCI, the Emirates Cricket Board and Oman Cricket to ensure fans can enjoy a wonderful celebration of cricket.”

BCCI president SouravGanguly added: “We would have been happier hosting it in India but considering the uncertainty due to the COVID-19 situation and the importance of a world championship, the BCCI will now continue to host this tournament in UAE and Oman.”

With a little over a month until the start of the Tokyo Olympics, the possibility of a cancellation looms large over the Games.As Japan battles a fourth wave of coronavirus infections and a state of emergency in Tokyo and other prefectures remains in place until the end of the month, there is mounting pressure from health experts, business leaders and the Japanese public to call off the Games.

The Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association, an organization of about 6,000 doctors in Tokyo, penned a letter calling for a cancellation, while a petition which garnered 350,000 signatures in nine days in support of a cancellation has been submitted to organizers.Also, the CEO of leading Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten said that holding the Games amid the pandemic amounts to a “suicide mission” — among the strongest opposition so far voiced by a business leader. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has remained adamant that the Olympics, already postponed by a year amid the pandemic, will be able to get underway on July 23.

Organizers have released a playbook, the final version of which is expected next month, outlining a series of countermeasures that they say will ensure the Games can take place in a safe and secure way, even as thousands of athletes from around the world descend on Tokyo.The games, which are scheduled to take place in Tokyo and other parts of Japan from July 23 to Aug. 8, were already postponed for a year due to the coronavirus. Now, they may be pushed back again, or canceled altogether, as Covid-19 cases continue to rise, not just in Japan, but also across southeast and east Asia.Things could still change. And there are important financial, political, and institutional factors at play, as well as historical precedent: The games have only ever been canceled in wartime. Here’s what we know so far.

Who runs the Olympics?

The Olympic Games are a partnership between four main players:

1. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which oversees the Olympic movement and directs funds to organizing bodies.
2. The National Olympic Committees (NOC), of which there are 206. They select the athletes that will attend the Olympics, nominate host cities, and promote the Olympics at home.
3. The Organizing Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOG), which are formed by the host country’s NOC to organize and run the Olympics. OCOGs report to the IOC.
4. The host country and host city, which pay for the bids and finance new infrastructure and public services like extra security and border control officers.

According to the host city contract, only the IOC can cancel the games. Clause 66 gives five reasons for which the Olympics could be canceled. The most relevant one states that the IOC can terminate the contract if it has “reasonable grounds to believe” that “the safety of participants in the Games would be seriously threatened or jeopardized” by attending.

As difficult a decision as this is for IOC and Japanese officials, the people who could suffer the most are the athletes caught in the middle. While much remains up in the air, one thing is certain, says Benz: “It’s a situation unlike any the international Olympic family has found itself in the modern era.”

India captain Virat Kohli has been named the One Day International cricketer of the decade for the 2010s in the 2021 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack. Kohli is one of five cricketers who have been named for each decade from 1971 to 2021. He was part of the team that won the 2011 World Cup at the start of the decade and went on to establish himself as one of the leading batsmen in all formats of the game, particularly in ODIs.

He scored more than 11,000 runs in the ten-year stretch, averaging over 60 and scoring 42 centuries.

Sri Lanka spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan was named the ODI Cricketer of the 2000s. He helped Sri Lanka make the World Cup final in 2011 and claimed 335 wickets in the decade, more than any other bowler has in a single decade.

Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar and legendary former all-rounder Kapil Dev have been named for the 1990s and 1980s. Tendulkar scored nine ODI hundreds in 1998 alone, more than any other batsman in a single calendar year ever has.

Kapil, meanwhile, claimed more wickets than any other in the 1980’s, and scored at the highest strike-rate of any batsman with more than 1000 runs. He also famously led India to a stunning win in the 1983 World Cup against the all-conquering West Indies.

West Indies batting great Viv Richards was named the ODI cricketer of the year for the 1970’s, which was the first decade of the format. Richards fuelled West Indies’ dominance in the first decade of the format, scoring a century in the final of the 1970 World Cup to help them win the trophy. (IANS)

India booked their berth in the World Test Championship final by beating England by an innings and 25 runs on the third day of the fourth and final Test at Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday last week. After resuming the third day on 294/7, India were guided to a total of 365 by the eighth-wicket partnership between Washington Sundar (96*) and Axar Patel. Trailing by 160 runs, England sent out their openers just before the lunch break. But spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (5/47) and Axar Patel (5/48) dominated the rest of the two sessions. The visitors were bowled out for 135 with Daniel Lawrence top-scoring with a fifty.

The pitch on this occasion was blameless. A beleaguered England were pummeled in the series finale fourth Test on Saturday by home strong India in just three days.

India’s 3-1 series victory seals their berth in the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final, where they will meet New Zealand in June at Lord’s. After a surprising first Test defeat against a confident England fresh off a romp in Sri Lanka, India turned it around with comprehensive victories in the next two Tests albeit controversially due to rank turning pitches that heavily favored them.

Perhaps a battered England’s confidence was already shot, but India proved they were a class above at home with an innings and 25 runs thrashing in Ahmedabad to win their 13^th straight home series stretching eight years.

It’s hard to see anyone beating them at home. Much like four years ago against Australia, India were stunned in the series opener before wearing down their opponents in unforgiving conditions for tourists.

Playing India on their terrain has become simply the toughest challenge in Test cricket. Once travelling to the Caribbean was an impossible task with the West Indies undefeated for 22 years then Down Under became a graveyard site for tourists with Australia unblemished from 1993-2008.

Those two teams are clearly the measuring stick for Test greatness over the last 50 years. Can India join them? The signs are looking rather ominous for the rest of the cricket world. India’s momentous series victory in Australia in January will perhaps be remembered as their harbinger moment.

India’s dominance of world cricket has felt inevitable given their sheer population, fanaticism to the sport and its governing body’s deep pockets and undeniable influence. Even though they have won ODI and T20 World Cups, India has never dominated Test cricket because they’ve struggled abroad, particularly in Australia and England.

This current India team, however, is building something formidable. The batting has become less reliant on talisman Virat Kohli – who didn’t even play the bulk of the Australia series – and developed a strong backbone down the order to frustrate opponents reminiscent of those mighty Australia teams.

Rishabh Pant, man-of-the match in the fourth Test for another audacious, game-changing century, is simply Adam Gilchrist 2.0. He’s changed the course of matches multiple times in just the past couple of months, but he has the extra safety valve knowing there is assistance beneath him. No longer do India fall away with the tail with Ravichandran Ashwin and breakout stars Washington Sundar and Axar Patel extremely capable at the crease.

India actually looked in trouble in the fourth Test with their wobbly top order struggling before the now familiar rescue act from Pant et al. Sundar agonizingly missed out on a maiden ton finishing 96 not out after sharing in a century stand with Patel.

There is scary depth now in India’s batting, which allowed them to paper over the sub-par performances batting stars of Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahanae.

Left-armer Patel was mesmerizing with the ball as he and Ashwin snared all of England’s second innings wickets through masterful spin bowling, which deceived the ashen-faced batters through canniness and supreme skill rather than overt assistance from the pitch.

They were barely needed in these conditions, but India has a battery of high-quality quicks to ensure they should be extremely competitive overseas – as they showed in Australia.

It’s a pivotal year for India’s bid for Test supremacy. Things have started extremely promising for Kohli’s men – and make no doubt India’s captain is revving his charges knowing he has the chance to aRe-dedication Celebration of Ghosh-Dastidar Family-Established 15th Cent Sri Bishnu Temple in Barisal District, Bangladesh Axar Patel has started his Test career in incredible fashion.

India faces New Zealand for the fight of the first ever WTC crown. This convoluted championship – designed to rejuvenate the slumping Test format –  is hardly an egalitarian system. For example, bitter rivals India and Pakistan can never play each other – except in a final – due to political squabbles. And the Covid-19 pandemic meant a truncated WTC, yet the two best teams are probably there and deserve their place.

India will be challenged in seaming conditions and were famously bundled out of the 2019 World Cup semi-finals by the plucky Kiwis. New Zealand also easily beat India at home 12 months ago, so the WTC final is probably an even money bet.

India will then play five Tests against England in the U.K. – a site of humiliation for them having lost seven of 10 tests in 2014 and 2018. If India really want to be an all-time great team, they need to end their U.K. hex and beat this flawed England team.

England’s bid for a truly memorable Test upset fell apart after such a bright start but to even win one match in India is probably a decent result for them. Their much-critiqued rotation policy will be further under the microscope and they seemingly erred at the selection table. But like all challenges since Andrew Strauss’ famed team in 2012-13 – a series triumph that continues to grow in mystique – India simply had all the answers at home.

It’s easy to cast ahead and envision India dominating the decade much like West Indies in the ‘80s and 2000s Australia.  But before we start getting into big picture narratives, India will have to twice take care of business in the U.K.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who became the fastest Indian bowler to 400 Test wickets in the third Test against England, climbed four spots to break into the top three of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings for bowlers on Sunday. Ashwin picked up seven wickets in the Ahmedabad Test that saw him go to the third spot, two points adrift of second placed Neil Wagner.

India cricketers Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, and Rohit Sharma made significant gains in the ICC Test rankings thanks to their brilliant performances in the ongoing series against England.

Ashwin, who became the second fastest to claim 400 Test wickets in the day-night fixture, broke into the top three after jumping four places thanks to his remarkable consistency.

Ashwin’s spin-bowling partner and Player of the Match in the pink-ball Test Axar Patel also made solid gains. Left-arm spinner Patel’s 11-wicket match haul has helped him gain 30 slots to reach 38th position.

Opener Rohit Sharma touched his career-best eighth position with a six-place jump after his impressive sh in the low-scoring third Test in Ahmedabad. Rohit top-scored in the first innings with 66 and remained unbeaten on 25 in the second to move ahead of compatriot Cheteshwar Pujara among others. His rating points aggregate is 742, 20 more than his best of 722 in October 2019 when he was ranked 10th.

India’s opening batsman Rohit Sharma, who was the highest scorer in the Ahmedabad Test, attained a career-best ranking of 8th among batsmen.

Rohit is now the third Indian batsman along with Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara in the top 10. Kane Williamson remains the top-ranked batsman in the longest format of the game while Australian pacer Pat Cummins is still the No.1-ranked Test bowler.

Axar Patel, playing just his second Test, picked up five-wicket hauls in both innings of the Ahmedabad Test — a match haul of 11 wickets — and he leapfrogged 30 spots to take 38th position in bowlers’ rankings.

James Anderson, who went wicketless in the third Test against India, lost three places and slipped to sixth place.  Moreover, Jasprit Bumrah and Stuart Broad, who didn’t get to bowl much on a surface that assisted spinners, dropped one place each. The third Test between India and England was a low-scoring encounter that ended inside two days.

Day Two saw 17 wickets tumble with India winning the match by 10 wickets to take 2-1 series lead in the four-match series. The fourth and final Test will be played in Ahmedabad from March

India’s Rishabh Pant stumps-out England’s Moeen Ali during the 4th day of the second cricket test match between India and England, at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai.(PTI)

The race to reach the final of the World Test Championship is heating up England, India and Australia vie for a chance to play New Zealand at Lord’s. The inaugural WTC will hold its final from June 18 to 22, with June 23 acting as a reserve day.

New Zealand have already qualified for the final after Australia’s pullout from the tour of South Africa. India and England are engaged in a battle to reach the summit clash while Australia’s chances hinges on the results of the Anthony de Mello Trophy.

The resounding 317-run win over England in the second Test on Tuesday propelled India to second in the World Test Championship standings issued by the ICC.

 

After the series-levelling win at Chepuak, India have 69.7 percentage of points (PCT) and 460 aggregate points, behind New Zealand who have already qualified for the WTC final to be held at the Lord’s June. New Zealand have 70.0 PCT and 420 points. India, who had lost the first Test by 227 runs at the same venue, need to win one more and at least draw another to make it to the WTC final.

Ravichandran Ashwin, with his dismissal of England opener Rory Burns, became the first spinner in more than 100 years to get a wicket off the first ball of an innings. As India keep fighting against England on the fourth day of the first Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday, veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin achieved a feat to be proud of.

After Joe Root won the toss, he led his team from the front with a mighty double hundred on his 100th Test. England posted a mammoth 578 in their first essay and in reply, India got dismissed for 337-all out on Monday despite Washington Sundar’s brave 85 not out.

During the visitors’ second innings, India enjoyed a perfect start courtesy of an opening ball dismissal by Ashwin. With his dismissal of Rory Burns, the Tamil Nadu-born bowler became the first spinner in more than 100 years to get a wicket off the first ball of an innings.

Before the 34-year-old, former South African cricketer Bert Vogler achieved the feat in 1907. The first spinner ever to pick up a wicket off the first ball of an innings was former England bowler Bobby Peel in 1888.

Earlier in the first innings, Ashwin had claimed 3/146 including the wickets of Burns, Ollie Pope and James Anderson. He also bowled the longest in an innings of a Test match for India, bowling a total of 55.1 overs.

Most overs in an innings by Ashwin:

53.1 vs England, Chennai (2020/21*)
53.0 vs Australia, Adelaide (2011/12)
52.5 vs Australia, Adelaide (2018/19)
52.3 vs England, Kolkata (2012/13)
52.1 vs West Indies, Mumbai (2011/12)

During his earlier spell, Ashwin also bowled the first-ever no-ball of his Test career. The off-spinner had gone more than 20,600 balls before overstepping in Test cricket.

On the other hand, fellow India spinner Sundar also marked a record during his impressive start to his Test career. The 21-year-old, during his unbeaten 85-run knock, joined an elite list of Team India batsmen with 50-plus scores in debut innings both home and away.

Scoring 50+ in debut innings both home and away (India)

Rusi Modi
Surinder Amarnath
Arun Lal
Sourav Ganguly
Suresh Raina
Hardik Pandya
Mayank Agarwal
Washington Sundar

In their second innings, England have already lost five wickets as Ashwin leads the numbers with three wickets — Burns, Dom Sibley and Ben Stokes. Refusing to enforce the follow-on, the visitors were 1/1 in two overs at lunch.

Tom Brady has done it yet again. The quarterback won his record seventh Super Bowl and the first with his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady and the Bucs beat the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in what was a home game for the Bucs, played in Tampa, Fla on Sunday, Feb 7th.

Super Bowl 55 capped a difficult and challenging year for the NFL. The coronavirus led to postponements, teams sometimes playing with depleted rosters and many games hosted in mostly empty stadiums.

Brady, the oldest ever to play in a Super Bowl at age 43, showed his experience in the first half, leading the Buccaneers to three touchdowns — including two passes to his favorite postseason target Rob Gronkowski (and setting another record in the process: it was the 13th and 14th touchdowns for a QB-pass catcher tandem in the playoffs). Brady ended the first half with a 71-yard drive in the waning seconds to go up 21-6 at the break.

Tampa Bay’s defense stymied Kansas City and quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the first half. Mahomes, who had been slowed by a toe injury two weeks ago, seemed to shake off the pain but didn’t show his usual brilliance. The Chiefs made mistakes on both sides of the ball and were penalized eight times for 95 yards. In the last two postseasons, Kansas City faced deficits of at least 9 points and won each of them. The Chiefs were looking to become the first team since the Patriots in the 2003 and 2004 seasons to win back-to-back NFL championships.

KC QB Patrick Mahomes struggled for most of the game. Tampa Bay’s defense swarmed him leading to sacks, hurries and knockdowns during Super Bowl 55.

Kansas City started the second half with its biggest yardage gain of the game when running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire dashed 26 yards. But the K.C. offense could only capitalize with a field goal. The Buccaneers answered on the next drive with yet another touchdown as Leonard Fournette scampered 27-yards for the Bucs first rushing touchdown to extend their lead to 28-9. After a Patrick Mahomes interception, Tampa Bay marched down the field to score yet again, a 52-yard field goal by Ryan Succop, to extend the lead to 31-9. That would be all the scoring of Super Bowl LV and in one of the bigger surprises, the Chiefs did not score a touchdown.

This Super Bowl was marked by a number of firsts: it was the first time that a team got to play in its home stadium. Down Judge Sarah Thomas was the first woman to officiate in the NFL championship. And, for the first time in his ten Super Bowls, Brady led his team to a touchdown in the first quarter.

The coronavirus left its mark too. Stadium capacity was reduced to just 25,000 fans in attendance (including 7,500 vaccinated health care workers who received free tickets from the NFL). On television, the stadium looked even fuller because 30,000 cardboard cutouts filled the empty seats with pictures of smiling people who paid $100 for the honor.

Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady tossed three touchdowns in the first half of Super Bowl 55. It was Brady’s seventh Super Bowl victory and his first with the Bucs.

It was a record 10th Super Bowl appearance for Brady. He played in nine for the New England Patriots (winning six, a record) in his 20 seasons with New England. This was Brady’s first year with the Bucs and he led his new team to only their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Brady also was named as the Super Bowl MVP — for the fifth time, extending his record.

And good news for Bucs fans: During the post-game celebration Brady said simply, “I’ll be back.” The Buccaneers Super Bowl win is yet another crowning achievement for the Tampa region in the past year. The Lightning won the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup. The Rays played in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. And now the Bucs winning the NFL championship in their home stadium caps a stellar run for the region now known as Champa Bay.

(Picture: KSTP TV)

India vs Australia: What helped India win this series? There could be many logical answers and yet there could be no answer to it at all. It wasn’t meant to happen, such things don’t happen at all. The rarity of such this accomplishment is what makes it surreal and overwhelming. Perhaps like a deus ex machina, that enters a play at the last moment and solves all the problems.

Indian players pose with the winning trophy after defeating Australia by three wickets on the final day of the fourth cricket test match at the Gabba, Brisbane, Australia, (PTI) 

The year was 1999 and there was a lot of anticipation in everyone about what lay ahead. It was the end of a century and the beginning of another. In India, it was a time of great change. ‘Growth’ was the buzz word in every walk of life.

But Indian cricket, on the pitch, was stuck in mediocrity, despite having the biggest star the sport had seen till then in its ranks. Sachin Tendulkar was already reaching stratospheric heights with his batsmanship and had earned praise from the greatest batsman ever, Sir Donald Bradman, after his exploits against the Australians in the unforgettable summer of 1998.

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He was the diminutive ‘giant’ in a team that was still a mixed bag of sorts. When he led this team to Australia in the December of 1999 for a three-match Test series, in what was his second coming as captain of the side, there was fear in the hearts of Indian cricket fans and prayers on their lips.

Australia were the reigning world champions of ODI cricket and were an even greater force in Test cricket. To speak in footballing terms, they were the ‘Brazil’ of cricket in terms of dominance.

As was feared, India’s campaign came unstuck and ended in a 0-3 debacle. Tendulkar stood tall in the ruins, along with a certain VVS Laxman, but it didn’t matter much, as the team’s morale had touched its nadir. That defeat followed by a home series loss in years, against South Africa, meant Tendulkar gave up captaincy for good to concentrate on his batting.

It was an hour of crisis off the pitch too with the match-fixing scandal exploding and spinning out of control. India needed a leader, not just of a cricket team but of men and they found one in Sourav Ganguly. The Bengal cricketer had the elegance and charm of a prince in his batting, but he combined that with the tenacity of a street fighter as captain of the team.

(Picture: Yahoo News)

The T20I side is comprised of four players from India, two from Australia, two West Indies and one each from Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Afghanistan. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the Men’s T20I and ODI teams of the decade on Sunday and named former India captain MS Dhoni as the leader of both sides.
The T20I side is comprised of four players from India, two from Australia, two West Indies and one each from Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Afghanistan.
Current Indian captain Virat Kohli, pacer Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma are the other Indians in the T20I team. Former South African skipper AB de Villiers and Universe Boss – Chris Gayle are also included in the line-up.
ICC’s T20I Team of the Decade: Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, MS Dhoni (c), Kieron Pollard, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, and Lasith Malinga.

 

The ICC’s ODI team of the decade led by Dhoni includes star Indian batsmen Rohit and Virat. In the team, David Warner and Rohit have been picked as openers while former South Africa cricketer AB De Villiers is picked as a middle-order batsman. Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan and England’s Ben Stokes are the two all-rounders in the team.
The pace attack includes Australian bowler Micthell Starc, New Zealand’s Trent Boult, and Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga.
ICC’s ODI Team of the Decade: Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Shakib Al Hasan, MS Dhoni (c), Ben Stokes, Mitchell Starc, Trent Boult, Imran Tahir and Lasith Malinga.