Category: Sports

Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson become the third batter in the ‘Fab 4’ to notch up a century, scoring a brilliant 156 in the second innings of the third Test against England at the Seddon Park in Hamilton on Monday. Williamson bought up his century with a six and broke an incredible record earlier held by the likes of Sir Donald Bradman, Sunil Gavaskar and Pakistan Misbah-ul-Haq.

Williamson ended up with 156 off 204 balls with 20 fours and a six to reach his 33rd Test century off England left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell. Thanks to Williamson’s ton, New Zealand posted 453 in their second innings and set an improbable 658-run target for England, who ended the day at 18 for 2.

The New Zealand batter’s ton was his fifth successive ton at the Seddon Park ground in Hamilton – making him the first-ever batter to achieve this feat. In the past five Tests at the ground, Williamson has scores of 200 (vs Bangladesh, 2019), 104 (vs England, 2019), 251 (vs West Indies, 2020), 133 not out (vs South Africa, 2024).

WATCH Kane Williamson complete his century with a six HERE…

 

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King Kane brings up his 3⃣3⃣rd Test century

A masterclass in precision, patience & perfection as Williamson brings up his 20th Test on home soil & his 7th at Seddon Park

Watch #NZvENG 3⃣rd Test, LIVE on #SonyLIV pic.twitter.com/T7TUQ9Vts5

— Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) December 16, 2024

Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene (at Colombo, SSC), Sir Donald Bradman (MCG), Michael Clarke (Adelaide Oval), Denis Compton (Trent Bridge, Nottingham), Martin Crowe (Basin Reserve, Wellington), Sunil Gavaskar (Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai), Jacques Kallis (Kingsmead, Durban), Misbah-ul-Haq (Sheikh Abu Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi) and Gary Sobers (Kingston, Jamaica) have all scored 4 successive centuries at a venue.

It is a feat even the likes of top Indian batters like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have failed to achieve in Test cricket.

Williamson now has seven Test tons at Hamilton and is close to becoming only the 4th cricketer in history to average more than 100 at a ground (15 or more innings). Only Jayawardene (11, Colombo SSC), Bradman (9, MCG), Kallis (9, Cape Town) and Kumar Sangakkara (8, Colombo SSC) have more centuries at a single ground while Clarke (Adelaide), Jayawardene (Galle), Mominul Haque (Chattogram), Joe Root (Lord’s) also have seven.

The other members of ‘Fab 4’ – Root scored his 36th Test ton last week against New Zealand in the second Test while Steve Smith of Australia also scored his 33rd century against India on Day 2 of their third Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.

The final member of the ‘Fab 4’, Kohli had scored his 30th Test ton against Australia in the first Test at Perth last month, but his batting form has trailed off since then. Williamson is the first to score 20 Test centuries in New Zealand. Former captain Ross Taylor (12) and John Wright (10) are the only other players to score more than 10 centuries for the Kiwis at home.

Williamson has also equalled Taylor (24) for the most three-figure scores in all formats of international cricket at home.

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Mumbai Indians had an impressive outing the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 mini auction in Bengaluru on Sunday. Nadine de Klerk, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta and Akshita Maheshwari were the players acquired by the Reliance-owned franchise.

Teenager Kamalini was the most expensive signing for MI, with the Tamil Nadu all-rounder costing the side Rs. 1.60 crore to the five-time Indian Premier League-winning franchise.

Nita M. Ambani, owner of the Mumbai Indians and wife of Reliance group owner Mukesh Ambani, expressed her satisfaction with the team Mumbai Indians have assembled for the WPL 2025 season while also outlining the team’s vision and wanting to back youngsters.

Speaking after the auction in Bengaluru on Sunday, Nita Ambani, said, “We are all very happy and satisfied with the team we have assembled today. Auctions are exciting and emotional at the same time. I am so proud of all the girls who have participated in the auction today and all the girls who have now become part of the Mumbai Indians family: G Kamalini, Nadine de Klerk, Sanskriti Gupta and Akshita Maheshwari.”

 

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Scouted, planned, and hit at the #TATAWPL Auction! #AaliRe #TATAWPLAuction #MumbaiIndians

pic.twitter.com/KRCFb4tNui

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) December 16, 2024

Mumbai Indians also managed to add the highly rated and much coveted G Kamalini to the roster. The 16-year-old from Tamil Nadu made her India U19 debut against Pakistan U19s earlier in the day in the U19 Asia Cup. Talking about her signing, Nita Ambani, said, “This year we are very excited about the 16-year-old Kamalini. Our scouts have been tracking her for some time and she is a very exciting new talent to look out for. So, in all, a satisfying day at the auction.”

The Tamil Nadu southpaw has the ability to hit massive sixes and was the second-highest run-getter (311 runs in 8 matches) in the Under-19 T20 tournament which Tamil Nadu won. Kamalini, a wicketkeeper-batter like MS Dhoni who can also bowl leg-spin, has had rigorous training at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai.

There was a fierce battle for Kamalini between Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals franchises after starting from base price of Rs 10 lakh.

Nita Ambani welcomed the four new players with a message, saying, “We warmly welcome you to the Mumbai Indians family. Mumbai Indians has always tried to scout, nurture and develop young talent. We have done this with our men’s team, and it is a proud feeling to see Bumrah, Hardik and now Tilak representing India on the global stage. We are trying to do the same thing with our girls too. Last year, we picked Sajana up in the auction. It’s wonderful to see her now playing for Team India.”

Mumbai Indians are the inaugural champions in the WPL and added four players to complete the 18-member squad by getting South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk and Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Sanskriti Gupta and Rajasthan pacer Akshita Maheshwari in addition to Kamalini.

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New Delhi: India’s frustrating bowling performance continued on the third day of the Gabba Test as Australia added 40 runs to their overnight total. India then claimed the remaining three wickets, with the hosts finishing their first innings on 445 runs. This came after Rohit Sharma opted to bowl first following the toss.

The Indian captain’s frustration was clear, as apart from Jasprit Bumrah, the bowlers struggled to take wickets while Travis Head and Steve Smith scored centuries. During the 114th over of the innings, Rohit Sharma visibly lost his cool with Akash Deep after a wide delivery from the 28-year-old landed outside the pitch. The ball forced Rishabh Pant to make a full-stretch dive to prevent it from going to the boundary.

‘Sarr Main Kuch Hai? (Is there anything in your head),” said Rohit in a viral video captured by the stump-mic.

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Rohit Sharma & Stump-mic Gold – the story continues… #AUSvINDOnStar 3rd Test, Day 3 LIVE NOW! | #ToughestRivalry #BorderGavaskarTrophy pic.twitter.com/vCW0rURX5q

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 16, 2024

Akash Deep is making his debut in a Test match outside India, having replaced Harshit Rana in the playing XI. The right-arm pacer bowled a threatening spell but was unlucky with the conditions. His sole wicket in the innings came at the end when he dismissed Alex Carey, who made 70. Akash finished with figures of 1 for 95 in 29.5 overs.

In reply, the Indian batting unit collapsed as Mitchell Starc struck early, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal on the second ball of the innings and then getting Shubman Gill in his second over.

Virat Kohli’s poor run of form with the bat continued as he was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood for just three runs. Rishabh Pant also failed to make an impact, scoring only 9 runs before falling to Pat Cummins.

The third day of play has been interrupted multiple times due to rain, and the weather forecast for the remainder of the match looks bleak.

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New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh (MP) captain Rajat Patidar was in full flow in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final against Mumbai. Patidar smashed six fours and as many sixes en route to a blazing 81 in 40 balls as MP posted a decent score of 174-8. At one point, MP were under threat of scoring a below-par score, with the team struggling at 86-5 in the 13th over but Patidar ensured that the team had a fighting total on the board.

Rajat Patidar‘s knock helped him break the all-time Indian record set by former cricketer Gautam Gambhir. Patidar’s 81 is now the highest score by an Indian captain in a domestic T20 tournament. Gambhir had previously scored 80 against Chennai Super Kings in the 2014 Champions League, while Rohit Sharma ranks third with a 68-run knock against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020.

Mumbai Win SMAT Final

Meanwhile, Patidar’s brilliant knock went in vain as Mumbai cruised to a five-wicket win. Suryakumar Yadav top-scored for Mumbai with a stylish 48-run knock. However, it was Suryansh Shedge’s cameo of 36* off 15 balls that guided Mumbai over the line. Patidar finished the season as the second-leading run-scorer of the tournament, amassing 428 runs in 10 games. Mumbai’s Ajinkya Rahane was the top scorer of SMAT 2024, with 469 runs in nine matches.

“This is not the result we wanted, but I’m happy with the way the boys played throughout the tournament. We were 20-25 runs short today. Four or five players were playing in this tournament for the first time, but I’m pleased with the effort they put in. I always love playing here and want to thank the fans for their support,” said Patidar after the defeat in the final.

Mumbai have clinched the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024, securing their second title in consecutive seasons after their victory in 2022-23. With a star-studded top order, they were always the favorites to lift the trophy. The opening pair of Prithvi Shaw and Ajinkya Rahane provided a solid foundation, followed by Shreyas Iyer at number three. Suryakumar Yadav, the world’s number 1 T20I batsman, came in at four, with Shivam Dube and the talented Suryansh Shedge to follow. Shedge played a crucial cameo, guiding Mumbai to a comfortable five-wicket win in the final.

Earlier in the day, Rajat Patidar led from the front with a captain’s knock, helping his team post a challenging total. However, Mumbai’s batters made light work of the chase. Rahane contributed with a steady knock at the top, while Suryakumar’s innings truly put Mumbai in the driver’s seat. Despite losing a few wickets in the middle overs, Shedge’s quickfire 36* ensured a clinical finish, and Mumbai crossed the line with 13 balls to spare. The Chinnaswamy crowd witnessed a dominant run chase, as Mumbai sealed the win with ease. Stay tuned for the presentations.

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Newly-crowned world chess champion D Gukesh returned home to an enthusiastic reception as hundreds of eager fans, and officials from the Tamil Nadu government and the national federation lined up to receive him at the airport in Chennai on Monday.

The 18-year-old defeated China’s Ding Liren 7.5-6.5 in Singapore last week to become the youngest ever world champion, overhauling the long-standing mark set by Russian icon Garry Kasparov as a 22-year-old back in 1985. Upon his arrival, Gukesh thanked everyone for supporting him.

“It’s amazing. Your support gave me a lot of energy. It’s a great feeling to win the world championship,” said Gukesh as media and fans jostled to get a closer view of the youngster.

WATCH D Gukesh receive rousing welcome on return to India…

 

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World Champion Gukesh receives massive welcome at Chennai Airport pic.twitter.com/c42gZ2cVee

— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) December 16, 2024

“It means a lot to bring back trophy to India. Thank you for this reception. I hope we will have a great time in the next few days celebrating together,” he added.

Once he touched base at the Kamaraj airport, the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu and his school Velammal Vidayala staff greeted him with a bouquet before draping a shawl around him at the airport lounge. Gukesh started his chess journey at the Velammal school.

After greeting the waiting fans, Gukesh left for his home in a car decorated with flowers, and his photo. He is scheduled to speak to the media later in the day at the Velammal School in Mogappair, before settling at home to celebrate with his parents, relatives and friends. His father – ENT surgeon Dr Rajinikanth – was with him during the entire competition, while his mother – microbiologist Padmavathi – joined him in Singapore after the final round.

On Tuesday, he will be given a grand reception at the Kalaivanar Arangam at Wallahjah Road and he will be taken to the iconic auditorium in a specially-arranged parade. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin is expected to be present during the function to present Gukesh with a cheque of Rs five crore.

“To honour the monumental achievement of Gukesh, the youngest-ever World Chess Champion, I am delighted to announce a cash prize of 5 crore! His historic victory has brought immense pride and joy to the nation. May he continue to shine and achieve greater heights in the future,” Stalin had written on ‘X’ soon after Gukesh’s historic triumph.

Gukesh is only the second Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to claim the world title. Anand played a pivotal role in shaping the teenager at his academy in Chennai. Gukesh has enjoyed a stellar year, starting with his win in the Candidates Tournament in Toronto that made him the youngest challenger to the world crown.

He later spearheaded India’s first-ever gold-winning campaign in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. The world champions win also fetched Gukesh a whopping cash prize of $1.3 million (approx Rs 11.03 crore).

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New Delhi: Jason Gillespie has opened up about his decision to step down as Pakistan’s Test coach. Coaching Pakistan is a challenging task, particularly due to the internal politics within the board. Gillespie, along with Gary Kirsten, made the bold decision to take on the role, but neither lasted even a year. Kirsten resigned as the white-ball coach without coaching a single ODI, while Gillespie soon followed suit. The coaches were removed from the selection panel and shifted to match day strategists. Kirsten disagreed with this change and parted ways, while Gillespie stayed on. He was later asked to coach the team during a white-ball tour to Australia, where he led them to an ODI series victory.

However, when the board dismissed assistant coach Tim Nielsen without consulting head coach Gillespie, the former Australia pacer lost his patience and resigned. The PCB later appointed Aqib Javed as the interim head coach for all formats.

Gillespie cited his removal from selection matters and the sacking of Tim Neilsen without any prior communication as the two main reasons for his decision to resign as Pakistan coach.

“The straw that broke the camel’s back… as a head coach, you like to have clear communication with your employer, and I was completely blindsided by the decision to remove a high-performance coach,” Gillespie said on ABC Grandstand.

“My senior assistant coach, Tim Nielsen, was told his services were no longer required, and I had zero communication from anyone about that. After a number of other issues in the past few months, I felt that was the moment I realized they might not actually want me to do this job,” Gillespie said.

“When things started to change… and I felt my ability to help was severely diminished by a reduced role, I was basically just hitting catches on the morning of a game,” Gillespie said.

“You want to have clear communication with all stakeholders, including selectors, and know the team at least a day before the game to properly plan and prepare the players.

“That made it much harder to do my job effectively, and then the board decided not to let Tim travel to South Africa. I’ve heard that was on someone’s recommendation, which essentially made my job untenable,” he added.

Gillespie’s first assignment as Pakistan coach was the Test series against Bangladesh, where the team suffered a 2-0 defeat. Under Shan Masood’s leadership, the side also lost to England in the first Test but bounced back to win the final two games and claim the series.

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New Delhi: Just months after leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) title, Shreyas Iyer added another achievement to his career on Sunday (December 15), captaining Mumbai to victory in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).

In a thrilling summit clash, Mumbai triumphed over Madhya Pradesh by five wickets at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, with 13 balls to spare. Rajat Patidar’s stunning knock of 80 off just 41 balls went in vain as Ajinkya Rahane (37 off 30), Suryakumar Yadav (48 off 35), and Suryansh Shedge (36 off 15) powered the Indian domestic cricket giants to their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title.

Shreyas Iyer Creates History

Shreyas Iyer made history by becoming the first captain to win both the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) titles. Remarkably, he achieved this feat in the same year.
All Captains To Win Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy And IPL

Shreyas finished as the fourth-highest run-scorer in the tournament, amassing 345 runs in nine games at an average of 49.28, including one century.

Here is a table listing all the captains who have won both the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and the Indian Premier League (IPL)

Year	SMAT	IPL
2007	Dinesh Karthik	NA
2008	NA	Shane Warne (Rajasthan Royals)
2009	NA	Adam Gilchrist (Deccan Chargers)
2010	Rohit Atwani (Maharashtra)	MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings)
2011	Bengal (Manoj Tiwari)	MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings)
2012	Baroda (Pinal Shah)	Gautam Gambhir (Kolkata Knight Riders)
2013	Gujarat (Parthiv Patel)	Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)
2014	Gujarat (Manpreet Waghmonde)	Gautam Gambhir (Kolkata Knight Riders)
2015	Uttar Pradesh (Suresh Raina)	Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)
2016	East Zone (Manoj Tiwari)	David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
2017	Delhi (Pradeep Sangwan)	Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)
2018	Karnataka (Manish Pandey) (2018-19)	MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings)
2019	Karnataka (Manish Pandey)	Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)
2020	Tamil Nadu (Dinesh Karthik) (2020-21)	Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)
2021	Tamil Nadu (Vijay Shankar)	MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings)
2022	Ajinkya Rahane (Mumbai)	Hardik Pandya (Gujarat Titans)
2023	Mandeep Singh (Punjab)	MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings)
2024	Shreyas Iyer (Kolkata Knight Riders)	Shreyas Iyer (Kolkata Knight Riders)

The 30-year-old is the first captain in IPL history to be released in the season following a title win. Shreyas became the second-most expensive player in the cash-rich league’s history during the 2025 IPL Mega Auction, when he was bought by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for Rs. 26.75 crore. While an official announcement is pending, Shreyas is set to be named the captain of the 2014 runners-up.

This will make Shreyas the first Indian to become the permanent captain of three different IPL teams. He remains the only player in history to lead two different teams to an IPL final, having also guided the Delhi Capitals (DC) to their maiden summit clash in 2020.

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New Delhi: Australian batter Travis Head continued his exceptional form, scoring a brilliant 152 runs on Day 2 of the third Test against India in Brisbane. Throughout his innings, Head was nearly flawless, offering few chances to the Indian bowlers, including star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who struggled to trouble him. In a viral video circulating on social media, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja were seen strategizing to dismiss the in-form opener, with Kohli suggesting that Jadeja bowl a bit faster, a recommendation Pant supported.

However, the tactic did not work at that moment. Head was eventually dismissed by Bumrah, but not before scoring an impressive 152 runs off 160 deliveries, including 18 fours.

Travis Head and Steve Smith, both century-makers, combined for a brilliant fourth-wicket partnership as Australia finished day two of the third Test against India with a dominant 405-7 at stumps on Sunday.

With rain predicted over the next three days, India appears to have little chance of winning the match and can only realistically aim for a draw.

After most of the first day’s play was washed out on Saturday, India made a strong start, taking three wickets in the first hour.

However, Head and Smith managed to bat India out of the contest, despite a brilliant spell from pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah (5-72) after tea with the second new ball.

Australia posted a big total, thanks to centuries from Head and Smith, followed by a quick-fire 70 off 88 balls from Carey. For India, Bumrah was undoubtedly the standout bowler, claiming a six-wicket haul, while the others were made to toil hard. Australia added 40 runs in 16.1 overs to their overnight score, much slower than expected, but they remain firmly in control. With three tall pacers in their lineup, Australia will look to dominate the proceedings going forward.

India’s second innings didn’t start well, as they kept losing wickets. The rain has somewhat been a friend to India, breaking the rhythm of Australia’s fast bowlers. At the end of the third day, India finds themselves at 48-4.

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Former India captain Virat Kohli’s struggles continued on Day 3 of the third Test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane on Monday. Apart from a century in the second innings of the first Test in Perth, it has been a forgettable series for Kohli – dismissed in similar manner by poking out his off stump and giving catches behind the wicket.

The tale was no different on Monday as Kohli departed for just 3, caught behind off Josh Hazlewood, once again edging a ball outside his off stump. It was a fourth dismissal for Kohli in a similar manner – falling to Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland in Adelaide and Hazlewood again in Perth first innings.

WATCH Virat Kohli fall cheaply to Josh Hazlewood on Day 3 of third Test at Gabba HERE…

 

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Josh Hazlewood gets Virat Kohli!

The Australians are up and about on Day Three. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/sq6oYZmZAz

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 16, 2024

Kohli’s early dismissal and the manner of it launched a meme fest immediately on a rain-hit third day. The ex-Indian captain’s early dismissal meant that Indians were in deep trouble once again at 22 for 3 in reply to Australia’s 445 after Rohit Sharma had won the toss and decided to bowl first.

One ‘X’ user tweeted, “Indian Cricket fans should retire from watching Test Cricket till the time Kohli & Rohit both announce retirement”.

Another wrote, “The one sided love story of Virat Kohli that started in 2014 in England still continues in 2024.Nothing has changed”.

 

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The only thing saving Virat Kohli from ultimate criticism is that Rohit Sharma is the captain. No matter how Kohli performs, the blame always falls on the captain, especially if it’s Rohit Sharma. pic.twitter.com/tLGZoBbstU

— Kusha Sharma (@Kushacritic) December 16, 2024

 

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The one sided love story of Virat Kohli that started in 2014 in England still continues in 2024.
Nothing has changed pic.twitter.com/oci5z8gdM9

— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) December 16, 2024

 

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Indian Cricket fans should retire from watching Test Cricket till the time Kohli & Rohit both announce retirement.

— Gabbar (@GabbbarSingh) December 16, 2024

 

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Anil Kumble: “I don’t understand why nobody is questioning Virat Kohli. He has been a walking wicket in Tests for the past five years. It’s time for him to pack his bags and settle in London forever.”

Anil Kumble Not Holding Back . pic.twitter.com/zqtw4EJ3lp

— (@jod_insane) December 16, 2024

Kohli is now averaging only 23.5 in Test cricket in 2024 with 376 runs in 17 innings and 100 off them coming in one knock. Meanwhile, heavy showers interrupted the proceedings in the second session of the third day’s play in the third Test between India and Australia on Monday.

India were struggling at 27 for three when the covers came on and the players headed back to the dressing room. Earlier, just as Josh Hazlewood induced a nick from Virat Kohli to account for the veteran batter for the second time this series, the heavens opened up leading to an interruption and forcing an early lunch.

India had bowled out Australia for 445 in their first innings. The start of play on day three and India’s innings were also slightly delayed due to rain. Rain had marred the opening day as well with less than 15 overs of play possible. The five-match series is locked at 1-1.

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New Delhi: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has confirmed that Shakib Al Hasan will be banned from bowling in all ICC-sanctioned domestic and international tournaments. This decision follows the ECB’s ruling that Shakib’s bowling action is illegal, leading to his suspension from bowling in domestic competitions.

Shakib Al Hasan‘s bowling action was investigated following Surrey’s loss to Somerset in September. Initially, it was believed that the ECB’s ban applied only to England’s domestic tournaments, but the Bangladesh Cricket Board clarified that Shakib is banned from bowling in all top-level cricket events. However, Shakib remains eligible to play as a pure batter. He will now undergo further testing at an ICC-accredited center, and if his action is cleared, he will be allowed to bowl again.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been notified that all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been suspended from bowling in competitions governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Consequently, Shakib is also banned from bowling in domestic competitions outside Bangladesh and in international cricket. This suspension follows the results of an independent assessment conducted at an ICC-accredited testing center in the United Kingdom.

“The BCB also understands that, according to clause 11.4 of the ICC regulations, Shakib may undergo further analysis at an ICC-accredited testing center. If the results of this analysis clear his action, Shakib will be allowed to bowl in international cricket,” the BCB stated in a media release.

This is the first time Shakib Al Hasan has been banned from bowling due to an illegal action since his debut in 2006. The ace all-rounder is considered one of the best cricketers ever, holding the unique record of over 14,000 runs and 700-plus wickets in international cricket.

Shakib Al Hasan announced his retirement from Test and T20I cricket during the India tour but expressed a desire to play the final Test in Dhaka against South Africa. However, his request was not granted due to political tensions in the country following Sheikh Hasina’s exit. Despite this, Shakib remains an active cricketer and is keen to represent Bangladesh in the upcoming Champions Trophy.

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