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“We will continue to take advice from experts” : ICC to take Decision Regarding Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 on April 23

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Times of Sports
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ICC T20 World Cup 2020 likely to be postponed
ICC T20 World Cup 2020 likely to be postponed

The men’s T20 world cup has been planned to host by Australia later this year. Due to the rapid spread of deadly corona virus the scheduled sports event has been called off globally.

Earlier Australia successfully host the women’s T20 world cup where Australia women’s took the trophy. The out break of corona virus almost cancelled all the scheduled sports event globally.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive, Manu Sawhney said that the elite body will be consulting the Australian government about the Men’s T20 World Cup 2020.

However, ICC said it will take the final decision on this matter as the governing body of cricket is hosting Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) meeting on April 23.

“In relation to ICC events, including the ICC Men`s T20 World Cup, we will continue to take advice from experts and authorities, including the Australian government. We will utilize all of the data and information available to us to ensure we can take responsible decisions around all competitions at an appropriate time that are in the best interests of our sport,” Sawhney said in a statement.

Also read : List of Players Who Could Lose Their Slot in T20 World Cup if IPL 2020 Cancelled.

Earlier update on ICC Men’s T20 World cup

According to the latest reports, the International Cricket Council (ICC) may postpone the T20 World Cup until 2022 as there is no possible playing window in 2021.

“The question being internally discussed was to postpone it but there was no status quo on ‘until when?’ Well, India is scheduled to tour Australia in December.” a source close to developments was quoted as saying by TOI.

“Early next year, Australia have their Big Bash scheduled. March would not be an ideal time (with IPL to begin in April) because the broadcaster won’t agree to back-to-back T20 events,” the source further added.

“India is anyway hosting the 2021 T20 World Cup. So, the ideal choice has to be 2022,” the source further added.

Earlier this month, ICC had claimed that the T20 WC will “go ahead as scheduled”.

“In response to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 Local Organising Committee is monitoring the situation closely with relevant authorities, and will continue to do so,” ICC had said in a statement.

Dean Jones Prediction

Fans are also enjoying this un expected break and chance to interact with their most loved sports personalities. Now, as all cricket lovers look forward to ICC Men’s World Cup 2020 for their entertainment. Recently, an Indian cricket fan took to his Twitter handle to post his query. The fan questioned cricket experts to pick four semi-finalists in the upcoming World T20 in Australia. 

“David we need to have a word” : Chris Lynn Trolls Warner for Dancing Video on Instagram

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Times of Sports
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Chris Lynn Trolls Warner for Dancing Video on Instagram
Chris Lynn Trolls Warner for Dancing Video on Instagram

The out break of corona virus did the most un-expected things globally particularly for the past two months. Many scheduled events has been postponed in order to avoid the spread. Many countries restrict the entrance of their non residence while some imposed new law for permitting the foreigners including India.

Warner tried Jadeja’s style

SunRisers Hyderabad captain David Warner, posted a hilarious video on his Instagram handle where he is seen emulating India and Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s archetype “sword celebration“.

The batsman, who created a TikTok video, can be seen dancing with his wife Candice to the beats of The Weekend’s hit song ‘Blinding Lights’.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Two battler Tik Tik parents #help us lol @candywarner1

A post shared by David Warner (@davidwarner31) on

Soon after the video was out, Warner’s teammate Chris Lynn reacted saying he did not approve of his dance moves.

He wrote, “David we need to have a word”. Warner quickly replied to it saying, “about what, I’m 33 and no idea what’s happening. Can you help me pleaseeeeee”.

As for Warner, he should have been India for the Indian Premier League (IPL) leading the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) side.

Warner, who had recently nominated India and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli for shaving his head to show support for COVID-19 workers, receiving laughing emojis from Kohli on his video. Apart from Kohli, India and SRH wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha also reacted on the post.

Warner’s favourite IPL moment

Warner had said he considers winning the 2016 IPL title for Sunrisers Hyderabad as his favourite Indian Premier League (IPL) memory.

“My favourite IPL memory is when we won the IPL in 2016. We had a very good tournament, the best thing was we won a lot of close games, it helped in developing a sense of belief within the side. A lot of credit goes to our coaches and mentors at that time,” Warner said in the video posted by the franchise.

“We came up against RCB in Bangalore in the finals, we knew how well Virat Kohli went in that edition, he scored 900 odd runs in the finals, it was about backing ourselves, we won the toss and elected to bat first, I felt like a team our best attribute was defending the totals,” he added.

 

“Will cricketers still be able to shine a ball?” : Former Australia Paceman Jason Gillespie Questions Amid Coronavirus Spread Fear

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Times of Sports
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Jason Gillespie and Faf du Plessis
Jason Gillespie has questioned whether the age-old practice of maintaining a cricket ball, typically achieved with saliva and sweat, can be sustainable once the sport resumes.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed many aspects of life and one of the most fundamental parts of cricket has now come under the microscope – the shining of the ball.

With the world now more germ conscious than ever, former Australia paceman and current Sussex coach Jason Gillespie has questioned whether the age-old practice of maintaining a cricket ball, typically achieved with saliva and sweat, can be sustainable once the sport resumes.

Currently back in Australia after the postponement of the English county season, Gillespie on Sunday voiced what many had thought even before the pandemic – that the ritual of bowlers and fielders imparting saliva onto the ball was, when given some thought, actually “pretty gross”.

Jason Gillespie’s quesion

“I don’t think it’s a quirky question. It’s an actual genuine thing to be considered,” Gillespie said in a radio interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“I don’t think anything is off the table. It could be a point where at the end of each over, the umpires allow the players to shine the ball in front of them but you can only do it then.

“I don’t know. Is it just sweat? Can you only use sweat? I don’t have an answer to that but it certainly will be a conversation that will be had. If you think about it, it is pretty gross.”

With some local cricket associations discouraging the use of saliva to shine the ball towards the end of the Australian season which finished last month, the question of banning the practice has also raised concerns for Australia paceman Josh Hazlewood, who said shining a Test ball “does a lot” for its longevity.

Hazlewood’s view on “Shining the ball”

“I think with a white ball it would be fine,” he said on Monday in reference to limited-overs cricket. “But in Test match cricket it (not shining the ball) is going to be very hard I think.

“Bowlers obviously rely on sideways movement in the air or off the wicket. If you didn’t maintain the ball for 80 overs, it’d become quite easy to bat after probably about 15 overs, after that initial shine has gone off the ball.”

With scrapping ball maintenance altogether not an option that bears contemplation for Hazlewood, the 29-year-old predicted different scenarios would be contemplated, such as having one designated “shiner” in a team.

“Whether you use saliva or sweat, maybe one person could do it? I’m not sure,” he said. “It’s something we’d have to talk about when we get back out there and hopefully we can come up with a solution.”

Also of concern for Australia’s cricketers is the possibility of an imminent pay dispute, owing to the suddenly parlous state of governing body Cricket Australia’s (CA) finances.

Kevin Roberts’s warning

Chief executive Kevin Roberts warned last week the national governing body could run out of cash in as little as four months without drastic action. CA has lost tens of millions of pounds in share market investments, rather than keeping sufficient reserves in cash which could have shielded it during the current crisis, according to local media.

Consequently, CA announced on Friday that 80 per cent of its full time staff had been stood down. National coach Justin Langer and women’s coach Matthew Mott are among other staff who have had their hours cut.

Australia’s contracted players are expected to be asked to take a pay cut.

While Hazlewood said that could affect some players acutely, he hoped India’s scheduled tour of Australia next southern summer – typically a financially lucrative series for CA – could go ahead to bring welcome revenue.

“We’ve always said we’re partners in the game, so we’ll see where it comes to and we’ll obviously play our part,” Hazlewood said.

“It’s going to be different for everyone at different levels, whether they play for Australia, been playing for 10 years, or it’s their first year.

“It’s going to affect some people more harshly than others.

“It’s hard – we don’t know how long it’s going to hang around.

“You obviously think about it and you take precautions. We’re no different to everyone else. I’ve started being on a budget and things like that.”

“This bat is very precious to me” : Bangladeshi Cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim Auctions his Bat to Raise Fund for Corona Virus

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Times of Sports
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Bangladeshi cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim auctions 'very precious' bat to raise funds amid COVID-19 crisis
Bangladeshi cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim auctions 'very precious' bat to raise funds amid COVID-19 crisis

Mushfiqur Rahim (born 9 June 1987) is a Bangladeshi cricketer and the former captain of the Bangladesh national cricket team. Between August 2009 and December 2010 Rahim served as Bangladesh’s vice-captain, across all formats. He was ranked as one of the world’s most famous athletes by ESPN in 2019.

Mushfiqur Rahim raises fund for corona virus

Joining the clan is Bangladeshi cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim who has decided to put his ‘very precious’ bat on auction to raise funds.

Rahim is auctioning the bat with which he struck his maiden double ton in the longest format of the game.

Taking to Twitter, Rahim wrote, “This bat is very precious to me as I got my maiden double hundred in Test. Lots of memory is attached with it but decided to auction it for the welfare for my country men who are COVID-19 victims. Please come forward and let me help them. Stay tuned for further information-MR15”.

Jos Buttler’s auction on his favourite T-Shirt

The 29-year-old England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler played a key role in England’s thrilling defeat of New Zealand at Lord’s in July. Buttler broke the stumps to run out Martin Guptill and seal a super-over win over New Zealand as England won the men’s World Cup for the first time. He has put the t-shirt on eBay to support two specialist heart and lung centres dealing with the coronavirus response.

Buttler, speaking on Monday, said: “It’s a very special shirt but I think it takes on extra meaning with it being able to hopefully go to the emergency cause.”

Buttler also tagged a number of cricketers across the world including India skipper Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma, Australian Steve Smith and teammate Eoin Morgan, to spread the message.

“Lives are at stake…understand that” : Harbhajan Singh hits back at Pakistani Speedster Shoaib Akhtar

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Times of Sports
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Harbhajan expressed his thoughts on the India-Pakistan Series and said that it's not the correct time to be playing a cricket match.
Harbhajan expressed his thoughts on the India-Pakistan Series and said that it's not the correct time to be playing a cricket match.

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar had recently proposed an idea of India and Pakistan playing a three-match series to generate funds to fight this pandemic. The idea had mostly received negative feedback for playing a cricket match in these testing times is likely to degrade the situation.

Kapil Dev’s statement on India- Pakistan series

Where Indian former player Kapil Dev speaks against Shoaib Akhtar’s India-Pakistan series. After Kapil Dev Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has hit back at former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar’s proposal of conducting a series between India and Pakistan to raise funds for the fight against coronavirus pandemic.

He also suggested that there must be better alternative ways of raising funds for COVID-19 victims. “See cricket is the last thing on my mind at the moment. I am not even thinking about it. There are other way to raise funds. It is not necessary to hold a cricket match,” he said.

Also read : Shoaib Akhtar made his statement on MS Dhoni’s retirement plan and advice him to do this.

Harbhajan Singh makes his reply

“I don’t think anyone should think about sports and cricket at this hour. These are small things. Lives are at stake…understand that,” he was quoted as saying by numerous outlets.

The two arch-rival nations have not played any bilateral series since 2007. They only play each other in the ICC events and Asia Cup.

Former Indian skipper, Kapil Dev had also shared similar views over the topic and had said: “He is entitled to his opinion but we don’t need to raise the money, We have enough. The situation is unlikely to get normal anytime soon and organizing a cricket game means putting our cricketers at risk which we don’t need to,” he added.

Also Read : Former Pakistan Bowler Shoaib Akhtar Points Out How he would Dismiss Virat Kohli

BCCI’s donation on COVID relief fund

Furthermore, Dev pointed out BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) donating a whopping INR 51 crore towards the PM Cares Fund and how playing cricket in the near future will involve great risks for both the players and the spectators.

 

“Maybe that time he was more popular than Imran Khan” : Ashish Nehra made some bold claims about Lakshmipathy Balaji

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Times of Sports
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Ashish Nehra has made some bold claims about Lakshmipathy Balaji over Imran KhanAshish Nehra has made some bold claims about Lakshmipathy Balaji over Imran Khan
Ashish Nehra has made some bold claims about Lakshmipathy Balaji over Imran KhanAshish Nehra has made some bold claims about Lakshmipathy Balaji over Imran Khan

Indian cricketer Ashish Nehra has made some bold claims about Lakshmipathy Balaji while the former pacer took a walk down his memory lane from when the Men In Blue took on their arch-rivals, Pakistan.

Team India’s 2003-04 tour of Pakistan is easily one of the bigger highlights of Balaji’s career which was halted multiple times due to injuries. The right-arm fast bowler represented India in 8 Tests, 30 ODIs and 5 T20Is between 2003 and 2012.

Nehra, while speaking about the series against Pakistan, claimed that Balaji was the most impressive character for him on and off the field even though there were numerous highlights including Irfan Pathan’s hat-trick and Virender Sehwag’s triple century in Multan from the tour.

‘He was more popular than Imran Khan’

“Those six weeks he was hitting sixes left right and centre there was no doubt about it.”

“Virender Sehwag triple hundred, Rahul Dravid double hundred, Irfan Pathan performance, all that is there but to me off the field, Pakistan, the nation as a whole and Laxmipathy Balaji in the dressing room,” Ashish Nehra told Star Sports during an interview.

Ashish then went on to add how there might be chances that Balaji was more popular than Imran Khan back during that particular tour.

“In the dressing room, Irfan can give you more stories, the only thing I remember is Laxmipathy Balaji on that particular tour. Maybe that time he was more popular than Imran Khan,” he added.

In the 5-match ODI series, Balaji smashed 45 runs while batting at no.10 at a blistering strike rate of 160.71. The Chennai-born cricketer managed to score 36 of his 45 runs in boundaries (6 fours and 2 sixes). That left him only 44 runs behind former PAK skipper Shahid Afridi in the series, who had an inferior strike rate than Balaji too.

Economic Balaji

Balaji knocked out 6 wickets with a staggering economy rate of under 6. When the two teams locked horns again for the Test series, Balaji’s form got even better as he finished the series as the joint second-highest wicket-taker with Irfan Pathan, just behind Shoaib Akhtar who bagged 7 to his name.

The medium-pacer’s economic spells paid dividends as India ended up winning the series 2-1.

Ashish regards IPL 2020

However, the clearance from Indian Government will be an issue, but Ashish Nehra is hopeful of BCCI getting a clearance from the Government. “Even if the IPL doesn’t happen in August, there are a lot of places in India that witness rains during that month and there are high chances that lots of matches will get cancelled. If things go back to normal around the world by October, we’ll have a 100% clearance,” Ashish Nehra said on the Cricket Connected show on Star Sports.

In a recent interaction with PTI, a senior BCCI official had also talked about the difficulties in organising the IPL in September. “September is the time when there is monsoon in India. Mumbai will be underwater, there could be steady rain in Chennai. It is a decision that can’t be taken that lightly. You don’t know the situation tomorrow. Let there be a sign that the curve is flattening and normalcy can return. That’s when you start discussing options,” a senior BCCI official had been quoted as saying by PTI.

“Times when you crave attention” : Sakshi Dhoni Shares Photo of Dhoni in Lock down Period

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Times of Sports
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Sakshi Dhoni's lastest photo with her ‘Mr Sweetie’ MS Dhoni
Sakshi Dhoni's lastest photo with her ‘Mr Sweetie’ MS Dhoni

The former Indian skipper MS Dhoni was last seen in action against New Zealand in the ICC World Cup semifinal, a game India lost. He made himself unavailable for India’s international assignments post the WC exit and was eventually dropped from the BCCI’s list of centrally contracted players in January.

Dhoni’s future carrier depends on IPL 2020

As pointed out by BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and India head coach Ravi Shastri, “Dhoni’s international future depends on his performances in IPL 2020 which comes in to consider him in T20 World Cup planned later this year in Australia”.

BCCI postponed the Indian Premier League to avoid the spread of corona virus. Thus the tension arises among Dhoni’s fan as this IPL plays a crucial role in his future International cricket role.

Earlier former Indian cricketer Sehwag and Australian bowler Brad Hogg throws their view on Dhoni’s possible return to Indian squad for T20 world cup. Sunil Gavaskar too insist Dhoni to retire from the cricket.

In a recent post, former Team India skipper MS Dhoni’s daughter – Ziva – can be seen picking up leaves in the garden to help the staff keep the lawn clean.

In another video Jasprit Bumrah shared an adorable video of Rohit Sharma’s daughter Samaira where she can be seen trying to copy his action.

“Mr. Sweetie” posted by Sakshi

Referring to Dhoni as her ‘Mr. Sweetie’, Sakshi posted a photograph of herself trying to munch on, a much relaxed looking, Mahi’s toes in her attempts to seek attention from him.

“Times when you crave attention from #mrsweetie,” she captioned her post on Instagram with.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Times when you crave attention from #mrsweetie !

A post shared by Sakshi Singh Dhoni (@sakshisingh_r) on

IPL suspend till further notice

The cash rich Indian Premier League(IPL) has been suspended till further notice amid coronavirus pandemic. Originally 13th edition of Indian Premier League has been scheduled to start from March 29. Due to the rapid spread of corona virus Indian government imposed a 21 day lock down at first thus BCCI too postpone the tournament to mid of April.

As the COVID-19 infection shows it’s peak performance the Indian government extend the lock down till May 3. As the participation of foreign players is not possible in this situation, BCCI without any option left took this heart breaking decision.

The BCCI seeks for it’s all possible way to host the tournament as the failure to host will make a huge loss. Experts states that if IPL 2020 cancelled it would make a dent in Indian economy in the upcoming year.

Replying to SLA’s proposal to host IPL 2020 BCCI dis agrees to the idea to host the tournament. Considering the safety BCCI rejects the proposal from Sri Lanka Cricket(SLC)  to host the 13th edition of Indian Premier League(IPL).

“But sometimes you don’t need fielders!” : CSK Dropped a Hilarious Response to Kevin Pietersen’s Tweet

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Times of Sports
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CSK's savage reply to Kevin Pietersen's cheeky post on MS Dhoni
CSK's savage reply to Kevin Pietersen's cheeky post on MS Dhoni

As the lock down period has been extended to May 3rd in India the self isolation made peoples to seek for other ways to spent the period. Especially the sports player who have other than to stay inside.

Thus players steps into social media to entertain peoples and also to spent their time with other players via Instagram live. Earlier IPL uses CSK skipper MS Dhoni’s photo to create awareness on corona virus spread.

Previously New Zealand all-rounder James Neesham, who is known off-the-field for his amusing activities across social media platforms, put on display another hilarious comments on social media platform Instagram. Neesham recently made a hilarious comment on Ben Cutting’s beard.

Former India opening batsman Wasim Jaffer, former Australia spinner Brad Hogg opens talk on MS Dhoni’s return. New Zealand fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan shares few words on MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. India Women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur reveals her favourite IPL team. Many cricketers starts to express their opinion across facets of the game in one way or the other.

Kevin Pietersen’s previous activity in social media

Recently former England skipper Kevin Pietersen trolled Indian spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal, for his bowling. Pietersen hosted India’s skipper Virat Kohli, which was a much-awaited episode for the fans ever since it was announced by the former English International.

In the same Instagram live session one of the questions asked to Virat Kohli is to mention his favourite batting partner he played so far across all formats including IPL. Kohli went on to name not one but two players he particularly enjoyed batting with.

Having last played competitive cricket in 2018, Pietersen was also seen on the same platform alongside India limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal recently.

Pietersen mentioned Dhoni in a post

In the photo, Pietersen can be seen pointing out towards a certain direction and is saying something to the former Indian skipper.

It was a normal photo where Dhoni can be seen smiling as he looked towards the pointed direction.

Kevin posted the photo with a caption which read: “Hey, MSD, why don’t you put a fielder over there for me? Scoring runs against you guys is so easy”

However, the Indian Premier League (IPL) side Chennai Super Kings (CSK) dropped a hilarious response to this tweet.

The Chennai-based franchise posted a classic photo, showing off Dhoni’s lightning stumping abilities and trolled back the former England international.

“But sometimes you don’t need fielders!”, CSK captioned the photo.

 

Sam Curran Tamil Skills Tested in CSK Live Chat Session

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Times of Sports
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Sam Curran learns tamil from Rupha Ramani
CSK’s new recruit Sam Curran tests his Tamil skills during the chat with Rupha Ramani

Sam Curran, the new recruit of the second most successful IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has recently shown his excitement to join the team once the coronavirus pandemic gets over. Curran expressed that he is delighted to play alongside former Indian skipper and CSK leader MS Dhoni.

During the chat with Sports presenter Rupha Ramani, Curran called Dhoni as one of the greatest finishers of cricket. In the conversation, the England all-rounder also showcased his Tamil skills.

The 21-year-old revealed that he knows what ‘whistle podu’ is.

“I never thought I was going for Chennai because I was playing for Kings XI Punjab, but its ( MA Chidambaram) a great stadium, the fans, and I’ve heard of a lot of whistle podu, so I’m excited to play for Chennai.”

Sam Curran Spoke Tamil Words:

The anchor Ramani then took Curran’s Tamil language test by asking him the meaning of a few Tamil words which are popular in Chennai as well as amongst the members of CSK.

The first question that Curran received was to explain what does ‘Vanakkam’ (Hello in English) means though he couldn’t guess what did it say.

Another question to Curran was to explain the meaning of ‘Anbuden’ – the den-like Chennai, home for the CSK team. However, the English player couldn’t guess, but he did ask the anchor to explain the meaning of one word which he keeps on listening to on social media about him.

That word is ‘Kadai Kutty Singam’. As per the anchor, Singam means Lion in Tamil whereas Kadai Kutty means the youngest. So the fans who address Curran with this word basically say that the Northampton-born is the most youthful lion in CSK.

Another word that Curran was asked to explain was ‘Macha/Machi’. This time, the Surrey cricketer guessed it right and said it means ‘Mate’.

The newest member of CSK has so far played nine games in the lucrative league and taken 10 wickets with 4/11 being his best figure including a hat-trick. With the willow, Curran has scored 95 runs in 4 innings with unbeaten 55 being his best knock.

‘I have attitude towards liars & traitors’ : Gautam Gambhir Slammed on Afridi’s Statement

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Times of Sports
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Gambhir and Afridi
‘I have attitude towards liars & traitors’ : Gautam Gambhir Slammed on Afridi's Statement

Afridi mentioned Indian openers in his auto biography 

Former Pakistani great Shahid Afridi, in his autobiography ‘Game Changer’, slammed former Indian opening duo Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag for their statements on Pakistan.

Afridi questioned Gambhir’s frivolous attitude while leaving scathing remarks on Sehwag’s irresponsible tweets.

Afridi and Gambhir had been at loggerheads in one of the ODI games in Guwahati, during Pakistan’s tour of India in 2007. The two hurled waves of abuse at each other after they collided while Gambhir was taking a run off Afridi.

In his autobiography, Afridi pointed at Gambhir for his nationalistic tweets, claiming that he doesn’t hold many significant records.

Afridi regards Gambhir

“(Gautam Gambhir) and his attitude problem. He, who has no personality. He, who is barely a character in the great scheme of cricket. He has no great records, just a lot of attitude. He behaves like he’s a cross between Don Bradman and James Bond,” Afridi penned down in his autobiography.

There have been several instances when Sehwag mocked Pakistan and their cricket team whenever the Men in Green were under the pump.

Afridi believed that as ambassadors of the game, Indian cricketers, including Virat Kohli, cannot be ‘partisans’ off the field.

Afridi and Gambhir
Afridi and Gambhir

Remarks on Sehwag by Pakistani all rounder

“Look at Virender Sehwag. Look at the negative statements he makes on Twitter about Pakistan. Is that responsible behavior? Consider his fans all over the world. Consider his fans here, in Pakistan…We are ambassadors. We can’t be partisan, except on the field. In this new, hyper India, Kohli, Sehwag, and Co. clearly don’t get that,” added Afridi on Delhi cricketers.

Afridi was part of several encounters when the arch-rivals locked horns during his illustrious career. Renowned for his spitfire personality, Gambhir also had troubles with DDCA and the selectors in the national team, who have questioned his attitude previously.

Gambhir hit back on Afridi via twitter

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir hit back at former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi for his remarks on the Indian batsman in his autobiography – Game Changer. Taking to Twitter, Gambhir took a jibe at the Pakistani veteran as he reminded him of his T20 World Cup-winning knock in 2007. In his autobiography, Afridi claimed that Gambhir was ‘barely a character’ and had major attitude problems.

“Someone who doesn’t remember his age how will he remember my records! ok. Shahid Afridi let me remind you one: 2007 T20 WC final, Ind vs Pak Gambhir 75 off 54 balls vs Afridi 0 off 1 ball. Most important: We won the Cup. And yes, I’ve attitude towards liars, traitors & opportunists,” Gambhir tweeted on Saturday after a quote from Shahid Afridi’s book was spoken a ton about on social media.

WATCH : On This Day Brendon McCullum Kick-starts IPL with Maiden T20 Century vs RCB at Chinnaswamy Stadium

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Times of Sports
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Brendon McCullam scored an impressive ton in the 2008 IPL match against RCB
Brendon McCullam scored an impressive ton in the 2008 IPL match against RCB(Image: IPL)

On this day in 2008, the then Kolkata Knight Riders opening batsman Brendon McCullum gave the best-possible start to the Indian Premier League after he scored his maiden T20 century to set the stage on fire at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

IPL 2008 : RCB vs KKR

After the then Royal Challengers captain Rahul Dravid won the toss and invited the visitors in to bat, McCullum remained watchful for an over only to hit RCB pacer Zaheer Khan for three fours and a six in the second over.

Having gained that initial momentum, McCullum continued to punish the RCB bowlers to all parts of the ground to lay the foundation of one of the topmost T20 innings ever.

Post power play

With Knight Riders scoring 61/1 in the powerplay, McCullum contributed 41 (20) and showed no signs of stopping as the fielding restrictions were relaxed.

On the last delivery of the ninth over, McCullum ran a couple of runs of Bangalore all-rounder Jacques Kallis to complete his half-century. Having not hit a boundary for a few overs, the right-hand batsman hit two emphatic sixes  in as many overs off veteran spinner Sunil Joshi.

McCullam’s aggressive game play

Dravid’s ploy of introducing spinner Cameron White in the 15th over backfired as McCullum hit him for two fours and two sixes. It was on the third delivery of the 16th over that McCullum ran a couple of runs off Ashley Noffke to reach the three-figure mark amidst loud roars from the fans and his teammates.

Batting on 119* with two overs remaining, the then 26-year old McCullum smashed five sixes in the last two overs bowled by Kallis and Praveen Kumar to end up scoring an unbelievable 158* (73) with the help of 10 fours and 13 sixes as Kolkata posted a formidable 222/3 in 20 overs.

David Warner-Joe Root Altercation: What Really Happened when Australian Batsman was Suspended in ICC Champions Trophy 2013?

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Times of Sports
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David Warner-Joe Root altercation: The Australian batsman had punched his English counterpart during the wee hours in a Birmingham bar.
David Warner-Joe Root altercation: The Australian batsman had punched his English counterpart during the wee hours in a Birmingham bar.

The first half of 2013 wasn’t the best phase of Australia batsman David Warner’s international career. From showing dissent to on-field umpire’s decision to participating in a Twitter spat with two Australian journalists to not scoring enough runs, Warner was ticking all the wrong boxes.

Opening the batting in Australia’s tournament opener in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 at Edgbaston, Warner scored 9 (21) in a 270-run chase as the hosts won the match by 48 runs.

It was after the match that players of both the teams had paid a visit to the Walkabout Bar in Birmingham. It was during the wee hours that Warner signed up for yet another controversy in international cricket when he punched England batsman Joe Root inside the pub.

The matter didn’t catch fire primarily due to both Australian and English player interfering in addition to no retaliation from Root. However, it was enough for Warner to earn a suspension.

Also WATCH : SRH’s David Warner Emulates CSK’s Ravindra Jadeja’s Sword Celebration in Throwback Video

The next morning saw Cricket Australia suspending Warner from Australia’s next match against New Zealand at the same venue due to “an unprovoked physical attack” on Root.

Reports soon followed regarding the altercation getting initiated by Warner who thought that Root was impersonating South Africa batsman Hashim Amla while wearing a false beard. It is worth mentioning that the English camp spoke in Root’s favour saying that he was making fun of himself and referring to taunts from his team-mates that he was too young to grow facial hair.

David Warner-Joe Root altercation

Despite Warner’s “unbecoming behaviour”, Cricket Australia decided against sending the southpaw home home from the tour. However, Warner was fined A$11,500 apart from the suspension which he received.

“Following a statement issued this morning by Cricket Australia, the England and Wales Cricket Board confirms that David Warner initiated an unprovoked physical attack on a member of the England team in a Birmingham bar following England’s 48-run victory over Australia.

Also read : Australian Opener David Warner opens on his favourite IPL moment.

“[David] Warner has admitted behaving inappropriately and has since apologised to the player involved who has accepted the apology. Following a full investigation the England team management has concluded that the England player was in no way responsible for nor retaliated to the attack. ECB has concluded that this is a matter for Cricket Australia and have no further comment to make,” the ECB (England Cricket Board) said in a statement.

John Creighton, manager of the Walkabout bar, explained the situation in detail to the reporters. Laying emphasis on players having a “good time”, he clearly mentioned none of them was drunk to an excess.

“David Warner and Joe Root were in our VIP area between 1:30 AM and 2:30 AM on Sunday morning along with several other England and Australia team members. None of the group seemed to have been drinking to excess and just seemed to be having a good time. There was a small altercation between Warner and Root.

“This was dealt with very amicably and quickly by the rest of the group and both were calmly chatting to each other shortly afterwards. They all left a short while later and a small bar tab was picked up by David Warner. We are quite familiar with David’s face,” Creighton had said in a statement.

David Warner issues apology

After listening to the sanction given by Cricket Australia, Warner issues a public apology where he touched upon taking responsibility for his actions, accepting the punishment, apologizing personally to Root and not having a drinking problem.

“I’m here today to apologise publicly and put my hand up and say I am responsible for my actions. I am extremely remorseful. I have let my team-mates down, the support staff, myself and my family.

“I have accepted the punishment. It is up to me to do everything I can to help the team to progress in the Champions Trophy, and move on to have a great preparation for the Ashes.

“I definitely remember the night. It started out with a few drinks in the bar and as a team we went to the Walkabout. I made a mistake and I put my hand up. I have exchanged text messages with Joe. He accepted my apology, which I am thoroughly grateful for.

“I don’t think I have a drink problem at all. I’ve got to make the right decisions at the right time. That night wasn’t a good time to go out and have a beer. We’d lost the game, and even though we’d had a day off we’d still lost. We don’t have curfews, but looking back I shouldn’t have been in that situation,” Warner was quoted as saying.

Also Watch : David Warner Shaves Head to Support Workers Fighting Coronavirus and Ask Virat Kohli to Follow.

What happened next?

Warner, then 26, subsequently missed Australia’s third (and last) match against Sri Lanka and was also suspended from taking part in the two warm-up matches ahead of the Ashes 2013. Not allowed to take play a competitive match in England had a direct impact on Warner’s participation in the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.

Soon enough, Warner boarded the plane to South Africa to represent Australia A on their tour to South Africa and Zimbabwe.

After being put in to bat in the first unofficial Test by the then South Africa A captain Justin Ontong, Warner came out to bat at No. 4 as he scored an incredible 193 (226) with the help of 29 fours and a six in Pretoria.

With Australian batsmen not coping well in the seaming conditions of England, Warner was recalled into the Test squad as he replaced batsman Phillip Hughes in the third Test at Old Trafford. In the three Tests that Warner played in the series, he scored 138 runs at an average of 23 and a strike rate of 61.06 including a half-century.

 

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