October 16, 2023
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South Africa has managed to buy some time by appealing against potential sanctions from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). As a consequence, there will be no immediate action taken against Temba Bavuma's team. Among the various potential consequences, the Proteas were facing the possibility of having their flag withdrawn during the ongoing World Cup and being prohibited from hosting any major events. The matter concerning South Africa will now be referred to arbitration. "Today, WADA has received formal notification from the South...

October 16, 2023
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When Rohit Sharma stated that Shubman Gill was "99 percent" ready to play a day before the game against Pakistan after having suffered from dengue, he was in fact 100 percent fit. The team management had concerns about the possibility of things going wrong or a relapse of fever on the day of the game. Hence, the skipper had left a small room for a potential last-minute change. The final decision was made at the ground on Saturday, just before...

October 16, 2023
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Rashid Khan stood at the bowler's end with his arms stretched out diagonally as Afghanistan players swarmed him. The inevitability of what the plucky Asian side had just achieved was swirling in the chilly evening Delhi air for quite some time. Yet it was fitting that the alpha of the Afghanistan cricket team was there to lay the final brick. Away at the dugout, Jonathan Trott was engulfed in a warm group embrace by those sporting Afghanistan shirts as Ben...

October 16, 2023
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The stage: Ahmedabad - The biggest in the world. The act: India vs Pakistan - Following a year on from the most thrilling World Cup match played between these two. The scene: The start of over no.28. The director: Rohit Sharma. The curtain opens to a pregnant pause in proceedings. Raucous, partisan noise has given way to a milder, nervous hum. The vast majority of the near capacity crowd are now seated and the rectangular pink pamphlets left on the bucket...

October 16, 2023
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Should you put your ear to the doors of South Africa's men's players in their Dharamsala hotel rooms in the early hours of Monday morning you might hear something interesting. Yawps of ecstasy, for instance, wails of anxious excitement, or sighs of relief or resignation. To be clear, this will involve no body parts besides the eyes. The Springboks, South Africa's rugby union team, kick off their World Cup quarterfinal against France in Paris at 12.30am (IST) on Monday. Members of...

October 16, 2023
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If this World Cup was a party, then you'd think Australia have been like the guys at the bar closest to the door making little song and dance about their presence. And having barely had an impact on proceedings. Sri Lanka on the other hand have been like the enthusiastic fellow who's set the dance floor alight with a couple of set moves but has then struggled to hold his own or anyone else's attention for too long. On Monday (October...

October 16, 2023
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South Africa has managed to buy some time by appealing against potential sanctions from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). As a consequence, there will be no immediate action taken against Temba Bavuma's team. Among the various potential consequences, the Proteas were facing the possibility of having their flag withdrawn during the ongoing World Cup and being prohibited from hosting any major events. The matter concerning South Africa will now be referred to arbitration. "Today, WADA has received formal notification from the South...

October 13, 2023
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Shubman Gill is on the path to full recovery, but his participation in Saturday's high-stakes game against Pakistan remains uncertain. The 24-year-old opener, who has recently recuperated from Dengue fever, had an extensive net session on Thursday morning. However, it's still unclear whether he will be deemed fit to play in the marquee match. On Thursday, Gill arrived at the Narendra Modi Stadium at around 11 AM and spent over an hour there. He began with warm-up exercises and then proceeded...

October 13, 2023
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A clinical all-round performance from South Africa has seen them register a whopping 134-run win over Australia in Lucknow on Thursday (October 12). Having posted a competitive total of 311, on the back of Quinton de Kock's second ton in a row, the Proteas virtually sealed the game in the first Powerplay itself with the wickets of Mitchell Marsh, David Warner and Steve Smith. Without a doubt, Australia were on the mat at 70/6 and if not for a 69-run...

October 13, 2023
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October 12 England name U19 squad for India tour A 17-member squad has been named for the England Under-19 side that is set to visit India for a quadrangular series that will feature the Bangladesh Under-19 side apart from the A and B sides of India's Under-19 setup. The tournament is slated to take off from November 4-29 in Vijaywada. The England squad has four new names from the side that recently faced Australia in a five-match Youth ODI series. Charlie Allison,...