Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes a cheeky comment from India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal may have fueled Mitchell Starc's career-best performance during the second Test in Adelaide, as per ICC. Jaiswal had impressed with a remarkable knock of 161 in the series opener in Perth. However, his comment about Starc "bowling too slow" might have inadvertently motivated the Australian fast bowler. The remark elicited a wry smile from Starc at the time, but he had the final say when he dismissed Jaiswal for a duck with a superb delivery on the first ball of the match in Adelaide. "He's actually a pretty level-headed guy, Mitchell Starc. He doesn't get flustered too much, even you see when he's bowling now," Ponting said in the latest episode of The ICC Review. "And if one of the batters does happen to say something, he generally responds with a little smile on his face," he said, as quoted by ICC. "But I think that smile on his face might be just a bit of a cover for the fire that's burning inside. Look, he bowled beautifully in Adelaide didn't he," he added. Also Read: Ludhiana's Dalhor costliest, Srinagar's 15-yr-old Yasir youngest in ISPL auction He also praised the rest of the Australian team, particularly Pat Cummins and Travis Head, for their vital contributions in securing a dominant 10-wicket victory, which leveled the series at 1-1. "I said in the lead-up that Australia's senior players had to really stand up and change what had happened in Perth," Ponting noted, as quoted by ICC. "When they lost the toss, and Australia were bowling, it was up to Cummins and Starc to set the tone from the very start of that game," he added. "Starc takes a wicket first ball, happens to beat Jaiswal that had made 160 in the last innings he played against Australia. And that really set the tone for the whole Test match. I thought Starc was outstanding. Career-best figures 6/48 in the first innings and then the captain (Cummins) comes into his own in the second innings and leads the way with the ball in the second innings. So lots of really good signs," he noted. "That's the sort of bounce-back that you would expect from the Australian team. Their senior players standing up and Travis doing what he did. That's what they needed to do. So they got the job done and now they've got to do it again next week in Brisbane," Ponting said. At 34, Starc remains one of the most accomplished pacers in contemporary cricket, with 692 wickets across all formats. His accolades include two ICC Men's Cricket World Cup titles (2015 and 2023), the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2021, and the ICC World Test Championship in 2023. Despite his successful career, Starc is sometimes overlooked in discussions of the greatest bowlers of recent times. Ponting, however, was effusive in his praise, highlighting how Starc has adapted his bowling style to sustain his performance across all formats. "He certainly deserves high praise. I mean, he's probably in the last couple of years been better than he's ever been," Ponting noted, according to ICC. "And the reason that I say that is I think he's a more consistent bowler now than he's ever been before, yet his pace is still about the same as it always was. I mean, he could bowl over 150km/h probably a few years ago and he's in absolute prime now. He's sort of operating in the mid-140s, but his consistency, the way he's starting spells is really good now as well," he said. "I was really impressed by how he started his first spell in Perth and then the way he started his first spell in Adelaide was obviously unbelievably good. So his pink-ball record speaks for itself and I think talking to some of the players as well, I think the reason why his pink ball record is so good is I think the pink ball actually performs very similar to the white ball," he added. "And we know what sort of record that Mitchell Starc has got with a white-ball. That might be a part of the reason why," he remarked. "He's not slowing down. That's just not pace that he's bowling. That's the way that he's bowling. So looking at him, (Josh) Hazelwood and Cummins, they could be around for another couple of years together yet," he said. With the series tied at 1-1, the focus now shifts to the Gabba for the third Test, as both teams compete for a spot in the World Test Championship Final. (With agency inputs)
12 December,2024 02:52 PM IST | Brisbane | mid-day online correspondentAustralia's leading pacers, including Test captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, have signed up as supplementary players for the Big Bash League starting December 15. Cummins, Starc and Josh Hazlewood have opened up a possibility of appearing in the marquee domestic T20 event after skipping it the last season owing to Test commitments. "Hazlewood and Starc have signed for Sydney Sixers under the league's marquee supplementary player rule, while Cummins will be in Sydney Thunder's auxiliary list," 'cricket.com.au' reported. Also Read: A to Z of Brisbane: A photographic countdown to India vs Australia 3rd Test The supplementary list allows Big Bash clubs to rope in a centrally-contracted Australian player in case they are available. "Mitch and Josh are both foundation members of our club and have been a part of the Sixers for a long time, so any opportunity for us to engage them throughout the season is a win for our club and a win for our fans," said Sixers general manager Rachael Haynes. "Both of the guys have great relationships with (coach) Greg (Shipperd) and the playing group and having them involved in any capacity will always be a boost for our group," he added. The trio is currently involved in a high-intensity five-Test series against India at home, which is tied at 1-1 after the first two games. The Australian team is also due to be in Sri Lanka in late January for a two-Test engagement. The results would be crucial to the side's chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final in June next year. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 December,2024 02:35 PM IST | Melbourne | PTILudhiana's Abhishek Kumar Dalhor became the costliest player at Rs 20.50 lakh, while 15-year-old Sharik Yasir from Srinagar became the youngest player in the Indian Street Premier League Season 2 Auction. While Dalhor was roped in by last year's finalists Majhi Mumbai, Yasir was snapped up by Srinagar Ke Veer for Rs 3 lakh. A total of 350 players were in the auction from 55 cities out of which 96 players were bought by the six teams in the league, whose second edition will be held at Thane's Dadoji Kondadev Stadium here from January 26 to February 15 next year. The six teams spent a total amount of Rs 5.54 crore in forming their 16-member squads each as no player was allowed to be retained ahead of the auction but the franchises had the option of Right-To-Match for the tennis-ball T10 format tournament. Six players were listed as 'Icon Players' in the auction as among the other big buys were Pune's Vijay Jaysing for Rs 13.75 lakh (Majhi Mumbai), Mumbai's Krishna Satpute for Rs 8.50 lakh (Falcon Risers Hyderabad), Srinagar's Deepak Dogra for Rs 6 lakh (Chennai Singam), Kolkata's Saroj Paramanik for Rs 16.25 lakh (KVN Bangalore Strikers), Indore's Dilip Binjwa for Rs 6 lakh (Srinagar Ke Veer) and Thane's Bhavesh Pawar for Rs 8.50 lakh (Tiigers of Kolkata). "Tennis-ball cricket is an exciting format, and ISPL has provided a competitive platform for players to showcase their skills. The inaugural season highlighted some special performances, and this year, the league has expanded to more cities to identify emerging talent," said ISPL core committee member and legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Also Read: Indian Street Premier League Season 2: Thrill awaits The organisers informed that as many as 30 lakh applications were received for the auction which was pruned to 350 through a stringent process. "In cricket, whether it is with tennis ball or the season ball, it is about how you handle pressure situations, who plays better under pressure and that is the bottom line," said former India player Pravin Amre, the head of the selection committee at ISPL, explaining the parameters of picking the players for auction. The organisers also expressed their wish to take the tournament to other cities in the country. Surat Samat, league commissioner said, "We will be conducting trials in 101 cities in the third season of ISPL." Most of the team owners wanted to have a certain number of player retentions allowed going forward. "We would like to have four," said actor and Tiigers of Kolkata co-owner Saif Ali Khan. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 December,2024 10:49 AM IST | Mumbai | PTIFormer New Zealand batter Lou Vincent has opened up on how he was drawn to the world of match-fixing during his time at the now defunct Indian Cricket League in the late 2000s, saying being part of a gang at that time gave him a sense of belonging as he battled depression. Vincent, who represented New Zealand in 23 Tests and 108 ODI, was handed 11 life bans by the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2014 for match-fixing. Last year, the ban was revised allowing him to be involved in domestic cricket. The 46-year-old had started his career with a Test hundred on debut against the mighty Australian side of 2000s. As he fought depression and got involved in match-fixing, his promising international career came to a premature end at the age of 29. In an interview with The Telegraph, Vincent narrated how his early upbringing impacted his personality and career. Also Read: Abu Dhabi T10 League's assistant coach banned for 'attempt' to fix matches “I didn’t have the mental package to be a professional sports player. So, at 28 I was deeply in depression and then went to India, and was dragged, sucked into that fixing world. It was pretty easy to see how it happened,” a candid Vincent admitted. “I think that’s how most bike gangs work with young kids. Yeah, they sort of groom young kids into ‘we’ll look after you but go drive that car through the shop and smash it up,’ ” he added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 December,2024 06:33 AM IST | Wellington | PTIIt’s not just Usman Khawaja but the entire Australian top-order that is feeling the “pressure” despite the series-levelling win in Adelaide, reckons former opener David Warner. While the under-fire Marnus Labuschagne found form with a resolute fifty, batting mainstay Steve Smith and rookie opener Nathan McSweeney continue to search for runs in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. “I think the pressure is on all the top order, not just Uzzie,” the former Australian left-hander was quoted saying by Fox Cricket. Travis Head smashed a memorable hundred at home as Australia bounced back to level the five-match series after a crushing loss in Perth. “Travis came out and counterpunched and scored a brilliant hundred, and we know he’s capable of doing it. But it’s everyone else around supporting that,” said Warner. Also Read: S Madan Lal backs Indian pacers to come good “It’s not just one player in particular, it’s the top six scoring bulk runs and making sure you’re giving rest to the fast bowlers. It was a fast-paced Test in the first game, but this last one was Mitchell Starc at his best as usual with the pink ball. “Come Brisbane, we need to see some big runs from the top order,” he said about the third Test beginning here on Saturday. McSweeney had a forgettable debut in Perth being trapped LBW by Jasprit Bumrah in both his innings for 10 and 0, while in Adelaide he managed 49 runs. Khawaja has 34 runs in the first two Tests and in his last 16 innings he has reached fifty only once. Former skipper Smith is also in the middle of a woeful run, having scored 19 in his three innings of the series. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 December,2024 06:31 AM IST | Brisbane | PTIOut-of-favour India batter Ajinkya Rahane’s explosive fifty capped Mumbai’s stunning six-wicket victory over Vidarbha and their entry into the semi-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Wednesday. Once Vidarbha posted a massive 221-6, Mumbai needed a strong chase and Rahane led from the front with an 84 off 45 balls. Mumbai made 224-4 in 19.2 overs and they will face Baroda in the semi-finals on Friday here. Meanwhile, Anuj Rawat made a brutal unbeaten 73 off 33 balls (7x4, 5x6) as Delhi defeated Uttar Pradesh by 19 runs in their quarter-final match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. They will face Madhya Pradesh in the semi-final on Friday. Also Read: Shivaji Park gates need a sporting ring to them Earlier in the day, pacer Mohammed Shami rarely operated at his best and it had a cascading effect on Bengal as they went down by 41 runs against Baroda in the quarter-finals in Bangalore. Opener Shashwat Rawat top-scored with a 26-ball 40 as Baroda posted a competitive 172-7, and Bengal ended up with 131 all out despite Shahbaz Ahmed (55 off 36 balls) playing a fine cameo. Hardik Pandya (3-27) along with his pace colleagues Lukeman Merriwala (3-17) and Atit Sheth (3-41) were the lead bowlers in Baroda’s stroll into the semi-finals. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 December,2024 06:31 AM IST | Alur | PTIOpener Smriti Mandhana’s elegant century went in vain as India lost to Australia by 83 runs in the third Women’s ODI to suffer a 0-3 series whitewash here on Wednesday. Opting to field after winning the toss, India had Australia on the ropes at 78-4 before middle-order batter Annabel Sutherland’s scintillating 95-ball 110, and brisk half centuries from Ashleigh Gardner (50) and skipper Tahlia McGrath (56 not out), lifted the hosts to a competitive 298-6 in the allotted 50 overs here. Also Read: EXCLUSIVE | If not a cricketer, I’d be a chef: Smriti Mandhana In reply, India were bowled out for 215 in 45.1 overs. In pursuit of a stiff target of 299, the stylish Mandhana anchored the innings beautifully during her 105 off 109 balls and as long as the southpaw was at the crease, the visitors were in with a chance. However, her dismissal at a crucial juncture put paid to India’s hopes of earning a consolation win. Brief scoresAustralia 298-6 in 50 overs (A Sutherland 110, T McGrath 56*, A Gardner 50; A Reddy 4-26) beat India 215 all out in 45.1 overs (S Mandhana 105, H Deol 39; A Gardner 5-30, M Schutt 2-26, A King 2-27) by 83 runs. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 December,2024 06:30 AM IST | Perth | PTIWhat have Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Siraj and S Madan Lal have in common? They are the only Indian pace bowlers who have claimed a fifer at the Gabba in Brisbane, where Rohit Sharma’s India take on Australia at the Gabba on Saturday in a quest to make it 2-1 in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Madan Lal returned figures of 5-72 in 19 overs in Australia’s second innings in the 1977-78 series opener at Brisbane where Australia won by 16 runs. The 73-year-old Madan Lal coached India from 1996 to 1997. Excerpts from an interview. On India’s bowling attack in the ongoing series:The Australians can’t play Jasprit Bumrah. Steve Smith is struggling. The other two pacers [Siraj and Harshit Rana] have to control their line and length. I’m quite impressed with Rana. Look, when the ball is seaming and there is carry, bowlers need a bit of luck too. The batsmen who spent time at the crease in the last Test, got runs. Just because India lost the last Test it doesn’t mean they are a bad side. India stands a good chance to win the series. On the bowler-friendly Brisbane pitch in 1977-78:The batters struggled in the first two days, but the wicket eased out although there was some seam movement. I was not sure whether I was picked as bowler or batter (laughs), but I enjoyed bowling on that wicket. On Sunil Gavaskar’s 113 in the run chase:Sunil got runs everywhere. Technically, he was very correct but I must say the contribution of Syed Kirmani (55) was immense. These small partnerships helped the team to reach 324, chasing 341. Also Read: Shivaji Park gates need a sporting ring to them On playing a third string Australian team then:When you are playing for your country one should never say the opposition is weak. They were some very good performances from them and they played some tough cricket. On Australia being three down for only seven at one stage and him taking two of those wickets:I was very happy. The spinners were bowling most of the time. Today, we have a very good pace attack and mark my words, it will not be easy for Australia at the Gabba.
12 December,2024 06:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Neeru BhatiaLeft-arm spinner Deekshant Patil (6-22), operating with great control, finished with a match haul of 10 wickets as Modern English School (Chembur) secured a place in the final of the MSSA inter-school Harris Shield cricket tournament for the first time. The Chembur school, relying on a collective bowling performance, registered a well-deserved 23-run win over Dnyandeep Seva Mandal’s Primary & Secondary School (Navi Mumbai) on the final day of the three-day semi-finals at Parsee Gymkhana on Wednesday. It took just 23 minutes of play on the final day for Modern English to wrap up the proceedings. They bounced back strongly after conceding a first innings lead following a disappointing batting display. Also Read: Modern English poised to defeat Dnyandeep The match was interestingly poised going into the final day as Dnyandeep, who were 75-8 overnight, required another 29 runs to win with two wickets in hand. They began cautiously before Deekshant got into the act, snaring both wickets in the 36th over as Dnyandeep were bundled out for just 80. Modern English will meet Anjuman-I-Islam Allana English High School in the final after the latter secured a hard-fought two-wicket victory over Al Barkaat MMI English High School in the other semi-final. The final will be held from December 16 to 18 at the Cricket Club of India.
12 December,2024 06:27 AM IST | Mumbai | Neeraj AnandFormer Australia opener Matthew Hayden has advised India’s bowlers to target the “fourth, fifth stump line” and make use of the natural bounce offered by the Gabba surface in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting on Saturday. The five-match series is locked at 1-1 after Australia’s emphatic win in the pink Test in Adelaide. India won the opener by 295 runs at Perth. Hayden, 53, shared his views on how to dismiss the Australian batters at Gabba. “When they get a chance to bowl, India must rely on hovering around that fourth, fifth stump line a bit more. And most importantly, use the bounce,” Hayden told Star Sports. Also Read: Reddy, steady, glow! “It’s a key arsenal as part of a fast bowling unit in Brisbane. The red ball will definitely be more familiar in terms of Test match cricket. Australia have the running with the pink ball, they won so much with it,” added the left-hander. He advised India’s batters to apply themselves more. “India must bat better, they must bat for time. They must bat a day of Test match cricket. Under a day is unacceptable. [Total] Has to be in that 350 zone. India should bat first even if there are challenging conditions,” Hayden said. “Brisbane, different ball game! It’s a home game, but actually a very good game for India as well because they’ve got memories of the last time they encountered Australia in the BGT,” he said referring to 2021, when India beat Australia by three wickets here to record a famous 2-1 series win, which is almost unforgettable for Indian fans. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
12 December,2024 06:26 AM IST | Brisbane | PTITeam India pride themselves on discipline and that includes punctuality. However, on Wednesday, young opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal was late to report at the Adelaide hotel lobby for the team’s flight to Brisbane. It is learnt that after making enquiries within the team as to where Jaiswal was, Rohit sat back in his seat in the bus and off the team went. Jaiswal landed in the hotel lobby 20 minutes later and was taken to the airport by the team’s senior security officer. Jaiswal being late is not a big offence, but he will certainly be penalised as per team rules and he’ll happily ‘pay’ for it amidst chuckles in the team room. Also Read: Reddy, steady, glow! Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah have their families here and they travelled to Brisbane on a separate flight. Meanwhile, ICC chairman Jay Shah and BCCI acting secretary Devajit Saikia have arrived in Australia and will witness the Brisbane Test.
12 December,2024 06:24 AM IST | Adelaide | Amit ShahADVERTISEMENT
