Explosive New Zealand batsman Bevon Jacobs earns his first international call-up for the upcoming T20 series against Sri Lanka, marking Mitchell Santner's captaincy debut. Jacobs' impressive domestic performance and recent IPL contract secured his spot. The Blackcaps will play three T20s starting Saturday, followed by three ODIs, their final series before the Champions Trophy.
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Former Indian coach, Lalchand Rajput, praised the International League T20 for transforming UAE cricket by boosting the national team's performance with international player participation. Under Rajput's leadership, the UAE achieved significant milestones, including qualifying for the 2025 Asia Cup. He highlighted key players like Muhammad Waseem and Dhruv Parashar for their promising performances.
Spinner Siddharth Desai achieved a historic milestone by recording the best bowling figures in an innings by a Gujarat cricketer in first-class cricket with his 9/36 against Uttarakhand in the Ranji Trophy. Despite missing out on a 10-wicket haul, Siddharth credited his teammates' support and remained focused on his father's dream of representing India in Tests.
Pakistan are set to host the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy for the first time in 29 years. The tournament will commence on February 19 with the hosts facing New Zealand. PCB Chair Mohsin Naqvi expressed excitement for the event, emphasising its significance for showcasing Pakistan's hospitality and cricket passion.
New Zealand's skipper Mitchell Santner acknowledged India's dominant performance in the Champions Trophy final, where India chased a target of 252 with six balls to spare. Key contributions came from Rohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakaravarthy. Santner praised his team's efforts, especially Rachin Ravindra's consistent performances, and expressed gratitude for the team’s collective efforts throughout the tournament.
Jasprit Bumrah's stellar performance in the Border Gavaskar Trophy earned him acclaim from Sachin Tendulkar, calling him the world's best. Bumrah's record-breaking 32 wickets couldn't prevent India's 1-3 series defeat to Australia, eliminating them from World Test Championship final contention. Australia's comeback and Bumrah's brilliance were key highlights of the series.
New Zealand claimed a five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the rain-shortened second T20I, by extending their series lead to 2-0. Tim Seifert and Finn Allen's explosive innings, with both hitting multiple sixes, led to New Zealand chasing down a target of 136 with 11 balls remaining. Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled a maiden to open New Zealand’s innings, but Seifert and Allen quickly counterattacked, hitting seven of the next 12 deliveries for sixes. Their explosive hitting propelled New Zealand to... Expand
Delhi Capitals secured a two-wicket win against Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League. Chasing 165, Delhi reached the target on the last ball, with Shafali Verma and Niki Prasad making notable contributions. Shikha Pandey led the bowling attack with crucial wickets. Despite Nat Sciver-Brunt's unbeaten 80, Mumbai fell short, bowled out for 164.
Former India captain MS Dhoni had a warm exchange with Rajasthan Royals coach Rahul Dravid after Rajasthan's six-run win over Chennai in the IPL. Nitish Rana's 81 and Wanindu Hasaranga's four-wickets were pivotal in Rajasthan's win, despite Chennai's valiant chase led by Ruturaj Gaikwad.
The pitch for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy final is semi-fresh, having been used two weeks ago in the India-Pakistan group stage match. India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir dismissed allegations of undue advantage, stressing that conditions were challenging for all teams equally.
The SA20 final on February 8 at the Wanderers will be played before a sold-out crowd for the third consecutive year. Tickets for the season finale have sold out faster than the previous year. Fans are encouraged to purchase playoff tickets to see the top teams compete for final spots.