Cricket

India's preparations for the upcoming Women's Asia Cup and World Cup are in full swing, and the team's spin and fast-bowling departments are taking shape. With Radha Yadav and Deepti Sharma as the established first two spinners, the battle for the third spinner's spot is heating up between Shreyanka Patil and Asha Sobhana.Patil and Sobhana both played key roles in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's WPL 2024 title triumph, with Patil offering batting depth and Sobhana providing variety with her wrist-spin. Former India captain Anjum Chopra believes the decision will be based on variety and form."If I have to pick skillful spinners, I would want a left-arm spinner, off-spinner, and leg-spinner," Chopra said. "Then the second question comes of the form. Radha Yadav is coming back into form, and Shreyanka brings a lot of value in terms of her bowling, fielding, and batting."In the fast-bowling department, Arundhati Reddy has made a strong case for herself with impressive performances in the recent T20I and ODI series against South Africa. Her seam-bowling all-round ability and fielding prowess have caught the attention of the team management."Arundhati has done reasonably well on coming into the Indian team," Chopra said. "She adds a lot of quality in terms of the fielding department and can bat well."India's success in the Women's Asia Cup has been built on consistency and a wide range of bowling options. Chopra believes the team needs to maintain that consistency and explore more bowling options."First and foremost thing will be the consistency and options of the playing 12," Chopra said. "Then the different wickets that they'll be playing on. They've seen Bangladesh and will now be playing in Sri Lanka. So who bowls when, where, how are scenarios and, situations, in terms of the bowling options as well."Chopra also highlighted the need for a genuine all-rounder who can contribute in all three departments. "At this point of time, apart from Pooja Vastrakar, I don't see anyone filling that gap," she said. "If they can get those quick legs onto the park, they can get those utility players on the path that will really balance out things in all departments."

UAE Batter Muhammad Usman Retires from International CricketMuhammad Usman, the Lahore-born middle-order batter, has announced his retirement from international cricket after a six-year stint with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national team. Usman represented UAE in 85 international matches, including 38 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 47 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).Usman made his T20I debut against the Netherlands in February 2016, followed by his ODI debut against Scotland a few months later. In his ODI career, he amassed 1008 runs at an average of 31.50, including one century and four half-centuries. In T20Is, he finished with 891 runs, with three fifties to his name.Usman played a pivotal role in UAE's Asia Cup campaign in 2016, where he emerged as the team's leading run-scorer with 176 runs in seven games. Prior to his international career, Usman played five first-class and 58 List-A matches in Pakistan.Expressing his gratitude, Usman said, "It has been an incredible journey with the UAE cricket team and the cricket board. I would like to thank everyone who played a role in my journey, including my teammates, coaches, and other support staff. I feel blessed and proud that I got the opportunity of representing UAE for 85 international matches.""I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life as I want to remain associated with the sport. I want to wish the UAE team and the players the very best in what is a very exciting time for the game in the country," he added.

Pakistan's disappointing loss to India in the Asia Cup has been attributed to poor decision-making, according to coach Gary Kirsten. Despite having the upper hand for much of the match, Pakistan faltered in the final overs, allowing India to snatch victory.Kirsten acknowledged that the target of 120 was challenging, but he believed Pakistan had the game in control at 72 for 2 with six overs remaining. However, a series of poor decisions cost them dearly."Decision-making," Kirsten emphasized. "Maybe not so great decision making. You have got the game on, run a ball, eight wickets in hand, decision making at that point. That's the game. That's international cricket for you. You make mistakes like that, you are going to pay."Mohammad Rizwan's dismissal, trying to slog the first ball of a new Jasprit Bumrah spell, proved pivotal. Bumrah, who won his second Player-of-the-Match award in two matches, commended the calmness shown by India's bowling unit despite the easing batting conditions."The biggest positive for us was the calmness because when we were batting in the morning, there was a lot more help," Bumrah said. "And when we started bowling, the skies cleared up and the ball stopped seaming and there wasn't a lot of lateral movement. So, we had to be more consistent and more accurate and we as a unit were very calm and very clear on what we wanted to do."Bumrah emphasized the importance of staying focused and avoiding emotional distractions. "I was trying to focus on what is the best option over here on a wicket like this," he said. "How do I make shot-making difficult? What are the best options for me? So that way, I try to stay in the present and focus on what I have to do."Kirsten acknowledged that Pakistan's chances of reaching the Super 8s now depend on other teams' results. However, he stressed the need for significant improvement in their performance."We had that game for 35 of the 40 overs," Kirsten said. "We played good cricket, we did everything we needed to."Kirsten admitted that he needs time to understand the players and get the best out of them. "Everyone's responsible," he said. "We accept the loss and we take the heat because the team has not done well. And we will do what we can to try and rectify it."