Cricket

On the hallowed turf of Old Trafford, where Shane Warne's "Ball of the Century" became etched in cricketing history, Sri Lankan spinner Prabath Jayasuriya conjured a delivery of similar brilliance to dismiss England's Harry Brook on the second day of the first Test.Brook, who had reached a half-century and appeared poised for a substantial score, fell victim to Jayasuriya's guile shortly after tea. The left-arm spinner delivered a ball that landed on a perfect length, tempting Brook forward. The delivery then spun sharply, deceiving Brook's defensive prod and clipping the top of off stump.The dismissal, reminiscent of Warne's magical delivery to Mike Gatting at the same ground three decades prior, shifted the momentum back to Sri Lanka. Brook, who had been a thorn in the visitors' side with his fluent strokeplay, departed for 56, leaving England at 187-5, still trailing Sri Lanka's first innings total of 236 by 49 runs.The significance of the wicket, taken on the same ground where Warne etched his name into cricketing folklore, was not lost on those present. Just as Warne's delivery had left Gatting bewildered, Jayasuriya's left Brook equally stunned, highlighting the enduring magic of leg-spin bowling.Jayasuriya's delivery, while inevitably drawing comparisons to Warne's "Ball of the Century," stands on its own merit. The combination of flight, turn, and bounce showcased the spinner's skill and game awareness. The dismissal also served as a reminder of the crucial role spinners can play in Test cricket, particularly on surfaces that offer assistance.With England seemingly in control and Brook looking comfortable at the crease, the wicket provided Sri Lanka with a much-needed breakthrough. It remains to be seen whether this moment of brilliance will prove decisive in the context of the match, but it undoubtedly added another chapter to the rich history of spin bowling at Old Trafford.

Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant Share Heartwarming Moment in Delhi Premier League OpenerIn a heartwarming display of camaraderie, out-of-favour India batter Shikhar Dhawan and his national and state teammate Rishabh Pant shared a warm hug during the Delhi Premier League 2024 opener at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday. Dhawan, the co-owner of South Delhi Superstars, and Pant, the captain of the Purani Dilli 6 team, were playing against each other in the opening game of the tournament.On the sidelines of the match, Dhawan was giving an interview to the host broadcaster when Pant, after getting dismissed for a 35 off 32, walked past him. Dhawan stopped his interview mid-way and shared a warm hug with the wicketkeeper-batter. The picture of the two players embracing has gone viral on social media, showcasing the strong bond between them despite their current cricketing situations.In the match itself, remarkable fifties from skipper Ayush Badoni and Priyansh Arya led the South Delhi Superstarz to a three-wicket victory over Purani Dilli 6. Arpit Rana's 59 off 41 and Vansh Bedi's 47 off 19 helped Purani Dilli 6 put up a competitive 197/3 in 20 overs, but South Delhi Superstarz chased down the target in 19.1 overs.South Delhi Superstarz began their run chase aggressively, smashing 73 runs in the Powerplay thanks to the free-flowing strokes from opener Priyansh Arya and Sarthak Ray. Arya reached his fifty off 27 balls, while Badoni struck four consecutive sixes in the 12th over to take the team's total to 140/1. However, Purani Dilli 6 fought back, claiming four wickets in quick succession to shift the momentum.Badoni (57 off 29) and Tejasvi (0 off 1) were dismissed in the 15th over, Kunwar Bidhuri (5 off 7) in the 17th over, and Sumit Mathur (9 off 10) fell in the 18th over, leaving South Delhi needing 13 runs off the last two overs. Vision Panchal and Digvesh Rathi then displayed resilience, chasing down the target with five balls to spare.Earlier, Purani Dilli 6 were invited to bat first and faced an early setback when Manjeet (13 off 8) was dismissed in the third over. Arpit Rana and Rishabh Pant then took control of the innings, guiding Purani Dilli 6 to 58/1 by the end of the powerplay. Rana reached his fifty off 37 balls, while Pant played a supporting role. The duo brought up the team's 100-run mark in the 13th over. However, Rana (59 off 41) was dismissed in the same over, and Pant followed soon after, dismissed by Kunwar Bidhuri in the 15th over after scoring 35 runs off 32 balls.With Purani Dilli 6 at 129/3 after 15 overs, Vansh Bedi and Lalit Yadav upped the tempo, adding 79 runs in 34 balls. Bedi's quickfire 47* off 19 balls and Yadav's 34* off 21 powered Purani Dilli 6 to an impressive total of 197/3 in their allotted 20 overs.

The upcoming ICC Champions Trophy looms large on the horizon, but Team India's limited-over schedule before the tournament raises concerns. With only three ODIs remaining, the recent series defeat against Sri Lanka has cast a shadow over the team's preparations.Former India wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik has weighed in on the team's composition, particularly the opening department. Karthik believes Shubman Gill is the ideal partner for skipper Rohit Sharma, while Yashasvi Jaiswal should serve as the backup opener."Rohit and Shubman are a very good combination," Karthik said. "Jaiswal has a great opportunity to be the backup opener and will get his chance if Shubman doesn't perform as expected."Karthik expressed confidence that Gill and Rohit will open the batting for India in the Champions Trophy. However, the tournament's location remains uncertain, with Pakistan scheduled to host but the BCCI reportedly seeking alternative venues.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reaffirmed its commitment to hosting the event in Pakistan, submitting a draft schedule to the ICC. However, the BCCI has reportedly expressed concerns about the security situation in Pakistan and is exploring the possibility of moving the matches to the UAE or another country."The PCB is fully committed to hosting a world-class ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at three of Pakistan's iconic venues," the PCB said in a statement.The uncertainty surrounding the tournament's location adds another layer of complexity to Team India's preparations. With limited opportunities to fine-tune their game before the Champions Trophy, the team will need to make the most of their remaining matches to ensure they are ready for the challenge.

England opener Philip Salt has hailed the pivotal role of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Gautam Gambhir in his success during the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). Salt, who played a crucial role in KKR's title-winning campaign, credited Gambhir's mentorship for helping him adapt to the challenging conditions in India.Reflecting on his time with KKR, Salt praised Gambhir's competitive nature and relentless pursuit of improvement. "He's a competitor. I could really relate to him from that point of view. He's always looking for those one percenters that will get the individual and team better," Salt said.Salt's performance in the 2024 IPL was impressive. Despite leaving before the playoffs to join England's T20I series against Pakistan, he managed to score 435 runs in 12 matches at an average of 39.55 and a remarkable strike rate of 182.01.One specific piece of advice from Gambhir had a significant impact on Salt's batting strategy. "He told me to take the game deep, especially here in India. He said, 'I know you're going to score runs for us, but I want you to score the majority of your runs between overs ten and 20,'" Salt recalled.Gambhir's strategy aimed to ensure Salt could exploit the latter stages of the innings, particularly at KKR's home ground, Eden Gardens. "Even if it can be a little bit slow to start with, I want you to hang in there and make sure you're there from overs ten onwards and get the big overs," Gambhir advised.Salt acknowledged the value of Gambhir's guidance. "Of all the conversations I had, I think that's the best bit of coaching I had," he said.Salt's success with KKR is a testament to the impact of Gambhir's mentorship. The former India opener's competitive spirit and tactical acumen have helped Salt develop into a more effective batsman in Indian conditions.

Rahul Dravid, India's former head coach, has shed light on the team's strategy to maintain a positive team dynamic throughout the 2023 ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup campaigns. Dravid emphasized the importance of consistency in approach, which he believes played a pivotal role in India's success in the T20 World Cup."We ran a fantastic campaign in the one-day World Cup," Dravid said. "We dominated, won the games we needed to, and played the way we wanted to."Despite the heartbreaking defeat to Australia in the ODI World Cup final, Dravid maintained that the team had done everything they could in terms of preparation and execution."We didn't want to change anything," Dravid said. "We wanted to create the same energy, the same vibe, and the same team atmosphere that we had in the ODI World Cup."Dravid also acknowledged the passion and support of the Indian fans during the World Cup."To travel all over this country and experience the joy and passion of the fans was phenomenal," he said. "I've never been a part of a World Cup as a player in India, but just the experience as a coach to go from city to city and see what this game meant to the people of this country was incredible."While Dravid acknowledged that Australia were the better team in the ODI World Cup final, he praised the team's overall performance in the tournament."We came unstuck in the final, but that can happen in sport," he said. "Australia played better cricket than us on the day, and congratulations to them."Dravid's strategic leadership and focus on maintaining a positive team environment were key factors in India's success in the T20 World Cup. His approach serves as a valuable lesson for teams looking to achieve success in major tournaments.

Indian batting stalwart Virat Kohli and Australia's Steve Smith are poised to dominate the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series, where runs will be "at a premium," according to Australian great Matthew Hayden.Hayden, considered one of the finest openers of his era, believes that both Kohli and Smith possess unique styles of dominance and will play pivotal roles in determining the outcome of the series Down Under."Cricket is a game of momentum, and I'm sure those two players, coming now to the later pages of their cricketing careers, will be very keen to dominate the landscape through the summer," Hayden said."That's their nature. They do it in very different ways, very different styles, but certainly, they really are the key to the Australian summer."India and Australia will play a five-Test series for the first time since 1991-92, starting November 22 at Perth. Hayden emphasized that it's difficult to predict which team has the edge."You look at the lineups, and it's hard to really tell who has the edge. I sense that it's going to be runs that are going to be the point of difference. Guys that are sure bets have retired like (Cheteshwar) Pujara was a sure bet in Australian conditions," he said."Was he exciting? No. Was he effective? Heck, yes. When you look back over the years, guys like Raul Dravid, VVS Laxman... they were really sure bets in our market. The best need to stand up in this series, runs are going to be at a premium," he added.Hayden believes that Australian players will be eager to end their barren run against India, having last won a bilateral series in 2014-15."We haven't had it (the trophy) in our hands for two series in Australia, which is kind of the coveted grounds. Not that's similar to the Steve Waugh era here in 2001, where this was the hallowed turf, this was a place where Australia really wanted to come and win," he said."And his great era didn't do it. There's always this fantastic opportunity for the No. 1 (and) No. 2 sides on the World Test Championship to go head to head, especially abroad in each other's camps and see who really has those kinds of final rights...""...to claim not only the possibility of playing the (World) Test Championship (final) but also who's the very best of the best, which you judge on how you tour, not so much how you play at home," he said.Hayden also commented on the upcoming battle between Nathan Lyon and young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal."Isn't it great that the series is shaping up the bare-heavyweight bout, someone like the GOAT (Lyon) going after (Jaiswal), what is in my opinion one of the key assets for Indian cricket. Yes he's certainly proving to be that," he said.Hayden acknowledged Jaiswal's exceptional ability to hit on the up through covers but cautioned that he may need to adjust to the length of the boundaries in Australia."Young Jaiswal is an exciting prospect to see how he'll play. He is a package. His ability in particular to get on the up through the covers is phenomenal. That'll also have its vulnerabilities," Hayden said."I'm looking forward to seeing how he adjusts on bouncy tracks. We did notice in the IPL that he's a very hard hitter of the ball, pull shots in particular, but that'll be challenged by three world-class speedsters, assuming they're all fit and on much bigger grounds.""It has to almost be the perfect contact for that ball to sail over (for a) six so you can get caught easily, three-quarters of the way in the fence. They (all) have little adjustments that world-class players like Jazzy (Jaiswal) will make for sure," he added.Hayden also expressed his concerns about Australia's opening slot following David Warner's retirement from international cricket."For the first time, it (opening slot) doesn't feel as secure. David Warner gave a great service to Australian cricket. He gave a service that was extremely competitive, wonderfully dynamic," he said."He really took that legacy that I'd created through the 2000s to a new level, strike rates in excess of 80, and gave great momentum to the top order, which otherwise is quite conservative. He's an enormous loss in terms of how do you replace him," Hayden added.Hayden expressed reservations about Smith emerging as a choice for the opener's slot, given his successful track record at No. 4."I was on record saying that I didn't like changing. I think it's crazy to think that you have the world's best-in-class batter in a certain position and then you change to a completely different position," he said.

Australia's home advantage in Test cricket has diminished in recent years, according to former batter Matthew Hayden. Hayden believes that the nature of pitches and the rise of drop-in wickets have leveled the playing field, making runs a premium in upcoming series.Hayden highlighted that three of the five venues for the upcoming Test series against India feature drop-in wickets, including the day-night Test in Adelaide. He noted that twilight conditions can make batting particularly challenging, reducing Australia's traditional dominance.Australia has lost its last two home series against India and has seen its fortress in Brisbane breached twice in three years. Hayden believes that the upcoming series will be an "unbelievable and historic" contest between the top two Test teams in the world.Hayden declined to pick a favorite for the series, emphasizing the strength of both lineups. He stressed that runs will be crucial, with experienced batters Virat Kohli and Steven Smith likely to play key roles.Hayden also discussed the challenges that India's batters will face in Australian conditions, including the steeper bounce and larger grounds. He praised the strokeplay of young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal but cautioned that he will be tested by Australia's world-class speedsters.

Lancashire County Cricket Club is actively seeking a partnership with an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise to jointly operate the Manchester Originals franchise in The Hundred from 2025 onwards. The club has been actively engaging with potential investors over the past month, with the ECB set to distribute prospectuses for the sale of stakes in each of the eight Hundred teams early next month.Lancashire's interest in partnering with an IPL franchise stems from its strategic focus on growing its profile in India. The club has organized pre-season tours for both men's and women's teams, played friendlies against teams affiliated with Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and signed Indian players such as Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, and Venkatesh Iyer as overseas players.As the owners of Emirates Old Trafford, Lancashire will receive a 51% stake in Manchester Originals as part of the Hundred's sale process. The club has emphasized its preference for a "sporting partner" rather than a purely financial investor. Chief executive Daniel Gidney expressed the club's desire to work with an IPL franchise, citing the potential opportunities for both parties."Our preference is a partner who will partner with us on cricket, who can really help us grow our cricket, and clearly we have a strong interest in India," Gidney said. "We'd love to work with an IPL, of course, because of the opportunities that would bring - both for us and for them… our pathway is the best in the country, and so is our medical staff."The ECB is overseeing the sale of stakes, with the Raine Group and Deloitte acting as financial advisors. However, Lancashire will play an active role in selecting a partner. The club has hosted officials from several IPL franchises, including Lucknow Super Giants, during the Hundred.The two London Hundred franchises, London Spirit and Oval Invincibles, are expected to command the highest valuations, followed by Manchester Originals and Birmingham Phoenix. Gidney emphasized the value proposition of Manchester Originals, stating that the club offers the best value for investment."As I've said to different people from that part of the world, the first round is being run by the ECB, so you need to get your number up," Gidney said. "If you want an ego and to pay a lot of money, then London is your gig. There'll be loads of people that want London, but there's only two teams, and one of those only wants a passive investor so it narrows your choice down. Outside of that, I said to people: 'If you want cheap, we are not it. If you want the best value, we are it."Gidney also suggested that the ECB consider increasing the number of overseas players per team in the Hundred from three to four, as well as implementing a revised draft system that would allow for more "local heroes" in Hundred squads.

Australia's premier fast bowler, Mitchell Starc, has declared the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India to be on par with the prestigious Ashes series. The five-match Test series, the first since 1991-92, is set to commence in November.Starc, who has been a key figure in Australia's recent Test successes, believes the Border-Gavaskar Trophy holds immense significance. "Being five matches now, it's probably right on par with an Ashes series," he told Wide World of Sports.Australia has not won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since 2014-15, with India claiming four consecutive series victories, including their historic triumphs in Australia during the 2018-19 and 2020-21 tours. Starc is determined to reverse this trend and has set his sights on a complete whitewash."We always want to win every game at home, and we know India is a very strong team," he said. "As we're placed at the minute, we're the top two teams on the Test ladder... so a very exciting series coming up for the fans and certainly the players. Hopefully, when we're sitting there on the 8th of January, we have that trophy back on our shores."With just 11 more caps, Starc will join an elite group of cricketers who have played 100 Test matches. The 34-year-old has no plans to retire from the longest format of the game and has made a conscious decision to reduce his involvement in limited-overs cricket to maintain his longevity and effectiveness in the red-ball arena."Every time I get to wear the baggy green cap, it feels very special," he said. "Hopefully, it's five times through the summer with five wins, and we can sing that song five times, then we move on from there."Starc is scheduled to participate in a series of limited-overs matches in England in the coming month. Upon the conclusion of the white-ball fixtures, he plans to return home and represent New South Wales in domestic competitions."The Tests will always be taking precedence for me," he said. "We've got seven Tests on the bounce with five against India and then two in Sri Lanka, so they sit top of the tree with what's coming up."Starc will lead Australia's attack, which will also feature Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. "Pat is resting for this UK tour... we love playing all three formats, but that could look different at different times over 12 months.""There is certainly no end date on (our bowling careers)," he added. "That will be an ongoing one. We'll see where (our) bodies are and the want to keep going, but at this stage, it's all guns blazing for five Tests against India."