Year: 2019

“Pakistan had reached number one in the Twenty20 rankings under Sarfaraz, winning 11 series along the way. ©AFP” /> Lahore (Pakistan) (AFP) – Pakistan sacked Sarfaraz Ahmed from his post as Twenty20 and Test skipper on Friday, a week after he led the side to a shocking 3-0 home defeat against an inexperienced Sri Lanka. The showdown in Lahore gave the visitors their first Twenty20 series win against Pakistan in seven attempts while missing 10 of their top players — including regular T20 skipper Lasith Malinga, who refused to tour…

“England’s Jos Buttler runs out New Zealand’s Martin Guptill to win 2019 Cricket World Cup final following a Super Over. ©AFP” /> London (AFP) – Cricket chiefs have announced changes to the Super Over regulations, ending the use of boundary countback to decide knockout games following England’s victory over New Zealand in the men’s World Cup final.   England won the World Cup for the first time in July after an unprecedented finish to the final at Lord’s.The hosts triumphed by virtue of hitting more boundaries after the scores were…

“UAE’s Mohammed Naveed in action at the 2015 World Cup. ©AFP” /> Dubai (AFP) – United Arab Emirates captain Mohammed Naveed was on Wednesday charged with corruption ahead of the World Twenty 20 qualifiers and admitted: “I have let everybody down”. Naveed was one of three UAE cricketers charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Batsman Shaiman Anwar and right-arm pace bowler Qadeer Ahmed have also been charged by the ICC, the three players facing a total of 12 counts of breaching the governing body’s anti-corruption rules. All three have…

“Shane Watson said both his Twitter and Instagram pages had been hacked. ©AFP” /> Sydney (AFP) – Australian cricketer Shane Watson has apologised to fans after his social media accounts were flooded with “illicit” photographs of half-naked women and racist comments, seemingly the work of hackers. The all-rounder, who plays for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, said in social media posts late Tuesday that both his Twitter and Instagram pages had been hacked in recent days. Screenshots published by British tabloid The Sun showed revealing images of…

“England captain Eoin Morgan carries the World Cup trophy. ©AFP” /> London (AFP) – England’s new head coach Chris Silverwood says Eoin Morgan and James Anderson have earned the right to decide when to retire from the international stage. Anderson missed the majority of the recent Ashes series against Australia because of a calf injury. The 37-year-old bowler will still be sidelined for England’s tour of New Zealand next month in Silverwood’s first assignment since being promoted from bowling coach to succeed Trevor Bayliss. But in a bid to prove…

PHILIPSBURG/ ST. MAARTEN: Another team has been bought for the Maq Cricket59 tournament that is taking place in the St. Maarten in early November. Businessman Aqeel Ahmed Khan has decided to invest in the Simpson Bay Pelican team as he wants to help build cricket on the Island. Khan is an investor coming all the way from South Africa. He brings a wealth of experience in the business and management field as he has investments not only in South Africa but China as well. Hailing from Durban in South Africa,…

Yet another team has been sold for the Maq Cricket59 tournament that will be played from November 8 to 10 at the Carib Ball Lumber Park in St. Maarten. CEO of Mission Smart Ride company Nanda Sandilya has decided to invest by purchasing the Marigot Tigers team, which now brings the number to three, the number of teams sold so far. Sandilya, the man behind Mission Smart Ride which is a  programme to curb drunken driving in Telangana is being taken up by more bars, which will ensure responsible service…

“Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was one of three wickets for Sri Lanka spinner Wanindu Hasaranga. ©AFP” /> Lahore (Pakistan) (AFP) – Newcomer Bhanuka japaksa hit a whirlwind half-century while Nuwan Pradeep and Wanindu Hasaranga recorded career-best bowling figures as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 35 runs in the second Twenty20 international in Lahore on Monday. Rajapaksa’s 77 off 48 balls lifted Sri Lanka to a challenging total of 182-6 — the left-hander blasting six sixes and four fours in a maiden fifty that came in only his second T20 international.…