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In the ninth match of the Abu Dhabi T10, New York Strikers defeated Northern Warriors by three wickets with five balls remaining. Northern Warriors, batting first, managed to score 88 runs for the loss of three wickets in 10 overs, with Colin Munro top-scoring with an unbeaten 44 off 27 balls. The Strikers’ bowlers, including Angelo Mathews, Abhimanyu Mithun, and Tabraiz Shamsi, picked up two wickets each. In response, the Strikers chased down the target with contributions from Muhammad Waseem (23) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (22). However, they lost wickets regularly and eventually won the match with just five balls remaining.
India secured a 20-run victory over Australia in the fourth T20I match, clinching the series with a game to spare. Batting first, India posted a total of 174/9, with Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scoring with 49 runs. Australia’s Travis Head gave his team a strong start in the chase, scoring 38 runs. However, India’s spinners took control of the game, with Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel taking crucial wickets. Australia struggled to build partnerships and finished on 154/7. This win gives India an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series.
Australia’s World Cup heroes Travis Head, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc, along with out-of-favour India pacer Harshal Patel, have kept their base prices at the highest bracket of ₹2 crore for the IPL auctions. Franchises have been sent a list of 1166 players who have registered for the auction, with 77 slots up for grabs, including 30 for overseas players. The 10 teams can collectively spend ₹262.95 crore. Players such as New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra, former Indian batter Kedar Jadhav, and Umesh Yadav have also kept their base prices at ₹2 crore.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has stated that Rohit Sharma should be the captain of all formats once he is available for selection. Rohit has not played a T20I for over a year, but it is widely reported that he will be back as captain for the T20 World Cup in June. Ganguly believes that Rohit has performed well in previous World Cups and should be the captain of the Indian team. In Rohit’s absence, Suryakumar Yadav will lead India in the T20Is against South Africa, while KL Rahul will captain the ODIs. Ganguly also stated that both Rohit and Virat Kohli should be integral parts of India’s T20I set-up.
The Pakistan cricket team was seen loading their own luggage onto a truck upon their arrival in Australia for a three-match Test series. The sight of the players doing this themselves went viral on social media. It was reported that no officials from the Pakistan embassy in Australia or Cricket Australia were present to receive the team. Wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan was seen assisting his teammates and even took selfies with fans. The Test series starts on December 14 in Perth, and Shan Masood will be leading the team as captain. Pakistan has never won a Test series in Australia.
The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Nava Raipur, India, does not have a regular electricity connection due to unpaid power bills. The pending dues have reached over ₹3 crore ($442,000). The stadium, which hosted a T20 match between India and Australia on Friday, obtains a temporary connection from the Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company whenever necessary. The Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh, which manages the stadium, deposited ₹10 lakh ($14,800) for the temporary connection for the recent match. The state’s Sports and Youth Welfare Department has been served notices for the recovery of the outstanding dues.
Uganda’s cricket team has qualified for the World Cup at the senior level, becoming the first team from the country to achieve such a feat in any sport. The team secured their place in the tournament after beating Rwanda in the T20 World Cup Africa Region Qualifier. The qualification is a significant achievement for Uganda, a country with limited resources and a small number of players and clubs. The team’s participation in the World Cup is expected to popularize the sport in the country and open up opportunities for players to secure professional contracts and gain exposure on the global stage.
India is making several key changes to their cricket team ahead of their tour of South Africa. Notably, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, who have been key players in previous South Africa tours, have been left out of the squad. This suggests that India is looking to make long-term changes to their team following the 2023 World Test Championship final. The selectors are focusing on the middle-order before addressing the top-order, which raises questions about how the transition will play out in the coming years. The return of KL Rahul and the emergence of Yashasvi Jaiswal further complicate the situation.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, who were left out of India’s Test squad for the upcoming South Africa tour, played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Friday. Pujara scored a slow 55 off 114 balls for Saurashtra, but his team collapsed for just 144. Mumbai, led by Rahane’s 12 runs, chased down the target to win by five wickets. In another match, Devdutt Padikkal scored a century for Karnataka in their win against Chandigarh. Punjab defeated Tamil Nadu by 76 runs, with Siddharth Kaul taking five wickets. Several other matches were also played in the tournament.
Bangladesh has set New Zealand a target of 332 runs to win the opening Test match in Sylhet. On day four, New Zealand struggled against Bangladesh’s spin-heavy attack, losing seven wickets and finishing the day on 113 runs. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam was the standout bowler for Bangladesh, taking 4-40. Earlier in the day, Bangladesh were all out for 338 runs in their second innings, with Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz both making valuable contributions. New Zealand will need a strong performance on the final day to avoid defeat in the match.
Indian pacer Deepak Chahar has made a return to the national team for the ongoing T20I series against Australia. Chahar, who was initially not part of the squad, has been added for the last two matches. With India’s pacers struggling in the previous encounter, Chahar could be seen in action in the fourth T20I. Chahar has been in good form recently, performing well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. While he has been a regular in the limited-overs formats, Chahar is eager to prove himself in Test cricket as well and says he needs a month’s notice to prepare accordingly.
Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma has declined an offer to resume his role as captain of the national T20 team for the South Africa tour, requesting an extended break from white-ball cricket. The Indian selection committee had wanted to hand over the T20I captaincy to Sharma, but he joined a selection meeting via video call to inform them of his decision. Sharma is currently on holiday in the UK and will return to lead the Indian side in the two-match Test series starting on December 26. It is expected that Sharma will resume his role as T20I captain in the future, potentially leading India in the T20 World Cup in June.