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Showing posts from August, 2026

Bangladesh Storm Past Indonesia by 71 Runs

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Pc- Bangladesh Tigers Instagram account Indonesia won the toss and opted to bowl first. Bangladesh set Indonesia a target of 130. In reply, Bangladesh’s bowlers produced a dominant display, bowling Indonesia out for just 58 to seal a comprehensive 71-run victory. Here are the key takeaways from today’s match: Sobhana Mostary: Bangladesh’s Steady Backbone in the Middle Order Sobhana Mostary was the backbone of Bangladesh’s innings, playing a crucial role in holding the team together after early setbacks. She showed excellent composure throughout her stay at the crease, rotating the strike effectively and picking her moments to attack. Mostary gradually grew into her innings, finding the boundary when opportunities came her way, including a confident six over long-on. Her knock was built on patience, control and smart shot selection as she kept the scoreboard moving. She eventually fell for a well-made 40 off 42 balls, leaving Bangladesh with the task of rebuilding once again after ...

Mid-series coach swap — Hesson to take charge of Pakistan team for 3rd Test against England

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PC- X On Sunday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) gagged its players from speaking about Imran Khan. Hours later, following another humiliating Test defeat, it pressed the panic button. Pakistan lost the second Test against England at Lord’s by 194 runs, following their innings defeat in the first Test at Headingley. Now, according to sources, the PCB has asked Pakistan’s white-ball coach, Mike Hesson, to take charge of the red-ball team for the final Test of the series as well. The final Test will be played at Edgbaston from September 9, with Hesson set to take over from incumbent Pakistan Test head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed. In addition, six players, including Saim Ayub and Arafat Minhas, have reportedly been called up to reinforce the squad for the final Test. Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq have been sent back, with form and fitness respectively cited as the reasons. Imam, after being ruled out of the second Test with an injury, came in for criticism from several quarters. He was ev...

Qamran, Kaverappa and Rinku: A nice blend of self-made method and thriving under pressure

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Image: RevSportz Bharath Ramaraj, CoE Qamran Iqbal’s batting brings out the essence of first-class cricket. The 25-year-old opener from Srinagar may never play for India at the highest level. His rather curious game may not necessarily cajole fans to flock to the stadium just to watch him bat. Yet, his self-made technique is compelling to watch. In the ongoing Duleep Trophy semifinal between South Zone and North Zone at the Centre of Excellence, Qamran accrued 76 runs for North. But for much of that innings, his struggles at the crease were evident. On occasions, while trying to drive Tanay Thyagarajan, the spinner, his bottom hand came off the handle. At times, he seemed caught in two minds over whether to play at Vidwath Kaverappa’s  offerings. While attempting the flick against the quicker bowlers, he once again looked rushed. He also offered a couple of chances that South Zone failed to grab. Despite all that, he managed a gutsy 76. More importantly, his innings ...

Former Pakistan cricketers maintain silence on Imran Khan

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  Debasis Sen, Kolkata Amid growing support for former Pakistan World Cup-winning captain, Imran Khan, several prominent Pakistani cricketers who played alongside or under him, have opted to remain silent in order to avoid being drawn into a political controversy. Revsportz tried reaching out to a couple of former Pakistan captains, now settled in the UK, for their comments on the growing support for Imran. A former cricketer, who led the Pakistan senior team in the past, on conditions of anonymity said, “I would not like myself to be dragged into this controversy by saying anything on Imran.” He added, “Anything that I say about Imran will not be taken well back home so it is better to stay away from making any comment,” said the veteran cricketer who is based in London. Another former Pakistani great based in Birmingham also remained tight-lipped on the matter. Imran played a large part of his formative cricket under his captaincy. But considering the current situation, the...

MCA Makes History with Equal Pay Contracts for Men and Women in Domestic Cricket

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Mumbai Cricket Association Logo. PC: MCA In a landmark decision for Indian domestic cricket, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has officially approved its player contract system for the 2026-27 season and has established equal pay parity for both men and women. Under this initiative, players will receive annual contracts to provide robust financial security to domestic talents who do not hold central BCCI contracts. These contracts aim to protect players against seasonal income fluctuations and injury layoffs. This rollout extends contracts to 22 total players – comprising 14 men and 8 women, who are split equally across identical salary tiers. Under this pay equity model are Grade A players who have been retained for Rs.12 lakhs, Grade B players for Rs.8 lakhs and Grade C players for Rs. 6 lakhs – regardless of the gender. PC: MCA Notable names making this inaugural list are Siddhesh Lad and Shams Mulani in Grade A, alongside women’s senior standouts Humaira Ka...

Gurnoor Brar returns for Duleep Trophy, Auqib Nabi targets county stint

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Gurnoor is all set for Duleep Trophy 2026. (PC: X) North Zone have added Gurnoor Brar to their Duleep Trophy semi-final squad for their match against South Zone, beginning on Sunday at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. On Friday, Gurnoor reached Bengaluru from Colombo along with Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Sarfaraz Khan and Saransh Jain. He linked up with the North Zone squad after India’s Test series against Sri Lanka, which ended in a 1-0 series win on Thursday. The tall pacer did not play a single Test, as Prasidh was preferred over him by the think tank, but he is most likely to feature in the semi-final. Despite not having made his debut yet, Gurnoor remains firmly in the selectors’ plans, which is why he is all set to play in the Duleep Trophy. Saransh Jain, who made his debut in the second Test against Sri Lanka, will be available for selection for Central Zone in their game against East Zone, starting at the CoE on August 30. This aligns with the selector...

When Gavaskar and Viv Richards revisited the days that made them legends

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PC- X An interesting episode of Midwicket Stories, presented by Nishant Dayal and Jaya Prasad, brought together two legends of a generation that defined cricket in its own way — Sunil Gavaskar and Sir Vivian Richards. The two icons, representing India and the West Indies, shared a candid conversation filled with laughter, playful banter and memories from a time when they often found themselves on opposite sides of the field. One of the most fascinating stories came from Gavaskar, who recalled an incident while fielding at forward short leg in New Zealand. With the Indian captain, Bishan Singh Bedi, temporarily off the field, Gavaskar, then the vice-captain, had to take charge. “Bishan Singh Bedi was a captain who was off the field for some time,” he said. “I was the vice-captain. So I was leading the side and Prasanna was bowling. And I looked for somebody to come in, you know, stand at forward short leg. And everybody had their backs to me. Within a couple of deliveries, I was tak...

Women’s Asia Cup 2026, UAE-W vs SL-W: Can Esha Oza and Co. stun defending champions?

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Sri Lanka-W vs UAE-W, Women’s Asia Cup 2026 (PC: Chamari Athapaththu, Esha Oza Insta) Defending champions Sri Lanka are set to take on the home side, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on August 29 in a Group B clash of the ongoing Women’s Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Both teams have enjoyed a good run of form in this format so far this year, with Sri Lanka winning 10 of their 14 games, while UAE have managed six wins from seven. However, the two teams have met only twice in WT20Is, with Sri Lanka emerging victorious on both occasions. At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka have played only one WT20I so far, which they lost against India during the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup. UAE, meanwhile, will look to make the most of their home conditions and stun the defending champions. There is an interesting similarity between the two teams: both have inspirational all-rounders leading from the front. For Sri Lanka, it is Chamari Athapaththu, while Esha ...

Women’s Asia Cup 2026: India – Know Your Team

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India Women (PC: BCCI Women) Women’s Asia Cup has always been a tournament where Team India have dominated. Out of the nine editions so far, the Women in Blue have won seven times, making them the most successful team, while finishing as runners-up on the other two occasions. Hence, once again, in Dubai, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. will be expected to showcase their dominance and add another Asia Cup title to their trophy cabinet. Captain: Harmanpreet Kaur Head coach: Amol Muzumdar Squad Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Bharti Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Pratika Rawal Key Players Smriti Mandhana, N Sree Charani, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma. Fixtures India vs Thailand — August 30, Dubai India vs Hong Kong, China — September 3, Dubai India vs Pakistan — September 5, Dubai Shafali Verma for India Women (P...

Harmanpreet Kaur says India will assess Dubai’s conditions before finalising combinaiton

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Captains’ meet ahead of Women’s Asia Cup 2026 (PC: RevSportz) India cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur said the team will assess the hot and humid conditions in Dubai before finalising its combination for the Women’s T20 Asia Cup. “We haven’t seen the field yet,” Harmanpreet said in a press conference ahead of the tournament. “The thing is two teams are playing before us. We will get to see a lot of things and then understand the conditions and how things are going to be. And then, accordingly, we will make the plan. So, I think we still have another two or three days where we can train and get used to this condition.” Harmanpreet also said India will not focus on one particular opponent during the tournament. “We are not putting any focus on one particular team, which is going to be tough for us. All the teams have been doing well and our focus is to play good cricket and not to take any team lightly,” she said. India will face Pakistan on September 5, but the ...

India’s WTC 2027 Final Hopes on Life Support After Costly Colombo Draw

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A frustrating stalemate in Colombo has dealt a severe blow to India’s World Test Championship (WTC) 2027 campaign, sending their qualification probability tumbling. The dropped points have tightened the noose around the two-time finalists, leaving Shubman Gill’s side staring down an almost improbable mountain to climb. Following the draw, India suffered a sharp drop in their qualification likelihood, plummeting down the pecking order behind South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. To reach the projected qualification cutoff at the end of the league stage, the calculation is unforgiving… India must win 6 of their remaining 7 Test matches. With only seven fixtures left on their calendar, there is virtually zero margin for error. A single defeat or two drawn encounters will officially extinguish their hopes. India’s remaining schedule leaves no room for slip-ups across two high-stakes series: Two Tests in New Zealand (Away): Playing the Black Caps in their own backy...

Reports: PCB issues complaint to Sky over interview with Imran Khan’s sons

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  Pakistan Cricket Board (PC: X) As per a report, the Pakistan Cricket Board had issued a formal complaint to Sky Sports in relation to the channel putting out an interview with Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Isa Khan, the sons of former Pakistan captain and Prime Minister Imran Khan, during the lunch break of the ongoing Lord’s Test against England. According to Cricinfo, the Pakistan board had even mulled over whether to allow their players to take the field or not after the lunch break. The broadcaster is believed to have postponed the interview by a bit after PCB communicated to them that their players may not take the field as a mark of protest. However, the 18-minute interview conducted by Michael Atherton at Lord’s writers’ room, went through. And by the time the interview had reached its completion, Pakistan’s cricketers were about to take the field. Incidentally, the former Pakistan captain has been held in solitary confinement for three years and is believe...

Dravid and Sehwag’s Sons Earn India U19 Call-Ups for Australia Series

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PC: Cricinfo The next generation of two Indian cricketing greats will be in the spotlight as Aaryavir Sehwag and Anvay Dravid have been selected in India’s Under-19 squad for the upcoming three-match one-day series against Australia Under-19. The BCCI announced the squad on Thursday, 27th August. The matches are scheduled to be played in Rajkot on the 18th, 21st and 23rd September. Aaryavir, the son of former Indian opener Virender Sehwag, has earned his maiden India Under-19 call-up. He has been playing in the ongoing Delhi Premier League with West Delhi Lions. Meanwhile, Anvay, the younger son of former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid, has retained his place in the Under-19 one-day squad as the wicketkeeper-batter. He was also a part of India’s recent tour of Sri Lanka and impressed everyone during the youth ODIs. They will be captained by Lakshya Raichandani, with Yashbardhan Chauhan taking over the duties of being the vice-captain. The duo will feature only...

Dinusha and Nuwantha frustrate India

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(PC: Debasis Sen) Keshara Nuwantha’s average in first-class cricket is 12.00. In Sri Lanka’s second innings, he has so far batted for 172 minutes and faced 149  balls to be unbeaten on 46. This is on top of his 74-ball (18) first-innings resolve. Sonal Dinusha, resplendent in another half-century, has proved to be India’s nemesis in this series. With a tally of 342 runs (and counting), including two hundreds, at an average of 114.00, he is a strong contender to be Player of the Series. Sri Lanka have unearthed a serious Test player. Together Dinusha and Nuwantha so far have added 111 runs for the seventh wicket and are at the crease for 172 minutes to keep India at bay on the final day of the series. The hosts went to lunch on 329/6 , leading by 116 runs. There’s a forecast of rain in the afternoon. It’s still a little premature to say the pair has saved the game. But if Sri Lanka can eventually eke out a draw here, following on, they will have a claim on...

Pant, Pasindu and a Plot Written Behind the Stumps

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  Image :Debasis Sen Vaibhav Tripathi, Colombo There was a guy who used to change the course of the game from behind the wickets. Generally, whenever this phrase is used, on most occasions, it has been in relation to MS Dhoni. The legendary wicket-keeper-batter is regarded as having one of the best cricketing brains. In his decorated career, so many times he has changed the course of the game with his decision-making or by passing on the tips on to the bowlers. On day 4 of the second Test, Dhoni’s apprentice, Pant proved to be the catalyst in the process of getting the wicket of Pasindu Sooriyabandara who batted really well for his 92. Sri Lanka adopted an aggressive blueprint to unsettle India’s spinners, and Sooriyabandara led the charge with intent. From the moment he walked in, his footwork reflected a clear urgency to keep the scoreboard moving. Unlike his first-innings 80, the right-hander was far more proactive against spin early on, repeatedly stepping out of his crease...

No discussion between Agarkar and BCCI yet over extension

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Ajit Agarkar (PC: X) Will chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s term be extended beyond September? There’s no discussion yet between him and the BCCI in this regard, it is learnt. With the cricket board’s AGM scheduled on September 18, it would be interesting to see if the two parties sit across the table in the coming days. Agarkar is in Sri Lanka at the moment for the ongoing Test series. After returning home, he is expected to turn up for the Duleep Trophy semi-finals, to be played at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bangalore from August 30. The final is at Chepauk from September 6. “Nobody has approached Agarkar yet (as regards extension), and he hasn’t approached anyone,” said a source in the know. “Let’s see how it pans out in the coming days.” The current chairman of the selectors assumed office in July 2023. So, by the rule book, he can continue until June 2027. Then again, Agarkar was said to be given a three-year contract, as he was brought i...

Humble Roots, 13 Years With One Coach, Endless Sweeps: The Making of Sonal Dinusha

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PC: Sonal Dulshan Vaibhav Tripathi, Colombo Just a few hundred metres from the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) stands the Colombo Cricket Club (CCC), where a group of aspiring cricketers were hard at work in the nets under the watchful eye of their coach, Sonal Dulshan Alwalage. At SSC, meanwhile, one of his students, Sonal Dinusha, was fighting for Sri Lanka in the middle with the bat in hand against India. Dulshan had a job to do. His eyes were on the young players in front of him, guiding them through their training and ensuring every detail of the session was right. But every few minutes, his attention would briefly drift to the scorecard. He wanted to know how his other student was progressing against India. He would have loved to be in Galle, watching Sonal’s innings unfold ball by ball. Instead, coaching duties kept him at CCC, leaving him to follow his student’s performance from a distance. For many, Sonal’s batting in Galle may have been an unexpected sight. It was only his ...

Women’s Asia Cup 2026: Hong Kong, China – Know Your Team

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Hong Kong, China Women’s team (PC: Cricket Hong Kong) A historic Women’s Asia Cup campaign awaits Hong Kong, China as they prepare to compete in the tournament. They are in Group A alongside India, Pakistan and Thailand. Captain: Natasha Miles Head coach: Mamatha Maben Mamatha Maben is a former India women’s team skipper who also led the team to the inaugural edition of the Women’s Asia Cup title in 2004 in Sri Lanka. She represented India in 40 ODIs and four Tests. Squad Natasha Miles (c), Maryam Bibi, Chan Ka Ying, Chan Sau Ha, Chan Shing Yan Dorothea, Iqra Sahar, Joyleen Kaur, Mahekdeep Kaur, Mariko Hill, Marina Lamplough, Ruchitha Venkatesh, Shanzeen Shahzad, Siu Mei Wai, Wong Wing Kiu Hailey, Yasmin Daswani Key players: Natasha Miles, Kary Chan, Mariko Hill and Yasmin Daswani Fixtures Thailand vs Hong Kong, August 28, Dubai India vs Hong Kong, September 3, Dubai Pakistan vs Hong Kong, September 7, Dubai Hong Kong, China Women’s team in Sri Lanka (PC: Cr...

WAPL 2026 Auction: 76 Players Sold as Henrietta Flavia Pereira Leads the Way

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WAPL 2026 Auction (PC: Andhra Cricket Association Insta) The first-ever auction of the Women’s Andhra Premier League (WAPL) 2026 took place in Vijayawada on August 25. With the tournament moving to the franchise model for the first time, a total of 191 players were registered for the inaugural auction. Of them, 76 players were sold as the four teams, Godavari Golden Eagles, Vizag Fire Birds, Rayalaseema Xen Stars and Amaravati E Champions, built their squads for the upcoming season. Henrietta Flavia Pereira, the all-rounder, attracted the highest bid of INR 4.30 lakh, with Godavari Golden Eagles snapping her up. K Anjali Sarvani also made headlines after Vizag Fire Birds bought her for INR 3.60 lakh. All eyes were on Team India spinner N Shree Charani, whom Rayalaseema Xen Stars bought for INR 1.10 lakh. However, her participation remains in doubt as the WAPL schedule (September 15-26) clashes with the upcoming Asian Games (September 17-22), where Charani will be representing the cou...

“I’m really hacked off, I’m really disappointed” – Joe Root breaks silence on Brydon Carse nightclub incident

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Joe Root (PC:X/ICC) England Test cricket team captain Joe Root has expressed his disappointment after fast bowler Brydon Carse was involved in an incident outside a nightclub in Derby. Carse was briefly arrested and later de-arrested after images of him in handcuffs went viral on social media. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has referred the matter to the Cricket Regulator. Until then, Carse has been left out of the squad for the second Test against Pakistan. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Test at Lord’s, Root said, “If I’m being brutally honest, I’m really hacked off, I’m really disappointed. After last week’s performance, we’re sat here and we’re talking about something that is not related to it at all.” Carse was not on cricketing duty at the time, as he had been released to play for Durham, but he remains a centrally contracted player. Root also revealed that he had spoken to Carse after the incident and said that he was apologetic. “I...

Jadeja ends Sooriyabandara’s resolve, but Dinusha hangs on

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  Photo: Debasis Sen Rain forced a delayed start to the second session, and India had a stroke of luck as they finally saw off Pasindu Sooriyabandara. For 195 minutes, Sri Lanka’s No. 4, playing only his second Test, had kept the tourists at bay. But Ravindra Jadeja finally got the better of him, with a little help from the rub of the green. It was a slider from the left-arm spinner that straightened off a length. Sooriyabandara used the depth of his crease and tried to dab it square on the off side. He didn’t have the room to work with. The ball deflected off the inside edge onto his back thigh and then on to the stumps. The youngster was out for 80, and Sri Lanka were 171/6. Four balls later, Niroshan Dickwella nudged a dibbly-dobbly delivery down the leg side from Mohammed Siraj to Dhruv Jurel behind the stumps. It was a soft dismissal. Dickwella had impressed on his return to the Test fold after a gap of three-and-a-half years. But instead of building on his 80 in the firs...

Around 60% of my life is now about trying to help people: Roshan Mahanama opens up on social service and his Trust

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Roshan Mahanama (PC: RevSportz) Former Sri Lanka opener and 1996 World Cup winner Roshan Mahanama is devoting his time to empowering underprivileged children across Sri Lanka through his Trust (Roshan Mahanama Trust). His humanitarian work, which grew after the 2004 tsunami, includes rebuilding homes, providing scholarships and establishing the Roshan Mahanama Primary School in remote Weheratanna, which now caters to the needs of over 100 children. Mahanama, a former ICC match referee and member of the Cricket Transformation Committee of SLC, spoke to this correspondent at Sri Lanka Cricket Headquarters on Monday.  “The Roshan Mahanama Trust was established because, after the Easter bombings in April 2019, I felt I had to be there for the people who had faced that unfortunate incident. I visited all three churches with different organisations to see how I could support them,” he said to RevSportz. “During COVID-19, together with my former teammate and close friend Chaminda Vaas,...