Month: August 2023

Litton Das failed to recover from viral fever [X.com]
In a major setback for Bangladesh, star opener Litton Das has been ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup 2023, which starts today Das could not travel to Sri Lanka last weekend and remained doubtful for their opener, but the wicketkeeper-batter failed to recover from viral fever.
Veteran Anamul Haque Bijoy has been called in as Das’ replacement, who last played for Bangladesh against India last year.  The 30-year-old has played 44 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and slammed 1,254 runs with three centuries, and will join the Bangladesh side today.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief selector Minhajul Abedin Nannu in a statement, explained Bijoy’s inclusion in the squad. 
“He (Anamul) has been in the runs in domestic cricket and we have continued to monitor him in the Bangladesh Tigers programme. He was always in our consideration. Due to Litton’s unavailability, we needed a top-order batter who could keep wicket and Anamul got the nod,”
Das has been the most consistent batter for Bangladesh across formats in the past few years and has made his mark in international cricket with stellar performances in the T20 World Cup 2022. 
Bangladesh’s Asia Cup 2023 campaign kicks off on August 31 and will go up against Sri Lanka at Pallekele. The Bangla Tigers will be captained by Shakib Al Hasan, who takes over captaincy duties from Tamim Iqbal.

Aug 30, 2023, 12:58PM ISTSource: TOI.inAfter securing the runner-up position in the FIDE World Cup Chess, Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa has returned home. Reflecting on the grand reception he received, his sister Vaishali said, “I had witnessed something similar a decade ago when Viswanathan (Anand) sir won the World Championship match. His welcome was truly remarkable. We were present at the airport to greet him. It’s truly incredible to witness Pragg receiving the same overwhelming affection from everyone.”

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has raised questions over the tight scheduling of Asia Cup 2023 hours before the tournament begins with their match against Nepal in Multan on Tuesday. This year’s Asia Cup was supposed to be held in Pakistan but due to India’s reservation in travelling to Pakistan, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) had no option but to host the tournament in a hybrid model. Sri Lanka were added as the hosts along with Pakistan. This is the first time in the history of the Asia Cup that the tournament will be played in two countries simultaneously. India will play all its matches in Sri Lanka, while all the five other teams – Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Nepal – will travel from Pakistan to Sri Lanka or the other way around in a short interval.
Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam speaks during a press conference on the eve of their Asia Cup cricket match against Nepal(AFP)
Pakistan start their campaign on Wednesday against Nepal in Multan and then fly to Sri Lanka the very next day for the big-ticket clash against India at Pallekele on September 2. Within 24 hours, they are back in Lahore for their Super Four game on September 6 and then again fly back to Sri Lanka the next day for the next game on September 9.
Ahead of their Asia Cup 2023 opener against Nepal, Babar Azam said it would have been better had the tournament been played in Pakistan entirely.
“If you ask me, it would have been good if the whole tournament would have been held in Pakistan, but unfortunately, nothing can be done about it,” Babar said at the pre-tournament media conference. “As professionals, we are ready for any schedule that is given to us. There would be travelling as well as back-to-back games and we are ready for that,” said Babar.
Babar said they have planned their flight timings in such a manner that the players get adequate rest in between matches.
“Our coaches and support staff have chalked out plans about how much we would utilise each player and also we have booked our flights in such a manner, that our travelling schedule gives enough time to rest,” he added.
While he didn’t want to divulge his strategy about the India game, he expected that his team would put up the best show possible.
“We want to continue with this momentum. Pakistan’s match against India will be a high-intensity game and we want to play our best cricket on the given day,” he added.
The skipper, rated as one of the premier batters in contemporary cricket, is happy that Pakistan team is currently ranked No. 1 in ODIs and also a lot of their players are in top-10.
“I needed to take the team to a different level and change mindset. Now, we have at least 3-4 players in top-10 and when you set a standard, there will be expectations and you have to fulfil those expectations. Performances should be such that the team wins,” he added.

• Bayern Munich players recently received cars from sponsors Audi
• Harry Kane was amongst the players who received a new vehicle
• He will have to adhere to a strict rule after receiving his new Audi

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Harry Kane and Bayern Munich are basking in pure delight following the completion of his record transfer from Premier League outfit, Tottenham Hotspur, to the Bundesliga powerhouse.
The English forward has wasted little time lighting up the Bundesliga, capping off a fine week with a new car gifted by the team’s sponsor, Audi.
The 30-year-old was part of the team that visited the manufacturer’s factory to choose from a range of electric vehicle models recently.
Harry Kane and his Bayern Munich teammates were recipients of new cars courtesy of Audi. Image: Christof Stache.Source: Getty Images
Bayern have a long partnership with the German car giants, who are shareholders in the club.
The tradition has been ongoing for over 20 years and the recent occasion was marked with Kane and his fellow teammates being presented with the keys to their newly chosen rides in Ingolstadt.
Joshua Kimmich opted for an Audi RS e-tron GT, which typically costs around £120,000. However, Kane charted a slightly different course by selecting a sleek black Q8 e-tron valued at £58,000.
When German media outlet, Bild, questioned him about his decision to opt for a vehicle priced significantly lower than most of his teammates, the captain of the English national team explained his preference was for a family-oriented car, considering his recent addition to the family with the birth of his fourth child from wife, Katie.
I decided on a family car. Now that I have four children, I just need the space, Kane commented.
Kane gets strict car rules
Bayern Munich players are expected to arrive at the Sabener Strasse training facility in their new Audis for matches and club-related engagements.
However, after an incident in April 2020 involving Kingsley Coman being fined a reported £43,500 after driving his McLaren to training rather than an Audi, Kane will need to toe the line.
At the time, the Frenchman claimed a damaged wing mirror on his vehicle was the reason he had not driven the German car, with Bayern having to issue an apology to the manufacturer and denying the player access to the clubs training complex, resulting in him having to park his car on the street.
Interestingly, Coman repeated a similar offence when he arrived at a training session in a Mercedes. Following this, Coman offered an apology and was assigned a unique penalty – signing autographs for Audi employees at the companys headquarters – as reported by nybreaking.com.
While players retain the freedom to drive their vehicles during leisure time, they are required to adhere to the clubs regulations when engaged in any activities connected to the team.
It is worth noting that driving cars such as Bentley, Bugatti, and Porsche is deemed acceptable due to these brands’ affiliation with the Volkswagen group, which also owns Audi.
Harry Kane makes Bundesliga history
Sports Brief also reported on Kane already making history with Bayern after bagging a brace to help his team record their second straight Bundesliga win of the 2023/24 season.
With his impressive double against Augsburg in a top flight clash, the former Tottenham Hotspur star became the first English player to score in his first two Bundesliga games.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will sell its bilateral cricket media rights through an e-auction on Thursday, August 31. Before we take a look at who is likely to participate in the process and what optimum value the auction could generate, heres an acknowledgement of what has been done right.
The easier thing for the BCCI to do wouldve been to sell these rights through a closed bid. Closed bids usually attract shock value as we saw in the case of the International Cricket Councils (ICC) media rightswhere a bidder, worried over losing out on a property, ends up tendering a number far higher than what business estimates suggest.
Should the BCCI have done the same, any of the potential bidders waiting to come to the table on Thursday couldve put in a number, more so to ease their fears and massage their egos than stick to business estimates.
The cricket board had maintainedahead of the sale of Indian Premier League (IPL) media rightsthat transparency would remain key at all times, and in line with it they have once again stuck to an e-auction.
Where auction of rights happens anywhere around the world, across any sport, a move like this remains unprecedented. That brings us to figuring who is likely to participate and what value to expect.
The list is short: Viacom18, Disney and Sony (with Zee supporting their bid internally). These three companies submitted their respective technical bids (Zee separately did not submit a technical bid, Sony did) and companies that refrained from doing are ruled out of the process.
The rules of the auction are more or less a free for all, which means: 1. Bidding can continue till only one participant remains on the table; 2.
Consortiums are allowed, which means Sony and Zee can come together, regardless of the current status of their merger; 3. Rights will be sold in two packages, India subcontinent TV and India subcontinent and world digital.
The base prices for Package A stands at Rs 20 crore for TV and for Package B at Rs 25 crore for digital and rest of the world, making it a combined reserve value of Rs 45 crore per game for a total of 88 matches that can potentially stretch to 102. The winning bid in 2018, for the record, stood at Rs 60.1 crore per game and, therefore, the Rs 15-odd crore value erosion on base price is an indication of how bilateral cricket has fallen behind.
Nonetheless, there are participants who will put their best foot forward considering this is India cricket were talking about.
Viacom18s objectives remain clear, especially after what was witnessed during the sale of IPL media rights. It will go the whole hog to buy Package B (digital rights), the platform it has based its business plans on as far as sports broadcasting is concerned.
Disneys objectives, on the other hand, remain absolutely unclear, especially after what was seen during the sale of IPL and ICC media rights. It let go of digital rights in the IPL and bought TV. It then bought the whole bouquet of rightsTV and digitalfrom ICC and let go of TV to keep digital.  So what exactly has been Disneys play, TV or digital or both?
Adding to this confusion are the headlines the entertainment superpower continued to generate in American media. The Wall Street Journal reported recently that Disney was considering the sale of its India business/looking for a partner, even as the company went ahead with mass terminations and dissolved HotStar from Disney+, a statement interpreted by the rest of the industry on the lines that India business is not Disneys priority at this moment.
Even if Disney does come to the table on Thursday, despite the cloud of multiple uncertainties, what industry executives further fear is the ripple effect itll likely have on the shareholder-narrative back home (US).The third participant expected to arrive at the table is Sony, backed by Zee, which has not submitted a technical bid separately and will therefore not arrive individually.
Thursday is Sonys best chance to get back into the game. Having bought the IPL rights in 2008rather, which it got on a platterand having let them go in 2017, Sony has forever been the eternal bridesmaid for the last 15 years.
However, with Disney re-evaluating its India strategy, and Sony (now Culver Max Entertainment) itching to resurrect its television platforms, now backed by a strong war chest thanks to a timely merger, the timing couldnt be better. That boils down to what value the industry can expect.
Firstly, the BCCI has said (not verbatim) that should the combined value of the bilateral rights not bring in a minimum of Rs 6,000 crore, the board reserves the right to cancel the auction. In other words, what it is looking at is the new value surpassing the previous five-year value of Rs 6,138 crore at which Star India had bought the rights in 2018.
So, there’s a great possibility that once the auction crosses the combined mark of Rs 6,138 crore, it will likely begin to slow.
Disneys five-year balance sheet is a telling story of how the peak value of a bilateral cricket tour during the last five years did not once go beyond Rs 40 crore per game. Progress in digital broadcasting may scale up the value a bit but beyond a point, beauty will continue to lie in the eye of the beholder.
Remember, an auction of these proportions is never about the price at which you buy. Its always about the price at which you let go and say, this is where I stop.

Students from the Northeast and Darjeeling allegedly faced racial slurs and had stones and slippers hurled at them during a football match between North East United FC and East Bengal FC at Kolkatas Vivekananda Yuba Bharati stadium, locally known as Salt Lake stadium, Tuesday.According to students who spoke to The Indian Express, an hour after the Durand Cup semi final ended, they had to be escorted out by the Army and the police. After a 2-2 score at the end of the match, East Bengal had won the game in penalties.An official complaint is yet to be lodged by the students. Calls to Gaurav Sharma, Commissioner of Bidhannagar police commissionerate, went unanswered.Said a Defence spokesperson, Adequate security measures were in place like in all the matches and separate stands are earmarked for fans of both teams. Emotions run high in matches, especially in closely competed ones. Phone numbers of both police and Army personnel are given to all the spectators and fans before the match. Both police and Army personnel are present during matches. That is why no untoward incident happened like injury to someone or damage to property.
Raja Guha, a member of the working committee of East Bengal Cub, said: I was there on the field yesterday. I did not see anything like this. Players of both teams were cordial. But I will look into the matter.
Mandar Tamhane, the North East United CEO, did not receive phone calls.
As purported videos of the incident went viral, The Indian Express spoke to a number of students, who wished to remain anonymous.
A postgraduate student from Darjeeling recalled: It all started in the metro, on our way to the stadium. My friends and I were called names like corona and momo by East Bengal supporters. We did not pay much heed to it at the time.
According to the students, it was when North East United scored their first goal that trouble started. East Bengal fans allegedly lobbed water bottles, slippers and even stones while continuing to shout racial slurs.
There were about 80 to 90 students from the Northeast and Darjeeling who were watching the game from ramp 16. The moment a goal was scored by our team, the crowd started shouting abuses. They called us momo, chowmein, corona and made obscene gestures, alleged a student.
There were women students with us too. After the second goal, stones and slippers were pelted at us from above and both sides. Two of the students received minor injuries. We were all scared. Police and Army men cordoned us and we moved under the covered area of the stadium for safety. East Bengal fans kept calling us outside, said another student from Kalimpong.
An hour after the game ended and everyone left the stadium, we were escorted out by the police and Army and taken home. It was just a game. I am not sure whether I will ever go to a football match in Kolkata again, said a student.
Durand Cup, one of the oldest football tournaments in Asia, is being hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society in cooperation with AIFF, Eastern Command of Indian Army and the government of West Bengal, supported by the government of Assam.

The impending marquee event, ODI World Cup 2023, is just around the corner, so teams are looking to fine-tune their preparations. Now, two finalists of the 2019 ODI World Cup are all set to face each other in a four-match T20 series at the Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street, starting on August 30.
As far as the defending champions, England (ENG) are concerned, their form post their T20 World Cup triumph hasn’t been up to the mark, and they were clean-swept quite comfortably by Bangladesh in a three-match T20 series, which was quite surprising. But the return of their star players for the series would’ve undoubtedly boosted the English squads confidence for the series.
On the other hand, New Zealand (NZ) are coming into this series after a narrow escape against UAE, where they won the series by 2-1, but their one-match loss against the hosts was the main talking point of the whole series. Young batter Mark Chapman and veteran Tim Southee were the most consistent performers in the series, and New Zealand would be hoping that a few other players also raise their standards against a team like England.
ENG vs NZ Match Details:
Match: England vs New Zealand, 1st T20I Match
Venue:  Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street, United Kingdom
Date & Time: Wednesday, August 30, 10:30 PM IST
Live Streaming Details: Star Sports
NZ vs ENG Pitch Report:
The Riverside Ground, set to host the first T20I of the series, promises to be a batter-friendly wicket but offers a balanced overall pitch that challenges both batters and bowlers. With conditions favouring the swing and seam movement early on, batters must take their time before all guns blazing.
NZ vs ENG Probable Playing XI
England (ENG):
Jos Butler (c), David Malan, Sam Curran, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Luke Wood, Jonny Bairstow (wk).
New Zealand (NZ):
Tim Seifert (wk), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Kyle Jamieson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Fin Allen, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (C), Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson
Probable Best Performers:
Probable Best Batter-
Jos Buttler:
Jos Butler has scored 573 runs in 18 T20Is since 2022 and was looking in great touch in the recently concluded The Hundred as well. He will be looking to continue his good form and lead his team from the front to start the series on a positive note for his side.
Probable Best Bowler-
Mitchell Santer:
Known for his crafty left-arm spin bowling, Santner has a good record against the English side, taking 17 wickets in 11 outings at an average of 17.11. His ability to stem the run flow in middle overs and take crucial wickets might be a deciding factor in this match.
                               Today’s Match Prediction: England to win the match
ENG v NZ: 1st T20I
Disclaimer: The prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.

At 35, Laura Siegemund’s only fault, if we are allowed to use that word in this context, was being ‘slow’ in her opening round US Open 2023 match against crowd favourite Coco Gauff at the Arthur Ashe. The German veteran was taking lot of time to get ready for Gauff’s serves and was even given a time violation for that by chair umpire Marijana Veljovic. But things got heated in the third set. Already under the pump after losing the first set, Gauff, although leading 3-0 in the decider, had enough of it. She decided to have a heated argument with the umpire.
Laura Siegemund broke down in the post-match press conference
The topic of discussion was obviously Siegemund’s pace or the lack of it. Gauff remonstrated with Veljovic at length during the third set, accusing the Serbian official of failing to properly enforce time violation rules against Siegemund.
Siegemund — who was warned twice for slow play, eventually costing her a game in the final set — also confronted Veljovic during a tetchy encounter.
Gauff later said she had snapped in frustration at Veljovic’s perceived failure to crack down on Siegemund’s pace of play.
Gauff ended up winning the match 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in 2hr 50min. While the focus was on the youngster and her frustration, Siegemund was fighting a battle of her own. She was devastated by the treatment she received from the crowd.
After the match, the German broke down while slamming the partisan home crowd that had cheered her every error relentlessly throughout.
“I am very very disappointed of the way the people treated me today,” she told reporters.
“I’m a fighter. I never did anything against the audience, I stayed calm, not even a gesture against the audience. They had no respect for me, no respect for the way I played, no respect for the player that I am, they had no respect for good tennis.”
Siegemund admitted she plays slowly but denied it was a tactic to unsettle her opponent.
“There’s no doubt about it that I’m slow,” she said. “There’s no doubt about it that I have to be quicker. But it’s how I play. But I do it for me, I don’t do it against the (opponent).”
Siegemund fought back tears as she admitted the crowd reaction would make her think twice about playing the tournament in future.
“This kind of unfair, respectless behaviour towards the non-American player. I have only experienced it here on this court,” she said.
“I won here two times. I left every minute of every game I played here, everything left out on the court. And this is how (they) treat me? To be treated like that? I will only come back because it’s a Slam. For sure not because of the people and to give them a show.”

LIVE | Asia Cup 2023 Opening Ceremony Updates, August 30, Colombo: AR Rahman and Atif Aslam are among the big names set to perform at Multan during the ceremony. Check LIVE streaming deets.  
Asia Cup 2023 LIVE Updates
LIVE BUZZ | Asia Cup 2023
D-day is here, today starts the much-awaited Asia Cup where Nepal will take on Pakistan in the tournament opener on Wednesday. The Indian team is currently practicing in Bangalore before they head off to Sri Lanka where they play their opener versus Pakistan on Saturday. That is the match to look out for due to obvious reasons. Stay hooked to this space as we bring you the best build-up of the event.

• 3:59 PM IST
  LIVE BUZZ – Asia Cup 2023: Afghanistan take on Sri Lanka tomorrow in what is expected to be a mouthwatering clash. Both teams are evenly matched and that means it could be a close finish.
• 3:27 PM IST
  LIVE BUZZ – Asia Cup 2023: Virat Kohli recalls a Sachin Tendulkar moment today. Kohli said, “I was jumping when Sachin hit that six against Akthar”.
• 3:26 PM IST
  LIVE BUZZ – Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan are off to a steady start. Fakhar Zaman and Imam ul Haq are in total control of proceedings in the early part of the match.
• 2:40 PM IST
  Babar Azam at TOSS: “We will bat first, pitch looks very dry and shiny. No reason to name the XI earlier, we wanted to give confidence to our team. To be honest, being the top ranked team brings a good kind of pressure, we’ll try to enjoy and do our best.”

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