Month: September 2023

Australia win 3rd ODI, India win series

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has lashed out at senior batter Tamim Iqbal over the World Cup 2023 selection controversy, terming the latters behavior as childish. He also opined that Tamim was being selfish in putting himself above the team.
Tamim, who recently made a comeback to international cricket, was not picked in Bangladeshs 15-man World Cup squad. The batter has been struggling with a persistent back injury. However, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, September 27, the veteran batter alleged that he was fit to take part in the World Cup, but decided to back out after he was asked by a top Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official to bat down the order.
In an explosive interview with T-Sports, Shakib hit out at the Bangladesh opening batter. Reacting to Tamim’s claim of being asked to bat down the order, the skipper said that it was not a big deal at all.
Giving the example of Indian captain Rohit Sharma, Shakib was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo:
“Someone like Rohit Sharma built his career from No. 7 to opener, scored 10,000-plus runs. If he sometimes bats at No 3 or 4, would it be a big problem? It is totally childish. It is my bat, I will play. No one else can play. A player should bat at any position for the team. Team first. It doesn’t make any difference if you have made 100 or 200, and the team loses. What can you do with personal achievement? You want to make a name for yourself?”
“You are not thinking about the team at all. People don’t understand these things. Why was the proposal given to him? It was for the team. What is wrong in that? You are a team man when you agree to such a proposal. Unless you are thinking along those lines, you are not a team man. You are playing for individual records, success, fame, and name. Not for the team,” Shakib continued.
The 36-year-old further clarified that he did not discuss the matter with any player, medical team, or selector. According to Shakib, the decision was made by the BCB. He, however, referenced MS Dhoni and took another dig at Tamim.
People might doubt my capability or capacity but someone like MS Dhoni, who has won everything and has the knowledge and sense, once said that the unfit player who is playing is cheating his team and country. I think we should accept it, and not just Tamim but every player, Shakib commented.
The Bangladesh captain pointed out that teams like New Zealand also have fitness concerns, with captain Kane Williamson still recovering from an ACL injury. He, however, claimed that the lack of clarity in Tamims case is the major difference between the two scenarios.
“Kane Williamson won’t play the first two matches, but then he will start playing. If I knew something like this, I wouldn’t have any problems. But if I know that there’s uncertainty about him playing the seventh or the third or the first game, or that I will only know in the morning of the game, it will be difficult for me to select the team. I don’t think we need such a player,” Shakib explained.
Williamson picked up the injury during the IPL 2023 opener and has not played any competitive cricket since.
Ahead of the team selection for the World Cup, there were reports that claimed Tamim had told the BCB he would only be able to play five matches during the tournament.
While the veteran opener has denied the same, Shakib commented:
“I certainly heard that he will play selectively. A journalist can’t really tell you that he will come to the office an hour before he wants to come to office. If you ask me personally, if I was the company CEO, I won’t keep that employee. Although I never had any discussion about this matter.
Bangladesh will begin their World Cup 2023 campaign with a match against Afghanistan in Dharamsala on October 7.
Check out India Squad for World Cup 2023 & South Africa Squad for World Cup 2023. Follow Sportskeeda for latest News.

Anrich Nortje, Sisanda Magala ruled out of World Cup

Industrialist Ratan Tata is known to be an avid animal lover. So much so that the Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group has a special kennel built for stray dogs at the global headquarters of the company in Mumbai. On Thursday, he took to Instagram to share a picture of a lost dog and appealed for any leads regarding its owner.
Tata took to the social media platformto share pictures of the dog that was found by his office. The canine was lost and was spotted at Sion Hospital in Mumbai. My office has found an abandoned/lost dog last night at Sion Hospital, Mumbai. If you are his guardian or have any leads, please email reportlostdog@gmail.com with some evidence of ownership, he wrote.
Meanwhile he is in our care and is being treated for his wounds, the 85-year-old added.
See the post here:
Tatas fans and followers flooded the comments section with their opinions and called him a legend.
What a humanitarian you are, a user wrote. Another user commented, You are an inspiration to dog lovers and who hate dogs and the voiceless.
A third user remarked, This man keeps defining what Humanity is at each and every stage of life. Youre an inspiration to a billion people. Respect to this legend.
This is why we call Ratan Tata a legend. Respect, a fourth user exclaimed.
Meanwhile, proving his love for dogs, Tata urged people to check under their cars for stray animals who might have taken shelter during the rain. The industrialist took to Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) to share a post regarding the same back in July when monsoon was at its peak in Mumbai.
“Now that the monsoons are here, a lot of stray cats and dogs take shelter under our cars. It is important to check under our car before we turn it on and accelerate to avoid injuries to stray animals taking shelter,” he wrote.
“They can be seriously injured, handicapped and even killed if we are unaware of their presence under our vehicles. It would be heartwarming if we could all offer them temporary shelter when it is pouring this season, Tata added.
In 2018, Tata famously didnt turn up to a receive a lifetime award from then Prince Charles at the Buckingham Palace in London because one of his dogs, Tito, had fallen ill.

FC Barcelona have been charged with bribery according to the Spanish media.
Visionhaus
FC Barcelona have been charged with bribery for payments made to the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira according to El Debate, in developments that could eventually result in the club being banned from the Champions League.
Barca paid 7.5 million ($7.9 million) to companies owned by Negreira from 2001 to 2018. This takes in current president Joan Laporta’s first reign as the club’s leader, but Laporta has claimed on numerous occasions that the payments were made honestly for consultation work.
The Catalans were charged for “continued corruption between individuals in the sports field” by the Barcelona provincial prosecutors office in March which prompted UEFAEFA
to open its own investigation.
In late July, the European football governing body revealed Barca were “provisionally admitted to take part” in its elite club competition, the Champions League, but made sure it was known that a “future decision on admission/exclusion” was still possible.
The start of September saw El Mundo reveal that, in a report requested by the court, Spain’s Civil Guard had concluded that referees under the watch of the CTA’s former president Victoriano Sanchez Arminio and Negreira weren’t always “unbiased”.
According to El Mundo, the Civil Guard found that Sanchez Arminio and Negreira ran an “irregular operation” while overseeing the committee, where decisions which “would not have always had impartial support” from a sporting perspective were made.
And now, at the end of the same month, another bombshell has been dropped with the Court of Instruction Number 1 deciding that the money paid to Negreira constitutes a crime.
As explained by Cadena SER, the parties involved have been notified by the judge presiding the case – Judge Joaquin Aguirre – that the original crime of “continued corruption between individuals in the sports field” is merely that.
Instead, the judge believes that the crime of bribery fits the case better, because Negreira “participated in the exercise of public functions” during the period of time that he received payments from Barca, which then ceased when he left his position.
Aguirre has pointed out that the payments were only made because of the position Negreira held in the body that regulates refereeing in Spanish football.
Because of this, Barca have been accused of bribery, “which occurs when an individual pays an official or public authority to obtain a favor in return”, alongside their former presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell. Furthermore, Negreira and his son have also been charged by Aguirre.
In worrying additional developments for the club, the judge has pointed out in a court order that it would not even be necessary to prove that Barca “adulterated” competitions in Spain in a hypothetical trial because the crime of bribery is already consummated when an official is paid to do a favor regardless of whether that favor is done or not.
Above all, one of the main consequences of the change in charges is that if Barca are finally tried for the crime of bribery, the outcome of the trial will be decided by a jury of nine members of the public who will decide if the La Liga giants committed a crime or not.
All of this news will be of interest to UEFA, who as mentioned reserved the right to take future action if fresh developments in what is known as the ‘Caso Negreira’ in Spain arose.
Barca have already gotten their campaign in the 2023/2024 edition of the Champions League underway with a 5-0 win over Royal Antwerp, but they could theoretically be banned from participation for at least a year next season.

Team India are all set to announce their final squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup on Thursday. Having completed all their assignment in preparation for the big tournament at home, with a 2-1 series win against Australia on Thursday, albeit which ended with a loss in Rajkot, India have ticked most, if not all, the boxes for the World Cup. However, there seems to be only one selection headache, solely pertaining to the playing XI, which has troubled most veterans and experts and hogged the space in every talk shows – what will be India’s middle-order line-up. As the battle between Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan has intensified with all having rightfully proven their worth to be in the squad, batting legend Virender Sehwag and former India cricketer Rohan Gavaskar have given their verdict on the possible line-up for the 50-over event which begins from October 5 onwards.
India’s Suryakumar Yadav walks back to the pavilion after his dismissal during the first ODI vs Australia(AFP)
Iyer and Suryakumar were among the lasts to have ticked the box for the World Cup with the former having scored a stellar ton in the second ODI match against Australia while the latter smashed back-to-back fifties in the series with the second being a career-best 72*, scored off just 37 balls.
Meanwhile, Ishan proved his worth with a fourth consecutive fifty in the Asia Cup tie against Pakistan en route to a stunning 82 which came after an early top-order collapse. The knock had sparked debate on whether Ishan should become India’s primary wicketkeeping choice given that he also brings variety to line-up with his left-handed batting ability, but Rahul shut the talk with a ton against Pakistan in Super Four stage of Asia Cup followed by two fifties against Australia.
Iyer vs Suryakumar vs Rahul vs Ishan – What will be India’s middle-order line-up for World Cup?
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Sehwag opined that Iyer has confirmed his spot as a No.4 with that knock of 105 against Australia in Indore, hence forming the middle-order lineup with Rahul at No. 5 and Hardik at No. 6.
At No. 6 and 7 KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya will be there. So Suryakumar won’t be there at either of those positions. There is No. 5 though. But if Hardik Pandya is your sixth bowler then Rahul will bat at No. 5, and Hardik at No. 6, then comes the bowlers. We thought Ishan Kishan could fit in somewhere in the line-up, but that hundred which Shreyas Iyer scored, if he plays at No. 4 then it will be Iyer, Rahul and Hardik at No. 4, 5 and 6 respectively, he said.
Sehwag, however, raised the question on Hardik’s ability to delivery 10 overs for India as a bowler, explaining that it will play a huge role in deciding what the middle-order will be India as well. He further added in case a spot does open up, Ishan should be picked ahead of Suryakumar owing to his left-handed ability.
Now it depends on how India look at this combination, whether they feel Hardik will certainly bowl 10 overs because that will give India an extra bowler. So then Suryakumar cannot fit in there and even if there is a slot, then Ishan should be picked ahead because he is a left-hander which had happened in Asia Cup, he added.
When further questioned on Suryakumar’s place in XI, the former India opener said that the batter hasn’t yet show his true abilities in the format. And in case he does get an opportunity, probably in the two warm-up matches, then he has to score a big hundred to cause a further selection headache.
Suryakumar hasn’t done anything big yet in ODI cricket. He only bats in those final 15-20 overs where he utilises his T20 abilities which undoubtedly is important as well. But Hardik, Ishan and Rahul can all do that same job as well. So Iyer is confirmed for No. 4. Suraykumar will have to wait and if he does get a chance at No. 4 he has to score a big hundred and show that he can also score a ton as well, he said.
Rohan Gavaskar, who was part of the same panel, added to Sehwag’s thoughts by warning the management to not make any last-minute changes to the line-up, pointing towards head coach Rahul Dravid’s recent revelation. Dravid had said that Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Rahul were India’s confirmed middle-order batters 18 months back before an unfortunate turn of events forced India to look at alternatives.
I had read that Dravid said Iyer, Pant and Rahul were India’s middle-order lineup. If that is true, making a last-minute change will only show that the management has panicked. The change would have happened had Iyer not been in form. But with that hundred, why make the change, he said.

Media caption, ‘Putin hates Clinton’ and other things the FBI learned about Russia
FBI director James Comey has confirmed for the first time that the FBI is investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
However, Mr Comey said his agency had seen no evidence to back up President Trump’s claim that his phones had been tapped by the Obama administration.
He was giving evidence to the congressional intelligence committee.
The Trump administration said nothing had changed and there was “no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion”.
Russia has always denied attempting to influence the US presidential election.
The FBI investigation would examine possible links between individuals in the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was co-ordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, Mr Comey said.
The FBI would also assess whether crimes were committed, he said.
Mr Comey said the investigation was “very complex” and he could not give a timetable for its completion.
“We will follow the facts wherever they lead,” he said.
Media caption, What FBI director Comey said on Trump, Russia and wiretaps
Image caption, Mr Putin “hated Mrs Clinton so much” that he had a strong preference for her rival, Mr Comey said
But White House press secretary Sean Spicer suggested the administration was not concerned, saying: “You can continue to look for something, but continuing to look for something that doesn’t exist doesn’t matter.”
National Security Agency (NSA) chief Admiral Mike Rogers also appeared before the committee.
He said the NSA stood by an intelligence community report published in January, which said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a campaign to harm the campaign of Mr Trump’s rival, Hillary Clinton.
Mr Comey said he had no information on unsubstantiated claims tweeted by Mr Trump this month that former President Barack Obama had ordered a wiretap on Trump Tower.
This was despite looking carefully for such evidence, he said. The Department of Justice also had no information, he said.
What FBI director James Comey didn’t say during intelligence hearings today on possible Russian meddling in the 2016 US election was as important as what he did say.
Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, who had ties to pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians? No comment. Long-time Trump adviser Roger Stone, who reportedly had communications with individuals who hacked the Democratic National Committee emails? No comment. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was forced to resign after leaked evidence surfaced that he had communicated with a Russian ambassador about US sanctions? No comment.
“I don’t want to answer any questions about a US person,” Mr Comey said.
All of this is evidence that the investigation isn’t just ongoing, it’s substantive and far-reaching.
While Democrats will likely be encouraged by this, it was telling that Republicans pursued the White House line – that the topic of greatest concern was the intelligence leaks that put this story in the headlines.
If Mr Trump can consolidate his party’s support, it will go a long way towards insulating the president against any fallout from this investigation.
Will FBI investigation ensnare Trump?
Meanwhile, Adm Rogers strongly denied that the NSA had asked Britain’s GCHQ intelligence agency to spy on Mr Trump – a claim that had been repeated by Sean Spicer.
The allegation “clearly frustrates a key ally of ours”, he added.
GCHQ had described the claim as “utterly ridiculous”.
Image caption, Mr Trump raised eyebrows after he suggested both he and Mrs Merkel had been wiretapped by Mr Obama
Mr Trump’s recent joke about how Mr Obama had wiretapped both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and him “complicates things” with an ally, Adm Rogers added.
However, Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said it was still possible that other surveillance activities had been used against Mr Trump and his associates.
In January, US intelligence agencies said Kremlin-backed hackers had broken into the email accounts of senior Democrats and released embarrassing messages in order to help Mr Trump defeat Hillary Clinton.
“That was a fairly easy judgement for the community,” Mr Comey said. “Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much that the flipside of that coin was he had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much.”
However, late last summer the Russians concluded that Mr Trump had no chance of winning, based on polls at the time, and so focused on undermining Mrs Clinton, Mr Comey said.
Media caption, Trump’s wiretap saga explained in two minutes
Both intelligence chiefs said that Russia had made its intervention in last year’s election campaign unusually obvious, perhaps to further its aim of undermining US democracy.
Mr Comey said Russia had succeeded in this goal, by sowing chaos, division and discord.
Mr Trump has since faced allegations that his campaign team had links to Russian officials.
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has said he saw no evidence of any collusion, up until the time he left his post in January.
Two senior officials in the Trump administration have been caught up in the allegations – former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and Attorney-General Jeff Sessions.
Mr Flynn was fired last month after he misled the White House about his conversations with the Russian ambassador before he was appointed national security adviser.
Image caption, Michael Flynn encouraged a softer policy on Russia and a harder line on Iran
He allegedly discussed US sanctions with ambassador Sergei Kislyak. It is illegal for private citizens to conduct US diplomacy.
Meanwhile, Mr Sessions was accused by Democrats of lying under oath during his confirmation hearing in January.
He said he had “no communications with the Russians”, but it later emerged that he had met Mr Kislyak during the campaign.
Mr Sessions denied any wrongdoing, but removed himself from any FBI inquiry into Russia’s alleged interference.

As the deadline for finalizing squads for the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 approaches, the cricketing world has been abuzz with speculation about the inclusion of star Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. While Ashwin’s name was conspicuously absent from the India men’s squad announced earlier this month, his subsequent inclusion in the squad for the home ODI series against Australia ignited hope among fans and pundits alike.
The initial omission of Ashwin from the India men’s squad for the upcoming global cricket spectacle left many cricket enthusiasts perplexed. Experts and fans alike pondered whether the spinner was still a part of the Indian team management’s plans for the tournament. Ashwin’s inclusion for the Australia series was seen as a potential lifeline, opening the door for him to secure a spot in the final World Cup squad.
Dravid remains cautious about Ashwin’s inclusion
The suspense surrounding Ashwin’s fate in the ODI World Cup 2023 squad is expected to end soon, as all participating teams must finalize their squads by Thursday, September 28. Amid this uncertainty, India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, shed light on the situation during a post-match press conference.
Dravid refrained from making any definitive statements regarding Ashwin’s inclusion in the World Cup squad, emphasizing the need for an official confirmation. The former India skipper explained that the National Cricket Academy (NCA) is in contact with chief selector Ajit Agarkar, and any announcements would come through official channels.
“We have to wait for an official confirmation or a decision on that. The NCA is in touch with the selectors and Ajit (Agarkar), so I will not make any comments on that. If there is any change, you will get to hear about it officially. As of now, there are no changes,” Dravid stated in the post-match presser.
Positive developments for key players
While the Ashwin saga continues, Dravid expressed relief that several key players, including Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer, were able to gain valuable match practice and fitness ahead of the ODI World Cup. He noted that game time was crucial for these players, particularly those returning from injuries.
“Jassi has been able to play a couple of games and bowl his quota of 10 overs. KL as well, the keeping right through the 50 overs, he is coming off after almost 6-7 months. Shreyas has played a couple of really good knocks in the last couple of games. We know we have to keep improving but also hope that we carry this momentum into the World Cup,” added Dravid.

Asian Games 2023 has seen the Indian athletes live up to the hype with the country finding itself among the top 10 nations in the medals tally. Shooting, sailing, wushu, women’s cricket and equestrian have been the disciplines where Indian athletes have left their mark at the Asian Games 2023. As of September 28, India have 25 medals (six gold, eight silver and 11 bronze). Among the gold medal winners at the Asian Games 2023, shooting has been the dominant force with four top spot finishes. However, India charted new territories by winning its first gold medal in cricket at Asian Games 2023. The Equestrian team also won the first gold medal in the sport in 41 years at the Asian Games.  (Asian Games 2023 Medals Tally | Asian Games 2023 Full Schedule)
Full List Of All Indian Gold Medal Winners at the Asian Games 2023:
Shooting, Men’s 10m Air Rifle Team: The side not only won the gold medal but also put up a ‘world record’ performance. The triumvirate of Divyansh Singh Panwar, Rudrankksh Patil, and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar earned India its first gold medal at the Asian Games 2023 on the second day of the medal events. With a cumulative score of 1893.7 points, they broke the existing world record for a team in 10m Air Rifle event.
Indian Women’s Cricket Team:The side was always primed to do well at the Asian Games 2023 considering their dominant performances in recent past. Though regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur missed the first two matches of the Asian Games 2023, it was no hindrance in India enteering the fina. In  the title clash India defeated Sri Lanka by 19 runs to clinch its first-ever Asian Games gold medal in cricket.
Equestrian, Team Dressage:This was a gold medal that was 41 years in the waiting, after the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi. The quartet of Anush Agarwalla, Hriday Vipul Chheda, Sudipti Hajela and Divyakriti Singh earned Inda a gold medal in the spot with a superb show. They claimed top podium spot with a score of 209.205.
Equestrian, Indiviual Dressage: Anush Agarwalla secured another medal in the Equestrian event at the Hangzhou Asian Games on September 28. He bagged a bronze medal in Dressage Individual Intermediate, which is also the first individual medal for India in Equestrian.
Shooting, Women’s 25m Pistol Team: The star trio of Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh, Rhythm Sangwan brought cheers again at the shooting range by clinching the top spot in Women’s 25m Pistol Team event, with a score of 1759.
Shooting, Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Individual final: With a World Record score of 469.6, Sift Kaur Samra clinched gold medal in Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Individual final. The previous record was 467 by Seonaid McIntosh of Great Britain, set in Baku this year.
Shooting, Men’s 10m Air Pistol Team: Continuing the shooters’ tremendous success at the Asian Games 2023, the star team of Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Singh Cheema and Shiva Narwal struck gold in Men’s 10m Team event.