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Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023: ICC Releases Warm-Up Fixtures For Qualifier

By LokMarg 23rd May 2023

The warm-up fixtures have been confirmed ahead of the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe by ICC.

All 10 teams will play a total of two warm-up matches ahead of the start of the Qualifier on June 18, with sides to get some valuable match practice in prior to the commencement of the crucial event.
Every team will be in action on Tuesday, June 13 for the opening day of warm-up fixtures, with a second set of games set to take place during the same week on Thursday June 15 as per ICC.

The 10 sides in Zimbabwe for the Qualifier are battling it out for two places at the 2023 World Cup at the end of the year, with the top two teams at the completion of the Super Six stage progressing through to the final and earning a place at the 50-over showcase.

ICC has also announced the fixtures for the Qualifier matches of the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Two-time winners West Indies and 1996 champions Sri Lanka are in different groups for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier that will take place in Zimbabwe between June 18 and July 9.

West Indies drawn in Group A alongside tournament hosts Zimbabwe, Netherlands, Nepal and USA. And Sri Lanka is in Group B with the island nation scheduled to play matches against Ireland, Scotland, Oman and the UAE.

Warm-up fixtures:

Tuesday, 13 June

West Indies v Scotland, Harare Sports Club

Zimbabwe v Oman, Takashinga Cricket Club

Nepal v UAE, Old Hararians Cricket Club

Sri Lanka v Netherlands, Queen’s Sports Club

Ireland v USA, Bulawayo Athletic Club

Thursday, 15 June

Nepal v Oman, Harare Sports Club

West Indies v UAE, Takashinga Cricket Club

Zimbabwe v Scotland, Old Hararians Cricket Club

Ireland v Netherlands, Queen’s Sports Club

Sri Lanka v USA, Bulawayo Athletic Club (ANI)

ICC Reveals Major Changes To Playing Conditions

By LokMarg 15th May 2023

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced major changes to the playing conditions which will be put into effect from June 1.

ICC announced changes to the Playing Conditions after the Chief Executives’ Committee approved the recommendations from the Men’s Cricket Committee led by former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly and the Women’s Cricket Committee.
The major change involved the soft signal being scrapped, with umpires no longer required to give a soft signal when referring decisions to the TV umpire.

“The on-field umpires will consult with the TV umpire before any decisions are taken,” the ICC confirmed.

“Soft signals have been discussed at previous cricket committee meetings over the last couple of years,” Sourav Ganguly said as quoted by ICC.

“The committee deliberated this at length and concluded that soft signals were unnecessary and at times confusing since referrals of catches may seem inconclusive in replays,” said the former Indian skipper.

The other big announcement involved making helmets mandatory for high-risk positions. The compulsion of helmets will be for when batters are facing fast bowlers, when wicketkeepers are standing up to the stumps and when fielders are close to the batter in front of the wicket.

“We also discussed player safety, which is very important for us. The committee decided that it was best to make the use of helmets mandatory in certain positions to ensure the safety of players,” Ganguly added.

There was also a minor addition to the ‘Free Hit’ rule with any runs scored off a Free Hit when the ball hits the stumps counted as runs scored from now. This would mean that if a batter is bowled off a Free Hit and runs are scored off it, they would be attributed to the batter.

The changes will come into effect on 1 June 2023 with the Lord’s Test between England and Ireland, a four-day one-off Test match.

The following World Test Championship final between India and Australia, starting June 7, will also follow these new Playing Conditions. (ANI)

Anushka Heaps Praises On Harmanpreet

By LokMarg 24th February 2023

Actor Anushka Sharma heaped praises on India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur after the country lost to Australia in the semifinal of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

Taking to Instagram stories, Anushka re-shared an article of Harmanpreet Kaur along with a caption, “Always proud of you and your team captain!”
India’s wait for a world title continued as they succumbed to a heartbreaking five-run loss to Australia in the semifinal of the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on Thursday, where nerves of Aussies prevailed over top knocks from skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues.

Harmanpreet Kaur suffered a freak dismissal during the semi-final against Australia at a crucial juncture in the game. The India captain, who made it out into the middle despite suffering from illness, was playing beautifully to reach her half-century and put her side in contention to chase down Australia’s 172/4.

But a bizarre moment sent Kaur back to the dugout when her bat jammed in the wicket as she ran it in, leaving her short of her ground as she was run out for 52.Speaking of Anushka’s upcoming projects, she will be seen in ‘Chakda Xpress’, which is a sports biopic based on the life of former Indian cricketer Jhulan Goswami, which will stream exclusively on Netflix.

The final release date of the film is still awaited. The ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ actor will be portraying the role of a cricketer for the first time in her career. Anushka’s brother Karnesh Sharma will be producing ‘Chakda Xpress’ with his home production company Clean Slate Filmz. (ANI)

Hardik Pandya’s Resolution Is To Win World Cup For India

By LokMarg 2nd January 2023

India’s wait for an ICC title has been continuing and the last time India won an ICC tournament was Champions Trophy in 2013 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy.

Hardik Pandya, who is leading the Indian team in the three-match T20I series against Asia Cup Champions Sri Lanka starting on Tuesday at the Wankhede Stadium, has one resolution in 2023 and that is to win the World Cup.

“To win the World Cup for my country. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it in 2022 but we want to do it in a better way this year,” Pandya said responding to a query at a press conference.

India lost to England by 10 wickets in ICC T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final dashing hopes of millions of supporters.

India also performed poorly in Asia Cup held from August to September last year and failed to reach the final. The team lost ODI series to Bangladesh 2-1.

“I know the only language that is hard work. Injuries are not in my hand but I believe in the process. 2022 was individually my best year. We missed World Cup but that’s part and parcel of the game. My goal is to help the team win multi-nation tournaments, ” said Hardik Pandya.

Indian limited overs teams over the years have done well in bilaterals but have failed to replicate that performance in multi-nation tournaments.

India also does not have too many matches to play ahead of the IPL 2023 which means Hardik Pandya does not have too many games to give a chance to youngsters which makes things difficult for team management to get the right combination.

“Obviously the plans are set. We are looking forward to play the certain way which we did. Before IPL only six games are there. So, we don’t have much time to do a lot of things but going forward we will keep creating new plan and see which are the plans we will be sticking, which is working for us and going forward just make sure that we give ample opportunity, ” Pandya said.

Dasun Shanaka will lead Sri Lanka’s T20I and ODI squads against India, while Kusal Mendis will play the role of his deputy in ODIs.

The Sri Lanka’s tour comprises of three T20Is and as many ODIs. Sri Lanka will be touring India from January 3 to January 15 for three T20Is and three ODIs.

The first match of the series will be held on January 3, 2023, in Mumbai while the second and third will take place on January 5 and 7 in Pune and Rajkot respectively.

The ODIs will be held in Guwahati, Kolkata and Trivandrum on January 10, 12 and 15 respectively. Earlier on Tuesday BCCI announced India’s squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s squad for India tour: Dasun Shanaka (C), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis (v-c for ODIs), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (only for T20Is), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga (v-c for T20Is), Ashen Bandara, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay (only for ODIs), Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Nuwanidu Fernando (only for ODIs), Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Lahiru Kumara and Nuwan Thushara (only for T20I).

India’s squad for Sri Lanka T20Is: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar. (ANI)

No Country Can Overlook India: Thakur On Ramiz’s World Cup Remarks

By LokMarg 26th November 2022

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has said India is a major power in the world of sports and no country can overlook the country.

He was responding to a query about remarks of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja that if India does not come for Asia Cup, Pakistan won’t go for the 2023 World Cup to be hosted by India.
“Wait for the right time. India is a major power in the world of sports & no country can overlook India,” Thakur said.

Earlier in October, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had indicated that Asia Cup could be held at a neutral venue.

After Shah’s remarks about holding Asia Cup at a neutral venue, PCB issued a statement it can impact Pakistan’s visit to India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

“The overall impact of such statements has the potential to split the Asian and international cricketing communities and can impact Pakistan’s visit to India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and future ICC Events in India in the 2024-2031 cycle,” PCB said,

Following PCB’s statement, Thakur had said that India will host the 2023 WC with all teams.

“It is an internal matter of BCCI and it will handle the issue smartly. We have not done anything wrong yet while hosting international tournaments before. We have hosted World Cup successfully before and all teams participated happily. We will host the tournament next year and all teams will play in it,” Thakur had said in October.

BCCI President Roger Binny also said that touring Pakistan for Asia Cup 2023 is not the board’s call, but they will rely on the government’s decision.

“That is not our call. We cannot say where our team has to go. We need to take clearance from the government if we leave the country, or other countries come here. We cannot take that decision on our own, we have to rely on the government,” Binny had said.

2023 will mark the first time ever that India will host the marquee cricketing event by itself. It co-hosted the 1987 World Cup with Pakistan and the 1996 World Cup with Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The tournament made its return to India in 2011 when it co-hosted it along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India also emerged victorious in the 2011 edition of the tournament. (ANI)

T20 WC: Kohli 28 Runs Away From This Career-Defining Milestone

By LokMarg 30th October 2022

Former India captain and star batter Virat Kohli are just inches away from adding another record to his tally.

Kohli will need just 28 runs to overtake ICC Hall of Famer Mahela Jayawardena as the most prolific run-scorer across T20 World Cups when he takes on South Africa in Perth on Sunday.
With 989 runs already scored throughout all T20 World Cups, Kohli needs 28 more runs to surpass all previous record-holders. Mahela Jayawardena, a former captain of Sri Lanka, currently owns the record with 1016 runs.

Despite a lagging start to the year, the 33-year-old found his rhythm in the Asia Cup and in the bilateral series matches against Australia and South Africa that preceded the competition. He also got off to a fast start in the eagerly anticipated match against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in front of over 90,000 spectators in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022.

Australian legend and former Indian head coach Greg Chappell on Saturday said that Virat Kohli’s innings of 82* against Pakistan in their ICC T20 World Cup 2022 match at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) legitimized the shorter format as an art form and added that late spin great Shane Warne would have been proud of star batter’s knock had he been alive.

Chappell called Virat Kohli the “most complete Indian batsman” of his time and further went on to term Virat’s recent ICC T20 World Cup matching winning knock against Pakistan a “song by God.”

If slamming his much-anticipated 71st international ton after over a thousand days during Asia Cup 2022 was not enough, Virat silenced all the criticism and talks of his place in India’s T20I set-up with this knock, that helped Men in Blue snatch an improbable four-wicket win from the jaws of defeat.

It was a knock that left Chappell mighty impressed. Writing in his Sydney Morning Herald column, “None of the greats of bygone eras could have dismembered an opponent so brutally without compromising the niceties of the art of batting than Kohli did on the last Sunday night.”

“Kohli is a complete Indian batsman of my time. Only the greatest of champions have the courage and the intelligence to transport their imagination beyond the mortal plane. Kohli has that. Perhaps only Tiger Pataudi has come close to transcending a similar stratosphere.” (ANI)

Mamata Backs Sourav As ICC Chairman

By LokMarg 20th October 2022

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday backed former Indian cricket skipper Sourav Ganguly for the chairmanship of the ICC and targeted the Centre for allegedly removing the ex-BCCI chief from the post.

Mamata said that she would have protested even if the Centre “would have done this” with master blaster Sachin Tendulkar as well.
“Sourav Ganguly is from Bengal so can’t he be International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman? You removed Sourav Ganguly but retained Jay Shah. If they would’ve done this with Sachin Tendulkar, then also I would’ve protested. Today I’m ashamed that there’s no representation of India in ICC,” the Chief Minister said at the inauguration of Janbazar Sammilita Kali Puja in the city.

Hitting out at the Centre for the move of replacing Ganguly with Roger Binny as the BCCI president, Mamata alleged that the government used its power to not retain him.

“We are really ashamed. Today you did not retain him because you are in power. What will happen in 2024 if you don’t come back to power? Sourav also knows this,” she said.

Earlier on October 17, Mamata alleged that Ganguly had been “excluded in an unfair way” from another term as BCCI chief and said he should be allowed to contest the ICC election.

Mamata Banerjee said that Ganguly is popular and “not a political party member” and the Centre should not take a “political decision”.

“I request PM to make sure Sourav Ganguly must be allowed to contest the ICC election. He’s a popular figure which is why he is being deprived. Request GoI not to take a decision politically, but for cricket, sports…He is not a political party member,” she said.

“On behalf of all countrymen I say that Sourav Ganguly is our pride, he has skillfully managed his sports and administration career. He was BCCI president. He was excluded in an unfair way; the compensation for it will be to send him to ICC,” she said.

She also urged people not to use such firecrackers that can harm others.

“During Kali Puja, don’t use firecrackers that can harm others, don’t let communal clashes happen; be alert as there’s a chance of a cyclonic storm and stay at home if the weather is not good,” she said. (ANI)