Latest news with #ICCMen'sChampionsTrophy
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Cricket-'Life moves on' Rabada looks ahead to World Test Championship final after drug ban
FILE PHOTO: Cricket - ICC Men's Champions Trophy - Semi Final - South Africa Practice - Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan - March 4, 2025 South Africa's Kagiso Rabada during practice REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File photo (Reuters) -South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada said life moves on and he will never be "Mr I-Apologise-Too-Much" after serving a one-month ban for testing positive for recreational drug use at this year's SA20 competition. The 30-year-old Rabada can resume playing for his country in June, after being named in South Africa's squad for the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord's from June 11 to 15. Having already apologised for his actions in May, Rabada said he wanted to move on from the incident. "I'm just glad to be playing again. The process was handled really well ... I think, as a player, and a man, people will have their different opinions. I can live with that," Rabada told media on Saturday before leaving for London. "There are some people who would have been disappointed and to those people I'm deeply sorry ... The people closest to me are the ones I felt I let down. "But life moves on. I'll never be 'Mr-I-Apologise-Too-Much'. But I'll never condone that action." Rabada said he has been speaking with team mates, adding that he plans to do more in the coming days to mend any rifts the incident may have caused. "I think I owe it to them (to talk about what happened)," he said. "They're my team mates. We've come from so far. "I've already spoken to them and I guess we can do so in more detail when we get together for an extended amount of time." Rabada is likely to lead the fast-bowling attack in the World Test Championship final with seamers Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi and Dane Paterson also in the squad. Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy are the two specialist spin options. (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
NDTV
3 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Mohammed Siraj's Heartwarming Answer On Not Celebrating Rohit Sharma's Wicket: "Lot Of..."
Gujarat Titans pacer Mohammed Siraj opened up about bowling to Rohit Sharma and the muted celebration that followed after he clean bowled the former Indian captain in his second match of the IPL 2025. Now donning the Gujarat Titans jersey after years of service at Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Siraj has quietly but strongly scripted one of the most inspiring comebacks of the season. Bowling to Rohit in the ninth match of the ongoing IPL, Siraj got hit for a boundary but came back sharply with a perfect inswinger to knock back the stumps. Speaking on JioHotstar's Gen Bold special, he said, "My first match didn't go well — it was a high-intensity game after a long break. But I learned from it and focused on my bowling. Against Rohit bhai, I tried swinging the ball twice, but it didn't work. Then I stuck to my plan and got the wicket. I have a lot of respect for him, which is why I didn't celebrate much." Siraj also reflected on the time he was left out of India's squad for the ICC Men's Champions Trophy. That moment, he said, pushed him to focus on himself and his skills. 'My plan was to stay in the present. The Champions Trophy selection was very important to me, but I told myself it's not over yet. ICC events mean a lot to any player — but I knew I had to focus on my skills and fitness. I had to enjoy my bowling again. Now, I feel confident and I'm enjoying it a lot.' There were more emotions for Siraj when he played against his former team RCB and met his former captain Virat Kohli on the field. 'I have played with RCB for seven years, so I know the team well. I was a bit emotional during that moment. But after that, you saw what happened.' Against RCB, Siraj bowled a fiery spell and finished with figures of 3 for 19 in four overs. He picked up key wickets in the powerplay and was later named Player of the Match. The highlight of the night was playing in front of his family in Hyderabad. Siraj said it was one of the most special moments of his career. "The most memorable moment was having my family in the stadium. Performing in front of them gives me a lot of confidence. My parents supported me so much and worked really hard — we've seen tough times. But when their son performs in front of thousands, they feel proud. I felt amazing knowing they were there — it's a different feeling, hard to describe, but I really enjoyed that moment. Even though I was technically a visiting player, it felt like bowling at home. That made it even more special," the pacer said. Listen to the latest songs, only on
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Salman Agha praises 'team effort' in win over BD
Pak T20 skipper Salman Ali Agha has been getting better with every game since taking over team's reins last year. PHOTO: AFP Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha credited team effort for their comprehensive 37-run victory over Bangladesh in the first T20I of the three-match series here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday. Reflecting on the victory, Agha lauded the batting unit's collective effort to breach the 200-run barrier despite the dismal start before emphasising that a complete all-round performance is what he craves from his team. "After being 5/2, it was great to see everyone contribute to reach 200-plus," said Agha. "That's exactly the team effort we want - performing well in all three departments. We encourage players to back themselves and take the initiative," he added. Agha specifically praised Ali for his five-wicket haul, revealing that people are saying that he was bowling like he used to in 2017, the year Pakistan won the ICC Men's Champions Trophy. "Hasan Ali has been phenomenal — people are saying he's bowling like it's 2017 again. His hard work is paying off, first in the PSL and now tonight," Agha stated. While responding to a question regarding plenty of all-rounders in the team, Agha, an all-rounder himself, termed it a real luxury, asserting that it provides him with a handful of quality options. "Our all-rounders are a real luxury. Even Saim Ayub can bowl his full four overs. With so many quality all-round options, we're in a great position. We'll rest tomorrow and regroup for the second game." Mohammad Amir roped in by Essex for T20 Blast Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has been drafted to the Essex County Cricket Club for the Vitality Blast, scheduled to commence on Thursday. The announcement was made by the club on its social media handles as it shared the pacer's pictures donning its jersey. Amir, in a video statement, shared his excitement upon the signing and urged the fans for their support. "Great to be back here and I am really happy and looking forward to seeing you all. I need your support. Please come and support us. See you all soon," the pacer stated. The Essex will kick off their T20 Blast 2025 campaign against Hampshire in a night fixture, scheduled to be played at The Rose Bowl in Southampton on Friday. Mohammad Amir recently participated in this year's Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 and finished as the joint-fifth leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps in nine matches.
The Star
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Cricket-Smith to open for England in ODI series opener against West Indies
FILE PHOTO: Cricket - ICC Men's Champions Trophy - Group B - England v South Africa - National Stadium, Karachi, Pakistan - March 1, 2025 England's Jamie Smith walks back to the pavilion after losing his wicket, caught out by South Africa's Aiden Markram off the bowling of Marco Jansen REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) - Jamie Smith will open the batting for England in Thursday's ODI against West Indies at Edgbaston, captain Harry Brook confirmed on Wednesday ahead of the three-match series. "He's got the strength to do so -- the technique to be able to face the swinging ball," said Brook, who takes charge of his first match since replacing Jos Buttler as captain. Smith, who will open alongside Ben Duckett, batted at three during England's disappointing Champions Trophy campaign, averaging a meagre eight with a top score of 15. He comes in at seven for the Test team. "Baz (head coach Brendon McCullum] and I have this desire that he could be an unbelievable white-ball opener," Brook said. "I am not saying he has cemented his spot but he is going to get a good crack. He is such an immense player and can play the moving ball, as we have seen in Test cricket. There is no reason he can't bang it as an opener." Former captain Buttler and all-rounders Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks are all in the side after returning from the Indian Premier League (IPL) while Joe Root is slated to come in at three with Brook at four. Pace bowlers Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson are all missing because of injuries but Brydon Carse has recovered from a toe issue and will be joined by Saqib Mahmood and Jamie Overton in the pace attack. England were de-throned as ODI world champions and then suffered a dire Champions Trophy within the space of nine months and Brook said it was time to begin a new chapter. "Hopefully we can bring a lot of energy, competitiveness and lot of fun out there," Brook said. "We want to engage the crowd as much as we can and try to get some wins under our belt. I know lads have sometimes said that we don't care about winning but that's not true. Everybody hates losing." England are ranked eighth in the ODI standings with West Indies ninth and with only the top eight, excluding hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, earning automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup, there is plenty at stake in the series. The second match takes place in Cardiff on Sunday with the third at the Oval on Tuesday. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Clare Fallon)
Express Tribune
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
CT 2025 created viewership records: ICC
Celebrating 368bn global viewing minutes across global coverage, the 2025 edition became the most watched ICC Men's Champions Trophy ever. PHOTO: AFP The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday unveiled the staggering broadcast viewership figures attained across the globe following the memorable ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 held in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. Celebrating 368bn global viewing minutes across global coverage, the event becomes the most watched ICC Men's Champions Trophy ever and represents a growth of 19% compared with the previous event held in England and Wales in 2017. The ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 also drew 308mn global viewing minutes per over – the most ever for an ICC event. A blockbuster final in Dubai saw India claim the iconic white jackets, and their victory over New Zealand on 9 March became the most watched ICC Men's Champions Trophy match ever, with 65.3 billion live viewing minutes globally, shattering the record set during the 2017 final by 52.1%. The thrilling finale also takes third spot in the most watched ICC matches of all time globally by live watch time, while in India itself, the fixture also represents the third most watched ICC match ever, only surpassed by the India v New Zealand semi-final at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, and the final of that same event between India and Australia. Spread across 29 channels and nine languages, and with the return of the award-winning Indian Sign Language feed and Audio Descriptive Commentary, coverage in India across the JioStar network featured a range of inclusive innovations designed to ensure all fans could enjoy the unrivalled drama of the Champions Trophy, culminating in it becoming the most watched Champions Trophy ever in the country. Moreover, the event boasted the highest proportion of watch time attributed to digital sources of any ICC tournament ever in India, with the vertical MaxView feed – produced in collaboration with the ICC – providing an intuitive and engaging mobile viewing experience. The tournament became the most watched Champions Trophy ever in Australia too, with overall viewing hours up by 65% on 2017. With enhanced coverage featuring the introduction of a Hindi language feed, Amazon Prime Video witnessed the highest viewership of any ICC event shown exclusively on the platform. Elsewhere, fans in the USA defied less favourable match timings to record a 38% growth in watch time compared with the 2017 event. Despite the hosts falling short in their pursuit of back-to-back Champions Trophy success, viewing hours for the 2025 event in Pakistan rose by 24% versus figures accumulated during their 2017 trophy-winning campaign. Jay Shah, ICC Chairman, said:?"We are delighted to share that the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has achieved record-breaking global viewership, making it the most-watched edition of the tournament to date. These remarkable numbers reflect the growing global appeal of the game and the strength of our partnerships. "It's also heartening to witness exceptional growth in markets such as Australia, where Amazon Prime Video recorded a 65% increase in viewership compared to the 2017 edition, and in the United States, where Willow TV saw a notable rise in audience figures despite challenging start times. "These milestones are a testament to the game's expanding footprint and the passion of cricket fans worldwide.".
