Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has no intention of quitting any format of cricket amid questions over his fitness after he was ruled out of the ongoing Ashes series. My body still feels as strong as ever. It’s just little things here and there that creep in. I’m still determined to play three formats as best I can. You’re still going to miss the odd game here and there, no one can do it all, unless you’re a batter, but I still enjoy all the different demands of the three formats,” said Hazlewood, who injured his Achilles last week. Prior to his recent injury, Hazlewood was on the comeback trail from a hamstring strain he picked up while playing in the Sheffield Shield in preparation for the Ashes series. Hazlewood has featured in 76 Tests, 96 ODIs and 60 T20I since making his international debut in 2010. He has also played 39 IPL games, and won the tournament this year with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The 34-year-old will hope to be fit in time for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup that commences on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2025 08:40 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSAustralia opener Usman Khawaja remains confident of playing for his side amid an intensifying debate about his return to the playing eleven for the Adelaide Test against England, which begins on Wednesday. Khawaja missed the second Test in Brisbane, which the hosts won by eight-wickets, due to worsening back spasms, which also limited his role in the opening Test at Perth. Nevertheless, the 39-year-old has stated that he is ‘100 percent fit’ and ‘still valued by the team,’ despite Travis Head and Jake Weatherald’s impressive outings while opening the batting. “I’m still valued by the team, still asked to be here to play, so I’m here. I can bat so many different ways. I’ve been successful in all formats, I’ve got gears when I want to. My sample size will tell you that you’ve got to find a way to be consistent for a long period of time, not just over a period of a game or two,” Khawaja was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia. 49.84Usman Khawaja’s batting average after nine matches against England in Australia This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2025 08:38 AM IST | Adelaide | IANSCoach Shukri Conrad has defended South Africa’s decision to make frequent changes to the line-up. South Africa made three changes after losing the first T20I to India by 101 runs in Cuttack. They won the second game in Mullanpur by 51 runs. “It might look as if we’re slightly unsure given the amount of changes we make every match. But it’s certainly not changes for the sake of being changes,” Conrad said during the pre-match press conference on Saturday. “We have a pretty good idea of what our World Cup squad will be like. Again, it’s really just managing players. There are a few guys that have been here since the Test Series. And then we’ve also got SA20 after this. So really just about managing players. “And then also giving everybody a good run. See what works here, what doesn’t work. But yeah, we’re pretty clear in terms of what we want,” he added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2025 08:35 AM IST | Dharamsala | AgenciesIndia batter Tilak Varma on Saturday underlined the team management’s push for a flexible batting order, saying most players are ready to bat anywhere depending on match situations. With India continuing to experiment in the middle-order in the build-up to next year’s T20 World Cup, Tilak said adaptability has become a key requirement in the shortest format. “Everyone is flexible except the openers. I am up for batting at three, four, five or six — wherever the team prefers for me,” Tilak said during the pre-match press conference. “If the team feel a particular move is tactically best, everyone goes with the team.” Drawing parallels with recent examples, Tilak said such decisions are situation-based rather than role-driven. “One-off games keep happening. Axar Patel has already done the same thing and he did well there. It depends on the situation,” he said, citing examples of similar roles being successfully executed in recent international tournaments. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2025 08:32 AM IST | Dharamsala | PTIThe countdown to save his place in the playing XI begins for a beleaguered Shubman Gill, who is likely to get three matches against South Africa to prove his worth before the Indian team management switches to a Plan B ahead of the T20 World Cup, starting in six weeks. As India gear up to play the third T20I against the Proteas on Sunday in sub-10-degree temperatures in the lap of the ice-clad Dhauladhar range, things are suddenly heating up in the Indian dressing room, with the prolonged poor form of skipper Suryakumar Yadav coming under the scanner. Worse, his deputy Gill, who was pushed into the XI at the expense of a settled Sanju Samson, is not inspiring much confidence. The South African pace attack featuring Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Ottniel Baartman and Lutho Sipamla — have shown how to bowl on Indian tracks, and the HPCA Stadium strip, offering extra bounce and some movement off the surface, will certainly keep them interested. Among all T20 sides, South Africa, in terms of personnel, appears to have the requisite balance to win the trophy in the Indian subcontinent this time. With only eight games, starting from the third T20I, left before the start of the T20 World Cup title defence, India’s under-fire head coach Gautam Gambhir won’t be able to afford two out-of-form top-order batters in the starting line-up. Gill’s entry into the T20 set-up was a classic case of trying to fix something that ain’t broken and things haven’t looked good so far. In this backdrop, Gill would need to bat out of his skin to prove that Ajit Agarkar-led committee wasn’t wrong in throwing Samson under the bus for one bad series against England. 17No. of innings since Gill last scored a half-century in T20Is. His last 50-plus score (58 not out) came against Zimbabwe at Harare in 2024 EightShubman Gill’s highest score in T20Is against SA, he has scored 12 runs in four innings @ 3.00 ThreeNo. of T20Is India have played in Dharamsala, winning two and losing one This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
14 December,2025 08:29 AM IST | Dharamsala | PTIMumbai Ranji Trophy all-rounder Vinayak Bhoir, who was purchased by Bollywood star Salman Khan’s Delhi Superheros for R3 lakh during the ISPL Season-3 auction recently, believes tennis-ball cricket is the perfect Plan B as a career option. “Tennis-ball cricket is tough, but it’s a good opportunity to look at as a career prospect. I’m also looking at it as a Plan B. The auction amount of R3 lakh [base price] notwithstanding, it’s important to get this opportunity, this platform, which is ISPL,” Bhoir, 37, who was part of the Shreyas Iyer-led Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy-winning (SMAT) Mumbai team last season, told mid-day. Bhoir, a left-arm spinner and middle-order batter, made his Ranji debut under Aditya Tare in 2019-20, before which he represented the Suryakumar Yadav-led Mumbai U-22 team that won the CK Nayudu Trophy in 2010. “I’ve played the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and was part of Mumbai’s SMAT-winning team last season, but was still not even considered among the probables thereafter. So, I have to look for other opportunities,” added Bhoir, who plays club cricket for Islam Gymkhana and inter-office cricket for Western Railway and represented SOBO Mumbai Falcons in the Mumbai T20 League last season.
13 December,2025 10:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh MayureAbhishek Sharma can’t win every game for India, said Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav while accepting that he and deputy Shubman Gill should have taken the onus of batting deeper during the team’s 51-run defeat to South Africa in the second T20I here on Thursday. Abhishek (17 off 8 balls) started well, but Gill (0) and skipper Suryakumar (5) were dismissed within the Powerplay as India folded for 162 in pursuit of 214 on a good batting track. “I think myself, Shubman, we could have given a good start because we can’t rely on Abhishek all the time. The way he’s been batting, he might have an off-day. Me, Shubman and few other batters should have taken it,” Suryakumar said. “Shubman got out on the first ball. But I should have taken that responsibility, batted a little deeper,” the skipper added. 119No of runs scored by Suryakumar in last 11 T20I innings @ 13.22 This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 December,2025 10:24 AM IST | Mullanpur | PTIShubman Gill has been a “bit too tight” since his T20 comeback as he has been trying to “justify” his place in the side, but the Indian team management wants him to free up and play like he does in the IPL, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has said. Gill was brought back into the T20 setup with the Asia Cup in September after he led India to two famous Test wins in the drawn five-match series in England. He replaced Sanju Samson at the top, but runs have not flown from his bat, raising questions ahead of the T20 World Cup at home in February-March. Ten Doeschate said Gill needed to loosen up a bit in the shortest format. “Taking on the captaincy the way he did in England and how well he led and how much pride he took in that performance, I think an element of that carried over into what he wanted to do in the T20 side,” said the assistant coach. “So if anything, he was too caring and maybe a little bit too tight. “We don’t want him to do that. We want him to play as freely as he does during IPL seasons. We believe in his class and we believe he will come good, and exactly the same with Surya [Suryakumar Yadav],” he added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 December,2025 10:22 AM IST | Mullanpur | PTIVaibhav Sooryavanshi was at his imperious best while smashing a 171 off 95 balls, powering India to a mammoth 234-run win over hosts UAE in the inaugural match of the U-19 Asia Cup here on Friday. The 14-year-old from Samastipur, Bihar, unleashed a stunning display of batting, hitting 14 sixes — the most by any batter in a single innings in the U-19 level. Half-centuries from Vihaan Malhotra (69) and Aaron George (69) further bolstered India’s charge as they piled up 433-6 in 50 overs. The total is India’s highest-ever in U-19 ODIs and is the highest in the U-19 Asia Cup’s history. In reply, UAE could only manage 199-7 despite fifties from Prithvi Madhu (50) and Uddish Suri (78 not out). 56No of balls taken by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to reach his century 180.00Sooryavanshi’s strike rate during his 171 vs UAE in Dubai 433-6This is India’s highest total in U-19 ODIs and the highest in U-19 Asia Cup history 171No of runs scored by Sooryavanshi is the highest by an Indian in U-19 Asia Cup and 2nd highest by an Indian in youth ODIs, behind Ambati Rayudu’s 177* Brief scoresIndia U-19 433-6 in 50 overs (V Sooryavanshi 171, V Malhotra 69, A George 69; Y Sharma 2-75, U Suri 2-77) beat UAE U-19 199-7 in 50 overs (U Suri 78*, P Madhu 50; D Devendran 2-21) by 234 runs This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 December,2025 10:18 AM IST | Dubai | PTIThe presence of a clutch of India stars failed to inspire Mumbai as they went down to Hyderabad by nine wickets respectively in their Super League matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Friday. Mumbai had Yashasvi Jaiswal (29), Sarfaraz Khan (5), Ajinkya Rahane (9) and Shardul Thakur (0) but folded for 131 as India pacer Mohammad Siraj took 3-17 in 3.5 overs for Hyderabad. Tanay Thyagarajan took two wickets. In reply, Aman Rao (52 not out, 29b) and Tanmay Agarwal (75, 40b), helped Hyderabad chase down the target in just 11.5 overs. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 December,2025 10:15 AM IST | Ambi | PTIGill’s last 10 T20I innings as opener 0 vs South Africa at Mullanpur, Dec 11, 2025 4 vs South Africa at Cuttack, Dec 9, 2025 29* vs Australia at Brisbane, Nov 8, 2025 46 vs Australia at Carrara, Nov 6, 2025 15 vs Australia at Hobart, Nov 2, 2025 5 vs Australia at Melbourne, Oct 31, 2025 37* vs Australia at Canberra, Oct 29, 2025 12 vs Pakistan at Dubai, Sept 28, 2025 4 vs Sri Lanka at Dubai, Sept 26, 2025 29 vs Bangladesh at Dubai, Sept 24, 2025 22.62Shubman Gill’s average in his last 10 T20I matches as opener 181No of runs scored by Gill in his last 10 T20I games as opener ZeroNo of 50-plus scores by Gill in his last 10 T20Is as opener Samson’s last 10 T20I innings as opener 16 vs England at Mumbai, Feb 2, 2025 1 vs England at Pune, Jan 31, 2025 3 vs England at Rajkot, Jan 28, 2025 5 vs England at Chennai, Jan 25, 2025 26 vs England at Kolkata, Jan 22, 2025 109* vs South Africa at Johannesburg, Nov 15, 2024 0 vs South Africa at Centurion, Nov 13, 2024 0 vs South Africa at Gqeberha, Nov 10, 2024 107 vs South Africa at Durban, Nov 8, 2024 111 vs Bangladesh at Hyderabad, Oct 12, 2024 42.00Sanju Samson’s average in his last 10 T20I matches as opener 378No of runs scored by Samson in his last 10 T20I games as opener ThreeNo of centuries by Samson in his last 10 T20Is as opener
13 December,2025 09:32 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentADVERTISEMENT
