In the second women's T20I match against Sri Lanka, Team India emerged victorious by seven wickets at the ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Having needed to chase a target of 129 runs, the "Women in Blue" chased it by losing three wickets in 11.5 overs. With this, the hosts have continued to lead the series 2-0. During the run chase, Team India lost the wicket of its premier batswoman, Smriti Mandhana, on 14 runs. Her innings ended in 11 balls, which also included a boundary and a maximum. Fellow opening batswoman, Shafali Verma, smashed an unbeaten 69 runs off just 34 deliveries. Her knock was laced with 11 boundaries and a maximum. Jemimah Rodrigues accumulated 26 runs in 15 balls, with the help of four boundaries and a maximum. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur returned to the pavilion on 10 runs in 12 balls. Richa Ghosh stayed unbeaten on one run in one ball. Malki Madara, Kawya Kavindi, and Kavisha Dilhari registered one wicket each to their names. Bowling three overs, Kavindi conceded 32 runs, whereas Dilhari was smashed for 15 runs in two overs. Madara leaked 22 runs in 2.5 overs. Inoka Ranaweera, Shashini Gimhani, and skipper Chamari Athapaththu went wicketless in the second women's T20I match against Team India. Bowling two overs, Ranaweera leaked 31 runs. Athapaththu and Gimhani bowled one over each and were smashed for 17 and 12 runs, respectively. Earlier, having put to bat first, Sri Lankan skipper Athapaththu played a knock of 31 runs off 24 deliveries. Her knock was laced with three boundaries and two maximums. Later, Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama stitched a partnership. Facing 28 balls, Hasini scored 22 runs, with the help of three boundaries. Harshitha then went on to score 33 runs. Her 32-ball knock included four boundaries. Thanks to their contributions, the Lankans posted 128 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Team India's Vaishnavi Sharma and Nallapureddy Charani bagged two wickets each. Completing her quota of four overs, Vaishnavi conceded 32 runs, whereas Charani was smashed for 23 runs in four overs. Kranti Gaud and Sneh Rana also registered one wicket each to their names. Bowling three overs, Gaud gave away 21 runs, and Sneh leaked 11 runs in her spell of four overs.
23 December,2025 10:04 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer Team India cricketer Amit Mishra feels that stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should be included in the squad for the ODI World Cup 2027. He said that there are no players who can handle pressure better than them, and the duo will also be the correct choice to teach the youngsters about the same. "They should be in the team. They have performed well for so many years. Wins and runs could go up and down a bit through the bilateral series cycle, but in big tournaments, you will need these big players. They know how to handle pressure; they can apply pressure to other teams as well. Nobody can handle pressure as well as they can, and nobody is better suited to teach the same to youngsters," he said while speaking to ANI. Till the time the 2027 edition of the global showpiece arrives, Rohit will already be in his 40s, and Virat will be in his late 30s. The marquee tournament will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Speaking further, the former cricketer said that the presence of these two bigwigs will put pressure on the opposition teams, considering that Virat and Rohit can change things easily. "They will explain and guide youngsters and the captain about various things. They will make other players play. Even if they do not perform, their presence in the team during the tournament would be impactful. But I would say this: one should not be a senior just because of their name; they should also perform. I am not saying they will score centuries in every match, but the impact should continue to be consistent. When such players are in the team, there is always pressure on the other team, as they will know that these two can change things easily," said Mishra. Amit Mishra's opinion on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's participation in domestic leagues When asked if the two stalwarts should participate in the domestic tournaments, Mishra said it is important for the duo to keep up with their fitness, following which they should feature in the domestic leagues. "The more you play, the better your body is and the more mentally stronger you are. If there are four matches in the league stages, they can play two and take a rest. If there are three, they can play and then rest. But they must play since they just play one format. Even when I was not playing regularly, I was told to play one or two domestic matches. It is important that your rhythm does not get spoiled and that your body is in the right condition. You will also get the right amount of match practice," said the 43-year-old cricketer. Virat and Rohit will notably feature in the domestic 50-over competition, Vijay Hazare Trophy, for Mumbai and Delhi, respectively. The tournament will kick off on Wednesday.
23 December,2025 09:26 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the second T20I match against the Sri Lankan women's team, Indian women's team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bowl at the ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The "Women in Blue" have secured a victory in the series opener and will be looking to continue their fine form in the Visakhapatnam clash as well. On the other hand, India's distant rivals will aim to register their first win in the ongoing contest. India has made one change in which Sneh Rana has come in place of Deepti Sharma. Also, Deepti has topped the ICC Women's T20I Bowling Rankings for the first time in her career. Her haul of one for 20 in the opening T20I of their home series against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam was enough for the off-spinner to overtake Australia fast bowler Annabel Sutherland, pipping her by one rating point to sit at the top of the table with 737 points. After winning the toss, the hosts' skipper, Harmanpreet, said, "Winning two tosses in a row isn't usual for me, but I'm enjoying it! We'll bowl first today. Deepti's not well, Sneh Rana's back in the side. Our approach stays the same; we played good cricket last time. We'll keep playing with the same intent today". On the other hand, the visitors' captain, Chamari Athapaththu, stated that her side needs to showcase positive cricket and is hopeful of her batters delivering a big show in the second match. "We're sticking with the same XI, I'm confident in my team. We need to play positive cricket in the middle, that's key. In our last game, we played too many shots behind the wicket. We must play straight, to our strengths, long off and long on. Hopefully, our batters deliver today," said the 35-year-old cricketer. IND W vs SL W 2nd T20I: Confirmed Playing XI India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Richa Ghosh (WK), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Vaishnavi Sharma, Sree Charani. Sri Lanka: Vishmi Gunarathne, Chamari Athapaththu (C), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshika Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Kaushini Nuthyangana (WK), Malki Madara, Inoko Ranaweera, Kawya Kavindi, Shashini Gimhani. (With ANI Inputs)
23 December,2025 07:57 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentTeam India's T20 World Cup 2024-winning captain Rohit Sharma recalled the time when he was a part of the team that won the 2007 edition of the marquee event. He said that the triumph gave the team the confidence to continue their winning streak. "I was in my first year with the team during the 2007 T20 World Cup, and I was just 20. After winning that trophy, we felt we would continue our winning ways," he told JioHotstar. The right-hander had played a significant role in India's campaign in the World Cup edition. He had scored 88 runs in three matches, which included an unbeaten knock of 50 runs. Rohit also smashed 30 runs off just 16 deliveries against the arch-rivals Pakistan in the title clash of the tournament. The "Men in Blue" had defeated Pakistan by five runs in the final at Johannesburg. In the title clash, Gautam Gambhir had garnered 75 runs in 54 balls, including eight boundaries and two maximums. Pakistan's Umal Gul managed to claim three wickets by conceding 28 runs in four overs. For Pakistan, Misbah-ul-Haq emerged as the highest run-scorer. Facing 38 balls, he scored 43 runs, which were laced with four maximums. Opening batsman Imran Nazir scored 33 runs in 14 balls, including four boundaries and two maximums. India's star all-rounder Irfan Pathan bagged three wickets for 16 runs in his spell of four overs. RP Singh also returned with the figures of three wickets for 26 runs in four overs. Joginder Sharma bagged two wickets by leaking 20 runs in 3.3 overs. Former India player Sanjay Manjrekar praised and explained MS Dhoni's impact on India's golden era, saying that the then captain held his nerve better than the opposing camp's skipper. Dhoni's captaincy is legendary, making him the only captain to win all the three major ICC white-ball trophies: the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup, and 2013 Champions Trophy, achieving the feat with calm leadership and game-changing decisions, earning him titles like 'Captain Cool', and induction into the ICC Hall of Fame. Dhoni was also India's second-highest run scorer in the 2007 T20 World Cup and Player of the Match in the 2011 ODI CWC final. "Dhoni's greatness was that on the big stage, he just held his nerve better than the opposing captain," Manjrekar said. (With ANI Inputs)
23 December,2025 05:47 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentEngland's head coach, Brendon McCullum, wants to continue in the role but said that his future is no longer in his control, considering the team's poor performance in the ongoing Ashes. His coaching has come under scrutiny after England lost the ongoing Ashes series 0-3. His contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is till the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2027. Speaking about his future, McCullum said, "I don't know. It's not really up to me, is it? I will just keep trying to do the job, try to learn the lessons that I haven't quite got right here and make adjustments. Those questions are for someone else, not for me". He then explained what the coaching role means to him by saying that it is just about trying to get the best out of the people. McCullum also feels that the England team has made progress since he took over the role. "It's a pretty good gig. It's good fun. You travel the world with the lads and try to play some exciting cricket and try to achieve some things. For me, it's a matter of trying to just get the very best out of the people and try to achieve what you can with them. Those other decisions are up to other people. I think we've made some progress from when I took over to where we are," said the 44-year-old former cricketer. He was initially appointed as England's Test coach before taking charge of the white-ball teams earlier this year. The defeat in Adelaide extended England's winless run in Tests in Australia to 18 matches, with their last series victory Down Under coming in 2010-11. On the other hand, with the series already in the bag, Australia's skipper Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon have been ruled out of the remaining matches of the five-match Test series. Quick bowler Jhye Richardson and spinner Todd Murphy were named as cover in a 15-man squad for the fourth Test starting on Friday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The fifth and final Test match of the Ashes series is scheduled to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 4. (With Inputs from Agencies)
23 December,2025 04:39 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer Australia pacer Glenn McGrath questioned England’s approach after the visitors were handed defeat in the third Test of the Ashes series as hosts Australia on Sunday claimed the series 3-0 and retained the Ashes. Australia stormed to an 82-run victory in the Adelaide Test, sealing the series after winning their third consecutive Test of the campaign. No shortage of quality McGrath believes there was no lack in quality of the England players; rather, it’s the mentality that is putting them down. The Australian great labelled captain Ben Stokes and Joe Root as the greatest of their generation, but noted that they are yet to win a Test match in Australia. Glenn McGrath. Pic/AFP Stokes yet to win in Oz “I do not believe England’s long barren run in Australia is down to the quality of their players. Think of all the men who have been part of England’s Ashes teams since they last won in Australia. Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer. The list goes on. Joe Root and Ben Stokes, the cornerstones of this current team and two of the greatest to ever play for England, have never won a Test here. If this long winless streak is not down to ability, it must be down to mentality,” McGrath wrote in a column for BBC Sport. The Boxing Day Test at the MCG begins on Friday, and McGrath has urged England to adapt their style of play, predicting a strong fightback from the visitors as they embrace the challenge of performing in front of a crowd of nearly 1,00,000 spectators. “If we’re talking about mentality, it will not get any easier for England. They are due to play in front of 1,00,000 spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Boxing Day Test is an institution, and the atmosphere will be electric. It will be a tough place to be an English cricketer. England should embrace the challenge, react to it, and enjoy it. It could be a valuable lesson for the players who come back to Australia in four years,” he said. 18No. of Tests England have gone without a win in Australia after 2010-2011 17No. of Tests Joe Root has played in Australia, all without a win — the second-most matches for any player after South Africa’s Dudley Nourse (20 Tests at home) 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
23 December,2025 08:30 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSThe Indian women’s cricket team will look to raise its fielding standards by a few notches and build on a comprehensive opening win when it squares off against Sri Lanka in the second WT20I here on Tuesday. Playing its first international game after a historic World Cup triumph last month, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side didn’t need to break much sweat in the batting and bowling departments during an eight-wicket win over the island nation. However, the team’s fielding, especially catching, left a lot to be desired despite the bowlers managing to restrict the Lankans to a paltry 121-6. “We are working on our fielding. Don’t know why we keep dropping catches. It is wet out here, but that is not an excuse. That is something we really need to think about. In the next match, we will come about with a better approach,” skipper Kaur had said after the match. The Indian team had a well-deserved six-week break following the World Cup high. The players then converged for a week-long camp at the Centre Of Excellence in Bengaluru. Some rustiness in fielding was pretty much expected and the seasoned skipper feels the team will get into the groove very soon. “We are playing after a month. We don’t want to unnecessarily challenge ourselves. We just want to do well for the team. “We just wanted to bowl first and see how it goes. We wanted to show a better approach,” Kaur said. On paper, India are overwhelming favourites to win the series against the Chamari Athapaththu-led visitors. In the form of her life, Jemimah Rodrigues commenced her post World Cup journey from where she left off during the title victory. FourNo. of catches dropped by India on Sunday 3227No. of balls taken by Smriti Mandhana to score 4000 T20I runs on Sunday — the fastest ever 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
23 December,2025 08:25 AM IST | Visakhapatnam | PTINew Zealand climbed to second on the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) table after completing a dominant 323-run win over the West Indies in the third and final Test here on Monday. The comprehensive victory lifted New Zealand above South Africa, with only Australia ahead of them in the WTC standings. The West Indies, meanwhile, remain ninth on the table and will return to action at home next year in a series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Duffy was the standout bowler in the West Indies’s second innings, returning figures of 5-42 as the visitors were bowled out for 138 while chasing a daunting target of 462. He finished the series with 23 wickets. 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
23 December,2025 08:23 AM IST | Mount Maunganui | IANSThe stage is set for the biggest inter-school cricket clash of the season at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, as defending champions Anjuman-I-Islam Allana English School (Fort) take on a determined Al-Barkaat Malik Muhammad English School (Kurla) in the 129th Dream Sports Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school Harris Shield final on Tuesday. With history, pride and a coveted title at stake, the three-day encounter promises to be a fitting culmination to Mumbai school cricket’s most prestigious tournament. Al-Barkaat coach Nafees Khan (right) with the players during a training session at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday Anjuman-I-Islam have been one of the most consistent teams this season, showing resilience with both bat and ball across conditions. Their journey to the final has been marked by disciplined performances, strong partnerships and the ability to seize crucial moments. Interestingly, these two sides have already crossed paths during the league stage. That contest ended in a draw, but Anjuman-I-Islam emerged with the advantage on first-innings lead, earning three crucial points. While there wasn’t an outright winner, the result underlined Anjuman-I-Islam’s ability to marginally outplay their opponents over sustained periods. However, Al-Barkaat enter the final with renewed belief and a strong sense of purpose. Their campaign has been built on grit, teamwork and the hunger to reclaim past glory. Al-Barkaat coach Nafees Khan said: “We played well to reach so far and we are going to give our best to lift the cup. We are well prepared. Whatever the situations are, we have planned to overcome them. The last time we played in the final was in 2022, and it’s been a long period since we won the Harris Shield.” Anjuman-I-Islam skipper Yuvaan Sharma acknowledged the pressure but stressed on his team’s calm approach heading into the final. “There is lots of pressure on us to retain the title, but we have kept our plans simple. It’s a three-day game and everything depends on the toss. We will grab every opportunity and fight till the end,” he said.
23 December,2025 08:21 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamFormer England cricket captain Andrew Strauss has married for the second time, nearly seven years after the passing of his first wife Ruth in a battle with lung cancer. Strauss, 48, tied the knot with Antonia Linnaeus-Peat, 30, in Franschhoek, South Africa, the country of his birth. The couple first met around two years ago. The wedding ceremony took place at a vineyard 50 miles east of Cape Town, as reported by The Daily Mail. Strauss shared photos of the wedding ceremony, showing close family and friends on social media. “Celebrating the most special day in our favourite part of the world… Thank you for loving me and the boys the way you do and for showing us true happiness — I am so lucky to have found you. Here’s to a lifetime of beautiful memories, my girl,” he wrote in a post on Instagram. Strauss had two sons — Luca and Samuel — with Ruth, who died at the age of 46 in 2018.
23 December,2025 08:19 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentOn Tuesday, there was possibly as much elation among JSW’s hierarchy as there was in Kartik Sharma’s household after the Rajasthan wicket-keeper made headlines by becoming the joint-most expensive uncapped Indian player — along with all-rounder Prashant Veer — to be bought at the IPL auction for Rs 14.2 crore. The joy was not because the JSW-owned DC Capitals had purchased him — he was instead sold to Chennai Super Kings — it was because it reinforced JSW’s belief that they had made the right decision signing the 19-year-old to their sports program less than a month ago. “It’s incredibly gratifying [to see Sharma get picked at the auction]. For Kartik, it’s a huge moment and a validation of the work he’s put in over the years. It reinforces our belief in spotting promise early and giving it the time, structure, and trust he needs to grow,” JSW Sports’s Chief Commercial officer Karan Yadav told mid-day. JSW’s list of contracted athletes includes the likes of superstar javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, ace wrestler Sakshi Malik, and talented cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues, among others. Needless to say, Sharma’s progress is in good hands, with Yadav explaining how they’ll help him with his development both on and off the field. “Our role is to create an ecosystem around him; whether that’s physical conditioning, injury prevention, mental conditioning, or off-field support, such as focusing on gradually building his brand and long-term commercial wealth creation. The idea is to remove distractions so he can focus purely on his cricket,” explained Yadav. Sharma, who has played 29 matches for Rajasthan across all formats, will train at JSW Sports’s state-of-the-art Inspire Institute for Sports (IIS) facility in Vijayanagar, Karnataka during the off-season.
23 December,2025 08:06 AM IST | Mumbai | Ronan CarvalhoADVERTISEMENT
