Enough is enough: Bangladesh umpire quits after players' misbehaviour

R Ashwin, Mithali Raj recommended for Khel Ratna Award 2021

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be recommending off-spinner R Ashwin and women’s team skipper Mithali Raj’s names for this year’s Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award which is the highest sporting honour in the country. According to ANI reports, batsmen KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s names will be recommended for the Arjuna Award. Ashwin who was a part of the World Cup-winning Indian team in 2011 and the Champions trophy-winning side in 2013 edition has featured in 79 Tests for India and has 413 scalps to his name. Apart from this, the right-hander has also notched up five centuries in the longer format. The off-spinner has been capped 111 times in ODIs picking up 150 wickets while has played 46 T20Is for the team where he has 52 dismissals to his name. The right-handed batter Mithali recently completed 22 years of her career and became the only woman cricketer to achieve the feat. She made her debut back on June 26, 1999. Mithali has played 215 ODIs so far for India and has struck over 7000 runs. The right-hander has also featured in 89 T20Is for the side scoring more than 2300 runs and has played 11 Tests. The last date of submission of application for the National Sports Awards 2021 was earlier extended by the Union Sports Ministry. India captain Virat Kohli, his limited-overs deputy Rohit Sharma, World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni and former India batsman Sachin Tendulkar have been honoured with the award.

WI vs SA | 3rd T20I: South Africa hold nerves in a nail-biter to go 2-1 up in the series

South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada showed his class and clinched a victory for his side in a nail-biting finish against West Indies in the third T20I in Grenada to go 2-1 up in the five-match tie. The hosts needed 8 off the last two deliveries with Rabada who had the ball in his hands was up against Fabian Allen. The right-arm bowler nailed a perfect Yorker on the penultimate delivery of the match to get the equation down to 8 off 1 but was hit for a maximum on the last one which didn’t really keep any significance as the Proteas eventually won the match by 1 run. Chasing a stiff target of 168, West Indies began the proceedings pretty well as openers Even Lewis and Lendl Simmons put 55 on the board for the first wicket before Simmons departed for 22 off 22. His opening partner, Lewis was soon undone by Tabraiz Shamsi for 27 off 21 and the Caribbean side were now 57/2. Jason Holder who came in at number three and Shimron Hetmyer who was in at four provided some resistance to the side and chipped in with a partnership of 33 runs for the third wicket. Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi eventually broke the partnership as he sent Holder packing back in the hut for 16 off 11. The right-handed batsman’s dismissal saw a fall of couple of wickets in quick succession and the home side were soon reduced to 104/5 with captain Kieron Pollard back in the hut. But it was Andre Russell and Allen who steadied the ship for the side and the two aggressive batsmen took on the South African bowling attack to stitch a stand of 36 runs for the sixth wicket. Russell struck a 16-ball 25 while Allen remained unbeaten at 14 off 9. But their efforts went in vain as West Indies failed to go over the line. Anrich Nortje and Shamsi scalped a couple of wickets each. The spinner in fact returned with some impressive figures of 2/13 in 4 overs. Earlier, South Africa after batting first rode on Quinton de Kock’s 51-ball 72 to put up a formidable total of 167/8 in 20 overs. The visitors had a decent start to the proceedings but a flurry of wickets in the death overs denied them to post a big total on the board. While De Kock notched up a half-century, Aiden Markram scored 23 off 18 and Van der Dussen chipped in with 32 off 24 during the course. For the West Indies, it was Obed McCoy and Dwayne Bravo who were among the wickets. McCoy scalped a four-wicket haul for his side while Bravo returned with a three-for. West Indies skipper Pollard admitted that the team didn’t really capitalise on the start that it got. “It has plagued us over the two games, and we need to get the chase right. We had a lot of dots and didn't capitalize on a good start. We couldn't get over the line despite starts, and we have to find a way, that's it. We have close matches, some you win, some you lose. We need to find a way to win,” Pollard said. The fourth encounter of the series will take place on Thursday (July 1, 2021) at the same venue.

Just a good knock away: Juhlan Goswami backs India Women middle order to deliver in 2nd ODI

India Women’s experienced fast bowler Jhulan Goswami believes that the Indian middle-order comprising of skipper Mithali Raj, and experienced batters Punam Raut and Harmanpreet Kaur, all of whom did not fire in the first game, would comeback in the second game. "They [Punam Raut, Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur] just need one good knock among them. Then definitely we'll be on a great platform. These things happen in cricket,” Goswami said in the pre-match press conference before the 2nd ODI between India Women and England Women on June 30 at the County Ground in Taunton. Praising the skipper who scored 74 in the first match, the 38-year-old Jhulan said, "Mithali has been very consistent. In the South Africa series also she batted well, this series also in the first ODI she scored runs.” “Harman needs one good knock and she'll be back. So we just need one good match from our middle order," she added. India Women lost the first game by eight wickets in just 35 overs, even after scoring more than 200 runs. Thus the Indian bowling came under scrutiny as well. Jhulan, who has more than 32 international wickets in her kitty too believes that the bowlers need to work on their skills. "Well honestly speaking we have to come back as a bowling group strongly. Whatever score will be there on the board we have to come back as a unit," Goswami said. The tall pacer also said that medium pacers in particular need to click for India. "It's just that our bowling unit, particularly medium pacers unit has not fired as it should have, so things look a bit wayward but I'm sure we all have a lot of talent and we are going to come back strongly," she said. India played with three pacers, namely Pooja Vastrakar, Shikha Pandey and Goswami herself.

ENG vs SL | 1st ODI: Steady Joe Root denies exciting Lankan fast bowling to take England 1-0 up

The only bright spot in an otherwise dull game for Sri Lanka was the fast bowling by the trio of Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando and Chamika Karunaratne. The three of them got the five wickets among them in the match and presented Sri Lanka with a chance to get themselves into the game. However, it was not enough as Joe Root’s unbeaten 79 from 87 balls and a partnership of 91 along with Moeen Ali was enough to prevent any conversion of that chance by Kusla Perera’s men. England started their chase of 186 in quite a hurry as if both the openers Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone wanted to finish the job as soon as possible and make their way to TV screens, to watch their football team face Germany. But that hurried approach didn’t last long as Bairstow chopped one from left-arm pacer Fernando. This was the second wicket as Karunaratne had already removed Livingstone. Soon the situation got tense as England were 80-4 after being 54-0. It could have been 80-5, had skipper Perera not dropped a regulation catch off Moeen Ali off the bowling of Chameera, who had already dismissed opposition skipper Eoin Morgan and Sam Billings and was spitting fire in Durham. Another chance went begging when Root was dropped on the third-man when he was at 36 and the England total at 110. But those were the last two chances as after them, both Moeen and Root made sure that their team reached home easily. Earlier in the day, after being forced to bat first, Sri Lanka deprived of their first choice batters were hit hard by England bowlers. Apart from skipper Perera’s 81 balls 73 and Wanindu Hasaranga’s 65 balls 54, none of the batters got going and only some late hits from Karunaratne managed to get the team to 185. Their collapse in particular was painful for any Sri Lankan cricket fan as, after recovery from 46-3, the team reached 145-3. But suddenly Hasaranga decided to play a no shot of a bouncer and was caught at square leg. Soon, from 145-3, it was 170-9 and within 25 runs, the Lankan team had lost six wickets. And thus came their downfall. Chris Woakes was the chief wrecker with four wickets and was awarded Man of the Match. The two teams would now move to The Oval in London for the second ODI.