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Mithali Raj Becomes First Women Cricketer To Win Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

Mithali Raj becomes first women cricketer to win Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

India Women’s Test and ODI captain Mithali Raj became the only women cricketer to be conferred with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award on November 13 in New Delhi.

The award is the highest sporting honour of the country and she was among the 12 sportspersons to receive the award from India’s President Ram Nath Kovind.

"Women in sport are powerful catalysts of change and when they get the appreciation they deserve, it inspires change in several other women wanting to achieve their dreams," Raj said in a statement on her Twitter handle.

She took to her Twitter account to express her gratitude for each and every participant of her long career and expressed her fortunes for being part of the Indian cricket team.

"Today, I am honoured, proud and fortunate to be a part of Indian cricket. This journey has been arduous but not without the support of my mentors, family, friends and seniors who paved the way for all of us and my teammates," she wrote.

"I owe so much to my country, my institution Indian Railways, administrators, selectors, coaches, trainers, physiotherapists, masseuses, supporters and fans for their patience and encouragement. This accolade is not mine alone but I share it with everyone who has had a part to play in my journey."

She has been a vocal supporter of making the game of cricket more inclusive for women in the country and said that playing for India was her biggest inspiration. She also expressed hope that her journey would inspire many young girls to take cricket as their career.

"I sincerely hope that my journey inspires young girls all across the country to pursue their dreams and know that only when you dream can you make it happen."

"When I was growing up and learning to play this amazing game, representing my country was my dream. I always wanted to wear the blue jersey, which represents the absolute pride we feel for our nation.”

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Daryl Mitchell replaces injured Devon Conway in New Zealand's squad for Test series in India

Daryl Mitchell has replaced the injured Devon Conway for the upcoming Test series against India after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup. Conway had injured his hand after he punched his bat following his dismissal against England in the first semi-final and Mitchell has been in good form with the bat. Blackcaps coach Gary Stead said pointed to Mitchell’s “versatility” as a batsman and high confidence at the moment as reasons behind preferring him to replace Conway, who emerged as a solid opener in the longest format in the Test series and World Test Championship final against India. "It's a shame for Devon to miss out on the first series of the new World Test Championship cycle, but it also offers up an opportunity for someone else," New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. "Daryl's versatility means he can cover a lot of batting positions and he's certainly got plenty of confidence at the moment. "He's proven he can perform in Test cricket and I know he's excited to rejoin the Test group." New Zealand would have been relieved at finally finding one able opener to bat along with Tom Latham at the top of the order but Conway’s injury will make them fret over the role once again. There is a high chance Will Young, who has been on the sidelines for a couple of seasons and has got limited opportunities in the absence of big players such as Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor would walk out to open alongside Latham in the Test series. The Test series starts in Kanpur on November 25 and the tour will conclude with the second Test scheduled to be played in Mumbai from December 3.

Hasan Ali issues statement after fierce trolling for dropping Matthew Wade's catch

Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali has issued a statement in the aftermath of fierce criticism and trolling on social media for his “failure” to catch Matthew Wade off the bowling of Shaheen Shah Afridi in the second semi-final against Australia. Hasan conceded that his performance “did not meet expectations” while saying that he is the most disappointed person out of that situation and game. He urged his followers to not expect anything less than the “highest level” of performance from him while playing for Pakistan and he is eager to put the hard yards to meet those expectations. He also thanked his fans for good wishes and prayers after a tough game against Australia. "I know you all are upset because my performance didn't meet your expectations but not more disappointed than me. Don't change your expectations from me. I want to serve Pakistan cricket at the highest level possible, so back to hard work. "This patch will make me stronger. Thank you for all the messages, tweets, posts, calls and duas (prayers) - needed them," Ali tweeted. Hasan dropped Wade midway through the 19th over of Australia’s chase when the left-hander was in good touch with the bat and was taking the game away from Pakistan. Wade went on to deposit the next three balls after the dropped catch for sixes and won Australia the big semi-final clash against Pakistan.

Bangladesh Women seal series with comfortable win over Zimbabwe

Bangladesh Women’s preparation for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 Qulaifuers to be held in Zimbabwe from November 21 is on target as they beat hosts Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the second ODI to take an unassailable lead in the three-match ODI series taking place between the two teams at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The Bangladesh Women had beaten the hosts in the first ODI by eight wickets. Chasing a modest target of 122, Bangladesh opener Murshida Khatun rose to the occasion and hit her maiden ODI fifty to anchor the chase. Thanks to her unbeaten 51 off 66 balls and experienced Fargana Hoque’s 53 off 68 balls, the total was chased in the 25th over itself. For Zimbabwe, Esther Mbofana picked the lone wicket. Earlier in the day, after winning the toss, Zimbabwe captain Mary-Anne Musonda decided to bat first. Her decision did not pay dividends as opener Sharne Mayers was out for a golden duck. Her partner Modester Mupachikwa tried to wage the lone battle as wickets kept falling at the other end. However, as soon as she was joined in at the wicket by Nyasha Gwanzura at the wicket, who would go on to top score for the women in red, the former got out leaving the Zimbabwe batting in a precarious position. Gwanzura tried her level best and with the help of her unbeaten 35 and 14 from Mbofana, got her team to 121 in the 47th over. For Bangladesh, Nahida Akter picked three wickets while Jahanara Alam and Salma Khatun picked two each.

T20 World Cup | Final: Tim Seifert confirmed to replace injured Devon Conway

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has confirmed that Tim Seifert will be in the final XI replacing injured Devon Conway for the T20 World Cup Final against Australia in Dubai on Sunday. "Some of the younger players - they keep coming through in all teams. [They] love to hit the ball out of the park and [are] really exciting talents and someone like Tim Seifert coming in is very much like that. Obviously, the loss of Devon is a big one. He's been a big part of all formats for us and a disappointing and really freak thing to happen but for us, it's keeping our focus on the task,” Williamson said at the pre-final press conference. The Blackcaps made it to the first T20 World Cup final after beating England in the semis. Talking about the title clash, the right-handed batsman said that the team is focusing on the game and it would be great if they are able to clinch another ICC title in the year. The Kane Williamson-led New Zealand earlier won the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship beating India in the final. "It'd be some achievement [doing the double]," Williamson said at the pre-final press conference. "But where it stands at the moment is there's a game of cricket to play and for us it's focusing on that and focusing on our cricket and looking to go out there and implement the things that are important to us,” he said. Both New Zealand and Australia are searching for their first T20 title.