South Africa will have no room for error as their world-class batters will be keen to flex their muscles against a spirited USA in their opening Super Eight match of the T20 World Cup.
A senior Afghan interim government official on Monday confirmed that strikes in the Afghanistan provinces of Paktika and Khost along the Pakistan border have taken place.
The 'aura of invincibility' around Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been 'shattered' by the Indian voters who gave the Opposition a new lease on life, this is how the international media described the outcome of India's general elections.
The 48-year-old, who has taken 373 Test and 416 ODI wickets in his career, said fast bowlers need to focus on four-day cricket to succeed in Tests and the upcoming domestic season will be important for the development of pacers in his country.
We asked colleagues, present and past, to reflect on a man who has made such a difference to their lives and careers. Here it is then, a rich collection of memories that offer enchanting glimpses of the enigmatic Ajit Balakrishnan.
Big test for India, Eng; minnows likely to shake applecart
It is a pity that he does not take his youth influencer role more seriously and align his brand endorsements more responsibly, notes Kanika Datta.
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack begins by asking why the hijack lasted seven days and ends in wondering if the good guys fought the bad ones hard enough, observes Sukanya Verma.
Tom Hartley ended the Test with 9/193, the best figures for an England spinner on Test debut since 1945.
'Pakistan is an incredible cricket nation. We feel lucky to get to come back here after a whole generation didn't get the chance to play any cricket over here.'
Australia's star-studded bowling line-up showered praises on Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam, with a handful of them labelling the right-handed batter as a "class player".
'Cricket as a pathway in the US was not something people thought about 10 years ago, even like five years ago.' 'But now that there is a pathway you can see.'
Independence Day was celebrated across states and Union territories on Thursday, as several chief ministers announced job schemes while some others vowed their support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
After those high-profile matches, stakes will be relatively lower when they meet Afghanistan but Saqlain said there were no rooms for complacency.
...'with the conditions in mind, it is hard to look past Pakistan. They know UAE so well of course and became one of the best teams in the world while playing there.'
The India-Australia series comes at the end of the calendar year, in a quarter when most brands are close to the end of their advertising budgets.
Deeply disappointed with Pakistan's continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups, Singh said.
The 42-day break would give Kohli the time to introspect, and rejuvenate his cluttered mind.
England fast bowler Mark Wood on Tuesday said taming Rohit Sharma with judicious use of short-pitched balls will figure highly in his and the team's plans to edge past a dominant-at-home India in the upcoming five-match Test series.
New Zealand World Cup campaign on shaky ground as losses, injuries pile up
Powering the Agni-1P will be the cutting-edge technologies developed for the Agni-4 and Agni-5 missiles.
The scaling up of the India-US strategic partnership to the level of non-NATO ally with defence deals, sharing and transfer of defence technology, interoperability, joint collaboration and joint production of defence equipment has exacerbated Moscow's anxiety, notes Rup Narayan Das.
You don't prep for 2028 but for 2040, or even 2044. Sustained sporting excellence is based on mass support, grassroots development, and funding - and it is this trifecta India needs to work on, systematically, asserts Prem Panicker.
Modi also alleged the opposition grouping will end the reservation given to SC, ST, OBC and give all of it to Muslims.
Former pacer Mitchell Johnson took a dig at Cricket Australia (CA) for inviting him to an award night just weeks after the governing body cancelled his speaking engagements.
On Tuesday, when trends indicated she was going to win her election, the four-time National Award winner said, 'Heartfelt gratitude to all the people of Mandi for this love and trust... This victory belongs to all of you, this is the victory of your trust in Prime Minister Modi and the BJP, this is the victory of Sanatan and in the honour of Mandi.'
'Video evidence shows I still had five more seconds even after the helmet gave away! Can the fourth umpire rectify this please? I mean safety is paramount as I just couldn't face the bowler without a helmet.'
Test cricket remains the pinnacle of the game, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said after it was criticised for selecting a second-string squad featuring seven debutants for the country's two fixtures in New Zealand next month.
A toilet being built adjacent to the main nets of the Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium at the eleventh hour, new spectator seats yet to be fully installed less than 48 hours left for Pakistan's opening World Cup warm-up fixture but Hyderabad Cricket Association officials are still promising "they will get there".
'We could of course call ourselves the Alliance for Betterment, Harmony And Responsible Advancement for Tomorrow (BHARAT). Then perhaps the ruling party might stop this fatuous game of changing names'
'Besides Ayodhya, the BJP lost in nine other constituencies with a Ramayana imprint; it tasted success only in Thrissur.' 'In Rameswaram, K Navaskani of the Indian Union Muslim League won with a 44% voteshare in a 84% Hindu constituency.' 'In the 21 seats in the Ayodhya and Varanasi regions, both crucial to the Hindutva project, the BJP won just 7.' 'It won just 3 out of 12 seats around Modi's constituency,' points out Krishna Prasad.
'Life will test you but if you have resilience and fortitude, the crown will be yours forever,' says Miss World Yukta Mookhey.
Veteran New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor has been dropped for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, while Kane Williamson and Trent Boult have been recalled after they were rested for last month's series against West Indies.
Virat Kohli scaled 'Mount 50' on Wednesday, and former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly had little doubt that the batting star has many more miles to traverse in his career.
Temporary drop-in pitches prepared by Adelaide Oval curator Damian Hough will be used for the upcoming T20 World Cup games in the USA with the ICC building a temporary seating gallery of 34,000 capacity for the marquee game between India and Pakistan in New York on June 9.
Australia's batter Mitchell Marsh said he has no desire to open the innings in Test cricket once David Warner retires.
Pakistan's former captain Shahid Afridi rued the absence of top players from his country in a 'big platform' like the Indian Premier League.
Heeramandi, a passion project that took off after years in development and planning, mirrors Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film-making's finest and frustrating features, observes Sukanya Verma.
'What matters to me is that the film is reaching out and touching hearts.' 'An 85-year old man and his 75-year wife, who had never stepped into a cinema, went to see The Kashmir Files.' 'That is my real achievement.'
Subhash said the Congress never gave respect to its own leaders and especially to Narasimha Rao who is known for his economic reforms in the country when he was prime minister.
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