Australian all rounder Shane Watson, who was planning a long and lucrative future with Rajasthan Royals, had no idea that the IPL team was in trouble after its contract was terminated by Board of Control for Cricket in India.
'I felt Test cricket is just beyond my reach.' 'And slowly, slowly, I started doing well.' 'In the second Test against Pakistan, I scored a fifty and when we went to Sialkot I played a series-saving innings, which was a game changer for me.' 'At that stage that was the most important innings of my life.'
Instead of panicking and making knee-jerk changes after losing the Ashes to England, spin legend Shane Warne feels Australia should accept that it is no longer the top Test side it used to be and needs a "long period of reflection".
It is necessary manage the workload of bowlers considering the tight schedule of the ongoing Indian Premier League
Ireland stunned world champions Germany 1-0 thanks to Shane Long's 70th-minute strike on Thursday to throw Euro 2016 qualifying Group D game.
Kieron Pollard and Jos Buttler's late assault helped Mumbai Indians keep their hopes alive with a convincing six-wicket victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday.
A hostile crowd buoyed by New Zealand's perfect start to the World Cup is set to turn Eden Park into a bear pit for visiting Australia on Saturday, but all-rounder Shane Watson is "excited" by the prospect of a rancorous reception.
No sooner had the match ended, social media was abuzz with congratulatory messages for the team.
Warne's Royal anecdotes: Handling Kaif's ego, figuring Munaf's age, nurturing Jadeja's talent
'The performance was a bit stop-start. We started well with the bat, till about 10 overs and after that we got a bit strangled. We kept losing quick wickets and fell short. Hyderabad bowled very well and we didn't bat well'
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils at the Ferozshah Kotla on Wednesday.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils at the Ferozshah Kotla on Wednesday.
Images from Friday's IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, in Chennai.
The flamboyant Chris Gayle is unlikely to get a farewell Test match against India after being overlooked in the 13-strong West Indies squad for the two-Test series, starting August 22 at North Sound, in Antigua.
Pooran was last seen in action for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the IPL, scoring 353 runs from 14 matches.
What the media said after Australia breached 'fort' Edgbaston to take a 1-0 lead in the Ashes Test series
News of Shane Bond's latest abdominal injury has undeniably given a boost to the Pakistan cricket team ahead of the Basin Reserve Test that begins from Thursday.
After a lackluster ODI series, the Indian spinners came into their own in the opening T20 against Australia in Adelaide, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bagging two wickets apiece.
The ace leg spinner says victory in the series against Australia's oldest foes, starting in Brisbane next month, is his main concern.
Australia's batting sensation Steven Smith tells Harish Kotian switching over from the Test and One-day mode to T20 will not be a problem for him in the upcoming eighth edition of the IPL.
Dhoni has turned back the clock with his last three innings, two of them half centuries, adding to the fine run of imposing all-rounder Shane Watson.
KXIP have been perennial underachievers and barring two seasons -- 2008 and 2014 -- they have failed to make the playoffs and finished last thrice (2010, 2015 and 2016).
Shane Bond makes a comeback to official cricket after two years when he plays in a Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
Despite a long break from active cricket, legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne is fit and keen to lead defending champions Rajasthan Royals again to the victory podium in the second edition of IPL in South Africa, says Rajasthan Royals vice-chairman Ranjit Barthakur.
The needle clash, expected to be watched by a capacity crowd at the Wankhede Stadium, looks set to raise the curtains on the decade-old T20 League in grand style after a formal opening ceremony.
It's interesting to compare IPL performances in 2008 and 2009, and rediff.com's paisa vasool index allows us to make objective comparisons.
Images from Tuesday's IPL Qualifier 1 between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, in Chennai.
'I had a lot of luck through that phase, because I was able to stay in and win the match for my team.'
Twenty20 has rendered one-day cricket irrelevant and the 50-over format should be done away with, according to spin great Shane Warne.
Images from Day 3 of the third Test between Australia and India, at the SCG, on Saturday.
Rajasthan Royals' stupendous underdog to title-winner performance in the inaugural Indian Premier League has put the Jaipur-based team in line for being nominated as world team of the year 2008 at the Laureus World Sports Awards. Led by Australian leg-spin legend Shane Warne, the Royals began as underdogs but ran away with the top prize in the hugely-successful inaugural IPL Twenty20 tournament last May.
A round-up of Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Namrata Thakker takes a look the celebs who impressed us with their sartorial choices in May.
efending champions Chennai Super Kings produced a clinical performance to beat Delhi Capitals by six wickets and enter their eighth final of the Indian Premier League.
Ricky Ponting thinks Australia's long-ending search for a quality spin bowler is finally over and feels Nathan Hauritz has got all the qualities to fill in the void left by Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill.
Michael Clarke's fitness for the Test series against India fading fast.
Glenn Maxwell fights to secure Australia's number six batting spot for the Ashes series.
'I've seen some remarkable cricket moments in my life but that is the best I've seen in over 50 years. @benstokes38 saved the Ashes and gave magical inspirational innings. Even better than his World Cup performance. Well done @ECB_cricket'
Former Australia captain Greg Chappell feels that Steven Smith is a worthy candidate to lead the national cricket team but adds he is not the only choice if Michael Clarke decides to step down some day.
Royal Challengers Bangalore got back to winning ways after they squeezed past Delhi Daredevils by 15 runs on a batsman-friendly wicket in their Indian Premier League match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
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