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Afridi takes the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy, Babar named ODI cricketer of the year, Root Test cricketer of the year Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and recognised as the ICC men's cricketer of the year in 2021. His captain, Babar Azam, has been adjudged the ICC men's ODI cricketer of the year while England Test captain Joe Root is the men's Test cricketer of the year. "I feel truly honoured and privileged to become the first Pakistan cricketer to win the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year," Afridi said. "I had always dreamt of doing something unique and special for Pakistan. In this background, I am elated and thank Almighty for blessing me with this respect." In 2021, Afridi took 78 wickets in 36 internationals at an average of 22.20. At the T20 World Cup, he picked up seven wickets in six matches, including those of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul and Virat Koh...

Babar Azam was the second-highest run-scorer with 228 runs and was the Player of the Match in both of Pakistan's wins in the 2-1 series victory against South Africa. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was on Monday named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year following his exploits in 2021 when he scored 405 runs in six games at an average of 67.50. The 27-year-old was the second-highest run-scorer with 228 runs and was the Player of the Match in both of Pakistan's wins in the 2-1 series victory against South Africa. The architect of Pakistan's chase of 274 in the first ODI, Babar made a century and laid the foundation with an 82-ball 94 in the final ODI where the visitors posted 320 batting first. He was the lone warrior for Pakistan when they were swept by England 3-0. He accumulated 177 runs in three games but found no support as none of the other batters managed to score more than 100 in the series. Babar's best performance this year came in a losing cause in the final ODI against...

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan on Sunday was named the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year. The Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter ruled the roost in 2021 when it came to the shortest format of the game. Aggregating a staggering 1326 runs in only 29 matches, Rizwan struck at an average of 73.66 and a strike rate of 134.89. Apart from his exploits with the bat, he was as solid as ever behind the stumps, playing a key role in Pakistan's run to the semis during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, where he ended up as the third-highest run-scorer.   He also scored the maiden T20I century of his career against South Africa in Lahore early in the year and ended it continuing his form with a brilliant knock of 87 against West Indies in Karachi. With another T20 World Cup coming up next year, Pakistan will hope that Rizwan continues in the same vein.   Oman's Zeeshan Maqsood has been named as Men's Associate Player of 2021. Not only leading his side with aplomb, but ...

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 full schedule has been revealed. The schedule for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 has been revealed. The event gets underway from October 16 when former champions Sri Lanka take on Namibia in Round 1 with the final to be played on November 16. Hosts and defending champion Australia will begin their campaign against New Zealand - the team they beat in 2021 to become the champions for the first time in their history. On the other hand, two-time champions West Indies will have to go through the qualifying stage (Round 1) to make the Super 12 stage this time around. India, who won the inaugural event in 2007, will again start their campaign against Pakistan on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The tournament will be played in two stages - First round and Super 12. In the first round, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Scotland, Namibia and four qualifiers will be in action. Out of these eight, four will progress to the Super 12 stage where they will joi...

Despite having played only 6 matches in 2021, Babar Azam still managed to score 405 runs at an average of 67.50 with two centuries. Just like the ICC T20I Team of 2021, no Indian finds a place in the ODI Team of 2021. Pakistan’s Babar Azam has been named as the leader of ICC ODI Team of 2021 and Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman is also in the XI. In the side, two Proteas players have been named along with two players from Sri Lanka. Three players from Bangladesh are there in the eleven as well. Despite having played only 6 matches in 2021, Babar still managed to score 405 runs at an average of 67.50 with two centuries. The talismanic Pakistan skipper made vital contributions in tough away tours of South Africa and England, ending up with Player of the Match awards in both their victories in the former. He also scored a memorable ton in Birmingham in conditions that assisted the seamers. Zaman continued his stellar run in Pakistan’s ODI outfit in the 2021. Playing 6 matches, he aggregated 3...

Virat Kohli has hung up his boots as India's Test captain, a piece of news that fans and cricketers from across the world are finding hard to digest. Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Amir just won the respect of Indians after his sweet note for Virat Kohli went viral on microblogging site Twitter. For those who are late to the scene, Kohli hanging up his boots as India’s Test captain came as a shocker to Rohit Sharma and the rest of the world. “It’s been seven years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I have done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there," Kohli wrote in a statement that left cricket lovers across the globe stunned. Kohli, whose Test stats as the nation’s captain speak volumes of his contribution to the longest format of the game, didn’t forget to mention the veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni in his note of departure. “Lastly, a big thank you to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a captain and foun...

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has been in the headlines the last few months for an assortment of reasons. Recently, the star player once again became the subject of a discussion on social media after he revealed why he gifted Matthew Hayden, Pakistan’s batting consultant during the T20 World Cup 2020, a translation of the Holy Quran. In an interview that is doing the rounds on social media, Rizwan said that during the tournament, Hayden was impressed and would observe the players when they used to pray in congregation.   “Allah put the curiosity in his heart; he used to ask us questions on this subject,” he said, adding that during Pakistan’s match against arch-rival India, the player had a conversation with the Australian great. Rizwan said: “I told Hayden that if it is written in destiny, we will win this match. If we haven’t worked hard then India will win.” He said that he asked a person to bring the Holy Quran. “When he brought it, I went straight to Hayden’s r...

Indian skipper Virat Kohli hit a six earlier in Cape Town, however, it was only his 5th six in three years in Test cricket. Virat Kohli scored a gritty half-century in Cape Town on Tuesday in a crucial fixture for Team India. The Indian skipper came up top and delivered when his team needed him to. Kohli's half-century may not b e very pleasing to the eye, but he showed excellent discipline and determination to keep things tight from his end, even as other batsmen continued to falter.  That being said, there is no hiding the fact that Kohli hasn't had his way with the bat for quite some time now. He has been struggling for runs, and his last century came more than two years ago in a day-night Test against Bangladesh in 2019.  Such has been his struggles that an incredible stat popped up on Tw i tter on Tuesday, which fans are having a hard time believing in. In the 41st over of the Indian innings, Kohli pulled Kagiso Rabada to bring up Team India's first maximum of the gam...

The South African all-rounder Chris Morris stated that he had taken up a coaching role with the domestic side Titans. Indian Premier League's (IPL) most expensive buy Chris Morris has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The South African all-rounder, who took to social media to announce his retirement on social media, stated that he had taken up a coaching role with the domestic side Titans. Taking to his Instagram page, Morris wrote, "Today I announce my retirement from all forms of cricket! Thanks to all who have played a part in my journey whether it be big or small it's been a fun ride! Delighted to be taking up a coaching role at @titanscricket #lifebeginsnow". The cricketer had represented South Africa in 69 international games across all formats and had been plying his trade in T20 leagues around the globe as well. He played four Tests, 42 ODIs , and 23 T20Is for the Proteas and had last represented his country in the ODI World Cup in England i...

The ICC on Friday announced two new rule changes for T20I cricket, which will come into effect later this month. The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday brought about two new rule changes for International T20 cricket, which will come into effect later this month. While the first rule is associated with an in-match penalty for slow over rates, the second rule is about optional drinks break in between the innings. The West Indies' one-off tie with Ireland on January 16 will be the first men's game to be played with the new rules, while South Africa and West Indies' T20I fixture on January 18 will be the first women's game to be played under the new playing conditions.  ICC keeps on introducing various new rules at regular intervals to improve the pace of the sport. On a relatable note, here are the 5 latest rule changes in cricket made by the ICC: 1. In-game penalty for slow over rate Of the two new rules, ICC announced on Friday, the first brings about an in-...

The BCCI are pondering to host the upcoming IPL 2022 entirely in Mumbai owing to the spread of COVID-19 once again. Not for the first time in history, the alarming rate at which COVID-19 is spreading, has put the BCCI's plans of hosting the Indian Premier League (IPL) in jeopardy. It's being said that India is already being hit by the third wave with the number of cases increasing exponentially with each passing day.  This, in turn, has once again disrupted BCCI's plan for the upcoming IPL 2022 season. It was being reported earlier that the board didn't want to host the cash-rich in the middle-east like in previous seasons. While 2020 saw the IPL being held entirely in UAE, 2021 saw it being held in two legs, the first in India, while it was again shifted to UAE due to the pandemic.  As per the latest reports, the BCCI does not plan to host the league out abroad, instead, they're mulling over the concept of hosting the whole season in Mumbai. Three venues are curren...

As per the rules laid down by BCCI, each team has a total salary cap of Rs. 90 crore for IPL 2022 mega auction. The preparations for IPL 2022 are currently going on at full swing and the cash-rich tournament will witness a clash of 10 teams in the new season as BCCI has got two new franchises Lucknow and Ahmedabad for IPL 2022 season along with 8 existing franchises. IPL fans are now waiting for the IPL 2022 mega auction, which is expected to take place in February. So, a total of 10 franchises i.e. Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad will participate in IPL 2022 mega auction. As per the rules laid down by BCCI, each team has a total salary cap of Rs. 90 crore for IPL 2022 mega auction. The 8 existing franchises have retained a total of 27 players in their squads, including 19 Indian and 8 overseas players. The 8 old teams were allowed by the ...

Paris Saint-Germain released a statement on Sunday, informing that 4 players including Lionel Messi have tested positive for COVID-19. Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain's star forward Lionel Messi has tested positive for the coronavirus as per the statement released by the club on Sunday. Ahead of PSG's French Cup tie against Vannes, four club players and one member of the staff returned a positive test for the virus, and Messi is one of the players infected. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has entered self-isolation, as per the club's statement, and subsequently, will miss the French Cup tie on Monday.  Messi endured a difficult start to life in Paris since joining the French giants in the summer after an emotional exit from La Liga side Barcelona FC. However, he won the Copa America with Argentina in 2021 and was subsequently presented with his seventh Ballon d'Or last year. As per reports Messi had returned to his homeland, Argentina, for the Christmas break, w...

Babar Azam-led Pakistan thrashed India by 10 wickets in a group match of the T20 World Cup 2021 to register their first-ever win against the Men in Blue in a World Cup. Pakistan captain Babar Azam has said that their win against arch-rivals India in the ICC T20 World Cup was the team's "best moment of the year". After restricting Virat Kohli-led India to 151/7, thanks to young pacer Shaheen Afridi, Babar and opening partner Mohammad Rizwan put up an unbeaten stand of 152 runs to help their side achieve a big 10-wicket victory in UAE. "It was a fantastic achievement for us as a team because we had not been able to beat India in the World Cups for so many years. It was our best moment of the year," said Babar in a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) podcast. Babar further said that their defeat against Australia in the semi-finals of the same tournament was the most disappointing one for him. "That defeat hurt me the most this year because we had been playing so wel...

Ace batsman-wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan and star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi have been included among four nominees for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for International Cricket Council's (ICC) Men's Player of the Year, the world cricket body announced on Friday. The other two nominees are England captain Joe Root and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, the ICC said in a statement. 🇵🇰 Two Pakistan superstars 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 An England stalwart 🇳🇿 A New Zealand champion Nominations for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy – ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2021 have been revealed 👇 https://t.co/fNtYKn815Y — ICC (@ICC) December 31, 2021 Shaheen — the man on fire Elaborating on the achievements of the players, the ICC noted that Shaheen took 78 wickets in 36 international matches this year at an average of 22.20 runs. He also delivered his career-best figures in an innings this year in August against the West Indies, grabbing six wickets for 51 runs. "The tall Pakistani pacer w...

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa's star wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock on Thursday announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect, said the country's apex body, CSA, hours after the team's defeat in the first Test against India. A former Test captain, De Kock is only 29 and it is believed that he will continue playing in the white-ball formats for the Proteas, with a lot of focus on franchise-based T20 leagues. "De Kock has cited his intentions to spend more time with his growing family for the timing and reason for his relatively early retirement from the format. He and his wife, Sasha, are anticipating the imminent birth of their first-born child in the coming days," Cricket South Africa (CSA) said in a statement. On his part, the player said that it wasn't an easy decision. "This is not a decision that I have come to very easily. I have taken a lot of time to think about what my future looks like and what needs to take priority in my l...

Shakib Al Hasan, Babar Azam, Janneman Malan and Paul Stirling have been nominated for the ICC ODI Men's Player of The Year award. The ICC on Thursday revealed the nominees for its Men’s ODI Player of the Year award for 2021. Pakistan batter Babar Azam, Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, South Africa batter Janneman Malan and Ireland batter Paul Stirling are the four nominees. Shakib scored 277 runs in nine matches alongside two half-centuries at an average of 39.57. With his left-arm spin, he picked up 17 wickets as well at 17.52. Babar, Pakistan captain and opener, scored 405 runs in six matches including two centuries. He averaged an outstanding 67.50 through the year. Malan, the South Africa opener, also had a brilliant year. He belted 509 runs in eight matches at a stunning average of 84.83. He struck two centuries and as many fifties as well. Stirling, the Irish veteran, played the most matches among the four - 14 and scored 705 runs in them while averaging a brilliant 79....

Mohammad Rizwan had a dream run with the willow in T20I cricket this year. So, the nominees for the ICC T20I cricketer of the year have been released by the International Cricket Council (ICC). And, the 4 men who have been shortlisted are England cricketer Jos Buttler, Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, Aussie batter Mitchell Marsh and Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. Jos Buttler had a stellar run with the willow this year in T20I cricket. The right-hander scored a staggering 589 runs in T20I cricket this year and scored his runs at a superb average of 65.44. Buttler also plundered 269 runs in the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup and scored them at an average of 89.67 and a strike rate of 151.12. Mohammad Rizwan was the leading run-getter in T20Is in 2021 Mohammad Rizwan had a dream run with the willow in T20I cricket this year. The right-hander scored a staggering 1326 runs for the Pakistan side this year and plundered his runs at a colossal average of 73.66. Even in the...

Veteran batsman Ross Taylor will retire from international cricket at the end of the New Zealand's home season, bringing the curtains down on a journey that began in an ODI in Napier against West Indies in March 2006. Ending speculation over his playing future, the 37-year-old confirmed on Thursday (December 30) that the forthcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh will be his last in the New Zealand whites. He will not play the subsequent Tests against South Africa and bow out with six ODIs against Australia and Netherlands later in the summer. Taylor's final Test will be at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch and will take his tally of appearances to 112, tying him with Daniel Vettori for the most Tests played by a New Zealand cricketer. "It's been an amazing journey and I feel incredibly fortunate to have represented my country for as long as I have," Taylor said in a statement. "It's been such a privilege to play with and against some of the greats of t...

Algerian footballer Sofiane Lokar has died because of a heart attack he suffered during the game on Christmas, just one week after he got married. Algerian second division player Sofiane Lokar passed away on Christmas day after suffering a heart attack mid-game. Lokar, who was the captain of second division side Mouloudia Saida, collapsed during the game, and despite the paramedics' best efforts, couldn't be saved.  The incident occurred during his team's match against Oran Association on Christmas day. As per media reports, Lokar had a collision with his own goalkeeper in the 26th minute of the game. The 30-year-old then was treated for injury and declared fit to continue.  However, just nine minutes later, in the 35th minute, he again collapsed to the floor. Paramedics rushed on to the scene, however, despite their best efforts, Lokar couldn't be saved and sadly, passed away. As per sources, he suffered a heath attack during the game.  Visuals emerged of the incident ...