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1st Test: Jadeja stars as India thrash Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs, take 1-0 lead

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Ravindra Jadeja starred with bat and ball as India took a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series after defeating Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium. After being bundled out for 174 in the first innings, Sri Lanka were made to follow-on and were all out for 178 in 60 overs to complete a meek surrender by the visitors in just three days.

Jadeja, after making 175 not out with the bat, took 5/41 in the first innings and 4/46 in the second innings. He and Ravichandran Ashwin, who took 2/49 and 4/47 apart from making 61 with the bat, made merry on a day on which 16 Sri Lanka wickets fell.

On the third ball of the session after tea, Ashwin got Charith Asalanka forward and extracted the outside edge which hit Rishabh Pant’s thigh and flew to Virat Kohli for a catch at first slip. Asalanka’s dismissal meant Ashwin went past legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev to have 435 Test wickets and become the second-highest wicket-taker for India after Anil Kumble’s 619 scalps.

The next over saw Jadeja trap Angelo Mathews lbw with a big turning in delivery which opened his front leg and rapped him low on the back pad. Mathews reviewed but couldn’t overturn the decision. Jadeja’s next victim in the same over was Suranga Lakmal, who repeated his first-innings dismissal of giving a catch to mid-off, this time to mid-on.

Niroshan Dickwella was in attacking mode, hitting Ashwin, Jayant Yadav and Mohammed Shami for boundaries to be the lone ranger for Sri Lanka with the bat. Jadeja grabbed his ninth wicket as Lasith Embuldeniya tried to defend off backfoot and the thick outer edge was pouched by a very sharp Pant.

Dickwella continued to hit gorgeous shots, whipping through mid-wicket, square leg and driving down the ground. The wicketkeeper-batter reached his half-century. But in the next over, Ashwin ended the match with Lahiru Kumara holing out to mid-off.

Earlier, after a career-best 175 with the bat, all-rounder Jadeja bagged a five-wicket haul as India dismissed Sri Lanka for 174 in 65 overs in the first innings. Resuming from 108/4 on day two, the start wasn’t rosy for India as Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka frustrated the hosts’ bowling attack.

Moreover, Asalanka and Nissanka were given reprieves in different overs of Ashwin. While Asalanka’s catch was dropped by Rohit Sharma at short cover, Shreyas Iyer at deep mid-wicket couldn’t hold on to the chance given from Nissanka.

Nissanka was troubled by Ashwin but outside of it, the batter fought his way to reach his fifth half-century in Test cricket. Asalanka, despite being bamboozled on several occasions, gave Nissanka good support with boundaries through leg-side off Ashwin.

The 58-run partnership between Nissanka and Asalanka came to an end when Jasprit Bumrah’s slower ball from round the wicket deceived the latter, trapping him lbw. Captain Rohit Sharma reviewed the original decision to reverse it in India’s favour as replays showed the ball hitting the top of the middle stump.

From there on, Sri Lanka’s batting went downhill as Jadeja took out Dickwella and Lakmal by luring them to play rash shots and hole out to square leg and mid-off respectively.

Shami took out Embuldeniya with a snorter of a bouncer which took the edge off the splice of the bat to short leg. Jadeja then got his 10th five-for in Tests by taking out Fernando and Kumara on back-to-back balls, ending Sri Lanka’s shaky stay at 174.

After being made to follow-on, Sri Lanka were 10/1 at lunch and added 110 runs in the second session. Though they lost three batters with Mathews still looking solid at the crease after playing 72 balls, the result was a foregone conclusion as Sri Lanka lost the match in a meek fashion.

Brief scores: India 574/8 dec in 129.2 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 175 not out; Lasith Embuldeniya 2/188) beat Sri Lanka 174 all out in 65 overs (Pathum Nissanka 61 not out, Charith Asalanka 29; Ravindra Jadeja 5/41, Jasprit Bumrah 2/36) and 178 all out in 60 overs (f/o) (Niroshan Dickwella 51 not out, Dhananjaya de Silva 30; Ravindra Jadeja 4/46, Ravichandran Ashwin 4/47) by an innings and 222 runs

International

Champions Trophy: Pakistan’s dismal show likely to be discussed in cabinet and parliament

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Islamabad, Feb 27: The Pakistan cricket team’s depressing, dismal, and cheerless performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, resulting in its early exit from the tournament, has not only broken the hearts of home fans but also knocked on the doors of the country’s Prime Minister.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has personally taken notice of the team’s early departure and the below-par performance and is likely to take up the issues related to the cricket team in the cabinet and the parliament. Pakistan’s final Group A fixture against Bangladesh was washed out in Rawalpindi due to rain on Thursday, which meant that they ended their campaign without a win. With only one point, thanks to a washout, Pakistan will finish at the bottom of the group.

Prime Minister’s aide on Political and Public Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, has said that PM Shehbaz will also take up the matter at the parliament. “The Prime Minister will personally take notice, and we will also ask him to raise these cricket-related issues in the cabinet as well as in the parliament,” said Rana Sanaullah.

It is pertinent to note that Pakistan is hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Special arrangements have been made to glorify the event, with Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi cricket stadiums renovated to increase audience capacity and further enhance the facilities. However, the team’s fans were left dejected after Pakistan lost both its matches and was knocked out of the tournament when their final league match with Bangladesh was rained off.

While anger persists among cricket fans, questions are being raised over the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), its chief Mohsin Naqvi, and the selection committee, which selected the squad. Aqib Javed, head coach of Pakistan, has tried to justify the team selection, stating that all players were selected on the basis of their recent performances.

On the other hand, internal issues within the PCB are also being linked with the team’s bad performance as many believe that the cricket board’s decision-making regarding playing eleven, the team, and the players has prompted foreign coaches like Jason Gillespie to part ways.

Rana Sanaullah said that he will also call on PM Sharif to address the ongoing issues within the PCB, emphasising that the cricket sport as a whole is in bad shape. “The sport at college and district levels is in a bad position, and the amount that has been spent on a professional level should be revealed before the public”, said Rana Sanaullah.

Rana Sanaullah also raised concerns over amounts being paid to mentors, who he highlighted admitted that they were unaware of their responsibilities and were being remunerated for doing nothing. “You will be surprised after hearing about the perks and privileges of other officer-bearers. You will be confused whether they are officials of a Pakistani institution or those belonging to a developed nation”, he said.

It would not be wrong to say that Pakistan’s performance on home grounds has certainly left fans heartbroken. In major ICC events, Pakistan’s performance in the past years has also not been mentionable.

In 2023, Pakistan only won four out of nine matches during the ODI World Cup in India and ended in fifth position on the points table. Pakistan also made an early exit from last year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA after losing to India and the USA in the preliminary stage.

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Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan’s Cricket Stadiums Far From Ready, Tournament Could Be Moved To Dubai, Claims Report

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Problems seem to be mounting for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as they face a race against time to handover a proper stadium to the International Cricket Council (ICC) before the Champions Trophy gets underway. According to The Times Of India report, the construction and upgradation work is still underway at the National Stadium in Karachi, Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium

A source following the developments said,”It is a very disappointing picture. All three stadiums are far from ready and it’s not renovation or refurbishment, but proper construction which is underway. There is so much work left with seats, floodlights, facilities and even the outfield and playing surfaces,”

The report further states there is not much time left for the venues to be handed over and it’s not a surprise that there are discussions about moving the entire tournament to the UAE. 

The PCB has to hand over the tournament venues to ICC by February 12, however, the stadium work which was scheduled to be finished by December 31, is yet to be completed.

A team of from the ICC will leave for Pakistan towards the end of the week to do a status check and informal contingency discussions are underway in Dubai corridors.

What is the Current stadium of Champions Trophy venues?

Lahore and Karachi are the two centres where heavy construction work is underway and their multi-storied enclosures, which will have dressing rooms and hospitality boxes, are yet to enter the finishing stages. In addition to the new enclosures, there is fencing work, placement of floodlights and seats which is far from the finish line.

The source added, “The weather is not ideal for construction and finishing work to happen at a rapid pace. At Gadaffi, even the plaster work isn’t completed yet. And most of the time is taken by finishing work because we are talking about dressing rooms etc. They just can’t be random rooms/enclosures for an ICC event. ICC has a checklist which needs to be met. National Stadium has decided to not completely finish the new enclosure because there is no time,”

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AFC Asian Cup 2027 to take place in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar from Jan 7 to Feb 5

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Kuala Lumpur, Jan 7: The AFC Asian Cup 2027 will take place from January 7 to February 5 across three cities – Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar – in Saudi Arabia, the AFC announced on Tuesday.

A total of five stadiums in Riyadh will host the tournament’s matches; the King Fahd Sports City Stadium, the King Saud University Stadium, Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University Stadium, Kingdom Arena and the Al Shabab Stadium.

Two stadiums have been confirmed for Jeddah – King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium – with a new state-of-the-art venue to be built in Al Khobar, completing the world-class infrastructure set to provide the backdrop for Asia’s top 24 national teams.

Saudi Arabia was announced as the host nation for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in 2023. This will be the first time Suadi Arabia will host the tournament.

“Confirming the dates and selecting the stadiums for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ is a strategic milestone in our journey to host the tournament. This announcement goes beyond simply identifying locations and schedules; it reflects the ongoing high-level collaboration between us and the AFC as we work towards delivering an exceptional tournament that fulfills the aspirations of the entire Asian continent,” Saudi Arabian Football Federation chief Yasser Al Misehal.

Eighteen teams have already sealed their places at the AFC Asian Cup 2027. The remaining berths will be decided via the Qualifiers Final Round, which is scheduled to commence from March 2025 and features six groups of four teams – confirmed at last month’s draw – with the winners of each group making up the final cast.

India, aiming for its fifth appearance at the AFC Asian Cup, has been placed in Group C alongside Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh. The team will look to replicate or surpass its 2019 performance, where it showcased significant progress on the continental stage.

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