International
Charlie, Emma included in England squad for the women’s Cricket World Cup
ODI newbies, off-spinner Charlie Dean and batter Emma Lamb have been included in England’s squad for the upcoming ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, scheduled to begin from March 4 in New Zealand. Emma had made her ODI debut in the final match of women’s Ashes at Melbourne and was in the ‘A’ squad as well which was touring Australia.
“Emma Lamb, a consistent performer across domestic cricket, comes into the squad after making her international debut last summer and offers multiple options with the bat and as an all-rounder with her off-spin bowling,” said Jonathan Finch, Director of England Women’s Cricket.
Though she got out for a duck on debut, Emma will now be the back-up for openers Tammy Beaumont and Lauren Winfield-Hill. Charlie, on the other hand, made her ODI debut last year against New Zealand and will be the second spin option after left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone.
“The England Women’s A series that ran alongside the Ashes enabled a wider group of players to compete for a place in the squad which has made for some tough calls on selection. Success at World Cups is often the pinnacle of a player’s career and we wish all those selected all the best in their quest to win on the world stage,” added Finch.
The squad also has two travelling reserves in pacer Lauren Bell and off-spinner Mady Villiers. From the England squad which went to Australia for t’e women’s Ashes, leg-spinner Sarah Glenn and batter Maia Bouchier were unable to make the cut for the World Cup.
“The ICC Women’s World Cup is a special event in the international women’s cricket calendar and we are excited by the squad we have selected. The chance to refocus our intentions immediately after the disappointment of the Ashes is exciting and provides an opportunity to embrace the challenge of a global event,” concluded Finch.
England enter the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup as defending champions. The Heather Knight-led side recently lost the women’s Ashes, including being blanked 3-0 in ODIs. England will open their World Cup campaign co-incidentally against Australia on March 5 at Seddon Park in Hamilton. From the team which won the 2017 World Cup on home soil, Heather, Tammy, Katherine, Nat, Anya and Danni are in the 2022 squad.
Squad: Heather Knight (captain), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Amy Jones (wicket-keeper), Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Lauren Winfield-Hill and Danni Wyatt.
Travelling reserves: Lauren Bell and Mady Villiers.
International
CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources
New Delhi, Dec 19: The much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 will be played on February 23 with Colombo and Dubai front-runners to play host for India’s matches in the tournament being played in hybrid format. The development comes after the ICC Board said that “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue.”
“India will take on Pakistan at a neutral venue on February 23, 2025. ICC looking at Colombo and Dubai to host their matches.”
The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played in February and March 2025. Meanwhile, ICC said the schedule for the marquee tournament will be confirmed in the coming days.
Pakistan are the defending champions of the tournament, having defeated India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval in 2017. Both teams last played against each other in the T20 World Cup in New York earlier this year which India won by six runs and went on to claim their second silverware in the format.
Due to the strained political relations between the two neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan only play each other in international events including World Cups and Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan was held in 2012-13 when the latter toured India for the five-match white-ball series.
International
It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027
India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC Board confirmed on Thursday, 19 December. The schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be confirmed soon, with Pakistan aiming to defend the title they won in 2017.
The eight-team event will feature Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, alongside hosts Pakistan.
This will apply to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), set to be played in February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka).
It was also announced that the PCB has been awarded hosting rights of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply. Cricket Australia is set to host one of the senior ICC women’s events during the period 2029 to 2031.
International
‘Our dream is getting fulfilled’: Coach Sumit Bhatia elated to see Kho Kho going global
New Delhi, Dec 16: Coach Sumit Bhatia is all pumped up for the first edition of the Kho Kho World Cup scheduled to take place from January 13-19, 2025. Bhatia, who holds a distinct record of being the only head coach to have won the Asian Championship twice, believes that this historical step is an indication of the realisation of the dream to take the sport to the international level and help it gain global recognition.
Having been honoured with the best coach award by the Delhi government, Bhatia has been a part of various Indian teams’ success, including the 2016 and 2023 Asian Kho Kho Championship victories, and has trained players like Nasreen Shaikh and Sarika Sudhakar Kale. Both of them have been Arjuna Awardees.
Nasreen, who is also a part of the World Cup camp, is the only player who has played in two Asian Championships and won the gold. The coach-student duo is now gearing up for the global event.
Sharing how the journey of Kho Kho World Cup’s inception, the coach said, “We organised an international camp here before COVID happened, in 2020. Coaches and players from 16 countries came here and we gave them training. Now they will be coming here for the World Cup but this campaign started in that camp”.
He further said, “Around 30-35 countries were willing to play the tournament but we picked the best 20 teams for both men and women. Some countries have single teams while some have double teams but a total of 24 countries will be participating in the tournament. It was our dream to take Kho Kho to the international level and now we can see that our dream is getting fulfilled.”
He also lauded the launch of the Ultimate Kho Kho League and shared how the franchise-based model has helped the players and coaches gain recognition, while also bringing forward grassroot talent.
“When the Ultimate Kho Kho league started, I also joined Telegu Yodhas as their head coach and we also played the final. Players have gotten exposure through the league and it’s not just financial. Earlier we used to hesitate while admitting being a Kho Kho coach but today our players introduce us as their coach,” said Bhatia.
He added, “The league got so much coverage that wherever we go, the players are approached for autographs. So the platform of the league started a new world for both coaches and players and now not just India but the entire world knows us. Earlier we used to tell people about our game but now they know what is Kho Kho and Ultimate Kho Kho league and are also waiting for the third season.”
Bhatia also discussed the impact of sports science on Kho Kho and lauded the newly introduced technology and said, “We have benefitted a lot from it. Sometimes we don’t understand why a player is not performing well. But with the introduction of sports science, we now know about the details of the problem.
“For example, a player might be facing issues with his left leg while sitting and so, it gives us an opportunity to work on that weakness… Sports science has helped us in identifying the accuracy and weakness of a player. So it’s very beneficial for us.”
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