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Had a repeat of vertigo symptoms but feeling good for opening Test vs Pakistan: Smith

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Steve-Smith

Australian batter Steve Smith revealed on Tuesday that he had a relapse of the debilitating vertigo symptoms “a couple of Fridays ago” but added that he was now “feeling good” ahead of the inaugural Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi from March 4.

Smith missed the last three T20Is of the five-match series against Sri Lanka after suffering a concussion while trying to save a six in Australia’s second-match win in Sydney on February 13.

With Australia leading by 11 runs with three balls remaining, Smith leapt to save a Maheesh Theekshana shot which was just heading over the boundary at deep mid-wicket.

The 32-year-old managed to send the ball back across the boundary in mid-air but hit his head on the turf as he landed and was taken away by medical staff.

The Australian vice-captain was rendered unconscious for a few seconds after landing heavily. The 32-year-old batting stalwart said that the concussion he sustained while fielding had led to the debilitating vertigo symptoms that have troubled him in the past, coming back.

“It was just headaches (after the fielding mishap)… a bit of drowsiness and then a couple of Fridays ago I had a vertigo incident where I was struggling for a bit that day,” Smith told cricket.com.au ahead of the first practice session in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

Smith has suffered several concussion injuries during his cricketing career with the most brutal being a blow to the head from England pace bowler Jofra Archer at Lord’s during the 2019 Ashes. The blow led to him being sidelined from the next Test. He also almost missed an ODI against India in Sydney the following year as he woke up in the morning with vertigo symptoms, said the report.

Those same symptoms came back following the nasty fall while fielding in the dramatic second T20I against Sri Lanka on February 13, where the hosts won the Super Over after the scores were tied on 164.

According to medical experts, the vertigo symptoms post-concussion are due to the debris (ear rocks) which accumulates within the inner ear canal.

Smith has “undergone treatment known as the Epley manoeuvre (where a patient’s head is carefully manipulated to enable relocation of the ‘ear rock’ crystals)”, which had improved his symptoms, the report said.

“I think I actually knocked myself out for a couple of seconds there (after the fielding incident),” Smith said. “Then, then when I came to, I was in a bit of a weird state and I knew straight away that I was likely concussed after having quite a few knocks to the head (earlier).

“But I had the Epley manoeuvre and got the crystals back where they’re supposed to be in the inner ear,” added Smith.

Smith added that it wasn’t a great feeling but once things settled down, he had progressed nicely and was hoping to be in the side for the opening Test against Pakistan.

“That’s not a very comfortable place to be, I tell you that. After that, things settled down and I’ve progressed really nicely. I’ve been able to do all the exercise stuff that I’ve needed to do to get myself back to that ready-to-play state.

“I’ve done a lot of stuff where I’ve got my heart rate up to a good amount, brought it back down and that’s part of the protocols to getting back to playing. I had a couple of good hits in Melbourne before we came away, but today’s (Tuesday) just about ticking off facing fast bowling and once that’s done everything should be fine,” he added.

International

CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources

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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.

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It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027

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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.

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‘Our dream is getting fulfilled’: Coach Sumit Bhatia elated to see Kho Kho going global

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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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