International
Zak Crawley hits century as England give strong second-innings reply to West Indies

Zak Crawley scored his second century in Test cricket, while skipper Joe Root hit an unbeaten 84 as England made a strong comeback in the second innings of the opening Test against the West Indies, notching up 217/1 at stumps on Day 4 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Saturday.
England now lead the hosts by 153 runs, after the West Indies’ first innings folded up for 375, a lead of 64 runs after the tourists had scored 311 in the first innings.
The 24-year-old Crawley helped England into a comfortable position by the time rain brought play to a close on the fourth day, with the opening batter unbeaten on 117 off 200 deliveries. The England top-order batter had gone 21 innings without reaching triple figures since his amazing 257 against Pakistan in 2020. Crawley had only reached 50 in two of those 21 innings, one of a number of English players to struggle in the top-three over recent years.
But, after seeing off a difficult opening period against the new ball, Crawley dug his heels and worked his way to a deserved ton, forging a 193-run partnership with Root that has given England an outside chance of putting pressure on West Indies on the final day.
The home side added just two runs to their overnight score, with Jack Leach picking up the 10th West Indian wicket off just the third ball of the day. Jayden Seales reviewed, but DRS upheld the original lbw decision as West Indies were all out for 375, with Nkrumah Bonner top-scoring with his 123.
The new ball immediately caused problems for the two England opening batters, with Kemar Roach extracting copious movement in his first spell. And the pressure told for Alex Lees, who succumbed to a second low score of the match, trapped in-front by Roach, as he had been in the first innings, to be sent back for 6 off 27 balls.
Two single-figure scores in his first two outings in Test cricket was not the start the 28-year-old would have dreamt of, but England have backed the Durham batter for at least the remainder of this three-match series in the Caribbean, and he will be given a chance to bounce back from what has been a tough debut in the opening Test.
Crawley and Root survived the remainder of a tricky first session, overhauling the West Indies’ first-innings lead of 64 and reaching 72/1 at lunch. As the ball grew old and the threat subsided, Crawley and Root built a handsome score through the afternoon session, with the stand only interrupted by a scattering of rain showers that forced a handful of short rain delays.
Veerasammy Permaul thought he had burgled a wicket shortly before tea, appealing that a Crawley under-edge had bounced straight back up off his boot and into the hands of slip. But the soft signal was not out and the review supported the decision, with Crawley surviving.
And the youngster took advantage after the interval, bringing up his hundred with a flick into the leg side for two, reaching the milestone off 181 balls.
The run rate increased to well over three-an-over throughout the final session, but rain ensured that it was a stop-start affair in Antigua, with the players going on and off repeatedly before a heavy final shower brought the day to a close with England on 217/1.
England will resume on the final day 153 runs ahead, with Crawley unbeaten on 117 and Root 16-runs away from his 24th Test century.
Brief scores: England 311 and 217/1 (Zak Crawley 117 not out, Joe Root 84 not out) vs West Indies 375 (Kraigg Brathwaite 55, Nkrumah Bonner 123, Jason Holder 45; Jack Leach 2/79, Ben Stokes 2/42).
International
PM Narendra Modi Lays Foundation Stone For Rs.451 Crore International Cricket Stadium In Varanasi

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the new International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi on September 23rd (Saturday). The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Sunil Gavaskar were also present for the ceremony. The Prime Minister also went on to present an Indian team jersey to Tendulkar.
The state government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has remitted a whopping ₹121 crore for the purpose of land acquisition, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shall put in ₹330 crore from their side for the iconic stadium’s construction. Some of the notable features that the stadium would have are trishul-shaped floodlights, drum-shaped media center, and crescent moon-shaped roof.
Meanwhile, the stone-laying ceremony witnessed some of the most top figures from the BCCI, including President Roger Binny, Vice-President Rajiv Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah. This will also be the third international stadium in Uttar Pradesh, with Kanpur and Lucknow already having one.
“The sportspersons here will benefit from the construction of an international stadium” – Narendra Modi
Speaking at the ceremony, Modi stated that sports are no longer prohibited by the elders, unlike before, as it acts as an incentive in several ways. He said, as quoted by The Indian Express:
“This stadium in the city of ‘Mahadev’ will be dedicated to ‘Mahadev’ himself. The sportspersons here will benefit from the construction of an international stadium in Kashi. There was a time when parents used to scold their children for playing sports, but that is no longer true. When sports infrastructure is built in an area, it acts as an incentive not just for young sporting talent but also spurs the local economy.”
The stadium has a seating capacity of approximately 30000 and the construction of the same is likely to finish by December 2025.
International
Legends Including Sachin Tendulkar And Ravi Shastri Leave For Varanasi For Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony For New International Stadium In UP

Legendary Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, and Dilip Vengsarkar on Saturday headed for Varanasi for the foundation stone laying ceremony of the international cricket stadium in Uttar Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the International Cricket Stadium in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi on Saturday afternoon.
The Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has spent Rs 121 crores on land acquisition for the construction of the International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi. Moreover, the BCCI will spend Rs 330 crores on the stadium’s construction.
The former India head coach Shashti on Saturday took to social media ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter, and wrote in a post, “Varanasi bound. Great to be amongst Greats and colleagues for Mumbai and India. Just a few international runs and wickets there. Pic of a lifetime. Gr8 memories.”
The thematic architecture of this stadium draws inspiration from Lord Shiva, with designs developed for crescent-shaped roof covers, trident-shaped floodlights, ghat steps-based seating, and Bilvipatra-shaped metallic sheets on the facade. The stadium will have a capacity of 30,000 spectators.
Veteran players like Tendulkar, Gavaskar, Shastri, Vengsarkar will be present at the foundation stone laying ceremony.
Uttar Pradesh to have its 3rd international stadium:
The event will also have the presence of key figures from the BCCI, including President Roger Binny, Vice President Rajiv Shukla, and Secretary Jay Shah, the release stated. Furthermore, many veteran players are expected to attend the foundation stone laying ceremony. After Kanpur and Lucknow, this will be Uttar Pradesh’s third international cricket stadium.
International
IND vs AUS: ‘Always Well Looked After And Well Protected’ As David Warner Feeling ‘Great’ To Be Back In India

The Australian cricket team has landed in India ahead of what will be their final dress rehearsal for the 2023 World Cup. Veteran Australian opener David Warner took to his official Instagram handle and expressed their gratefulness at landing in India. He also thanked GMR Aerocity for making their transit easy.
Warner will be one of the few players most in focus ahead of the ODI series, especially due to his inconsistency in the preceding rubber against South Africa. The left-hander made only two fifty-plus scores in five innings and threw away starts consistently.
The five-time World Champions will be keen to get back in the groove after missing an opportunity to win the series in South Africa despite a 2-0 lead. The middle-order batters, including Alex Carey and Marcus Stoinis will be under pressure for consistently failing against the Proteas. With Steve Smith back in the side and Australia set to field a full-strength attack, they should be in a good stead.
The 36-year-old took to his Instagram handle and wrote:
“Always great to be welcomed back to india. We are always well looked after and well protected. Thanks so much. @gmraerocity always makes our transits so easy.”
Australia won the three-game ODI series in India earlier this year:
Pat Cummins and co. should draw confidence from their success against the Men in Blue in their backyard earlier this year under the captaincy of Steve Smith. Nevertheless, India are an in-form team, having won the Asia Cup 2023.
However, the men’s team’s chief selector Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has announced resting Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the first two ODIs. KL Rahul will captain India in Mohali and Indore,
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