Saeed Ajmal criticizes ICC, calling its role completely biased!
Former Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC), stating that the world cricket’s ruling body risks becoming ineffective if it fails to address the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) influence on its operations. Speaking to the media at a function in Karachi, Ajmal said that if the ICC cannot take “unbiased and principled decisions in the overall interest of world cricket, it should shut down its operations. “If the ICC can’t enforce its decisions on the Indian board, then its very existence is unnecessary,” he said. Ajmal asserted that a majority of Test-playing nations agreed with this sentiment but would not go public with their stance. He said the ICC agreeing to India’s refusal to play in Pakistan, even in global competitions, is a prime example of the world body’s “helplessness. “There is no logical reason for India not to play in Pakistan, but the ICC is helpless because it is dominated by Indians now,” he alleged. India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan is rooted in security concerns and the Indian government’s refusal to approve bilateral sports between the two countries. As a result, India-Pakistan cricket, which has been limited to ICC white-ball events, is being conducted only in neutral venues. Last year, the India-Pakistan bilateral ties hit rock bottom after the Pahalgam terror attack, which was followed by a brief military showdown.
Shanto lambasts BCB for calling Tamim ‘Indian agent’! Feels uncertainty will affect the team’s performance
Bangladesh Test captain Najimul Hossain Shanto lambasted Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Director M Najmul Islam for calling former captain Tamim Iqbal an agent of India after Iqbal urged for a restrained and pragmatic approach to resolve the current impasse. Shanto also feels the uncertainty surrounding his team’s participation in next month’s T20 World Cup in India is affecting the players’ psychological well-being, but they are “acting” as if “everything is ok”. Bangladesh’s involvement in the showpiece has been clouded by controversy after the BCB asked the ICC to move the team’s matches out of India, citing security concerns. “First of all, if you look at our World Cup results, we’ve never really played consistently good cricket. Last year, we did play well, but there were even better opportunities, and we couldn’t capitalise on them. “But you’ll see that something always happens before every World Cup. I can say this from my experience of three World Cups – it does have an effect,” Shanto told reporters on Friday. “Now, we act as if nothing affects us, that we are fully professional cricketers. You guys also understand that we are acting – it’s not easy,” he added. Shanto said the players try to keep these distractions aside and perform for the team. “Of course, it would be better if these things didn’t happen, but this is partly beyond our control,” he said. The World Cup gets underway on 7th February, and Bangladesh are scheduled to play four matches (three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai) in India. They demanded that these matches be moved to Sri Lanka after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released from the IPL on instructions of the BCCI, which cited unspecified “developments all around” to justify the decision. “I don’t know the details of how it happened, or how it could have been controlled. Still, I’d say that even acting in such circumstances (is difficult),” Shanto said. “With the right mindset, if we go to the World Cup and play anywhere, we should focus on how to do our best for the team,” he said.
New promise in Kiwi cricket Aditya Ashok: Excited to play against his birth country with Rajanikanth-inspired tattoo!
Aditya Ashok is the new-kid-on-the block in New Zealand cricket. Before his debut in the forthcoming ODI series against India, his birth country, the 23-year-old Tamil Nadu cricketer is being hailed as the future of New Zealand spin-attack. Ashoke was born in Vellore and brought up in Auckland. He got early training at the Chennai Super Kings Academy. Undoubtedly, he seems excited ahead of his debut against India. “I am very excited to potentially represent my country and also represent the people who have helped me along my journey,” Adithya commented on Thursday after New Zealand’s first training session ahead of Sunday’s ODI series opener against India at the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium. Significantly, Ashok is a fan of South Indian film star Rajinikanth. He has a tattoo on his right arm. A famous Rajinikanth dialogue, ‘En vazhi thani vazhi’(My way is a unique way) from the superstar’s film Padayappa. Adithya said the phrase holds personal meaning from a conversation with his late grandfather. “We discussed values and morals at home while a Rajini film played in the background,” he recalled. “That’s how it started. People ask, but it’s personal. That conversation meant much to me. My grandfather passed soon after, so it’s a lasting memory. I’m very grateful for that moment.” As he prepares for his first taste of international cricket in India, Adithya carries with him not just ambition, but a journey shaped across cultures, continents, and deeply held personal values.
Eyeing the T-20 World Cup, Tilak set to be rested for two T-20Is against the Kiwis after surgery
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not want Tilak Varma to participate in the T20 series from the beginning against New Zealand after Varma had to undergo emergency surgery in Rajkot. Varma, who is already in the Indian squad for the forthcoming T-20 international series, was diagnosed with testicular torsion. According to a new development, Tilak may miss the first half of the T20I series, which means the first two T20 Internationals. Still, the BCCI and its medical team, before including him in the squad for the last three matches of the five-match series, will assess his recovery progress. Tilak underwent a minor procedure at a private hospital in Rajkot after experiencing pain in the groin region while representing Hyderabad in the Vijay Hazare Trophy group stage. The initial reports of testicular torsion had raised doubts around both his immediate international commitments and his participation in the T20 World Cup beginning on 7th February. However, the latest update suggests the situation is far less difficult than first feared, providing major relief to the Indian camp. With nearly a month to go before the World Cup, Tilak is now on track to be fully fit in time for the marquee tournament. Tilak has been one of India’s most dependable T20 batters over the past year and was earmarked as the team’s designated No. 3 for the home World Cup. Even at the domestic level, he has continued his purple patch, scoring his sixth List A century in Hyderabad’s Group B clash earlier this week and finishing his short Vijay Hazare campaign with 143 runs from two innings at an average of 71.50. With Tilak missing at least the first two matches, the door opens for Ishan Kishan to slot in at No.3. Suryakumar Yadav, who is in awful form, can be a perfect number three, while adding Rinku Singh would be easier now.
ICC rejects Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup plea, tells ‘travel to India or forfeit points!
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly cracked the whip on the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and has rejected their request to relocate their T20 World Cup games from India to Sri Lanka. This comes days after the BCB wrote an email to the global body seeking the relocation of their matches, citing security concerns for their players in India. While reports on Tuesday claimed that the ICC would try to convince Bangladesh to play all their matches in India, it has now come to light that the BCB has perhaps been served an ultimatum. According to an ESPNCricinfo report, the BCB was told by the ICC that its request had been rejected during a virtual call on Tuesday. The global body reportedly said that Bangladesh would have to travel to India to play their T20 World Cup matches or would have to risk forfeiting their points if they refuse to do so. The report claims that the BCB has denied any such communication from the ICC. Neither the BCCI nor the BCB has issued any official communication about the call with ICC officials on Tuesday. Bangladesh is scheduled to play three T20 WC 2026 matches in Kolkata and one game in Mumbai. The BCB’s plea to relocate their games to Sri Lanka will be a logistical nightmare for the organizers and the broadcaster, as hinted by a BCCI source earlier.
Left is sometimes right for switch-hitting right-handed Kiwi batsman!
New Zealand batter Glenn Phillips said his brave switch-hitting show in a recent Super Smash match was no gimmick but a tactical option he has developed for years to counter left-arm spin. In last week’s match against Central Districts, Otago right-hander Phillips switched stance while off-spinner Dean Foxcroft was midway through his run-up, and hit the bowler for a four. It was not a four only, but a full-blooded cover-drive from a left-hand batsman. The spectators got stunned in the final over of the Otago innings when Phillips took up a left-hander’s stance even before left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox had begun his run-up and hit the bowler for a six! “I do enjoy my left-handed batting training,” Phillips, who smashed an unbeaten 90 off 48 balls in the match, said before leaving for New Zealand’s white-ball tour of India on Tuesday. He explained the reasons behind his innovation. “Obviously, I do it for multiple reasons. One of them is just to keep both hands and both sides of the brain working, but also for the opportunity to take down left-arm spin.” England’s Kevin Pietersen pioneered switch-hitting, while Australian duo David Warner and Glenn Maxwell had it in their arsenal but used it mostly to explore gaps behind or square of the wicket. “I have always been able to bat left-handed. I have been doing it since a young age. I started experimenting with left-hand batting when I was about 10 years old. I was purely a left-handed batter that time. Later on, I decided to switch to the right hand, and now I train both,” Phillips added. Phillips said he even faced pacers in the nets with a switched stance to improve his left-handed batting.
Mohammed Shami issued a SIR hearing notice in Kolkata
Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami and his brother Mohammed Kaif have been issued notices for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing in Kolkata. Shami was born in Uttar Pradesh and moved to West Bengal several years ago owing to his professional cricket commitments. He has been a long-time registered voter in the Jadavpur constituency in Kolkata. No official statement has been issued by Shami so far. Shami’s hearing date was Monday, which he could not attend as he is currently in Rajkot, where Bengal is playing its Vijay Hazare Trophy matches. According to Election Commission officials of West Bengal, a new date for his hearing will be set soon. Shami has not regained his place in the Indian team since featuring in the Champions Trophy final in March. He admitted earlier that he was going through a “difficult phase” after being left out of the home Test series against West Indies in October and the two-Test series against South Africa. Shami was also not considered for the five-Test tour of England last year, which followed a disappointing IPL season. He played nine of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 14 matches, picking up six wickets at an average of 56.16 and an economy rate of 11.23.
Bangladesh protests against Mustafizur’s ouster by banning live-streaming of IPL in the country
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry of Bangladesh has decided to ban the live streaming of the IPL this season. The statement cited the removal of Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders’ squad for the 2026 season as the reason behind the indefinite ban. “This is to inform that the Indian Cricket Board has instructed the Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League, which is due to start on 26th March. This decision has hurt and angered the Bangladeshi citizens. Due to this, a request is made as per instructions to stop the broadcast/telecast of all matches and programmes of the Indian Premier League,” said the ministry in its statement. The move comes a day after Asif Nazrul, the advisor for Youth and Sports in the Mohammad Yunus-led interim government of Bangladesh, said in a statement on his Facebook page that he has requested the country’s Information and Broadcasting Advisor not to broadcast IPL matches in the country. “We won’t stand for any insult to Bangladesh’s cricket, cricketers, and the country. The days of slavery are over,” he said, concluding his statement.
Joe Root scores 41st Test century! Levels Ponting at joint-third position
Joe Root notched up his 41st Test hundred on the second day of the final Ashes Test in Sydney on Monday to level with Australia’s Rickey Ponting at joint-third for most hundreds in the longest format. Only Sachin Tendulkar (51) and Jacques Kallis (45) have scored more Test hundreds than Root. This was Root’s second hundred in the ongoing Ashes, after his ton in Brisbane in the second Test. The former England skipper, who is closing in on 14,000 runs in Test cricket, is currently the second-highest run scorer in the format and has set his sights on Tendulkar’s record tally of 15,921 runs. However, the former England captain struggled to convert his starts into big scores, going without a century across 14 matches in the previous three tours. The veteran England batter has shown resilience and fight throughout the series, producing a couple of strong innings while struggling for consistency in others, often carrying the middle order during tricky periods for his team.
Gill misses the Punjab match in VHT due to food poisoning
India cricket team star Shubman Gill was compelled to miss the 5th round match of Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Sikkim on Saturday. The batsman, who was supposed to participate in a couple of VHT matches before linking up with the Indian side ahead of India’s three-match ODI series, was diagnosed with food poisoning on Friday after he arrived in Jaipur to take part in the match. The Indian captain is expected to feature in just one match against Goa on 6th January before the series. The report claims that the decision to rest the Punjab batter was taken after consultation between doctors and team management. The report states that the decision was also taken keeping in mind the India-New Zealand ODI series, which will begin on 11th January and will see Gill lead the Indian team. Shubman hasn’t been in good form, both physically and with the bat, over the past few months. He suffered a neck injury during India’s first Test against South Africa in Kolkata that forced him to miss not just the 2nd Test but also the ODI series against South Africa. He then returned to action in the T-20 International series against South Africa. However, Gill picked up a foot injury towards the end of the series.
