MENU
Loading...

Maidans still the nursery of Mumbai cricket

It is not yet 7:00 am and the sun has still to rise above a hazy Mumbai sky. But there is already a steady stream of cricketers of various ages heading into the city's Oval Maidan, a large public park. Some are clad in traditional whites, with the children among them almost dwarfed by the large bags of cricket equipment on their backs as they hurry to attend net practice. Others, simply wearing T-shirts and shorts, are here for just an impromptu game of tennis-ball cricket with their friends. All, however, are united by a passion for the sport and maybe somewhere here there is a future star all set to follow in the footsteps of Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma, the captain of hosts India at the ongoing World Cup, all of whom once played on the Maidans themselves. Set against the backdrop of Mumbai's High Court and Rajabai Clock Tower, in what is a United Nations World Heritage site, the scene of hundreds of cricketers gathering on the Oval Maidan has been a familiar part of the landscape for generations in a city that prides itself on being a hotbed of the game even in a country with a fanatical devotion to the sport. But girls, as well as boys, are now part of the picture, with teenager Pranjal Chilwant taking her place in a net pitched on the rough and uneven grassland – in marked contrast to the smooth surface of Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium that is staging World Cup games – to play a series of textbook drives against her male contemporaries. Watching on is her coach, Subodh Bhosle of the Steadfast Cricket Academy. "We are here every week (Saturday) from 6:45-9:00 am," Bhosle told AFP. "Maidan cricket is very important for India and the whole world," added the 38-year-old, in the year above Rohit when the pair were in the Mumbai youth set-up. "Here you are not given those privileges where you get a good infrastructure – when you field on a Maidan, the ground, is always up and down. "But then you are more keen on catching the ball...Here you get your sweat and blood and then you play the game." For Pravin Amre, the journey from Maidan cricket to India honours was a dream that became a reality. Now a successful coach – two of his proteges Shreyas Iyer and Shardul Thakur are in India's 15-man World Cup squad – Amre, currently works with the Delhi Capitals and the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. But that does not stop the 55-year-old former India batsman returning whenever he can to coach a new crop of young talents in Shivaji Park, at 28 acres the largest of Mumbai's maidans or grounds. "I am the product of Maidan cricket right now where you are in Shivaji Park," Amre tells AFP during an interview. "This is where I started my journey when I was a 10-year-old kid. It's like my second home. "I was very lucky to have as my coach and guru Ramakant Achrekar (who also guided a young Tendulkar). "But Maidan cricket, it's so tough. You can see, this is a public park. We learn about hard work from an early age, we know we have to make it count. "All the greats of Mumbai cricket started here (the Maidans). There are no sightscreens, you have to manage everything yourself," he added. "Maybe that's why we produce so many great cricketers," explained Amre, who scored a hundred on Test debut against South Africa in Durban in 1992. Mumbai have won the Ranji Trophy, India's domestic first-class competition, a record 41 times, with Amre adamant the Maidans had a key role in that sustained success. "To get into the Mumbai team, it's so challenging," he said. "It's a lot of pain and 15 years of hard work for any boy to start his journey on the Maidan and then to go play at the Wankhede."

from Cricket news | Latest Cricket Updates | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/tuerC7I
via IFTTT
Filed Under: on Monday 30 October 2023

‘Twenty20 cricket perfect fit for Olympics’

The United States' ambassador to India believes his compatriots will come to share his joy in the "unabashed fun" of Twenty20 cricket when the format features at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. International cricket's shortest form was approved as one of five new sports for LA 2028 during the International Olympic Committee's session in Mumbai on Monday. Flag football, baseball/softball, lacrosse and squash were the others. Eric Garcetti, a former mayor of Los Angeles, told reporters in Mumbai late Monday that his passion for cricket had grown during his time living in the UK, but blossomed after he took his post in India six months ago. "I became a real fan when I came here and the T20 format, because it's so fast," he said. "Most of us don't have a few days to watch a Test match or an entire seven-hour stretch for a World Cup match. But here to see two or three hours of unabashed fun, I'm a convert." Cricket's only previous appearance at the Olympics was during the 1900 Games in Paris, where a team from Great Britain defeated France in a lone match. "This is a great day for the Olympic movement, a great day for India, a great day for the United States and a great day for cricket fans everywhere," said Garcetti. "I think it will ignite a new generation of cricket players and cricket fans... We think that this format is perfect for the Olympics, perfect for cricket, and no better place to launch than here, in the middle of cricket madness." The Indian Premier League, featuring the game's global stars, has cemented India's position as the unquestioned economic driving force of the sport, thanks to legions of fans and lucrative broadcasting deals in a nation where the game is almost a religion. Monday's vote also took place while India stages the men's 50-over Cricket World Cup. Major League Cricket, a professional Twenty20 League, launched in the United States in July, with the US a co-host of next year's men's T20 World Cup together with territories in the West Indies. "By the time of the Olympics, not only Major League Cricket will be significant in the US, we'll have the facilities and the fanbase," said Garcetti. On a more serious note, Garcetti voiced his support for the concept of the Olympic truce, amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Hamas. "The tradition of the Olympics was the Olympic truce," he said. "In ancient times, everybody put down their weapons to have sports unite us... So we hope that this inspires people that peace is better than war, that participating together is better than conflict."

from Cricket news | Latest Cricket Updates | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/rkdyvKQ
via IFTTT
Filed Under: on Tuesday 17 October 2023

‘Massive day’ as cricket approved for LA Games

Cricket will feature as one of five new sports at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, organisers announced Monday. A vote of the International Olympic Committee's session in Mumbai approved cricket, together with baseball/softball, flag football, squash and lacrosse. The IOC's executive board last week accepted a proposal by LA organisers for Twenty20 cricket, the sport's shortest format, to be included along with the four other new events. But the final choice still had to be voted on Monday at the IOC session in Mumbai, one of the global centres for cricket, as India hosts the men's 50-over Cricket World Cup. Los Angeles chiefs have proposed a six-team event, in both men's and women's T20 cricket. The United States is set to field sides as the host nation, but no firm decision has been made on the number of teams, or how they will qualify. Cricket last featured at the 1900 Paris Olympics, when a team from Britain beat a side representing France. Adding cricket to the Olympic programme is an obvious move, financially speaking. It would tap into the lucrative South Asian market, attracting fans in countries such as India and Pakistan. The Indian Premier League, featuring cricket's global stars, has helped India become the unquestioned economic driving force of the sport, thanks to legions of fans and lucrative broadcasting deals in a nation where the game is almost a religion. Meanwhile Major League Cricket, a professional Twenty20 League, launched in the United States in July. "It's a win-win situation," International Cricket Council chairman Greg Barclay told reporters in Mumbai of cricket's inclusion in the LA 2028 programme. "It's a massive day for cricket," the New Zealander added. "We've got global sport, what I think is the fastest-growing global sport, but getting onto the biggest sporting stage in the world, the Olympics, is a massive shot in the arm for the game." But the IOC said Monday the status of boxing at the 2028 Games remains "on hold" after it stripped the International Boxing Association (IBA) of its recognition following a dispute over how the sport is governed. Boxing has been part of every Olympics since 1920 and will feature at next year's Paris Games. But in June, the IBA was effectively expelled from the Olympic movement following a bitter dispute between Games chiefs and its Russian president, Umar Kremlev. That move came following concerns over the credibility of IBA-sanctioned tournaments, as well as the boxing governing body's finances and governance.

from Cricket news | Latest Cricket Updates | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/qTDWCuV
via IFTTT
Filed Under: on Monday 16 October 2023

Cricket set for shot at Olympic glory

Cricket's long Olympic exile could finally come to an end this week when Games chiefs meet in Mumbai to finalise the programme for Los Angeles 2028. Twenty-eight sports are already confirmed on the schedule but cricket was one of five new sports formally proposed for inclusion by organisers for the Games on Monday. The International Cricket Council's proposal is for men's and women's Twenty20 competitions – the shortest form of the international game. "We are delighted that LA28 have recommended cricket for inclusion in the Olympics," ICC chairman Greg Barclay said. "Whilst this is not the final decision, it is a very significant landmark towards seeing cricket at the Olympics for the first time in more than a century." If it makes the cut, it would be the first time cricket has featured since 1900, when a team from Britain beat a side representing France in Paris. Since then it has been in the Olympic wilderness, in part because cricket itself was quite happy to stand aside from the Games. But in recent years the ICC has made clear it wants to be part of the global showpiece – a move that could turbo-charge the sport and help it exploit new markets. "Our sport is united behind this bid, and we see the Olympics as a part of cricket's long-term future," Barclay said in 2021. "We have more than a billion fans globally and almost 90 percent of them want to see cricket at the Olympics." The game has had support from the highest places in the Olympic movement. Late ICC president Jacques Rogge said in 2011: "We would welcome an application. It (cricket) is an important, popular sport and very powerful on television." The current president, Thomas Bach, has also backed the inclusion of cricket, which featured at last year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. This week the IOC executive board is meeting in Mumbai, ahead of a full IOC session from October 15 to October 17, which would effectively rubberstamp the decision. Cricket could not have asked for a better city in which to make its case. The IOC session is being held in one of the hotbeds of the sport as India hosts the men's 50-over World Cup. Cricket, with its multiple formats and quirky rules, has long been a source of curiosity in areas of the world where it is not played. But the global language of cold, hard cash is easier to understand. The arguments that Olympic cricket would clash with the English season or that the game takes too long look increasingly outdated. The global calendar is now a mishmash of international cricket, domestic cricket and franchise cricket, with multiple formats jostling for attention. The wildly popular T20 Indian Premier League, which has spawned several other franchise competitions worldwide, means traditional five-day Test cricket, long regarded as the pinnacle of the game, no longer holds sway. The IPL, featuring global superstars, has helped India become the unquestioned economic driving force of cricket, thanks to legions of fans and lucrative broadcasting deals in a nation where the game is almost a religion. Adding cricket to the Olympic programme is an obvious move, financially speaking. It would tap into the lucrative south Asian market, attracting fans in countries such as India and Pakistan that have not traditionally been strong in the core Olympic sports. It would also potentially help cricket access millions of dollars of public and corporate funding currently reserved for Games sports. That would benefit emerging cricket nations but could also help cash-strapped established countries such as South Africa.

from Cricket news | Latest Cricket Updates | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/jhHdFXf
via IFTTT
Filed Under: on Tuesday 10 October 2023

Cricket cracker to hammer blow

The Asian Games wrapped up on Sunday after two weeks of thrilling sporting highs and lows in Hangzhou. AFP Sport highlights five memorable moments from the Olympic-sized event, which features 12,000 athletes in 40 sports across 54 venues: Nepal became the first men's team to score more than 300 runs in T20 international cricket as they rewrote the record books against part-timers Mongolia. They bludgeoned 314-3 in their 20 overs, beating the previous highest of 278-3 by Afghanistan against Ireland in 2019. Teenager Kushal Malla crashed the fastest T20 international century, off 34 balls, and ended up 137 not out off 50. Dipendra Singh Airee finished the innings in ridiculous fashion. He raced to his fifty off nine balls, another T20 world record, with eight sixes. Nepal's 26 sixes were also the most scored in a T20 innings. ESports made its debut as a medal event at the Asian Games -- a key step that could lead to inclusion in the Olympics. Audiences of overwhelmingly young spectators packed out a 4,500-capacity arena in the hope of catching one of their heroes, with the most popular undoubtedly South Korea's Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok. China made history with the first eSports gold, beating Malaysia in the smartphone game Arena of Valor. "The audience who loves eSports and the veterans in the eSports industry have been looking forward to this for a long time," said China's captain Luo Siyuan. South Korea's red-faced rollerskater Jung Cheol-won had nowhere to hide after coasting into an early celebration, a "big mistake" that cost gold. As Jung, the anchor in the 3,000m relay, raised his arms to celebrate, Taiwan's Huang Yu-lin lunged his skate forward to cross the line first by one-hundredth of a second for what he called a "miracle" victory. "While you were celebrating, I was still fighting," said Huang. "I made a rather big mistake," said a sheepish Jung. "I am very sorry. I apologise to my teammates and to our fans who supported us. It's all my fault." China's Wu Yanni went into the women's 100m hurdles final as one of the favourites in front of a packed home stadium on the country's national day. But a false start earned her a red card that she furiously protested, along with India's Jyothi Yarraji, who was also ejected for reacting to Wu and moving before the gun. Both hurdlers were eventually allowed to race, with Wu finishing second behind teammate Lin Yuwei and Yarraji coming third. Wu was then disqualified long after the celebrations in the stadium had ended, with Yarraji upgraded to silver. "It's completely messy," said Yarraji. An athletics official suffered a broken leg after being hit by a hammer hurled during competition by Kuwait's Ali Zankawi. Huang Qinghua was sitting on a chair outside the throwing circle when Zankawi aborted his attempt, with his 7.26kg (16lb) hammer flying into the protective netting and smashing into the official's right leg. Huang was carried out of the arena on a stretcher and had surgery in hospital. Zankawi visited the unfortunate Huang the next day in hospital to apologise. "Thank god the hammer hit the ground before it hit his leg," told AFP.

from Cricket news | Latest Cricket Updates | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/9jN1ohP
via IFTTT
Filed Under: on Sunday 8 October 2023

Ashraf honours Blind Cricket Team

Zaka Ashraf, Chairman Management Committee PCB, honoured Pakistan's Blind Cricket team and their officials on Friday at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for winning gold medal at the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Games 2023, held in Birmingham.  Pakistan Blind cricket team demonstrated skills and resilience in the IBSA World Games, emerging as the champions beating India twice in the tournament.  In the T20 format, in a five-team tournament, Pakistan remained unbeaten and defeated India, Bangladesh, Australia and England before clinching the medal by defeating India again by eight wickets on 26 August 2023. In recognition of their remarkable success, Mr Zaka Ashraf, presented each player and official with a cheque of Rs 300,000 as a token of appreciation and encouragement for their continued dedication to the sport. 

from Cricket news | Latest Cricket Updates | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/mYSfwKi
via IFTTT
Filed Under: on Friday 6 October 2023

Asian Games: India's women win cricket gold on debut

India struck gold on their Asian Games cricket debut when they beat in-form Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the women's final in Hangzhou on Monday. They had declined to enter any teams on the two previous occasions cricket was played at the multisport event, at Guangzhou in 2010 and Incheon in 2014. "It's a gold medal for the whole of India," said batter Richa Ghosh. Batting first India reached 116-7 in their 20 overs with Smriti Mandhana (46) and Jemimah Rodrigues (42) putting on 73 for the second wicket. "Winning a gold medal is something you dream about," said Rodrigues. "It's a reward for all the efforts we have put in over so many years." Sri Lanka's chase started badly when they were reduced to 14-3 in the fifth over by a devastating spell from right-arm seamer Titas Sadhu. She took two wickets in her first four balls and another in her third over to finish with remarkable figures of three wickets for six runs. Sri Lanka, who had beaten England in a white-ball series for the first time earlier this month, were always behind the run rate despite Hasini Perera looking to accelerate, hitting four fours and a six in a rapid 25. When Nilakshi de Silva was out after a battling 23, Sri Lanka were 78-5 needing 39 more with only 23 balls remaining. Two more wickets saw them face a near-impossible 25 off the last over and could only muster five as India began to celebrate. "It's a golden first for us," India assistant coach Rajib Dutta told AFP. "Many more to come I hope. "It's a low-scoring wicket so we thought 110 would be a good score, but when Jemimah and Mandhana were together we thought 130-135 might be possible so we were a little disappointed by 116," he added. Sri Lankan all-rounder Oshadi Ranasinghe said they had missed a good opportunity to win gold. "Looking at the way we batted, we have to get more disciplined," she said. Accumulating runs has not been easy all tournament at the Zhejiang University for Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field, on a flaky wicket affected by rain last week. India won the toss and opted to bat even though both semi-finals and the bronze medal match were won by the team chasing. They lost star opener Shafali Verma with the score on 16, but steadied to 35-1 at the end of the six-over power play where only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-metre circle. When Mandhana fell for 46 with the score on 89 in the 15th over, it sparked a succession of dismissals that stalled India's momentum when a testing total in excess of 130 had looked more likely. Rodrigues, who had been not out 47 and 20 in her two previous Asian Games outings, was finally dismissed in the last over for 42. "We had also struggled while batting on this pitch, so we thought we could defend this total," said Ghosh, who smashed a huge six in her cameo of nine off six balls. "The pitch was turning and holding up a little bit." Bangladesh took the bronze after restricting Pakistan to 64-9 and crawling to their target of 65 in 18.2 overs in their medal playoff. It meant Pakistan, who won the gold on both previous occasions that cricket was played in the Asian Games, return home empty-handed. "It's not a good feeling. We never got enough runs on the board," said Pakistan coach Mohtashim Rasheed. Elsewhere, world 100m breaststroke champion Qin Haiyang added the Asian Games title to his collection with the second-fastest swim this year. The Chinese star, also the 50m and 200m world champion, romped home in a new Games-record time of 57.76secs, with teammate Yan Zibei (59.09) taking silver and South Korea's Choi Dong-yeol (59.28) the bronze. China's Wang Xueer powered to the women's 50m backstroke gold on Monday, hitting the wall in 27.35secs. Wang, who finished seventh at the July world championships, held off teammate Wan Letian (27.41) and Japan's Miki Takahashi (28.21) to win the title.

from Cricket news | Latest Cricket Updates | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/PsX4HtO
via IFTTT
Filed Under: on Monday 25 September 2023
© Copyright Pak News
Back To Top