Under-23 cricketer Anuj Dedha has been slapped with a lifetime ban for assaulting Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) senior selection committee chairman Amit Bhandari. DDCA chief Rajat Sharma said that the association would impose a life ban on Anuj Dedha for physically assaulting Amit Bhandari, who is also a former India pacer. Anuj Dedha attacked Amit Bhandari for not selecting him in the U-23 state side. Bhandari was attacked by a group of people during the Under-23 state trials at St Stephens ground in New Delhi. Bhandari was hit with iron rods and hockey sticks at the trials, before being rushed to a hospital. Bhandari got 7 stitches for cuts on his legs and head.
Chris Gayle to retire from ODI after World Cup 2019
Star West Indies batsman Chris Gayle will be retiring from the ODI cricket after the 2019 World Cup to be played in England. While addressing the media he said, “this was the right time to end his career in the ODI format of the game.” Chris Gayle made his debut against India in 1999 in Toronto in the ODI format. Gayle has played 103 Test matches, 284 ODIs and 56 T20I. Gayle has amassed 9,727 runs in 284 ODI matches with an average of 37.12. The Windies batsman has the highest score of 215 in this format which came against Zimbabwe during the 2015 World Cup group stage match. Gayle needs to score 273 runs more to achieve the 10,000 run mark. He will be the second Windies batsmen in history to reach the landmark after Brian Lara. The former left-handed batsman Brian Lara has scored 10,405 runs in 299 games in white ball cricket.
Japan’s Olympic poster girl Ikee diagnosed with leukaemia
Japan’s swim queen Rikako Ikee, the poster girl for next year’s Tokyo Olympics, has been diagnosed with leukaemia. In a shock announcement, Ikee said: “After feeling unwell, I returned in haste from Australia and following tests I was diagnosed with leukaemia. I still can’t believe it myself, I’m in a state of confusion.” Ikee shot to fame at last year’s Asian Games, where she captured a record six gold medals to fire a warning for the 2020 Olympics in her home city. The teenage superstar, who holds a string of national records, has been tipped to push for gold on several fronts, in particular in the women’s 100 metres butterfly.
Jemimah jumps to second place in T20I rankings
Indian batswomen Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana jumped four places to be second and sixth in the ICC T20 rankings despite their team's 0-3 loss in New Zealand. Rodrigues's 132 runs in the three-match series against New Zealand have lifted her to the second position while Mandhana, who grabbed the top spot in ODIs, has gained four spots after finishing as the leading run-getter in the New Zealand series with an aggregate of 180. The stylish left-hander smashed two half-centuries including a fluent 86 in the last match in Hamilton that India lost by two runs. Spinners Radha Yadav, up 18 places to 10th after taking four wickets in the series, and Deepti Sharma, up five places to 14th, are the India players to move up among bowlers.
Photographs of Pak players removed
Photographs of Pakistani cricket players adorning the walls of the I.S. Bindra Stadium were removed by Punjab Cricket Association authorities. The photographs were removed from the corridors, long room and gallery of the stadium's pavilion block. "We have removed the photographs to show solidarity with the CRPF martyrs (who were killed in the Pulwama terror attack) and show anger against Pakistan," PCA honorary treasurer Ajay Tyagi said. The photographs included those of former Pakistan captains Imran Khan, Javed Miandad and Shahid Afridi. They also included those of the 2011 World Cup semi-final match played between India and Pakistan here.
