Ahead of the 2019 ICC World Cup, the Indian cricket team has sent the BCCI a list of their requests, while on tour. Earlier, the CoA (Committee of Administrators) had approved that the wives and girlfriends of players can join them on tours after a period of 10 days. Now, the team has forwarded more requests, and one of them is quite bizarre. The members of the Indian cricket team have asked the BCCI to allow wives and girlfriends throughout the entire length of the 2019 World Cup. They have also requested that they should be allowed to travel by train between cities, so that their partners can accompany them. Amusingly, the players also want a steady supply of bananas, apparently their favorite fruit, during the World Cup. However, raising security concerns, the BCCI has stated that neither the board nor the CoA could be held responsible if anything unwarranted happens. But the board has said that it wants a written agreement from all the members of the team before it can proceed to green-light this request.
Priyanshu, 13, betters Shaw’s mark
When Priyanshu Moliya came to bat in the middle, his team mates had expected a blistering inning from him in their Under-14 D K Gaekwad Cricket Tournament against Yogi Cricket Academy in Vadodara. Little did they expect, though, that Priyanshu would end up playing a mammoth 556-run knock spread over two days. The opposition bowlers had simply no reply to Priyanshu’s batting that displayed both patience and abundance of talent. He made the record score off 319 balls and his innings included 98 boundaries and a six. In 2013, Prithvi Shaw had scored 546 runs in the Harris Shield (U-16) Elite division school cricket tournament when he was just 14. “I had set no target when I took the field. I just played my normal game and timed the ball well. Runs kept coming and my confidence also grew,” said 13-year-old Priyanshu, who plays for Mohinder Lala Amarnath Cricket Academy (MLACA). Priyanshu, who bowls both pace and off-breaks, didn’t just make a record score but also bagged four wickets in the two-day match. Interestingly, this is Priyanshu’s third double century in the last two years. He scored two double centuries in the D K Gaekwad Cricket Tournament last year. His father Suresh Moliya said he spotted Priyanshu’s talent when he was just eight years old.
ICC suspends Lanka bowling coach
The International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended Sri Lankan bowling coach Nuwan Zoysa for breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. He was charged by ICC with three counts of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code (for match-fixing). ICC has given Zoysa 14 days to respond to his charges. Zoysa has been charged with articles which relate to match-fixing and encouraging players to influence results. The ICC is currently conducting a full-scale investigation into the alleged corrupt activities in Sri Lankan cricket. It recently charged World Cup-winning batting legend Sanath Jayasuriya with non-cooperation in the probe. Zoysa was appointed Sri Lanka's bowling coach in September 2015. Sri Lanka Cricket earlier suspended Galle groundsman Tharanga Indika and professional cricketer Tharindu Mendis, who allegedly spoke about fixing the pitch to ensure a result in under four days in a sting operation by a TV channel. SLC also suspended provincial coach Jeevantha Kulathunga in the same case. In 2016, Galle curator Jayananda Warnaweera was suspended for failing to cooperate with the ICC's anti-corruption probe.
James Anderson handed a demerit point
England bowler James Anderson has been handed a demerit point during the Test match against Sri Lanka. He has been charged after he threw the ball to the ground after umpire Chris Gaffaney warned him against running on the pitch. Earlier, during the Test against India at the Oval, Anderson was given a demerit point for dissenting with the umpire. He was found guilty of breaching Article 2.8 of ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. Further, 15% of Anderson's match fee has also been deducted for his conduct. A 'Level One' offense generally gets one demerit point, and if a player accumulates four demerit points in two years, he gets suspended for one Test or two ODI/T20I matches.
Pakistan pull off thrilling T20 win
Left-arm pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi defended 17 runs in the last over as Pakistan defeated New Zealand by two runs in a thrilling finish to the first Twenty20 international. New Zealand needed six off the last delivery to tie the match but experienced batsman Ross Taylor managed just a boundary as New Zealand - set 149 to win - finished at 146-6 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Mohammad Hafeez top-scored with 45 in Pakistan’s 148-6 after they won the toss and batted.
Azhar Ali retires from ODIs
Senior Pakistani batsman Azhar Ali announced his retirement from one-day internationals to allow youngsters more chances to play for the national team while he focuses more on his Test career. The 33-year-old had been dumped from Pakistan’s one-day side since a flop series in New Zealand in January, where he earned just 12 runs in three matches - including a duck at Dunedin.
