India's star shuttler P V Sindhu pulled out of the upcoming BWF World Championships owing to a stress fracture on her left foot. In a statement she shared on Twitter, the double Olympic medallist confirmed that she will be missing the 2022 World Championships. Sindhu has won the World Championships gold in 2019.
Arjun Tendulkar to play for Goa now
Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun has parted ways with Mumbai due to lack of game time. The left-arm pacer, who played 2 T20s (against Haryana and Pudcherry) in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in January last year, will play for Goa in the next domestic season. The left-arm pacer applied for a No Objection Certificate (NoC) from the Mumbai Cricket Association. The 22-year-old was included in the Mumbai team’s Ranji Trophy squad for the group stage of the tournament last season, but didn’t get to play a game. He was then excluded from the squad for the knockouts. “Getting maximum game-time on the ground is important for Arjun at this juncture of his career. We believe that the shift will improve the probability of Arjun featuring in more competitive matches. He is embarking on a new phase of his cricketing career,” a statement from SRT Sports Management read.
Manoj Prabhakar is Nepal coach
Former India allrounder Manoj Prabhakar has been appointed head coach of the Nepal cricket team. Prabhakar succeeds Pubudu Dassanayake, who stepped down from the position in July to take up head coach’s role with Canada.
Prabhakar, who featured in 39 Tests and 130 ODIs for India between 1984 to 1996, has previously coached Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh Ranji teams.
He also served as the bowling coach for the Afghanistan national team in 2016.
Laxman will be head coach in Zimbabwe
National Cricket Academy head VVS Laxman will be India's acting head coach for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe as there is only a short turnaround time between the series and the Asia Cup starting on August 27 in the UAE, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said. “Yes, VVS Laxman will be in charge of the Indian team in Zimbabwe for the three-match ODI series” Shah said.
Manisha, Chhetri are AIFF Footballers of the Year
Manisha Kalyan and Sunil Chhetri were named the AIFF Women's and Men's Footballer of the year respectively. The two stalwarts were nominated as winners by their respective National Team coaches Thomas Dennerby and Igor Stimac.
Bravo first bowler to take 600 wickets in T20 cricket
Former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo became the first-ever bowler to clinch 600 wickets in T20 cricket. The all-rounder reached this landmark during his side Northern Super Chargers’ match against the Oval Invincibles at the ongoing The Hundred competition. Bravo bowled Sam Curran to achieve the feat. Bravo took 545 matches to take 600 wickets at an average of 24.12 and an economy rate of 8.21. His best bowling figures in the format are 5/23. In terms of wickets, Bravo is followed by Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan (466 wickets), West Indies Sunil Narine (457), South African Imran Tahir (451) and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan (418 ).
Former umpire Koertzen dies in car accident
Former South African umpire Rudi Koertzen, labelled the 'slow finger of death' by the media, has died in a car accident, a family member said. He was 73. “Rudi suffered fatal injuries after an accident near Stilbaai between Cape Town and Gqeberha," said the family spokesperson. "My father went to a golf tournament with some friends and they were expected to come back, but it seems they decided to play another round of golf," his son Rudi told a Gqeberha radio station. The South African team will wear black armbands in honour of Koertzen when they face England at Lord's in a Test match.
Pollard first to play 600 T20s
Former West Indies allrounder Kieron Pollard became the first cricketer to play 600 T20 matches. The hard-hitting batter achieved this landmark during his side's London Spirit's match against Manchester Originals during ongoing The Hundred tournament at Lord's. Behind him are players Dwayne Bravo (543 matches), Shoaib Malik (472), Chris Gayle (463) and Ravi Bopara (426).
