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Maxwell’s record ton powers Australia to series win
Glenn Maxwell smashed his way to an unbeaten 55-ball 120, a record-equalling fifth century in the format as Australia beat West Indies by 34 runs in the second T20I at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday (February 11).
Maxwell’s feat put him at level with Rohit Sharma for the most centuries in T20Is and helped Australia to post the highest-ever T20I total in their country. With early wickets lost in pursuit of a big chase, West Indies were never really in the hunt. Rovman Powell (63 off 36), Andre Russell (37 off 16) and Jason Holder (28* off 16) all threw their bat around but could only help in limiting the margin of defeat.
Earlier in the day, Australia got off to a bumpy start after being put into bat as Josh Inglis fell early after a scratchy start to his innings. However, skipper Mitchell Marsh set the tone with an ultra-aggressive cameo to create momentum into the innings. David Warner played second fiddle to his captain as the partnership flourished but the pair fell in the space of eight deliveries to give West Indies some respite.
On a good batting surface with short square boundaries, the carnage was only about to start. Maxwell took a few balls to get in before hitting top gear. Such was the level of Maxwell’s dominance that his 82-run stand with Marcus Stoinis had the latter contributing just 16 of those. Tim David (31* off 14) then combined for an unbroken 95-run stand as Australia raced away to a daunting total. All of Maxwell’s trademark strokes were on display – the loft over cover, slice over backward point mixed with the occasional switch-hits and reverse sweeps. One outrageous reverse-pull against Akeal Hosain was the jaw-dropping shot of the lot.
For West Indies to make a game of this, they needed a near-perfect run chase but that wasn’t to be. Johnson Charles and Nicholas Pooran got brisk starts after Brandon King’s early dismissal but both fell along with Shai Hope within the powerplay to further Australia’s dominance. From then on, it was only about the margin of victory as West Indies’ chances of getting anywhere close was near impossible. Even with the extreme batting conditions and boundary dimensions on offer.
Powell and Russell showed their power-hitting skills with some brutal hitting but the task at hand was a bridge too far even for them. Their knocks along with Holder’s cameo at the end made the game seem like a closer contest than it actually was. Australia’s bowlers on their part did well to ensure that batters were forced to hit down the ground where the dimensions were longer as opposed to the short square boundaries. All of them were among the wickets with Marcus Stoinis being the most successful of the lot.
Brief scores: Australia 241/4 in 20 overs (David Warner 22, Mitchell Marsh 29, Glenn Maxwell 120*, Tim David 31*; Jason Holder 2-42) beat West Indies 207/9 in 20 overs (Johnson Charles 24, Rovman Powell 63, Andre Russell 37, Jason Holder 28*; Marcus Stoinis 3-36, Josh Hazlewood 2-31, Spencer Johnson 2-39) by 34 runs
The ICC have welcomed the announcement that the Fairgrounds in Pomona, Southern California, will host cricket at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Excitement around cricket’s Olympic comeback has been building since it was confirmed that the sport would return to the Games.
On 9 April, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the player quotas and number of participating teams for cricket at the 2028 Olympics.
Both the men’s and women’s T20 competitions will feature six teams each, with a 90-player quota allocated per gender, allowing each nation to field a squad of up to 15 players.
The full tournament schedule will be finalised closer to the start of the Games.
“We welcome the announcement of the venue for cricket at Los Angeles 2028 as it is a significant step towards the preparation for our sport’s return to the Olympics,” ICC Chair Jay Shah said.
“Although cricket is a hugely popular sport, it will be a fantastic opportunity to expand traditional boundaries when it features in the Olympics in the fast-paced, exciting T20 format that should appeal to new audiences.
“On behalf of the ICC, I want to express my gratitude to LA28 and the International Olympic Committee for their support and look forward to collaborating with them and ICC Members in preparing for LA28 and making cricket a huge success there.”
Cricket’s return to the Olympics was confirmed in October 2023, alongside the inclusion of five additional sports for the Los Angeles Games – baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash.
The T20 format has previously featured in multi-sport events, with both men’s and women’s competitions held at the Asian Games in 2010, 2014 and 2023. The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham featured a women’s T20 tournament.
[ICC]
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Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cautions all stakeholders of the Indian Premier League (IPL) of attempts to entice participants
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has issued a caution to all stakeholders of the Indian Premier League (IPL) about attempts to entice participants into potentially corrupt activities. The BCCI has cautioned the owners, players, coaches, support staff, and even commentators that a businessman with dubious credentials is actively seeking to trap individuals involved in the league.
The Anti-Corruption Security Unit (ACSU) seems to believe that a businessman from Hyderabad, with clear links to punters, bookies and past and proven records of involvement in corrupt activities, is trying to befriend participants. The ACSU has urged all IPL stakeholders to report any interactions with the businessman and also disclose any possible connections or engagements with him.
The ACSU is also understood to have urged all parties involved in the league to exercise caution. Teams and individuals have been asked to remain alert and report any relevant approaches. The individual’s modus operandi is said to involve luring unsuspecting targets with expensive gifts, including jewellery.
The individual in question is reportedly attempting to get himself close to the IPL participants by masquerading as a fan. He has allegedly been spotted at the team hotels and in the matches, making efforts to befriend players and staff, and inviting potential targets to private parties. There is also information of him offering gifts not only to team members but also to their families.
One of the methods reportedly employed by him involves approaching family members of franchise owners, players, coaches, support staff, and even commentators. He is said to have been offering to take them to jewellery stores and high-end hotels posing as a fan. There are also indications that he may have attempted to contact relatives living abroad, often through social media platforms.
Previously, the ACSU had told the teams that advancing technology has increased their challenges and urged all involved in the league to be alert. Seeking cooperation from all, the BCCI said it is determined and committed to taking every step in its power to prevent corrupt practices that undermine the integrity of the sport of cricket.
Sudan’s paramilitaries have declared the formation of a rival government to the country’s armed forces, two years into a war that has become the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
The leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, said the group was “building the only realistic future for Sudan”.
The announcement came as London hosted an high-level conference to mark the second anniversary of the conflict, where the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy called for “a pathway to peace”.
Fighting raged on, with the army saying it had bombed RSF positions outside the city of el-Fasher, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the Zamzam refugee camp.
Hemedti said the RSF was building a “state of law” and not a state ruled by individuals.
“We do not seek domination, but unity. We believe that no tribe, region, or religion holds a monopoly over Sudanese identity,” his statement on Telegram read.
He added that his government would provide essential services such as education and healthcare to not only RSF-controlled areas, but the whole country.
More than 400 people have been killed in recent attacks by the RSF, according to the UN, citing “credible sources”.
Two years into the war, both the army and RSF have been accused of war crimes, including genocide and mass sexual violence.
Hemedti has been locked in a power struggle with Sudan’s army chief, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, since 15 April 2023, creating a humanitarian crisis that has claimed more than 150,000 lives and displaced more than 12 million people.
The latest fighting in the capital of North Darfur, el-Fasher, has forced tens of thousands of civilians from the Zamzam refugee camp to walk 70km (43 miles) to the town of Tawila, according to medical charity MSF.
Many arrived severely dehydrated and some children are reported to have died of thirst.
Humanitarian agencies have reported famine-like conditions facing more than 700,000 people in temporary camps around el-Fasher, with security threats and roadblocks thwarting the delivery of critical aid.
During an international meeting on Tuesday, the UK promised an extra £120m ($159m) worth of food and medical assistance, urging the world not to turn its back on Sudan.
“Many have given up on Sudan – that is wrong – it’s morally wrong when we see so many civilians beheaded, infants as young as one subjected to sexual violence, more people facing famine than anywhere else in the world… We simply cannot look away,” Lammy said.
The conference also called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, but the African Union has said it will not allow the country to be partitioned by the army and the RSF.
[BBC]
Venue announced for cricket’s Olympics return at LA28
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cautions all stakeholders of the Indian Premier League (IPL) of attempts to entice participants
Paramilitaries declare rival government in Sudan
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