Top Stories: Things that made news in the cricket world today

‘Pakistan players need to learn from Yashasvi Jaiswal’s struggles’ – Shoaib Akhtar

• The Boys in Blue continued with their unprecedented dominance in the 2020 ICC U-19 World Cup by notching up a mammoth ten-wicket win in the semi-finals against arch-rivals Pakistan in Potchefstroom.
• India looked in total command right from the outset and their planning and the execution were just top-notch.
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‘I feel bad for him’ – MSK Prasad on Ambati Rayudu’s exclusion from World Cup 2019 squad

• Since donning the chief selector’s hat in 2015, MSK Prasad has been involved in taking many significant decisions.
• One of the highlights of Prasad’s tenure was his decision of giving ample opportunities to young prospects including the likes of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer.
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Rajasthan Royals get a massive relief after ED cuts down Rs 100 Crore FEMA fine to 15 Crore

• The inaugural IPL champions Rajasthan Royals have been in the news in the past few days. However, on Wednesday, the Jaipur-based franchise got a massive relief as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Government of India have, reportedly, decided to cut down their fine from a whopping Rs 100 Crore to a mere Rs 15 Crore.
• RR, who had earlier served a two-year ban along with Chennai Super Kings thanks to the 2013 spot-fixing scandal, had run in a major coup when they were accused of violating the guidelines of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), paving way for a fine of a Brobdingnagian amount of 100 crores.
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Yes, I am black, that is color of my skin: Temba Bavuma rubbishes selection claims based on colour

• South Africa team finally tasted victory in ODI cricket after a long time. The Proteas led by the newly appointed captain Quinton de Kock defeated England in the first match of the series in Cape Town.
• It was a superlative performance by a new look Proteas squad which has six uncapped players in their arsenal.
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New Zealand vs India: Virat Kohli & Co. fined 80% of match fee for slow over-rate in Hamilton

• India have been fined 80 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against New Zealand in the first One Day International in Hamilton on Wednesday.
• Chris Broad of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after Virat Kohli’s side was ruled to be four overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.
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Darren Lehmann to undergo heart bypass surgery after suffering chest pain

• Darren Lehmann, the former Aussie coach was a proud father as his son Jake was picked in Cricket Australia XI squad for an unofficial ODI series against England Lions.
• He was eager to watch his son play wearing the yellow jersey and it was a great moment for the former Aussie coach.
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Cars drive past sight screen during Ranji Trophy game in Chandigarh

• Despite the match referee setting up guidelines, the Ranji Trophy encounter between Chandigarh and Mizoram at the Mahajan Cricket Ground or “MCG” witnessed a clear flouting of the rules.
• It was near the business end on Day 1 of the game that two cars were seen passing over the kutcha road between the boundary rope and the sight screen with the official ball boys seated very close.
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KL Rahul should have been in Test squad for New Zealand tour, says Zaheer Khan

• India announced their 16-men squad for the two-Test series against New Zealand starting February 21 and it did not feature KL Rahul, India’s newfound wicket-keeper-batsman in the limited-over formats who also ended up being the Man of the Series in the recently-concluded T20I series.
• Rahul recently regained his long lost form but his failure in making the Test squad disappointed former speedster, Zaheer Khan.
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Bangladesh board to cut down players’ salaries for poor performances in matches

• The Bangladesh cricket scene had witnessed an unprecedented incident last year when the majority of the board contracted cricketers went on a strike demanding better remuneration and opportunities for themselves.
•  The board after warnings and negotiations got the cricketers to call off the strike and in 2020 are ready for new contract signings.
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BCCI proposed 4-nation series hit by a roadblock due to reservations from CA, ECB

• After taking over as the Board of Control Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly proposed to host a four-nation Super Series involving India, Australia, England, and the fourth nation that is yet to be finalized.
• The proposed tournament is set to take place in 2021 but the plan is currently hit by an obstacle with reservations being made by Cricket Australia (CA) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
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KL Rahul should open the innings for India in ODIs too, suggests Gautam Gambhir

• In the last couple of months or so, KL Rahul has showed that he can be quite versatile in the batting order. In the three-match ODI series against Australia, the right-handed batsman at different positions in all the three games.
• In the first game, he batted at number three before slamming 80 off just 52 balls in the second game. In the series-decider, he had opened the batting after Shikhar Dhawan injured his shoulder while fielding.
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‘Mahi will take a decision for himself’ – MSK Prasad opens up on MS Dhoni’s retirement speculations

• MSK Prasad’s journey– as a player and as the chairman of BCCI selection committee– has been a topsy-turvy one. Prasad failed to grab headlines in his short-lived career spanning over six Test and 17 ODIs between 1999 and 2000.
• The 44-year-old certainly took a few substantial decisions during his stint with the selection committee– be it Vijay Shankar’s inclusion in the World Cup 2019 squad or giving chances to prospects like Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw.
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‘It is harsh’ – Ricky Ponting reacts to Marcus Stonis’ snub from Australia squad

• Australia named their 15-member squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of South Africa where they will lock horns with Quinton de Kock-led Proteas in three One-day Internationals and as many Twenty20 Internationals.
• Glenn Maxwell, who last played for Australia back in October before taking a break from the T20I series against Pakistan to address his mental health issues, has made a return to the set-up in both T20Is as well as in the ODIs.
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