Recently, the Yorkshire cricket club was stained with racism attacks and claims made by one of its own players in Rafiq. Now after hearings and investigations before the Ashes series, the DCMS committee have released statements demanding English cricket to stop racism and end the chains that persist around England in some clubs.
Rafq also made comments after the release of statements saying, “All I wanted to do was play cricket and play cricket for England and live my dream and live my family’s dream,” Rafiq told the hearing. “Do I believe I lost my career to racism? Yes I do.”
“It is evident to us that there is a deep-seated issue of racism in cricket,” the report stated. “More pertinent, it is evident to Yorkshire Country Cricket Club and the England and Wales Cricket Board that there is an issue of racism in cricket.”
“We, like the minister, are watching closely and fully intend to ensure that cricket cleans up its act,” the report stated. “We recommend that the government ensures that any future public funds for cricket are dependent on continuous, demonstrable progress in getting rid of racism in both the dressing rooms and on the stands.”
“The powerful evidence given to this committee by Azeem Rafiq convinced us that his story was typical of an endemic problem across the whole of cricket,” Julian Knight, the DCMS chair, said. “We commend him for having the courage to blow the whistle on unacceptable and discriminatory behaviour.”
Joe Root has come out to back Chris Silverwood post England’s poor performance in this year’s Ashes series after Australia beat the English side pretty easily in the first 3 matches of the Ashes.
The English side just couldn’t get their batting line-up in form and in perfect balance as they crumbled up against a new and very dominant Australia.
“Yes I would,” Root said, when asked if he would like Silverwood to remain in charge. “It was a difficult week for the group of players with him not being around and it must have been very difficult for him.”
“But I think the performances we put in during the first three games, I feel we’ve let him and the coaches down to a degree. We’ve not played anywhere near the level we’re capable of. It’s a chance to do that this week.”
“I think he’s very calm, he has the respect of the guys and he’s got a desperation to see everyone do well or up-skill the players as best he can,” Root said. “He’s had a very difficult time of it with the environments we’ve been living in, trying to manage winning matches with bubble environments away from home, and multi-format players trying to prepare for an Ashes and a World Cup. It’s very difficult”
“For a long time we’ve not been able to put our best teams out because we’ve been constantly trying to make sure from a mental wellbeing point of view everyone is looked after properly, because of the schedule we’ve dealt with over two years.”
“Time is ticking but I have a lot to weigh up,” Root said. “Will it have a negative impact on me playing Test cricket? If I don’t think so then I will put myself in the auction. But I will never do anything that will detract from playing Test cricket for England. It’s so important to make sure that is the priority for me and other players as well.”
On day 2 of the last and deciding test match between India and South Africa in Cape Town, South Africa started out on the pitch with bat in hand as they tried to chase down the target set by India at 223 runs.
The Indian bowling line-up did pick up wickets regularly between the start and the second innings as they took out Makram, Keshav Maharaj and Dussen. However, the biggest wicket came when India managed to get Buvuma as Petersen was left on the pitch without any good partners to back him up. This followed a batting crumble as India took the upper hand by stopping South Africa from getting to the target. South Africa lost their wickets with 14 runs still to get as India were called back to bat.
The bowling performance by India was incredible. With the likes of Yadav and Shami getting a couple of wickets each and Lord Thakur getting one of his own, Bumrah led the pack with his insane five-for which included the wickets of Elgar, Makram, Jansen, Petersen and Ngidi.
The Indian batting line up started as usual with Agarwal and Rahul at the top. This time around however the opening bowlers knew what to do and quickly got the two opening wickets. However, captain Kohli and the modern wall Pujara held down the fort for India as they ended the day at 57 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. India now have a lead of 70 runs as they begin Day 3.
The returning Usman Khawaja performed splendidly in Sydney as he battered the English bowling attack with a century in each innings to get Australia to an enormous total each time.
The Australian side backed him up with a great performance, however failed to get their fourth straight win in a row in this series as England managed to claw their way to a draw. Now, with the last test almost here, the teams are heading to Hobart as they prepare for a day night pink ball test to end this series.
Australia have announced their squads for the last match with only one major change. Marcus Harris has been dropped to retain Usman Khawaja as an opener. This means alongside Warner, Khawaja will open the batting with Head dropping down to the middle order probably.
“I think he knew was it was coming,” Cummins said on Thursday. “The message to Harry is we think he is going really well. It’s really tough on him. It’s not too often someone comes in and hits two hundreds in the same game. But I thought Marcus has been really good I think he’s been growing with each game he was a huge part in how we won that MCG Test with a crucial innings.”
“So he’s certainly part of the future. We’ll keep investing in him. I think he’s been going really well.”
“No, absolutely not,” Cummins said. “I think Uzzy and Davey have really earned that spot to open the batting but the reality is they’re both 35 years old. So whilst that doesn’t mean anything in the short, short term there will be a day where we need to find some other openers. Marcus is still absolutely got a huge future with us. He’ll be around the squad. I think there might even be an Australia A tour go overseas in the off-season. Of course, there’s heaps of Shield cricket and county cricket as well so for sure this is probably more a case of someone demanding a spot as opposed to Marcus losing his spot.”
With the El Clasico just hours away as the two sides get ready for this epic encounter. This will be the first ever El Clasico to be played outside of Spain. The match will take place in the ever developing nation of Saudi Arabia in the capital of Riyadh.
The 281st El Clasico will take place tonight with the likes of Fatti and Pedri returning for Barcelona.
The Blaugrana called Pedri and Ferran Torres in separately late yesterday to join the training as Barcelona prepare to take on Real Madrid under new manager Xavi.
Ancelotti on the other hand has come out and said that Barcelona are far from them right now in the La liga and thus, not a spot of worry. Now with the two sides meeting in the semi finals of the Supercopa de Espana in a high stakes match, how much focus will Ancoletti have on his Spanish foes.
The second semi final will take place tomorrow as defending La Liga champions Atletico Madrid take on Athletic Club. The winners of these two matches will go on to face each other in a great final match on Sunday, the 16th of January.
The last time these two sides met, was in the La Liga in October, right before Xavi’s full fledged arrival. Barcelona lost to Real Madrid 1-2 at home as the Blaugrana failed to comprehend the level of game Real had.
Now with the slate clean in a new year and a different competition, Barcelona look to take home the finals spot and eventually the first trophy under the Xavi era.
The former World no. 1 has finally spoken out about the entire situation which saw him detained in Australia, his Visa canceled and a court battle that he won. His statement reads the following;
“I want to address the continuing misinformation about my activities and attendance at events in December in the lead up to my positive PCR COVID test result.
This is misinformation which needs to be corrected, particularly in the interest of alleviating broader concern in the community about my presence in Australia, and to address matters which are very hurtful and concerning to my family.
I want to emphasise that I have tried very hard to ensure the safety of everyone and my compliance with testing obligations.
I attended a basketball game in Belgrade on 14 December after which it was reported that a number of people tested positive with COVID 19. Despite having no COVID symptoms, I took a rapid antigen test on 16 December which was negative, and out of an abundance of caution, also took an official and approved PCR test on that same day.
The next day I attended a tennis event in Belgrade to present awards to children and took a rapid antigen test before going to the event, and it was negative.
I was asymptomatic and felt good, and I had not received the notification of a positive PCR test result until after that event.
The next day, on 18 December I was at my tennis centre in Belgrade to fulfill a long-standing commitment for a L’Equipe interview and photoshoot. I cancelled all other events except for the L’Equipe interview.
I felt obliged to go ahead and conduct the L’Equipe interview as I didn’t want to let the journalist down, but did ensure I socially distanced and wore a mask except when my photograph was being taken.
While I went home after the interview to isolate for the required period, on reflection, this was an error of judgement and I accept that I should have rescheduled this commitment.
On the issue of my travel declaration, this was submitted by my support team on my behalf – as I told immigration officials on my arrival – and my agent sincerely apologises for the administrative mistake in ticking the incorrect box about my previous travel before coming to Australia. This was a human error and certainly not deliberate. We are living in challenging times in a global pandemic and sometimes these mistakes can occur. Today, my team has provided additional information to the Australian Government to clarify this matter.
While I felt it was important to address and clarify misinformation I will not be making any further comment out of utmost respect for the Australian Government and their authorities and the current process.
It is always an honour and a privilege to play in the Australian Open. The Australian Open is much-loved by players, fans and the community, not just in Victoria and in Australia, but around the globe, and I just want to have the opportunity to compete against the best players in the world and perform before one of the best crowds in the world.”
Ben Stokes and Johnny Bairstow, the English batsmen, suffered separate injuries during the fourth test match with Bairstow getting the ball hit straight on his thumb during batting and Stokes having issues in his sides.
The two red headed strongmen battled their respective injuries and saw the match to the end to get England a draw. However, their injuries will now be assessed as they look to make their way to Hobart for the fifth and final match of this absurd Ashes series in Australia.
Australia, who has dominated the series winning the first 3 matches to get the Ashes series and then almost winning the fourth match, have shown the quality of their players ranging from fixed players like Warner and Smith to returns like the centurion Usman Khawaja.
With Jos Butler also out with a broken thumb already and back in England, the team has limited choices left to replace the two integral parts of the team.
“We’ve got to just see where they’re at, see what their bodies can handle and then assess from there,” Root said in Hobart on Wednesday.”
“I think they need to make sure they feel like they’re physically in a place where they can get through five days of hard cricket, whatever Australia throw at them, and they’re in a position where they can go out and play and firstly, get through the game, but also, most importantly put in a performance as they managed to last week as well. It’s alright being fit to play but you’ve got to be fit to perform and I think that’s what we’ve got to work out.”
“All you can do when you’re on the fringes, is work as hard as you can, and make sure you feel as ready as you can,” he said. “One thing about this tour and all tours really in these bubble environments, this Covid-19 world that we are currently living in, is there’s not always opportunities to go out and play and to have game time.”
“But as players, you’ve just got to manage that as best as you can. You’ve got to feel like you’re readying yourself, you’re putting yourself in those situations in practice as best as possible. So when you do get out there, you know, you’re as mentally ready as you possibly can be.”
Kagiso Rabada, the South African pacer lit the way for his team as he proceeded to take a massive four-for to help South Africa limit India’s total.
After Olivier broke through and got Rahul to edge the ball to the keeper, Rabada quickly understood the pitch and attacked with intent as he went on to take four massive wickets starting with Mayank Agarwal.
Rabada went on to end Rahane’s innings at just 9 runs and followed up with Bumrah towards the end getting him for a duck. The biggest wicket of the night then came off his hands again as he managed to get the captain, Virat Kohli at a staggering 79 runs after he nicked the ball, on his front foot stance, to the keeper.
Team India managed to get a total of 223 runs on the board with the loss of all wickets. This was the scoreline towards the end of the last session, however with some time left, South Africa then came out to bat.
Bumrah struck quickly getting Elgar’s wicket who had been the biggest target in the last match getting South Africa the tie. With Maharaj and Makram on the pitch, South Africa defended well enough to end the day at 17 runs
The Indian Premier League has had a variety of title sponsors since its inception in 2008. The tournament started out with real estate giants DLF and was called the DLF IPL until the end of the 2012 season.
The torch was then passed on to global beverage giants Pepsi when parent company Pepsico won the tender and the right to sponsor the IPL for a huge three year deal worth a total of approximately Rs. 250 Crores.
By the end of the 2015 season, another sponsor was being shortlisted. The contenders were mostly Chinese companies doing huge business in India. Finally, VIVO was finalised as the title sponsor. VIVO served as the main sponsor throughout 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
In 2020, post escalating political tension between India and China post the Indo-China border fiasco, the BCCI forced IPL to change the sponsor for the time being due to VIVO’s Chinese ownership and roots.
The Indian fantasy gaming company Dream XI was given the right to sponsor the two parted 2020 season for a record breaking 222 Crores. The next year, 2021, the rights were handed back to VIVO as they still had a few years on their contract left. With the 2021 season ending with VIVO at the top due to legalities, an Indian powerhouse bought out the rights and is set to sponsor the IPL for 2022 and possibly ahead.
The TATA group, which recently took over the government run Air India, will now be taking over as title sponsors of the Indian Premier League. The group has signed a 2 year deal worth a whopping 670 Crores, leaving all the other sponsors behind by a huge margin.
The Blaugrana have finally outsmarted La Liga’s rules and found an escape goat in Samuel Umtiti.
Over in Camp Nou, the Barcelona management and Umtiti’s agents have come to a deal with a reduced salary and a renewal that will see Umtiti stay at Barcelona for another 4 and a half years if not released or bought by some other club before.
This new contract has opened up some funds in the salary list to register another player for the team to play in the La Liga. With Ferran Torres signed and ready to go, he’s been waiting for his registration in the La Liga lists to start his minutes at the Camp Nou.
Now with Umtiti signed to a lesser salary, a plan originally made for the now departing Ousmane Dembele, Barcelona can now register and play Ferran Torres as soon as the next La Liga match if everything goes right legally.
Barcelona confirmed in a news statement, “”FC Barcelona and first-team player Samuel Umtiti have reached an agreement to extend the latter’s contract until 30 June 2026. The French defender is reducing a part of the salary that he was due to receive in the year and a half remaining on his contract.”
With Barcelona heading over to Saudi Arabia for another El Clasico against Real Madrid, it’ll be interesting to see if the red and blue can stay in the Supercopa de España.
