England boosted by Alex Mitchell's return to fitness ahead of Ireland clash
England's prospects of causing an upset against Ireland have improved after Alex Mitchell was cleared to take part in the Guinness Six Nations opener in Dublin.
South Africa Sport News
Huge ICC Honour For Jasprit Bumrah: India Star Pacer Beats Joe Root To Win...
India's fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been named as the winner of the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year award for 2024. Bumrah picked an astonishing 71 wickets while bowling 357 overs in 13 matches at an average of 14.92 in 2024. Bumrah's 71 scalps in 2024 made him just the fourth India bowler to take more than 70 Test wickets in a calendar year after Ravichandran Ashwin, Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev. Those numbers were enough for him to beat competition from Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis and England batting duo of Harry Brook, and Joe Root to win the prestigious award.
LIVE | 2025 Afcon draw: How it works and who Bafana Bafana could face
The stage is set for Monday's Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) draw in Morocco, with South Africa placed in Pot 2 - positioning them among the tournament's second-tier seeds.
Smriti Mandhana Named ICC Women's ODI Cricketer Of The Year
Charismatic India opener Smriti Mandhana, was on Monday, named ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year for her phenomenal performance that saw the left-hander score tons of runs in 2024. The India vice-captain, who was the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year in 2018 and 2022, racked up 747 runs in 13 innings to set new career standards in ODIs. She put several batting stalwarts, including the likes of South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt, England's Tammy Beaumont (554) and West Indies' Hayley Matthews, to shade.
Ex-Pakistan Star Recalls India Great's Prediction For Tilak Varma: "It's Come True..."
Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has recalled ex-India captain Mohammad Azharuddin's words praising Tilak Varma, following the youngster's heroics in the second T20I against England on Saturday. Tilak is thriving in his new role as India's designated no. 3 in T20I. On Saturday, he hit a brilliant 55-ball 72 not out, laced with four boundaries and five sixes, to help India chase down 166 with two wickets and four balls to spare. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit recalled how Azharuddin spoke highly about Tilak, who had not made his India debut back then.
Injured Pathum Nissanka Unlikely To Play First Test Against Australia
Injured Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka is unlikely to play the first Test against Australia in Galle, starting on Wednesday. Nissanka is undergoing rehabilitation in Colombo for the groin strain he sustained during the third T20I against New Zealand earlier this month. He has not joined the rest of the squad in Galle, team manager Mahinda Halangoda confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. Sri Lanka's team management is hopeful of his availability for the second Test starting on February 6.
Azmatullah Omarzai Named ICC Men's ODI Cricketer Of The Year
Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai, known for his dynamic pace bowling and powerful batting, was on Monday named the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year 2024. The 24-year-old built on an impressive 2023 to become one of the world's leading One-Day International performers last year. Omarzai also enjoyed a strong year in T20Is and franchise cricket, but it was in ODIs where he proved most influential. He finished the year as his national team's second-highest run scorer behind Rahmanullah Gurbaz and second-highest wicket-taker behind AM Ghazanfar, with Afghanistan winning four of their five ODI series in 2024.
Bizarre Scenes As New Zealand Star Drops Sitter. Commentator Says "Done A Gibbs..."
New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham was involved in a bizarre incident during a T20 tournament in South Africa on January 25. Neesham dropped regulation catch of England batter Joe Root, who has been in great form in the tournament so far. The incident happened on the final delivery of the fifth over of the first innings, after Root tried to pull Australia pacer Jason Behrendorff over deep square leg. However, Root did not get the desired elevation as Neesham, who was deployed at midwicket, ran towards his right and pouched the ball.