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With Sri Lanka, Namibia, Scotland and Bangladesh having progressed from the opening round, the two groups for the T20 World Cup 2021's Super 12 stage have been finally set. Australia face South Africa to kick off the phase on Saturday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Sri Lanka topped Group A during the qualifiers with Namibia grabbing second position. Ireland and Netherlands missed out with third and fourth-placed finishes. Meanwhile, Scotland and Bangladesh qualified from Group B finishing in first and second position, respectively. Oman and Papua New Guinea finished below the top two spots in Group B to miss out on the Super 12s. In the Super 12 stage, Australia are in Group 1 along with Bangladesh, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Promoted Listen to the latest songs , only on JioSaavn.com On the other hand, Group 2 consists of Afghanistan, India, Namibia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Scotland. The T20 World Cup began on 17 October and . . .

Netherlands all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate on Friday announced his retirement from international cricket after his side failed to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup. The 41-year-old played in Netherlands' previous first round match against debutants Namibia which his side lost to crash out of the tournament. He did not play in Netherlands' inconsequential match against Sri Lanka on Friday. "It's been a tough tour to finish on but it's been a pleasure to be a part of the efforts again. It has always been a privilege to represent The Netherlands," Ten Doeschate said in a Cricket Netherlands (KNCB) statement. "The professionalism and dedication that this team and support staff have shown has been inspirational. I'm grateful to the players, coaches and everyone involved with the KNCB for allowing me to have enjoyed some of the spectacular highs of international cricket." KNCB said ten Doeschate has played his final international cricket match and thanked him "for . . .

Returning to action after a break, India's double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu on Friday bowed out of the Denmark Open badminton tournament after losing in straight games to world no 8 Korean An Seyoung in the women's singles quarterfinals. Playing her first tournament since winning the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in August, Sindhu couldn't match her fifth-seeded young Korean rival, going down 11-21 12-21 in 36 minutes. Sindhu had also lost to An Seyoung in straight games the last time they clashed two years ago in their only career meeting. The reigning world champion, who had taken a break to rejuvenate after a hectic Olympics campaign, just couldn't find a way across the attacking game of the Korean, who was always a step ahead during the contest. An Seyoung made a superb start and took just six minutes to grab a massive seven-point lead at the break with Sindhu unable to find a crack in the Korean's game. The Indian tried to control the net but committed few unforced . . .

Namibia's greatest athlete undoubtedly is quadruple Olympic silver medallist sprinter Frankie Fredericks, who captured the imagination of the athletics world during Barcelona and Atlanta edition. But from Friday onwards, Fredericks might have some competition. At least, if Gerhard Erasmus demands his rightful place under the sun, no one would complain. Erasmus and a bunch of unknown cricketers from a country with a population less than West Delhi, earned its right to rub shoulders with the cricketing elites by beating Ireland in their ICC T20 World Cup. Namibia had once played the tournament proper in the 50 over World Cup in 2003 where they were pummelled by India. But that was 18 summers back and since then despite being an associate member, they have improved their game. Erasmus as captain has been the leading light as his 53 off 49 balls would prove. Not to forget David Wiese, their professional cricketer, who has played across in T20 leagues. "We run a tight ship. Small . . .

Former skipper and legendary wicket-keeper MS Dhoni on Friday provided throwdowns to India batters ahead of their opening match in the ongoing T20 World Cup. India will face Pakistan in their opening game of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. Ahead of the match, Team India is sweating it out in the nets and is making sure they leave no stone unturned for the opening clash. Dhoni has been appointed as the mentor of the team for the T20 World Cup and the former skipper was seen giving throwdowns in the nets on Friday. "Revealing #TeamIndia's latest throwdown specialist! @msdhoni| #T20WorldCup," BCCI tweeted. Revealing #TeamIndia 's latest throwdown specialist! @msdhoni | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/COZZgV7Ba6 — BCCI (@BCCI) October 22, 2021 Dhoni's role will be crucial to Team India considering his experience as former captain. Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels the CSK skipper will help the players in the changing room . . .

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said that Virat Kohli's decision to step down from T20 captaincy after the ongoing World Cup was his "own decision" and there was no pressure from the cricket board. Kohli had recently announced that he would be only be available as a player in the shortest format after the World Cup. Ganguly attributed Kohli's call to the gruelling schedule that takes a toll on both mind and body. "No I was surprised. It was a decision perhaps he took after the England series, and it's his decision. Neither did we speak to Virat nor did we put any pressure, we never pressurise anyone. I have been a player and I would never do such a thing," Ganguly told 'Aaj Tak'. He then explained the rationale behind Kohli's decision. "There are more games now and it's difficult to captain for such a long time across formats. I have myself been a captain (for five years). "It looks good from the outside that you are leading your nation and it is at one level. There is lot of . . .

Roger Federer has been honoured by his hometown Basel, with a tram in the Swiss city being named after him. The Swiss tennis great took to social media on Friday to share pictures and a video of the tram named 'Federer Express' in his honour. "Hopping aboard the Fedexpress! Thank you for the incredible honor. It feels like just yesterday I was a boy getting to practice everyday on No.8," Federer wrote on his Instagram account. Federer posed in front of the tram in one of the pictures he shared through his account. Watch the pictures and a video of the tram below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) Federer, who last played at the Wimbledon in a quarterfinal loss to Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, is currently recuperating after a knee surgery. He withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics and the US Open following a knee injury in the summer campaign. "During the grass court . . .

Already qualified for the Super 12s, Sri Lanka thrashed Netherlands by eight wickets in their final T20 World Cup first round match with the spin duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana bamboozling the opposition batters on Friday. The inconsequential match ended inside two hours, as Sri Lanka first bundled out the opposition for a paltry 44, the sixth lowest total in T20 history, and then cantered to the target in just 7.1 overs. The chase was a walk in the park, as opener Kusal Perera, blazed his way to an unbeaten 33 off 24 balls, as he tore apart the Netherlands attack. It was Sri Lanka's third win in as many matches and they topped Group A with six points. They now take on Bangladesh at the same venue on Sunday in their first Super 12 match. The day belonged to the young Sri Lankan spinners, Hasaranga (3/9) and Theekshana (2/3), who spun their web around the Netherlands to bowl them out in 10 overs. The 44-run total by Netherlands was the second lowest in T20 World . . .

Namibia reached the T20 World Cup second round for the first time on Friday when they defeated Ireland by eight wickets. World number 19 Namibia, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, chased down their modest target of 126 with skipper Gerhard Erasmus making an unbeaten 53. "We are a small country, a small number of people play cricket. We should be proud of ourselves," said Erasmus. Namibia will finish behind Sri Lanka in Group A barring a heavy defeat for the 2014 champions in their final qualifier against Netherlands later Friday. That would put Namibia in the same Super 12 section as India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan and Scotland. Erasmus hit three boundaries and a six in his 49-ball innings while David Wiese, who played for South Africa at the 2016 World Cup, was undefeated on 28. "I count on my senior men to stand up when the pressure is on. And two of us did it tonight. Hopefully we can do it through the tournament," added Erasmus who put on 53 for the . . .

New Delhi: Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar went back in time to recall some of the challenges the legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar faced that had set him apart from the rest of his contemporary batters. Akhtar went on to add that he has the highest regard for the Indian and the fact that he had played in an era when there were some of the greatest fast bowlers in action along with some fantastic spinners, it is only fair to call him the greatest player ever. Pakistan legend, Akhtar along with former India batter Mohammed Kaif on Thursday appeared on the Zee News show ahead of the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan match of the ongoing T20 World Cup. ‘ 1 ‘ @sudhirchaudhary @shoaib100mph @MohammadKaif … #T20WorldCup2021 @ZeeNews #SabseBadaMauka #IndVsPakOnZee pic.twitter.com/HBg5UzfsMB Zee News (@ZeeNews) October 22, 2021 “I accept that he is one of the . . .