Cricket News Daily Wrap: WPL Auction to Take Place in Mumbai on February 13; Border-Gavaskar Trophy History

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal on Tuesday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after being named on the national selection committee.

Kamran told the media on Tuesday that he had taken retirement with immediate since he had also taken up coaching as a profession. (Read Full Story Here)

Team India players looked all charged up during the photoshoot session ahead of the series opener against Australia in Nagpur. The two cricketing powerhouses are all set to clash against each other to get their hands on the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India have won the last three Test series against Australia out of which two came Down Under as Pat Cummins and Co. will look to take revenge for the past few humiliations. (Read Full Story Here)

India’s love for cinema and cricket is an open secret. From boisterously waving flags in the stadium to whistling in the cinema halls, most Indian fans feel a plethora of emotions running strongly through their veins. As Team India prepares to face Australia, the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan seems to have become the central point of attraction among the global cricket fraternity. The movie has already collected over Rs 400 crore in India in just two weeks, making it one of the fastest Hindi films to do so. The Pathaan fever seems to have spread overseas as well.  (Read Full Story Here)

India and Australia have four frontline spinners each in their respective squad for the first two Tests along with a healthy dose of six net bowlers who are spinners for India and an equal amount for the Aussies as well, including a Ravichandran Ashwin lookalike. Add to that a dry pitch at the Jamtha which is in dire need of some gardening. And what you get is a cauldron, a piping hot cauldron ready to serve you the series opener of a potentially riveting Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2022-23. (Read Full Report Here)

Young Baroda spinner Mahesh Pithiya is in the limelight after being called up as a net bowler in the Australian camp for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar trophy. Australia flew in the young off-spinner whose bowling action is quite similar to that of Ravichandran Ashwin as he is expected to cause trouble for the visitors in the four-match Test series. (Read Full Story)

The last time India and Australia locked horns for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, they created magic. How else do you describe the stunning comeback of a side from a historic low, loss of several key players to various injuries, alleged racism to breaching what was erstwhile referred to as Australia’s Fortress Gabba and returning home with the trophy?

Such was the impact that a poll conducted by the International Cricket Council resulted in the 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy being crowned as the ‘Ultimate Test Series’. (Read Full Story Here)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced that the auction of the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League will take place at the  Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on February 13th, 2023. The cricket governing body has taken a big step towards the development of women’s cricket as the five-team franchise league is all set to take centerstage in March. (Read Full Story)

India pacer Mohammed Siraj and opener Shubman Gill were on Tuesday nominated for the ICC Player of the Month Award for their stellar show in January. New Zealand opener Devon Conway, who has had a fine start to the year with three hundreds and two fifties across formats, is the third contender for the award. (Read Full Story Here)

Premier Australia batter Steve Smith has provided an update on Cameron Green’s availability for the first Test match against India in Nagpur. Green sustained a finger injury during Boxing Day Test against South Africa last year. The upcoming four-match Test series is crucial for both teams in the context of the World Test Championship final. Australia head coach Andrew McDonald, earlier, hinted that Green might play as a pure batter in the series opener. (Read Full Story Here)

Rivalry is something which adds intensity and excitement to the game as fans dip into their emotions while backing their favourite athlete/team to succeed. India vs Australia is one rivalry that has grown into something bigger in the past decade or so. The two cricketing powerhouses faced each other in late 1947 a few months after India’s independence from the British Raj.

The rivalry ignited when the trophy of India vs Australia Test series was named after two of the greats of their respective teams – Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar, and from 1996, the two opponents began playing for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. (Read Full Story Here)

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is all set to take centerstage as the two cricketing powerhouses will clash against each other to prove their supremacy over each other. Both are under contrasting pressure as Australia have to break the losing streak as they lost the last three series to India, while Rohit Sharma and Co have to extend their domination. However, the one thing which is common for both teams regarding the series is the race to enter the final of the World Test Championship. (Read Full Story)

Ten teams will be battling it out for the illustrious trophy, with the tournament less than a week away. The Indian side came excruciatingly close to winning the tournament in the last edition but lost out to Australia in the final match. The Women in Blue will be hoping to get one better and go all the way this time. India’s Full Schedule Here.

“Such is the way of this psyche of the selectors and this team, I think they’ll start with Green at six, assuming he’s fully fit and not hindered by that finger injury at all,” Adam Gilchrist told Sen Radio. Read More Here.

A former Mumbai coach who saw Suryakumar Yadav when he was in his initial days of domestic career has thinks the India batter’s style reminded him of how Kapil Dev used to play. Read More Here.

Former India cricketer has made a bold prediction claiming Australia will not win a single Test during their upcoming four-match series

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“When we say that we won’t go to their place, they will that they will also not come to our place. Similarly, Pakistan has said that they will also not come to the World Cup. But however, I think it is not possible,” India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin says. Read More Here.

On February7, 1999, Anil Kumble became the second bowler after England’s Jim Laker (1956) to claim a perfect 10 wickets in a single Test inning. Read More Here.

Aaron Finch says he’s retiring from international cricket. “Realising that I won’t be playing on until the next T20 World Cup in 2024, now is the right moment to step down and give the team time to plan and build towards that event,” Finch said on Tuesday. Read More Here.

Our man Vineet Ramakrishnan is in Nagpur and reports that Ishan Kishan, who is hoping for a Test debut, was subject to a trial by spin during a training session under the watchful gaze of batting coach Vikram Rathour. He watched India’s entire training session and has gleaned some interesting observations for you. Read More Here.