Sports
Rachin Ravindra and Amelia Kerr win top honours at New Zealand Cricket Awards
Christchurch, March 13 (IANS) Rachin Ravindra and Amelia Kerr emerged as the winners of the top honours at the New Zealand Cricket Awards ceremony on Wednesday evening. Ravindra, 24, became the youngest player to win the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal, awarded to the best New Zealand men’s cricketer of the year.
It caps off a remarkable time for Ravindra, who won the Young Player of the Year award at high school in 2016. On the other hand, Amelia was honoured with the coveted Debbie Hockley Medal – awarded to New Zealand’s women cricketer of the year, for the second consecutive time.
Ravindra shone at the Men’s ODI World Cup in India, finishing as the competition’s fourth leading run-scorer with 578 runs at 64, scoring three centuries and two half-centuries, including an unbeaten 123 in the tournament opener against England in Ahmedabad.
Those performances were recognised in January, when he was named the recipient of the prestigious ICC Emerging Player of the Year award. The all-rounder continued his meteoric rise in the Test arena, registering New Zealand’s highest-ever maiden Test century with 240 during the first Test against South Africa at Bay Oval.
He went on to play a key role in New Zealand’s first ever Test series victory over South Africa. Ravindra also shone on the T20I stage, featuring in 14 of New Zealand’s 26 T20Is over the season and scoring a blistering 68 from 35 balls in the first T20I against Australia at Sky Stadium.
On the other hand, Amelia was also named the Women’s ODI and T20I Player of the Year and took the Super Smash Women’s Player of the Year. The leg-spinning allrounder was the side’s leading ODI run-scorer with 541 runs at an average of 67, notching her third and fourth centuries along the way.
She was also the team’s joint leading T20I wicket-taker and second highest T20I run scorer with 252 runs at an average of 42 and a strike-rate of 118. Her performances on the international front were recognised with selection in both the women’s ODI and T20I ICC Teams of the Year for 2023.
Amelia also led the way on the domestic front, captaining the Wellington Blaze to their fourth Super Smash title in six years, topping the run-scoring charts with 437 runs at an average of 72, and the wicket-taking charts with 20 wickets at 8 and an economy of 4.47.
She became the first player in the competition’s history to record back-to-back five-wicket bags, taking 5-10 against the Canterbury Magicians, the competition’s best bowling figures of all-time, followed by 5-13 against the Central Hinds.
Kane Williamson won the Test Player of the Year award, and the Redpath Cup for men’s first-class batting. In six Test matches of the judging period, Williamson amassed 619 runs at 56, including four centuries, and became just the fifth New Zealand player to score a century in both innings of a Test with 118 and 109 in the second Test against South Africa at Bay Oval.
Williamson continued his form in the following Test against South Africa at Seddon Park, becoming the fastest player ever to reach 32 Test centuries, and extending his record to seven centuries in seven consecutive Tests. He was also selected in the ICC’s Test Team of the Year.
Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner took out the Men’s ODI and T20I Player of the Year awards, respectively. Mitchell was a key performer with the bat at the Men’s ODI World Cup in India, finishing as the tournament’s fifth leading run-scorer with 552 runs at an average of 69.
Mitchell notched two half centuries and two centuries in 11 innings, including a career-best 134 in the semi-final against India, his performances earning him selection in the ICC’s Team of the Tournament and the overall ICC ODI Team of the Year.
Santner was a key figure in the T20I side that recorded an away series win over UAE, a hard-fought away series draw with England, and a memorable 4-1 home series win over Pakistan, against whom he captained the side in three of the five matches. He capped off the summer by captaining the side in the T20I series against Australia and playing his 100th T20I match in the third match at Eden Park.
Matt Henry’s outstanding summer with the red ball was rewarded with the Winsor Cup for men’s first-class bowling. Henry was a key cog in New Zealand’s Test bowling unit, taking 23 wickets at 16 in four Tests, including 17 wickets at 15.70 in the two-Test series against Australia, for which he was named Player of the Series.
Having taken 5-70 in the first innings of the opening Test in Wellington, Henry saved his best for the second Test at his home ground Hagley Oval, claiming career-best figures of 7-67 and match figures of 9-161.
Suzie Bates won the Ruth Martin Cup for women’s domestic batting off the back of a steady season for the Otago Sparks, which saw her notch 530 runs across the Super Smash and the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield competitions.
She finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the women’s Super Smash with 398 runs, playing a key role in a successful summer for the Sparks as they finished runners up in the Super Smash, and won the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield for the second time in three seasons.
Bates’ Otago Sparks teammate Emma Black was awarded the women’s Domestic Player of the Year and the Phyl Blackler Cup for women’s domestic bowling. No player took more wickets across both women’s domestic competitions than Black, who snared 13 wickets in the Super Smash and topped the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield wicket-taking charts with 24 at 11.
Black’s performances were rewarded with selection in the women’s New Zealand A squad to face England A in three T20s and three 50-over matches starting in Queenstown on Saturday. Nathan Smith was awarded the men’s Domestic Player of the Year after memorable summer for the Wellington Firebirds.
Smith led the Firebirds bowling unit across all three formats and, at the time of judging, had claimed 52 wickets across the competitions, more than any other player on the men’s domestic circuit.
He led the Firebirds to a memorable Super Smash win over the Otago Volts in Alexandra, with career-best T20 figures of 4-5 and has so far accumulated 28 Plunket Shield wickets at an average of 15, including two five-wicket bags and career-best first-class figures of 6-36 against Canterbury in Rangiora.
Auckland Aces bowler Danru Ferns was awarded the Super Smash men’s Player of the Year after a consistent campaign with the ball that helped the Aces win their first Super Smash title since 2006.
Ferns topped the men’s Super Smash wicket-taking charts with 18 wickets at 14 with an economy rate of 7.53 and claimed career-best T20 figures of 3-26 against the Wellington Firebirds at Kennard’s Hire Community Oval.
Chris Brown was named as the G.J. Gardner Homes Umpire of the Year for the second year running after another memorable season, in which he became the first New Zealand umpire to stand in 50 T20 internationals and just the 11th umpire in history to reach the milestone.
The Bert Sutcliffe Medal for outstanding service to cricket was awarded to long-time administrator, Trudy Anderson. Responsible for cricket operations at Canterbury Cricket for 21 years, Trudy played important roles in the New Zealand section of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup, and at the 2010 and 2018 editions of the ICC Men’s U19 World Cups.
A two-Test and 26-ODI representative of New Zealand, Trudy helped the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment oversee sports teams staying at MIQ facilities during the Covid-19 pandemic, apart from being an NZC and ICC Match Referee.
–IANS
nr/bc
Bengaluru, Aug 22 (IANS) Shivamogga Lions’ woes continued as they suffered a 28-run defeat to the Mysore Warriors in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.
Mysore Warriors delivered a well-rounded performance, anchored by Karun Nair’s (45) swift knock, supported by a few other good contributions in the middle order, and highlighted by late-innings fireworks from J Suchith (22*) and Manoj Bhandage (23).
On the bowling front, Vidyadhar Patil (3/29) and Karthik CA (3/31) played crucial roles in restricting the Shivamogga Lions. Sharath HS’ (4/29) lethal spell with the ball and valiant efforts from Abhinav Manohar (46) and Nihal Ullal (46) with the bat couldn’t turn the tide in Shivamogga’s favour.
Chasing 180, Shivamogga Lions got off to a disastrous start, with Vidyadhar Patil’s lethal first over leading to the dismissals of Mohith Bangalore (2) and Dheeraj Mohan (0) in consecutive deliveries. Skipper Nihal Ullal (46) managed to crack a few early boundaries, but Hardik Raj (17) was also removed by Krishnappa Gowtham, leaving the Lions reeling at 41/3 by the end of the powerplay.
K Gowtham then engineered the run out of Rohan Naveen (11), further denting the chase. The in-form Abhinav Manohar (Impact Player) joined Ullal, and the duo breathed life into the innings, putting together a 70-run partnership in just 43 balls.
However, Ullal fell short of his first half-century of the season, leaving the Shivamogga Lions at 123/5 in 15.1 overs. Manohar also narrowly missed his milestone, holing out to K Gowtham off Karthik CA. Manohar’s 26-ball knock included four sixes and three fours, adding valuable runs to the total.
Karthik CA struck again two deliveries later, dismissing Shivraj S and leaving the Lions in deep trouble. With 47 runs needed from the final 18 balls, Ashok D tried to keep the chase alive by smashing a six and a four off Vidyadhar Patil, but perished in the same over, effectively ending Shivamogga’s prospects. Shivamogga Lions finished at 151/9 in 20 overs, enduring their sixth consecutive loss.
Batting first, Mysore Warriors faced an early challenge as Sharath HS unleashed a menacing spell. He struck in the powerplay, dismissing Karthik SU (8), and then returned in the seventh over to remove CA Karthik (30), who smashed three sixes in a 34-run stand with Karun Nair (45) and Harshil Dharmani (0).
Nair continued in fine touch and peppered the boundary with six fours and two sixes during his 23-ball stay before falling to Ashok D in the 11th over.
Kishan Bedare (17) steered the innings, forming a 28-run partnership with Nair and adding another 29 runs with Sumit Kumar (28) before being caught and bowled by Bharath Dhuri, leaving the Warriors at 116/5 in 16.1 overs. The depth of Mysore’s batting lineup came to the fore as Manoj Bhandage and J Suchith launched a late assault.
Vasuki Koushik, tasked with the 18th over, began with a six and a four from Sumit Kumar. Bhandage then took charge, hammering three consecutive sixes off Koushik in the same over before falling as Sharath’s fourth wicket in the 19th ending a blistering 23-run cameo off just seven balls. J Suchith, carried on the momentum, smashing two sixes and a four in an 8-ball flurry, pushing the Mysore Warriors to a competitive 179/7 in their 20 overs.
Brief scores: Mysore Warriors 179 for 7 in 20 overs (Karthik CA 30, Karun Nair 45, Sumit Kumar 28; Sharath HS 4-29) beat Shivamogga Lions 151/9 in 20 overs (Nihal Ullal 46, Abhinav Manohar 46 runs; Vidyadhar Patil 3-29, Karthik CA 3-31) by 28 runs.
–IANS
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Castle Rock (Colorado), Aug 22 (IANS) Indian Americans Sahith Theegala and Akshay Bhatia who failed to make it to the Top-10 last week at the St Jude Championships, the first of the three Play-offs events, will be looking for a better showing as they move towards the finale at the Tour Championships after that.
Last week Hideki Matsuyama, after leading by five at one time, had to birdie the last two holes to win the St Jude Championships. He became the first Asian to win a Play-off event and it was his 10th PGA Tour win, the highest from the continent.
Last week Bhatia was T-12, Rai was T-16 and Theegala was way behind in T-46, but all three have entered the second of the three Play-offs events.
World No, 2 Xander Schauffele, a two-time Major winner in 2024, was tied second last week with Viktor Hovland, while World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was fourth last week, though World No. 3 Rory McIlroy had a poor week in T-68 place.
Among Asians Korea’s Si Woo Kim has all to play for at the BMW Championship, the second of three FedExCup Playoffs events, in Colorado this week, with two big goals providing the drive for him to step up his game.
The four-time PGA TOUR winner tees up at Castle Pines Golf Club with the intention of breaking into the top-30 of the FedExCup points list and qualify for the Playoffs Finale, the TOUR Championship next week. Kim is presently ranked 44th after last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.
A strong week is also required for Kim to keep alive his hopes of earning a spot in the International Team to face the U.S. Team in the Presidents Cup in Royal Montreal next month. Currently 14th on the team roster, the top-6 after this week’s BMW Championship will secure automatic spots, with captain Mike Weir naming six more picks after the TOUR Championship.
Compatriots Sungjae Im and Byeong Hun An, who are 10th and 15th respectively on the FedExCup rankings, are virtually assured of teeing up at the TOUR Championship, which will use a staggered-scoring format based on positions after this week.
Irrespective of how his week plays out, Kim is pleased to secure his top-50 status, which guarantees starts in all eight Signature tournaments next season.
–IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) The packed schedule of men’s county cricket in 2025 will remain largely unchanged, despite concerns raised by the majority of players over the impact on their physical well-being.
According to a survey conducted by the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) earlier this season, more than 80 per cent of players expressed fears that the current schedule is too demanding and poses risks to their health.
However, despite these concerns, the 2025 schedule is set to continue as usual. Each county will still compete in a minimum of 14 County Championship matches, eight Metro Bank Cup fixtures, and 14 Vitality T20 Blast games. The changes for next season will be largely cosmetic, offering little relief for players concerned about the gruelling calendar.
The PCA has been advocating for adjustments that would spread out the T20 fixtures across the week, aiming to reduce tight turnarounds and introduce more consistent three-day breaks between Championship games.
“There’s definitely room for improvement in 2025 compared to 2024,” said Daryl Mitchell, the PCA’s interim chief executive, in an interview with ESPNcricinfo. “The schedule can definitely be managed better. Certainly, the Blast was very much looked at through a commercial lens, trying to squeeze as many games as possible into Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Utilizing the majority of the week is probably the way forward, trying to spread them out to give that time for recovery, travel, and preparation.”
The T20 Blast, in particular, has been the main point of debate when it comes to scheduling. The timing of the knockout stages has been a significant concern. In 2023, these stages were held immediately after the group matches in July, allowing counties to retain their overseas players. This year, however, the knockout stages will be pushed to September, giving clubs an extended six-week window to market and sell tickets for home quarter-finals.
While these adjustments offer slight improvements, the overall schedule remains packed, leaving many players apprehensive about how much more they can push themselves physically in the long term. Despite the calls for change, it appears that any significant reduction in the number of fixtures is unlikely in the future, with commercial considerations still driving much of the decision-making process around county cricket.
–IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) After ending his T20I career with an elusive T20 World Cup title in Barbados, captain Rohit Sharma revealed that it was his dream to transform the team without thinking too much about the results.
Rohit-led Indian team ended the decade-long ICC title drought after beating South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 to lift their second title in the format. In 2023, the Men in Blue failed to win the World Test Championship and 2023 ODI World Cup under Rohit’s leadership after losing to Australia in the finals.
The swashbuckling opening batter also credited the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah, former head coach Rahul Dravid and chief selector Ajit Agarkar for their support in transforming the team and creating a fearless culture in the squad.
“It was my dream to transform this team and not worry too much about stats and results and also to make sure that we create an environment where people can go out and play freely, without thinking too much. I got a lot of help from my three pillars Jay Shah, Rahul Dravid and chairman of selector Ajit Agarkar. That was critical for me to do what I did. Obviously, not to forget players who came in at different points in time and helped the team to achieve what we have achieved today,” Rohit said in a video posted by BCCI on X.
On Wednesday, Rohit was awarded ‘Men’s International Cricketer of the Year’ while Dravid was accorded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at Ceat Cricket Rating Awards 2023-24 in Mumbai. India’s batting stalwart Virat Kohli was named the ‘Men’s ODI Batter of the Year’ while on the bowling front, Mohammed Shami was awarded the ‘ODI Bowler of the Year’.
The 37-year-old batter finished as the second-highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup with 257 runs including three half-centuries and at a strike rate of 156.70. He played a major role in providing solid starts for the team on the slow pitches of the USA and the West Indies.
After lifting the title, Rohit joined Kohli to announce his retirement from the T20I. With 4,231 runs, Rohit is the leading run-getter in the format behind his teammate Kohli (4188 runs). Both batters will continue to play the other formats of the game. The duo last featured for India in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
–IANS
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Gotemba (Japan), Aug 22 (IANS) A year after being the youngest ever to make the cut at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Kartik Singh, now 14 years of age, is the highest ranked among the four Indians set to take part in the 15th AAC to be held in Japan.
As of date Kartik is the highest ranked Indian at 199 while the other three players to have received the invitation for this prestigious event are Krishnav Nikhil Chopra and Vedant Sirohi, both past participants in the event and Rakshit Dahiya will be in the four-player team.
Kartik Singh has also been named to the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup team. A regular winner in junior and amateur events, Kartik will spearhead the Indian challenge.
Apart from India’s Kartik Singh, there are seven others named to the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup International Team. They are Joshua Bai, Warut Boonrod, Xihuan Chang, Rayhan Latief, Khanh Hung Le, Thangwin Lee, Anh Minh Ngyuyen,
As many as 113 players have been confirmed for the Championship, which will be held October 3-6, 2024, at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Gotemba, Japan. A full list of confirmed players can be found. The field will be 120 with a few more names to be added by the Organisers.
India’s best ever placing has been second place by Rayhan Thomas, who was runner-up in Sentosa, Singapore in 2018. The Dubai-based Indian Rayhan has since turned professional, and last week won his first pro title on India’s Professional Tour of India Tour.
Krishnav, who plays college golf in the US, is the son of former India cricketer turned commentator, Nikhil Chopraa, who often takes the role of a caddie for his son.
Created in 2009, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was established by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A and the Masters Tournament to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region.
The champion will receive an invitation to compete in the 2025 Masters Tournament and The 153rd Open, while the runner(s)-up will gain a place in Final Qualifying for The Open.
The confirmed list which has players from 38 APGC member organizations is highlighted by defending champion Jasper Stubbs of Australia and four players representing China inside the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking: Wenyi Ding (No. 4), Xihuan Chang (No. 36), Xiangyun Bai (No. 61) and Paul Chang (No. 97).
Ding finished runner-up to Stubbs in the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur while Xihuan Chang reached the semi-finals of the U.S. Junior Amateur in July.
Other top-100 participants include Vietnam’s Anh Minh Nguyen (No. 68) and Japan’s Rintaro Nakano (No. 78).
Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith. Over the Championship’s 14-year history, the Championship has served as a springboard to some of the world’s top players, including Matsuyama, Smith, Cameron Davis, Ryan Fox, Si Woo Kim, Satoshi Kodaira, Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Min Woo Lee, Keita Nakajima and C.T. Pan. Collectively, alumni of the Asia-Pacific Amateur have gone on to win 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date and more than 130 across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
As the host nation, Japan will lead the list of up to 43 APGC member nations represented with 10 players in this year’s field. A player from Japan has won four of the 14 editions of the Championship (Matsuyama/2010, 2011; Takumi Kanaya/2018; Nakajima/2021).
–IANS
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