Injured Philander Ruled Out for Test Series
South Africa seamer, Vernon Philander has been ruled out of the remainder of the four-Test series against India after sustaining an ankle injury during a training session on Thursday. Kyle Abbott has been called up to replace him.
Vernon rolled his left ankle during practice at the stadium in Bengaluru this morning. He was taken to the hospital for an MRI scan which confirmed an ankle ligament tear which will rule him out of the current series against India. He will return back to Cape Town this weekend. He will be out for a period of at least six to eight weeks.Dr Mohammed Moosajee, Proteas team manager
Meanwhile, JP Duminy and Morne Morkel have both recovered from their respective injuries and are available for selection for the second Test starting at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. Dale Steyn though will undergo a fitness test today.
Angry PCB Suspends Ajmal Contract for Media Outburst
PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan told reporters in Lahore that the central contract of Ajmal had been suspended and all payments stopped to him pending an inquiry into his comments which he had made in the media in recent days.
“I was disappointed after hearing the comments of Saeed (Ajmal) who is a senior player. Because when his bowling action was reported the board specially hired Saqlain Mushtaq to work with him and modify his action,” Shaharyar said.
Ajmal appearing on a television channel recently criticised the ICC’s policy on bowling actions and accused the body of double standards. He also said that he felt let down as no one from the PCB except chief selector Haroon Rasheed had contacted him twice since he last played for Pakistan in April in Bangladesh.
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India Finally Win a Match, Beat Guam in FIFA WC Qualifiers
After five straight losses in their 2018 football World Cup qualifying campaign, India picked up their first victory by beating Guam by a solitary goal in Bangalore on Thursday.
Robin Singh scored the all-important goal in the 10th minute at the Kanteerava Stadium to give India three points.
The victory came despite India playing the whole of the second half with 10 men after Sehnaj Singh was sent off for a dangerous tackle in the 41st minute. Despite the win, India still occupy the bottom of the five-team group with three points while Guam are just above them on seven points.
Delhi Govt Appoints Panel to Probe DDCA Irregularities
In more trouble for Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), the Delhi government appointed a three-member committee to probe allegations of corruption in it and asked the panel to submit the findings within two days.
The appointment of the probe committee came as the DDCA was grappling with meeting the November 17 deadline set by BCCI to get all required clearances from authorities concerned to host the fourth test match between India and South Africa scheduled between December 3 and 7.
“The future of fourth South Africa-India match scheduled to be held at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium will depend on the report of the three-member committee and responses what the board members of DDCA gave to questions put by the probe panel tomorrow,” a source said.
Saina Wins, Sindhu Loses in China Open
Defending champion Saina Nehwal is now the only Indian left in the draw at the USD 700,000 China Open Super Series Premier after P V Sindhu suffered a close defeat in the pre-quarterfinals of the women’s singles draw on Thursday.
Top seed Saina, who had a 2-0 record against Tee Jing Yi ahead of the match, notched up a 21-10 19-21 21-19 win against the World No. 34 Malaysian.
However, the two-time bronze medallist at World Championship Sindhu blew away a first game lead and a 13-7 advantage in the second game to lose 21-18 18-21 16-21 to Shixian Wang of China in a match that lasted an hour and 28 minutes.
Yuvraj Singh Engaged to Hazel Keech
Lots of speculation regarding his relationship status, but Yuvraj Singh finally went partly off the market on Diwali after getting engaged to model-actress Hazel Keech in Bali on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old Hazel, a British-born, has acted in a few hindi movies besides doing TV commercials. The Wedding is reportedly set for February next year. As per reports, the couple will tie the knot in a traditional ceremony at the Hansaliwale Gurdwara in District Fatehgarh Sahib near Chandigarh.
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