Sports

ICC Faces Allegations of ‘Corruption’ Amid Concussion Substitute Controversy

Published

1 year ago

February 4, 2025

The controversy surrounding India’s decision to bring in Harshit Rana as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube during the fourth T20I on Friday continues, with Chris Broad, a prominent match referee for the International Cricket Council (ICC), accusing the organization of “bias and corruption.”

Dube, who had already scored a half-century, was hit on the head by Jamie Overton on the second-to-last delivery of India’s innings. Head coach Gautam Gambhir took advantage of the concussion protocol to replace Dube—a bowler who bowls in the early 120 km/h range—with the faster Rana.

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Despite this controversy, Rana had a successful debut, taking 3 wickets for 33 runs, helping India secure a 15-run victory and clinching the T20 series with one match remaining.

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Broad expressed his concerns on social media, stating, “Independent match officials were intended to prevent scenarios like this! Why is the ICC reverting to the ‘bad old days’ of bias and corruption?”

In another post, the former England opener advocated for the inclusion of a neutral match referee. He criticized Javagal Srinath, who officiated the fourth T20I, and supported the claim that match officials should be independent to avoid any bias. “How can an Indian match referee justify allowing an Indian replacement?” he questioned.

Before the game on Sunday, former England player Kevin Pietersen also addressed the issue, urging Srinath to acknowledge his mistake in permitting Harshit Rana as Dube’s substitute. “The concussion substitute debate is currently significant, and in my opinion… it was NEVER a like-for-like replacement. The match referee should admit the error and move forward,” he tweeted.

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin shared his perspective on the situation, asking, “Did we forget this is an international game and not an IPL match?” He noted that the primary conversation centered on how Harshit Rana came to replace Shivam Dube and pointed out past similar situations, such as Yuzvendra Chahal replacing Ravindra Jadeja, suggesting that the fairness of the replacement should be a point of concern.

“There’s no differentiation between the Indian or English teams. If no one else is available in the squad, I can see why they would consider bringing in a player like Harshit Rana. However, a like-for-like replacement like Ramandeep Singh was on the bench, which confuses me,” Ashwin added.

Ultimately, India triumphed in the series against England with a historic 4-1 victory, following a commanding 150-run win in Mumbai on Sunday.

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Sports

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup: Pakistan Knocked Out, New Zealand Enter Semifinals

Published

4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Namma Kudla

Mumbai: Pakistan have been knocked out of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup despite securing a narrow win over Sri Lanka. With this result, New Zealand advanced to the semifinals from the Super Eight group.

In the Super Eight match held at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pakistan batted first and posted a strong total of 212 for 8 in 20 overs.

Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman gave Pakistan a flying start. They added 176 runs for the opening wicket. This became the highest opening partnership in the tournament’s history.

Farhan scored a brilliant 100 off 60 balls. He became the first player to score two centuries in a single edition of the tournament. Fakhar Zaman supported him well with 84 runs off 42 balls.

Chasing a target of 213 runs, Sri Lanka fought hard but fell short by 5 runs.

Sri Lanka had a poor start. Pathum Nissanka was dismissed for just 3 runs. Kamil Mishara scored 26 runs, while Charith Asalanka added 25 runs to steady the innings.

Later, Pawan Rathnayake and Dasun Shanaka played attacking knocks. Rathnayake scored 58 runs off 37 balls with four fours and three sixes. Shanaka smashed 76 runs off 31 balls, including eight sixes and two fours. Their partnership raised hopes of a Sri Lankan victory.

However, Pakistan bowlers held their nerve in the final overs. Tight bowling at the death ensured a narrow five-run win for Pakistan.

Despite the victory, Pakistan were eliminated from the tournament due to net run rate. As a result, New Zealand secured the second semifinal spot from the group.

Sports

Rinku Singh’s Father Passes Away After Battling Cancer

Published

6 days ago

February 27, 2026

Namma Kudla

Sports: India cricketer Rinku Singh’s father Khanchandra Singh has passed away in Lucknow. He died at a hospital in Greater Noida, leaving the family in deep grief.

Khanchandra Singh was suffering from fourth-stage liver cancer. He was receiving treatment at Yatharth Hospital in Greater Noida. His condition became critical this week, and he was placed on a ventilator. Rinku returned home before India’s Super 8 match against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup to be with his family.

Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh expressed his condolences on X. He said he was saddened by the news and praised Rinku for his commitment to the team during such a difficult time.

Sports

West Indies Beat Zimbabwe by 107 Runs

Published

1 week ago

February 24, 2026

Namma Kudla

Sports : West Indies cricket team defeated Zimbabwe national cricket team by 107 runs in a Super 8 Group 1 match.

Batting first, West Indies scored 254 for 6. Shimron Hetmyer led the charge with 85 runs off 34 balls. Rovman Powell added 59 runs. Their 122-run partnership helped the team post a big total.

Chasing 255, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 147 runs. Brad Evans scored 43 runs, but it was not enough.

West Indies dominated the match with powerful hitting and sealed a comfortable victory.