Third umpire to call front foot no balls

ICC to trial new system in India-West Indies series

Hyderabad, December 5

Front foot no-balls in the T20I and ODI series between India and the West Indies will be decided by the third umpire and not the on-field officials. The International Cricket Council (ICC) will put to trial the technology to call front foot no-balls in this series.

“If there is an infringement of the front foot, the third umpire will communicate this to the on-field umpire, who will subsequently call a no-ball,” an ICC statement said. “As a result, the on-field umpire will not call a front foot no-ball without the advice of the third umpire.”

The decision to make the third umpire the adjudicator of front foot no-balls was taken in August this year. The system was first trialled in the ODI series between England and Pakistan in 2016. ICC decided to test it again after its Cricket Committee recommended its use in as many limited-overs matches as possible. — PTI

GS Lakshmi to become first woman referee to oversee a men’s ODI

Dubai: Former India cricketer GS Lakshmi is set to become the first woman match referee to oversee a men’s ODI when she officiates the opening match of the third series of the World Cup League 2 in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. Lakshmi will oversee the match between the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. This is the second significant achievement for Lakshmi this year, following her appointment as the first woman on to the ICC International Panel of Match Referees in May.

The 51-year old, who first officiated as a match referee in Indian domestic women’s matches in 2008-09, has now overseen three women’s ODIs, 16 men’s T20Is and seven women’s T20Is. “It feels great, having anything assigned first to your name, gives me a sense of pride. This being a big ICC event (ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2) it feels great to be officiating at this level,” Lakshmi said. PTI

Satwik-Chirag, para shuttler Pramod nominated for BWF awards

New Delhi, December 5

The men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has been nominated for the Most Improved Player of the Year Award by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) after a stellar season during which the duo picked up some memorable wins. The young combination had a breakthrough season, claiming their maiden Super 500 title at the Thailand Open before reaching the finals of the French Open this year.

The other nominees in the category include Canada’s women’s singles player Michelle Li, South Korean women’s doubles pairing of Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong and the Indonesian mixed doubles combination of Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti. The prestigious awards recognise the achievements of the elite badminton players and pairs in six categories, including two in para badminton.

India’s para shuttler Pramod Bhagat, who has bagged 11 gold, three silver and four bronze this year, was nominated in the Male Para Badminton Player of the Year Award. PV Sindhu, however, didn’t find a place in the list of nominees for the Female Player of the Year as she did not win any title barring the World Championships gold this year. World No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying of Chinese Taipei, who has won three titles on BWF World Tour, is in line for the award.

In the Male Player of the Year Award category, world No. 1 Kento Momota of Japan, who has claimed 10 titles this year, was nominated alongside the Indonesian men’s doubles pair of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, who won eight titles. The top performers of the year will be presented with the awards during the BWF World Tour Finals, to be held in Guangzhou from December 11 to 15. PTI

After boot-call, Shamsi comes up with magical wicket celebrations

Paarl (South Africa), December 5

South Africa leg-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi took wicket-taking celebrations to a whole new level in the ongoing of the Mzansi Super League T20 tournament. Representing Paarl Rocks against Durban Heat at Boland Park, Shamsi stunned everyone by performing a magic trick to celebrate a wicket.

During the eighth over of Durban Heat’s innings, Shamsi bowled a loopy leg-spinner to Wihab Lubbe, who attempted a lofted shot but was caught by Hardus Viljoen. Shamsi — who is already famous for his boot-call celebration — took out a red handkerchief from his pocket and with a flourish, turned it into a stick. The mind-boggling celebration by 29-year-old left even the commentators stunned.

However, Shamsi’s magic trick couldn’t help his team secure a win as Durban Heat chased down the target of 197 with seven balls to spare. — Agencies