South Africa's JP Duminy quits Test cricket

JP Duminy retires from Test and first-class cricket with immediate effect

South Africa batsman JP Duminy has announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect. Duminy has been under fire in recent months for his poor performances. He was dropped from the Test team after the first match at Lord's in the four-match series against England in July. Speaking exclusively to Independent Media, the 33-year old batsman indicated his future plans and said that he will be concentrating on the limited-overs format. Duminy has overall featured in 46 Tests and has scored 2103 runs at an average close to 33 and has snared 42 wickets as well and his highlight of the career will remain his 166-run knock that came in his second Test against Australia in Melbourne. “I certainly know that my playing career is far from over, and my hope is that with the backing of Cricket South Africa, the WSB Cape Cobras, teammates, family, friends and supporters, I will be given the opportunity to continue to give my very best to the sport that I love dearly,” Duminy said. Duminy has been plagued by issues both on the field and off the field in 2017. Before the start of the 10th edition of the Indian Premier League, the left-hander, who played for Delhi Daredevils since 2014 announced that he would not play in the tournament due to “personal reasons.” South Africa have an automatic replacement for Duminy in the Test team. AB de Villiers had made himself available to play Tests again after a year-long sabbatical from the format but they will have to wait until at least December. De Villiers has not put himself into contention to play the Bangladesh series, which starts on September 28. Instead, that will be an opportunity for someone else to establish themselves in the side. Temba Bavuma is the most recent No.4 and has the temperament to stay there but another option is Theunis de Bruyn or even David Miller, who played for the South African A side against India A last month.

Kohli leads by example, Kohli rejects multi-crore offer to endorse soft drink

Kohli rejects multi-crore offer; Here's why

Virat Kohli is easily the country's highest-paid sports star and the most sought-after celebrity by advertisers. The Indian cricket team captain recently struck a multi-crore endorsement deal with a popular sports brand and as of 2016, the 28-year-old was promoting around 20 brands of 13 different companies.

Kohli confirmed to Sportstar that he declined the multi-crore offer for the simple reason that he does not consume soft drinks.

Earlier in the year, Kohli made it clear that he doesn’t want to promote a brand just for the sake of money. “When I started my fitness turnaround, it was more of a lifestyle thing initially. If something goes away from that, I would not want to be a part of that or be promoting that,” Kohli had told CNN-IBN.

He had added: "If I myself won't consume such things, I won't urge others to consume it just because I'm getting money out of it."

“As a kid, I would long for a soft drink,” he confesses, “but it doesn’t work well with professional sportspersons. At my academy, you won’t find soft drinks in the canteen.”

What has he told his celebrated wards – Saina Nehwal, P. V. Sindhu, P. Kashyap? “I have not stopped them from endorsing a soft drink. It’s their choice. But I have told them not to have soft drinks,” he says, chuckling. Incidentally, Kohli and Gopi joined hands recently to launch annual sports awards for those promoting excellence.

Kohli is currently training in Chennai, the venue for the first ODI against a visiting Australia side. India will take on the Smith-led side in a 5-match ODI series followed by a 3-match T20 series. The first game will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

India vs Australia ODI series: BCCI announce 16 man squad for 1st 3 ODI's

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 16-man squad for the first three matches of the upcoming five-match ODI series against the Australian team on Sunday afternoon. The series will be played at home starting from September 17.

     
                                 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 16-man squad for the first three matches of the upcoming five-match ODI series against the Australian team on Sunday afternoon. The series will be played at home starting from September 17. Virat Kohli will continue to lead the side, with Rohit Sharma his deputy. Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja have been rested, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav on Sunday made a return to the India squad for the first three one-day internationals versus Australia, starting on September 17 in Chennai. Both Shami and Umesh were rested for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. Selection committee chairman MSK Prasad said players such as Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel have been given an extended run due to their impressive showings on the tour of Sri Lanka, where India won all their matches. India are coming at the back of superb series wins in Sri Lanka. They completed a whitewash in the Test, ODI and also won the one-off T20I match. Australia, on the other hand, played a 2-Test series against Bangladesh recently, which ended 1-1. They will look to switch gears and win the ODI series.

INDIAN SQUAD : Viart Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Rahul Sharma, Manish Pandey,Kedar Jadhav, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav , Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami

Top 5 Batsmen With Most Test Runs on Winning Cause

1. Ricky Ponting – 9157 runs:                                    

Ricky Ponting is the former cricketer of the Australian Cricket Team. He is regarded as the one of the best captains in the history of world cricket.

The only man to feature in more than 100 winning Tests, In the 178 winning cause innings of 108 test matches, Ponting Scored 9157 runs with the help of 30 centuries. His average during these innings is 59.46 and 257 was the highest score. He also 24 times remains unbeaten.

2. Steve Waugh – 6460 runs:

One of the greatest ever captains to have graced the game; Steve Waugh typified the Aussie grit. His ability to score runs under immense pressure situations was secondary to none. In the 120 winning cause innings of 86 test matches, Waugh Scored 6460 runs with the help of 25 centuries. His average during these innings is 69.46 and 200 was the highest score. He also 27 times remains unbeaten.

3. Jacques Kallis – 6379 runs: Jacques Kallis is the former cricketer of the South African Cricket Team. He is widely regarded as the one of the best all-rounder in cricket history. Kallis was the backbone of the South African team for many years. kallis was a part of 82 Test match wins for SA in which he contributed 6379 runs at an average of 62.53 including 22 centuries and 28 fifties. This includes his career best knock of 224 against Sri Lanka at Cape Town 4. Matthew Hayden – 5164 runs:

Another member of the golden generation of Australian cricket, the burly Matthew Hayden had a glorious career for his country. The left-handed opening partner of Langer featured in 71 Test wins for his team and contributed 6154 runs including 23 tons and 19 fifties at an average of 55.44. This also includes his career best of 380 against Zimbabwe at Perth in 2003.

5. Sachin Tendulkar – 5946 runs:

Sachin Tendulkar is the former cricketer of Indian Cricket Team. He is the leading run scorer in both Test and One Day International cricket. The master was a part of 72 Test match wins for India in which he contributed 5946 runs at an average of 61.93 including 20 centuries and 24 fifties. This includes his career best of 248* against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2004. In a glittering career spanning more than two decades, the great man achieved many memorable milestones.