AB de Villiers wanted to retire from Tests much earlier, says Jonty Rhodes

Agencies
August 10, 2017

New Delhi, Aug 10: Jonty Rhodes, a well known figure in India has never been shy about his love for the country that has only grown on him with every visit. He is currently in the country for a stint with Tamil Nadu Premier League franchise Ruby Trichy Warriors as mentor.

Jonty has always been candid about his views on South African cricket and the game in general. He now has said that AB de Villiers wanted to retire from Test cricket long back but was persuaded by Cricket South Africa (CSA) to stay on till 2016. It is well known that Jonty shares a cordial relation with de Villiers.

Jonty said, “I think he wanted to retire a while back from Test cricket, but Cricket South Africa persuaded him to stay on. Before 2016, he was talking to people about his Test future. In South Africa, people are critical because they don’t see the IPL mechanism.” De Villiers last played a Test for South Africa in 2016 and since then has had issues with injuries.

Jonty also felt that South Africa cricket fans do not understand the concept of Indian Premier League (IPL). “They think cricketers are trying to make as much money as possible and it’s often at the expense of national call-ups.” he quipped.

If would be a shame if Jonty did not speak on fielding standards, in particularly India. “When we used to play against India, Mohammed Kaif and Yuvraj Singh were outstanding and Harbhajan Singh was probably the third best. Dhoni and Virat Kohli are physically strong. Fitness has certainly improved and so is the athletic ability,” he explained.

When asked to compare Virat Kohli with the likes of De Villiers and Rohit Sharma he stated, “I have only seen skipper Kohli as part of Mumbai Indians’ coach on a couple of occasions. Rohit looks like a laidback guy.  But he is like a duck on the water. All you see is the duck above.”

He further added, “From a captaincy perspective, de Villiers is just another nice guy. He hasn’t done anything different.”

Jonty finished off by recalling his inspiration behind his great fielding abilities. “Peter Kirsten. We didn’t have any televised international cricket when I was at school during apartheid era,” Jonty concluded.

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News Network
June 20,2020

Dhaka, Jun 20: Former Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza on Saturday tested positive for coronavirus.

The skipper had gone for a coronavirus Test last week, and now his reports have come back as positive, ESPNCricinfo reported.

As per a report in ESPNCricinfo, it is not known how Mortaza contracted the virus.

Mashrafe, also a member of the parliament from Narail 2 constituency, had stepped down as the ODI captain of the country in March this year.

Covid-19 cases have crossed 1,00,000 mark in Bangladesh and the government is now planning area-wise lockdown.

Bangladesh was slated to face Sri Lanka in July in a three-Test series and the side would have later hosted New Zealand in August, but both series look unlikely now.

The Asia Cup, scheduled for September, is also uncertain due to the coronavirus.

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News Network
January 28,2020

Hamilton, Jan 28: No one sits on the seat that Mahendra Singh Dhoni made his own in the team bus, revealed India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, saying that the talismanic former skipper is missed by the side.

In a video shot inside the team bus while it was on its way to Hamilton for the third T20 International against New Zealand, Chahal is seen talking to several members of the squad including Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul.

Towards the end of the video, he moved to the rear of the bus and pointed to an empty seat which, he said, was the former captain's preferred spot before he went on a sabbatical last year.

"Yeh woh seat hai jahan ek legend baithate the. Mahi bhai. Abhi bhi yaha koi nahi baithata. Hum unhe bohot miss karte hai (This is the seat that used to be occupied a legend. MS Dhoni. No one sits here now. We miss him a lot)," Chahal said in the video posted on 'bcci.tv'.

The-38-year-old Dhoni has not played a competitive game since the World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand on July 9. Earlier this month, Dhoni was dropped from the BCCI's list of centrally contracted players, raising fresh doubts on his future.

However, on the same day, Dhoni returned to training, batting fluently in the Jharkhand team nets.

Head coach Ravi Shastri has hinted that the celebrated wicketkeeper-batsman might retire from ODIs soon but will be in contention for a T20 World Cup berth provided he does well for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

The Indian team lead the five-match T20 series against New Zealand 2-0.

Virat Kohli's men will take on the hosts in the third T20 here on Wednesday.

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News Network
April 8,2020

London, Apr 8: England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has raised more than 65,000 pound (USD 80,000) to help fight the coronavirus by auctioning off his World Cup final shirt.

Buttler's shirt, which he wore when completing the last-ball run-out that saw England beat New Zealand at Lord's last year, was sold to raise money for specialist heart and lung centres provided by the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals in London.

Buttler, who earlier in the showpiece match had hit a fifty and batted in the Super Over, put his long-sleeve keeping jersey up for sale on eBay a week ago.

By the time the auction closed on Tuesday, the shirt had attracted 82 bids with the winner paying 65,100 pound.

Buttler, speaking on Monday, said: "It's a very special shirt but I think it takes on extra meaning with it being able to hopefully go to the emergency cause.

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