Smith is a better Test batsman than Kohli, says Warne

Agencies
December 23, 2017

Melbourne, Dec 23: Spin legend Shane Warne has rated Steve Smith as a better Test batsman than India captain Virat Kohli, saying when it comes to five day game the Australia skipper "is the man".

Warne has listed his top 11 batsmen from those he has either seen or played with or against.

On the list, Smith shares the 10th spot along with Kohli, though Warne feels the Australian just outsmarted his India contemporary when it comes for Test cricket.

"To me Steve Smith is the best Test batsman in the world," he wrote in his News Corp column.

"Virat Kohli is the best across all three formats of the game, but across five days, Steve Smith is the man."

Warne has high regards for Kohli's batsmanship but feels the only blip in the Indian captain's glorious career so far is his failure to score big in English conditions.

Kohli's dismal tour of England in 2014 was the reason behind Warne's assesment. On the contrary, Smith has made three away Ashes hundreds and averages 43.31 in the UK.

"I don't assess greatness by stats, but rather by the way someone played the game, the way they influenced results and the impact they had on all of us," he wrote.

"To me a great batsman has to have made a hundred in three key countries: in England, against the Duke ball on seaming and swinging pitches; in Australia, on our fast-paced, bouncy tracks; and of course, in the dust bowls of India, on pitches that spin and spit," added Warne, who played 145 Tests for Australia between 1992 and 2007.

"The hole in Kohli's CV on the Test match stage is in England and the pressure is on the fiery but very likeable Indian to carry over some double-ton magic from home soil to that country when his team tours next year."

In the list, Warne has placed West Indian legends Viv Richards and Brian Lara at the first and second positions respectively, while Sachin Tendulkar is placed third.

Next on his list are three Australians in Greg Chappell, Ricky Ponting and Allan Border, followed by South Africans Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers at seven and nine respectively.

Graham Gooch is the lone Englishman in the list at number eight.

Smith and Kohli complete the top 11.

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News Network
May 27,2020

Bengaluru, May 27: Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has revealed that he was never able to dismiss Inzamam-ul-Haq in the nets.

The Rawalpindi Express praised the former Pakistan skipper and said Inzamam could see the ball one second earlier than the rest of the batsmen could.

"Honestly, I don't think I could ever get him (Inzamam) out, he had the time and I always felt he saw the ball a second earlier than the rest of the batsmen because I had a complicated action unlike Brett Lee, I felt I could never dismiss Inzamam-ul-Haq," Akhtar told Sanjay Manjrekar in a videocast hosted by ESPNCricinfo.

"I couldn't get him out in the nets, I think he could see the ball a second before anyone else," he added.

Inzamam played 120 Tests and 378 ODIs for Pakistan.

He finished his career with 20,569 runs across all formats.

The right-handed batsman called time on his career in 2007 and he played his last Test against South Africa in Lahore.

On the other hand, Akhtar played 224 matches for Pakistan in international cricket and took 444 wickets across all formats.

The Rawalpindi Express last played an ODI in 2011 as he played against New Zealand in the 50-over World Cup.

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News Network
March 13,2020

Mar 13: The start of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's most lucrative cricket competition, has been postponed from March 29 until April 15 over the coronavirus, the Indian cricket board said Friday.

"The Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to suspend IPL 2020 till 15th April 2020, as a precautionary measure against the ongoing Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation," the BCCI said in a statement.

The two-month Twenty20 competition is estimated to generate more than $11 billion for the Indian economy and involves cricket's top international stars.

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News Network
January 9,2020

Mumbai, Jan 9: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels that the Men in Blue have the edge over Australia in terms of talent and confidence ahead of the two teams' three-match ODI series starting January 14 in Mumbai.

"In the past that wasn't the case because they were doing really well. We were trying to match that level. I feel that Indian cricket is a notch ahead in terms of talent, in terms of cricket and in terms of confidence," Star Sports expert Irfan Pathan said. "The only thing that will make it equal is the kind of pitches we are going to play in Australia because we do not have experience playing on those hard and bouncy pitches," said Pathan, who recently called time on his international career.

Recounting his favourite memory of playing against Australia, Irfan said, "It all started in Australia for me. The most memorable moment was getting my first wicket and helping India win a Test match in Australia after 21 years. Winning the Test in Perth and being named the Man of the Match is also a favourite memory for me."

Australia have already announced their team for the three-match ODI series with India. The team will be led by Aaron Finch. The other members of the team are Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, David Warner, and Adam Zampa.

India are yet to announce their team but in all probability, it will be led by Virat Kohli who has been in phenomenal form over the last few years. All three ODIs are day and night affair. While the first match of the series is on January 14 in Mumbai, the second will be played at Rajkot on January 17 followed by the January 19 clash in Bengaluru.

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