Kohli loses 2nd spot to Smith in rankings
Karachi: India skipper Virat Kohli was on Tuesday pushed to the third spot by Australian batsman Steve Smith in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen but middle-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara gained two places to be number eight. Kohli has 870 points in the latest chart, issued on Tuesday. Smith (900 points) is placed second behind Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson (919), who reach the best ever-rating points by a New Zealand player and consolidate his position at the top. Pujara, whose dogged half-centuries (50, 77) in the third Test helped India draw the match, is placed eighth, just behind his stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who lost one place.
Bengal, maha win in Mustaq Ali match
Kolkata: Opener Vivek Singh hammered a 64-ball 100 to star in Bengal's 16-run win over Jharkhand in an Elite Group B match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament on Tuesday. Bengal rode on left-handed Singh's stroke-filled century to make 161 for 6 in 20 overs. Singh's knock was studded with 13 fours and 3 sixes. In another match in the group, Hyderabad pulled off a six-run win over Odisha. In Vadodara , Kedar Jadhav and Naushad Shaikh struck unbeaten fifties as Maharashtra defeated Chhattisgarh by eight wickets in their Elite Group C game. Chhattisgarh posted a mammoth 192 for five on the board, but Jadhav (84 off 45 balls) and Naushad Shaikh (78 off 44 balls) made light work of the opposition bowlers and ensured that their team emerged triumphant.
Ranji from Feb in ‘Mushtaq-like bubble’
New Delhi: The Indian cricket board is all set to organise a curtailed Ranji Trophy tournament from next month, and in all likelihood, in the same six bio-bubbles created for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. A decision with regards to this will be taken during the virtual BCCI Apex Council Meeting on January 17. There are seven items on the agenda and right at the top of the list is domestic cricket, which also includes junior and women's categories. The logic behind having the same bio-bubbles is that it's already set and will be more convenient for operational purposes.
2021 F1 season to start in Bahrain
London: The start of the F1 season has been delayed a week and will start in Bahrain after the Australian Grand Prix was postponed from March to November because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Australian race in Melbourne, initially set to open the season on March 21, has been rescheduled to November 21 with F1 organizers citing “the ongoing situation regarding Covid-19”. The Chinese Grand Prix has also been postponed but no new date has been set for the race. The season will start with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28 at Sakhir, less than four months after the same venue held two races as part of the 2020 season.
Liverpool vs Man Utd in FA Cup 4th round
Manchester: Manchester United will face Liverpool in the blockbuster tie of the FA Cup fourth round, while League Two Cheltenham host Manchester City. Liverpool and United will clash for two consecutive weekends with the top two also facing off in the Premier League on Sunday. National League North side Chorley's reward for their victory over a depleted Derby was a home tie with Premier League Wolves. Should Chorley pull off another upset, they could face holders Arsenal in the fifth round. League Two Crawley, who thrashed Leeds 3-0 in the third round fixture, travel to Bournemouth. The fourth round ties will be played across the weekend of January 22 to 25 with the fifth round taking place between February 9 to 11. Agencies