Pakistan's Aleem Dar will surpass Steve Bucknors record for officiating in most Test matches as an umpire when the first Test match between Australia and New Zealand in Perth.
The 51-year-old, who took up umpiring after a decade of playing first-class cricket in Pakistan, stands in his 129th Test match as on-field umpire since his debut in Dhaka in 2003 during England's tour of Bangladesh.
CSA Appoints Smith as Acting Director of Cricket
Former captain Graeme Smith accepted the role of Cricket South Africa's (CSA) acting director of cricket.
The CSA's acting CEO Jacques Faul said that Smith will remain on the post until the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2020.
According to Faul, Graeme is statistically the most successful Test captain in the history of the game.
Dec 11, 2019
India Signs Off with a Record Haul of Medals
India ended its South Asian Games campaign with a best-ever medal haul of 312 and finish on top for the 13th time-in-a-row, in the regional multi-sporting event.
India collected 174 gold, 93 silver and 45 bronze after 10 days of competitions to surpass the 309 it had won in the previous edition at home in 2016.
Sri Lanka was a distant second with 251 medals while Nepal finished with 206.
Memorable Day for Sanjay Yadav
Meghalaya all-rounder Sanjay Yadav entered the Ranji records books by taking nine wickets against Nagaland at the Nagaland Cricket Satadium in Sovima.
Sanjay moved to Meghalaya from Tamil Nadu as a gust player ahead of the 2019-20 session.
Arsenal Ends Worst Winless Run in 42 Years
Arsenal ended its worst winless run in 42 years by coming from behind at halftime to beat West Ham 3-1 in the English Premier League.
Arsenal's nine-match winless streak looked set to reach 10 after a lifeless first half in which the Gunners conceded to West Ham's Angelo Ogbonna. They were booed off at the break.
Dec 10, 2019
Manohar Not to Run for a Third Term
The first independent chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Shashank Manohar, told his ICC director colleagues that he will not run for a third two-year term in May 2020.
Manohar, who has been the independent chairman since June 2016, will bring an end to his office at the ICC annual conference at Cape Town in July next year.
Manohar had resigned in March 2017, eight months after taking over, but persuaded by colleagues, he continued. He was re-elected unopposed in June 2018.
Russia Banned from International Sports for Four Years
In a significant decision, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) decided to ban Russia from international sports including Olympics 2020 for four years over a doping scandal.
Russia was accused of manipulating laboratory doping data and Wada's Compliance Review Committee (CRC) earlier in 2019 declared that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) was non-compliant over inconsistencies in a key database of athletes' test results.
According to a report, the anti-doping body took this unanimous decision in the wake of Russia's attempt to conceal, obfuscate and frustrate attempts to unmask the beneficiaries of a state-powered doping program, remarkable for its sophistication and scope.
Dec 09, 2019
Vidarbha Seeks Ranji Hat-trick
Vidarbha will look to become the only team other than Mumbai to win three consecutive Ranji Trophy titles when the 86th edition of India's premier domestic cricket competition gets underway.
Mumbai, then Bombay, won 15 titles in a row across three decades, starting in the 1950s before winning three consecutive titles in the 1970s. There have been a few states, including Delhi and Karnataka, who have won two in a row but never three. Vidarbha, who depend mostly on solid teamwork as they have no major, current international stars, won the last two titles and will be eyeing their third title.
Russia Doping Scandal
Russia could face an unprecedented four-year ban from major international sporting events over accusations that it manipulated laboratory doping data.
The decision will be made later at a meeting of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Russia could be banned from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. It could also be ruled out of the 2022 Football World Cup in Qatar.
Indian Junior Women's Team Wins Three-nation Hockey Tournament
The Indian junior women's team won the three-nation hockey tournament even though they lost to Australia 1-2 in the final game at Canberra. The Indian eves finished top on the point table, with seven points from four matches. They were ahead of the hosts, Australia on goal difference. New Zealand finished third, with only three points from their four matches.
Dec 08, 2019
Smith Approached to Become SA Director of Cricket
Former captain Graeme Smith is set to become Cricket South Africa's (CSA) director of cricket, the governing body's president Chris Nenzani announced.
If Smith agrees to take the job he will have just over two weeks to put a selection panel and coaching staff in place before the first of four Tests against England, starting in Centurion on December 26, 2019.
South Asian Games: India Crosses the 200-mark
India breached the 200-mark in medal count, backed by a century of gold, in the South Asian Games as the swimmers and wrestlers produced strong performances.
With a whopping 49 medals, including 29 gold, on Saturday (7-12-2019), India tally stood at 214 (110 gold, 69 silver, 35 bronze).
Nepal was in the second spot with 142 (43 gold, 34 silver, 65 bronze).