5 Players who retired from cricket at young age

 Cricket is considered to be the most exciting game in the world. Many legendary players have given memorable moments to fans through this game for a long time, but there were some cricketers who had full potential to become a big star, yet circumstances forced them to say goodbye to international cricket at an early age. Sometimes injury, sometimes personal reasons, sometimes mental pressure, due to these reasons their career remained incomplete. Let's know about five such players.

1. Craig Kieswetter (England)

England won the T20 World Cup for the first time in 2010. Wicketkeeper-batsman Craig Kieswetter played a key role in winning the title. He scored 222 runs in the tournament and was touted as England's next big white-ball star, but at the age of 27, he suffered a serious eye injury during a county match. The injury left him with poor eyesight and forced him to retire from cricket.

2. James Taylor (England)

England's James Taylor is considered one of the unluckiest players. He had a great start to his career, scoring at an average of over 42 in the ODI format, but at the age of 26, he was diagnosed with a serious heart disease (arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy). This disease could have been fatal, so he had to quit cricket immediately.

3. Nicholas Pooran (West Indies)

Nicholas Pooran is a big star of T20 cricket and is in great demand in leagues around the world. He surprised everyone by retiring from international cricket at the age of 29. Pooran became the first West Indies batsman to score more than 2000 runs in T20 internationals. He has scored 1983 runs in 61 ODIs and 2275 runs in 106 T20 matches. However, he took this decision to focus on franchise cricket.

4. Ravi Shastri (India)

India's all-rounder Ravi Shastri performed brilliantly in the 1980-90s. He scored more than 6900 runs and took 280 wickets in 80 Tests and 150 ODIs, but he retired from cricket at the age of just 30. However, after this he got into commentary and cricket coaching and was the head coach of the Indian team from 2017 to 2021.

5. Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan)

Pakistan's legendary spinner Saqlain Mushtaq is known as the master of the 'doosra' ball. He has taken 208 wickets in 49 Tests and 288 wickets in 169 ODIs. He is also the fastest bowler to take 250 ODI wickets, but due to a knee injury and eye problem, he had to retire at the age of 27.

Mitchell Starc best bowling performance in T20 International

 Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has decided to retire from T20I cricket as he will no longer represent Australia in the shortest format of the T20I cricket. Starc has played 65 T20Is for Australia and has taken 79 wickets at an average of 23.81. In this blog, we will look at his best T20 bowling performances.

1. 4/20 vs West Indies, Brisbane, 2022

Mitchell Starc's best performance in T20 International cricket came in 2022, when Australia played against West Indies at the Gabba in Brisbane. In the second T20 International of the series, the Australian team scored 178 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs.

After this, the West Indies team could only score 147 runs for 8 wickets in 20 overs, in which Mitchell Starc took four important wickets of Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder and Odean Smith. He took 4 wickets for 20 runs in 4 overs, in which his economy rate was only 5.5. West Indies lost the match by 31 runs.

2. 3/11 vs Pakistan, Dubai, 2012

Mitchell Starc made his debut against Pakistan in Dubai in 2012. It was the third T20 match of the series in which Australia and Pakistan were playing in Dubai. Australia batted first and scored 168 runs for the loss of 7 wickets, after which Pakistan was all out for just 74 runs, in which Starc took 3 wickets for 11 runs in 3.1 overs and Pat Cummins took 3 wickets for 15 runs in 4 overs, Pakistan lost this match.

3. 3/20 vs Pakistan, Colombo, 2012

Mitchell Starc played his 23rd match against Pakistan in Group Two in Colombo during the 2012 T20 World Cup, where Pakistan batted first and scored 149 for six. In reply, Starc took 3 for 20 in his four overs and controlled Pakistan's run rate. But Australia, chasing a target of 150, could only manage 117 for seven in 20 overs.

4. 3/23 vs South Africa, Cape Town, 2020

The first T20I match of Mitchell Starc's 2020 series was played between Australia and South Africa in Cape Town, where the visitors managed to score 193 runs thanks to the explosive batting of Warner and Finch. In reply, South Africa were bowled out for just 96 runs thanks to Starc's 3 for 23 in 2.3 overs and Ashton Agar's 3 for 16 in four overs.

5. 3/26 vs Sri Lanka, Pallekele and Colombo, 2016

The first T20I of the 2016 T20I season was played between Australia and Sri Lanka. The encounter took place on September 9 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo during the second and last T20 match of the same series. After losing the first match, Sri Lanka was looking to bounce back. Batting first, they could only manage 128/9 in 20 overs. Mitchell Starc once again played a key role with the ball.

Asia Cup Hockey 2025 Super 4, Teams, Schedule, live-streaming details

 The 4 teams reaching the Super 4 of the Hockey Asia Cup 2025 tournament being played in Rajgir, Bihar have been confirmed. The pool stage is over. Indian hockey team and China hockey team from Pool 'A' have made it to the top 4. While Malaysia and South Korea from Pool 'B' have qualified for the next stage.

After 12 matches of the pool stage, a total of 101 goals have been scored in Asia Cup 2025 so far. The highest individual goal is currently scored by Akhimullah Anwar of Malaysia, who has scored 9 goals. India's Harmanpreet Singh is at number two, he has scored 7 goals.

The Hockey Asia Cup 2025 champion team will face off on September 7 when the top 2 teams of the Super 4 will clash in the final. This match will be played from 7:30 pm. While the match for the third and fourth place between the bottom 2 teams in the Super 4 will be held on September 7 from 5 pm.

Know how many matches will be played in the Super 4 of Hockey Asia Cup 2025. Which teams will play matches on which day. What is its format and on which app will the live broadcast and live streaming of the matches be.

Asia Cup Hockey 2025 Super 4

1. Indian Hockey Team

India topped the pool stage, winning all three of their matches. The Indian hockey team finished with 9 points in the points table. India defeated China 4-3, Japan 3-2 and Kazakhstan by a huge margin of 15-0.

2. China Hockey Team

The second team to reach the Super 4 from Pool A is China, which defeated Kazakhstan (13-1) by a big margin after losing to India in the first match. In its last match, China played a 2-2 draw with Japan. Japan also had only 4 points, but China was ahead on the basis of goals.

3. Malia Hockey Team

Malaysia from Pool B remained number-1 in the points table by winning all its three matches. The team had 9 points. Malia defeated Bangladesh (4-1) in the first match, South Korea (4-1) in the second match and Chinese Taipei 15-0 in the third match.

4. South Korea

South Korea won 2 of its 3 matches in the pool stage, first they defeated Chinese Taipei 7-0. In the second match, the team lost to Malaysia 1-4. In the third match, South Korea won 5-1 over Bangladesh.

Hockey Asia Cup 2025 Super4 Schedule

• 3 September - Malaysia vs China (5 pm)
• 3 September - India vs South Korea (7:30 pm)
• 4 September - South Korea vs China (5 pm)
• 4 September - Malaysia vs India (7:30 pm)
• 6 September - South Korea vs Malaysia (5 pm)
• 6 September - India vs China (7:30 pm)

Asia Cup Hockey 2025 Live telecast

The official broadcaster of Asia Cup 2025 is Sony Sports Network. The matches will be telecast live on Sony Sports 1.

Hockey Asia Cup Super 4 Live streaming?

Live streaming of the matches will be on Sony Liv app and website. The complete schedule and timing of the matches are given above.

Asif Ali has announced his retirement from international cricket

Pakistani batsman Asif Ali announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday. Asif represented Pakistan in 58 T20 Internationals and 21 ODIs. He was often criticized for his careless batting. Asif's best performance for Pakistan was against Afghanistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup, when he scored 25 runs in 7 balls to lead the team to victory. Asif played his last international match in the 2023 Asian Games.

The Asia Cup will start on September 9, for which the Pakistan team was announced some time ago. It was revealed in the PCB meeting that Asif Ali's name was not even discussed, due to which the player got angry. By the way, Pakistan has also ignored veterans like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.

Asif Ali career

Asif Ali, a powerful middle order batsman, scored 577 runs in 58 T20 International matches. His best score was 41 not out, which he scored against Zimbabwe in 2018. At the same time, he scored 382 runs in 21 ODIs. Asif played his last ODI against Australia in 2022.

Asif Ali social media post

Asif Ali made his T20 international debut against West Indies in 2018. Two months later, he also made his ODI debut. Asif played an important role in making Islamabad United the PSL champion this year. Asif gave this information on his social media handle.

The greatest honour of my life has been to wear the Pakistan jersey and the proudest thing for me has been to play for my country on the cricket field. Thank you to my fans, teammates and coaches for supporting me through every difficult time. Thank you also to my family and friends who have been with me through every difficult time, even after the death of my beloved daughter during the World Cup, your strength has kept me going. I retire with great pride and will continue to play domestic and league cricket around the world.

Pakistan Team for Asia Cup 2025

Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Harris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Harris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi and Sufian Muqeem.

Ab De Villiers Picks Top-5 Cricketers, did not include Virat Kohli

Every cricket lover knows about the friendship between AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. Both the players respect each other a lot and have praised each other on many occasions. But when former South African cricketer de Villiers was asked about his top-5 best cricketers (against or with whom he has played), surprisingly he did not include Virat Kohli in it. Sachin Tendulkar is also included in his list. However, after this he also apologized to Virat.

Ab De Villiers Picks Top-5 Cricketers

1. Sachin Tendulkar
2. Jacques Kallis
3. Andrew Flintoff
4. Mohammad Asif
5. Shane Warne

AB de Villiers also apologized for not including Virat Kohli in the list. Naming these players on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, he said, When Sachin Tendulkar used to come to bat on the field, the way he was welcomed, it seemed as if everything had stopped. It is great to watch him bat. Virat Kohli, sorry. So it becomes a bit difficult to answer such questions.

AB de Villiers believes that Jacques Kallis is the best cricketer of all time. He said, Jacques Kallis is the best all-rounder or the best cricketer of all time.

He picked Pakistan's Mohammad Asif in this list and said, He was one of the best bowlers I have ever played against in my career. I loved playing against Shane Warne, but I never had any problem with him. He said that he also liked Warne's personality.

About Andrew Flintoff he said, He is a great performer in big matches. The ball he bowled to Jacques Kallis at Edgbaston was the best yorker I have ever bowled.

ICC announces prize money for Women ODI World Cup 2025

The Women's ODI World Cup 2025 is to be held on Indian soil from September 30. The final match of this tournament will be played on November 2. This tournament is to be organized in four cities of India and one city of Sri Lanka. Pakistan's team will not come to India, so it will play its matches in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo.

This is going to be the first time in 12 years that India will host the Women's World Cup. Meanwhile, the ICC has announced the prize money for the Women's World Cup 2025, which has been increased 4 times compared to the last time. Let's know how many crores of rupees will the team winning this title get?

How much money will the Women's World Cup 2025 winner get?

The ICC has announced the prize money for the Women's ODI World Cup 2025. The total prize money for the entire tournament is $13.88 million (ie about Rs 122 crore), which is about 297 percent more than the previous edition of 2022.

The total prize money has surpassed the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup held in India two years ago, which had a total prize money of $ 10 million. This is a strategy of the ICC for the development of women's cricket.

The amount of the winning team of the Women's World Cup has been increased by 239% and the winning team will now get $ 4.48 million (about Rs 39.5 crore). At the same time, the runner-up team will get $ 2.24 million (about Rs 19.77 crore).

Women's World Cup 2025 Prize Money

Who will get it?	Prize Money (USD)	Prize Money (INR)
Winner	4.48 million	39.5 crores (approx.)
Runner-up	2.24 million	19.77 crores (approx.)
Semi-finalist	1.12 million	9.8 crores (approx.)
Each group stage winner	34,314	30. 28 lakhs (approx.)
5th and 6th placed team	7,00,000	6.17 crores (approx.)
7th and 8th placed team	2,80,000	2.47 crores (approx.)
Part of group stage	250,000	2.20 crores (approx.)

Rahul Dravid resigns from the post of head coach of Rajasthan Royals

 Rahul Dravid has resigned as the head coach of Rajasthan Royals (RR). Amid rumours of Sanju Samson leaving the franchise, the former RR captain will leave his role at the franchise ahead of IPL 2026, the franchise announced on Saturday (August 30). RR revealed that they had offered Dravid a bigger position as part of a structural review, but he declined it. His return to RR lasted only one season. The first IPL champions failed to make it to the second round of IPL 2025.

The timing of Dravid's decision to leave RR is extremely important. Several reports have confirmed that Samson wants to leave RR. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is one of the franchises that want to sign him. It will be interesting to see if Samson will continue his association with RR now that the top management has made a major change in the coaching staff.

Rahul Dravid's tenure with Rajasthan Royals

Rahul Dravid first joined Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2011 mega-auction. He worked with the team for three years. After retiring from the game in 2013, Dravid joined the coaching staff of Rajasthan Royals. He was associated with the BCCI from 2015 to 2024 and has not been able to work in the IPL since 2018.

Dravid, who extended his contract as India's head coach, had a great end to his tenure with the national team. His tenure ended after playing a key role in India winning the 2024 T20 World Cup. A few months later, Dravid returned as the head coach of Rajasthan Royals after 10 years. However, their reunion lasted only one season. He might join another franchise before IPL 2026.

RR performance in IPL 2025

Rajasthan Royals missed the services of their captain Sanju Samson in a few matches due to injury. He played as an impressive player in the first three matches. In his absence, Riyan Parag took charge of the team. Rajasthan Royals managed to secure only 4 wins in IPL 2025 and finished ninth in the points table.