Month: December 2023

A court in Nepal has found the countrys highest profile cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane guilty of raping an 18-year-old woman and has fixed January 10 for his sentencing.
The judgement was announced after a repeatedly delayed trial that had left him free to continue his sporting career.
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The 23-year-old has been the face of cricket in Nepal and was the only player from the country to take part in prominent Twenty20 leagues across the world.
He was suspended as Nepals captain last year and taken into custody after police issued an arrest warrant for him over the assault in 2022. He was later released on bail.
Lamichhane could face up to 10 years in jail. His lawyers said he would appeal the verdict to a higher court.
We did not expect this judgement we are frustrated, lawyer Sabita Bhandari Baral told the Reuters news agency about Fridays verdict by the Kathmandu District Court.
Well definitely appeal, she said.
District Court official Ramu Sharma confirmed the verdict to the AFP news agency.
The event was not consensual, he said.
The former captains on-field success has boosted the sports profile in the Himalayan nation over the past few years.
When authorities issued an arrest warrant, Lamichhane initially failed to return from Jamaica, where he was playing in the Caribbean Premier League.
He was dismissed as national captain and arrested last year, but Nepal lifted his playing ban after he was freed on bail.
This allowed him to remain in the national team, including for the World Cup qualifiers and Septembers Asia Cup.
Lamichhane has consistently denied the charge against him and enjoyed strong public support despite the accusations.
Hundreds of cheering cricket fans welcomed him when he returned to the field in February.
But his continued playing career has also sparked anger and caused numerous Nepalis to disavow the team.
Scotlands cricketers refused to shake hands with him after their matches during an international tournament in Dubai.
The case took more than a year to conclude after repeated delays on procedural grounds.
Cricket has been growing in popularity in Nepal and the country was given one-day international status by the world governing body in 2018.
Lamichhane has been a major part of this rise as the most sought-after Nepali cricketer in lucrative leagues around the world.
The leg spinners big break came when he was snapped up for the lucrative Indian Premier League, the worlds richest cricket tournament, in 2018.

Australia has officially declared an unchanged 13-man squad for the upcoming third and final Test against Pakistan, scheduled to commence in Sydney on January 3rd. The Australian team, after securing a decisive 2-0 lead in the three-Test series with a dramatic victory on the fourth day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, chooses to maintain continuity in its lineup.
Chief Selector George Bailey expressed the team’s anticipation for the farewell Test of David Warner, set to take place on his home ground. Despite the series victory, the Australian selectors have chosen not to introduce new players, demonstrating confidence in the existing squad’s performance.
Bailey conveyed the team’s objective of achieving a clean sweep in the series, emphasizing the decision to maintain consistency in the lineup.
“We’ve kept the squad unchanged from Melbourne to Sydney as we aim to sweep the Test series. We’re excited to honour David Warner in his last Test and acknowledge his amazing career on his home turf,” Bailey said in a statement quoted by cricket.com.au.
Australia’s squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, and David Warner.
With this lineup, Australia aims to conclude the series on a high note and bid a fitting farewell to one of its cricketing legends, David Warner.

HUR vs THU, BBL 2023-24: Cricket Fantasy Tips and Teams for the 21st Match (Source: x.com)
Struggling sides Hobart Hurricanes (HUR) and Sydney Thunder (THU) will kick-start the New Year with a bang as they face each other in the ongoing edition of the Big Bash League. Match No. 21 is all set to be played on New Year’s Day on Monday, January 01, 2024, at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart at 10:30 AM IST. Both sides will clash only once in the league phase of the current competition. Ahead of the game, here is a look at some of the important player stats, the best player picks, the top captain and vice-captain choices, and the best predicted XI for the fantasy contests of this encounter.
For More Fantasy Tips and Teams, Click Here.
The Hurricanes have made a poor start to their campaign as they have played four matches so far with just one victory and three defeats. With two points and a net run rate of -0.580, they are placed at rock bottom at the eighth position in the table. (All scenarios till Match No. 18)
On the other hand, the Thunder have also made a similar start to their BBL 13 season as they have also played four games with just one win and three losses. With two points and an NRR of -0.310, they are placed above Hurricanes in the seventh spot in the table. (All scenarios till Match No. 18)
HUR vs THU, Team Form Guide (Most Recent First)
Hobart Hurricanes:L-W-L-L-W
Sydney Thunder: L-W-L-L-L
HUR vs THU, Match 21: Pitch Report
Chasing sides have won both matches played so far at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart this season. The batters can score runs easily once settle down as the track offers support to them.
HUR vs THU, Match 21: Top Player Picks
Macalister Wright (HUR)

• Macalister Wright has played only two games but has contributed in both those matches.
• The right-handed top-order player struck 33 off 19 against Melbourne Stars and 63 off just 36 against Melbourne Renegades.

Caleb Jewell (HUR)
Caleb Jewell is the leading run-getter for the Hurricanes so far.
The opening batter is averaging 25 with the highest score of 45.
Cameron Bancroft (THU)

• Cameron Bancroft is the leading run-getter for the Thunder so far this season
• The right-hander is averaging 36.20 with one half-century to his name
• The 31-year old has got scores of 25, 74, 30, 46 and 6 under his belt

Alex Ross (THU)

• Alex Ross has struck the joint-second most runs for the Thunder in this campaign.
• The right-handed middle-order player is averaging 26 with the highest score of 46.
• Ross has scores of 2, 46, 17, 19 and 44 to his name so far.

Oliver Davies (THU)

• Oliver Davies is tied with Ross in the second spot in terms of runs scoring for Sydney.
• The right-handed middle-order batter also has an average of 26 with the best score of 35.

HUR vs THU, Match 21: Cricket Fantasy Player Stats

Player	Stats	Average Fantasy Points
Cameron Bancroft select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	181 Runs in 5 Innings select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	63 select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table
Alex Ross select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	128 Runs in 5 Innings select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	36.5 select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table
Oliver Davies select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	128 Runs in 5 Innings select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	45 select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table
Macalister Wright select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	96 Runs in 2 Innings select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	79 select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table
Caleb Jewell select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	99 Runs in 4 Innings select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	35.75 select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table

HUR vs THU, Match 21: Top Captain and Vice-captain choices

Scenario	Captain	Vice-captain
If Sydney Thunder bowls first select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	Oliver Davies select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	Alex Ross select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table
If Sydeny Thunder bats first select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	Cameron Bancroft select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table	Oliver Davies select insert above insert below insert right insert left del row del col del table

HUR vs THU, Match 21: Cricket Fantasy Expert Advice
Both sides are out of form and struggling but the Thunder might just edge past the Hurricanes in this contest so load your Fantasy-XI side with a majority of the Sydney players to earn more points.
HUR vs THU, Match 21: Cricket Fantasy Team for Head-to-Head/Small Leagues
Export this team to the Cricket Exchange Fantasy App and WIN BIG
Wicketkeeper: Cameron BancroftBatters:Caleb Jewell, Macalister Wright, Oliver Davies, Alex RossAll-rounders:Chris Jordan, Chris Green, Daniel SamsBowlers:Nathan Ellis, Riley Meredith, Gurinder Sandhu
Captain: Cameron BancroftVice-captain: Oliver Davies
HUR: 5 Players, THU: 6 Players
HUR vs THU, Match 21: Cricket Fantasy Team for Winner Takes All/Grand Leagues
Export this team to the Cricket Exchange Fantasy App and WIN BIG
Wicketkeepers: Matthew Wade, Cameron Bancroft Batters: Macalister Wright, Tim David, Alex HalesAll-rounders: Corey Anderson, Chris Green, Daniel SamsBowlers:Nathan Ellis, Gurinder Sandhu, Tanveer Sangha
Captain: Cameron BancroftVice-captain: Chris Green
HUR: 5 Players, THU: 6 Players

Chandika Hathurusingha lauded Najmul Hossain Shanto for clarity in communication and tactics © Getty
Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha said on Sunday that stand-in skipper Najmul Hossain had given enough evidence to take up the leadership role on a long-term basis. Under his captaincy, Bangladesh earned their maiden ODI and T20I wins against New Zealand away from home. Before arriving for this white-ball tour, Shanto also displayed Test captaincy prowess as his team beat New Zealand back home in Sylhet.
With Shakib Al Hasan’s long-term availability in question, BCB are likely to look for a permanent option at the helm. In that regard, Shanto appears to have seized the opportunity that has come his way.
“I think they (BCB) will strongly think about that (long term captaincy). Of course it’s a board decision and Shanto has shown enough evidence for them to take him seriously,” Hathurusingha said after the lastT20I at Mount Maunganui on Sunday.
Hathurusingha also talked up the positive attitude and environment in the Bangladesh dressing room under Shanto.
“I think the attitude of the players… this young group had no fear and want to compete in the middle. The other thing I thought – leadership of Shanto was outstanding. He was tactically spot on and very clear with the messages to the players and what he expects from them,” he added.
“I think the environment in the dressing room is much better because the communication is very clear, as I said, from Shanto. And they know they are good enough players to compete and I think that’s why there is no fear in the players’ mind,” he added.
Hathurusingha said that he was impressed with the way Shoriful Islam made a mark across formats in the recent past, while adding that leg spinner Rishad Hossain had shown potential in white-ball cricket. With no Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain, the onus was on Shoriful to lead the pace bowling attack and he managed to deliver throughout the series.
“He (Shoriful) has been outstanding for us in all three formats recently. Eight months ago he was not in the team, he was not playing any formats, and now he is leading bowler for us so very impressive. Another positive is I think Rishad. We were craving for a leg spinner,” he added,” Hathurusingha said.

Jamshedpur FC announce the appointment of Khalid Jamil as the Head Coach. The experienced and highly regarded AFC Pro Licensed Coach will embark on his journey with Jamshedpur FC, starting with the Kalinga Super Cup in January, followed by the remainder of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 season.
Khalid Jamil is a distinguished figure in Indian football, both as a former player and a successful manager. He is notably the first Indian to be the permanent Head Coach of an Indian Super League (ISL) team and the only Indian coach to have guided a team to the ISL playoffs. Khalid’s illustrious career includes individual accolades of having won the I-League Best Coach Award for the 2016–17 season with Aizawl and the FPAI Indian Football awards: Coach of the Year (2020–21) with NorthEast United FC.
Jamshedpur FC CEO, Mukul Choudhari said, “I welcome Khalid Jamil, a coach with thorough experience in ISL and ILeague. We have everything to play for with the Kalinga Super Cup and half of the ISL remaining. Hence, we believe he has the understanding, experience and track record in Indian Football to build and take us forward, starting with the very next game.”
Khalid’s first engagement in the ISL was with NorthEast United where he signed as the Head of Academy in 2019-20. His breakthrough with the club came in 2020-21 when he was hired as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season and he led the Highlanders to the playoffs including a 10-game unbeaten streak. In lieu of his performances, Khalid was appointed as their head coach for the 2021-22 season, making him the first Indian permanent head coach of an ISL club. He also led Aizawl FC to the 2016–17 I-League title, making Aizawl the first club from Northeast region of India to win the national title. His heroics with Aizawl FC were noticed by the entire Indian football fraternity and his achievement took him to be the head coach at East Bengal and later Mohun Bagan.
Khalid expressed his delight on signing for Jamshedpur. He said, “I want to thank the club management to give me this opportunity and I feel very excited to join Jamshedpur FC. Our target is to bring Jamshedpur FC in a better position and for that we all must work hard to bring Jamshedpur on top.”
Khalid also had a message for the ever present and vociferous fans of Jamshedpur and Jharkhand and said, “Keep supporting Jamshedpur FC, we need your support in every match, more than ever.”
Khalid will be and taking charge of the squad immediately as the attention shifts to the Kalinga Super Cup where Jamshedpur’s first challenge is versus NorthEast United FC in Bhubaneswar on 10th January.

IMAGE: ‘The only person I know who played us well was Sachin Tendulkar’. Photograph: BCCI/File
India, as a batting unit, haven’t had a lot of success in the ‘Rainbow Nation’ but Sachin Tendulkar is one batter, who has scored four Test centuries in five tours to the country and used to dominate the home bowlers.
“It’s not an easy place to combat. We see that daily in South Africa, the ball does nip around more than it does in Australia or England. If your footwork isn’t 100 percent then you are in trouble,” former South African paceman Allan Donald cited.
“Only person I know who played us well was Tendulkar, who triggered (had a trigger movement) while batting in South Africa rather than stand on middle-stump. He pressed forward and left the ball amazingly well,” Donald explained.
Ahead of the 2nd and final Test in Cape Town, Donald has a pro-tip for the visiting team batters.
“If you leave the ball well here, you can score runs. You got to get bowlers to come to you and search a little bit more. They start coming to you, the opportunities of scoring get better.
It’s an interesting phenomenon as it’s tough to bat. In Cape Town though, it will be a very good Test pitch. It will flatten out quickly, so you need to work very hard.”

Media caption, ‘Putin hates Clinton’ and other things the FBI learned about Russia
FBI director James Comey has confirmed for the first time that the FBI is investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
However, Mr Comey said his agency had seen no evidence to back up President Trump’s claim that his phones had been tapped by the Obama administration.
He was giving evidence to the congressional intelligence committee.
The Trump administration said nothing had changed and there was “no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion”.
Russia has always denied attempting to influence the US presidential election.
The FBI investigation would examine possible links between individuals in the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was co-ordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, Mr Comey said.
The FBI would also assess whether crimes were committed, he said.
Mr Comey said the investigation was “very complex” and he could not give a timetable for its completion.
“We will follow the facts wherever they lead,” he said.
Media caption, What FBI director Comey said on Trump, Russia and wiretaps
Image caption, Mr Putin “hated Mrs Clinton so much” that he had a strong preference for her rival, Mr Comey said
But White House press secretary Sean Spicer suggested the administration was not concerned, saying: “You can continue to look for something, but continuing to look for something that doesn’t exist doesn’t matter.”
National Security Agency (NSA) chief Admiral Mike Rogers also appeared before the committee.
He said the NSA stood by an intelligence community report published in January, which said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a campaign to harm the campaign of Mr Trump’s rival, Hillary Clinton.
Mr Comey said he had no information on unsubstantiated claims tweeted by Mr Trump this month that former President Barack Obama had ordered a wiretap on Trump Tower.
This was despite looking carefully for such evidence, he said. The Department of Justice also had no information, he said.
What FBI director James Comey didn’t say during intelligence hearings today on possible Russian meddling in the 2016 US election was as important as what he did say.
Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, who had ties to pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians? No comment. Long-time Trump adviser Roger Stone, who reportedly had communications with individuals who hacked the Democratic National Committee emails? No comment. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was forced to resign after leaked evidence surfaced that he had communicated with a Russian ambassador about US sanctions? No comment.
“I don’t want to answer any questions about a US person,” Mr Comey said.
All of this is evidence that the investigation isn’t just ongoing, it’s substantive and far-reaching.
While Democrats will likely be encouraged by this, it was telling that Republicans pursued the White House line – that the topic of greatest concern was the intelligence leaks that put this story in the headlines.
If Mr Trump can consolidate his party’s support, it will go a long way towards insulating the president against any fallout from this investigation.
Will FBI investigation ensnare Trump?
Meanwhile, Adm Rogers strongly denied that the NSA had asked Britain’s GCHQ intelligence agency to spy on Mr Trump – a claim that had been repeated by Sean Spicer.
The allegation “clearly frustrates a key ally of ours”, he added.
GCHQ had described the claim as “utterly ridiculous”.
Image caption, Mr Trump raised eyebrows after he suggested both he and Mrs Merkel had been wiretapped by Mr Obama
Mr Trump’s recent joke about how Mr Obama had wiretapped both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and him “complicates things” with an ally, Adm Rogers added.
However, Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said it was still possible that other surveillance activities had been used against Mr Trump and his associates.
In January, US intelligence agencies said Kremlin-backed hackers had broken into the email accounts of senior Democrats and released embarrassing messages in order to help Mr Trump defeat Hillary Clinton.
“That was a fairly easy judgement for the community,” Mr Comey said. “Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much that the flipside of that coin was he had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much.”
However, late last summer the Russians concluded that Mr Trump had no chance of winning, based on polls at the time, and so focused on undermining Mrs Clinton, Mr Comey said.
Media caption, Trump’s wiretap saga explained in two minutes
Both intelligence chiefs said that Russia had made its intervention in last year’s election campaign unusually obvious, perhaps to further its aim of undermining US democracy.
Mr Comey said Russia had succeeded in this goal, by sowing chaos, division and discord.
Mr Trump has since faced allegations that his campaign team had links to Russian officials.
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has said he saw no evidence of any collusion, up until the time he left his post in January.
Two senior officials in the Trump administration have been caught up in the allegations – former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and Attorney-General Jeff Sessions.
Mr Flynn was fired last month after he misled the White House about his conversations with the Russian ambassador before he was appointed national security adviser.
Image caption, Michael Flynn encouraged a softer policy on Russia and a harder line on Iran
He allegedly discussed US sanctions with ambassador Sergei Kislyak. It is illegal for private citizens to conduct US diplomacy.
Meanwhile, Mr Sessions was accused by Democrats of lying under oath during his confirmation hearing in January.
He said he had “no communications with the Russians”, but it later emerged that he had met Mr Kislyak during the campaign.
Mr Sessions denied any wrongdoing, but removed himself from any FBI inquiry into Russia’s alleged interference.

Rafael Nadal looked for a grand return to Australia, the very same country where he had incurred a hip injury in a shock second-round exit in the season’s first Grand Slam tournament. The injury subsequently kept him out for 12 months, during which he even underwent surgery. And it was Marc Lopez, who retired in 2022 and was already part of Rafa’s coaching entourage since 2021, who welcomed him back after teaming up for the first time in a doubles game since they had clinched the elusive gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016. However, the Spaniards incurred a 4-6, 4-6 loss to Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson from Australia in their Brisbane International opener at the Pat Rafter Arena on Sunday.
Spain’s Rafael Nadal (L) and partner Marc Lopez are seen during their men’s doubles match against Australia’s Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 31(AFP)
Nadal was greeted back to Australia and tennis with a rapturous welcome. It was his first match in 347 days, the longest he has ever been out of action owing to an injury. The 22-time Grand Slam winner had injured his left hip flexor during the Australian Open earlier this year. The lingering injury had forced him to relinquish his shot at a possible 15th French Open crown as he addressed the media in an emotional press conference in May 2023, after which he underwent an arthroscopic surgery in June.
Wrap up the year gone by & gear up for 2024 with HT! Click here
It was only in early December when Nadal announced that he was all set to return to the tour in Brisbane International before heading for the Australian Open, with 2024 likely to be his final professional year. However, Nadal made a last-minute addition to his plan in Brisbane as he and Lopez were handed a doubles wildcard.
Nadal, who was playing his first doubles match since partnering Roger Federer in his long-time rivals farewell match at the Laver Cup in 2022, was broken in the opening set as the Aussies made no mistake on their serve to close it 6-4. The Spaniards were broken again after going 3-3 as Purcell and Thompson closed the match comfortably.
Nadal was yet all smiles as he soaked in all the appreciation from the crowd on his way out of the court alongside Lopez. The former world No. 1 will be back in action for his singles match on Monday at the same arena.

1st Test, Day 2: South Africa take lead against India