Stuart MacGill breaks silence after cocaine case, says he is anxious only about his children
In his first interview after his conviction in the drugs case, former Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill has said that he gets “very anxious” and has been struggling to get work and is worried about the mental impact on his kids. ‘”I don’t care what people are saying about me, but I do care what was happening to the kids, and I know it has been very difficult for them,” MacGill told the Howie Games podcast. MacGill had to serve a community sentence after being convicted of a cocaine deal. The 54-year-old McGill had been accused of facilitating a cocaine deal between his partner’s brother and a dealer. MacGill was the link for a $330,000 exchange for a kilogram of cocaine and had arranged for a meeting under his restaurant on Sydney’s north shore. However, the former Test leg-spinner had denied knowing that a deal would take place and admitted that he regularly purchased half a gram of cocaine for $200 from the dealer. “I am very lucky because depression has never been a big thing for me. I get anxious. I won’t lie about that. I get very anxious. People talk about the half-full, half-empty situation – well, I’ve always said I’m neither of them, I’m completely empty. And the reason I say that is because if today is the worst day of your life, tomorrow is going to be slightly fuller.” MacGill, who took 208 from 44 Tests for Australia, said he is leaning on the skills learnt from playing cricket to try to get his life back on track. “If you hit rock bottom, there is sunshine ahead,’ MacGill said. If anything particularly bothers me, I just don’t think about it. I learned that through playing Test cricket. If you have a bad day, don’t buy a paper. If you have a good day, buy every paper in the stand.” He worries about the mental impact of the legal troubles on his children. “My kids have had to put up with it. I can just turn the media off, but… it is very difficult for kids to turn social media off.”
King Charles pays tribute to late Arun Jaitley, receives the ‘book on partition’ from BCCI
Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams met King Charles III at St James’s Palace in London on Tuesday, where the monarch displayed remarkable knowledge about the players’ personal lives and their recent match performances. BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla, who was also present at the get-together, presented a book on the partition of India in 1947 to King Charles. Shukla expressed delight, revealing that Charles also paid tribute to the late Arun Jaitley and his family. Charles, at the same time, looked curious about Akashdeep’s sister’s illness. Regarding cricket, he also noticed that if India had a regular batsman on the pitch on the fifth day, they would have been able to win the match. In that meeting, the Indian team also met British Actor Idris Elba before their royal encounter. After the meeting, the Indian skipper Shubman Gill said, “ It was amazing to meet King Charles III, and he was very kind and generous to call us. We had some excellent conversations.” Gill added, “King Charles III told us the way our last batsman got out in the previous Test match was quite unfortunate, the ball rolling on the stamp.” Harmanpreet Kaur also shared her experience of meeting the king: “It was a very nice experience. We came to England so many times, but this was our first time that we could meet the King.” The Indian women’s team won the T-20 series 3-2. Now they are preparing for the upcoming three-match ODI series starting in Southampton.
Siraj slapped with ‘big penalty’ by ICC!
After the much-talked incident on the 4th day at the Lord’s, India pacer Mohammed Siraj has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee after a breach of the ICC Code of Conduct. Siraj was accused of ‘crossing the line’ in his celebration of the dismissal of England opener Ben Duckett, prompting the hosts’ former skipper Alastair Cook to demand a hefty penalty against the pacer. The ICC paid heed to Cook’s suggestion and announced a penalty, as well as a demerit point for the pacer on Monday. The incident happened on the fourth day when Siraj produced a fiery opening spell to claim the scalps of Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope. After dismissing Duckett, the pacer celebrated, coming closer to the batsman in his follow-through and making contact as the opener began his walk back to the Lord’s long room. Siraj was guilty of breaching Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match”. In addition to the fine, one demerit point has been added to Siraj’s disciplinary record, for whom it was the second offence in 24 months, taking his tally to two demerit points. “Mohammed Siraj has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee after a breach in the ICC Code of Conduct during India’s Test match against England at Lord’s,” said the ICC in a statement. “After the dismissal, Siraj celebrated close to the batter in his follow-through and made contact as Duckett began his walk back to the Lord’s long room,” the statement added. When a player reaches four or more demerit points within 24 months, they are converted into suspension points, and the player is banned. “That’s unacceptable, but who is to blame now? Whether Duckett walked right into him and knew exactly what he was doing. Then again, you shouldn’t shout in someone’s face like that. I wholeheartedly say that was wrong. There should be no physical contact. Yes, celebrate a wicket like you mean it. But you’ve got him out; you don’t need to look him in the eye from three inches and shout in his face. So I expect there to be repercussions, and there should be repercussions. That is my opinion. I thought that crossed the line,” Cook had said on the BBC Test Match Special on Sunday. The moment was one of several fiery moments in a Test match likely to go down to the wire on day five.
Matured Bumrah prefers a muted celebration rather than jumping around!
The third Test between India and England, played at Lord’s in London, is in balance thanks to Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket haul in the first innings, which helped India bundle out England for 387. This was Bumrah’s 15th Test five-wicket haul and, in the process, got his name on the Lord’s Honours Board for the first time in his career. His 5/74 in 27 overs included five maidens, and he broke Kapil Dev’s (12) record for most five-fors by an Indian in overseas Tests with his 13th five-wicket haul away from home. When Mohammed Siraj passed on the ball to Bumrah to celebrate his milestone, the Indian ace pacer had a muted celebration, which led to speculations about him being unhappy with the proceedings. Clearing all the air, Bumrah said he was too ‘tired’ to celebrate. “The reality is that I was tired. There was no happiness factor missing. I bowled for a long time, and sometimes I get tired,” said a satisfied Bumrah with a smile during the press conference after the end of Day 2. “I’m not 21-22 anymore to jump around for celebration! I was happy I contributed—other than that, I just wanted to get back to my mark and bowl the next ball,” he added. Bumrah could only manage to pick just a solitary wicket of Harry Brook on the first day, but ended up taking four big scalps on the following day. When asked what adjustments he had made, Bumrah said, “There were not many technical changes that I made from yesterday (Day 1). The wicket was a little on the slower side, and sometimes the edges don’t carry, but we always knew that with the heat going on, when the wicket gets softer, it will get faster. It did quicken up a little bit,” he said. “Nothing massively that I changed. Obviously, you want to hit the top of the off-stump in Test cricket, the rule doesn’t change. You try to swing the ball and nip it. That’s common,” added Bumrah.
Football-wealthy Italy on the verge of qualifying for the T-20 World Cup!
Italy, a country famous for producing legendary footballers, may have failed to qualify for the last two editions of the Fifa World Cup, but the Azzurri are now on the cusp of making cricket history. The Italian minnows are just one win away from punching their ticket to the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka following their 12-run win over Scotland on Wednesday in the European qualifying tournament. All they need now is a win over the Netherlands on Friday in their final qualifying game to earn a historic berth at a cricket World Cup. Even a narrow defeat to the Dutch could be enough for them to qualify for the global T20 showpiece, thanks to their superior net run rate in the qualifying tournament. Outside of the full-member ICC nations from Europe, only the Netherlands and Scotland have qualified for the cricket World Cups in the past. If the Italian team manage to hold their nerve in the final qualifying game on Friday, it will be a historic moment for the International Cricket Council (ICC), which made considerable investments in developing the sport at the grassroots level across the world. Leading the Italian bid for a World Cup berth is Joe Burns, a former Australian batsman who scored four hundreds in 23 Test matches. Last year, Burns, whose grandparents were Italian, decided to move to Italy. After becoming eligible to play for Italy, the elegant opening batsman was named the captain of the team. His experience and leadership skills have now kept the great Italian cricket dream alive. The 35-year-old believes earning a spot in the T20 World Cup will be a groundbreaking moment for a country that still doesn’t have proper turf wickets. “It’s not lost on us the magnitude of the impact we can have on Italian cricket. We talk a lot as a team about creating a legacy for the generations to come after us,” Burns told the BBC. “To wear the Italian cap at the World Cup would make us a groundbreaking team. And we think we’ve got the team to get there.” Burns’ maternal grandparents left Italy for Australia following the First World War. But Italy always remained close to his heart, even as he made rapid strides as a cricketer in Australia. “I often reflect on the bravery and commitment it must have taken my grandparents when they left Italy to start a new life in Australia,” he said. “They found a way to make it work through adversity, and this has always given me solace through life’s lessons. “Now I’m so proud to represent Italy on our path to the 2026 World Cup.” On Friday, Burns will hope to lead from the front and pay the perfect tribute to his late brother, an amateur cricketer who died in 2023, by taking Italy to the World Cup.
Wiaan Mulder reveals Brian Lara’s conversation after declaring on an unbeaten 367
Despite a blockbuster debut as South Africa Test captain, Wiaan Mulder completed a thumping victory against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo with perhaps as many questions and plaudits after declaring the innings while batting on a mammoth 367 not out in the first innings. Anticipation was building towards a potential world record-breaking moment post Lunch on Day 2 as Mulder stood only 34 runs away from surpassing Brian Lara’s unbeaten 400, still the only quadruple Test century, against England in 2004. Several former cricketers and experts lamented Mulder’s decision to declare the innings before the resumption of play, as South Africa eventually went on to complete a comfortable innings and 236-run victory within three days. The 27-year-old Mulder later revealed that Lara had told him he should have taken the chance to shoot for the summit. “Now that things have settled a little bit, I have chatted a little bit to Brian Lara…He said to me I’m creating my legacy, and I should have gone for it. He said records are there to be broken and he wishes that if I’m ever in that position again, I actually go and score more than what he had,” Mulder told SuperSport. Talking about his decision to declare on 367, Mulder had said that he had committed to it out of respect for Lara’s stature in the game. “Firstly, I thought we had enough and we needed to bowl. Secondly, Brian Lara is a legend. For someone of that stature to keep that record is deserved. If I get the chance to do it again, I’d do it exactly the same way,” Mulder had said in a post-match interaction.
CID arrests Hyderabad Cricket Association chief Jagan Mohan Rao, and four others
Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) President A. Jagan Mohan Rao was arrested on Wednesday by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) for his alleged involvement in a ticketing scandal related to the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Rao, along with four other senior HCA officials – Treasurer C. Srinivas Rao, CEO Sunil Kante, General Secretary Rajender Yadav, and his wife G. Kavita – was taken into custody by the Telangana CID for questioning. The arrests follow allegations of forgery, financial misappropriation, and coercive practices surrounding the distribution of complimentary match tickets. The case was initiated after a complaint was lodged by Dharam Gurava Reddy, General Secretary of the Telangana Cricket Association (TCA), on 9th June. Based on this complaint, the CID registered a case under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged documents as genuine), 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant), and 420 (cheating), read with Section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention). It is alleged that Rao submitted a forged document to contest the HCA elections. Further accusations have emerged concerning the HCA’s attempts to pressure IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) into providing more complimentary tickets than stipulated. According to a tripartite agreement between SRH, the HCA, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the HCA is entitled to 3,900 complimentary tickets, equivalent to 10% of the stadium’s capacity. However, HCA officials allegedly demanded an additional 10%, which SRH refused.
Kohli’s jokes: Coloring beard was an indication to retire from Test!
Virat Kohli jokingly cited one of the reasons behind his decision to say goodbye to Test cricket at a function in London on Tuesday. At an event in London, organized by former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh to raise funds for the YouWeCan Foundation, Kohli was told, while on stage, that everyone misses him on the field. To this, Kohli responded with a smile: “I just colored my beard two days ago. You know it’s time when you are coloring your beard every four days.” However, the former Indian skipper showed gratitude to his biggest ally in the Indian team, former India coach Ravi Shastri. “If I was not working with him, what happened in Test cricket wouldn’t have been possible – the clarity which we had together is very hard to find, it’s everything for cricketers to grow in their careers. If he didn’t back me the way he did, those press conferences where he took the bullets from the front line – things would have been different, and I always have respect and regard for him, for being a massive part of my cricket journey,” Kohli said about Shastri. Kohli was also spotted attending games at Wimbledon with Anushka Sharma. “2015 was our first experience of being at the Centre Court. ” “We always planned to come back, but could not make it happen for various reasons. But now we have a bit of time on our hands. So here we are again,” Kohli said while talking to tennis legend Vijay Amritraj for Star Sports. “I think the experience (in pressure situations) can be similar. But the intimidation factor and the pressure that would replicate for us in a World Cup game, a World Cup match between India and Pakistan, or a semifinal or a final of the World Cup, your legs are shivering because of sheer pressure.”
Prithvi Shaw to join Maharashtra; ‘happy to play alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad
Former international batsman Prithvi Shaw, who left Mumbai after a nightmarish phase, has motored across the expressway to join Maharashtra at its Pune base for the upcoming Ranji season. In a bid to rejuvenate his career and start a new innings by joining Maharashtra, Shaw expressed gratitude to the MCA for giving him the opportunity. The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) simultaneously called it a strategic shift, seen as a significant development in Indian domestic cricket, strengthening the Maharashtra team further. Having represented India across three formats, Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, Shaw also turned out for Delhi Lady in the IPL. Despite his aggressive batting and match-winning capabilities, Shaw had seen a steady diminishing of runs and will look to roar back into form, which held plenty of promise when he returned as captain of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2018. However, persistent technical glitches in his batting and fitness concerns have caused Shaw to plateau in performance. Shaw will look to bulge his 13 first-class centuries count and add to the amassed mountain of 4500 runs so far in his career. The MCA press release quoted Shaw as saying, “At this stage of my career, I believe joining the Maharashtra team will help me grow further as a cricketer. I am deeply grateful to the Mumbai Cricket Association for the opportunities and support I have received over the years. The Maharashtra Cricket Association has made remarkable efforts in recent years to enhance cricketing infrastructure across the state. Initiatives like the Maharashtra Premier League, Women’s MPL, Corporate Shield, and D.B. Deodhar Tournament are testament to their vision. I’m confident that being part of such a progressive setup will positively impact my journey as a cricketer.”
Sanju Samson becomes the most expensive player at KCL auction, joins Kochi Blue Tigers for Rs 26.80 Lakh
Sanju Samson has officially become the most expensive player in Kerala Cricket League (KCL) history, as the India international was picked up by Kochi Blue Tigers for a staggering Rs 26.80 lakh in the Season 2 player auction held in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday (5th July). The Kochi franchise broke the bank for Samson, whose bidding war started at Rs 5 lakh. Unsurprisingly, there was a bidding war for the biggest name in the auction, with Thrissur Titans taking the bid to Rs 20 lakh. Finally, the star player was bagged by Kochi. It is fascinating that Kochi splashed 26.80 lac, which is more than 50% of the total purse allotted (Rs 50 lac) to all the franchises. Now, it could be quite hard for them to form the rest of the team with the remaining Rs 23.2 lakh. The price tag shattered the previous auction record of Rs 7.4 lakh, paid for M. Sajeevan Akhil by Trivandrum Royals in the inaugural edition. In fact, Basil Thampi, this year’s first player to go under the hammer, went to the Royals for Rs 8.4 lakh, but that was before Kochi made headlines with their all-in bid for the biggest name in the pool. Last year, Sanju Samson featured in KCL 2024 only as the league’s ambassador, unable to play due to his international commitments. However, with India’s calendar relatively clear ahead of the (likely) Asia Cup 2025, the 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batter made himself available for the auction this time around. After a disrupted IPL 2025, where injuries and poor form restricted him to just 285 runs in 9 innings (with one fifty), the KCL will give him valuable game time and a shot at regaining form before national selection picks up pace again. With the Kerala Cricket League 2025 scheduled from 21st August 21 to 6th September, Samson’s participation will bring both eyeballs and crowds.
