Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada to play for MI Cape Town in CSA T20 League: Afghanistan spin wizard Rashid Khan and South African pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada have been signed by MI Cape Town, a franchise in the Cricket South Africa (CSA) T20 League. The two names mentioned above are among the five direct signings made by MI Cape Town.



Notably, Reliance Industries, owner of the most successful Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians, have gone global by acquiring a franchise based in Cape Town in the Cricket South Africa (CSA) T20 league.?In addition to this, Reliance Industries have also bought a franchise (MI Emirates) in the UAE?s International League T20. 



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The franchise will take part in the inaugural season of the CSA T20 League under the brand identity ?MI Cape Town.??



Besides Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada, MI Cape Town bagged English premier all-rounder Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran along with talented uncapped Protea batter Dewald Bravid.



For the IPL reference, Rashid Khan plays for Gujarat Titans, Kagiso Rabada and Liam are signed by Punjab Kings while Dewald Bravis played his first IPL season in 2022 with Mumbai Indians. Meanwhile, Sam Curran, last featured in the IPL for CSK, pulled out of the IPL 2022 due to injury concerns.



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As per the rules and regulations set up for the league, each of the six competing franchises will get to sign five players - three foreign, one capped and one uncapped South African, ahead of the auctions.?MI Cape Town are the first team to officially announce its five pre-signings.



Akash Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Jio, welcomed all the five pre-signings as Mumbai Indians take their first global step towards building the MI philosophy.&nbsp;



"I'm excited as we begin our journey in building MI Cape Town," Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio, the owners of MI Cape Town, said. "With our direct player signings, we have taken the first step towards building the MI philosophy - having a strong core around which the team will be planned. I am glad to welcome Rashid, Kagiso, Liam, Sam, to the #OneFamily and happy to have Dewald continue with us on this new journey."



ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/asia-cup-2022-team-indias-possible-best-middle-order-for-asia-cup-analysis/">Asia Cup 2022: Team India?s Possible Best Middle Order For Asia Cup, Analysis.</a>

Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada to play for MI Cape Town in CSA T20 League

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SA20 2024 Points Table: MI Cape Town (MICT) and Pretoria Capitals (PC) locked horns in the 26th game of the ongoing South Africa's premier T20 league, SA20 2024. The fixture was held at SuperSport Park in Centurian on February 01. MI Cape Town won the game by 34 runs, after posting a massive total of 248 runs, and kept their hopes alive for the SA20 2024 Playoffs.



With the playoff qualification at stake, both MI Cape Town and Pretoria Capitals couldn't afford to lose any more games. The MI Cape Town was at the bottom of the SA20 2024 Points Table and now with the win against Pretoria Capitals (PC), they have made a huge stride to sit in fourth place.



MI's victory was a result of their batters' fantastic knocks. Batting first MI Cape Town managed to put up 248 runs on the scoreboard. The key contributors of MI's massive total were?Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Bravis, Sam Curran and Kieron Pollard.



Opener Ryan Rickelton played a sensational innings of 90 runs in just 45 deliveries. Young Dewald Bravis tormented the Pretoria bowlers with his 66-run knock in 32 balls. The two sublime knocks were followed by a couple of cameos from Sam Curran, who played a 12-ball 22-run cameo, and skipper Kieron Pollard, who 3 sixes and 2 fours to score 27 runs in a mere 7 deliveries.



At the end of the 20 overs, MI Cape Town had a pile of runs which was enough to take them to victory. MICT plundered a total of 248 runs in 20 overs in the loss of 4 wickets.



The chase wasn't going to be easy for the Pretoria Capitals. The scoreboard pressure right from the start of the innings, kept the Capitals on their toes. MI Cape Town made most of the run-rate pressure and pushed the Capitals in backfoot early on with their bowling.



In 6 overs, Pretoria Capitals saw six of their wickets fall and the chase, then, looked impossible for them. In fact, it seemed as if the team would never manage to cross the 100-run mark. However, Kyle Verreyenne had some other plans. When he got the support of Wayne Parnell from the other end, who just didn't let the wickets fall anymore, Verreyenne unleashed his range of shots.



The number 3 batter did his best to take the game as deep as possible, however, the target put up by MICT was not meant to be hunted down by just a single batter's innings. Though Verreynne played an unbeaten knock of 116 runs and took his side's score to 214, he needed some assistance from the other end as well.



In the end, Pretoria Capitals could only score 214 runs in 20 overs and lost the game by 34 runs. Below is the Updated <a href="https://www.sa20.co.za/">SA20</a> 2024 Points Table after the fixture:



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SA20 2024 Points Table after MI Cape Town vs Pretoria Capitals</h2>



MI Cape Town, riding on the back of their win, have jumped to the fourth spot in the SA20 2024 Points Table. With a much better net run rate of +0.066, MICT went over the Joburg Super Kings, who have a slightly lower net run rate.



Meanwhile, Pretoria Capitals slide to the bottom of the table with just two wins from nine matches so far. The Capitals have 10 points to their name, and still are in the race of the playoffs, given some fixtures go their way.



Durban Super Giants, Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Paarl Royals have already qualified for the SA20 2024 Playoffs owing to their fantastic run in the tournament. 



The bottom three teams of the SA20 2024 Points Table will fight for the last vacant playoff place. MI Cape Town have the highest likelihood of sealing the fourth place, however, anything can be possible.



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Ranks</td><td>Teams</td><td>Mat</td><td>Won</td><td>Lost</td><td>Tied</td><td>NR</td><td>Pts</td><td>Bonus Pts</td><td>NRR</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Durban Super Giants (Q)</td><td>9</td><td>7</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>32</td><td>4</td><td>1.603</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Sunrisers Eastern Cape (Q)</td><td>8</td><td>5</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>24</td><td>2</td><td>1.207</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Paarl Royals (Q)</td><td>8</td><td>5</td><td>3</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>22</td><td>2</td><td>-0.355</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>MI Cape Town</td><td>9</td><td>3</td><td>6</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>13</td><td>1</td><td>-1.951</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Joburg Super Kings</td><td>9</td><td>2</td><td>5</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>13</td><td>1</td><td>-1.951</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Pretoria Capitals</td><td>9</td><td>2</td><td>6</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>10</td><td>0</td><td>-1.274</td></tr></tbody></table><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">*Updated on February 01.</figcaption></figure>



ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/ind-vs-eng-2nd-test-players-to-watch-out-for-during-india-vs-england-2nd-test-england-tour-of-india-2024/">IND vs ENG 2nd Test: Players to Watch Out For during India vs England 2nd Test | England tour of India 2024</a>

SA20 2024 Points Table: Updated SA20 Team Rankings [February 02] after MI Cape Town vs Pretoria Capitals, Match 26

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The 2025 ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup begins January 18 in Malaysia, featuring 16 teams in four groups competing for the coveted title. India aims to defend their championship.

A thrilling U19 Women’s T20 World Cup kicks off in Malaysia, with 16 teams battling for glory in four groups.

ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup 2025 Schedule, Full Fixture, Teams, Venues and All You Need to Know!

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The 5th &amp; Final Test-Match in Sydney between Fierce-Rivals Australia and India ended today and the home team secured an easy six-wicket win and this win allowed them to secure the series by 3-1.This win of the Aussies has also made some significant changes in the overall standings of the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. 
Talking about the contest, the Jasprit Bumrah-led team were at 124-4 in their 2nd inning and they were looking set to set a big target for the Pat Cummins-led team. However, the Australian bowlers were in deadly mood as their perfect bowling display led to Team India suffering a batting collapse and they lost wickets in quick succession and eventually got bundled out for a mere score of 157 runs. 
Wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant fought the lone warrior's battle as he played an impressive inning of 61 runs in just 33 deliveries but he didn't get any kind of support from his fellow batters at the other end and the Kangaroos took full advantage of this and eventually the game turned in the favour of the Defending Champions. 
For the Australian team, Scott Boland took 6 wickets while giving away 45 runs while skipper Pat Cummins also played a good hand with figures of 3-44 next to his name. 
The Aussies were given a target of 162 runs to win the Sydney Test-Match but they lost wickets unnecessarily as Sam Konstas (22 runs in 17 deliveries), Marnus Labuschagne (6 runs in 20 deliveries), and Steve Smith (4 runs in 9 balls) went back to the pavilion cheaply, leaving the Australian team suddenly in a dire position of 58/3.
Next, opening batter Usman Khawaja played a good knock of 41 runs in 45 deliveries which allowed his team to initiate a comeback in the contest. If Bumrah wouldn't have got injured, then Khawaja wouldn't even get the chance to go past the 10 runs mark. 
Without the availability of Bumrah, the Aussie batters started to play their shots freely and theu began creating a lot of pressure on the Indian bowling unit. While Prasidh Krishna did his best to help his team stay alive in the contest, he began to falter and this worked in the favour of the Australians. 
As a result, the duo of Beau Webster &amp; Travis Head got involved in a strong partnership for thethe fifth wicket and added 58 runs in just 53 balls and this turned out to be winning factor. They helped their team reach a score of 162-4 and the Kangaroos won the encounter by a margin of six wickets.
<h2>WTC Final Chance:</h2>
Pat Cummins-led Aussies have successfully qualified for the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) Final after securing the BGT series 3-1. Temba Bavuma-led South Africa have already secured their tickets for the Final after defeating Pakistan in the first Test-Match. 
Keeping the statistics in mind, Team India have failed to qualify for the WTC Final for the first time since 2021. They are ranked third in the overall Standings with a PCT of 50. South Africa are the table toppers with a PCT of 66.67 while the Kangaroos are ranked 2nd with 63.73 PCT next to their name. They are followed by the likes of New Zealand (48.21) and Sri Lanka (45.45) respectively.
Do Read: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/india-vs-pakistan-will-the-two-rivals-play-a-test-match-versus-each-other-this-english-legend-wants-them-to-play-in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India vs Pakistan: Will the two rivals play a test match versus each other? This English legend wants them to play in</a>

Indian Captain Rohit Sharma couldn't really have a say in the way things panned out in the Sydney Test-Match| Image: Getty Images

Can Team India still qualify for the WTC Final after suffering an embarrassing defeat in the Sydney Test-Match Or have they been eliminated completely?

Team India lost the Sydney Test Match, do they have any chances of qualifying for the WTC Final? Explained!

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Day 3 of the fifth and final test between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground ended India's one-and-a-half-month-long tour of Australia. With that, Australia also ended their long wait to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and won it with a margin of 3-1.
Apart from the first test, Australia dominated India throughout the series, including the third day at SCG. As a result, the Australian crowd was also animated and tried to put pressure on Team India. But Virat Kohli, who is known for his passionate persona, came up with his own way to answer.
<h2>IND vs AUS: Virat Kohli mocks Australian crowd with "Sandpapar" gesture on Day 3</h2>
The Australian crowd has a history of involvement with visiting teams time and time again, and this BGT 2024-25 was not new. There were many instances during the series when they targeted Indian players. Especially when it comes to Virat Kohli, the Australian crowd often welcomes him or reacts to his actions with boos. But Virat has always been the approach of giving it back.
Something similar happened on Sunday as well. Notably, Virat was the stand-in captain in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Responding to Australian crowds, Virat gestures with his "empty pocket." This incident happened just when Steve Smith got out on Day 3. Smith was part of the infamous "Sandpapergate" incident during a Cape Town test against South Africa in 2018.
Australia used sandpaper in order to tamper with the cricket ball to get more reverse swing from the ball. Unfortunately for them, it was caught on camera, and players involved in it, Smith, along with David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, faced bans. As a result, Virat was seen doing the "sandpapar" gesture after Smith's wickets to provoke the Australian fans.
As soon as it happened, the video of the incident went viral, and everyone was talking about it on social media. Speaking of the game, India started Day 3 at 142/6 and were bowled out for 157 runs, setting a target of 161 to win. Australia reached the target with six wickets in hand and registered the 3-1 series win. It was their first BGT win since 2014-15. With this, they also qualified for the final of the World Test Championship 2023-25.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/3-big-positives-for-team-india-from-the-embarrassing-bgt-series-loss-against-australia/">3 Big Positives for Team India from the Embarrassing BGT Series Loss against Australia</a>

Virat Kohli was the Stand-in captain for Team India in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.

Watch: Virat Kohli teases the over-aggressive Australian crowd with "Sandpapar" gesture on Day 3

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The Australian Cricket Team, under the leadership of Pat Cummins successfully defeated Team India in the Sydney Test-Match by a margin of six wickets and this wicket helped them to seal the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series by 3-1.
While the Aussie players are going to be really happy with this series win, the Indians on the other hand, are facing a lot of criticism following the series defeat especially the Indian batters. Senior players like Virat Kohli are the main targets of the critics. 
In the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, Kohli got dismissed on the outside off-stump line eight times and versus the Aussie bowlers, the former Indian skipper looked helpless &amp; cluseless versus the them. Now, AB De Villiers, the South African legend has made a huge revelation regarding how the former Indian and RCB skipper can tackle the outside off-stump deliveries.
<h2>'Every Batsman in the world struggles with some weakness'</h2>
AB De Villiers said, "He (Virat) can definitely find a solution to the the outside off-stump deliveries. Every batsman out there has a weakness and if I talk about myself, then the deliveries which used to come towards the pads in a straight line used to trouble me a lot. But I learnt from it and scored a lot of runs in the remainder of my career. 
I still remember the Test-Series versus England (ENG). The series kicked off on a positive note and I scored good amount of runs in the Durban Test-Match and everything was going smoothly. But, then the duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson started dismissing me on a successive note and especially, with the new ball, I got out constantly".
<h2>What's the solution to the problem of Virat Kohli? </h2>
AB de Villiers believes that old balls keep running in the mind of the 36-year-old, which automatically affects the next forthcoming delivery. What happened before on the previous ball doesn't matter... He (Virat) should play every ball like a new and fresh one, he should just forget thinking about the previous deliveries. If finds success in doing this properly, then he can play the outside off-stump deliveries in a much better way.
Do Read: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/3-big-positives-for-team-india-from-the-embarrassing-bgt-series-loss-against-australia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3 Big Positives for Team India from the Embarrassing BGT Series Loss against Australia</a>

Scott Boland got the better of Virat Kohli for the fourth time in the BGT 2024-25 series | Image: Getty Images

Virat Kohli has struggled a lot with the outside off-stump deliveries in the ongoing BGT Series

Will Virat Kohli stop getting dismissed on the outside off stump line now? AB De Villiers gives a solution

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India batter Virat Kohli has been at the receiving end of heavy criticism after his failures in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The batter looked torrid with the bat in the majority of the series and there have been calls related to his retirement as well. 
Virat Kohli, who hit a century in the first Test, looked absolutely torrid with the bat in the rest of the games of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The premier batter was troubled by the balls outside off stump as it brought his downfall in almost every match of the five-match Test series. 
When Virat Kohli hit a century in Perth, it was expected that he would have a breakthrough series and would be setting the stage on fire. But that wasn't the case, as, after the ton in the opening match, he failed in the entire series and ended up getting just around 90 runs in the rest of the games. 
Since 2020, Virat Kohli has looked extremely torrid with the bat and has been averaging just in the 20s. This has seen him getting a lot of criticism for his poor outings. Many fans and experts have lashed out at him for his poor performances and hence they want him to make way for youngster. 
One of the heavy criticism came from Irfan Pathan, who pointed out the batter's poor average, saying that Virat Kohli averaged just 15 in the first innings of the Test. He said that the players with these low averages don't deserve a place in the Indian Team. 
<h2>He has made a lot of runs, but in 2024, batting in the first innings where you set up the match, Kohli averages just 15 - Irfan Pathan</h2>
Irfan Pathan added that it's time for Virat Kohli to make way for youngsters and that even young players will maintain a batting average of 25-30. Speaking to Star Sports, he explained: 
"He has made a lot of runs, but in 2024, batting in the first innings where you set up the match, Kohli averages just 15. If we take out his stats for the last five years, he barely averages 30. Does the Indian team deserve that from its senior player? It's better to give a youngster a long run, tell him to get ready; even that guy will maintain a batting average of 25-30." 
India's next Test series will be against England. It remains to be seen if he will be part of the series or not.
Read Also: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/shocking-jasprit-bumrah-accused-of-using-sandpaper-video-goes-viral/">Shocking! Jasprit Bumrah accused of using sandpaper, video goes viral</a>

India batter Virat Kohli has been at the receiving end of heavy criticism after his failures in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.