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By K.R. Nayar  Australia’s opening batter Usman Khawaja has roughed up the cricketing world with his explosive claims that the entire team knew about the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering incident, infamously known as ‘Sandpapergate’. Following the incident, captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were the only three players punished for their involvement in the scheme. Is such a revelation by Khawaja, after eight years of silence, meant to sell his autobiography, ‘Sabr’, or is it the truth? Khawaja claims that discussions about roughing up the ball had taken place in the dressing room and that Bancroft had volunteered to use the material. He also says that sandpaper had been used during the preceding Test at Port Elizabeth. Khawaja's autobiography is titled Sabr, meaning patience. However patient the cricketing world may be, the truth is unlikely to be revealed. None of the players, right from the present Australian skipper Pat Cummins, who were in that...

By K.R. Nayar Dubai. Former Indian allrounder Robin Singh and West Indies’ explosive batter Nicholas Pooran have joined forces to shape a new team called the Royal Desert Champions, which will compete in the Abu Dhabi T10 starting on November 7. An evening spent with the team, its support staff and owners during the unveiling of their jersey at the InterContinental Hotel in Dubai Festival City revealed one thing: this is no ordinary collection of cricketers. It is a squad assembled to challenge, compete and, quite possibly, intimidate. Everything about the team looked professional, and the attention to detail was evident throughout the colourful function. The theme of the Royal Desert Champions displayed at the team jersey launch funtion. Photo by K.R. Nayar  Paying attention to the smallest details is the hallmark of a top team. The team’s colour is red, and they made sure that the entire venue wore that colour. There was no shortage of red, either on the stage or in the atmos...

By K.R. Nayar  Glenn Maxwell has called it a day. He was one of the finest demolishers of bowling that the game has ever seen – a legend of limited-overs cricket. He could transform a respectable bowling attack into a collection of bewildered men as to what has hit them.  I have had the rare honour of having reported his first international match when he made his ODI debut at Sharjah on August 25, 2012, against Afghanistan. I was fortunate to report his T20I debut against Pakistan on September 5, 2012, in Dubai, and his last ODI match against India, 13 years later, on March 4, 2025, at the same venue during the ICC Champions Trophy. But reporting his unbeaten knock of 201 against Afghanistan at the Wankhede Stadium on November 7, 2023, was an absolute joy. This knock is hailed as one of the finest match-winning innings ever played. It took Australia into the semi-finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup and they eventually emerged champions, beating India in the final at Ahmeda...

By K.R. Nayar There seems to be a huge challenge facing India’s ODI team, which will play New Zealand in a five-match series starting on November 4, 2026. It is not just about winning the series, as their T20 team did, but about proving that they are formidable in all departments of the game. By losing two consecutive matches after taking an unassailable 3–0 lead in the T20I series, India eventually finished 3–2. And this will surely be a morale booster for New Zealand. Though T20 is different from ODI cricket, a 5–0 series sweep by India would have certainly given their ODI team jitters. India’s 87-run defeat in Auckland and the seven-wicket defeat in Hamilton have raised two questions. Was it India’s complacency, or did New Zealand work out a formula to dismantle India’s aggressive approach? Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer remarked that the team wanted to experiment and challenge themselves. But there will be questions asked on the need to experiment and take their feet off the accel...

By K.R. Nayar Being an admirer of good cinema and acting, it is exciting to write about a unique and special happening in the film world. Praveka Film Company, which will be based in Dubai, was officially launched in Kochi, Kerala, on October 23, 2026   and inaugurated by megastar Mammootty. Founded by a family that breathes cinema, Praveka’s vision is to take cinema to audiences across the GCC and major international markets, connecting films with the right theatres, platforms and audiences. Launch of Praveka Film Company by mega star Mammootty with top film personalities Kavya Venu is the founder and CEO of the company, while Priya Venu is the Managing Partner. Backing their vision is Kavya’s father, Venu Kunnappilly, who is today one of the Malayalam film industry's most successful producers. His wife, Priya, who has been the strength behind several mega-hit movies, comes to the fore with her strong background in film distribution and market strategy. I have personally experie...

By K.R. Nayar Is Abhishek Sharma the most dangerous batter in world cricket today? His knock of 113 off 38 balls, with 11 sixes and nine boundaries, against New Zealand at Wellington, which gave India a six-wicket win with 40 balls to spare, raises this question. He is not merely a demolisher of bowlers but a threat to the whole bowling fraternity. To demolish the New Zealand bowling attack on their home soil, in front of their home crowd, was too brutal, merciless and impolite.  It would have been generous if Abhishek had apologised to the New Zealand bowlers for subjecting them to such ruthless hitting. He made one of the finest teams in the world look like a group of club cricketers. At one stage it looked like he was not chasing the target of 199 but simply practicing how far he can hit the cricket ball. The fact is that 102 of his 113 runs came from boundaries and sixes. Only 11 runs came from running between the wickets! Did he run those 11 to give the scorers a breather?...