Sports Highlights

The following are the top stories at 1715 hours: SPO-CRI-ICC-RANKINGS India lose top spot in ICC Test rankings to Australia Dubai, May 1 (PTI) India lost the top spot in the ICC Test rankings to Australia on Friday, dropping to third after their stupendous 2016-17 record was eliminated from the annual update as per rules. SPO-CRI-PANDYA-RAZZAQ Pandya nowhere near league of Kapil paaji, Bumrah on way to becoming world-class: Razzaq By Bharat Sharma New Delhi, May 1 (PTI) Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq says Hardik Pandya is nowhere near the league of Kapil Dev and needs to work harder to become a world-class cricketer.

SPO-CRI-LANGER-IND Ultimate goal is to beat India in their backyard: Langer after Australia reclaim top rank Melbourne, May 1 (PTI) Reclaiming the top spot in Test cricket has brought smiles back on their faces but Australia coach Justin Langer says beating India in their own den remains the ultimate test and their numero uno status will be put to test when they clash with the Virat Kohli-led team. SPO-CRI-NZC-AWARD Taylor bags New Zealand Cricketer of the year award Wellington, May 1 (PTI) Veteran batsman Ross Taylor bagged the prestigious New Zealand Cricketer of the Year award on Friday, winning the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the third time for excelling across formats.

SPO-VIRUS-AUS-BALL Australia restricts use of saliva, sweat to shine ball under COVID-19 guidelines New Delhi, May 1 (PTI) Australia will not allow the use of saliva or sweat to shine the ball once cricket training resumes in the post COVID-19 world, says a framework released by the federal government regarding the staged return of sports amid the pandemic. SPO-VIRUS-CWG-YOUTH COVID-19 impact: CGF postpones 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games to 2023 New Delhi, May 1 (PTI) The 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games was on Friday postponed to 2023 because of clash of dates with Tokyo Olympics, which has been pushed back by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

SPO-HOCK-DILPREET Dilpreet reveals how coach Reid's pep talk revived his hockey career Bengaluru, May 1 (PTI) Sidelined after a disappointing World Cup campaign in 2018, young India hockey team striker Dilpreet Singh revealed it was chief coach Graham Reid's pep talk during a junior training camp that motivated him to work hard and reclaim his spot in the senior side. SPO-CRI-SANGAKKARA-PAK England and Australia should help in bringing international cricket back to Pakistan: Sangakkara London, May 1 (PTI) MCC President Kumar Sangakkara has advocated a revival of international cricket in Pakistan, calling on powerhouses like England and Australia to take the leading role in this endeavour.

SPO-CRI-UMAR-SETHI Umar suffers from epilepsy, plays for himself: Najam Sethi Karachi, May 1 (PTI) In a startling revelation, former PCB Chairman Najam Sethi has claimed that banned Test batsman Umar Akmal suffers from epilepsy for which he had refused to take treatment..