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Brisbane, Dec 11 (IANS) Australia opener Nathan McSweeney said he is enjoying the experience of working on countering India’s fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and is hoping for him to play in the third game at Brisbane.

Bumrah trapped McSweeney lbw for 10 and 0 in Perth, in what was the opener’s debut Test. But McSweeney responded back by making 39 in Australia’s first innings in Adelaide under lights before being dismissed by Bumrah on day two’s first session.

But by then, McSweeney had shared a 67-run stand for the second wicket with Marnus Labuschagne that set up Australia’s series-levelling ten-wicket win at the Adelaide Oval, which also saw Bumrah suffering an injury scare after suffering pain in his left adductor muscle.

“If you want to win you want to do it with the best guys. Hopefully he is charging in and hopefully we can play really well. Facing him for the first time, he is a unique bowler and obviously world class. He is a little bit different to most bowlers I have faced so it is about adapting to his angle and where he delivers on the crease.”

“I got two pretty good balls from him (in Perth) so you’ve got to wear that on the chin and trust what you have been doing is good enough. He got me again in Adelaide. I am really enjoying the experience of trying to work out a game plan on the run against a world class bowler.”

“Hopefully I will get better the more I face him and hopefully throw a few more punches here at the Gabba. To get a bowler like Jasprit early on in my career, it is not going to get much tougher than that. It is awesome fun. It is challenging no doubt but it is nice to get a little confidence from Adelaide and hopefully continue through the series,” said McSweeny to reporters on Wednesday.

Australia playing third Test against India at the Gabba, starting on December 14, also brings McSweeney, 25, back in Queensland, where he began his cricket career, before moving on to South Australia. The right-handed batter said batting on the Gabba pitch, known for its true bounce, will help him show his array of shots.

“I know I can withstand a bit of pressure and hopefully I can get a big score here in Brisbane. You never really know if you are up to it until you spend some time in the middle and get a bit of confidence,” he concluded.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 15 (IANS) Australia, USA, New Zealand, Germany, England, Poland and the Netherlands are among 24 countries that have confirmed their participation in the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup, to be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium and Noida Indoor Stadium from January 13-19, 2025.

A total of 24 countries from all six continents will have 41 international teams in the week-long mega event, said Sudhanshu Mittal, president of Kho Kho Federation of India, who is also chairman of the World Cup organising committee.

As many as 21 men and 20 women teams from Europe, Oceania, Asia, Africa, North America and the South American continents will compete for the world title, which will be held on a league-cum-knockout basis, he added.

He said that 615 players and 125 support staff will take part in the global event. Each team will comprise 15 players, one coach, one manager, and international technical officials.

The USA is the sole team from North America to take part in the championship, while England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland will represent Europe. USA will send only men’s team while England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland will send both men’s and women’s teams.

Australia and New Zealand will represent Oceania, while Argentina, Brazil and Peru will represent South America. Australia will send both men’s and women’s teams, while New Zealand will be represented by a women’s team only.

Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda will represent Africa. Kenya and South Africa will send both men’s and women’s teams while Ghana will send a men’s team and Uganda will send a women’s team only. Argentina and Brazil will be represented by only men’s teams, while Peru will send both men’s and women’s teams.

India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, South Korea, and Sri Lanka teams have confirmed their participation from Asia. Among Asian countries, Indonesia will send only the women’s team, while all other countries will send both the men’s and women’s teams.

Mittal said that all teams have shared their scheduled arrivals. Sri Lanka will arrive on January 10, while all other teams will arrive on January 11 at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi.

He said that host country India will provide accommodation, catering, and transport facilities to the participating teams during the entire World Cup championship.

Technical Officials from overseas will assist the host country in main ground operations like refereeing, scoring, compilation, time clock, etc, he added.

The necessary technical arrangements, including installation of video scoreboards, poles, etc., are being made, and a number of volunteers, both sports-specific and general, have been identified and trained for the mega event, Mittal added.

–IANS

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