Sports World, December 11, 2023: Odisha FC Enter AFC Cup Knock-Outs; England Announce Test Squad For Tour Of India, Travis Head Named ICC Player Of The Month For November - As It Happened

New week, new sporting action. Monday saw a lot of adrenaline-pumping action and updates in various arenas. The Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final line-up was confirmed, with Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Haryana and Karnataka making the cut. England named a 16-member squad for the Test series in India, and Travis Head was named the ICC Player Of The Month for November. In football, Odisha FC made the AFC Cup knock-outs for the first time ever, and the Khelo India Para Games kicked off in Delhi. Catch all the highlights from December 11, 2023 right here. (Cricket News | Football News | Hockey News | December 10 Highlights)

11:45pm: Rishabh Pant IPL Update
In what will come as heartening news for Indian cricket fans, Rishabh Pant is expected to return to action on the field with the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League for Delhi Capitals. Read our report here to know more.

11pm: Odisha FC Enter AFC Cup Knock-Outs!
Odisha FC have beaten Bangladesh's Basundhara Kings 1-0, riding on Mourtada Fall's 61st-minute strike to qualify for the AFC Cup knock-out for the first time ever. 

10:30pm: FIFA Club World Cup Starts Tomorrow
Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad will take on OFC Champions League winners Auckland City in the opening match of FIFA Club World Cup 2023 on Tuesday, December 12. Manchester City will feature in the knockout stage. All you need to know about the tournament is in our report here.

10:19 PM: India Can Win 200 Medals At 2030 Asian Para Games, Says Anurag Thakur
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday said that India can aim for 200 medals in the 2030 Asian Para Games, nearly twice the country's historic tally in the recent edition in China. Read more here.

9:07 PM: India Vs South Africa 2nd T20I - Key Battles
Ahead of the 2nd T20I, check out the three key battles for the IND Vs RSA T20 match to be played at Gqeberha. Here are the key battles to watch out

6:30 PM: PAK Team Director Claims Warm-Up Match Pitch As 'Slowest Ever'
While discussing the pitch used for the team's four-day practice match against Australia's Prime Minister XI last week, Pakistan's Director of Cricket Mohammad Hafeez cut a furious figure. 

6:00 PM: ECB Announces 16-Member Squad For Test Series Against India

4:40 PM: Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023, Quarter-Finals: Results
Bengal Vs Haryana 1st QFs
Haryana win by 4 wickets!

Brief Score: Bengal - 225/10 (50)
Shahbaz Ahmed - 100 (118),  Abhishek Porel - 24 (41)  |  Yuzvendra Chahal: (10-0-37-4)

Haryana - 226/6 (45.1)
Aniket Kumar - 102 (102),  Ashok Menaria - 39 (71)  |  Pradipta Pramanik: (7-1-39-2)

Rajasthan Vs Kerala 2nd QFs
Rajasthan win by 200 runs!

Brief Score: Rajasthan - 267/8 (50)
Mahipal Lomror - 122 (114),  Kunal Singh Rathore - 66 (52)  |  Akhin Sathar: (10-0-62-4)

Kerala - 67/9 (21)
Sachin Baby - 28 (39),  Rohan Kunnummal - 11 (21)  |  Aniket Chaudhary: (7-1-4-4)

Vidarbha Vs Karnataka 3rd QFs

Karnataka win by 7 wickets!

Brief Score: Vidarbha - 173/10 (44.5)
Shubham Dubey - 41 (59),  Yash Kadam - 38 (72)  |  Vijaykumar Vyshak: (8.5-2-44-4)

Karnataka - 177/3 (40.3)
Ravikumar Samarth - 72 (113),  Mayank Aggarwal - 51 (64)  |  Harsh Dubey: (10-1-32-2)

Mumbai Vs Tamil Nadu 4th QFs

Tamil Nadu win by 7 wickets!

Brief Score: Mumbai - 227/10 (48.3)
Prasad Pawar - 59 (58), Shivam Dubey - 45 (49)  |  Varun Chakaravarthy: (10-0-37-3)

Tamil Nadu - 229/3 (43.2)
Baba Indrajith - 103 (98),  Vijay Shankar - 51 (58)  |  Mohit Avasthi: (7.2-0-46-1)

3:50 PM: Twickenham To Host Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 Final

Twickenham will host the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup final, with Sunderland's Stadium of Light hosting the first game. The news was made on Monday by World Rugby and the Rugby Football Union after it was announced in August which eight venues will be utilised for the competition. The Red Roses will kick off the World Cup on 22 August at the 48,707-seater Stadium of Light before concluding the 16-team competition on 27 September at Twickenham.

3:00 PM: ICC Player Of The Month (November) - Travis Head

Travis Head, Australia's World Cup-winning star, was named the ICC Men's Player of the Month for November 2023, following a stellar month. Head defeated tight opposition from compatriot Glenn Maxwell and India seamer Mohammed Shami to win the award.

2:30 PM: Holder, Pooran, Mayers Decline WI Central Contract

Premier white ball players Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holders, and Kyle Mayers have rejected to join the West Indies roster for the 2023-24 season, joining an increasing number of cricketers who refuse to sign the West Indies' central contract. 

List of contracted WI players: 

Men: Alick Athanaze, Kraigg Brathwaite, Keacy Carty, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.

Women: Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Jannillea Glasgow, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Mandy Mangru, Hayley Matthews, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams.

2:00 PM: Women's Cricket Progressed More, Says Ganguly

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly believes women's cricket has made more advances in terms of growth and reach since 2019, maybe more than men's cricket. 

1:30 PM: 'Impact Player' Amanjot Kaur Earns Praise

All-rounder Amanjot Kaur is earning praise for her impactful performance in the 3rd T20I against the England Women's team on Sunday in Mumbai. Fielding Coach Munish Bali appreciated her performance and gave her the term 'Impact Player'.

1:20 PM: Indian Hockey Team Leave for 5 Nations Tournament

Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian men's hockey captain, is aiming to climb the FIH rankings, while his female counterpart Savita is hoping to iron out the kinks ahead of next month's Olympic Qualifiers in the 5 Nations event in Spain.

1:00 PM: WPL 2024 To Be Played In 'One State': Jay Shah

The second Women's Premier League will be held in "one state" of India, beginning in the "second or third week" of February. BCCI secretary Jay Shah acknowledged this to the press following the WPL auction in Mumbai.

12:40 PM: Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023, Quater Finals: Updates

Bengal Vs Haryana 1st QFs

Innings Break!

Brief Score: Bengal - 225/10 (50)

Shahbaz Ahmed - 100 (118),  Abhishek Porel - 24 (41)  |  Yuzvendra Chahal: (10-0-37-4)

Rajasthan Vs Kerala 2nd QFs

Innings Break!

Brief Score: Rajasthan - 267/8 (50)

Mahipal Lomror - 122 (114),  Kunal Singh Rathore - 66 (52)  |  Akhin Sathar: (10-0-62-4)

Vidarbha Vs Karnataka 3rd QFs

Innings Break!

Brief Score: Vidarbha - 173/10 (44.5)

Shubham Dubey - 41 (59),  Yash Kadam - 38 (72)  |  Vijaykumar Vyshak: (8.5-2-44-4)

Mumbai Vs Tamil Nadu 4th QFs

Innings Break!

Brief Score: Mumbai - 227/10 (48.3)

Prasad Pawar - 59 (58), Shivam Dubey - 45 (49)  |  Varun Chakaravarthy: (10-0-37-3)

11:50 AM: Swimming: Daniel Wiffen Sets World Record

Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffen broke Grant Hackett's previous short course world record in the 800-meter freestyle by nearly three seconds.

11:40 AM: Virat Kohli's Form Will Be Crucial In SA: Jacques Kallis

Former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis believes that India's success in the Test series in South Africa will be highly dependent on Virat Kohli's form. He praised the Indian batter and expressed his views on the upcoming Test series and India's chances in that. 

11:20 AM: La Liga: Granada Vs Athletic Bilbao Match To Continue Today

The La Liga fixture between Granada and Athletic Bilbao is to be continued today after a fan died in the stadium due to cardiac arrest on Sunday. The match was abandoned an hour later. Athletic Bilbao are 1-0 in the match after 17 minutes of play.

11:10 AM: PAK Cricketer Asad Shafiq Announces Retirement

The 37-year-old Pakistan Test batter Asad Shafiq announced retirement from all forms of cricket on Sunday. He is also set to become a national selector in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Read more about the news from here

10:15 AM: Inaugural Khelo India Para Games Underway! 

Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports and Department of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, will formally inaugurate the event on Monday, December 11, 2023, ahead of its week-long run. The KD Jadhav Indoor Hall will host the opening ceremony, with Delhi Police and We Are One among the performers. 

10:00 AM: Vijay Hazare Toss Update 

The second set of quarter-finals in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023 are underway with Bengal taking on Haryana and Mumbai playing Tamil Nadu. 

Following the toss in the respective matches, Bengal are batting first against Haryana, while Mumbai are doing so against Tamil Nadu. 

9:00 AM: Sunday Recap 

Chelsea's woes continued in the Premier League with their latest loss to Everton. The Blues, having been beaten by Manchester United in midweek, succumbed to a second straight defeat, losing 2-0 at Goodison Park. Later, Tottenham Hotspur beat Newcastle United 4-1 to end a miserable run of form. Son Heung-min shone for Spurs, scoring once and assisting twice in a comfortable victory.