Sports Bulletin For December 1: From Jay Shah Begins Tenure as ICC Chair to Melbourne Renegades Create History

The world of sports saw some new stories develop on Sunday (December 1) as former BCCI Secretary Jay Shah took charge as ICC Chair, while Rohit Sharma failed to capitalize on much-needed time in the middle before Border-Gavaskar Trophy resumes this coming week.

While Rohit failed to take the opportunity to prepare for India’s pink-ball Test in the warm-up game against Prime Minister XI, Harshit Rana and fit-again Shubman Gill shone in Canberra.

Also, Melbourne Renegades went on to clinch their first-ever Big Bash title after England and Joe Root created a few records in Christchurch. Here are some of the biggest developments in the World of Sports today in Sports Bulletin for December 1:

Jay Shah’s begins tenure as ICC Chair

Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah started his tenure as the new International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman on Sunday (December 1). Shah outlined his priorities for his term, including leveraging the sport's inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as a pivotal opportunity as well as further accelerating the growth of the women's game.

Harshit Rana claims four wickets in pink ball warm up

Harshit Rana pushed for his selection in the second Test against Australia after the pacer claimed four wickets in the pink-ball warm up match against the Prime Minister’s XI at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.

Rana, who made his Test debut in Perth, claimed his four-fer in the space of two overs, dismissing a well set Jack Clayton for 40 before sending back Oliver Davies and Sam Harper for ducks either side of skipper Jack Edwards removal for 1.

Rohit Sharma fails to capitalize on time in middle

Having missed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener, Indian captain Rohit Sharma hoped to get some good time in the middle before the second Test against Australia in Adelaide. But the skipper failed to make most of his time in the middle in the only opportunity.

Rohit, who walked in at number four in the pink-ball warm up game against Prime Minister’s XI in the run chase of 241, fell cheaply as he departed for 3 off 11 balls, falling to medium pacer Charlie Anderson in the two-day game that was reduced to a 46-over per side game due to rain in Canberra.

Shubman Gill, who missed the first Test in Perth due to injury, made much of his opportunity with an unbeaten fifty as India inched closer to victory over the Prime Minister’s XI team in Canberra on Sunday (December 1) evening.

New Zealand WTC Final hopes dented

New Zealand suffered a dent in their World Test Championship final hopes following an 8-wicket loss to England in the first of three Tests, which took place at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

While England, who are out of contention, improved their World Test Championship Standing point percentage to 43.75, New Zealand dropped their point percentage to 50% and their WTC Final qualification chances have taken a severe hit.

England set new record for fastest 100 plus run-chase in Tests

England chased down a modest target of 104 in the fourth innings against New Zealand in just 12.4 overs, achieving the fastest run chase for 100-plus runs in Test cricket at an astonishing run rate of 8.21. The previous record was held by New Zealand, who had chased down 109 in 18.4 overs against Bangladesh in 2017.

India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav to play in SMAT

India's T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav will be back in action for Mumbai's next Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) game against Andhra on Tuesday, December 3 after taking a short two-week break to attend a family function.

Just like he has done in some earlier occasions, Surya might not lead the side with Shreyas Iyer in charge till now and will be one of the regular players. Surya, who led India to an emphatic 3-1 series win over South Africa will link up with the Mumbai squad in Hyderabad on Monday and is expected to turn up for the next game against Andhra.

Melbourne Renegades win their maiden WBBL title

Melbourne Renegades were crowned champions of the 2024 edition of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) after a 7-run (DLS Method) win over Brisbane Heat in the final at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was the all-round performance of Hayley Matthews that helped the Renegades clinch their maiden WBBL title.

Joe Root breaks Sachin Tendulkar’s 4th innings record

Star England batter Joe Root overtook Sachin Tendulkar to achieve an elusive record in Test cricket. The 33-year-old, who scored an unbeaten 23 in England’s eight-wicket win over New Zealand, became the leading run scorer in the 4th innings of Test cricket, with 1630 runs.

Earlier, legendary cricketer Tendulkar held the record of leading run scorer in the 4th innings of Test cricket with 1625 runs. Former England batter Alastair Cook and former South Africa captain Graeme Smith share the third place on the chart with 1611 runs each.