'The mistakes I made, I won't make again': Animesh Kujur ready for As…

Animesh Kujur arrives in Aichi-Nagoya with a 10.14 personal best in the 100m and the national 200m record of 20.32. He has gained confidence from international competitions, learned how to manage his body, when to peak and when to reduce the load. With strong Asian competition ahead, including Japan's Shuhei Tada and Soshi Mizukubo, Kujur believes his Asian Championships mistakes will not be repeated and is targeting medals in all three events.

After a poor performance in England, Pakistan cricket is gearing up for a possible major shake-up. Reports indicate that the Pakistan Cricket Board is evaluating the national selection committee, with former player Aaqib Javed at risk of losing his position. Furthermore, the changes may extend to the women's team and coaching personnel, as Mohsin Naqvi confers with his team and board members to finalize the direction ahead.

Sunil Gavaskar has suggested a major change to the way the Board of Control for Cricket in India uses its Cricket Advisory Committee with the former India captain calling for several legendary cricketers to be brought into a wider advisory role. sweetbonan.org

Gavaskar believes the CAC should have responsibilities beyond appointing the national selectors and head coach. He wants the committee to look at domestic and international schedules and other important matters concerning Indian cricket.

The suggestion comes after the recent Duleep Trophy final, where East Zone won the title on the basis of their first-innings lead after the match ended in a draw. Gavaskar has previously questioned the system and feels Indian cricket needs more experienced voices involved in important decisions.

“There are, no longer, any committees in BCCI today apart from the selection committees and the CAC. Perhaps the time has come to expand the CAC and its brief of selecting the selectors and coach and also look at fixtures – domestic and international and all things related to Indian cricket,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.

Gavaskar then named some of the biggest figures in Indian cricket who could bring their experience to such a committee. His list included Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Ravi Shastri, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag.

“There are some incredibly experienced former cricketers whose expertise can be utilised to be on this committee. How about names like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Ravi Shastri, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag — to name a few? The President and Secretary will be there too,” he said.

The idea would give former players a bigger role in decisions that affect Indian cricket. Gavaskar feels the presence of players who have experienced international cricket at the highest level could add more importance to discussions involving the coach, captain and the National Cricket Academy.

He also suggested that a similar committee should be formed for women’s cricket, where former players and experienced coaches could help with important decisions.

“When this committee interacts with the coach and captain and the head of the NCA, it carries a heft beyond measure. A similar committee for women’s cricket, too, where experience and expertise meet to take calls to take Indian cricket forward,” Gavaskar wrote.

The 77-year-old ended his suggestion by admitting that such a setup may still be difficult to achieve, but he believes it is worth considering.

England white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum has encouraged newly appointed specialist mentor Kevin Pietersen to privately challenge him on strategic improvements as the legendary batter begins his role ahead of the Sri Lanka series.

Pietersen, who scored 13,797 international runs across 277 matches for England between 2004 and 2014, steps into the mentorship role through the 2027 ODI World Cup. His tenure kicks off with the home white-ball series against Sri Lanka, starting with the opening T20I in Southampton.

Recalling their first conversation, McCullum revealed Kevin Pietersen was surprised by the offer given his past criticism of the team.

"When I rang him and asked whether he would be interested in coming and working with England, I think he thought I was joking for a start! He mentioned that he has been quite critical of us in the past and I said, 'I have no problem with that, mate'. There are parts I might agree with and parts I might not agree with, and that is fine," McCullum shared via Sky Sports.

"The way he looks at the game is quite different to a lot of people and if someone can see something different and point that out to help you to become better, then I see that as no bad thing. Kev will do that and I have encouraged him to do that. I do not want him to be buried in one specific skillset - I want him to look across the set-up and challenge me privately on ways we can improve and do things differently," he added.

McCullum wants Pietersen's 'big personality' to help England

Pietersen previously voiced criticism regarding England's white-ball tour of India in early 2025 prior to the Champions Trophy, targeting their preparation against spin. Despite that history, McCullum praised Pietersen's impact.

"He is one of those guys where he has so much in his life, so for him to give up those things to focus on trying to help us to get to the level we want and challenge for World Cups, we are incredibly lucky. Kev was an unbelievable player and a winner. He left no stone unturned with his preparation. He believed in himself in those big moments and more often than not performed in those moments. He is a big personality and fiercely competitive," McCullum said.

(With inputs from ANI)