The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) finalists India and New Zealand are the top two teams respectively in the ICC Men’s Test team rankings after the annual update carried out on Thursday.

India have gained one rating point for an aggregate of 121 and New Zealand are only one point behind after gaining two points in Thursday’s update, which eliminates results from 2017-18. India’s 2-1 win over Australia and 3-1 win over England over the past year and New Zealand’s 2-0 series wins over the West Indies and Pakistan have helped them keep ahead of the pack.

The latest update, which rates all matches played since May 2020 at 100 per cent and those of the previous two years at 50 per cent, sees England overtake Australia to the third position as England’s 4-0 defeat to Australia in 2017-18 has dropped from the rankings.

Pakistan have gained three points but remain in the fifth position while the West Indies, who beat Bangladesh 2-0 and drew 0-0 with Sri Lanka in series played this year, have moved from eighth to sixth, their best position since 2013.

South Africa are in the seventh position, equaling their lowest in Test ranking history, while Sri Lanka are next on the list. Bangladesh have lost five points but remain in the ninth position while Zimbabwe have gained eight points but are still nine points behind Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the WTC final gets underway on June 18 and will continue till June 22 with June 23 kept as a reserve day. While it was initially set to be played at the Lord’s, the ICC decided to move it to Southampton with an eye on the COVID-19 situation across the globe.

Australia Test skipper Tim Paine has indicated that his side was distracted by Team India during the tour which eventually saw the hosts losing the Test series in January this year. India defeated Australia by three wickets against all odds in the final Test of the four-match series at The Gabba in January to take the series 2-1.

Paine claimed that the Ajinkya Rahane-led side created “sideshows” by saying that the visitors were not going to the Gabba (venue of the fourth Test). “Part of the challenge of playing against India is they’re very good at niggling you and trying to distract you with stuff that doesn’t really matter and there were times in that series where we fell for that,” news.com.au quoted Paine as saying at a function for the Chappell Foundation at the SCG on Wednesday night.“The classic example was when they said they weren’t going to the Gabba so we didn’t know where we were going. They’re very good at creating these sideshows and we took our eye off the ball,” he added. The last time a visiting team came out triumphant from the Brisbane Cricket Ground was back in November 1988 when the mighty West Indian outfit under the leadership of Viv Richards thrashed Allan Border’s team by nine wickets.What made the feat even more commendable is how Team India fought multiple injuries and mental fatigue – due to the bio-bubble restrictions — to register a historic win. In the first Test against Australia, India was bundled out for 36 and there were many pundits who said the visiting team would face a 4-0 drubbing. But proving every critic wrong, the Rahane-led side registered famous victories at Melbourne and Brisbane. The side also recorded a draw at Sydney and at every step of the way, the team overcame adversity.

Tim Paine also came out in support of Steve Smith as he felt the right-handed batsman deserved another chance to lead the team from Down Under. In March this year, Smith for the first time had openly talked about wanting to lead Australia again. The 31-year-old cricketer was removed as the skipper following his involvement in the Sandpaper Gate fiasco in the Cape Town Test against South Africa in March 2018. Smith’s captaincy ban expired last year, however, he was not handed back the leadership post as Paine continued to lead the side in the longest format of the game. “I think so. Obviously I don’t make that decision but the time I played with Steve as captain he was excellent.

Certainly tactically he is as good as you get,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Paine as saying at a dinner for the Chappell Foundation. “He’s probably a bit like me when I was at the start of my captaincy journey in Tasmania — he was thrown into a very big role at a very, very young age and he probably wasn’t quite ready for it. “But by the time I came in he was growing into that role and getting better and better. Then obviously [in] South Africa events happened and he’s not doing it anymore. But yeah I would support him getting that job again,” Paine added.

Australia is slated to play a one-off Test against Afghanistan this year before they take on England in the Ashes. When asked about any plans to retire, the Australian skipper said he had “at least another six Tests” in him. “If I feel like the time is right and we’ve beaten the Poms 5-0, what a way to go out. But it might be a tight series and we might be chasing 300 on the last day and I’m 100 not out and hit the winning runs — and then I might go again,” Paine said. In 2019, the fifth and final match of the 2019 Ashes was won by England by 135 runs to level the series 2-2. However, Australia retained the urn as they had previously won the Ashes in the 2017/18 season. This was the first time in 47 years that the Ashes ended as a draw. The last series which ended as a draw between England and Australia was in 1972.

UEFA on Wednesday announced that it has opened a disciplinary investigation into Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus’ involvement in the controversial and breakaway European Super League.

Nine of the 12 founding clubs of the European Super League have taken a step back and they have confirmed their commitment to UEFA.

The three remaining clubs — Real Madrid, Juventus, and Barcelona — had refused to get reintegrated into UEFA and as a result, they face further punishment. “In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors have today been appointed to conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework by Real Madrid CF, FC Barcelona and Juventus FC in connection with the so-called ‘Super League’ project,” UEFA said in an official statement, as reported by Goal.com.

“Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course,” it added.

Earlier, Gabriele Gravina, President of the Italian Football Association (FIGC) had said that Juventus will be banned from Serie A next season if they still choose to remain a part of the breakaway and rebel European Super League.

“The rules are clear. If Juventus is still part of the Super League when it enters next season, it can’t participate in Serie A,” Gabriele Gravina told Radio Kiss Kiss, as reported by Goal.com.

“I would be sorry for the fans but rules are rules and they apply to everyone. I hope this holdout ends soon,” he added.

The announcement to form a breakaway European Super League made by 12 founding clubs including Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur, was met with widespread criticism.

As a result, all the six Premier League clubs, involved in the proposed European Super League, withdrew from the competition.

Former Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra has revealed how he wanted to quit the sport after bagging a medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

The shooting great also talked about how he faced depression after witnessing the greatest high in his career. “Absolutely, I think that during a course of my career, I had a long career in sport, I had many ups and downs. You know, it’s pretty ironic that my biggest mental crisis in my life came when I actually succeeded. For me, dealing with success was probably the hardest time in my life. Up until Beijing (when) I had my greatest victory, I had trained for 16 years of life with a singular goal and I wanted to win a gold medal at the Olympics,” said Bindra in a YouTube interview for Mind Matters.

“One fine day, this dream was achieved but it created a very large void in my life. I think that to me, was very challenging. I was depressed and I was really lost. I did not know what to do with my life. That was probably the toughest moment of my life. My energies were depleted, it took a lot out of me to win. But more than anything, when you are goalless, you are listless in your life,” he added.

Bindra also opened up on how he sought professional help after witnessing a dip in his mental health.

“I reached out for help, professional help. But post my victory in Beijing, I actually wanted to quit sport and move on to something else in life. I decided that I will go on a 110-day silent retreat where I wanted to find myself,” said Bindra.

Netherlands and Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk on Wednesday confirmed that he would not be taking part in this year’s Euro Cup.

Van Dijk has been out of action due to an injury after he was left with cruciate ligament knee damage following a tackle from Everton’s Jordon Pickford during a Premier League clash on October 17 last year. The defender underwent surgery after that, and he has been out of action since then.

“Things have been going well, I’ve not had a real setback or anything, I’ve just progressed nicely. In this latest stage for myself, I have come to a decision that I had to make: would I be involved in Euros, yes or no,” van Dijk told Liverpool’s website.

“With everything that is going on, I feel physically it is the right decision that I’ve decided not to go to the Euros and to go into my last phase of rehab during the off-season. So, the full focus will be on pre-season with the club and that’s a realistic goal, so I am looking forward to that,” he added.

Further talking about missing Euro Cup, van Dijk said: “Obviously I am very gutted to miss the Euros, to miss the European Championship and leading out my own country there, but things have been like they have and I have to accept it – we all have to accept it. I think the decision to not go is the right decision in the grand scheme of things. It’s tough, but I’m at peace with it.”

Earlier, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp had said that he wants van Dijk to participate in the Euro Cup, but he is not too sure about his chances of doing so.

“Virgil’s knee. I don’t want to hold him back, but you cannot force it as well,” the Reds boss said earlier this month. “If you want to play in a tournament, you have to train beforehand, proper football training – and not a week before but weeks before,” said Klopp.

“You can’t after 10 or 11 months out train for a week and then play football, that is just not possible. It should not be possible. Nobody is holding him back, I can promise all the people in Holland that. But you can’t force it, and we will not,” he added.

Euro 2020 is slated to begin on June 11 this year and the Netherlands will lock horns against Ukraine in their first game of the competition on June 13.

Although, the team has a fine line of defense, the red giants will surely feel the blow of Dijk’s absence.

As ‘Indian Tigress’ Ritu Phogat sets off to her next victory at ONE: Dangal on 15 May, her father Mahavir Phogat opened up about her upcoming match and life beyond the circle in a first-of-its-kind virtual interaction.

Phogat is scheduled to face Bi Nguyen at ONE: Dangal, a tape-delayed event from the Singapore Indoor Stadium that will air on screens on 15 May.

Talking about ONE: Dangal, Ritu Phogat said, “It is a special IP for the Indian market as it celebrates a host of Indian Mixed Martial Arts athletes and presents them on a global stage. It reflects India’s resilience, fighting spirit, and her mettle to take challenges head on. It also goes on to show that the future of MMA is India, and that we have the potential and the muscle to add a new dimension to the sport.”

On being regarded as the Indian Khabib Nurmagomedov, she said, “I look up to him. I love his control over his opponents and his ‘explosive’ aura in the circle.”

Talking about his daughter’s move to MMA and making Singapore her second home, veteran Indian wrestler, Mahavir Phogat said, “I have full faith in Ritu and the way she is training. I know she has been practising hard and I am confident that she will leave no stone unturned in bringing glory to her country.”

When asked about how she has been dealing with the lockdown in Singapore, she said, “It has been over a year since I was in India and I miss home dearly. I’ve lost out on so much time with my family, but all of this has made me stronger. My father constantly reminds me why I have come to Singapore, he makes sure that I never lose sight of my goal.”

Colenges Filipino-American superstar Brandon “The Truth” Vera for the ONE Heavyweight World Title. Catch Ritu’s bout on Star Sports Select 2, Star Sports First, and Disney+ Hotstar on Saturday, 15th May, 3:30 pm onwards.