Sports World, January 24, 2024: Rohan Bopanna Becomes World No. 1, Enters Australian Open Semi-Finals; Carlos Alcaraz Crashes Out - As It Happened

After a chaotic and underwhelming 20 months in charge, Chelsea's big-spending American ownership has a date at Wembley Stadium as the London club seeks a first trophy of the new regime. Chelsea routed second-tier Middlesbrough 6-1 in the English League Cup semi-finals to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit to an opponent that was looking to become the first team from outside the Premier League to reach the competition's title match since 2013, reports Associated Press.

England have left out veteran seamer James Anderson and handed a debut to left-arm spinner Tom Hartley for the first Test against India in Hyderabad, starting tomorrow. 

Read more and check out the playing XI here. 

Big-hitting batter Suryakumar Yadav has been named the T20I Player of the Year for a second consecutive time by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which described him as the "backbone of India's middle order" in the format. Yadav did quite well in 2023 with an average that closed in on 50 and a strike rate exceeding 150. He is currently recuperating from a groin surgery that he underwent in Germany earlier this month. He is expected to be back in action in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians in March, reports PTI.

The UK government has said that India should treat British citizens "fairly" when they apply for visas after off-spinner Shoaib Bashir's arrival for the five-match Test series was delayed due to lingering issues relating to his travel documents, PTI reports. The 20-year-old Bashir, who plays for Somerset in the English county, was with the England squad in Abu Dhabi but couldn't proceed to India as he is yet to be granted visa. His family is of Pakistani heritage.

A splendid performance with both the bat and the ball helped Brisbane Heat beat Sydney Sixers in the Sydney Cricket Ground final by 54 runs and claim their second Big Bash League crown. Heat, who had topped the table in regular season, fell to Sixers in the Qualifier and had to overcome Adelaide Strikers in the Challenger to earn the right to contest the Final. Thanks to their win, they have become only the third team to win more than one BBL titles, with the Sixers and Perth Scorchers the other two. 

Read more here. 

Seemingly down and out after two sets, second-seed Carlos Alcaraz has staged a remarkable comeback to take Alexander Zverev to the fourth set in an attempt to level the match. Both Alcaraz and Zverev are chasing a spot in the semi-finals opposite third-seed Daniil Medvedev, who confirmed his progress earlier in the day. 

Despite a stunning fightback from two sets and 5-2 down in the third, Carlos Alcaraz exited the Australian Open 2024 following a defeat to German Alexander Zverev. The Spaniard started slow, losing sets one and two 6-1 and 6-3, respectively, and was down 5-2 in the third before he staged a remarkable comeback to take the round in a tiebreaker. He fought valiantly in the fourth, too, but so did Zverev, who gained an upperhand in the penultimate game and claimed the set 6-4. Zverev will now face Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final. 

Less than 12 hours later, India will take on England in the first of their five-game Test matches. The first game will be played in Hyderabad, with the city expecting temperatures close to the 30 degrees Celsius mark. Meanwhile, India will be without Virat Kohli for the match, after he withdrew from the first two Tests due to personal reasons. 

Read more details here. 

Former Indian cricket Venkatesh Prasad has blasted the English Cricket Board over the handling of the Shoaib Bashir visa issue. Prasad claims that the ECB did not follow the correct protocols and later cried foul over the same. 

"His visa needed to be stamped in the UK. The ECB sent Shoaib Bashir to the UAE, thinking it would be stamped in a third country. Not following basic procedures, assuming things and then crying foul is an old English way. If anyone, it is the ECB at fault," A furious Prasad wrote on X. 

Pakistan beat Nepal by five wickets to confirm their place in the next round of the ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup on Wednesday, January 24, 2024. Sri Lanka, too, confirmed their spot in the knockouts, by thrashing Namibia in their Group C match; the Lankan Lions scored just 133 but collectively returned their opponents to eh pavilion for 56. Elsewhere, West Indies beat Scotland by five wickets, chasing down a 200+ target in just 35.1 overs.