Sports

India's lack of international commitments in the 50-over format in 2024 had a bearing on the ICC men's ODI Team of the Year with not a single cricketer from the country making it to the list released on Friday.

The all-star team announced by the ICC features four players from Sri Lanka, three each from Pakistan and Afghanistan and one from the West Indies. India played only three ODIs - an away series against Sri Lanka -, losing two of them while the third one ended in a tie.

Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka was named skipper of the ICC team as well for his stupendous batting through the year.

In his 16 ODI appearances in 2024, Asalanka scored 605 Runs at an average of 50.2 Average, including a century and four fifties.

Sri Lanka played 18 ODIs in the year gone by, the highest among all teams, and won 12 of them. Pakistan picked up seven victories from its nine ODI engagements, while Afghanistan won eight of their 14 one-dayers.

Big-hitting West Indian Sherfane Rutherford, who made his international debut in 2023, was the lone non-Asian in the all star XI for his 425 runs from nine games at an astonishing average of 106.2. ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year for 2024: Charith Asalanka (C) (Sri Lanka), Saim Ayub (Pakistan), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Pathum Nissanka (Sri Lanka), Kusal Mendis (WK) (Sri Lanka), Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies), Azmatullah Omarzai (Afghanistan), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan), Haris Rauf (Pakistan), AM Ghazanfar (Afghanistan).

An injured Novak Djokovic quit after dropping the first set of his Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev on Friday.

Djokovic lost the opener 7-6 (5) in a tiebreaker and immediately walked around the net to concede the match to Zverev. Fans booed as Djokovic walked off toward the locker room, and he responded by giving two thumbs-up. Djokovic, who was bidding for an 11 championship at the Australian Open and record 25th Grand Slam title overall, hurt his left leg during his quarterfinal victory against Carlos Alcaraz.

The No. 2-seeded Zverev reached his first title match at Melbourne Park and will face the winner of Friday's second semifinal between No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy, the defending champion, and No. 21 Ben Shelton of the United States.

Zverev is a two-time runner-up at other major tournaments. The men's final is Sunday. In Saturday's women's final, No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will try to become the first woman since 1999 with three consecutive Australian Open titles when she faces Madison Keys of the United States.

Novak Djokovic refused to let anything stop his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam trophy in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Not a problem with his left leg. Not an early deficit. And not the kid across the net, Carlos Alcaraz, who was making things difficult and eyeing his own bit of history.

Djokovic overcame it all, just as he has so often along the way to so many triumphs, moving into the semifinals at Melbourne Park for the 12th time with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Alcaraz in a scintillating showdown on Tuesday night between a pair of stars born 16 years apart and at opposite ends of their careers. The action was non-stop, the shot-making brilliant, even as the match stretched on for more than 3 1/2 hours and nearly to 1 a.m. — never more so, perhaps, than when Alcaraz saved a break point that would have put Djokovic ahead 5-2 in the fourth set, allowing him to serve for the win. 

The 33-stroke exchange was the longest of the evening, and when it ended with Djokovic sailing a forehand long, the capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena went wild.

Djokovic reached for his bothersome leg and yelled toward his entourage; Alcaraz, his chest heaving, leaned on a towel box and grinned.

Turned out that only delayed the final result. With his wife, son and daughter cheering in the stands, the No. 7-seeded Djokovic prevailed thanks to the sort of remarkable returning and no-mistakes-made groundstrokes against Alcaraz that now-retired rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal dealt with for years.

Djokovic enjoyed some of his own best efforts in the latter stages, pointing to his ear or blowing kisses or spreading his arms while puffing out his chest.  There was the forehand winner on a 22-stroke point that earned the break for a 5-3 lead in the third set. There was that set's last point, which included a back-to-the-net sprint to chase down a lob. Alcaraz wasn't shy, either, shouting “Vamos!” and pumping his fists after one particularly booming forehand in the fourth set.

On Friday, Djokovic's 50th major semifinal will come against No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev, a two-time runner-up at majors.