Yuvraj Singh, the destructive India left-hander, will miss the Champions Trophy due to a fractured finger, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said yesterday.
The cornerstone of India's middle-order suffered the injury during a fielding session in Johannesburg yesterday in preparation for the game against Pakistan on Saturday.
"Yuvraj Singh has fractured a finger in his right hand and has been ruled out for six weeks," the BCCI said in a statement.
The selectors named the young Delhi batsman and former India Under 19 captain Virat Kohli as his replacement.
India have been plagued with injuries of late. Virender Sehwag has a shoulder injury. Gautam Gambhir, who sat out of the team's practice match against New Zealand, is nursing a groin strain.
Meanwhile Ricky Ponting has said Australia's 6-1 demolition of England in their one-day series was achieved with the Champions Trophy in mind.
Australia have won the last three global 50-over events and their captain wants more success.
"This certainly won't be just another tournament for us," he said. "We have been on the road for a long time but this is the second biggest one-day tournament you play for your country in one-day cricket. We have had an eye on this tournament for the last couple of weeks in England.
"Since the Ashes series it's been about getting things on track for here. It shouldn't be too difficult for us to adapt. One of the positives of being away for so long is that we have been playing a lot of cricket. And a lot of good one-day cricket. We are playing as good as any other team going around at the moment. The level of cricket we played in England over the last seven games was particularly good."
And despite the 2-1 Ashes loss to England, Ponting said the spirit in the camp is buoyant. "The mood for the last few months has been particularly good," he said.
Australia's first match in Group A will be on Saturday against a West Indies team shorn of its premier players due to a contractual dispute with their board.
* Agencies
The biog
Favourite film: The Notebook
Favourite book: What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey
Favourite quote: “Social equality is the only basis of human happiness” Nelson Madela. Hometown: Emmen, The Netherlands
Favourite activities: Walking on the beach, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends
Job: Founder and Managing Director of Mawaheb from Beautiful Peopl
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now