Former Australia test cricket captain Tim Paine retires
Hobart, Mar 17: Former Australia test cricket captain Tim Paine has announced his retirement following the conclusion of Tasmania's Sheffield Shield first-class match against Queensland on Friday.
Wicketkeeper Paine captained Australia in 23 tests between early 2018 and 2021, playing 35 tests overall. He became Australia's 46th test skipper after Steve Smith had his captaincy stripped in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal on Australia's 2018 tour of South Africa.
Paine stood down from the captaincy in late 2021 after it was revealed he had sent explicit text messages to a former Cricket Tasmania employee.
Paine, who debuted against Pakistan at Lord's in 2010, averaged 32.63 in test matches with a top score of 92 and made 157 dismissals behind the stumps. He also played 35 one-day internationals for Australia.
The Hobart-born Paine represented Tasmania over 18 years after debuting in 2005, playing 153 first-class matches.
''He has been a phenomenal player, it is an incredible effort to have the longevity that he has had,'' Tasmania captain Jordan Silk said.
''I'm sure a lot of guys will say there has never been as good a keeper as Tim Paine in Australia.'
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
