Bengaluru, Jun 20 (Cricket News) South Africa head coach Mark Boucher termed India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s performance in the series as “special” while ruing the absence of Aiden Markram, who he feels could have made a lot of difference for the Proteas over the course of the five T20Is.

Bhuvneshwar, who now only plays white-ball cricket, got six wickets in four completed games and gave away only 85 runs in 14 overs at an economy rate which was just a shade above six runs per over.

"Bhuvi was special in this whole series as we came up against some quality bowling. He put us under pressure in Powerplays and barring one game (Delhi), where we got off to a good start, they have dominated us with both ball and bat in Powerplays," Boucher said after the series ended in 2-2 despite Proteas going 2-0 up at the onset.

However, losing Markram due to COVID-19 at the start of the series had a huge impact, felt the former glovesman.

"It was tough losing Aiden Markram even before we started the first game. We wanted to play six batters with Aiden being our sixth option and we couldn’t do that,” Boucher added.

The long IPL did make the players tired and that also had an effect on the final outcome, he said.

"We didn’t play our best cricket and it was quite tough on our IPL players to stay throughout the whole IPL and then come to India back-to-back as well," he explained.

"Guys are little bit tired as well. So they will all enjoy the break and (having learnt a) lot of lessons in World Cup year. And see, if we can plug a few gaps going into Australia albeit in different conditions." While stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah were rested for the series, Boucher lauded the depth of the Indian cricket system created by the IPL.

“I know there weren’t a lot of top (India) players over here but the depth that Indian cricket has at the moment largely due to the IPL, they can take lot of confidence as well." "You just cant walk up in India and expect to win a series as well. So, we played a couple of good games and two bad games and there are a couple of reasons for that, but you can’t get too much into it," he added.

However in Australian conditions, South Africa will have a different gameplan.

"Plans will change in Australia and we are aware of that. We tried a few options in these conditions and saw if they worked or not.

"And I think, we asked a few questions and we got some good answers." Boucher made no bones about the fact that South Africa need to improve upon their Powerplay batting.

"We struggled to get going in few of the games and we speak about it after every game and may be see how we can change our mindset and intent, specially after third game, when we went after with the intent we needed," he said.

"And our bowling at certain stages was very good and at certain stages, we looked rusty and sort of understand that couple of guys coming into the series after IPL and may be a bit tired," he signed off. 

Also Read : Takeaways from the epic tied between India and South Africa

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The 5 match T20I series between India and England had a sort of anti-climax ending. The series was poised at 2-2 with the decider meant to be at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. The match was unfortunately called off due to rain after just 3.3 overs. The series ended as a tie with both the teams sharing the trophy. This means that India have now failed to win a series against South Africa in all three formats. The series in general has seen good performances from both the teams and a tie seems to be the fair outcome.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was named the player for the series for picking up 6 wickets in the 4 matches. Kumar has always been the silent performer for India in all formats throughout the years. These days he only plays T20Is and he showed his true worth once again. Harshal Patel was the highest wicket taker of the series with 7 wickets as he continued his excellent form with the blues. Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel and Avesh Khan had a couple of bad games at the start but then bounced back well. Hardik Pandya who was the 6th bowling option was rather disappointing with the ball but his ability with the bat made up for it.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan had a decent series with the bat. Kishan was the highest run scorer of the series with 206 runs. The biggest positive for India were Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya. Both the players looked to have settled into the finishers role in the side. The Ireland series is going to be very important for the pair who are expected to be an important part of the Indian team for the upcoming world cup. Rishabh Pant's form in T20Is remains a concern as he is well short of runs despite batting at number 4 throughout the series. Shreyas Iyer dominated the spinners but really struggled against pace which isn't a good sign because the World Cup is in Australia where the conditions will be pace friendly.

The team management stuck with the same playing XI throughout the series even after losing the first two matches. Avesh Khan was the one who benefited the most. After going wicketless for 3 matches he was still trusted and he delivered by picking up 4 wickets in the 4th Test. Rishabh Pant's captaincy was being questioned after the first two games but he got a hang of it for the next two. India will now play 2 T20Is against Ireland under the leadership of Hardik Pandya with VVS Laxman set to be the coach. Rahul Dravid along with Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer will join the rest of the Test team in England.

Also read: How much will KL Rahul's absence in the England Test affect India?

(Cricket news) After losing the first two T20Is against South Africa, India managed to pull out a comeback to bring the series back on level terms at 2-2. Now the two teams gear up for the series decider at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. The momentum is with India and South Africa may be missing a few crucial players with injuries. It will be a very good test for the young Indian side for future tournaments where they will have to deal with the pressure situations. 

India's possible playing XI:

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Bench: Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi. 

India have persisted with the exact same line-up for the 4 matches and it is expected to stay the same way for the 5th one unless there are any injuries. Focus will be on Rishabh Pant who has been really short of runs lately. The Indian side is looking well balanced in this series so far. Shreyas Iyer is also yet to perform to his full potential in this series and he will be under a little bit of pressure. Hardik Pandya has been good with the willow but his bowling has room for improvement.

South Africa possible playing XI:

Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock, Dwaine Pretorius, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje.

Bench:, Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markaram, Temba Bavuma, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, 

Temba Bavuma was retired hurt in the last match and is expected to be out of contention which means that Maharaj will lead the side. If Parnell and Rabada are fit then they should be back in the side but it is unlikely. Quinton de Kock will have to take more responsibility at the top of the order as he hasn't been firing lately. Maharaj and Shamsi haven't shown their true potential but at the same time the pitches haven't assisted them.

The Chinnaswamy stadium is traditionally a high scoring ground. Unlike all the other pitches in this series, this one is likely to be flat and wouldn't change much throughout the game. Up until now the series has been an entertaining one as it is 2-2 before the deciding 5 T20I. What it hasn't had yet is a thrilling match with a last over finish. Fans will be hoping to see that in Bengaluru among other things.

Also read: How much will KL Rahul's absence in the England Test affect India?

(Cricket news) India defeated South Africa by a mammoth 82 runs to complete an impeccable comeback to level the series at 2-2. After losing the first two matches of the series, India continued to persist with the same playing XI and trusted the same players while South Africa were forced into 3 changes. Quinton de Kock was fit again as he replaced Reeza Hendricks while Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell were out with injuries. Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi came into the side. Temba Bavuma for the 4 time in this series won the toss and put India into bat first.

India got off to a very slow start as they only managed 56 runs after 10 overs and lost 3 wickets. South Africa bowled really well at the start on the pitch that had uneven bounce. India were struggling at 81/4 at one stage when Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik stepped up. The pair stitched together a 65 run partnership which ended up being the difference between the two sides. Pandya was dismissed after scoring 46 off 31 while Karthik got 55 off 27. This was Karthik's maiden T20I fifty and it also earned him the player of the match award. The partnership between Pandya and Karthik was very smartly played as the pair didn't take too many risks at the beginning but then started firing towards the end. The pitch was difficult to bat on due to the confusing nature of its bounce. India ended the innings on 169/6 which looked defendable. Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj picked up a wicket each while Lungi Ngidi got two scalps. 

Chasing 170, South Africa never looked comfortable. Temba Bavuma injured his arm while diving to complete a run and had to retire hurt which was the first blow. The Indian bowlers were consistently hitting the right length and letting the pitch bring the variation. Bavuma and Jansen were hit on the helmet by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Avesh Khan respectively. Harshal Patel and Axar Patel got a wicket each while Yuzvendra Chahal got two scalps. Avesh Khan, who had not picked up a single wicket in the first 3 matches was the pick of the bowlers as he picked up 4 wickets and bowled really well, giving away just 18 runs.

The men in blue got two very comfortable wins with a huge margin to set up an ultimate series decider in Bangalore. The plan of sticking with the same playing XI is working for India. The two players who made an international comeback i.e Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik have both been excellent and have taken a massive step into booking their berth to Australia for the World Cup.

Also read: How much will KL Rahul's absence in the England Test affect India?

(Cricket news) After losing the first two T20Is against South Africa, India were 1 loss away from losing the series. The men in blue did manage to save the series with a convincing win in the 3rd T20I. Now they have a chance to level the series with a win in the 4th T20I at Rajkot. Nothing changes for South Africa as they still need a win to seal the series. Either way it promises to be a hard fought encounter which will determine whether the next match in Bangalore is just a consolation or a series decider.

India's possible playing XI:

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Bench: Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi. 

India has stuck with the same line-up for all 3 matches and there is no reason why they will make a change now. The combination turned out to be good in the last match for India and it looks like the team is working in tandem. There will be a lot of pressure on Rishabh Pant as a captain and as a batter. Pant hasn't had a lot of success with the willow in this format and he won't find a better match to prove his worth.

South Africa possible playing XI:

Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Dwaine Pretorius, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje.

Bench:, Lungi Ngidi, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Tristan Stubbs.

Aiden Markaram has gone back to South Africa after being ruled out of the series. Quinton de Kock is back in contention after recovering from injury and should be back in place of Reeza Hendricks. The Proteas don't have a reason to make any other changes in the side. Playing Marco Jansen instead of Wayne Parnell may be the only other change on the cards. 

The pitch in Rajkot is really good for batting and the match is likely to be high scoring. The powerplay is going to be extremely crucial for both the teams in each innings. Nortje and Rabada haven't been at their very best in the series so far and it is important for South Africa that they do start contributing more.

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(Cricket news) India defeated South Africa in the 3rd T20I by 48 runs to keep the series alive at 2-1 with 2 matches to go. It turned out to be a good performance by India which resulted in a comfortable victory. Proteas batters for the first time in the series fell flat and didn't look comfortable. Both the teams went unchanged which was surprising considering it was a do or die game for India after two underwhelming performances. 

Temba Bavuma won his 3rd consecutive toss and once again put India into bat first. Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad gave India a terrific start as they 97 run opening partnership in under 10 overs. Gaikwad scored his maiden international fifty as he got 57 off just 35 balls. He hit 5 fours off Anrich Nortje's 5th over which set the tone for the innings. Ishan Kishan continued his incredible run of form as he scored 54 off 35 balls. The innings included 5 fours and 2 sixes which brought up his 2nd fifty of the series. After the 10th over, South Africa started picking up wickets and slowed down the run rate quite a bit. Hardik Pandya scored 31 off 21 balls at the death to take India's total to 179. The Proteas did get hammered in the first half but recovered really well in the second half. Dwaine Pretorius was the pick of the bowlers as he picked up 2/29 in his 4 overs.

Defending 180, India started really well with the new ball. Axar Patel was brought in very early on in the 4th over itself and the plot worked as he got rid of Bavuma. India controlled the tempo very well as the required run rate kept on shooting up. The men in blue managed to pick up wickets at regular intervals. None of the Proteas batters really got going. Harshal Patel picked up 4 wickets in 3.1 overs and gave away only 25 runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Axar Patel got a wicket while Yuzvendra Chahal bagged the player of the match award. Chahal finished with figures of 3/20 as he picked up the wickets of Heinrich Klaasen, Rassie Van der Dussen and Dwaine Pretorius. South Africa were bowled out for 131 runs as India won by 48 runs.

The win will be a massive confidence booster for India who now have a chance to level the series in Rajkot. South Africa can still seal the series with a win in the next match. The fact that India has stuck with the same line-up for the 3 games makes it clear that there will be no changes in the next match unless the conditions are completely different. 

Also read: Ranji Trophy SF: Mumbai have slight upper hand against Uttar Pradesh

(Cricket news) The first two T20Is haven't gone India's way and now they find themselves in a do or die situation. The men in blue now have to win all the remaining matches in order to win the series. South Africa on the other hand need one win to clinch the trophy and beat India in all 3 formats in the same year. India have retained the same line-up in the two games so far but they will have to make some changes in the next one.

India's possible playing XI:

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh

Bench: Axar Patel, Venkatesh Iyer, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel.

India's bowling performance has not been upto the mark so far therefore changes are expected. Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh could be given their debuts while Ravi Bishnoi is likely to come back into the lineup. Axar Patel has failed to contribute with ball and bat. Even though he doesn't have a direct replacement Deepak Hooda is close enough. He will give the batting more depth and his off spin is handy. Hardik Pandya has shown that he is more than capable of completing his 4 over quota.

South Africa possible playing XI:

Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Dwaine Pretorius, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje

Bench:, Lungi Ngidi, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Tristan Stubbs

Heinrich Klaasen has earned his place in the team after the blistering knock at Cuttack. De Kock is likely to be fit again and should replace Reeza Hendricks. The rest of the team is well set and picks itself. Maharaj and Shamsi haven't been too great so far but they have a chance to step up at Vizag. There is still no update on the availability of Aiden Markaram who has missed both games due to Covid.

India will have to keep things simple and try to play their natural game. Dravid and Pant have a few tough calls to make with regards to team selection and balance. More will be expected from the likes of Pandya, Kishan and Gaikwad. Pant himself will have to bat well if India want to win the game. South Africa just need to continue doing what they have done in the first two matches. Considering the situation they will be eyeing a whitewash which will be an incredible feat. 

Also read: I want to represent India and lift the World Cup - Jasmer Dhankhar

Visakhapatnam, Jun 13 (Cricket News) Under-performing spinners, an out-of-form opener and his own poor show -- skipper Rishabh Pant will have a lot on his mind when India take on a buoyant South Africa in the third T20 on Tuesday in their bid to keep the five-match series alive.

India came into the series on a 12-match winning streak but South Africa took the wind out of India's sails with two crushing defeats.

Pant's side is now struggling on multiple fronts and it would take a herculean effort to plug all the holes with just one day between the second and third game.

If bowling let India down in the first game, a poor batting show cost them the second match and now they have their backs to the wall.

Strike-rate woes for Ruturaj, Iyer ==================== India's batting left a lot to be desired with the openers failing to give the team a good start in the powerplay.

While Ishan Kishan has done well so far, Ruturaj Gaikwad (23, 1) has pulled the team down with questions being raised over his technique against quality pacers and his ability to force the pace early on.

Shreyas Iyer too has looked vulnerable against the fast bowlers and even though he has got starts, he hasn't been able to capitalise or push the run-rate, putting pressure on the next line of batters in the middle-order.

Hardik Pandya, who was in sensational form for Gujarat Titans in the IPL, produced some big hits when the team was in a comfortable position in the first T20 but he couldn't get going on the two-paced Cuttack track.

He also failed to impress with the ball and has leaked 49 runs in the four overs that he bowled across the two matches.

Pant's captaincy under scanner =================== Shoehorned into captaincy, Pant (29, 5) has not fired himself so far. He has only three fifties in 45 T20Is with an average of 23.9 and strike-rate of 126.6.

As someone, who is touted as a future leader, Pant has not inspired enough confidence with his leadership abilities.

His decision to promote Axar Patel over designated finisher and the experienced Dinesh Karthik in the second game was baffling, to say the least.

Going into the World Cup in Australia later this year, a lot will be expected from the wicketkeeper batter, who can win matches single-handedly and he will look to produce an inspired show on Tuesday.

Uninspiring show by Chahal & Axar ===================== In bowling, the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel have been a big letdown as they went for 75 and 59 in six and five overs in the two matches and the axe is likely to fall on one of them going into the third game.

Chahal, who was the purple cap holder in the IPL, and Axar were put under the pump with the likes of David Miller, Rassie van der Dussen and Heinrich Klassen feasting on their pedestrian bowling.

With the duo flopping, it needs to be seen whether the team management gives young leggie Ravi Bishnoi or allrounder Venkatesh Iyer, who also opens for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL, a chance in the middle.

The hosts, save Bhuvneshwar Kumar, have looked bereft of ideas of getting breakthroughs as India picked just four wickets in the opening game and six in the second match with the leading seamer from Meerut doing most of the damage.

Indian bowlers have the propensity to concede runs in a heap in one or two overs which completely undo the work done in the previous overs and they will need to tighten their game to salvage hopes of saving the series.

India's think-tank might also look to unleash the express pace of Umran Malik on South Africa or get Arshdeep Singh in place of Avesh Khan, who is yet to take a wicket in the series.

South Africa, on the other hand, have looked like a well-oiled machine with both their bowlers and batters working in partnerships.

If Miller and van der Dussen took it away with a stellar show in the first T20, comeback man Klassen proved to be the difference on Sunday with his fluent 81-run innings on a tricky wicket.

Skipper Temba Bavuma also played the perfect foil to Klassen to script SA's recovery.

In bowling, the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Wayne Parnell have hunted in a pack.

Teams (from): India: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen.

Match starts at 7pm IST. 

Also Read : South Africa comfortably defeat India to go 2-0 up in the series

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) South Africa defeated India by 4 wickets with 10 balls to spare in the 2nd T20I. The Proteas lead the 5 match series 2-0 and have won all 7 matches against India this year in addition to the two Tests they won at the end of last year. India are getting well and truly outplayed in their own backyard. It will now take unbelievable character and quality for India to win the series from this position.

Temba Bavuma once again won the toss and elected to bowl first. India struggled to cope with the pitch in the 1st innings as they could only manage 148/6. Ishan Kishan scored 34 off 21 balls while Shreyas Iyer got 40 off 35 balls. Other than that the entire top order failed to stick around. Dinesh Karthik who initially struggled, finished with 30 off 21 balls to get India to a defendable total. The pitch was definitely fast bowler friendly as the two specialist spinners bowled a combined 4 overs. After having a bad game in Delhi, Keshav Maharaj had an excellent game as he finished with figures of 1/12 in 2 overs. Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius and Wayne Parnell all had excellent spells as they kept Indian batters at bay. 

The Indian bowlers didn't have enough runs to defend but Bhuvneshwar Kumar showed his class. The U.P seamer finished with figures of 4/13 in his four overs. He got the new ball to dance to his instructions by picking up 3 wickets in the powerplay. Unfortunately his efforts went in vain as Heinrich Klaasen, who replaced the injured Quinton de Kock scored an incredible 81 off 46 balls to lead South Africa to victory. David Miller and Temba Bavuma played cameos as the Proteas always looked in control. Apart from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Avesh Khan all Indian bowlers were expensive and couldn't trouble the visiting batters.

Rishabh Pant's first two games as India skipper haven't gone too well. Both the wickets have been extremely tricky to read especially for the captains. India now have 3 must win matches coming up which will be anything but easy. South Africa is the team which India have struggled to get the better of recently. India will have no option but to make some changes in the playing XI in the next match. Both Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik will be the first ones in Rahul Dravid's mind as the players to come in.

Also read: Celeste Raack leaves Ireland camp for family reasons before South Africa serie

Cuttack, Jun 11 (Cricket News) Accidental captain Rishabh Pant will expect an improved showing from the India bowlers as he plots a comeback against a marauding South Africa in the second T20 of the five-match series here on Sunday.

Leading India for the first time ever, Pant had to swallow a bitter pill when David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen shot down an imposing 212 with utmost nonchalance to go up 1-0 in the series.

The southpaw also had a forgettable Indian Premier League where he failed to lead Delhi Capitals to the playoffs.

Seen as a future white-ball captain, Pant's stakes have suddenly come down post-IPL and that has coincided with the resurgence of Hardik Pandya.

Returning to full fitness, the pace bowling all-rounder took the IPL by storm not only by his form but by pulling off a coup as he led Gujarat Titans to the title in their debut season.

Amid the growing chorus of 'Hardik Pandya -- the next white-ball captain of India', Pant will be under scrutiny again as he masterminds a comeback.

It may still be early days for Pant the leader, but his body language never stood out and he looked under pressure on his captaincy debut. He also made a debatable decision to underbowl the IPL Purple Cap winner Yuzvendra Chahal, fresh from claiming 27 wickets for runners-up Rajasthan Royals. At Kotla, the leggie bowled only two full overs.

As for Pandya, fresh after his historic success with GT, continued from where he left in the IPL.

Pandya, who last played for India in November last year in the 2021 T20 World Cup, dazzled with the bat with a 31 not out from 12 balls to prop the total past 200.

But he failed to impress with the bowl and leaked 18 runs in his only over. The big headache for Pant would be the bowling department where he would have to make a call between Arshdeep Singh and pace gun Umran Malik.

While the batting looks in perfect shape, the new-look pace department looked flat in the series opener.

Seniormost Bhuvneshwar Kumar did not look the same and leaked runs in the death overs, while Harshal Patel too was taken to cleaners.

Youngster Avesh Khan too failed to impress though he was the most economical among the trio.

With the duo of Arshdeep and Malik trying hard to impress at the nets with their pace and accuracy it is likely that one among the duo may be well set for a debut on Saturday.

It would not be an easy task as another slip-up would mean the Pant-led side would have the difficult task of winning three in a row.

Fresh from their individual players' success in the IPL, the Proteas are finding themselves at 'home'.

In the form of his life, Miller who scored 481 runs at 68.71 in the IPL to play a key role in GT's triumph, has started in ominous fashion and looked unstoppable both against spin and pace at Kotla.

Quinton de Kock failed to convert his start but the Lucknow Super Giants batter also scored a bagful of runs (508) in the IPL and he would look to make it count here.

With Van der Dussen also striking it rich, the trio will form the batting backbone, while the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje would look to stop the Indians.

Teams (from) India: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer,Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen.

Match starts at 7pm IST. 

Also Read : India look to level series against South Africa in Cuttack

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) After losing the first T20I, India are now preparing to take on South Africa in Cuttack. The first match was a tale of two innings for India as their batting was almost perfect while the bowling was way off. South Africa on the other hand will be looking to get a 2-0 lead. The Proteas will be looking to improve their bowling this time around, especially in the power play. Both the teams are likely to name an unchanged playing XI as the conditions shouldn't be too different.

India's possible playing XI:

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umran Malik.

Bench: Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

The batting line-up is likely to remain the same. However there might be a few changes in the bowling department. Umran Malik's pace is too much of an asset to be kept on the bench for a long time. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the one likely to be replaced. There is a high chance that India may field an unchanged XI as well.

South Africa possible playing XI:

Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Dwaine Pretorius, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje

Bench: Heinrich Klaasen, Lungi Ngidi, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen

Aiden Markaram, who missed the last game due to Covid is likely to miss this one as well. Even though the two spinners had a tough game in Delhi, they should be retained in the team. South Africa will be hoping that the two openers stay at the crease for longer. Pretorius is likely to be used as a floater depending on the situation. David Miller is definitely one to look out for as he is in the form of his life. 

The dew factor will definitely come into play in Cuttack. The pitch is expected to be slower which is why it could be a low scoring game. A 2-0 deficit will be very difficult for India to come back from. South Africa have already defeated India in Tests and ODIs, now they have taken the lead in T20Is as well. Rishabh Pant has had quite a few criticisms about his captaincy in the last match and he will have a few questions to answer.

Also read: Purpose of playing club cricket was to shift from T20 to red-ball mode: Ashwin

(Cricket news) South Africa defeated India by 7 wickets in the first T20I. The Proteas completed their highest chase ever in the format and that too with 5 balls to spare. It was a difficult day for both sets of bowlers but in the end the visitors made the home wide look about 10-15 runs short. David Miller was awarded the Player of the Match award for his unbeaten 64 off just 31 balls which led South Africa to a memorable victory. Unfortunately for India they missed out on the world record for the most consecutive T20I wins. 

After losing the toss India were put into bat first and they managed to put a mammoth 211 runs on the board. Ishan Kishan was the star of the innings as he scored an incredible 76 off 48 balls. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Hardik all contributed with the bat. Pandya was seen playing attacking cricket with the willow after a very long time. Both the openers made the most out of the powerplay. Keshav Maharaj, Wayne Parnell, Anrich Nortje and Dwaine Pretorius were the wicket takers. Maharaj and Shamzi were hit all over the place by Kishan and Iyer as they leaked a combined total of 70 runs in 5 overs. 

The wicket was on the slower side as the ball wasn't coming on to the bat. Skipper Temba Bavuma at the toss said that he expects the wicket to get better in the second innings and that is exactly what happened. Despite losing both the openers early the Proteas managed to chase down the target with 5 balls and 7 wickets to spare. Pretorius, who was promoted to number 3 scored 29 off just 13 balls. He made the most out of the power play before being completely fooled by Harshal Patel's slower delivery. Rassie Van der dussen and David Miller stitched a match winning 131 run partnership. Van der Dussen struggled a lot at the start but Miller's power hitting made up for it. Shreyas Iyer dropped his catch off Avesh Khan's bowling when he was on 29 off 30 and he accelerated from there finishing with a score of 75 off 46.

India did get enough runs on the board but the Proteas chased it very well. The pitch got drastically better to bat in the 2nd innings. It was Rishabh Pant's first game as captain and it had a few questionable decisions. The bowling changes weren't the best as it turned out. The team's lead spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was given only 2 full overs even when the team desperately needed a breakthrough. The Indian team management may be forced into making a change or two by bringing in Arshdeep Singh and/or Umran Malik. BCCI could also name replacements for KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav before the next match.

Also read: Mithali Raj retires and leaves behind an unparalleled legacy

New Delhi, Jun 9 (Cricket News) South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to field against India in the first T20 international of the five-match series here on Thursday.

India have fielded three pacers in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel, while Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal are the two spinners in the playing eleven. Veteran Dinesh Karthik has also been included in the XI. For South Africa, Aiden Markram missed out after testing positive for COVID-19. Teams: India: Rishabh Pant (C), Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje. 

Also Read : Kumar Kartikeya's 6-for dooms Punjab as MP cruise into Ranji Trophy semifinals

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) India are back in international cricket action as they take on South Africa in a 5 match T20I series. The first match will be held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. It will pretty much be a second string Indian side with a lot of 3 format players missing. KL Rahul was initially named as captain but an injury has ruled him out of the series. Kuldeep Yadav who was also a part of the squad was ruled out of the series after suffering an injury in the nets. India have a chance to win their 13th consecutive T20 international which will be a world record.

India's possible playing XI:

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Bench: Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi 

As of now no replacements have been named for the injured KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav. Gaikwad and Kishan will be the front runners for the opening spot while Venkatesh Iyer is also another option. Despite getting called up it is difficult to see Arshdeep and Malik get an opportunity straight away. The return of Pandya and Karthik will be very interesting to see. 

South Africa possible playing XI:

Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (C), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje

Bench: Heinrich Klaasen, Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Tristan Stubbs

The conditions will mean that Lungi Ngidi will have to miss out. The choice between Dwaine Pretorius and Marco Jansen will be very difficult but the latter's superior bowling ability edges it ever so slightly. Miller and de Kock have been in incredible form throughout the IPL and the pair will be key for the Proteas. The spin duo Shamsi and Maharaj will have to play exceptionally well if their team is to win.

India are by no means full strength but it is still a very strong side filled with match winners. The men in blue will be looking for revenge after their disastrous performance in South Africa last year. Both Rahul Dravid and Rishabh Pant have emphasised that it will be difficult to give every single player an opportunity to all the players but fans will be hoping to see a few new faces. For South Africa it will be an opportunity to get the better of India in all 3 formats as they defeated India in Tests and ODIs earlier this year. 

Also read: Mithali Raj retires and leaves behind an unparalleled legacy

New Delhi, Jun 8 (Cricket News) Zeroing in on a core group for the upcoming T20 World Cup will be India’s main endeavour as they audition a bunch of players, both old and new, in the five-match T20 International series against a strong South African side, starting here on Thursday.

The Men in Blue are on a 12-match winning streak and come Thursday, they can create an all-time record of winning 13 T20I games in a row.

However for head coach Rahul Dravid, the primary aim over the next 10 days will be to narrow down on a core group of players going into the World Cup in October.

And he couldn't have hoped for a better opposition than a gritty South African side which has seen its stock rise recently.

With likes of skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rested for the series, stand in captain KL Rahul is a certainty at the top but it would be a tough choice between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan as his opening partner.

Both are coming off underwhelming IPL seasons and it could well be a case where both are given a go at the top to see who fares better.

India currently face a problem of plenty.

Shreyas Iyer, was terrific at No. 3 against Sri Lanka in February, could hold on to the spot, in the absence of the injured Suryakumar Yadav. But Deepak Hooda, who has been in fine form, could also be given a chance since his impressed batting in the same position for Lucknow Super Giants.

The mercurial Rishabh Pant and comeback man Dinesh Karthik form an explosive middle order.

While Pant will be keen to rediscover his touch, it is to be seen if Karthik, who dazzled in the role of a finisher for RCB, can replicate his IPL form with the national side and stay in contention for a World Cup spot if given a chance.

If Hooda, Karthik and Venkatesh Iyer perform well, it would give the management an opportunity to play around with the line up during the World Cup.

Hardik Pandya is likely to resume his duties as the finisher despite a splendid run batting at No. 3 and 4 in the IPL.

"Without giving too much away sometimes, the role that you play for your franchise matches with the role that you play for India, but sometimes you have to play slightly different roles for different teams," Dravid said in the lead up to the series opener.

The seasoned Bhuvneshwar Kumar will spearhead the pace attack alongside death overs specialist Harshal Patel and would hope to prove their prowess given that only Jasprit Bumrah is a sure pick for the World Cup among the fast bowlers.

Avesh Khan is likely to fill in the third pacer’s spot but if he falters, Arshdeep Singh, who impressed in the IPL with his ability to bowl yorkers, could be handed a debut over fellow rookie Umran Malik.

However, Dravid has made it clear that it will be difficult to provide game time to all the available payers.

The wrist spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav return to the side after for the first time since 2019. Both players have reinvented themselves and have been rewarded for a superb IPL season.

With the injured Ravindra Jadeja expected to be a sure-shot selection for the World Cup and Chahal unlikely to miss out, Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel and Kuldeep will have to make a strong case for themselves.

South Africa have not lost a white-ball series in India since 2010. The Proteas have come with their best possible side.

For the visitors, a rejuvenated David Miller with his pyrotechnics will hold the key along with the flamboyant Quinton de Kock and Aiden Makram.

In the bowling department, the onus will be on spin twins Tabrez Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj and the pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.

The South African T20 side will be playing together for the first time since the World Cup last year and skipper Temba Bavuma said the Proteas will also be looking to identify players for specific roles for the Australia edition.

Teams (From): KL Rahul (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk),Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen.

Match starts 7pm IST. 

Also Read : Umran might have to wait for his debut, hints Dravid

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, May 22 (Cricket News) Punjab Kings ended their campaign on a winning note, crushing an already demoralised Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets in an inconsequential final IPL league match here on Sunday.

Batting first, Sunrisers Hyderabad managed only 157 for 8 on a good batting track.

But it was never going to be enough as Liam Livingstone made mincemeat of a hapless SRH attack, scoring 49 not out off 22 balls, and also hitting the coveted 1000th six of the tournament.

Shikhar Dhawan (39 off 32 balls) and Jitesh Sharma (19 off 7 balls) also contributed handsomely to the team's cause as the chase was completed in just 15.1 overs.

Punjab Kings, who haven't made the play-offs since their final appearance in 2014, finished sixth while the Sunrisers ended their high-spending IPL on eighth in the 10-team competition.

For Livingstone, it was all about smashing big sixes once again as he hit five in all, while Dhawan helped himself to two fours and two sixes.

It was Jonny Bairstow (23 off 15 balls), who straightaway attacked Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Washington Sundar, with a flurry of boundaries to set the tempo.

It helped Dhawan to play his accumulating game as Punjab maintained their philosophy of all out attack even as Sunrisers dropped some sitters on the field.

Worst was Washington Sundar's blooper when Livingstine tried to hit Jagadeesha Suchit against the turn and offered a dolly at point.

There were too many on-field bungles with Roamrio Shepherd's 15th over going for 23 runs.

Earlier, Punjab Kings bowlers showed a lot of discipline, restricting SRH to 157 for 8 in 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh (0/25 in 4 overs) celebrated his maiden India call-up with another parsimonious spell but it was his state team colleague Harpreet Brar (3/26 in 4 overs), who was the pick of the bowlers with wickets of Priyam Garg, Rahul Tripathi and Aiden Markram.

With four qualifiers already decided on Saturday, there was little more than academic interest left in the game and the 'Orange Army' in fact looked jaded and more like going through the motions while batting before sprucing up their scores in the final few overs.

SRH's best batter of the season, Abhishek Sharma (43 off 32 balls) once again got a start but should have converted it into a big one which didn't happen.

A solemn looking Tripathi (20) did cross a personal milestone of 400 runs for the season but disappointment of not making it to the national team was writ large in his body language as he failed to connect the big hits.

Brar didn't do anything extraordinary and kept it mostly on the stumps, stifling the opposition batters for runs.

It was left to Romario Shepherd (26 not out off 15 balls) and Washington Sundar (25 off 19 balls) to take the Sunrisers past the 150-run mark, as both of them used the long handle to good effect in their 58-run sixth-wicket partnership off only 4.5 overs.

In fact, 50-plus runs came in the last four overs as Nathan Ellis (3/40 in 4 overs) erred in length despite a couple of back-to-back wickets that he got in the bargain.

Ellis did bowl a good hat-trick delivery which Bhuvneshwar Kumar averted only to get run-out of the very next delivery. 

Also Read : I'm trying to play more shots, working on T20 game: Mandhana

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, May 22 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad stand-in skipper Bhuvneshwar Kumar was satisfied with his performance in the IPL as managing his injuries became a "challenge" in an otherwise disappointing season for his team.

After winning five back-to-back games out of first seven, Sunrisers Hyderabad lost six out of the next seven to finish eighth in the 10-team IPL table.

"As for me, it was a challenging season with injuries hampering me, thought I did a decent job and will look to come back better in the next season," Kumar said at the post-match presentation.

As far as season's positives go, Umran Malik and Abhishek Sharma's emergence augurs well for franchise, said the senior India seamer.

"We have had many positives, Umran Malik and Abhishek Sharma were the obvious positives, but we have a decent core of batting with Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran coming up pretty well," he added.

But he had a word of advice for the team management.

"We will have to look at our squad and the management will have to work out on the weaknesses ahead of the next season. We won five on the bounce and had the momentum, but it didn't go our way and we pretty much lost all our matches in the second half of the tournament." For winning skipper Mayank Agarwal, it was all about not being able to stich back-to-back victories.

"We couldn't stitch two back-to-back wins. We lost wickets in a cluster, and that at times derailed us. We have played an aggressive brand of cricket over all. We are going to sit and discuss now after the IPL. We were here to get two points and we were here to enjoy ourselves," Agarwal said. 

Also Read : Sunrisers Hyderabad opt to bat against Punjab Kings

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, May 22 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad opted to bat after winning the toss against Punjab Kings in an inconsequential last league match of the IPL here on Sunday.

For Hyderabad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is leading the side in place of Kane Williamson, who has left the bio-bubble for home after the 13th game to be with his wife for the birth of their second child.

For Punjab Kings, Prerak Mankad will make his IPL debut while Nathan Ellis came in place of Rahul Chahar. Mankad replaced Bhanuka Rajapakse. Shahrukh Khan came in place of Rishi Dhawan.

For SRH, Romario Shepherd and Jagadeesha Suchith were back in the playing XI.

Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal(c), Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma(w), Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Prerak Mankad, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (c), Abhishek Sharma, Priyam Garg, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran(w), Romario Shepherd, Washington Sundar, Jagadeesha Suchith, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik. 

Also Read : Pace sensation Umran Malik selected for T20Is vs SA; Hardik in shortest format, Pujara in Test earn recalls

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, May 21 (Cricket News) Their play-off hopes dashed, both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings will be keen to end their IPL season on a winning note when the two teams clash in a dead rubber here on Sunday.

Both teams were knocked out of the play-off race when RCB defeated table-toppers Gujarat Titans on Thursday.

The Sunrisers will be without the services of their skipper Kane Williamson, who has returned to New Zealand for the birth of his second child.

In his absence, either Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has led the side previously, or Nicholas Pooran are are likely to captain the Sunrisers in their last game this season.

While Sunrisers managed to snap their five-match losing streak by eking out a narrow three-run win over Mumbai Indians, Punjab succumbed to a 17-run loss to Delhi Capitals.

The fact that Mayank Agarwal and Co. could not win two games in a row sums up their inconsistent run all season.

High on spirits after thrashing RCB by 54 runs, PBKS suffered an inexplicable batting collapse in their must-win against Delhi.

The Punjab bating unit has been plagued by inconsistencies and will need to fire in unison to build or defend a huge total.

If not for the star batters -- Jonny Baitsow and Liam Livingstone, Shikhar Dhawan -- Punjab Kings have reliable Jitesh Sharma, one of the finds of this IPL, to finish the match or take them to a good total.

On the bowling front, lead pacer Kagiso Rabada (22) continues to be the highest wicket taker among fast bowlers this season. The South African has bowled at an average of 16.72 with an economy of 8.36.

Arshdeep Singh (10) has impressed many with his ability to land yorkers at will and has done especially well in the death overs.

The Sunrisers, on the other hand, won five back-to-back matches and looked on course for a top 2 finish but injuries to their frontline bowlers Washington Sundar and T Natarjan deflated their campaign as they slumped to a five-match losing streak. Skipper Williamson's wretched form didn't help their cause either.

On the bowling front, pace sensation Umran Malik, who enjoyed a good outing in the previous game, is likely to keep the speed gun radar busy.

Sunrisers also found star Afghan bowler in the form of medium pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi, who did the tremendous job in the previous game.

Both Bhuvneshwar and Farooqi will be eyeing another good outing, while Natarajan will have to forget the hammering by Tim David and find a way to nail his yorkers again.

Sunrisers batting unit has been spearheaded by Rahul Tripathi this season.

SRH made some tactical changes in the last game and they paid off. Priyam Garg was brought into the side and the youngster impressed. Abhishek Sharma has been good in patches while Aiden Markram has gone under the radar after a few good knocks.

Teams (From) SRH, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Shashank Singh, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

PBKS: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal (C), Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Vaibhav Arora, Nathan Ellis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell.

Match starts at 7.30PM IST. 

Also Read : On selection radar for South Africa series: Malik, Mohsin, DK

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, May 17 (Cricket News) Rahul Tripathi batted like a man on a mission before Umran Malik sizzled with his pace as Sunrisers Hyderabad kept their slim IPL playoff hopes alive with a three-run win over Mumbai Indians here on Tuesday.

Tripathi scored 76 from 44 balls to guide Sunrisers Hyderabad to a challenging 193 for six. He was ably complemented by Priyam Garg (42) and Nicholas Pooran (38).

Malik (3/23 in three overs) then produced a sensational performance, while the seasoned Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/26 off 4) bowled a wicket maiden in the crucial 19th over to stop MI at 190 for seven despite the best efforts by Rohit Sharma (48), Ishan Kishan (43) and Tim David (46).

The victory keeps SRH in the playoffs race on paper as they move up to 12 points. They need to win their last game and hope for other results to go their way.

Chasing 194, Rohit was at his effortless best and looked set for a big score. He gave a solid start to Mumbai's chase alongside Kishan, with whom he shared a 95-run opening stand.

The two plundered 17 runs in the ninth over bowled by Malik, with the pacer guilty of bowling two no balls and a wide.

But two overs later, Kane Williamson's decision to bowl Washington Sundar (1/36) paid dividends as Rohit holed out to Jagadeesha Suchith in the deep.

Kishan, who looked uncomfortable against Malik's short balls, followed his skipper in the next over as the Jammu pacer, who had a horrible first over, redeemed himself. He speared the ball at the stumps from round the wicket for Priyam Garg to complete a fine catch at mid on.

The duo provided another breakthrough as Malik bowled another bouncer forcing Daniel Sams to pull. Garg jumped high above his head with his arms fully stretched to complete a brilliant catch at midwicket.

With 44 needed off 18, the big-hitting David blazed away to 46 off just 18 balls to keep alive Mumbai's hope for a fourth win this season.

David hit four sixes off the 18th over bowled by T Natarajan, including a monstrous 114m hit, to bring the equation down to 19 from 12. However, Natarajan (0/60) managed to redeem himself off the last ball as David was run out.

The seasoned Bhuvneshwar bowled a wicket maiden 19th over to tilt the game back in SRH's favour.

Earlier, Tripathi, who struck his third half century of the season with the help of nine fours and three sixes, set himself up brilliantly for a memorable knock.

Invited to bat, the Sunrisers' gamble to play Garg at the top of the order paid off. The 21-year-old played a fine knock while sharing a 78-run partnership with Tripathi after the in-form Abhishek Sharma (9) was sent back in the third over.

Garg, who was dropped on 10, made good use of his reprieve as he smashed the ball four times to the fence and twice over it in his 26-ball innings.

At the other end, Tripathi looked in his element. He smacked Jasprit Bumrah (1/32) for a six and back-to-back fours in the fifth over.

Tripathi and Garg collected 57 in a productive powerplay and maintained a healthy run rate which was close to 10 runs per over while batting responsibly.

Once Garg was caught and bowled by medium pacer Ramandeep Singh (3/20), Pooran, who was promoted to No. 3, joined the party.

The flamboyant left-hander smoked two consecutive sixes over long on and deep backward square off Riley Merdith (1/44) in the 13th over before whacking Mayank Markande (0/31) for a boundary and a maximum in the next over.

The MI bowlers, led by Ramndeep, were able to stage a mini comeback as they got rid of Pooran, Tripathi and Aiden Markram (2) in the space of eight balls.

Batting down the order, skipper Kane Williamson's (8 not out) struggles continued as he was unable to get the big shots going.

The Sunrisers, who were looking set for a 200 plus score, could manage only one boundary in the last two overs, which yielded 19 runs. 

Also Read : Rahul Tripathi's 76 takes Sunrisers to 193 for 6 against Mumbai

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, May 17 (Cricket News) Rahul Tripathi scored 76 from 44 balls to guide Sunrisers Hyderabad to a challenging 193 for six in their must-win Indian Premier League match against Mumbai Indians here on Tuesday.

Tripathi, who struck his third half century of the season with the help of nine fours and three sixes, set himself up brilliantly for a memorable knock.

He was ably complemented by Priyam Garg (42) and Nicholas Pooran (38).

Invited to bat, the Sunrisers' punt to play Garg at the top of the order paid off. The 21-year-old played a fine knock while sharing a 78-run partnership with Tripathi after the in-form Abhishek Sharma (9) was sent back in the third over.

Garg, who was dropped on 10, made good use of his reprieve as he smashed the ball four times to the fence and twice over it in his 26-ball innings.

At the other end, Tripathi looked in his element. He smacked Jasprit Bumrah (1/32) for a six and back-to-back fours in the fifth over.

Tripathi and Garg collected 57 in a productive powerplay and maintained a healthy run rate which was close to 10 runs per over while batting responsibly.

Once Garg was caught and bowled by medium pacer Ramandeep Singh (3/20), Pooran, who was promoted to No. 3, joined the party.

The flamboyant left-hander smoked two consecutive sixes over long on and deep backward square off Riley Merdith (1/44) in the 13th over before whacking Mayank Markande (0/31) for a boundary and a maximum in the next over.

The MI bowlers, led by Ramndeep, were able to stage a mini comeback as they got rid of Pooran, Tripathi and Aiden Markram (2) in the space of eight balls.

Batting down the order, skipper Kane Williamson's (8 not out) struggles continued as he was unable to get the big shots going.

The Sunrisers, who were looking set for a 200 plus score, could manage only one boundary in the last two overs, which yielded 19 runs. 

Also Read : Mumbai Indians opt to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, May 17 (Cricket News) Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League here on Tuesday.

Mayank Markande and Sanjay Yadav replaced Hrithik Shokeen and Kumar Kartikeya in the MI playing XI.

The Sunrisers have also made a couple of changes. Priyam Garg comes in for Shashank Singh and Afghan pacer Fazal Farooqi replaces Marco Jansen.

It is a must-win game for SRH to stay in play-off contention.

Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson(c), Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran(w), Priyam Garg, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan(wk), Rohit Sharma(c), Daniel Sams, Tilak Varma, Ramandeep Singh, Tristan Stubbs, Tim David, Sanjay Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Riley Meredith, Mayank Markande. 

Also Read : I get a buzz out of fielding: Opener David Warner

News Source : PTI

Johannesburg, May 17 (Cricket News) South Africa on Tuesday handed rookie right-handed batter Tristan Stubbs a maiden call-up, while Wayne Parnell made a comeback after five years for the upcoming five-match T20 tour of India starting June 9.

The 16-member contingent will be led by Temba Bavuma as South Africa make a return to international T20 cricket for the first time since the ICC T20 World Cup in late 2021.

The 21-year-old Stubbs, who impressed in the past season while playing for the Gbets Warriors in the Cricket South Africa (CSA) T20 Challenge, scored 293 runs in seven innings, at an average of 48.83 and a strike rate of 183.12, including 23 sixes.

He was also part of the South Africa 'A' team to Zimbabwe before he was summoned by the Mumbai Indians for the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Among other notable selections is the return of Anrich Nortje, who has been recovering from a hip injury since December last year and batters, Reeza Hendricks and Heinrich Klaasen.

Nortje has been medically cleared for return and is currently playing for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

Parnell also makes a comeback to the T20 set up for the first time since South Africa's tour of England in 2017.

Besides, Keshav Maharaj and number one men's T20I bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, the rest of the South African team consists of IPL players, namely, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen and Marco Jansen.

"This is the Proteas like we have not seen them in a long time. The injection of the IPL players means that we will have a team that's ready to fire on all cylinders immediately and has vast experience of the conditions that we will be playing in," Cricket South Africa Convenor of Selectors, Victor Mpitsang said in a statement.

"Tristan Stubbs is an exciting prospect and we're keen to see what he's made of and we are looking forward to the return of the experience of Reeza (Hendricks), Klaasie (Heinrich Klaasen) and Wayne Parnell to join the likes of Temba (Bavuma), Tabraiz (Shamsi) and Keshav (Maharaj).

"The country can also join us in a collective sigh of relief at the return of Anrich Nortje, who has been working hard to recover from a frustrating injury." The five-match T20I series will kick start at New Delhi on June 9, followed by matches in Cuttack (June 12), Visakhapatnam (June 14), Rajkot (June 17) and Bengaluru (June 19).

South Africa T20 team for India tour: Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen. 

Also Read : AB de Villiers, Gayle inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) SRH’s campaign hasn’t any type of form this season as they went on a 5 match winning streak after losing the first three matches in the tournament but are now on the back of 5 defeats in a row and their playoff hopes hanging by a thread. For MI they have nothing to lose knowing that if they win, they will dent SRH’s playoff hopes.

For SRH, they are still in contention for the playoffs even after five straight losses following five straight wins as  it is purely down to their batting from Nos. 3 to 6. Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran have been the key players at those positions and Sunrisers average 35.5 per dismissal for those spots combined, the best among the teams in IPL 2022. Kane Williamson's form has been abysmal this season; his batting average of 18.9 this season and his strike rate of 92.9 is the fifth-worst by any player to have batted in ten innings in an IPL season. The SRH management need to make changes to their batting order as they need some fresh impetus in the batting department. In the bowling department, all the bowlers who were in form started conceding a lot of runs as they have conceded more than 175 in the previous matches. Washington Sundar and Shreyas Gopal will be key, both of whom have combined to dismiss Rohit Sharma four times in 37 balls.

MI would take confidence from their last match and hopefully rebuild next season but now they would want to end the tournament on a high. Very little of Tristan Stubbs could be seen against CSK as the management will likely continue to back him in the middle order, while young Tilak Verma continues to impress for MI this season. Rohit Sharma needs to get amongst the runs for MI this season as it will not only be good news for MI fans but also for the Indian cricket fans. In the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah will be the key as he has had the better of Nicholas Pooran, dismissing the dangerous southpaw twice in nine balls, conceding only seven runs. Daniel Sams also proved his worth with a match winning spell in the last match.

Pitch and weather report: The Wankhede Stadium pitch has been the best batting pitch this season but has also seen pace and bounce up front with the new ball.  Chasing sides have won six of the last eight matches at this venue. The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees with no chance of rain as dew may play a part in the second innings.

Interesting facts:

• Rohit is yet to score 30+ in two consecutive innings in this calendar year in T20s and hasn't registered a 50+ score either in IPL
• SRH have used the fewest overs of spin this season
• MI and SRH are two of only three teams to use the same opening pair throughout the season.
• Abhishek Sharma averages above 30 or strikes at over 130 this season no one in the team does other than him.
• Mumbai have conceded 94 sixes, while Sunrisers have conceded 92 this season
• Jasprit Bumrah needs  one wicket to become the first Indian fast bowler to take 250 wickets in T20 cricket

Also read: AB de Villiers, Gayle inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Shashank Singh/Glenn Phillips, 8 Marco Jansen/Kartik Tyagi, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan

Probable XI for MI:

1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Tristan Stubbs, 5 Tim David, 6 Daniel Sams, 7 Hrithik Shokeen, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Riley Meredith, 11 Kumar Kartikeya Singh

Mumbai, May 16 (Cricket News) Their play-off chances hanging by a thread, Sunrisers Hyderabad will need to snap their five-match losing streak when they take on an already eliminated Mumbai Indians in the IPL here on Tuesday.

It has been a rollercoaster ride for SRH who won five games in a row before losing the next five.

SRH, if they win their two remaining games including the one against MI, will jump to 14 points and then be left hoping that the other results go their way to have an outside chance of making the play-offs.

But a loss against Mumbai at the Wankhede stadium will surely eliminate them, as there are already seven teams now with 12 or more points.

Hyderabad will need to put up a much improved show with the bat. Skipper Williamson is enduring a wretched run in this season and the Kiwi has collected just 208 runs from 12 games at an average of 18.92. He needs to find his mojo.

Head coach Tom Moody defended the move to open with an out-of-form Williamson and the New Zealander will need to prove his coach right.

His opening partner Abhishek Sharma, who chipped in with a 43 in the last game, needs to convert the starts to big scores. But the duo would have their task cut out against a formidable Mumbai attack on a track that helps pacers.

SRH have the necessary fire-power in the middle-order with the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram and swashbuckling Nicholos Pooran, but consistency has been an issue.

Their middle-order crumbled in their last game against Kolkata Knight Riders, which they lost by 54 runs, and hence the three would need to fire in unison.

Equally crucial is the role of Washington Sundar and Shashank Singh as finishers.

The formidable Sunrisers pace attack includes Umran Malik, who has been a revelation, while the others like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, who can trouble Rohit with the delivery that comes in, and yorker specialist T Natarajan have fared well.

The MI batters will need to be wary of Malik, who is improving after every game and already has 18 wickets.

MI will take confidence from their five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings, whom they bundled out for 97 and probably look to dent SRH's chances.

But for Mumbai, the form of skipper Rohit Sharma and IPL’s costliest buy Ishan Kishan are huge concerns. The duo needs to provide an aggressive start, especially in the absence of Suryakumar Yadav.

Tilak Varma, who has been one of the finds of the season, once again needs to shoulder responsibility in the middle-order, which lacks experience. And it wouldn’t be easy for the likes of Daniel Sams, Tim David, Tristan Stubbs and Ramandeep Singh to counter the varied SRH attack.

As far as the MI bowling is concerned, pacer Sams is right on the money and can wreak havoc at the start. The ever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah and Riley Meredith have also played their parts while rookie spinner Kumar Kartikeya Singh has been providing necessary breakthroughs in the middle overs.

Teams (from): Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Anmolpreet Singh, Rahul Buddhi, Ramandeep Singh, Tilak Verma, Tim David, Arjun Tendulkar, Basil Thampi, Hrithik Shokeen, Jasprit Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat, Jofra Archer, Mayank Markande, Murugan Ashwin, Riley Meredith, Tymal Mills, Arshad Khan, Daniel Sams, Dewald Brevis, Fabian Allen, Kieron Pollard, Sanjay Yadav, Aryan Juyal and Ishan Kishan.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholos Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan. Match at 7.30 PM 

Also Read : All-round RR humble LSG by 24 runs, inch closer to play-offs

News Source : PTI

Pune, May 14 (Cricket News) Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 54 runs in a must-win IPL game here on Saturday.

Opting to bat, KKR rode on Andre Russell's counterattacking 28-ball 49 not out to post a fighting 177 for six.

In reply, SRH could manage 123 for 8 in their stipulated 20 overs with opener Abhishek Sharma top scoring with a 28-ball 43 and Aiden Markram scoring a 25-ball 32.

Earlier, Russell and Sam Billings (34) shared a 63-run partnership to take KKR across the 150-mark after they were 94 for five in the 12th over.

With Russell going strong, KKR scored 58 in the last five overs.

Ajinkya Rahane (28) and Nitish Rana (26) also got starts but couldn't extend their innings.

For SRH, Umran Malik (3/33) was back in form with a three-wicket haul, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/27), Marco jansen (1/30) and T Natarajan (1/43) also claimed one wicket each.

Russell also chipped in with the ball, taking three wickets for 22, while rest of the bowlers -- Umesh Yadav (1/19), Tim Southee (2/23), Sunil Narine (1/34) and Varun Chakravarthy (1/25) were also among wickets.

Brief Score: Kolkata Knight Riders: 177 for 6 in 20 overs (Andre Russell 49 not out; Umran Malik 3/33).

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 123 for 8 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 43; Andre Russell 3/22). 

Also Read : Kolkata Knight Riders post 177-6 against SRH in must-win IPL game

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) For both the teams it will be a do or die fixture as they seem to have a very slim chance of qualifying for the playoffs, given their low tally of 10 points and their negative Net Run Rates. Delhi Capitals, with an NRR of +0.210 on the other hand, appear much better placed. But for both KKR and SRH, a victory isn't going to hurt whatever's left of their campaign.

For KKR their coach Brendon McCullum became the new England test match coach in the middle of KKR's campaign, meaning there's already a sense of flux in the camp and how the team responds to the news will be fascinating to watch. KKR will be without Pat Cummins for the entire campaign as he is flying back home after suffering a hip injury. In the batting department, KKR reverted back to their original opening partnership of Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkiya Rahane. Venkatesh's 24-ball 43 was essential to Knight Riders posting their first fifty opening stand with a score, 64 for 1 in the powerplay, against Mumbai Indians last match. KKR’s lower middle order of Rinku Singh and Andre Russell have been consistent this season but they need the top order to produce runs. In the bowling department, their highest wicket taker this Umesh Yadav needs to fit as they are missing that experience in the pace bowling department.

After 4 wins on the trot for SRH, their campaign has somewhat gone downhill due to the injuries in the squad. Sunrisers have tried out different bowling options, but Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kartik Tyagi, J Suchith and Shreyas Gopal haven't quite provided the control and wicket taking ability that Natarajan and Washington brought. The good news for Sunrisers fans is that both Natarajan and Washington are likely to be fit for this match. In the batting department, Captain Kane Williamson's powerplay strike rate of 79.52 is the lowest among batters who have faced more than 50 balls this season. His opening partner Abhishek Sharma's form has also cooled off after a hot start but their middle order of Aidan Markarm and Nicholas Pooran have been consistent with their performances. In the bowling department, Shreyas Iyer struggles against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, having scored 44 runs in 49 balls and dismissing him 3 times at an average of 14.67 with a strike-rate: 89.79. Since his five wicket haul, Umran Malik has figures of  4-0-48-0, 4-0-52-0 and 2-0-25-0, which needs to improve if they are to make the playoffs.

Pitch and weather report: The toss in Pune matters a lot as nine of the 12 games in Pune have been won by teams batting first but teams are still reluctant to defend totals. Last match we saw the pitch being on the slower side as the spinners played a massive part in the game. The temperature is going to hover around 26 degrees with no chance of rain as dew will not be a factor in the second innings.

Interesting facts:

• Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the edge over Rahane in the IPL, having got him six times in 15 innings while keeping him to 89 runs off 96 balls
• Andre Russell has smashed Bhuvneshwar for 51 off 21 balls at a strike rate of nearly 243 while getting just once in the IPL.
• This is going to be Shreyas Iyer's 100th IPL game.
• Sunrisers Hyderabad have won only one out of their five IPL matches in Pune.
• Kolkata Knight Riders have won seven out of eight IPL matches in Pune.

Also read: Punjab Kings demolish RCB by 54 runs riding on half-centuries from Bairstow, Livingstone

Probable XI for KKR:

1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Sam Billings (wk), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Umesh Yadav/Shivam Mavi, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Varun Chakravarthy

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Washington Sundar/J Suchith, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Marco Jansen/Fazalhaq Farooqi/Romario Shepherd, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan/Kartik Tyagi
 

Pune, May 13 (Cricket News) Struggling after four straight losses, Sunrisers Hyderabad will need to sort their bowling woes when they take on an inconsistent Kolkata Knight Riders as both the teams look to stay afloat in the IPL play-off race here on Saturday.

A series of losses after a five-match winning streak has dropped SRH to the sixth spot with 10 points and they would need to win all the remaining three games to salvage any hopes of making it to the play-offs.

With 10 points, KKR, however, are on the brink of elimination. Shreyas Iyer's men have just two more matches to go and wins in both will only take them to 14 points, which might not be enough with Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore already sitting pretty in the top four with 14 points from 12 games.

One of the main reasons behind SRH's awful run in the last few games is injuries to frontline bowlers -- Washington Sundar and T Natarajan -- and the sudden loss of form of speedster Umran Malik.

It culminated in SRH conceding more than 190 plus runs in each of the last four games.

While Sundar had injured his bowling hand again, death over specialist Natarajan had picked up a niggle. But coach Tom Moody was hopeful of the duo's return against KKR.

Malik, who looked fast and furious in the earlier games clocking 150kmph consistently, has gone wicketless and conceded too many runs in the last few games and his form will be key for SRH.

Fazalhaq Farooqi and Karthik Tyagi were taken to cleaners by RCB in their last game, further adding to SRH's problems.

In batting, SRH have the quality but skipper Kane Williamson will have to take more responsibility as he has just one fifty to show this season. Although Abhishek Sharma has given them solid starts, the youngster has not been able to anchor the innings.

Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram too have been among runs but SRH batters will need assistance from their bowlers, who will have to ensure that they limit their opposition to reasonable totals.

KKR, on the other hand, are paying the price for making constant changes to their playing XI and are now staring at elimination after losing seven of their 12 games.

KKR, however, are coming into the match after beating Mumbai Indians in their last game and they would look to end things on a high.

The 2021 finalist have struggled in the powerplay this season but with Venkatesh Iyer, who was dropped due to his lean run, back in the mix, KKR produced a good effort against MI.

The seasoned Tim Southee and Pat Cummins too were back in the XI and produced a solid effort, sharing four wickets against MI.

But according to reports, Cummins will miss KKR's remaining matches as he is heading home early to recover from a minor hip injury.

KKR's highest wicket-taker Umesh Yadav had missed the last game after pulling his calf muscle and the team would be hoping he recovers for the match.

Teams (from): Kolkata Knight Riders: Aaron Finch, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer (C), Ashok Sharma, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Dar, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Aman Khan, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammed Nabi, Ramesh Kumar, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (C), Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

Match starts at 7.30PM IST. 

Also Read : Absence of DRS was unlucky, set off chain of events that went against us: Fleming

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Both Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have found it tough to maintain consistency in this year's IPL 2022.  The two teams are separated by just two points but as many spots. The battle to get into the top four is bound to be more intense with each team having four games left after this.

DC are yet to find that winning combination as David Warner, the former title-winning captain, will go up against SRH for the first time since his unceremonious exit from the franchise last season. DC’s batting this season has been topsy turvy as the middle order has been hot and cold the entire season with the likes of Mitchell Marsh, Rovman Powell and Axar Patel unable to perform at a consistent level. In the bowling department it has been the Kuldeep Yadav show as he has picked up 17 wickets this season and subsequently won the man of the match trophy everytime DC have won this year. The left arm trio of Axar, Mustafizur and Chetan Sakariya will be the key in restricting their opposition to a low score as Mustafizur Rahman has kept Tripathi in check to a strike rate of 40, Chetan Sakariya limits him to 83 and finally Shardul Thakur  has restricted him to a strike rate of 117.

The SRH camp on the other hand will be hoping that their bowling finds its mojo back after conceding a lot of runs in the last two matches. The likes of Umran Malik, Marco Jansen and T Natarajan have been phenomenal this season but over the last two matches they have been taken to raptors, going more than 10 rpo. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will hold the key for SRH as he has dismissed Prithvi Shaw twice and he scores just a run-a-ball against Bhuvneshwar. This could set the tone early for SRH and might put them in the driving seat. In the batting department, SRH will be desperate that their skipper Kane Williamson, who has only one fifty this season, finds his touch again. One positive is the form of the young opener Abhishek Sharma who has scored more than 320 runs in this year’s tournament and is lighting up the season with his stroke play.

Pitch and weather report: The Brabourne pitch has seen lots of runs scored as well as opposition getting out for less than 100 runs. It has been a relatively spin-friendly ground as the small boundaries might come into play. The temperature is going to hover around 31 degrees as dew may play a part in the second innings.

Interesting facts:

• Kane Williamson has won eight out of nine tosses this season
• Rishabh Pant has a strike-rate in excess of 145 in five of the six innings he has faced more than ten balls.
• Warner is the highest run-getter for Sunrisers in IPL history, with 4014 runs at an average of 49.6.
• Pant has 466 runs, has hit 22 sixes and smashed 128* against Sunrisers
• Kane Williamson needs to take two more catches to reach 100 catches in T20 cricket.
• Axar Patel (99) needs just one scalp to complete 100 wickets in the IPL
• Mustafizur Rahman (46) requires four wickets to reach 50 wickets in the IPL.

Also read: Concerned that different types of bowlers are getting Kohli out: Ian Bishop

Probable XI for DC:
1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 David Warner, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt& wk), 5 Lalit Yadav, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Chetan Sakariya

Probable XI for SRH:
1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Washington Sundar/J Suchith, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan/Kartik Tyagi

Mumbai, May 4 (Cricket News) All-rounder Lalit Yadav is running against time to repay the unshakeable faith that head coach Ricky Ponting has reposed in him as Delhi Capitals face a must-win situation to keep their shoddy IPL campaign alive against Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Thursday.

This is the third IPL season for the lanky DC all-rounder, who is one of Ponting's favourite cricketers, and the Aussie legend has invested a lot in the man from Najafgarh.

However, modest returns of 137 runs from nine games with a strike-rate of less than 110 while batting in the middle-overs and an economy rate of nearly 8.5 with only four wickets, don't do justice to his enormous potential.

While numbers always don't tell the whole story but Lalit hasn't exactly been the best finisher for Delhi and despite his reputation at the domestic level, he has managed only six maximums in seven innings so far.

At least DC's eight points from nine games, with five defeats, show that all is not well in terms of combination as well as performances.

Anrich Nortje's retention has backfired badly as the South African quick has hardly been of use and save Kuldeep yadav (17 wickets) and partly Khaleel Ahmed (11), none of the other bowlers have looked menacing. Mustafizur Rahaman has been good in patches but far from being the skiddy customer that he was between 2015-18.

Skipper Rishabh Pant (234 from nine games) showed glimpses of his destructive power but the team would want more from its skipper who is more than capable of hammering any attack into submission.

Pant's battle against India's fastest bowler Umran Malik will be a contest everyone will be looking forward to considering that the Jammu speedster only comes after powerplay, which could also be the time of the DC skipper's arrival to the crease.

Prithvi Shaw, who had started the tourney on a bright note hasn't been in his element in last few games and David Warner would ideally like to convert one of his fifties into a hundred.

It will be easier said than done against an attack that has Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran, T Natarajan and Marco Jansen who would be coming relentlessly at the DC batting unit to increase their points tally from 10 to 12.

The only good news for Capitals is Washington Sundar's absence after a recurrence of a hand injury, and probably, Jagadeesha Suchith will be bowling his slow left-arm orthodox.

DC will however have to concentrate on young opener Abhishek Sharma (324 in nine games at 135 strike-rate approximately), who has been consistently giving good starts.

Skipper Kane Williamson hasn't really set the stage on fire and SRH's batting in their five wins mainly relied on Abhishek, Aiden Markram (263 in nine games) and Rahul Tripathi (228 in nine games).

The first game in which SRH's bowling and batting came under the pump was against CSK when they conceded 200 plus runs in 20 overs, and then left too much at the end, with Nicholas Pooran scoring consolation runs.

How well SRH fare while batting first under lights remains to be seen as they have mostly chased.

Shardul Thakur's quickish medium fast bowling could test the SRH line-up. Thakur's bowling in the tournament has been a huge let-down for DC as he has got only seven wickets from nine games and at an embarrassingly high economy rate of 9.75 for a specialist front-line pacer.

The man, who is affectionately called 'Beefy' (Ian Botham's nickname) for his all-round prowess in England last year, has been a shadow of his old self with only 89 runs in seven innings.

Teams: Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw,Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti,Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

Match starts at 7.30 pm. 

Also Read : The wicket helped us, says Sandeep Sharma

News Source : PTI

Pune, May 2 (Cricket News) Washington Sundar has injured his bowling hand again, revealed Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Tom Moody, raising doubts over the all-rounder's availability for the next game against Delhi Capitals.

Washington, who made a comeback in the game against the Gujarat Titans after missing three matches due to split webbing in his bowling hand, re-injured the same area while fielding against CSK on Sunday.

Following which the off-spinner was unable to bowl a single ball in Sunrisers' 13-run loss to CSK. While he did come down to bat, his stay in the middle lasted only two balls.

"It's very unfortunate that he had a knock on the same hand were he split his webbing. It had healed completely but he re-injured that area, it's not injured to the point that he needs it re-stitched," Moody said at the post-match presentation.

"But unfortunately, it wasn't in a state were he could bowl. It really did have an impact on for us in that early phase of bowling, given he has such a critical bowler for us," he added.

Sunrisers struggled against CSK as their other bowler T Natarajan was also off the field for a considerable time nursing an injury.

In the duo's absence, skipper Kane Williamson had to use the services of part time spinner Aiden Markram and batting all-rounder Shashank Singh.

Markram (0/36) and Singh (0/10) conceded 46 runs in 4 overs as CSK posted 202/2 on the board.

"When you lose one of your important bowlers, it is a massive blow to the side. We also had Natarajan off the field with an injury that was taking sometime before he could come back on.

"So, we basically had seven overs that hadn't been bowled by our frontline bowlers till the 14th-15th over. It made it very difficult for Kane to manage the situation in the middle and we chased a total which was 20-30 runs more than it should have been," Moody said.

After registering five wins on the trot, SRH have slumped to back-to-back defeats, losing to Gujarat Titand and CSK. They next take on Delhi Capitals on Thursday. 

Also Read : Indian embassy in Oman organises cricket tournament

News Source : PTI

Pune, May 1 (Cricket News) Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway's effortless six-hitting exhibition was well complemented by a four-wicket haul from Mukesh Choudhary as Chennai Super Kings notched up a 13-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match here on Sunday.

Gaikwad (99 off 57 balls) and Conway (85 not out off 55) put SRH's attack to the sword, notching up a scintillating 182-run partnership, the highest opening stand of the season, as CSK posted an imposing 202 for two after being invited to bat.

In reply, SRH fell short, reaching 189 for 6 in 20 overs despite late heroics from Nicholas Pooran (64 not out) and a 47-run innings by skipper Kane Williamson at the top.

Choudhary emerged with the best figures for CSK, scalping four for 46, while Mitchell Santner (1/36) and Dwaine Pretorius (1/40) took one wicket each.

The win, which coincided with MS Dhoni's return to captaincy, kept CSK afloat for an improbable play-off berth as they now have six points with five matches remaining, while SRH remained in the fourth position with 10 points in the overall standing.

Abhishek Sharma (39) and Williamson gave SRH a flying start to their chase but Choudhary struck twice in two balls to reduce the Hyderabad outfit to 58 for 2 in six overs.

While Sharma was caught by Dwaine Pretorius at long-on, Rahul Tripathi was out for a duck after giving catching practice at short third man.

Aiden Markram hit two sixes before falling prey to Mitchell Santner.

Pooran hit Ravindra Jadeja for a six before unleashing a monstrous reverse sweep for another maximum, while Williamson too notched up a one-handed six to keep the scoreboard ticking.

The SRH skipper, however, was trapped in front by Pretorius as it became 126 for 4 in 15th over.

Pooran then kept fighting in vain while scoreboard pressure took a toll on the other batters.

Earlier, Gaikwad, who has been blowing hot and cold this season, was at his destructive best as he smashed six sixes and as many fours before tragically falling short of a ton by just one run.

The 25-year-old was in his zone as he stood on his backfoot, and played some exceptional shots to dominate the formidable SRH bowling unit.

Anything short was pulled with immaculate ease, while pitched up deliveries were treated with equal disdain as Gaikwad didn't miss a trick to send SRH on a leather hunt during his classy innings.

Conway too showed great temperament as he was the perfect foil for Gaikwad. He bide his time initially before going for the big shots in the slog overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0/22) was the best bowler on display for SRH, while pace sensation Umran Malik had a really bad day in office, having conceded 48 in his four overs. T Natarajan (2/42) picked up two wickets but also went for runs.

With Washington Sundar suffering an injury while fielding, SRH was forced to use Markram and Shashank Singh as the fifth bowler, who conceded 46 from their combined four overs.

After a watchful start, Gaikwad broke free as he pulled Marco Jansen for two maximums, while Natarajan was sent across the mid-wicket boundary as CSK reached 40 for 0 after the powerplay.

Gaikwad was particular harsh on Malik, smashing him over cover first before lifting him over long-on for another maximum in his first over.

Malik cranked up the pace, bowling the fastest delivery of the tournament, clocking 154kmph in the 10th over, but ended up conceding two more boundaries off Gaikwad's blade as the opener completed his half-century off 33 balls.

Markram too faced the fury of the duo with Conway sending him across the fine leg before going down the wicket for a flat six.

Gaikwad too clobbered him for successive sixes as the 100 was up in the 11th over.

Malik was again in the line of fire as Gaikwad slogged him over long-on for a boundary before lifting him over long-off for another maximum.

A top-edge six off Marco Jansen, meanwhile, helped Conway bring up his fifty in 39 balls and he ended the 15th over with another four and a six.

Natarajan was brought back but he too conceded 13 runs with Gaikwad producing another pull. Conway too sent one over the bowler's head in the 18th over.

Gaikwad, however, missed out of a deserving hundred when he gave an easy catch at point.

Back at the helm of affairs, M S Dhoni promoted himself but couldn't make an impact as he was holed out by Malik off Natarajan. 

Also Read : Gaikwad, Conway power CSK to 202/2 against SRH

News Source : PTI

Pune, May 1 (Cricket News) Chennai Super Kings openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway hammered the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack into submission, notching up a scintillating 182-run partnership, the highest opening stand of the season, to post an imposing 202 for two in an IPL match here on Sunday.

Gaikwad (99 off 57 balls) was at his destructive best as he smashed six sixes and as many fours before falling short of a deserving hundred by just one run.

His opening partner Conway, playing only his second game of the season, made an unbeaten 85 off 55 balls studded with eight hits to the fence and four maximums.

Gaikwad was in his zone as he stood on his backfoot, waiting for the ball to come to him and played some exceptional shots to dominate the formidable SRH bowling unit.

Anything short was pulled with immaculate ease, while pitched up deliveries were treated with equal disdain as Gaikwad didn't miss a trick to send SRH on a leather hunt during his classy innings.

Conway too showed great temperament as he was the perfect foil for Gaikwad. He bide his time initially before going for the big shots in the slog overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0/22) was the best bowler on display, while pace sensation Umran Malik had a really bad day in office, having conceded 48 in his four overs. T Natarajan (2/42) picked up two wickets but went for runs.

After a watchful start, Gaikwad produced two superb pull shots to deposit Jansen over fine leg area for two maximums, while Natarajan was sent across the mid-wicket area.

After the powerplay, CSK were 40 for no loss, their best opening partnership this season.

Gaikwad continued to find the boundaries as SRH's sensational pacer Malik was sent on a leather hunt with the opener smashing him over cover before lifting him over long-on for another maximum.

Conway then got into the act, sending Aiden Markram for a boundary at fine leg before going down the wicket for a flat six over the bowler's head.

Malik cranked up the pace, bowling the fastest delivery of the tournament, but ended up conceding two boundaries off Gaikwad's blade as the opener completed his half-century off 33 balls.

Gaikwad then launched into Markram, clobbering him for successive sixes as the 100 was up in the 11th over.

Malik was again in his line of fire as he slogged him over long-on for a boundary before lifting him over long-off for another maximum.

Conway also used his sweep shots to good use and was rewarded for his placements as he completed his fifty in 39 balls with a top-edge six off Marco Jansen in the 15th over. He ended the over with another four and a six as 20 runs came of it.

Natarajan was brought back but he too conceded 13 runs with Gaikwad producing another pull. Conway too sent one over the bowler's head in the 18th over.

Gaikwad, however, missed out of a deserving hundred when he gave an easy catch at point just one run short of the three figure mark.

Back at the helm of affairs, M S Dhoni promoted himself but couldn't make an impact as he was holed out by Malik off Natarajan. 

Also Read : Captaincy pressure was affecting Jadeja's game: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

News Source : PTI

Pune, Apr 30 (Cricket News) Pace sensation Umran Malik's performance will be followed again keenly when Sunrisers Hyderabad take on struggling Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.

Malik has been the find of the season as he outsmarted the top batters of the world with his brutal pace.

His 5/25 run spell against Gujarat Titans, albeit in a losing cause, can be regarded as one of the best bowling displays in the IPL history, because of his sheer pace and tenacity.

The right-arm tearaway pacer has been the talk of the ongoing IPL as he clocked over 150 kmph to register all the top five fastest deliveries this season. He has so far picked up 15 wickets from eight matches at a strike rate of 12.00.

But despite his heroics with the ball, SRH eventually fell short by five runs against Gujarat Titans in their last game.

And come Sunday, Malik would look for more support from his pacer colleagues Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen and T Natarajan. Jansen, in particular, was the culprit as he failed to defend 22 runs off the last over against Gujarat with Rashid Khan going hammer and tongs. The SRH team management relied heavily on experienced Bhuvneshwar too lead the bowling pack but he had failed to live up to the side's expectations and would be desperate to prove his critics wrong. The form of skipper Kane Williamson has been a cause of concern for SRH but the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Aiden Markram have raised their hands and would look to continue their good show.

SRH would also be looking at Rahul Tripathi and Nicholas Pooran to take up more responsibility with the bat.

SRH occupy the fourth spot in the 10-team table with 10 points from eight games.

In contrast, CSK, enduring one of their worst IPL campaigns, need to start ticking all boxes correctly and dish out cohesive efforts to keep themselves afloat in the tournament.

CSK are hanging by a thread in the competition in the second last position with just four points from eight games and in Malik a bigger threat awaits their already- floundering batting unit.

CSK's problems compounded further when they lost against Punjab Kings by 11 runs in their last game. And any further lapse from here on could spell doom for the defending champions. CSK have been undone by their failure to click in all departments of the game and they would be looking for an inspirational show from new skipper Ravindra Jadeja to turn around their fate. Jadeja himself would be itching to get his mojo back with both bat and ball to at least give his side an outside chance of making the play-offs, which at present looks bleak.

CSK's batting department has been hit hard by the flop show of opener Ruturaj Gaikwad and the youngster, regarded as an India prospect, would look to correct that in the remaining games.

Veteran Robin Uthappa and all-rounder Shivam Dube too needs to pull up their socks, while talismanic MS Dhoni has showed his brilliance in patches, the notable one being the finishing knock against Mumbai Indians.

Ambati Rayudu played a brilliant 39-ball 78-run knock against Punjab the other day, albeit in a losing cause and he would be looking for more support from his top-order batters.

On the bowling front too, there hasn't been any exceptional performance from CSK with rookie pacer Mukesh Choudhary struggling under pressure all season and Dwaine Pretorius too looking ordinary, leaking runs aplenty.

Old war horse Dwayne Bravo has been a reliable servant for the team, picking up wickets and Sri Lankan Maheesh Theekshana has been a valuable addition to the depleted squad in the absence of injured Deepak Chahar and Adam Milne.

Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (c), Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholos Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

Chennai Super Kings: Ravindra Jadeja c), MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayadu, Robin Uthappa, Mitchell Santner, Chris Jordan, Adam Milne, Devon Conway, Shivam Dube, Dwaine Pretorius, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Tushar Deshpande, KM Asif, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Subranshu Senapati, K Bhagath Verma, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary.

Match Starts 7:30pm IST. 

Also Read : Kohli gets his first IPL 50 in 14 games, RCB make 170/6

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 28 (Cricket News) Hitting three sixes in four balls, including the match-winning maximum from the final delivery, is a stupendous achievement for any batter but Afghan star Rashid Khan says he has the self-belief to execute such performances after working on his batting in the last two years.

Rashid (31 off just 11 balls), known more for his match-winning leg-spin bowling, pulled off a heist as he struck three sixes from four balls, bowled by pacer Marco Jansen, to hand Gujarat Titans a thrilling five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday night.

His partner Rahul Tewatia (40 not out off 21 balls) had hit a six from the first ball and ran a single after the Titans needed 22 runs from the final over while chasing a stiff 196 for a win.

"The feeling is good...you just have it in mind to go out there and have the self-belief, keep my shape strong and hit it," Rashid said after his batting heroics.

"I was happy to do it against them (former club Sunrisers Hyderabad), but I was just trying to play my game and have the belief in my batting which I've been working on the last two years." Asked what transpired between him and Tewatia during the final over, Rashid said, "When it was 22 left, I just told Tewatia that we have given 25 in the last over with our best bowler (Lockie Ferguson). We just have to have that belief in ourself.

"If we have one missed ball, don't think about it and don't panic. Just stay strong and we need to finish it or get as close as possible because it might help us with run rate.

"But as long as we have that belief, anything is possible. Just stay there, keep your shape and hit it strong. So that was our plan and luckily we had those four sixes." Tewatia also echoed Rashid's sentiments and said his earlier experience of finishing matches helped him in such situations.

"We needed 22 runs from last over. Rashid bhai said it was chaseable. I told him we can take the match closer (to a win) if I can hit six from the first ball. I said I will go all out for a six and let's see what happens," Tewatia said at the post-match press conference.

"I batted at same order for my domestic team (Haryana) and I have played in such situations a few times. When I got this role in IPL two years back, I did a lot of practice for these kind of situations for my Haryana team as well as for IPL, especially for death overs.

"If you need 40 to 50 runs in the last four-five overs, you need to choose the deliveries of the bowler (to hit)." Asked why he ran for a single from the second ball of the last delivery, Tewatia said, "Rashid bhai bats very well and he had finished matches earlier and had won matches (with the bat) for us.

"I had no doubt about his abilities, so my thought was I will hit boundary if I can and I will also run singles." With the ball, however, Rashid had an off day against the Sunrisers as he gave away 45 runs without taking any wicket.

The 23-year-old premier leg-spinner was hit for two fours and three sixes by Abhishek Sharma and Aiden Markram and he could bowl just two dot balls.

"I haven't bowled as good as I should have done. I bowled four or five bad deliveries which have been punished. On a wicket like this, you can't miss your line and length and that is something which I have done and Abhishek finished it off.

"This was a good wicket to bat on...this is something that is good for my learning and something I will try my best to not repeat in the next games," Rashid said. 

Also Read : I will bowl above 155kmph one day: Young pace sensation Umran Malik

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 27 (Cricket News) All eyes were on Sunrisers Hyderabad's Umran Malik, but all they could see was a blur. But still, Gujarat Titans had the last laugh as they prised out a five-wicket win in their thrilling IPL match here on Wednesday.

Introduced into the attack as late as the eighth over, as Kane Williamson's last resort, the young pace sensation delivered what was expected of him, grabbing five wickets with devastatingly quick deliveries to scythe through the Gujarat Titans top-order and almost propel Sunrisers Hyderabad to their sixth successive win in the ongoing edition of the lucrative league.

But Rahul Tewatia (40 not out off 21 balls) and Rashid Khan (31 not out off 11) had other ideas as GT, needing 56 from the last 24 overs after Umran had completed his quota of four overs, knocked off the required runs, with the star from Afghanistan finishing the game with a six over fine leg.

The BCCI, nevertheless, will have again taken serious note of the man from Jammu, who, in one of the best ever exhibitions of fast bowling, finished with incredible figures of 5/25, four of which were bowled.

Opener Abhishek Sharma and Aiden Markram struck sparkling half-centuries as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 195 for six after being asked to bat first.

In pursuit of a stiff target, the Titans were off to a flyer with Wriddhiman Saha (68) blazing his way to a flurry of boundaries while putting on 69 runs for the first wicket with a subdued Shubman Gill (22), who played the second fiddle.

After the others have tried and failed, Umran succeeded in getting the first breakthrough, when he disturbed Gill's off stump in the innings' eighth and his very first over.

Having got himself two fours, GT skipper Hardik Pandya was done in by Umran's bounce as he top-edged one to the third man.

Meanwhile, playing one of his great IPL knocks, Saha raced to his fifty in 28 balls with a single to long-on.

Luck too was on Saha's side as Washington Sundar could not hold on to what would have been an unbelievable catch at mid-on, only for the ball ball to race to the boundary.

The show then belonged to Umran before the duo of Tewatia and Rashid swung the match in GT's favour with their astonishing hitting.

Earlier, Abhishek blazed away to 65 off 42 deliveries, while Markram made a 40-ball 56 during a third-wicket stand of 96 runs.

Then, Shashank Singh (25 off 6 balls) smashed Lockie Ferguson (0/52 in 4 overs) for three successive sixes to score 25 runs in the innings' final over.

To start with, SRH were helped by Mohammed Shami's (3/39 in 4 overs) 11-run opening over in which a first-ball beauty was followed by five leg-side wides, not once but twice.

Yash Dayal too conceded 11 runs, thanks to two boundaries by Abhishek Sharma on the off side, as SRH raced to 22 for no loss in two overs.

Kane Williamson clipped Shami over square leg for his first boundary but that's all the SRH skipper could do with the bat as, three balls later, the seasoned India pacer went through the gate with a lovely seaming delivery to dismiss the Kiwi and give his team the match's first breakthrough.

Having got a life at point even before he could open his account, Rahul Tripathi smashed Shami for 6, 4, 4 before a review found that the batter was trapped in front of the wicket in an eventful fifth over, which went for 14 runs.

Unperturbed by the fall of two wickets, Abhishek collected two successive fours off Alzarri Joseph -- first he lofted over the infield and then found the gap through a packed off-side -- to help SRH score 53 runs in the six power play overs at the Wankhede Stadium.

SRH needed a partnership at that stage and the duo of Abhishek and Markram not just provided them that but also kept the scoreboard moving at a very good rate by regularly finding the boundaries.

While Markram dealt with the likes of pacers such as Alzarri, Abhishek went after Rashid Khan, hitting the Afghanistan spin ace for his third six to reach his half-century in style. 

Also Read : Gujarat Titans opt to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL)

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 27 (Cricket News) Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League here on Wednesday.

Washington Sundar came back in place of J Suchith for SRH, while GT are unchanged.

Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson (c), Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, T Natarajan Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (c), Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami. 

Also Read : Samson wasting good form and opportunity to press for international recall: Bishop

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) League leaders Gujarat Titans take on Sunriser Hyderabad in match number 40 as both teams look to go to the top of the table. The only loss that GT have suffered was at the hands of SRH and they will look to avenge it. This clash will be one for the bowlers, while Titans have the experience of Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Hardik Pandya, Hyderabad have the plethora of talent in Umran Malik, Marko Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan.

Gujarat Titans haven’t put a foot wrong in this year’s tournament as they have worked well as an unit. Titans' batting has largely revolved around their captain Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill. While Abhinav Manohar and Rahul Tewatia have applied finishing touches at different points, the overall balance of the line-up still appears shaky, but then again David Miller has been in terrific form, helping them win matches single handedly. Their bowling has been supreme, in the last match we saw them defend 150 quite comfortably as the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami and now Yash Dayal have been complimenting each other really well together. The Titans have the second best bowling average at  25.79 and also the second best economy rate in the tournament with 8.22 rpo.

After losing their first three matches, Sunrisers Hyderabad looked like they were heading for an early exit from the tournament but after 5 consecutive wins, it looks like they are now one of the favourites for the title this year. In terms of batting, things have drastically changed this year with the arrival of Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram who are slowly but steadily finding their groove this season. This year, SRH batters have averaged 51 between overs 7 and 15 and strike their runs at close to 150. Rahul Tripathi will be the key for SRH against Rashid Khan as he has scored 135 runs against him and only been dismissed once by him. For SRH, Washington Sundar is back from injury and may replace J Suchith  in the playing XI.

Pitch and weather report: The Wankhede pitch has been good for batting as the trend of flat decks might just continue. Over the last five matches at this venue, teams batting first have won as dew hasn’t been much of a factor. The temperature is going to hover around 33 degrees with no chances of rain.

Interesting facts:

• The average first innings score at Wankhede was 149 in the first four matches. It's now risen to 186 in the last five matches. 
• Gill has struggled against Bhuvneshwar in the IPL, managing only 32 runs off 37 balls at a strike rate of 86.48 while being dismissed twice.
• Sunrisers (40) and Titans (37) have hit the least sixes among the ten teams this season.
• Shami has dismissed Kane Williamson 4 times while conceding only 66 runs off 47 balls.
• SRH have won just one match at the Wankhede Stadium.

Also read: Great players go through phases like this: Du Plessis on Kohli

Probable XI for SRH:

Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 J Suchith/Washington Sundar, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan

Probable XI for GT:

1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Hardik Pandya (capt), 4 David Miller, 5 Rahul Tewatia, 6 Abhinav Manohar, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Yash Dayal

Mumbai, Apr 26 (Cricket News) The speed gun radar will be functioning overtime when Lockie Ferguson's 150 click thunderbolts meet their match in rising pace sensation Umran Malik's toe-crushers as table toppers Gujarat Titans clash with close-on-heels Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL here on Wednesday.

The IPL newcomers are currently in the midst of a dream inception year with six wins from seven games at the halfway stage and are placed on top of the table.

Interestingly, the only loss that Titans suffered in their campaign so far was against Sunrisers in an earlier meeting and Hardik Pandya wouldn't mind a sweet revenge for that defeat.

However, the 'Orange Army's' bowling attack especially their four-prong fast bowling unit has been exceptional as one saw when they demolished RCB for 68 in their previous encounter.

The disconcerting bounce and movement created by Marco Jansen (6 wickets from 5 games) is ably complemented by Umran's (10 wickets from 7 games) fiery pace, T Natarajan's (15 from 7 games) deceptions off the track and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (9 from 7 games) balancing it all with his experience.

So much so that a lightweight spin department manned by left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith in absence of an injured Washington Sundar, till now hasn't been a cause of worry for Kane Williamson and his band of men.

In fact, the rub of the green has gone SRH's way in this particular season as they now have five consecutive wins from five games where they have chased targets after the bowlers intimidated the rival batting unit.

For Pandya though, his bowling unit is no inferior to SRH as Mohammed Shami's artistry (10 from 7 games) and Ferguson's (9 wickets from 7 games) aggression has brought them a lot of success, not to forget Rashid Khan's (8 wickets from 7 games) ability to be more than decent even in a quiet year by his standards.

However, one area where Titans need to lift their game is Powerplay batting as Shubman Gill (207 from 7 games) has gone off the boil after the his 96 and Wriddhiman Saha, replacing Matthew Wade, has been downright mediocre.

In fact, Saha's propensity to waste balls upfront (dismal SR of 83 in 2 games) in both the matches that he played so far has forced skipper Pandya (295 from 6 games) and David Miller (220 from 7 games) to up the ante even before they can take some time to play themselves in.

For skipper Pandya, it will be important that he isn't plagued by a dodgy hamstring which led to his absence from one game and also created some degree of discomfort against KKR the other day.

The chink in Titans armoury is not having a quality keeper-batter for the format as Wade hasn't really had a great time in the first five games that he got and Saha has always been a player who takes time to settle down before he could play some shots.

There is Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the set-up but in order to play him, Titans would have to sacrifice a potent pace bowling option like West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph, which won't be the most wise thing to do.

Abhinav Manohar and Rahul Tewatia would also like to be more consistent in the finishers' role rather than being like a flash in the pan for a match or two.

However, Titans' bowling attack has the ability to catch the SRH batting unit off-guard considering that it hasn't been tested a lot with young Abhishek Sharma (220 in 7 games) and No.3 batter Rahul Tripathi (212 from 7 games) doing bulk of the scoring in easy chases.

If Titans could breach through the Sunrisers top-order, most of the middle-order batters including the dangerous Nicholas Pooran haven't yet got a decent hit in the middle and the rustiness under pressure could keep Titans interested.

If they manage to upset SRH's rhythm, it will take them closer to play-offs in their maiden year in the championship, no mean achievement in a competition of this class.

Teams (From): Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (c), Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Gurkeerat Singh, B Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Matthew Wade, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Wriddhiman Saha, Alzarri Joseph, Darshan Nalkande, Dominic Drakes, Jayant Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Pradeep Sangwan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Varun Aaron, Yash Dayal.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholos Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

Match starts: 7.30 pm. IST. 

Also Read : In form RR take on struggling RCB in match no 39

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 23 (Cricket News) Virat Kohli's wretched form continued as he was again dismissed outside the off-stump off the very first delivery he faced with Royal Challengers Bangalore huffing and puffing their way to a meagre 68 all out in their IPL match against Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Saturday.

This was the sixth lowest total in the history of IPL.

The Sunrisers pace attack led by Marco Jansen (3/25 in 4 overs) and ably supported by Umran Malik (1/19 in 4 overs) and T Natarajan (3/10 in 3 overs) left the star-studded RCB line-up rattled with pace, swing and seam.

In case of Jansen, it was seam movement off the pitch with a few that were angled across, some that held its line while Natarajan got some movement in the air and Malik was unleashing his thunderbolts at upward of 150 clicks.

In between, left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith (2/12) was also unrelenting as RCB never got elbow room to get some momentum going their way.

There couldn't have been a quicker end to a contest as Jansen removed Faf du Plessis (5), Kohli (0) and Anuj Rawat (0) off second, third and final delivery of the second over to make it 8 for 3.

It soon became 20 for 4 when Natarajan got Glenn Maxwell (12) caught brilliantly by skipper Kane Williamson at mid-off. The other player to reach double figure was Suyash Prabhudesai (15).

But, it is Kohli's dismissal that would certainly deflate his legion of fans as his problems outside the off-stump seems to have resurfaced.

Jansen did pose problems for Kohli during the South Africa Test series few months back and again bowled the ideal Test match length, full and getting the ball to either shape in or hold its line.

In the last match against Lucknow, it was the backward point that was in operation and Kohli's propensity to jab at deliveries on off-stump channel with hard hands caused his undoing with Aiden Markram snapping it in second slip.

There was not much resistance from the other batters and once Dinesh Karthik (7) was caught down leg-side off Suchith trying to sweep, it was all over for RCB.

Once it was 47 for 6 after nine overs, the lower order looked mortally scared facing the fast and furious Umran as it seemed as if the ball was hitting the bat rather than the other way round.

Natarajan also kept up the pressure, snuffing out the wickets as veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar wrapping up the innings. 

Also Read : KKR restrict GT to 156 for 9 despite Captain Hardik Pandya's 67

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 22 (Cricket News) Umran Malik's raw pace and Bhuvneshwar Kumar's consistency will be put to test against Dinesh Karthik's explosive batting and the finesse of Faf du Plessis when Sunrisers Hyderabad clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, here on Saturday.

Malik has caught everyone's attention with his fiery deliveries this season. His tearway pace has even troubled established batters such as Shreyas Iyer.

Alongside senior teammate Bhuvneshwar, the 22-year-old formed a match-winning partnership to defeat Punjab Kings by seven-wickets in their previous outing.

Sunrisers, who are targeting a top-4 position, also have yorker-specialist T Natarajan and South African Marco Jansen in their ranks. Jansen has also been able to tease batters with his angles and variations.

But the seasoned Du Plessis and Karthik have pummelled the best in the business.

The new RCB skipper roared back to form with a fine 96 as he anchored his team's innings after the top order once again collapsed against Lucknow Super Giants.

However, the veteran South African batter missed out on a much deserved maiden IPL hundred in the 18-run win on Tuesday.

On the other hand, Karthik is enjoying one of his best seasons in the league. The wicketkeeper batter has taken the centre stage with his heroics for RCB.

With scores of 32 not out, 14 not out, 44 not out, 7 not out, 34, 66 not out and 13 not out in seven innings, Karthik has seemingly been the best finisher this season.

But apart from the duo, the RCB batters will have their task cut out against Sunrisers, who have momentum on their side after winning four games on the trot.

All eyes will once again be on Virat Kohli, who would be eager to get out of the rut of low scores.

Opener Anuj Rawat, who apart from a 66 against Mumbai Indians, has failed to capitalise on the opportunity provided to him, S Prabhudessai and Glenn Maxwell too will be hoping to provide substantial contributions with the bat.

Their bowling unit, however, is their strong suite, which was not the case in the previous seasons.

Josh Hazlewood has quickly become an irreplaceable piece in the RCB set up. The Australian quick has managed to dominate opposition batters with his consistent line and lengths.

In Hazlewood, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj and Wanindu Hasarnaga, RCB have four match-winners, while Maxwell and Shahbaz Ahmed have also played their part well. They will be up against a SRH batting unit where every batter has taken the responsibility to take their side over the line.

Promoting Abhishek Sharma to the opener's spot has done wonders for the youngster, who has been fabulous at the top, providing SRH aggressive starts.

Skipper Kane Williamson is also back among runs while Rahul Tripathi has shown he too can win matches with the bat when he struck a 37-ball 71 against KKR.

And if the top order fails, the duo of South African Aiden Markaram and swashbuckling Nicholas Pooran are there to finish off matches or set huge targets.

A win for Sunrisers will elevate them to the top-4 while a victory for RCB will help them grab the top spot.

Teams (from): Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholos Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudesai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Rajat Patidar, Siddharth Kaul.

Match starts at 7:30pm. 

Also Read : Like old times, Dhoni scripts thrilling last ball win for Chennai Super Kings

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, Apr 17 (Cricket News) Punjab Kings skipper Mayank Agarwal, who missed their IPL match against Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Sunday with a toe injury, is doing better and should be back soon, the team's opener Shikhar Dhawan said.

Agarwal injured his toe in training and in his absence, Dhawan led the side against SRH, which they lost by seven wickets.

"Mayank is better and he should be ready to be back," Dhawan told the host broadcasters in the post-match ceremony.

Liam Livingstone struck a brisk fifty after an early collapse but Sunrisers Hyderabad lost four wickets in the final over to be bundled out for a below-par 151.

"We were 30-40 runs short and lost too many early wickets which put us behind the game. The early wickets meant we had to hold wickets and that's where we had to mould our game. There was a middle order recovery but the early wickets cost us," Dhawan said.

Rising pacer Umran Malik produced a rare four-wicket maiden en route to his match-winning 4/28 and their South African batter Aiden Markram was all praise for the young bowler.

"He's been on fire, it's great to have in our armoury. Thankfully, I don't have to face him in the middle," Markram said.

"He's growing from game to game. Credit to his attitude, the work that he's doing with Dale Steyn, he gives his 125 per cent, also asks very good questions. I've got no doubt he will do well going forward." Punjab Kings take on Delhi Capitals in their next match on April 20. 

Also Read : Senior India batter Cheteshwar Pujara hits double ton in second innings on Sussex debut

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, Apr 17 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bowl first against Punjab Kings in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.

Punjab will be without their skipper Mayank Agarwal, who has injured his toe while training on Saturday. Prabhsimran Singh replaced him in the playing eleven.

In Mayank's absence, Punjab will be led by Shikhar Dhawan.

SRH have fielded an unchanged side.

Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (c), Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Vaibhav Arora, Arshdeep Singh. 

Also Read : I have been trying everything to be a part of Indian team: Dinesh Karthik

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 15 (Cricket News) Rahul Tripathi and Aiden Markram’s effortless batting display along with the pacers magnificent show formed the cornerstone of Sunrisers Hyderbad's comfortable seven-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in their IPL match here on Friday.

The SRH pace unit comprising the likes of T Natarajan (3/37), Umran Malik (2/27), Marco Jansen (1/26) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/37) restricted KKR for 175 for 8.

Tripathi, who smashed 71 off 37, and Aiden Markram (68 not out of 36) then produced hostile knocks to take SRH to their third successive win with 13 balls to spare For KKR, Nitish Rana scored 54 while Andre Russell was unbeaten on 49.

SRH now have three wins from five games while it was KKR's third loss in six games.

With the green track not aiding the spinners, Sunrisers' Tripathi took the KKR's spin-heavy bowling unit to the cleaners.

Playing against his previous franchise, Tripathi smashed Varun Chakravarthy for a four followed by two back-to-back sixes in the eighth over, that yielded 18 runs. He brought his maiden fifty this season off just 21 balls.

Tripathy found an able ally in Markram, who smashed six fours and four sixes and when the former was out he took the onus upon himself to take his side over the line.

Earlier opting to field, South African Jansen used the bounce and swing on offer really well to draw first blood as he sent Aaron Finch (7), who is playing his first match of the season, back to the hut in the second over. Natarajan then bowled a sensational fifth over, snaring two wickets.

Natarajan first bowled a brilliant length ball, pitching just outside off to account for Venkatesh Iyer (6), who looked unsettled during his stay, with the flamboyant Sunil Narine (6) following his teammate a couple balls later as KKR slumped to 31 for 3.

Kane Williamson introduced spin but left-armer Jagadeesha Suchith (1/32) looked rusty and struggled with his line.

Young Malik then struck twin blows, snapping the wickets of Shreyas Iyer (28) in the 10th over and Sheldon Jackson (7).

Noticing Iyer, who looked uncomfortable facing Malik’s raw pace, shuffling across the pitch, the 22-year-old fired a scorching 148.8kmph yorker in the blockhole to cut short the Knight Riders captain's innings.

However, Rana kept the score board ticking, hitting singles and boundaries alike in his 36-ball knock.

Rana smashed six fours and two maximums. He was involved in 39-run stands with skipper Iyer and Russell each.

However, his stay in the middle was cut short by Natarajan in the 18th over as SRH broke the potentially dangerous partnership.

Russell, whose 25-ball innings was laced with four boundaries and as many six, including two in the final over. The West Indian helped KKR add 55 runs in the last five overs. 

Also Read : Senior India batter Cheteshwar Pujara falls cheaply on Sussex debut

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 15 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field against Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match here on Friday.

Jagadeesha Suchith replaced the injured Washington Sundar in the Sunrisers playing XI.

KKR made three changes -- Aaron Finch, Aman Khan and Sheldon Jackson coming in for Sam Billings, Ajinkya Rahane and Rasikh Salam.

Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders: Aaron Finch, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sheldon Jackson(wk), Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Aman Hakim Khan, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson(c), Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran(wk), Aiden Markram, Shashank Singh, Jagadeesha Suchith, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik, T Natarajan. 

Also Read : With 'lot of time to decide her international future', Mithali to play in Women's Senior T20 Trophy

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) SRH are riding high after two consecutive victories but take on the mighty KKR who will look to bounce back after their disappointing loss against the Delhi Capitals. For SRH they will be without their only spinner Washington Sundar as he suffered an injury last match. On the other hand KKR will welcome the Australian captain Aaron Finch to the squad and maybe can even go start into the playing XI.

For the Sunrisers the main positive over the last two matches has been the opening pair of Kane Willamson and Abhishek Sharma who hit 75 and 42, Kane Williamson scored 32 and 57. It looks like Rahul Tripathi and Nicholas Pooran have also hit form at the right time. Their bowling has been quietly effective lately, with T Natarajan leading the way with eight wickets, and Sundar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar being economical alongside their occasional strikes. Heading into the clash the main concern for Tom Moody and co will be the injury to Washington and who will ultimately replace him in the playing XI. For the SRH, Bhuvi will be the key man upfront as he has a good record against the KKR top order which has been topsy turvy this season, One thing they need to be aware of is KKR's lower middle order which can win matches single handedly.

KKR have mostly banked on individual brilliance for their three victories but as a collective unit they are yet to hit full flow. The most runs scored by KKR in five matches is Andre Russell with 130, 70 of which came in a single innings while Venkatesh Iyer has only one score above 20, Shreyas Iyer has crossed 30 only once, Sam Billings has got starts but has failed to fire on all cylinders, Ajinkya Rahane has scored only 80 runs at a strike rate of exactly 100 despite opening each time, and same applies to Nitish Rana. The KKR management might replace Rahane at the top with Aaron Finch or a relatively unknown quality in Abhijeet Tomar. Umesh Yadav has ten wickets in five matches and has an economy rate of 7, Sunil Narine boasts the best economy rate of 4.85.

Pitch and weather report: The Brabourne Stadium pitch has usually been a high scoring venue as the average first innings score is 180. Dew over the last few matches at this venue is not affecting the outcome as much as it should, the spinners will play a crucial role in restricting the opposition in a small ground. The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees with no possibility of rain.

Interesting facts:

• Since 2020, Sunrisers Hyderabad haven't beaten  Kolkata Knight Riders
• Rahul Tripathi has career strike rate of 221.42 and 160.61 against Umesh Yadav and Sunil Narine
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar has picked 28 wickets against KKR - the most he has picked against any franchise
• If Aaron Finch gets picked in the playing XI that will be his 9th franchise, which will be the most
• With a strike rate of 99, Rahane and Venkatesh have been the slowest opening pair this IPL

Also read: Skipper Hardik Pandya shines as Titans beat Royals by 37 runs

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Shreyas Gopal, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan

Probable XI for KKR:

1 Ajinkya Rahane/Aaron Finch, 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Sam Billings/Sheldon Jackson (wk), 5 Nitish Rana, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Pat Cummins, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Rasikh Salam, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Varun Chakravarthy
 

Navi Mumbai, Apr 11 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field against Gujarat Titans in an IPL game here on Monday.

Both the teams have fielded an unchanged eleven.

Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson(C), Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran(WK), Aiden Markram, Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

Gujarat Titans: Matthew Wade(WK), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(C), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar, Rashid Khan, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Darshan Nalkande. 

Also Read : SA replaces two COVID infected players in 2nd Test against Bangla, first time in international cricket

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The new side GT are riding high on confidence after three victories in IPL 2022. On the other hand, SRH got their first victory over the weekend against CSK to get their season back on track. In the last match, Rahul Tewatia and Shubam Gill led GT to an unbelievable victory and as for SRH Abhishek Sharma’s blistering fifty made sure they got those crucial two points.

Titans have surprised the league with their unbelievable start as many experts doubted them even though the bowling attack looked strong with the likes of Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Rashid Khan. With Shubman Gill firing up top, that concern doesn’t look like a very worrying sign for this franchise. The one area of concern for them is the opening combination with Matthew Wade who's struggling for runs at the top of the order, the management might want n to bring in Rahmanullah Gurbaz but it's unlikely they would make any changes and persist with this winning combination. Mohammed Shami will hold the key, as he has dismissed Kane Williamson four times already in this format of the game. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad will have to try and pick up as many wins as they can and make winning a habit, if they are to qualify for the playoffs, they will need to start winning games regularly. Rahul Tripathi can be dangerous once he gets going, although he has been dismissed by Shami twice in seven games, he averages just 10 and strikes above 100. His main match up will be against Rashid Khan as he has struck at a strike rate of 141 against him. While Umran Malik has been hitting impressive speeds, his bowling line and length hasn’t been impressive, so the SRH management need to make a decision if they stick with or give Kartik Tyagi or Shreyas Gopal a game. Abhishek got the majority of the runs against CSK, but it will be interesting to see how he fares against quality pacers in the form of Shami and Ferguson.

Pitch and weather report: At the DY Patil stadium, they have largely produced moderate scores only. Taking the pace off the ball has been productive but with this contest being played under the lights completely and the trend of winning the toss and bowling will continue as the dew factor will come into play in the second innings. The temperature is going to hover around 32 degrees with no chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

• Sunrisers have scored runs at 5.1 in the powerplay, the lowest for a team this season 
• Hardik Pandya is one six away from getting 100 sixes in the IPL
• Rashid needs to strike two more wickets  for a total of 100 wickets in the IPL.
• Tewatia has a strike rate of 143.7 against pacers but that strike rate drastically drops down to 101.34 against spinners
• Shami is the only bowler to have dismissed Williamson three times in the IPL and only average 9.73 against him

Also read: Shimron Hetmyer, Chahal guide Rajasthan Royals to three-run win over LSG

Probable XI for GT:

1 Shubman Gill, 2 Matthew Wade (wk)/Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 3 Vijay Shankar/Sai Sudharsan, 4 Abhinav Manohar, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 David Miller, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Darshan Nalkande, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Mohammed Shami

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Aiden Markram, 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Romario Shepherd/Marco Jansen, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Umran Malik/Shreyas Gopal/Kartik Tyagi, 11 T Natarajan
 

Navi Mumbai, Apr 9 (Cricket News) Moeen Ali top-scored with a 35-ball 48 to guide Chennai Super Kings to 154 for seven after Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers sought to make use of a tricky pitch in their IPL match here on Saturday.

Skipper Ravindra Jadeja (23 off 15 balls) played a little cameo towards the end to prop up CSK after they lost a few wickets in a heap.

Both teams entered the game looking to open their account in the 15th edition of the tournament.

Sent into bat, CSK were off to a shaky start with Bhuvneshwar Kumar inducing edges from Robin Uthappa's (15) bat in the first over, with one going for a boundary.

Uthappa's unconvincing stay in the middle was brought to an end by Washington Sundar (2/21), in the off-spinner's very first ball, when the batter ended up skying a catch while going for a slog-sweep.

Having conceded 25 runs in the first three overs, SRH were back in the game and it got better for them with the introduction of T Natarajan (2/30) into the attack as the left-arm pacer bowled Ruturaj Gaikwad (16).

Making a dream start to his spell, Natarajan went through the gap between Gaikwad's bat and pad as he shaped to work it on the leg side. Gaikwad had began well, fetching a boundary each through the cover and point-third man region.

At 36 for two in 5.1 overs, CSK were in a spot of bother and they needed a partnership, and the duo of Moeen Ali (48) and Ambati Rayudu (27) answered the call with a third-wicket stand of 62 runs.

While Rayudu found the fence four times during his run-a-ball knock, Moeen struck two sixes and three fours before being dismissed by part-timer Aiden Markram.

Nearing 100 and with some more batting to come on a pitch where the ball seemed to stop, CSK were well-placed when Rayudu departed after playing a part in rebuilding the innings.

However, Williamson's gamble to bring in Markram worked as CSK lost their fourth wicket at 108 in the 15th over.

In a soft dismissal, Natarajan accounted for Shivam Dube as the defending champions lost three wickets in quick succession.

Two overs later, even the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni (3) was walking back to the dugout, with CSK struggling at 122 for six with 15 balls left to add to their total. 

Also Read : MI look for their first victory against a resurgent RCB in match no 18

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, Apr 9 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bowl against Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League here on Saturday.

Sunrisers made two changes, handing debuts to Shashank Singh and Marco Jansen. Abdul Samad and Romario Shepherd were left out.

For CSK, Maheesh Theekshana comes in place of Dwaine Pretorius.

Both teams are searching for their first win of the season.

The Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (c), Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

Chennai Super Kings: Ravindra Jadeja (c), Robin Uthappa, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan, Maheesh Theekshana, Mukesh Choudhary. 

Also Read : Rahul Tewatia and Shubman Gill lead GT to a 6 wicket win over PBKS

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad have had terrible starts to the season but will look to rejuvenate their season with an important victory. The panic button has not yet been pressed, but for both CSK and SRH, that point may not be far away. Both the captains are a bit under pressure to perform as this year the margin of error is very less especially with 10 teams.

For CSK, nothing has gone their way this year, the defending champions are missing Deepak Chahar who is likely to make his comeback somewhere near 25th April. Super Kings have had a 0-3 start to IPL 2022, with key players from the IPL 2021 not yet firing, missing the dominant top-order runs Ruturaj Gaikwad has not had the ideal start to the season but he did started off IPL 2021 in similar fashion and ended up with the Orange Cap. Robin Uthappa v Washington Sundar in the PowerPlay has all the makings of an intriguing tussle as the swashbuckling opener will look to roll back the years and  reproduce the kind of start he got in the tournament when he played for KKR. For the CSK fans one thing to cheer is the form of MS Dhoni and Shivam Dube who have found some form with the bat.

For SRH, nothing has clicked this season, as they might just have bigger problems than their opponents. Openers Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson have the poorest combined strike rate (76) among all teams in the powerplay yet and both haven’t survived the full powerplay as well. Rahul Tripathi in recent years has been most successful in the IPL as an opener and Aiden Markram has an T20 average of 57 from No. 3. Williamson on the other hand is batting as the opener but his best IPL numbers are from No. 4. The SRH management will look to shuffle the batting order in order to achieve the best result. Their economy rates for the last seven overs from overs 15 (9.6) and 16 to 20 (11.7) are among the poorest of all the teams, with Umran Malik, Washington Sundar and Romario Shepherd all proving expensive.

Pitch and weather report: The last afternoon game at the DY Patil stadium saw Jos Buttler score a big hundred as winning the toss won’t be very important, since dew won’t play part in the afternoon game. The one thing that can affect the players is the heat and humidity as the temperature is going to hover around 34 degrees with no possibility of rain.

Interesting facts:

• It is going to be Jadeja's 150th T20 match for the Super Kings. Only Suresh Raina (200) and Dhoni (217*) have played more matches
• Dhoni has a strike rate of 195 (his best among all teams)  against them and has hammered Bhuvneshwar for 97 runs in 49 balls with zero dismissals
• Williamson has struggled against Super Kings, averaging 26.50 in five innings
• But Kane Williamson has scored 338 runs in 10 innings against CSK at a strike rate of 142.62
• Ambati Rayudu has been a menace against SRH, scoring 513 runs in 16 innings at 132.22, including an unbeaten century

Also read: Gill, Tewatia star in Gujarat Titans' dramatic 6-wicket win over Punjab Kings

Probable XI for CSK:

1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Robin Uthappa, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Ravindra Jadeja (capt), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 MS Dhoni (wk), 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Dwaine Pretorius, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Tushar Deshpande

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Rahul Tripathi, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Shreyas Gopal, 11 T Natarajan
 

Navi Mumbai, Apr 8 (Cricket News) Battling poor form, opener Ruturaj Gaikwad will be under the scanner when strugglers Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad face off in the IPL here on Saturday, looking to register their first win.

Three successive losses have put new skipper Ravindra Jadeja under immense pressure and he would hope his teammates can script a turnaround against the Sunrisers, who too are smarting from two reverses.

One of the most decorated teams in the history of the IPL, CSK have endured a tough season so far, with the team struggling on multiple fronts, especially batting.

Gaikwad, last edition's leading scorer, has struggled with his footwork and his scores of 0, 1,1 has put CSK under pressure at the top.

The Maharashtra batter, who had scored 635 runs across 16 matches in 2021, will look to find his rhythm against Sunrisers. The good thing for Gaikwad is that he has the backing of his captain.

"We need to give him (Gaikwad) confidence as we all know he's a very good player. I'm sure he will come good," Jadeja had said after their last match.

There is a lot of experience in CSK's batting but it didn't help them against Punjab Kings as they could muster just 126 while chasing 180.

While Robin Uthappa had scored a fifty in one of the games, the likes of Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu have failed to capitalise on their starts.

Skipper Jadeja, too, will need to give a better account of himself, even as 'de facto' captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni looks to keep guiding the team.

In CSK's last outing, Shivam Dube's entertaining fifty was the only bright spot for the 'yellow brigade', and the team will expect him to deliver again.

In bowling, all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, IPL's leading wicket-taker, has been the most successful bowler for CSK as he returned with three wickets against PBKS.

Along with death-overs specialist Chris Jordan (2 for 23), Bravo had squeezed the run flow and pulled things back in the back 10 against PBKS, but they need support from others.

The absence of injured pacers Deepak Chahar and Adam Milne have affected CSK's plans, while rookie Mukesh Choudhary has struggled with the new ball.

The Sunrisers have failed to chase down targets on two occasions, resulting in a 61-run loss against Rajasthan Royals and a 12-run defeat at the hands of new entrants Lucknow Super Giants.

Among the bowlers -- pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, foreign recruit Romario Shepherd and spinner Washington Sundar -- all have been among the wickets.

But their batters have not complemented the bowlers with skipper Kane Williamson failing to play an inspiring innings so far. The likes of Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi and Nicholas Pooran too have not been able to convert the starts.

Aiden Markram and Washinton Sundar played a good innings against RR but couldn't stay longer against LSG.

Williamson will hope his team wins the smaller battles in the game of small margins to turn things around at the DY Patil Sports Academy.

Teams (from): Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja (Captain), Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Ambati Rayadu, Robin Uthappa, Mitchell Santner, Chris Jordan, Adam Milne, Devon Conway, Shivam Dube, Dwaine Pretorius, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Tushar Deshpande, KM Asif, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Subranshu Senapati, K Bhagath Verma, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan. Match starts at 3.30 PM.

Also Read : Lucknow leave it late to get 6 wicket win over Delhi Capitals

News Source : PTI

Navi Mumbai, Apr 4 (Cricket News) Lucknow Super Giants paid 25 times more than his base price of Rs 20 lakh to get Avesh Khan's services in IPL-15. The move was worth it as his excellent bowling acted as the catalyst for his team's 12-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Monday.

Heading into the lucrative T20 league as the most expensive uncapped Indian player, Avesh picked up four big wickets for only 24 runs and bowled a brilliant 18th over to turn the match decisively in LSG's favour.

Asked to bat first, skipper KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda struck useful half-centuries to lift Lucknow Super Giants to 169 for seven after a disastrous start.

Chasing 170, Kane Williamson's (16) innovation brought him two fours and a six but he paid the price for going overboard, his ramp shot off Avesh finding a sliding Andrew Tye at short fine leg in the fourth over with SRH score reading 25 for one.

Avesh brought about Abhishek Sharma's downfall with a change in pace as the batter failed to read it while trying to loft him.

As Sharma made his way back to the dugout, last-game's half centurion Aiden Markram walked out to join Rahul Tripathi in the middle, and the two began rebuilding the SRH innings.

Placed at 51 for two at the end of the seventh over, Tripathi used Tye's pace to hit the Australian bowler for three fours and then, using his wrists, smashed Krunal Pandya (2/27) for a six over fine leg. A quite 10th over was, however, followed by the dismissal of Markram, the bowler being Krunal.

Going strong at 44 off 30 balls, Tripathi tried to slog sweep Krunal and hit straight to deep mid-wicket, where Ravi Bishnoi was stationed. Nicholas Pooran smashed Krunal over long-on for six and then carted Jason Holder (3/34) for 15 runs to bring the equation down to 50 form the last 30 balls.

Andrew Tye kept it fairly tight in the 17th over, giving not more than eight runs, before Pooran hoicked Avesh Khan over deep square leg for a maximum.

However, Avesh had the last laugh as Pooran mistimed his knee-high full toss.

Earlier, after his team lost three wickets for just 27 runs in the powerplay, Rahul (68 off 50 balls) found an able ally in Hooda (51 off 33 balls) and added 87 runs for the fourth wicket to revive the innings.

Rahul hit six fours and a six, while Hooda found the fence three times and also cleared it thrice.

Coming back from a long break after playing their opener last Tuesday, SRH made a dream start and left the Super Giants in all sorts of trouble early on.

Making a strong comeback after the pounding in his team's heavy defeat against Rajasthan Royals, Washington Sundar (2/28) was handed the new ball and he delivered in his very first over, and SRH's second, dismissing the dangerous Quinton de Kock with his off-break bowling on a grassy pitch that prompted Kane Williamson to put two slips when Bhuvneshwar Kumar started the proceedings.

Backed to bowl in the powerplay despite going for plenty in the previous game, Washington got de Kock (1) to chip one to Williamson at cover.

Few moments later, Washington had Evin Lewis (1) trapped in front of the wicket after the swashbuckling West Indian batter failed to execute his slog sweep. It was another huge wicket for SRH given Lewis' blazing, match-winning knock against Chennai Super Kings last Thursday.

Manish Pandey struck Romario Shepherd for a four and a six but then, going for one too many, ended up lobbing a catch to mid-on in the same over to leave LSG in a spot of bother.

Spurred by the early success, Williamson effected bowling changes frequently but he may have delayed by at least an over in introducing the attacking T Natarajan while opting for Abdul Samad's innocuous, part-time seam up stuff at the DY Patil Stadium.

The pacy Umran Malik consistently hit 145 kmps but also leaked plenty of runs, allowing KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda to settle down and revive LSG's innings.

Having withstood the early reverses, the duo of Rahul and Hooda went about their task in a professional manner, finding the boundaries as well as running the singles and twos as the 100 came up in the 14th over with Malik going for 16 runs.

Shepherd broke the partnership when he had Hooda caught in the deep to signal the arrival of the in-form Ayush Badoni (19 off 12), who got into the groove with a boundary. 

Also Read : Skipper KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda lift LSG to 169/7 against SRH

News Source : PTI

Mumbai, Apr 4 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bowl against Lucknow Supergiants in an IPL match here on Monday.

While SRH are playing an unchanged side Lucknow inducted Jason Holder in the playing eleven in place of Dushmantha Chameera.

Teams: Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Manish Pandey, Evin Lewis, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Andrew Tye, Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh Khan.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (c), Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Romario Shepherd, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and Umran Malik. 

Also Read : How chance encounter with Suresh Raina changed 12-year-old Tilak Varma's mindset

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on the Lucknow Supergiants in a bid to win their first match of the season. After their heavy defeat against the Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers are looking a little like the odd team out once again. On the other hand, the LSG franchise got their first victory of the season against CSK and will look to continue the same momentum.

For SRH they will hope to forget the first match of the tournament quite quickly as nothing really worked in that match. The new-look top 4 combined to score only 11 runs as Aiden Markram was the only batsman that went down fighting in that game with a fifty and an innings which might earn him a promotion up the order but SRH do need their other new faces to step up big time. Their bowling attack that has always looked strong over the previous season,looks good on paper but most of the players are out of form and also the lack of a wicket-taking spinner in the playing XI who can make inroads in the middle overs is missing as in the first match the absence of Rashid Khan was really highlighted. Nicholas Pooran holds the key for SRH as he needs to replicate his the same form he showed in the India vs West Indies series 

For the LSG fans, the good news is that Jason Holder has completed his quarantine after arriving in India following the conclusion of West Indies' Test series against England and trained with his SuperGiants team-mates as he is likely to slot straight into the XI and face his old franchise. For the LSG franchise, Chameera holds the key as he has met Nicholas Pooran three times in T20 cricket and has dismissed him three times in just six balls. The new superstar Ayush Badoni will be hoping that he gets promoted up the order now that Holder is going to come into the lineup and naturally act as a finisher in the team. Bishnoi vs Samad will be another battle to watch out for as the leggie has got  the better of the SRH youngsters so far in their young careers.

Pitch and weather report: The different pitches at the DY Patil stadium have thrown up contrasting results. While the first game here was a high-scoring one, the second one saw the fall of 17 wickets and the latest saw Jos Buttler bring up the first hundred. Spinners will hold the key in this venue considering the boundaries are longer..The temperature is going to hover around 30 degrees with no chance of rain as dew will be a factor in the game.

Interesting facts:

• Bhuvneshwar has dismissed Manish Pandey four times while conceding just 20 runs in 19 balls.
• Evin Lewis (85) and Pooran (84) are currently the third- and fourth-most six-hitters in all T20 cricket since the start of 2021. 
• Holder has averaged 20.95 at an economy rate of 7.83.in T20 cricket from 2020. 
• Sunrisers Hyderabad have lost 10 of their last 11 games in the IPL
• Quinton de Kock has scored 57 runs via slog shots in the powerplay, the most by any batter, since 2020

Also read: Livingston displays all-round brilliance as PBKS hand CSK 3rd defeat

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Aiden Markram, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan

Probable XI for LSG:

1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Evin Lewis, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Jason Holder, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Avesh Khan
 

Pune, Mar 29 (Cricket News) Rajasthan Royals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 61 runs in an Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday.

Sent into bat, Rajasthan Royals scored 210 for six in their stipulated 20 overs.

Skipper Sanju Samson top-scored with a 55 off 27 balls and Devdutt Padikkal made 41 in 29 deliveries after opener Jos Buttler laid the foundation with a 28-ball 35 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

Towards the end, Shimron Hetmyer blasted 32 off 13 balls. In reply, SRH were stopped at 149 for seven.

Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals: 210/6 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 55, Devdutt Padikkal 41; Umran Malik 2/39).

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 149/7 in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 57 not out, Washington Sundar 40; Yuzvendra Chahal 3/22, Prasidh Krishna 2/16). 

Also Read : Samson's blazing 55 propels Rajasthan Royals to 210/6 against SRH

News Source : PTI

Pune, Mar 29 (Cricket News) Skipper Sanju Samson led from the front with a scintillating 27-ball 55 as Rajasthan Royals posted an imposing 210 for six against Sunrisers Hydrabad in their Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday.

Samson and Devdutt Padikkal (41 off 29 balls; 4x4; 6x2) added 73 runs for the third wicket off 41 balls, before Shimron Hetmyer used his brute power to clobber 32 in only 13 deliveries and take RR past 200.

Samson's six-hitting prowess was on display as he struck five maximums and three boundaries, sparing no bowler during his entertaining stay in the middle.

Later Hetymar smashed three sixes.

Put into bat, Royals opener Jos Buttler, on zero, survived courtesy a no ball. Buttler (35) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (20) then gave the side a flying start, stitching a 58-run stand to lay the foundation for a big total.

Buttler was brutal on Umran Malik, hammering him for two fours and two maximums in the fourth over, as RR collected 21 runs.

The two openers then struck a six each off Washington Sundar (0/47) in the next over as RR raced to 52 for no loss after five overs.

Jaiswal however perished in the seventh over, holing out to Aiden Markram off Romario Shepherd. While Buttler, who hit three fours and as many sixes, was dismissed at the start of the ninth over as RR slipped to 75 for two.

Showing intent straightaway, Samson started with a four and a six over long-off and hit another maximum over fine-leg, as he took on the SRH attack with gusto.

While Samson found the fence at will, Padikkal too got into the groove and began attacking in the 12th over when he pulled T Natarajan for a maximum.

Samson was again brutal on Sundar, striking him for two successive sixes in the 16th over as RR marched on.

SRH removed Paddikkal and Samson in quick succession, but a lot of damage had been done by then, before Hetmyer compounded the bowling team's woes with his massive hits as RR scored 123 runs in the back 10. 

Also Read : Eyeing USD 6 billion windfall, BCCI floats IPL media rights tender

News Source : PTI

Pune, Mar 29 (Cricket News) Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bowl against Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match here on Tuesday.

RR skipper Sanju Samson said at the toss that as many as seven players are making their debut for the franchise while the international stars comprised Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult and Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Kane Williamson (c), Nicholas Pooran (w), Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (w/c), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna. 

Also Read : West Indies spinner Fletcher tests positive for COVID, to miss Women's World Cup semifinal

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Both the sides will desperately want to perform this season after not performing to their fullest potential in the last IPL. RR had a tremendous auction this IPL and hopefully fully capitalise on the plethora of talent they have, on the other hand SRH’s Kane Williamson, who was retained ahead of the mega auction, has the charge of the Orange Army as the franchise is trusting him to get the IPL trophy back to Hyderabad.

Sunrisers will be without Rashid Khan and David Warner for the first time since 2017 but have tried to get able replacements for those two talisman in the squad. If SRH have a fit squad then their bowling lineup looks quite potent as Washington Sundar could do a holding role with the new ball or after the powerplay as the seam trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and Umran Malik can offer 12 very different kinds of overs to the oppositions. Bhuvneshwar with his  swing at the top, Natarajan with his signature yorkers at the death and Malik with his raw pace can trouble the batters. Marco Jansen, the tall, left-arm seamer, could also be an option if SRH want their lineup to be pace heavy. SRH will heavily rely on the young Indian core to perform as the likes of Rahul Tripathi and Abhishek Sharma will be open, setting a platform for Williamson and Nicholas Pooran to build upon.

Royals have perhaps the best death-bowling options in the IPL this year as Trent Boult can do a job with the older ball along with being lethal at the top with him swinging the new ball one into the right-hander. Prasidh Krishna, who over the past year has been putting brilliant performances for the Indian Cricket team will likely partner Boult in the powerplay, and hopefully build a successful partnership. Going into the tournament, RR possibly have the best two spinners in R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal and they could capitalise on it to strangle the opposition in the middle overs. They retained the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson and now have Devdutt Padikkal who is most likely to bat at No. 3. Rassie van der Dussen, who has enjoyed a purple patch for South Africa recently along with Shimron Hetmyer are probably vying for one spot in the middle order.

Pitch and weather report: The MCA Pune pitches are known for supporting batters and spinners as the game progresses but again, the trend of winning the toss and bowling first will continue as chasing teams have had an advantage here. No chance of rain is expected at the venue as the temperature would hover around 33 Degrees.

Interesting facts:

• In the IPL Sanju Samson has averaged 54.50 with a strike rate of 145.33 and Jos Buttler has averaged 43.00 with an unbelievable strike rate of 159.25) .
• Royals have the most successful IPL seamer and also spinner in the powerplays. No seamer has taken more power play wickets than Boult (21) and no spinner has taken more wickets in the phase than Ashwin (8).
• With Sunrisers retaining a similar fast-bowling unit to 2021,Padikkal has scored at a strike-rate of only 94.21 against SRH
• Boult and Krishna both last season went above 10 runs a over in the death overs
• Romario Shepherd picked up 18 wickets in 9 matches in the CPL.

Probable XI for SRH:

1 Rahul Tripathi, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Aiden Markram, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Marco Jansen/Romario Shepherd, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 T Natarajan, 11 Umran Malik

Probable XI for RR:

 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 James Neesham/Nathan Coulter-Nile, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Prasidh Krishna

Also read: Sensational Shami leads Gujarat Titans to 1st ever IPL win

Durban, Mar 29 (Cricket News) Proteas Test captain Dean Elgar says he is "comfortable" with the decision of the South African players opting for the IPL instead of the red-ball series against Bangladesh as they were "put in a bit of situation" when asked to choose between the two commitments.

Earlier this month, Elgar had urged his teammates to choose national duty in a series against Bangladesh over the IPL, calling it a test of loyalty.

However, all the IPL-contracted South African players, who would have been part of the Test squad, opted to play in the league instead of turning out for the Proteas in the two-match home series against Bangladesh, which starts here on Thursday.

"I'm comfortable where I sit with the players who aren't here," Elgar was quoted as saying by 'ESPNCricinfo.' "I've had some really good, in-detail chats with those players just to find out where they are mentally. I'm very comfortable with the answers that they've given me." South Africa will be missing the services of their pacers Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen, as well as Anrich Nortje, who is recovering from an injury.

Batters Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen are also not available for the Tests.

"I'm pretty confined with regards to what I can and can't say but the players were put in a bit of a situation with regards to making themselves available," Elgar said.

"I'm sure they wouldn't have made a rash decision if it didn't mean a hell of a lot to them. I've had conversations with players and I know where they stand with regards to the Test side and playing Test cricket.

"I think they were put in a situation that was unavoidable, bearing in mind that quite a few of the guys have never had IPL experience before. I don't think they wanted to hurt their opportunity going forward in the competition." In the absence of the capped players, South Africa would have to make do with their "next best", according to Elgar, who feels it's a great opportunity for youngsters to shine.

"We have to make do with our next best that we have in the country, who I'm still very confident in," he said.

"Yes, we've lost a few Test caps along the way not having the IPL players with us, but it's a great opportunity for those guys to stand up and put those other players under pressure. I'm confident they can do that." 

Also Read : Manohar is someone you are going to hear about in future: Hardik Pandya

News Source : PTI

Pune, Mar 28 (Cricket News) Packed with multiple match-winners in their ranks, heavyweights Rajasthan Royals face Sunrisers Hyderabad in a clash of former champions as both sides aim for a winning start in the IPL here on Tuesday.

Royals' batting fortunes will hinge largely on the form of their talented skipper Sanju Samson, who has been around the scene for a while now but has not delivered up to the expectations.

Inconsistency has been his bane and he would like to change that and lead from the front this season in search of their first title since the inaugural edition in 2008.

Each year, Samson plays one or two match-defining knocks but this time he would have to go the extra mile if the Royals want to win that elusive second title.

Good performances in the IPL could also help Samson cement a place in the Indian team with the T20 World Cup scheduled for later this year.

The Jaipur-based side are most likely to open with Jos Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal. A rampaging Buttler can tear into any bowling attack and if he and the stylish Padikkal can get off to flying starts, the Royals would be well served with the likes of Samson and the others to follow.

Royals have an array of players like power-hitter Shimron Hetmyer, Rassie Van der Dussen, Jimmy Neesham and Riyan Parag to pick for the middle-order and their contribution could well determine the team's fortunes.

They have a stronger bowling unit this time around with the inclusion of ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, and the duo are certainties in the playing XI.

Their eight overs would be crucial in the overall context of a particular game and nothing would please skipper Samson if the duo can spin a web around the SRH batters.

Kiwi Trent Boult, earlier the spearhead of Mumbai Indians, would be leading the pace attack which includes the likes of Prasidh Krishna and Navdeep Saini.

For SRH, the experience of captain Kane Williamson, probably the best batter in the squad, would be vital. His contributions with the willow and as a leader could go a long way in determining the team's fortunes.

Williamson's compatriot Glenn Phillips can open the batting while hard-hitting West Indian Nicholas Pooran, Priyam Garg and Rahul Tripathi would be expected to shoulder responsibility in the middle order. Tripathi has also played significant knocks in the IPL but it is time he shows consistency.

If Williamson chooses to bat at No.3, then Ravikumar Samarth can open the batting while Abdul Samad, who has impressed many, can play the role of a finisher for the franchise.

The bowling attack will be led by pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, one of the finest death bowlers. But he would need to dish out consistent spells as would new pace sensation Umran Malik.

Left-arm pacer T Natarajan, on a comeback trail, will be hoping to get his yorkers right as he aims to work his way back into national team contention.

Washington Sundar, another T20 specialist, can play a key role for the Sunrisers and one among Shreyas Gopal or J Suchith may be tried out.

The Teams (From): Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shubham Garwal, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldip Yadav, Kuldeep Sen, Tejas Baroka, Anunay Singh, KC Kariappa, Jos Buttler, Rassie Van der Dussen, Nathan Coulter Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Karun Nair, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (c), Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.

Match starts at 7.30 PM. 

Also Read : Punjab Kings stun Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets

News Source : PTI

Johannesburg, Mar 7 (Cricket News) South African Test skipper Dean Elgar has urged his teammates to choose national duty in a series against Bangladesh over the upcoming IPL as it is a test of loyalty for them and they must prioritise their country.

South Africa are set to play three one-dayers and two Tests against Bangladesh starting March 18, while the IPL is scheduled to be held from March 26 to May 29. The ODIs will be held on March 18, 20 and 23, followed by two Tests starting on March 31 and ending on April 12.

According to 'ESPNcricinfo', Cricket South Africa has left it on the players to decide between the lucrative league and turning up for the country in the Bangladesh series.

"The players need to give Cricket South Africa an indication of if they are keen to go to the IPL or if they are keen to play for the Test side. It's a bit of a tough one putting that in the players' box but this I guess, this is where you see where players' loyalty lies," Elgar said.

"They mustn't forget that Test cricket or one-day cricket got them into the IPL and not the other way around." As many as 11 South African players, including six Test regulars and three ODI players, have been roped in by different franchises at this year's IPL In fact, South Africa's pace attack -- comprising Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and Marco Jansen -- and top batters Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius and limited-overs wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock -- all have IPL contracts.

If the top pacers opt for IPL, Elgar will be left with a depleted attack with Lutho Sipamla, Wiaan Mulder and Glenton Stuurman and the Proteas skipper said he needs to know about their availability to prepare for the Bangladesh series.

"I wish I knew more for my own personal sanity and that I could prepare, knowing that most of my bowlers are potentially not going to be there if they choose to go the IPL route," Elgar said.

"If I don't have everyone at my disposal then it's a little bit difficult. It's a bit of a tough one for me. I can't take the field without my best side. I need my best side there. If they are not available, it's something for us to sit down and get through." Elgar said he will try to make the players aware of their position in the team to help them make a better decision.

"I can just make them aware of their position within our set-up. They all play a big role. It's up to me to go up to each individual and point out to them that they mustn't forget where they've come from as players and where we've come from as a group," he said.

"The next few days might be busy and interesting for me. I owe it to our group to give them the best chance to make a decision. If it means I need to make them aware of their positions in the side, then I have to do that.

"Because for me, it's about the bigger picture. It's about us playing as much Test cricket as possible. We're already playing so little Test cricket. We can't not have our best players around when the team is called upon to go out and perform." CSA had allowed the players to play the IPL midway through a white-ball series against Pakistan last year and CEO Pholetsi Moseki said the board will stick to the policy of giving an option to players "because we don't want to force anything on them".

The ODI series against Bangladesh, like the Pakistan series, is part of the World Cup Super League and South Africa are currently out of the automatic qualifying zone as they are at the 10th place in the points table. 

Also Read : No one bigger than game, but Warnie is as close as it gets: Clarke

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) India lost the ODI series against South Africa 3-0. It was the first ODI series since Virat Kohli was sacked from captaincy. After the disappointment of losing a Test series, people expected India to come out all guns blazing. That didn't happen as India were completely toothless in the 3 games. Winning a series in South Africa is never easy as Virat Kohli is the only Indian captain to win an ODI series in South Africa. 

South Africa were brilliant in all 3 departments. Quinton de Kock was awarded the man of the series award. Rassie van der Dussen, Janeman Malan and skipper Temba Bavuma had a good series with the bat. Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Andile Phehlukwayo and Keshav Maharaj were exquisite with the ball picking up wickets at key moments in the game to break partnerships. South Africa were particularly exceptional in the middle overs where they dictated the pace while batting and bowling.

The Indian side was very imbalanced due to the absence of Jadeja which is worrying signs as over dependence on a player is always risky, especially when that player regularly plays all 3 formats. The only positive perhaps is the batting performances of Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar down the order but that isn't something the two haven't done in the past. Ravichandran Ashwin's return to ODIs wasn't a good one. Yuzvendra Chahal looked like a shadow of the bowler that used to win India games on regular occasions.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's performance indicates that he might not play for India in the near future. Jasprit Bumrah had a decent series but lacked support from the other end. Venkatesh Iyer played the first two games and missed the last. He wasn't able to replicate his Vijay Hazare trophy form at the international stage and will need time to settle into the side. Virat Kohli is still waiting for his 71st century but he did score 2 half centuries in 3 games.

KL Rahul failed as an opener therefore it's safe to assume that he will have to bat in the middle order against West Indies where skipper Rohit Sharma will hopefully be back. Shreyas Iyer was also a big disappointment in the series as he failed to cross the 50 run mark. Rishabh Pant played a very good innings in the 2nd match but completely threw his wicket away recklessly in the 3rd. 

Despite being the top scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Ruturaj Gaikwad wasn't given a chance even when India had already lost the series. One way to look at it is that Rahul Dravid and co. may be refraining to put him in the side straight away. The opener is still very young and could have to sit out a couple of years. India now shifts its focus on the 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is against the West Indies at home where anything apart from a convincing win in both the series will be massive warning signs.


Also read: South Africa win see-saw thriller to inflict whitewash on lackluster India

New Delhi, Jan 24 (Cricket News) A stand-in captain, who seemed stunningly short of ideas, few seniors at the business end of their careers and a dated approach in white-ball cricket -- India's woes during the tour of South Africa were many, turning what started memorably into an eminently forgettable outing.

The signs were ominous even before they departed with now former Test skipper Virat Kohli's much publicised acrimony with top BCCI officials.

The entire episode didn't leave the team in good stead and once there it all went haywire after the opening Test win.

Stand-in ODI captain KL Rahul was then left to do a lot with too little at his disposal against an opposition, which had gained invaluable confidence.

In the end, it turned out to be a nightmare with dark clouds hovering over the future of this Indian team and no sign of 'VIBGYOR' in the Rainbow Nation.

Virat Kohli and his problems ================== Kohli might not admit but the former captain is going through the toughest phase as a cricketer after having given up captaincy in two out of three formats and being sacked in another.

But Because he is Kohli and in a different class, he managed a fine 79 in the lost third Test, where he looked the best.

He also got two half centuries in ODIs with minimum fuss where he looked more like an accumulator rather than an enforcer that one associates with 'King Kohli'.

The meltdown at Cape Town with his misdirected anger at broadcasters for a DRS gone wrong also tarnished his reputation and letting the game drift away with mindless antics wasn't his finest hour when it came to judging his temperamental.

KL Rahul bungled his lines ================== But if one is very blunt, KL Rahul perhaps blew his chance towards being a long-term option across formats once Kohli relinquished Test captaincy after losing the Test series.

"Did KL Rahul by any stretch look like a captain to you?" a senior BCCI official counter-questioned PTI when asked if he would be considered for the Test captaincy factoring in Rohit Sharma's track record of injuries.

It is understood that coach Rahul Dravid wants to see his namesake as a long-term option and it was evident that he didn't want to put a lot of blame on his captaincy.

"He did more than a decent job and a lot about captaincy is how your players execute the skills. We were short on the ODI side. He will grow constantly and get better as he leads more," Dravid's observation drifted towards the old adage of a captain being as good as his team.

But what would hurt Rahul more is his approach in batting which was more about self preservation. The 55 off 79 balls in the second ODI deserves more criticism for the balls wasted and strike not rotated rather than the runs accumulated by him.

It is for sure that Rahul, if he has to be in the white-ball scheme of things, will have to bat in the middle-order and be a finisher.

His bowling changes didn't work in the middle overs and after watching Temba Bavuma make some inspired moves like starting the attack with Aiden Markram, he introduced Ravichandran Ashwin early in one game but that was more of a reactive move rather than a pro-active one.

Lack of fearlessness in Test matches ====================== What stuck out like a sore thumb is the fact that even the biggest of Proteas fans couldn't have imagined that a team facing huge transitional problems and a coach due to face a commission inquiring into his racial misconduct, would turn the heat on and win five out of six international matches and that too at a canter.

The South Africans played good cricket but were liberally helped by an Indian team that didn't walk the talk on its proclaimed cricketing philosophies.

There wasn't any fearlessness for better part of the tour, no innovative, out of box thinking and at times, they seemed short on execution of skills.

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane showed some spark in the second innings of the second Test but for the better part, they were not playing their positive game.

Pujara and Rahane didn't even score 200 runs in six innings and the latter's mode of dismissal -- catch to wicketkeeper or slips to back of length rising deliveries on off-stump channel -- became embarrassing after a certain point.

If two careers have really reached the finishing line, it's this duo as giving them a chance to succeed against a weak Sri Lanka on home soil would be a travesty to the likes of Hanuma Vihari, who have long waited for their opportunities.

While talking about bowling, Ishant Sharma not making it among India's top five pacers also doesn't augur well for the 100-Test man as it seems that that the management no longer has a lot of faith in him.

The bowling looked too dependant on Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami in Test matches but both will require rest from time to time.

Ashwin bowled decently but it was another tour of a SENA country where lack of conducive wickets meant that he was largely ineffective.

Ashwin's second coming in white ball cricket wasn't a great one either as he looked flat and out of ideas.

The South Africans played him with ease across formats and it is highly unlikely that Ashwin will feature a lot in India's white-ball scheme of things going into 2023 World Cup.

If Ashwin was disappointing, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was an unmitigated disaster as his pace seems to have dropped by a few notches and the swing is gone.

The bowling lacked sting as well as variation, something that hurt India in middle overs and Dravid was first to admit it.

"Without just saying spinners, we think we need to improve our wicket-taking options in the middle overs, spinners play a big role in that but also you have the quicks coming back and kind of balls that we bowl," Dravid said.

"We have discussed that and we have spoken about that and we understand that it's an area of the game we have been behind a little bit.

"Yes, there are many learnings from this tour, things that we need to keep improving and keep getting better at, and get personnel to do certain things where we are probably lacking a bit. Good thing is that we have some time in ODI cricket to correct those things," Dravid said.

Pant's approach and Shreyas' weakness ========================= The time has probably come for the Indian team to accept that Rishabh Pant will come as a package with dismissals that enrage people and then play a gem which only he can play.

But the bigger problem is Shreyas Iyer, whose technical deficiency against the short ball has been badly exposed on this tour although it has been a talk in the Indian cricketing circles.

That was also one of the reasons Shreyas is still not being thought of as a ready replacement of either Pujara or Rahane as he might be found wanting in testing red ball conditions.

As far as white ball is concerned, Dravid had laid the mandate and it means "security and stability would be given but strong performance will be demanded too." Chahar and Shardul only silver lining ======================= If there is one positive fron this tour, it is Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar taking extra initiative to show that they can be used as multi-skilled players in future, something that had impressed Rahul Dravid too.

"Certainly he (Deepak Chahar) has shown us in the opportunities that he has got in Sri Lanka and over here as well that he has got some really good ability with the bat and I have seen him at India A level to be honest, and I know that he can bat quite well and certainly gives us nice options "...and to have people like him, Shardul being able to contribute with the bat as well, More and more players who can contribute with the bat lower down certainly makes a big difference and gives us more options." These two will get a lot of games in future.

"We would like to give him a few more games along with Shardul and some other people as well who can step up in the course of time in next year or so, and hopefully give us that depth in the side," he said. 

Also Read : South Africa win see-saw thriller to inflict whitewash on lackluster India

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) South Africa defeated India by just 4 runs in the last over to seal the series 3-0. India played much better than they did in the last two ODIs but it still wasn't enough. The game was a rollercoaster ride where the momentum was constantly shifting.

KL Rahul won the toss and put South Africa into bat. Quinton de Kock continued his great form and scored a magnificent 124 off 130 balls. Rassie van der Dussen chipped in with a 59 ball 52 as South Africa were bowled out for 287 runs. Prasidh Krishna picked up 3 wickets while Deepak Chahar and Jasprit Bumrah got 2 each. Yuzvendra Chahal got the crucial wicket of van der Dussen while Jayant Yadav went wicketless. Shreyas Iyer was used as a 6th bowler as he bowled 3 overs.

The target of 288 was definitely chase-able. Lungi Ngidi picked up KL Rahul's wicket early on. Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan than had a partnership of 98 runs before Dhawan was out after a well made 61. Rishabh Pant stepped out and tried to slog the first ball and ended up throwing his wicket away in the first ball. Virat Kohli looked in good touch as he scored 65 off 84 balls but was once again dismissed by Keshav Maharaj. 

Shreyas Iyer and Surya Kumar scored 26 and 39 runs respectively but were dismissed as India looked to be out of the game. Deepak Chahar smashed a 34 ball 54 hitting 5 fours and 2 sixes to turn things around. He then threw his wicket away leaving India with 10 runs required off 17 balls with 2 wickets in hand. Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal were dismissed before India could chase down the total. 

Quinton de Kock was named the man of the match for his blistering century. The game would have been one for the ages if it was a series decider or the first had anything apart from pride on the line but because the series result was already decided it wouldn't reach the hype. India will now have to sort things out quickly as they host West Indies for 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs.

Also read: Smriti Mandhana wins ICC women's Cricketer of the Year

Cape Town, Jan 23 (Cricket News) India rallied to bowl out South Africa for 287 after opener Quinton de Kock struck an attacking century and Rassie van der Dussen continued his sublime form with a 52-run knock in the third and final ODI here on Sunday.

De Kock struck 124 off 130 balls and added 144 runs for the fourth wicket with van der Dussen before India put the brakes on the home team's scoring by sending back both the batters in quick succession. The home team has already taken a winning 2-0 lead in the series.

After that, David Miller contributed a 38-ball 39 before the innings ended with a ball to spare.

With his sixth ODI century, de Kock equalled AB de Villiers' record of scoring the most hundreds against India by a South African.

KL Rahul's decision to bowl first worked straightaway as Deepak Chahar (2/53) had opener Janneman Malan (1) caught behind with just eight runs on the board at the start of the third over.

It was a big wicket for the Indians as Malan came into the inconsequential final ODI on the back of a neat 91-run knock in the Proteas' series-clinching second ODI win at Paarl.

And credit for that must go to Chahar who got his fullish delivery to move away after angling it in, leaving Malan clueless.

A direct hit from India skipper KL Rahul from mid-off, ended his in-form counterpart Temba Bavuma's brief stay in the middle as the batter failed to reach the non-striker's end in time.

Bavuma making his way back to the dressing room for eight runs was another big break for India as the South Africa captain had scored a century in the opening fixture and also looked solid in the second outing.

After bagging two wickets in the powerplay, India seemed to be headed in the right direction when Aiden Markram's attempted pull shot failed to clear substitute fielder Ruturaj Gaikwad in the deep square leg region, leaving the hosts at 70 for three in the 13th over.

However, the duo of De Kock and Van der Dussen got together and forged an excellent partnership, mixing caution with aggression to deflate the Indian bowling attack.

De Kock moved into the 90s with two boundaries and then produced a flat-batted six straight over Prasidh Krishna's (3/59) head.

But he got stuck on 99 for a while before finally getting to the three-figure mark by driving Shreyas Iyer to the left of sweeper cover for two runs.

Van der Dussen hit Yuzvendra Chahal through mid-wicket for four, as the two upped the ante with their vast range of strokes on all sides of the wicket.

But just when it looked like the two batters were taking the game away form India, the visitors got rid of both of them.

De Kock got out to a Jasprit Bumrah (2/52) short ball, giving Shikhar Dhawan a simple catch at deep square leg, and then, Chahal had van der Dussen brilliant caught by Iyer in the deep.

Also Read : Rizwan named ICC T20 Cricketer of the Year

News Source : PTI

Cape Town, Jan 23 (Cricket News) India skipper KL Rahul won the toss and elected to bowl in the third and final ODI against South Africa here on Sunday.

Having already lost the series, India have made four changes with Suryakumar Yadav, Jayant Yadav, Deepak Chahar and Prasidh Krishna coming into the playing XI.

Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Venkatesh Iyer and Bhuvneshwar Kumar miss out.

For South Africa, Dwaine Pretorius comes in for Tabraiz Shamsi.

Hosts South Africa have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Teams: South Africa: Janneman Malan, Quinton de Kock(wk), Temba Bavuma(c), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Dwaine Pretorius, Lungi Ngidi, Sisanda Magala.

India: KL Rahul(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Jayant Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal. 

Also Read : Coach Dravid has to prove that he is not overrated: Shoaib Akhtar

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) After convincingly losing the first two ODIs, India are staring down a whitewash. Things are not looking good for India ever since Virat Kohli gave up T20I captaincy. India need to win the 3rd ODI in order to end a disappointing tour with some positives.

India's Possible Playing XI:

KL Rahul(C), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Surya Kumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal.

India needs to make changes in the side to give opportunities to a few players. Surya Kumar Yadav and Mohammed Siraj are the two players who deserve it. It looks like Ruturaj Gaikwad will not get a chance to play in the side. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been very disappointing in the two games and is likely to be replaced by Mohammed Siraj.

South Africa Possible Playing XI:

Quinton de Kock (wk), Janneman Malan, Temba Bavuma (c), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Sisanda Magala, Tabraiz Shamsi, Wayne Parnell.

Lungi Ngidi has played all 3 Test matches and 2 ODIs and could be rested since the series is already won. Dwaine Pretorius could be given a chance ahead in the last ODI. South Africa might be looking to promote David Miller up the order as he has not got a chance to bat a lot in the series so far.

Pitch report: 

Cape Town has the most spin friendly pitch in South Africa. It could be the highest scoring game of the series as it is a batting friendly track. Both teams will not be looking to change their combinations much. The captain who wins the toss will once again be looking to bowl first.

India need to be better in the middle overs with the bat and bowl. The bowlers apart from Jasprit Bumrah have been very disappointing in the last two games. It is very evident that India needs changes in white ball cricket and the 3rd ODI will be a good chance to experiment. 

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Cape Town, Jan 22 (Cricket News) Indian team's strategy is expected to undergo paradigm shift with some players getting a subtle yet stern message to lift their games as they face an embarrassing possibility of a clean sweep against South Africa in the third ODI, here on Sunday.

India's strategy looked completely out of sync with modern day white ball game as the batters failed to keep the momentum in the middle overs and more importantly the bowlers, save Jasprit Bumrah, looked club class and without ideas of getting breakthroughs.

In two matches, India have been only able to pick up seven wickets -- four in the first game when Proteas batted first and only three in the second.

Ravichandran Ashwin and especially Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the two senior-most bowlers looked far from threatening and the young Proteas batters like Rassie van der Dussen, Janneman Malan along with seniors like Quinton de Kock have feasted on the pedestrian stuff dished out by them.

With the two having flopped completely, it needs to be seen whether Rahul Dravid, the man who is currently calling all the shots as far as tactics is concerned, takes a dim view and at least try out Jayant Yadav and Deepak Chahar in the next game which would lend some freshness to the attack.

Worse, the first two games were played on a Boland Park strip that didn't have a lot of pace and bounce and even skipper KL Rahul admitted that conditions were more familiar with what they get back home, compared to what they are used to getting in South Africa.

However at Newlands, there will be more pace and bounce on the track and the Indian team that has been perennially struggling would want to avoid the ignominy of a 0-3 loss.

For skipper Rahul, the whole tour, save his match-winning hundred in the first Test, has been a nightmare. Although he is being seen as a long-term future leader, there hasn't been any spark whatsoever in his leadership that would make anyone sit up and feel that he is the one cut out for the job.

There hasn't been any tactical improvisations in the two games so far which would inspire confidence in his leadership abilities.

Add to that, his own style of batting at the top of the order is outdated in modern ODIs and his inability to rotate the strike for the better part is also creating pressure on the later batters, who aren't as adept at maneuvering the strike.

It is a foregone conclusion that once Rohit Shara is back in action, Rahul will lose his spot at the top of the order with Shikhar Dhawan scoring runs and at a better clip compared to his younger partner.

Virat Kohli's energy missing in Rahul ================== Virat Kohli may have scored 51 in the first game but what is visible is his lack of energy on the field having been sacked from ODI captaincy.

He is doing his routines without getting too involved. While it is fair that he wants Rahul to grow into the job somewhere the infectious energy that he brings into the field and which normally rubs off on other younger players has been missing in the two games.

Rahul would do well to imbibe some of it from his former captain.

'Mr' and 'Mr' Iyer ============= The two Iyers -- Shreyas in batting and Venkatesh as an all-rounder haven't yet set the stage on fire and the main problem has been their inability to force the pace in the middle overs.

England became a solid ODI outfit by scoring consistently in the middle overs and this young South African team has also followed that template in the series which is missing in Indian game.

In all, massive improvement required in order to be competitive.

India: KL Rahul (captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj, Jayant Yadav, Navdeep Saini.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Zubayr Hamza, Marco Jansen, Janneman Malan, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne.

Match starts 2 PM IST. 

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News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) South Africa won the 2nd ODI by 7 wickets to win the series 2-0. The entire tour has been very disappointing for India who are clearly feeling the effects of Virat Kohli not being the captain anymore. The absence of Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja doesn't help either

KL Rahul won the toss and elected to bat first. After a decent start India lost Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli in quick succession. Rishabh Pant came in to bat and had a good partnership with KL Rahul as they put together 115 runs. Pant scored 85 off just 71 balls before Tabraiz Shamsi picked up his wicket. The gloveman was the aggressor as he hit 10 boundaries and 2 maximums to get his highest ODI score. KL Rahul on the other hand was watchfull as he took 79 balls to score 55 but lost his wicket to Sisanda Mangala. Late strikes from Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur got India to 287 runs in the first innings.

South Africa got off to a flying start as Quinton de Kock and Janeman Malan put together 132 runs for the 1st wicket. De Kock scored 78 off 66 before Shardul Thakur finally got the breakthrough. Janeman Malan was dismissed just 9 runs short of his hundred by Jasprit Bumrah. Yuzvendra Chahal also got the wicket of Temba Bavuma but it was too late. Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen finished the game with 11 balls to spare. It is safe to say that the bowlers cost India the match. Bhuvneshwar Kumar in particular was very poor as he gave away 67 runs in 8 overs. Venkatesh Iyer did get a chance to bowl but failed to pick up a wicket in 5 overs.

While Indian bowlers are single handedly winning them matches in Test cricket, white ball cricket needs some sort of a change. The days of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal dismantling opposition in the middle overs look long gone. India needs a better plan. Even though the series is just the start of India's preparation for the World Cup, there is a long road for India to find the right team and strategy for the 50 over format. India will have nothing but pride to play for in the next game. It is very important for them to prevent a whitewash and end what has been a disappointing tour on a good note.

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Paarl, Jan 21 (Cricket News) Flamboyant Rishabh Pant believes that the difference between the two teams in the just lost ODI series was far better middle-overs batting by the South African side.

Having lost the first game by 31 runs, Indians were once again soundly thrashed by seven wickets after having put up a reasonably good 287 runs on the board.

"The track was slightly on the slower side and at the same time, we had enough runs on the board," Pant, who scored 85, said after the match.

"Last match (first ODI), we chased and this match we batted first, so when they batted, the wicket was much better for batting. In second innings, it became slower an slower as the game progressed.

"Today, it was same but they batted well in middle overs that's why they chased down the target. We didn't get enough wickets in the middle overs," he said.

SA Spinners were better, admits India keeper =========================== Pant admitted that Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram and Tabraiz Shamsi bowled better than Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal in the two games.

"I think they (SA spinners) were more consistent in their lines and lengths and they are used to playing in these conditions," he said.

One of the biggest reasons for the defeat is lack of 50-over game time for a long duration, opined Pant.

"We are playing ODIs after long time and lots of factors we can talk about but as a team, we are always looking to improve and hopefully, we will be able to rectify them in coming matches." Not concerned about Bhuvneshwar's form ========================= Pant brushed aside queries about poor form of veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

"As a team, we are always looking to improve and I don't think there is much concern about Bhuvi bhai's form. Obviously, we are playing ODI after long time so we are just getting used to the momentum, obviously disappointed after losing the series but we are looking at ways to improve," he added. 

Also Read : Where we need to get better is right in front of us: K L Rahul

News Source : PTI

Paarl, Jan 21 (Cricket News) India skipper KL Rahul won the toss and opted to bat against South Africa in the second ODI at the Boland Park here on Friday.

India are fielding the same playing XI from the first ODI which they lost by 31 runs.

For South Africa, pacer Sisanda Magala comes in place of bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen.

South Africa are leading the three-match series 1-0.

The Teams: India: KL Rahul (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (w), Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Sisanda Magala, Tabraiz Shamsi. 

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News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) After being completely outplayed by South Africa in the 1st ODI, India have a lot of problems to solve in the 2nd ODI which will also be played at the Boland Park. South Africa have a chance to wrap up the series. India will have to play much better than they did in the last match.

South Africa possible playing XI:

Quinton de Kock (wk), Janeman Malan,  Temba Bavuma (C), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj,  Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi.

South Africa has no reason to make changes in their side. The only change could be who bats at what position in the middle order which is extremely flexible. Bavuma used 6 bowlers in the last game and they all did their job well.

India possible playing XI:

KL Rahul(C), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Surya Kumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Shardul Thakur could miss out despite his half century in the last game due to his poor bowling performance as he gave away 72 runs and failed to pick up a wicket. Shreyas Iyer failed to make an impact in the last game and could make way for Surya Kumar Yadav. Indian batters need to convert their starts into big scores to have any chance of winning the match. It would be unfair to drop Venkatesh Iyer after just one game in which he wasn't given a chance to bowl but there is no point keeping him in the side if KL Rahul doesn't give him the ball.

The captain that wins the toss will once again look to bat first and get runs on the board as anything above 280 will be difficult to chase. The pitch is likely to be sluggish like the last game. Batting will be very difficult in the initial stages and runs won't come easy. India desperately needs the win to try and rescue what has been a very disappointing tour. At the moment South Africa even without their pace bowling heavyweights Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje look favorites to win the match which says a lot about the Indian side at the moment.


Also read: India outclassed in all three departments by South Africa in 1st ODI

(Cricket news) South Africa won the 1st ODI against India by 31 runs. After winning the toss and electing to bat first the Proteas scored 296 runs thanks to centuries by skipper Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen. The pitch was on the slow side with uneven bounce. There was movement for the seamers with the new ball. Timing the ball was difficult but Bavuma and van der Dussen managed to stay on the crease long enough to get their team above the par score.

India started really well but the partnership proved to be very costly. They failed to take wickets in the middle overs and gave away too many runs towards the end. KL Rahul's captaincy came under the scanner as despite playing Venkatesh Iyer as a 6th bowling option he did not use him even though his other bowlers were having an average day. Questions were raised as to why didn't India play a pure batter instead of Iyer if he never planned on giving him the ball.

India's chase started well with Shikhar Dhawan playing his naturally aggressive game. The visitors kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Dhawan, Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli got off to very good starts but couldn't convert it to big scores. India in the end fell 31 runs short despite Shardul Thakur's fifty towards the end. India would have chased the total if one of Dhawan, Kohli and Pant played a big knock. 

India's fielding was also not up to the mark as Shreyas Iyer dropped a catch. There were a lot of midfields and overthrows. KL Rahul's captaincy was also questionable. Throughout the South African innings the fielding was very orthodox and didn't look attacking. The true vulnerability for India is that apart from Ravindra Jadeja there is no other proper all-rounder in the side and that is the case not just in ODIs but across formats. There is no player in and around the squad who is capable of bowling 10 overs and contributing heavily with the bat apart from Ravindra Jadeja now that Hardik Pandya is not in contention. Washington Sundar may be that guy but he hasn't got a long run in the ODI format. The other big issue is that none of the batters is part time bowler. Virat Kohli doesn't bowl like he used to before and none of the other batters are capable of bowling 4-5 overs when needed.

India may look at a few changes in the 2nd ODI. Despite scoring a 50 Shardul Thakur was below par with the ball. India might be looking to give Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj or Prasidh Krishna a go in the side. Ruturaj Gaikwad has scored way too many runs recently to be sitting on the bench therefore KL Rahul might have to bat in the middle order after all to give Gaikwad a chance.

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Paarl (South Africa), Jan 20 (Cricket News) KL Rahul will have to show drastically improved leadership acumen when he leads India against a buoyant South African side in the second ODI on Thursday, with the three-match series and his long-term Test captaincy ambitions both at stake.

Rahul was at best mediocre in terms of "on-your-feet-thinking", something that's basic to art of captaincy, and also didn't look the part with the bat in a deflating 31-run defeat in the opening ODI where India were outplayed for the better part of the game.

The middle-order, which had been a problem since Virat Kohli's heady days as captain, is still sticking out like a sore thumb and no one knows what exactly the solution is.

Once again, it was a case of one opener -- Shikhar Dhawan on this occasion -- and the indomitable Kohli holding fort before the middle-order caved in on a slower pitch where there was turn and the ball gripped, making a run-of-the-mill seamer Andile Phehlukwayo look formidable.

South Africa crushed India both strategically as well as on skills and therein lay serious questions about Rahul's wares as captain.

The most dominant query was what exactly was Venkatesh Iyer doing in the team if he was not bowling at least four to five overs as the sixth bowler when Yuzvendra Chahal and Shardul Thakur were being taken to the cleaners by Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma? If Venkatesh is playing as a specialist batter at No.6 then why not use Suryakumar Yadav, who is more experienced with a better range of strokes under pressure? The next question that arose was whether Rahul spoke to Chahal or Ashwin when Van der Dussen and Bavuma started playing the sweep shots -- both conventional and reverse sweep on a good batting strip.

There wasn't a singular inspired bowling change unlike Proteas who introduced Aiden Markram's off-breaks first-up and bottled up the Indian skipper.

When India batted, the game was lost at the halfway stage once Dhawan and Kohli were out in quick succession following their 90-plus stand. Suddenly, the strip where batting looked easy became difficult.

Shreyas Iyer's well-documented struggles against the short ball were again exposed on the day and the Mumbaikar would know that a place in the Indian playing XI comes at a premium and he can't go on wasting chances like a millionaire.

But going by Rahul Dravid's template, he would get his share of chances.

On a slow track, where rotating the strike is a must, the likes of Rishabh Pant and the two Iyers will have to play a bigger role.

Similarly, Shardul Thakur, despite his fifty which came when the match as a contest was over and there was no pressure of a target, will have to measure up as a bowler which is his primary skill.

Going for 70 plus runs in his 10-over spell with too many loose balls didn't help the team's cause and even Bhuvneshwar Kumar looked insipid on his return to the national playing eleven after the tour of Sri Lanka.

The difference between the two sides was how the spinners fared -- Ashwin and Chahal in their combined 20 overs gave away 106 runs for a single wicket while Markram, Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj bowled 26 overs between them for 124 runs and snared four wickets between them.

"It was a sort of wicket that we get back home. It was not a typical South African wicket. There was turn (on offer) in the wicket, and the ball was also keeping straight, so it wasn't easy for the new batsmen to score runs," senior batter Dhawan had said after the match.

"The plan of the set batsmen was to take it deep, but unfortunately I got out on the ball which turned a lot and I didn't expect that, but yes that happens," he said.

Test captaincy is a different ball-game compared to white ball but Rahul only knows too well that when it comes to decision-making, the top brass will fall back on references they have.

And a series defeat against South Africa isn't going to do his case any good unless the head coach is bent on trying to make a leader out of him.

Squads India: KL Rahul (captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj, Jayant Yadav, Navdeep Saini.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Zubayr Hamza, Marco Jansen, Janneman Malan, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne.

Match starts 2 PM IST. 

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News Source : PTI

Dubai, Jan 19 (Cricket News) Star India opener Smriti Mandhana was on Wednesday named in the ICC T20 women's Team of the Year for her superlative show in the format in 2021 but no Indian made the men's side.

The stylish Southpaw, who is the Indian team's vice-captain in the format, was the country's highest scorer in the format in 2021 with 255 runs at an average of 31.87.

The 25-year-old scored two fifties in the nine matches she played and got her team off to rapid starts regularly, as evident up by her strike-rate of 131.44.

While Mandhana was the only Indian, several members of the English side feature in the team with Nat Scriver being named captain.

The experienced England all-rounder produced many impactful performances throughout the year. Batting in the middle-order, Sciver scored a total of 153 runs, including one fifty, and she also picked up 10 wickets at an excellent average of 20.20.

Accompanying Mandhana at the top is England's Tammy Beaumont. The 30-year-old's reliable presence at the top of the order helped England off to steady starts regularly. She played nine matches and amassed 303 runs at an average of 33.66, including three fifties.

Danni Wyatt, wicketkeeper Amy Jones and spinner Sophie Ecclestone are the other English players in the side.

Gaby Lewis of Ireland, South African trio of Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp and Zimbabwe's Loryn Phiri make up the rest of the playing XI.

No Indian in the ICC Men's T20 Team of the Year ============================== There was no Indian representation in ICC Men's T20I Team of the Year 2021, which featured three Pakistanis including skipper Babar Azam, who has been named captain.

Apart from Azam, opener Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi, who had a sensational T20 World Cup were name in the squad.

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh and pacer Josh Hazelwood, who played a vital role in winning Australia's maiden T20 World Cup title, featured in the team while the trio of South Africans Aiden Markram, David Miller and Tabraiz Shamsi also made it to the playing XI.

Flamboyant wicketkeeper batter Jos Buttler was the sole member of the England team in the ICC side.

Teams: Women: Smriti Mandhana (India), Tammy Beaumont (England), Danni Wyatt (England), Gaby Lewis (Ireland), Nat Sciver (c) (England), Amy Jones (England), Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa), Marizanne Kapp (South Africa), Sophie Ecclestone (England), Loryn Phiri (Zimbabwe), Shabnim Ismail (South Africa).

Men: Jos Buttler (England), Mohammad Rizwan (Paksitan), Babar Azam (c) (Pakistan), Aiden Markram (South Africa) , Mitchell Marsh (Australia), David Miller (South Africa), Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa), Josh Hazlewood (Australia), Wanindu Hasanranga (Sri Lanka) , Mustafizur Rahaman (Bangladesh, Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan). 

Also Read : Kohli, Pant and Bumrah move up in latest ICC Test rankings

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Paarl (South Africa), Jan 19 (Cricket News) South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and opted to bat against India in the first One-day International here on Wednesday.

India handed debut to all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer.

Left-arm pacer Marco Jansen, who excelled in the Test series, made his debut for South Africa.

Teams: India: KL Rahul (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal.

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma(c), David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi.

Also Read : Afghanistan to play ODI series against Netherlands in Qatar

News Source : PTI

Cape Town, Jan 18 (Cricket News) South Africa's lead pacer Kagiso Rabada was on Tuesday released from the team for the three-match One-Day International series against India as part of its workload management.

The series starts in Paarl on Wednesday.

"Proteas seam bowler, Kagiso Rabada, has been released from the team for the Betway One-Day International (ODI) series against India due to high workloads over a sustained period of time and the need for him to recover prior the outbound Test series against New Zealand next month," Cricket South Africa (CSA) said in a statement.

The board said no replacement will be brought in for Rabada as there is an extended squad in place in the Bio-Secure Environment (BSE), but George Linde has been retained from the Test team as an extra spin-bowling option for the series.

Squad: Temba Bavuma (captain) Keshav Maharaj (vice-captain) Quinton de Kock (wk), Zubayr Hamza, Marco Jansen, Janneman Malan, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, George Linde, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne. 

Also Read : Pakistan pacer Mohd Hasnain's bowling action reported during BBL: Report

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(Cricket news) India will take South Africa in the 1st of 3 ODIs at Boland Park. The Test series loss was certainly a tough one to take for the Indian camp after which Virat Kohli gave up Test captaincy just a month after he was sacked from ODI captaincy. India will work towards the 2023 World Cup trying to build a strong team with a good core. 

India's possible playing XI:

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul(C), Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

Will KL Rahul open the batting or not is the big question mark. India's combination is also not set at this moment in time because Ravindra Jadeja is injured. The number 7 position is the one which is the one which will give Rahul Dravid headaches. Shardul Thakur and Venkatesh Iyer seem to be the two prominent contenders in this series. Ravichandran Ashwin is set to return to the ODI side for the first time since 2017.

South Africa possible playing XI:

Quinton de Kock (wk), Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma(C), Rassie van der Dussen, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi

Only two out of Markram, de Kock and Malan can open the batting and it will be interesting to see who ends up doing it. Anrich Nortje's absence is a big blow Marco Jansen could make his debut at some point but there are people ahead of him in the pecking order. Temba Bavuma who had a good Test series will be very crucial as a batter and as a captain.

Pitch report:

Seamers will get that extra bounce in typical South African fashion. Spinners job will be to keep things tight in the middle overs as the pitch is batting friendly. The outfield at Boland Park is usually lightning quick which means that game is likely to be a high scoring one. The team winning the toss is likely to bat first and get a big total on the board.

Also read: Takeaways from Australia's dominant performance in the 4-0 Ashes win

Paarl (South Africa), Jan 18 (Cricket News) The mighty Virat Kohli's presence in the Indian playing eleven as a mere player for the first time in seven years will be keenly followed while his potential successor in red-ball cricket, K L Rahul, will be judged for his captaincy in the three-match ODI series against South Africa beginning here on Wednesday.

Whether he is batting in the middle or fielding at the boundary line, Kohli's every move is tracked but some of that attention will now have to be shared by Rahul.

More importantly, will he be at his usual animated best on the field or will the cricketing world see a rather subdued Kohli after his stunning resignation from Test captaincy brought an end to his innings as official leader of the team across formats? He did not want to leave ODI captaincy after relinquishing the role in the shortest format and it led to a war of words with the BCCI on how the entire matter was handled.

His supporters and Indian cricket in general will be hoping that Kohli has put his differences with the BCCI firmly behind him and come Wednesday, he starts a new innings with his willow doing most of the talking. A highly desired century after two years would be cherry on top.

Rahul, who is leading the side in the absence of an injured Rohit Sharma, is expected to turn to Kohli for advice during the series. Not only Kohli has a major role to play as a batter, but as vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah said on the eve of the series, the star "will always be a leader" in the team.

With the new leadership and support staff, India will look to win the series with one eye on preparations for the 2023 World Cup and also make up for the disappointment of unexpectedly going down in the Tests last week.

The last time a full strength India played an ODI series was at home against England in March before a second string squad travelled to Sri Lanka in July.

Rahul batted in the middle-order against England but it remains to be seen if he moves back to the top alongside Shikhar Dhawan.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, who made the squad following an exceptional domestic season, might have to wait longer for his ODI debut.

It will be crucial three games for the seasoned Dhawan, who has already lost his place in the T20 side.

The southpaw has thrived under pressure in the past and will be looking to solidify his position as the first-choice opener alongside Rohit when the latter returns from injury.

Kohli will bat at his usual number three spot while there will be a toss-up between Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer for the number four position.

Rishabh Pant is expected to come at number five while Venkatesh Iyer is likely to make his 50-over debut as the all-rounder at six, having shown promise in the T20s against New Zealand.

The two spinners likely to play are Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin, who has made a comeback after more than four years.

Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will share the load in the pace department while for the third pace option, the management could pick Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur or Prasidh Krishna.

Mohammad Siraj, who injured his hamstring during the Test series, is also fit as suggested by Bumrah on Monday.

On the previous tour, India hammered the hosts 5-1 in ODIs and they will draw confidence from that.

South Africa will be in high spirits after a memorable victory in the five-day format.

Skipper Temba Bavuma played a few crucial in the preceding Tests and he will carry that confidence into his batting as well as his leadership.

Quinton de Kock, who retired from Test cricket after the series opener against India, starts his life as a white-ball only player.

Tall left-arm pacer Marco Jansen, who excelled in his maiden Test series, is expected to trouble the Indian batters with his extra bounce and variations in the short format after earning a maiden call-up.

If Tests were any indication, the ODIs would be an intensely-fought affair.

Squads: India: KL Rahul (captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj, Jayant Yadav, Navdeep Saini.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Zubayr Hamza, Marco Jansen, Janneman Malan, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne.

Match starts 2 PM IST. 

Also Read : Ben Stokes opts out of IPL auctions to stay fresh for English home summer: Reports

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) South Africa have clinched the 3 match series 2-1 with a 7 wicket victory in the 3rd Test at Cape Town. The day started with South Africa needing 111 runs with 8 wickets in hand. Keegan Peterson unbeaten on 48 was joined by Rassie van der Dussen.

The pair batted out the tricky first hour or so really well. Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah came out all guns blazing but the Proteas were very resilient. The pair put together 54 runs and by the time Shardul Thakur dismissed Peterson on 82 it seemed like South Africa had already ran away with the game. India failed to take another wicket as Temba Bavuma and van der Dussen guided South Africa to victory. India bowled well just like they have done for the entire series but in the end they kept giving a few looseners which are too costly especially while defending a small total.

India's batting were just not up to the mark in this series. KL Rahul in the first innings of the first Test and Rishabh Pant in the last innings of the last Test were the only big innings by an Indian. Their bowlers failed to rescue them this time around. This might be the last time we see Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane play Test cricket for India and for the better. It might be time to give more chances to Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari. 

The fact that India were favourites going into the series and even before the last Test shows the prowess of this Indian side. Having said that they did lose this series convincingly which clearly shows that there is a lot of work to be done. India had a lot of bad luck especially in the last Test which has led to the downfall. The decision of going with 5 bowlers and not giving Ashwin a lot of overs has also had its effect on the result. India will now look to put all this behind and prepare for the ODIs.

Also read: KKR rope in Bharat Arun as bowling coach

(Cricket news) After losing both their openers late on day 2, India started day 3 on 57/2 with a lead of 70 runs. Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara had played 39 and 31 balls respectively. Marco Jansen started things off and picked up Pujara's wicket on the 2nd ball of the day. Pujara gloved a ball down the leg side and the diving catch was taken by Keegan Peterson in fantastic fashion.

Ajinkya Rahane continued his poor run of form as he only managed 1 run before falling prey to Kagiso Rabada. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant stitched a very important partnership of 94 runs. Pant scored the majority of those runs as Kohli was being extra careful. The Indian skipper's resilience was ended by Lungi Ngidi as he was dismissed on 29. Ngidi got rid of Ravichandran Ashwin shortly after before picking up Shardul Thakur's wicket. Rabada dismissed Umesh Yadav while Jansen dismissed Mohammed Shami on ducks. 

Rishabh Pant played a fantastic knock of 100 off 139 balls. He was dropped by Keshav Maharaj on 88 and by Temba Bavuma on 94. He did play aggressive strokes like he always does but was very watchful and picked the right balls to do so. The gloveman took on Maharaj and scored a bulk of his runs against the spinner. Had it not been for Pant India would've lost the game comfortably. The innings displayed his character as it came after he threw his wicket away in the last Test match and was heavily criticised.

South Africa came out to bat with a target of 212. Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar put together 23 runs in 7 overs before Mohammed Shami picked up Markram's wicket. Dean Elgar's luck continued to shine as he played and missed more in this game than any batsman in the whole series. He edged the ball a couple of times but it fell short of the slip fielders. The big moment came in the 21st over when Ravichandran Ashwin trapped him in front. After deliberation Elgar hesitantly reviewed it. During the replays the dismissal looked absolutely plum but the hawkeye showed that the ball had comfortably bounced above the stumps. 

The Indian team was shocked beyond belief even the on field umpire was heard saying "That's impossible" after he was made to reverse his decision. The stump microphone caught the Indian players saying a lot of things which could land them in trouble with the match referee. Ashwin was heard saying ''You should find better ways to win Supersport (The broadcasters)". KL Rahul commented on the situation saying ''Whole country is playing against 11 guys''. Indian captain Virat Kohli leaned towards the stump mic and said “Focus on your team as well when they shine the ball.. and not just the opposition, trying to catch people all the time." The Indian team were clearly frustrated with the game and the series slipping away from them.

India did finally get Elgar's wicket with the last ball of the day as he edged Bumrah's ball down the leg side. South Africa ended the day on 101/2 as they needed 111 more runs and had 8 wickets in hand with 2 days still left to play. South Africa are clear favourites to clinch the series on day 4 of the 3rd Test. India once again need their bowlers to rescue them with a miracle.

Also read: Pant got runs when team needed them most and that's important: Mhambrey

Cape Town, Jan 13 (Cricket News) Chasing 212 to win the series, South Africa were 101 for two at stumps on the third day of the third match against India, here on Thursday.

Mohammed Shami removed Aiden Markram (16) early but skipper Dean Elgar (30) and Keegan Petersen (48) batted superbly.

The South African skipper fell towards the end.

Rishabh Pant scored a combative unbeaten 100 in India's second innings that folded for 198 as pacers Marco Jansen (4/36) Kagiso Rabada (3/53) and Lungi Ngidi (3/21) shared all wickets between them.

Struggling Cheteshwar Pujara (9) and Ajinkya Rahane (1) failed yet again while Virat Kohli (29 off 143 balls) did his best to stay at the crease as long as possible before Ngidi dismissed the skipper.

Brief Scores: India: 223 and 198 all out in 67.3 overs. (R Pant 100 not out, V Kohli 29; Marco Jansen 4/36, K Rabada 3/53).

South Africa: 210 and 101 for 2 in 29.4 overs. (K Petersen 48 batting, D Elgar 30; M Shami 1/22). 

Also Read : Pant makes 100, India set South Africa 212-run target to win 3rd Test

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Day 2 of the decider at Cape Town started with South Africa 17/1, trailing by 206 runs. South Africa had the upper hand in the game but it all changed as the day progressed and the fightback was led by India's star talisman Jasprit Bumrah.

Bumrah who picked up Dean Elgar's wicket late on day 1 came in steaming and knocked over Aiden Markram in the 2nd ball of the day. Markram didn't offer a shot to Bumrah's in-swinger and was cleaned up. The night watchman Keshav Maharaj was starting to frustrate the Indian bowlers. He was clean bowled by Umesh Yadav on 25 as South Africa were 45/3. Keegan Peterson and Rassie van der Dussen formed a very crucial partnership as they added 67 runs. India created a few edges but they all either fell short or dropped wide. India seamers were also inconsistent with their lines while Ravichandran Ashwin was inconsistent. 

Umesh Yadav finally got the breakthrough as his full length ball got an edge of Van der Dussen's bat. Temba Bavuma provided good support to Keegan Peterson but Mohammed Shami came through. He dismissed both Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne in the same over to bring India right back in the contest. Marco Jansen walked into bat and was bombarded by Jasprit Bumrah. Jansen negotiated with the series bouncer well but eventually played all over Bumrah's in-swinger just before tea. 

Keegan Peterson played a fantastic knock of 72 off 166 balls before falling prey to Bumrah. Shardul Thakur picked up the wicket of Kagiso Rabada who was in counter attacking mode. Bumrah dismissed Lungi Ngidi to complete his fifer as he finished with the figures of 5/42. The Indian openers couldn't hold on for the rest of the day as Mayank Agarwal was dismissed by Rabada before Marco Jansen picked up KL Rahul's wicket. Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli negotiated the remaining overs well as India ended the day on 57/2.

Now is the time for India's batting to show up and give their bowlers a good target to defend. The Indian bowlers have carried the side for a while but now the batting needs to do a job. The game is very even and India's middle order needs to bat long. Kohli and Pujara played well in the 1st innings but they need to play a big knock in the 2nd innings.

Also read: I wasn't angry, just focussed on my job: Bumrah

Cape Town, Jan 12 (Cricket News) South Africa lost both overnight batters before reaching 100 for three at lunch on day two of the series-deciding third Test against India, here on Wednesday.

Aiden Markram (8) was cleaned up by Jasprit Bumrah while Keshav Maharaj (25) became a victom of Umesh Yadav after the hosts resumed at 17 for one.

Keegan Petersen (40) and Rassie van der Dussen (17) were the unbeaten batters at the crease.

South Africa still trail India by 123 runs.

Brief Scores: India 1st innings: 223 all out in 77.3 overs. (Cheteshwar Pujara 43, Virat Kohli 79; Kagiso Rabada 4/73).

South Africa 1st innings: 100/3 in 35 overs (K Petersen 40 batting, K Maharaj 25; J Bumrah 2/16, U Yadav 1/29). 

Also Read : Need to be more consistent with work we did in last 12 months: Mithali Raj

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) In the 3rd and the decider Test at Cape Town, India won the toss India elected to bat first. South Africa went into the game unchanged while India welcomed back Virat Kohli who replaced Hanuma Vihari while Umesh Yadav came in place of the injured Mohammed Siraj. South Africa managed to restrict the visitors to 223 which without question is below par especially after winning the toss. Jasprit Bumrah got rid of Dean Elgar late in the day as the Proteas are 17 for 1 and trail by 206 runs.

KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal started off with a few plays and misses along with edges that didn't carry. The pair slowly started playing their shots and took India to 31. The Proteas then turned it around as they bowled 24 dot balls. The pressure was built and KL Rahul succumbed to it as he edged Duanne Olivier's ball. Kagiso Rabada picked up Agarwal's wicket in the very next over. Cheteshwar Pujara got off to a good start with some of his trademark shots.

He fell just 7 runs short of his fifty as Marco Jansen angle in and seam away ball nicked his bat. Ajinkya Rahane's inconsistent performances continued as he was dismissed by an absolute beauty from Rabada. Just like Pujara, Rishabh Pant also got a start but couldn't convert as he was dismissed by Jansen after he tried to take on a short ball. The tall left arm seamer got rid of Ravichandran Ashwin shortly after. Keshav Maharaj finally joined the party as he got the wicket of Shardul Thakur. Rabada bowled a beautiful bouncer to get rid of Jasprit Bumrah.

Virat Kohli was the lone warrior as he scored 79 off 201 balls. The innings was one of the most resilient one the Indian skipper has ever played. Kohli was extremely disciplined and gritty in his approach. He got beaten quite a few times but continued fighting. Even though he didn't get his long awaited century, Kohli saved his team and anchored the innings. His duel with Rabada was a very entertaining one which the bowler eventually won by dismissing Kohli. The Indian innings came to an end as they were all out on 223.

Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar came out to bat for a few overs before stumps. Jasprit Bumrah struck in the 5th over getting the wicket of Elgar. Keshav Maharaj was sent in as a night watchman and did a good job as he held on. South Africa will start day 2 on 17 for 1 trailing by 206 runs

Also read: Game is in the balance, batters will have to grind: Rabada

Cape Town, Jan 11 (Cricket News) South Africa may have bowled India out for 223 in their first innings here but ace speedster Kagiso Rabada on Tuesday said their batters will have to dig deep to win the series-deciding third Test.

India got the important wicket of South African skipper Dean Elgar cheaply (3) towards the close of play as the hosts reached 17 for one at stumps on the opening day with Aiden Markram (8) and night-watchman Keshav Maharaj (6) in the middle.

"The game is in the balance. Obviously, we would have liked to win the toss. But we did well to restrict them for 223 but we are going to have to bat well," Rabada said in the media interaction after the day's play.

"I think our biggest strength is that we're just relentless and resilient and that forced us to learn quickly. You're always going to learn when you're playing opposition. So I think that holds us in good stead for the future." Talking about the conditions, he said: "There's still a quite a bit in that wicket. We don't have any control over the conditions. It looks a perfect Test wicket where batters have to grind. I think it's not going to change much tomorrow." Playing in his 50th Test, Rabada was outstanding with figures of 4/73 which included the prized scalp of India captain Virat Kohli (79).

"I wouldn't say a perfect day, very seldom you get a perfect day. I had a good day and things went my way.

"Generally, what we try to do is to be consistent as possible going into every game. Just tried to do the same things, nothing changes.

"Today things went my way I think I'm feeling good about the way I bowled. I was feeling decent out there," he said.

Rabada had a riveting battle with the Indian skipper, who faced 55 of his deliveries and scored 24 runs, including three boundaries, before getting out to the pacer.

Battle against Kohli ===================== Rabada said the plan was to bowl straight or swing away from the Indian captain.

"The plan was to bowl good line and length.

It was pretty obvious to try to swing away as he was going out that way. He was very patient at leaving the ball. He batted extremely well, well done to him." Jansen has got the X-Factor ============================= Rabada got fine support from rookie left-arm pacer Marco Jansen, who snared 3/55 in his third Test appearance.

"He's got a burning desire to play here. He's got the x-factor. He's got a tough character, that's the first thing you look for in a cricketer. The natural talent is there and he has the ability to win matches. He's an exciting prospect for South Africa," Rabada said of Jansen. 

Also Read : SA 17/1 at stumps in reply to India's 223 all out

News Source : PTI

Cape Town, Jan 11 (Cricket News) South Africa were 17 for one at stumps in reply to India's first innings total of 223 all out on the opening day of the series-deciding third Test here on Tuesday.

Opener Aiden Markram and night-watchman Keshav Maharaj were batting on 8 and 6, respectively, at the close of play. Jasprit Bumrah dismissed the home team skipper Dean Elgar (3) cheaply after the Indian innings ended in 77.3 overs.

Batting first, India's returning captain Virat Kohli top-scored for the visitors with a 79 off 201 balls, hitting 12 boundaries and a six in the process.

Playing in his 50th Test, Rabada finished with impressive figures of 4/73, while Marco Jansen snared 3/55.

Brief Scores: India 1st innings: 223 all out in 77.3 overs. (Cheteshwar Pujara 43, Virat Kohli 79; Kagiso Rabada 4/73).

South Africa 1st innings: 17/1 in 8 overs. 

Also Read : India all out for 223 after skipper Kohli's 79

News Source : PTI

Cape Town, Jan 11 (Cricket News) India skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat against South Africa in the series-deciding third and final Test, here on Tuesday.

India have made two changes to their playing XI with pacer Umesh Yadav replacing Mohhamed Siraj and Hanuma Vihari making way for skipper Kohli, who missed the second Test due to back spasm.

South Africa are unchanged.

The series is tied 1-1 with India winning the opener in Centurion while the hosts won the second game in Johannesburg.

India have never won a Test series in South Africa.

Teams: India: Virat Kohli (C), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav.

South Africa: Dean Elgar (C), Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Duanne Olivier and Lungi Ngidi. 

Also Read : It was great to finish off career with win and a wicket, says emotional Taylor

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town is all set to host the series decider between India and South Africa. India won the opening Test at Centurion while South Africa came back with a gritty victory in Johannesburg. India have a chance to win a Test series in South Africa for the first time. Virat Kohli will once again lead the side after missing the last game.

India's Possible Playing XI:

KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma.

Virat Kohli has recovered from his injury which means Hanuma Vihari has to unfortunately miss out despite his decent performance in the last game. Despite being under the scanner for throwing his wicket away, Rishabh Pant should retain his place in the side. Mohammed Siraj is unavailable due to the injury he picked up in Johannesburg. India have the option of Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav which is a difficult choice to make. Ishant Sharma is likely to get the nod due to his experience especially in South African Conditions.

South Africa's Possible Playing XI: 

Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Keegan Peterson, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Kyle Verreynne, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Marco Jansen.

South Africa wouldn't like to change the winning combination unless it's a forced one. Keshav Maharaj may play a more important role in this game as he may be asked to bowl more overs. Dean Elgar's scintillating performance in the last game would've inspired the entire team. Peterson, van der Dussen and Bavuma showed great signs in the last game. The absence of Mohammed Siraj would be a great plus for the Proteas.

Pitch and Weather Report:

The pitch is expected to be fast bowler friendly and tough work for the spinners. Ravichandran Ashwin might once again look like a surplus but India have been stubborn in their choice of picking 5 bowlers. All 5 days are expected to have a cloud cover with chances of a slight drizzle.

Also read: Biggest game for us in last 10-15 years: Dean Elgar on series decider

Cape Town, Jan 10 (Cricket News) Virat Kohli's talismanic presence will be the shot in the arm that India would need in their bid to win the historic first-ever away Test series against South Africa but the hosts will also walk in with a spring in their step in the final Test starting here Tuesday.

Kohli missed the last Test in Johannesburg due to back spasms and if the training session at the Newlands was anything to go by, the skipper is not going to miss the series-finale for anything with the two teams locked at 1-1. The hosts will definitely fancy their chances after a fighting performance drew them level in the second Test.

And playing his 99th Test on what will also be his daughter's first birthday, the batter in Kohli would like to make it a special one for the 'Captain', who has been under tremendous pressure of late.

Nothing succeeds like success and winning the first ever Test series in South Africa in three decades will certainly establish Kohli as one of the greatest to have led the country in the traditional format.

And to achieve that, the team's batting, which hasn't exactly been anything more than mediocre, needs to improve by a few notches and perhaps a first innings score in excess of 300 plus will set the tone.

There are players, whose mere presence gives any team an added psychological boost, and the Indian skipper is one such character.

Whether he is batting or is in the field, Kohli's presence can always be unsettling for the opposition, which is bound to plan differently for him even if it means that he hasn't got a hundred for two years.

But if one closely looks at Kohli's batting in these two years, unlike Pujara and Rahane, he has looked way more assured till the time he has got out.

It has been either one good ball or a rank bad shot that has got him and not lack of confidence and jittery starts that could put the dressing room in panic mode.

Hanuma Vihari might feel hard done after two fighting knocks -- especially the 40 not out in the second innings in Johannesburg -- but such is nature of the beast that he would be the sacrificial lamb till Team India regains its faith in Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane's abilities.

Curbing Cover drive ============== A lot of experts have suggested that Kohli should curb his instincts of playing the off-drive or his favourite cover-drive like Sachin Tendulkar did against Brett Lee at Sydney in 2004 when he didn't play anything on the off-side till he reached his double hundred.

But Kohli has his own methods and the madness associated with it. If Sunday's practice is anything to go by, he would still hit the cover drive if he gets one pitched on the length for the shot.

However, it will also be about the deliveries that he or some of the others would choose for particular kind of shots.

A case in point is Rishabh Pant, whose walking down the track against express pace in recent months, has had a lot of "intent" but not much of "content".

On a Newlands track, which will be juicy with variable bounce, India will need to bat way better against Kagiso Rabada, Duanne Olivier, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen, all of who bring different skills to the table.

India have never won a Test in Cape Town and for a change in script, the three middle-order veterans need to do way more than what they did at the Wanderers.

However, Newlands has seen some epic battles, none better than the one in 2010-11 series when Tendulkar and Dale Steyn were locked in one of the most exhilarating hour that Test cricket would have ever witnessed.

There is a certain beauty attached with survival and at the beautiful Newlands, Steyn used his every ounce to test a master batter's repertoire of skills.

Pujara and Rahane need to do more ======================= Pujara and Rahane, with their respective half-centuries, did get a life-line but that will certainly not be enough to save their careers unless they do something very big and significant.

If getting fifties was a positive sign, not converting good starts into big hundreds definitely was disappointing.

Similarly, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal would also like to give the team a good start against the fiery South African line-up.

Ishant looks set for comeback, Bumrah seeks improvement ==================================== Ishant Sharma, like Pujara and Rahane, is at the business end of his chequered international career and Mohammed Siraj's hamstring injury is sure to give him some breathing space after the indifferent last six months during which he lost form, had niggles and didn't good enough to be in the mix for long.

Yet, the nature of South African tracks and his over 6 feet frame, with ability to bowl maiden after maiden, makes him a better choice than Umesh Yadav, who is a similar bullish workhorse.

But it will be Jasprit Bumrah, who would like to improve his strike-rate which has gone down since he has come back from his back injury.

Dean Elgar, Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma were not perturbed by his mindless short-pitched bowling and the Indian slinger would like to do what he does best, bowl fast and full with deliveries deviating on both sides of the track.

That would go a long way in ensuring that they have a great party on Table Top after January 15.

Squads: India: Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul (vc), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Jayant Yadav, Priyank Panchal, Umesh Yadav, Hanuma Vihari, Ishant Sharma.

South Africa: Dean Elgar (captain), Temba Bavuma (vice-captain), Kagiso Rabada, Sarel Erwee, Beuran Hendricks, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Glenton Stuurman, Prenelan Subrayen, Sisanda Magala, Ryan Rickelton, Duanne Olivier.

Match Starts at 1:30 pm.

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News Sources : PTI

Johannesburg, Jan 6 (Cricket News) South Africa defeated India by seven wickets in the second Test to level the three-match series 1-1 here on Thursday.

After two sessions were lost to incessant rain, South Africa, chasing 240, came out needing 122 runs for a memorable win with eight wickets in hand.

Skipper Dean Elgar led from the front with an unbeaten 96 off 188 balls to take his team home in 67.4 overs.

The other crucial contributions came from Aiden Markram (31), Rassie van der Dussen (40), Keegan Peterson (28) and Temba Bavuma (23 not out off 45).

India's bowlers could not extract enough from the surface with Mohammad Shami getting the only wicket to fall on the day.

The third and final Test begins in Cape Town from January 11.

Brief Scores: India 202 and 266.

South Africa 202 and 243/3 in 67.4 overs. (Dean Elgar 96 not out Rassie van der Dussen 40; Mohammad Shami 1/55). 

Also Read : Play resumes after rain wipes out two sessions on day four

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) At the end of day 3 South Africa have the advantage and are looking the most likely team to win. India started day 3 on 85 for 2 with Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara on the crease. The pair made the best possible start with their run scoring intent. 

Two of India's most senior batters played a few aggressive strokes and came in with the intent of scoring quick runs. Both reached their half centuries and took India's lead to 128. South African bowlers looked out of place for a while as they failed to trouble the batters. Kagiso Rabada then came through and got a double breakthrough as he produced an edge of Rahane on 58 for Kyle Verreynne to catch before trapping Pujara plum in front. Rishabh Pant came into bat and was hit on the helmet by Rabada while facing his 2nd ball. The next ball Pant hastily came down the track and tried to smash the ball but only managed to nick it. Pant's recklessness put India in a spot of bother at 167 for 5 with a lead of only 140.

Ravichandran Ashwin just like the others tried to get quick runs before edging Lungi Ngidi's ball down the leg side to the keeper. Shardul Thakur in classic Shardul Thakur fashion scored a quickfire 28 at less than a run a ball with powerful shots all over the field. He then gave his wicket away as he pulled Marco Jansen's ball straight to deep square leg. Jansen then got rid of Mohammed Shami and got into a heated confrontation with fromer Mumbai Indians teammate Jasprit Bumrah. Ngidi picked up the wicket of Bumrah shortly after. Hanuma Vihari who had been playing sensibly at the other end, started to play his shots with only one wicket in hand. He got himself to 40 before Ngidi bowled Mohammed Siraj. 

Aiden Markram started really aggressively with 240 to chase, playing a range of shots while Dean Elgar was cautious at the other end. While on 20 his edge of Bumrah fell just short of 2nd slip. KL Rahul responded by bringing on 1st innings hero Shardul Thakur straight after the tea break. Markram hit a four off the 2nd ball of Thakur's 2nd over. He then struck Markram on his pads in the 3rd ball but was not given out due to height. The 4th ball was similar but this time was going down the leg side. He beat the outside edge on the 5th ball and struck him plum on the back leg in the last ball to get India the breakthrough. 

Keegan Peterson joined his skipper in the middle and added 46 important runs before Ravichandran Ashwin got him out LBW. Rassie van der Dussen then came out to bat. Indian bowlers turned the heat on Elgar and hit him with a lot of body but the Proteas captain fought hard and held on. South Africa ended the day on 118 for 2 with 122 more runs needed with 2 days left. South Africa are favourites now but India have won games from worst situations in the past year with these same set of bowlers. Two early wickets is all it will take for India to get right back in the contest. Dean Elgar looked well winded at the end and it will be interesting to see if he feels the effects of it on day 4. If Elgar and Van der Dussen bat out the first hour it will be difficult for India to bounce back. Day 4 will almost certainly be the last day of this enthralling Test match.

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Johannesburg, Jan 5 (Cricket News) South African batting consultant Justin Sammons on Wednesday hailed Dean Elgar's stubborn resistance against a fearsome Indian attack, saying the skipper's show with the bat will be key if the hosts have to win the Wanderers Test.

Elgar stayed unbeaten 46 at end of third day and during his defiant knock he received many a nasty blow including one on the grille of his helmet as the hosts reached 118 for 2 at stumps, 122 runs shy of a series-levelling win.

"He's a competitor. The thing he loves about the game is the competitiveness. The competitive nature of the Test cricket brings the best out of him," Sammons said of Elgar during the media interaction at the end of day's play.

"His role will be massively important. Having somebody there to bat for the rest of the innings would be the key.

"Just having someone with his character for the guys coming in to be, I think it's massively important. His leadership goes a long way in getting us over the line tomorrow." Chasing 240 on a tricky wicket with uneven bounce, Proteas lost Aiden Markram in the 10th over but Elgar along with Keegan Petersen put on a strong fightback to leave the Indian bowlers looking for a second breakthrough.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin finally gave the breakthrough ending the 46-run partnership but Elgar and wicketkeeper-batsman Rassie van der Dussen played out the day to remain unbeaten on 46 and 11 respectively.

"The message for the guys coming in would be to see how the morning plays out and we just have to be adaptive.

"We need to get through the first hour and play according to the situation. It's been an interesting wicket, not the easiest deck to bat on." "It goes without saying, the task is not going to be easy. The Indian attack has been relentless. But we believe, we can chase it down. The way we batted this afternoon, it's case of point there," he said.

Their batters have shown a lot more positive intent after a flop show in Centurion and the batting consultant blamed it on lack of enough Test cricket over the last six months.

This was South Africa's first Test series in six months. They have played just six Tests under new captain Elgar.

"The basics of Test cricket is about leaving the ball well and ultimately it boils down to know where your off stump is. Having not played a lot of red ball cricket played a part. So we had to make sure that the guys are in touch with the game.

"It's about the need for being decisive. It's something that we discussed at length. We had to come out of any sort of tentativeness.

"It's always easier said than done. The guys have come out and showed posiitve intent and it's there to see how they have gone about it," he concluded. 

Also Read : Kohli is getting better, says Cheteshwar Pujara

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) South Africa started day 2 of the 2nd Test against India at Johannesburg at 35/1 in reply to India's 202 in the first innings. The good news for India was that Mohammed Siraj was on the field despite limping off with a hamstring injury on day 1.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami started with their spells and didn't give Keegan Peterson and Dean Elgar any bad deliveries whatsoever. Despite creating so much pressure and bowling wicket taking balls Peterson and Elgar managed to hold on. Siraj came into bowl and it was pretty evident that he wasn't fit as his pace was significantly lower than usual. There was even a catching chance where he had to run backwards but couldn't. Had he been fully fit or had there been any other fielder the catch would've been taken. The Proteas batters got a few boundaries off Siraj and later Ravichandran Ashwin. 

Then entered Shardul Thakur who got rid of Dean Elgar with a beautiful ball from over the wicket. Keegan Peterson got himself to his maiden Test fifty showing incredible quality and grit but was dismissed on 62 by Shardul Thakur. Rassie van der Dussen was given out caught behind off Mohammed Shami. The decision was overturned after a review and the replays showed that the ball hadn't carried to Rishabh Pant despite the keeper claiming the catch. Moments after during the last over before Lunch Van der Dussen edged Thakur's ball which was caught by Pant. The umpire signaled out and Van der Dussen walked off but the replay showed that the ball had hit the grass. 

Van der Dussen was not called back and two new batters Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne walked out to bat. Bavuma scored his 2nd consecutive half centuryThe pair added 60 runs playing exquisite strokes before Thakur once again came in and picked up both their wickets. Shami came into the attack and picked up Kagiso Rabada's wicket. Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj got South Africa past India's total with their aggressive approach. Jasprit Bumrah picked up his first wicket of the match as he clean bowled Keshav Maharaj. Shardul Thakur got the last two wickets of Jansen and Lungi Ngidi as he finished with the figures of 7/61 his best in Test cricket. It was also the best figures by an Indian bowler against South Africa.

KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal came into bat as India trailed by 27 runs. Jansen picked up Rahul's wicket while Mayank Agarwal didn't offer a shot to Duanne Olivier's in-swinger and was given out LBW. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya who are potentially playing for their place in the side negotiated the rest of the overs very well and played some good strokes in the process. India ended the day on 85 for 2 with a lead of 58.

Also read: The progression of KL Rahul as a Test cricketer over the last year

(Cricket news) The big news at the toss was that it was KL Rahul who walked out in a blazer instead of Virat Kohli who was ruled out due to an upper back spasm. India elected to bat after winning the toss as Hanuma Vihari replaced Kohli. South Africa replaced the now retired Quinton de Kock with Kyle Verreynne while Duanne Olivier came in place of Wiaan Mulder. 

India had a decent start as the Karnataka boys Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul looked comfortable at the crease. The first chance for South Africa came in the 11th over when Kagiso Rabada's in-swinger caught Agarwal's inside edge onto the pad and fell just short of forward square leg. Three overs later, Marco Jansen got rid of Agarwal with an outswinger. Cheteshwar Pujara came in to bat and soon edged a short ball that once again was wide of leg gully. Olivier got rid of Pujara on 3 towards the end of the session. Ajinkya Rahane walked out to bat at no. 4 in the absence of Virat Kohli and got a golden duck. He chased Olivier's ball outside the line and edged it to 3rd slip. 

Hanuma Vihari came into bat and should have been dismissed on 9 by Ngidi but the catch was dropped by Temba Bavuma. He eventually got out on 20 as Rabada's bouncy ball caught his inside edge straight to short leg. All this while KL Rahul remained resilient and watchful. He reached his fifty in 128 balls but threw his wicket away straight after that as he tried to pull Jansen's ball but found Rabada fine leg who took a good catch. Ravichandran Ashwin straight away took the aggressive approach scoring at a run a ball. India lost Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur in quick succession after tea and India were in a spot of bother on 157-6. Rabada got rid of Shami before he could do much damage. Ashwin played really well as he played all kinds of strokes but was dismissed on 46 by Jansen. Jasprit Bumrah had his fun for a while as he scored 14 of 11 balls hitting 2 fours and a big six. Rabada dismissed Mohammed Siraj to end India's innings at 202.

Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar played a couple boundaries to get South Africa to 14 for no loss in under 4 overs. Mohammed Shami got the first breakthrough as his in-swinger trapped Markram plum in front. India couldn't manage to get another wicket as Elgar and Keegan Peterson held on. The pair was incredibly lucky on multiple occasions. Peterson was dropped on 12 by Pant off Bumrah. Elgar had more than his fair share of luck as he played and missed way too many balls mostly from Siraj who towards the end of the day walked off the field as he looked to have pulled his hamstring. The day ended with South Africa on 35-1, just 167 runs behind India. The Proteas are now in the driver's seat and would be confident that they could level the series.


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Johannesburg, Jan 3 (Cricket News) Stand-in India captain KL Rahul won the toss and elected to bat in the second Test against South Africa, here on Monday.

Rahul is leading the side in the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli, who has been forced out of the Test due to upper back spasm.

Hanuma Vihari replaced Kohli in the visitors playing XI.

South Africa made two changes from the playing XI that lost the first Test with Kyle Verreynne coming in for recently-retired Quinton de Kock and Duanne Olivier replacing Wiaan Mulder.

India are leading the three-match series 1-0.

Teams: India: KL Rahul (c), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

South Africa: Dean Elgar (c), Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Kyle Verreynne (w), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Duanne Olivier and Lungi Ngidi. 

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News Source : PTI

Johannesburg, Jan 2 (Cricket News) Young fast bowler Marco Jansen on Sunday received his maiden ODI call-up as South Africa named a 17-member squad for the three-ODI series against India beginning January 19.

The 21-year-old Jansen, who had snapped five wickets in his maiden Test last week, was picked in the squad led by Temba Bavuma with Keshav Maharaj as his deputy in the white-ball series.

Experienced pacer Anrich Nortje will miss the ODIs as well after being left out of the Tests due to a hip injury.

Wayne Parnell, Sisanda Magala and Zubayr Hamza also retained their spots in the squad which also includes former skipper Quinton de Kock, who retired from Test cricket following the loss in the first Test against India.

"This is a very exciting group and the Selection Panel and I are eager to see what they will produce," CSA Convenor of Selectors, Victor Mpitsang said.

"For many of our players, it does not get bigger than playing against this powerhouse Indian team and this will be the biggest series of their young lives so far.

"We are looking forward to seeing what they bring to the table and wish Temba (Bavuma) and Mark (Boucher) all the best for the series." The first (January 19) and second ODIs (January 21) will be played at Boland Park, Paarl while the third and final match (January 23) will be held at Newlands, Cape Town.

India on Saturday announced their 18-member squad for the ODI series with KL Rahul named as captain with Rohit Sharma yet to regain full fitness.

Squad: Temba Bavuma (C), Keshav Maharaj (VC), Quinton de Kock, Zubayr Hamza, Marco Jansen, Janneman Malan, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne. 

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News Source : PTI

Johannesburg, Jan 2 (Cricket News) A weakened South African batting line-up has been "crippled further" by the sudden retirement of the seasoned Quinton de Kock, feels the country's former star batter Hashim Amla.

At 29, de Kock called time on his Test career last week citing family reasons, although the wicketkeeper-batter will continue to play in the shorter formats of the game.

Amla is concerned with the development, coming at a time when the home team is down 0-1 against a formidable Indian side in the ongoing three-match Test series.

"Our two best batters in the middle are Temba (Bavuma) and Quinton.

"Now that Quinton has opted out of Test cricket, this cripples the batting line-up further and, now more than ever, it makes it imperative for Temba to bat higher - be it three or four, allow him time to play a solidifying role as opposed to a recovery one," Amla was quoted as saying by Sport24.

However, Amla believed the Proteas could still bounce back and defend their record of having never lost a home series to India.

"There's certainly a way back, but it's going to take laser-like focus for extended periods and a touch a fortune," Amla said.

"(Captain) Dean (Elgar) and Aiden (Markram) are class players with a pedigree for hundreds and, if they get momentum, it would certainly ease the nerves and give much-needed confidence for the younger guys," said Amla.

The Proteas were bowled out for 197 and 191 at Centurion's SuperSport Park to suffer a 113-run loss to India in the opening Test.

Amla, who has scored more than 9 000 Test runs and also captained the side, acknowledged the "fair" result in the opener.

"It was a fair result," said Amla, who scored two double hundreds in Centurion during his career against the West Indies (2014) and England (2016).

"Centurion is notorious for becoming more difficult to bat as the days progress.

"So once India won the toss, batted and scored in excess of 300, it was game on for the Protea batters to match that score at the very least.

"Being 130 runs behind is what really hurt them, and it ended up being the difference," Amla concluded. 

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News Source : PTI

Johannesburg, Jan 1 (Cricket News) Legendary South Africa batter Hashim Amla says more "collective experience" in the Indian side was one of the key factors in the visiting side's comfortable victory in the series-opener at Centurion.

India beat South Africa by 113 runs in the first Test at SuperSport Park to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

"It was a fair result," said Amla in Cricket South Africa website.

"They (India) have been a strong unit over the last two years or so. They have more experience collectively and it always makes a huge difference when you have runs on the board to back you up." South Africa did not have many experienced players in their ranks with only skipper Dean Elgar, Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi having some decent exposure in traditional format while India had all top players in the line-up.

Amla said India's big lead in the first innings made all the difference in the outcome of the match.

"Centurion is notorious for becoming more difficult to bat as the days progress. So once India won the toss, batted and scored in excess of 300 it was game on for the Protea batters to match that score at the very least," Amla said.

"Being 130 runs behind is what really hurt them, and it ended up being the difference." The 38-year-old Amla, who scored 9282 runs in 124 Tests at an average of 46.64 with 28 centuries, praised the Indian batters for their top-class show on the first day of the Test.

"Day one, the pitch looked best for batting and credit to the Indians for playing disciplined cricket,” he said.

"It's obvious when teams come to SA that their batsman talk about leaving well outside off stump and that’s probably were the Proteas let themselves down." Amla felt the South Africa bowlers fought back well after that tough opening day.

"Not challenging the defence enough. That was day one, but on day two, though, they did extremely well to restrict the Indians to 327. They could have got to 400 plus.

"The bowlers all had their moments. Lungi (Ngidi), KG (Kagiso Rabada) and the youngster (Marco) Jansen stand out of course. However, in a relatively low scoring match I enjoyed watching Temba Bavuma. He always looks like he has time and seldom troubled.” Amla acknowledges there is work to do for the South Africans, although he still believes they can bounce back and defend their proud record of having never lost a home series to India.

“There’s certainly a way back but it’s going to take laser-like focus for extended periods and a touch a fortune,” he said.

“(Captain) Dean (Elgar) and Aiden (Markram) are class players with a pedigree for hundreds and if they get momentum, it would certainly ease the nerves and give much needed confidence for the younger guys.” The batting legend wants Temba Bavuma to bat higher in the order now that Quinton de Kock has retired from Test cricket.

“Our two best batters in the middle are Temba and Quinton (de Kock). Now that Quinton has opted out of Test cricket, this cripples the batting line-up further and really, now more than ever, it makes it imperative for Temba to bat higher.

“Be it three or four, allow him time to play a solidifying role as opposed to a recovery one." The second Test will be played from January 3-7 at Wanderers in Johannesburg. 

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News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) After a dominating 113 run win in the 1st Test, India will play the 2nd and potentially deciding Test in Johannesburg. A victory would mean that Virat Kohli's men will become the first Indian side to win a Test series in South Africa. The Proteas on the other hand would be looking to come back with a win. 

India's Possible Playing XI:

KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

India do not have a reason to make any changes in the side. They have been persistent with the 5 bowlers theory and are expected to continue with the same. Ajinkya Rahane's decent performance in the first may just keep him in the side ahead of Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari. India have the option of Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma in case any of the seamers need to be rested or have niggles. Bumrah did twist his ankle in the 1st innings but still bowled extremely well in the last innings. There is a chance that Bumrah could sit out the game.

South Africa's Possible Playing XI: 

Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Keegan Peterson, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier.

Quinton de Kock unexpectedly announced his retirement from Test cricket after the first Test concluded. Kyle Verreynne should come into the side for his 3rd Test match, Ryan Rickelton is the other option. Marco Jansen had a decent debut at Centurion but the Proteas attack was missing something which Duanne Olivier could bring in.

Also read: Takeaways from India's squad for ODIs against South Africa

Weather report:

Weather is likely to intervene from the 2nd day onwards as the first day is predicted to have cloud cover but no rain. The cloud cover would be good news for the seamers. The captain who wins the toss will be looking to field first and give his seamers something to work with. 

South Africa had a few very good periods in the game where they could have turned it around. Their batters weren't able to cope with India's relentless pace battery. The Proteas just need a few things to go their way. India just need to do the things they have been doing for the past year. The only thing that has room for improvement is the middle order. Pujara, Kohli and Rahane need to get among the runs to make up for playing 5 bowlers. At this point it is difficult to see India losing the game but the Proteas could take advantage of the home conditions and cause an upset.
 

Centurion, Dec 29 (Cricket News) South Africa were 22 for one while chasing a stiff 305-run target against India at tea on the fourth day of the first Test, here on Wednesday.

Pacer Mohammed Shami sent back opener Aiden Markram (1) while skipper Dean Elgar (9) and Keegan Petersen (12) were at the crease for the hosts when the break was taken.

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant top-scored for India in the second innings with a run-a-ball 34 as no visiting team batter could score a half century.

Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen took four wickets apiece while Lungi Ngidi got two wickets for South Africa.

India had bowled South Africa out for 197 after making 327 in their first innings.

Brief Scores: India: 327 & 174 all out in 50.3 overs (Rishabh Pant 34, K L Rahul 23; Kagiso Rabad 4/42; Marco jansen 4/55). South Africa: 197 and 22 for 1 in 9 overs (K Petersen 12 batting; M Shami 1/14). 

Also Read : India all out for 174 in 2nd innings, sets 305 for SA to win 1st Test

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) India have put themselves in a good position after early troubles on day 3. India started the day on 272/3 with centurion KL Rahul on the crease along with Ajinkya Rahane. 

After a wicketless and underwhelming day 1, Kagiso Rabada came in all guns blazing as he got rid of KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur in quick succession. Lungi Ngidi on the other end took the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane when he was on 48 along with Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Shami. Debutant Marco Jansen picked up his maiden Test wicket in the form of Jasprit Bumrah. India's lower middle order collapsed like a pack of dominoes. Jasprit Bumrah was the best Indian batter on day 2 as he scored 14 and hit 2 glorious boundaries in the process. The Proteas changed things around very quickly as Ngidi finished with figures of 6/71 while Rabada finished on 3/72. Ngidi was the pick of the bowlers and was constantly troubling the Indian batters.

Skipper Dean Elgar walked out to bat with Aiden Markram and Jasprit Bumrah did what he always does. The seamer was on song from the very first ball as he got rid of Elgar in the very first over with a beautiful delivery. Keegan Peterson and Markram looked comfortable as the Proteas were 22/1 on lunch. Mohammed Shami started things off in the 2nd session and ran straight through the Proteas batters. He jagged the ball through the gate of Peterson before knocking Markram's top of off stump in quick succession. India had a set back in the 11th over as Jasprit Bumrah nastily twisted his ankle during his follow through. He was immediately taken off the field and returned on the field just before the tea break. 

Also read: Australia retain the Ashes after emphatic innings victory over lousy England

Mohammed Siraj got the outside edge of Rassie van der Dussen as the ball was caught by Rahane at Gully. Shortly after he got Quinton de Kock's outside edge but the catch was dropped by KL Rahul at 3rd slip. De Kock along with Temba Bavuma stitched together a very crucial 72 run partnership. De Kock looked a little nervous but Bavuma played some exquisite strokes as he reached his half century. Ravichandran Ashwin had a tough day as he constantly missed his length, often dropping the ball too short and getting punished as he went wicketless. Shardul Thakur got the massive wicket of Quinton de Kock and broke the partnership.

Shami came back into the attack and picked up the wickets of Wiaan Mulder and Temba Bavuma. Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada had some fun in playing a few good shots before Shardul Thakur once again broke the partnership as he trapped Jansen in front. Shami dismissed Rabada, completing his 5 wicket haul and picking up his 200th Test wicket in the process. Jasprit Bumrah came back to ball without any visible pain in his ankle and picked up the final wicket of Keshav Maharaj as South Africa were all out on 197 which was 130 runs short of India's total. 

Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul came into bat but this time couldn't get a big opening partnership as debutant Jansen got rid of Agarwal with a fine outswinger from over the wicket. Shardul Thakur came in as night watchman and survived as India ended the day on 16/1. India will be looking to set a decent total on day 4 before having a crack at the South African batting on day 5. 
 

Centurion, Dec 28 (Cricket News) Mohammed Shami's sheer artistry with new and old ball fetched him another five-wicket haul as India seized control of the first Test against South Africa on the third day by extending their overall lead to 146 runs that could prove to be decisive.

Shami (16-5-44-5) and his pace bowling colleagues Jasprit Bumrah (7.2-2-16-2), Mohammed Siraj (15.3-1-45-1) and Shardul Thakur (11-1-51-2) further enhanced their reputation as world beaters by dismissing the Proteas for mere 197.

The quartet neutralised Lungi Ngidi's lion-hearted morning spell which saw him finish on 6 for 71 from 24 overs as India lost seven wickets from 55 runs to be all-out on 327.

The wily old Shami, manfully shouldered the duties of a pace spearhead for the better part of the 62.3 overs because of Japrit Bumrah's twisted ankle. He also completed a satisfying personal milestone of 200 Test wickets.

With a first innings lead of 130, India at stumps reached 16 for 1 losing Mayank Agarwal's wicket.

The Supersport Park strip after all the rain on the second day was at its spiciest best with all the underlying moisture aiding seam and swing bowling as 18 wickets fell on the day.

While Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada did well in the morning, Shami did way better in the afternoon in company of Bumrah, Siraj and Shardul.

If the Proteas pacers relied on steep bounce off good length to trouble the Indian middle and lower-order which caved in meekly, Shami used the angles of the crease very effectively and the movement off the pitch did the rest.

The example was how he got Keegan Peterson and Aiden Markram with deliveries which were slightly different in execution.

In case of Peterson, Shami went slightly wide off the crease and unleashed an in-cutter that pitched on length and shaped in to take inside edge off his bat into the stumps.

In case of Markram, he came closer to the stumps and bowled one that looked shaping in but once it pitched, it just shaped away to hit the top of off stump. The difference was angles used and slight change in wrist positioning.

What worked for India wonderfully well was the fact that the freshness and juice in the track was there till the middle part of the second session.

Once the top half was blown off, India didn't have problems even as the pitch eased out. Temba Bavuma (52) and Quinton de Kock (34) added 72 runs for the fifth wicket.

If Shami didn't get wickets, then Siraj did and when Siraj went through a dry spell, Shardul chipped in and by the time Bumrah got fit, he helped the team in wrapping up the opposition tail.

In between Ravichandran Ashwin despite not getting a wicket, kept things tight and over-rate in check.

If Shami bowled some of the best deliveries in the South African innings, Bumrah too bowled a beauty with tiniest of movement that forced rival skipper Dean Elgar forced edge one to Rishabh Pant, who touched the milestone of 100 victims behind the wicket.

The morning belonged to Ngidi and Rabada as the Supersport Park track stayed true to its reputation of quickening up as time progressed.

The bounce was more and the length that Rabada and Nigidi bowled consistently was a touch fuller compared to first day.

It was Rabada, who drew the first blood on the day with a well directed short ball aimed at Rahul's rib-cage.

The batter simply couldn't manage the pull-shot and the tickle landed in de Kock's gloves.

In case of Rahane, Ngidi hadn't provided enough length for the drive and the ball reared up from length to take his edge and into keeper's gloves.

Ashwin's batting in SENA countries has gone downhill and the leading edge that lobbed up to Keshav Maharaj was a result of not being able to negotiate extra bounce generated by Ngidi.

Pant (8)'s dismissal was a carbon copy of Cheteshwar Pujara's where an angular delivery climbed up and it was an easy bat-pad catch for forward short leg.

Bumrah (14) did hit a few boundaries to take the score past 325 which was at least 75 runs short of what India had envisaged at the start. 

Also Read : India pacers leave South Africa tottering at 109/5

News Source : PTI

Centurion, Dec 28 (Cricket News) Indian pacers lived up to their reputation by running through the South African top half, reducing the hosts to 109 for 5 at tea after Lungi Ngidi's six-wicket haul limited the visitors to 327 on day three of the first Test.

After a good batting day at the onset, the second day's heavy showers spiced up the pitch to such an extent that as many as 12 wickets were lost in the first two sessions.

If India lost seven of them for an addition of only 55 runs in the morning due to Ngidi's 6 for 71 and Kagiso Rabada's complementary 3 for 72, Mohammed Shami (2/16), Jasprit Bumrah (1/12), Mohammed Siraj (1/29) and Shardul Thakur (1/27) all got into the act on a spicy deck with a lot of underlying moisture.

Credit to India that despite losing Bumrah for a better part of second session due to sprained ankle, they didn't let the intensity down even after Temba Bavuma (31 batting) and Quinton de Kock (34 batting) had added 72 runs for the fifth wicket.

De Kock's loose shot of a long hop from Thakur that saw him drag one back onto his stumps literally put the Proteas in the dumps.

This was after Bumrah bowled a beautiful length with a tiniest movement that had Dean Elgar edging one to Rishabh Pant.

Coming in as one change, Shami bowled an in-cutter that breached Keegan Peterson's defence and then bowled a late leg-cutter that beat Aiden Markram's outside edge.

Rassie van Der Dussen found Siraj's pace too hot to handle and the outside edge was comfortably snapped at gully by Ajinkya Rahane.

The morning belonged to Ngidi and Rabada as the Supersport Park track stayed true to its reputation of quickening up as time progressed.

The bounce was more and the length that Rabada and Nigidi bowled consistently was a touch fuller compared to first day.

It was Rabada, who drew the first blood on the day with a well directed short ball aimed at Rahul's rib-cage.

The batter simply couldn't manage the pull-shot and the tickle landed in de Kock's gloves.

In case of Rahane, Ngidi hadn't provided enough length for the drive and the ball reared up from length to take his edge and into keeper's gloves.

Ravichandran Ashwin's batting in SENA countries has gone downhill and the leading edge that lobbed up to Keshav Maharaj was a result of not being able to negotiate extra bounce generated by Ngidi.

Rishabh Pant (8)'s dismissal was a carbon copy of Cheteshwar Pujara's where an angular delivery climbed up and it was an easy bat-pad catch for forward short leg.

Bumrah (14) did hit a few boundaries to take the score past 325 which was at least 75 runs short of what India had envisaged at the start. 

Also Read : Bumrah leaves field after sustaining ankle sprain

News Source : PTI

Centurion, Dec 28 (Cricket News) South Africa were 21 for one at lunch on day three after bowling out India for 327 in the first Test here on Tuesday.

India lost seven wickets for 55 runs during the opening session.

Jasprit Bumrah removed opposition skipper Dean Elgar in the first over of the South Africa innings. Keegan Petersen (11 batting) and Aiden Markram (9 batting) were in the middle at the break.

After day two was washed out, India resumed their innings at 272 for three.

K L Rahul (123) and Ajinkya Rahane (48) added one and eight respectively to their overnight scores with Lungi Ngidi (6/72) and Kagiso Rabada (3/72) running through India's middle and lower-order.

Brief Scores: India: 327 all out in 105.3 overs (K L Rahul 123, Mayank Agarwal 60; Lungi Ngidi 6/72, Kagiso Rabada 3/72).

South Africa: 21/1 in 7 overs (Aiden Markram 9 batting, Keegan Petersen 11 batting; Jasprit Bumrah 1/12). 

Also Read : India collapse to 327 all out on day three

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) India had a very successful boxing day as they are 272 for 3 at the end of day 1. Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first. India has taken a very big gamble by playing only 6 pure batters followed by Shardul Thakur and Ravichandran Ashwin. There was no place for Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari as Ajinkya Rahane kept his place. South Africa handed a debut to tall left arm seamer Marco Jansen instead of going for the in-form Duanne Olivier.

KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal gave the blues a perfect start to the tour with a 117 run opening partnership. Later, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane accompanied Rahul as India steadied their way to a good score at the end of day 1. As good as KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal batted in the early parts of the innings, it is safe to say that the South African bowling was not up to the mark. Kagiso Rabada looked completely unlike himself as he kept missing his line with very less pace than usual. Debutant Jansen was hammered by the Indians throughout the day as he couldn't find his shape and consistency. He did manage to get a few good balls in but always bowled a loosener to release the batter of any pressure. Jansen did produce an edge of Agarwal when he was on 36 but the difficult catch was dropped by Quinton de Kock. The openers left the balls outside off stump really well and also punished the bad balls.

Also read: Stokes hasn't looked like the aggressive presence that oppositions have feared: Ponting

Agarwal played the aggressor during the opening partnership as he kept collecting boundaries with his powerful stroke play. He reached his half century just after lunch in 89 deliveries. The Proteas turned it on in the 2nd session as they began to find their lines much better but the Indians continued to maintain a good scoring rate. Lungi Ngidi finally got a perfect ball to jag back into Agarwal's pads when he was on 60 and got the wicket after a successful review. He wasn't done then as he got rid of Cheteshwar Pujara on a golden duck in the very next ball to turn the game on it's head. Ngidi's ball hit Pujara's bat and pad and went straight to forward short leg.

The Indian captain then joined his newly appointed deputy and the pair stitched an 82 run partnership. There was some intricate stroke play in the process as India were 157/2 at tea. It was going well after tea but Kohli decided to throw his bat on Ngidi's loosener way outside off which took a thick outside edge straight to first slip. Former vice captain Ajinkya Rahane walked out to bat under a lot of pressure. Rahane didn't show any pressure and looked in fine touch as he took on the bowling by putting away the boundary balls. KL Rahul on the other hand was silently going on about his business as he reached triple figures. He became only the 2nd Indian opener after Wasim Jaffer to score a ton in South Africa. 

The day ended with India 272 for 3 with Rahul and Rahane unbeaten on 122 and 40. India will be looking at 500 considering the position they are in. The pitch will get quicker as the days progress which could mean that India's decision to trust their 6 batters and play 5 bowlers is paying off. 
 

Centurion, Dec 25 (Cricket News) Skipper Virat Kohli will be battling on multiple fronts with an aim to get the tricky team combination right as India have a real shot at winning their first ever away series against South Africa, which is short on experience going into the contest, starting with the Boxing Day Test.

The choice between an untested rookie like Shreyas Iyer and a proven but out-of-form Ajinkya Rahane for the number five slot, is not an enviable one. It's more like choosing between rock and hard place with fear of unknown being a persistent factor.

Not to mention the hard call on whether Shardul Thakur with far superior skills should be the fifth bowler in place of an 'over the hill' Ishant Sharma.

These are not easiest of decisions to make that require copious amounts of tactical acumen mixed in equal proportion with proper communication skills.

In Mumbai, during the New Zealand Test, the team management could "rest" both Rahane and Ishant on the pretext of niggles but if on Sunday, the duo doesn't figure in the playing eleven, it will be as good as being dropped.

In the last Test, they were "unofficially dropped" and in this one, they will be officially dumped.

Since their historic first visit in 1992, the tour to Rainbow Nation has been an 'Achilles' Heel' for the touring Indian teams and skipper Kohli, who is certainly veering towards the business end of his leadership tenure, will like to achieve a first.

South Africa is no longer the force to reckon with in international cricket as they have been going through a rough transition phase over the past few years.

Kohli's men would like to pounce on the jittery Proteas like hungry African lions as the visitors have way more quality in its ranks than the home team which is full of rookies.

However an away Test series with some interesting sub-plots and hidden narratives adds to the intrigue of the battle that lies ahead and especially for 'King Kohli'.

This particular series, where even if he emphatically denies in public sphere, will be fighting multiple battles -- some tangible ones and a few intangibles.

First and foremost, Kohli, the captain, who would like to reassert his supremacy with a victory against a side which has only two players with 50 plus games -- skipper Dean Elgar (69 Tests) and senior keeper-batter Temba Bavuma (53 Tests).

It only helps that Kagiso Rabada will not have the dangerous and world's fastest Anrich Nortje for company in the bowling attack and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj is least of a worry as far as Indian batters are concerned.

Secondly, Kohli, the best batter in the team, has not scored a Test hundred since 2019 and has an average of less than 30. It does not match the lofty standards that is associated with the Indian skipper.

He must be backing himself up to fire in this series.

Kohli is also going into the series after taking on the establishment. He made it clear what he thinks of a sitting BCCI president, who also happens to be a distinguished former national skipper.

But those who know Kohli understand that every little skirmish for him is a platform for a good scrap. In his head, he is someone who loves to fight a good fight and when he perceives the world to be against him, Kohli is at his best.

He has been in good form during the net session and South African attack could just be the meal he would like to feast on.

But he would need his new deputy KL Rahul to replicate his performance in England and also need Cheteshwar Pujara to score a few runs after having blunted the new Kookaburra if need be.

Iyer, who looks ahead of Rahane in battle for No. 5 slot, would be tested by Duanne Oliver's back of the length deliveries that can rear up on a Centurion track which promises to quicken up as match progresses.

In case of Rahane, he is completely out of confidence and that's never a good sign.

Rishabh Pant's game always goes up a notch or two in adverse conditions and skipper Kohli won't mind if he can make a mincemeat of left-arm spinner Maharaj with those one-handed sixes.

A lot will depend on how Rabada and Oliver start the proceedings.

But like any other away tour, the difference between the two sides could be Jasprit Bumrah, fresh from a break and raring to dismantle a batting line-up that depends on Elgar, his deputy Temba Bavuma and De Kock.

If Bumrah and Shami can blow up the top-order, the rest of the South African batters might not do well against Ravichandran Ashwin. Skipper Kohli will need all of that.

Squads: India: Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul (vc), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Jayant Yadav, Priyank Panchal, Umesh Yadav, Hanuma Vihari, Ishant Sharma Dean Elgar (captain), Temba Bavuma (vice-captain), Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Kagiso Rabada, Sarel Erwee, Beuran Hendricks, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Glenton Stuurman, Prenelan Subrayen, Sisanda Magala, Ryan Rickelton, Duanne Olivier.

Match Starts 1:30 pm. 

Also Read : I was really angry after missing Adelaide Test: Cummins

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) India will be back in red ball action after becoming the no. 1 Test team in the world following their win against New Zealand. They now face a tough challenge to an unconquered territory of South Africa. Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid will be hoping to get India their first ever Test series win in South Africa. India are missing several key players in Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill and Axar Patel. South Africa on the other hand will be without Speedster Anrich Nortje. 

India Possible Playing XI:

KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Ajinkya Rahane will be under a lot of pressure as this might be his last chance. The big call is the combination of the team. India could go and pick Shardul Thakur instead of Hanuma Vihari to play 5 bowlers. But the above team is very balanced especially with the Indian tail showing in England that they can contribute a little with the bat. Ishant Sharma is another close call who has a lot of experience bowling in South Africa.

Also read: Shreyas Iyer or Hanuma Vihari? Who should get a chance first in South Africa?

South Africa possible playing XI:

Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Keegan Peterson, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier.

Rabada and Ngidi will be key for the Proteas with their seam bowling. The opening combination of skipper Elgar and Markram will have India's potent new ball attack. Olivier will have to step up and fill the shoes of Anrich Nortje.

Weather forecast and pitch report:

Day 3 and day 4 are expected to be sunny while the other days could have a fair bit of delay due to rain and bad light. The team that wins the toss will be looking to bat first mainly due to the weather conditions on day 1 and day 2. Centurian is usually a batting pitch as the ball comes on to the bat right from the beginning of the game. It will assist fast bowlers more than spinners but spinners could get some turn and bit going into day 4 and day 5. 

India would've been outright favorites had Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja not been injured. The visitors' chances have now taken a massive hit but they are still favorites to win the series and winning the first game would be a massive statement from this Indian side.
 

Johannesburg, Dec 7 (Cricket news) Pacer Sisanda Magala and wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Rickelton were the new faces in South Africa's 21-member squad announced on Tuesday for the three-Test series against India beginning December 26.

Pacer Duanne Oliver, who last played a Test in 2019, is also back in the side to be led by Dean Elgar.

The seasoned pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje too returned after being rested in the ODIs against the Netherlands.

Glenton Stuurman and Prenelan Subraye have also made their way back into the team.

The first Test has been pushed back a week to start on Boxing Day in the wake of a new COVID-19 variant detected in southern Africa. The development threatened the whole series but both BCCI and Cricket South Africa worked together to ensure it goes ahead.

CSA Convenor of Selectors, Victor Mpitsang said: "This format is very important to CSA and keeping it relevant and alive is one of the organisation’s priorities.

"We are really looking forward to the return of Dean Elgar and his men, it’s been a long few months since the last time we saw them dominate in the West Indies.

"We are confident in the team that we have selected and believe fully in backing the talent that we have unearthed and cultivated over the last couple of seasons and giving players the backing that they deserve when they have continuously done well over a significant period of time." The three-match rubber is part of the World Test Championship and India will be aiming to secure their maiden series win in South Africa.

The first Test will be held in Centurion, second in Johannesburg from January 3 and third in Cape Town from January 11.

Three ODIs will be held after that and four T20s, which were part of the original schedule, will be held later.

The CSA had announced the revised series schedule on Monday.

Squad: Dean Elgar (captain), Temba Bavuma (vice-captain), Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Kagiso Rabada, Sarel Erwee, Beuran Hendricks, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Anrich Nortje, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Glenton Stuurman, Prenelan Subrayen, Sisanda Magala, Ryan Rickelton, Duanne Olivier.

Also Read : Not sure if my life would change but want to play 80-90 Tests for New Zealand: Ajaz Patel

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Nov 15 (Cricket news) No Indian cricketer figured in the ICC's T20 World Cup 'Team of the Tournament' which comprises players from six different countries, including Sri Lanka and South Africa, with Pakistan's Babar Azam being named 'captain' of the squad.

India were ousted at the group league stage after being thrashed by Pakistan and New Zealand before winning three inconsequential games against Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia.

The jury members did not think any of the Indian players deserving to be picked while South Africa's Aiden Markram and Anirch Nortje and Sri Lanka's Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga were the players whose teams didn't qualify for the semi-finals but fore the ICC team.

Stars players from champions Australia, runners-up New Zealand, semi-finalists England and Pakistan also feature in the star-studded line up.

Opening batter and 'Player of the Tournament' David Warner, leg-spinner Adam Zampa and seamer Josh Hazlewood all made the cut for Australia after helping steer their side to their first ever T20 World Cup title.

There were also spots for England's Jos Buttler as wicketkeeper and New Zealand left-armer Trent Boult, besides Pakistan's Babar as captain and Sri Lanka star Hasaranga -- the tournament’s leading wicket-taker -- in the line-up.

One of the jury members, former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop, said: "As with any team selection there will be varying opinions, and robust discussion on the final composition of the squad.

"The panel respects that, and we encourage the strong debate that will ensue. This team was incredibly difficult to select over such a highly competitive tournament. Selections were based predominantly on the Super 12 onward to the final." The Team David Warner (Australia) Jos Buttler (wk) (England) Babar Azam (captain, Pakistan) Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka) Aiden Markram (South Africa) Moeen Ali (England) Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) Adam Zampa (Australia) Josh Hazlewood (Australia) Trent Boult (New Zealand) Anrich Nortje (South Africa) 12th: Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan). 

Also Read : From IPL to World T20: The Incredible turnaround story of David 'The Bear' Warner

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Nov 10 (Cricket news) India's KL Rahul climbed three places to fifth but Virat Kohli slipped four spots to eighth in the latest ICC men's T20I rankings issued on Wednesday.

Rahul, who scored three fifties in India's last three matches after struggling against Pakistan and New Zealand in the first two games of the T20 World Cup, moved to No. 5.

The 29-year-old batter scored 69, 50 and 54 not out against Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia but the knocks came too late for India as they exited the tournament in the Super 12 stage.

Among others, Aiden Markram's unbeaten knock of 52 in just 25 balls in South Africa's victory over Group 1 table-toppers England saw him climb to the No. 3 spot.

Markram's heroics with the bat has also helped him break into the top 10 all-rounders' list, rising seven places to No. 7.

South African teammate Rassie van der Dussen too broke into the top 10 rankings for batters, climbing six spots to occupy the 10th place in the latest chart.

Van der Dussen scored a player of the match-winning knock of 94 not out against England, helping the Proteas post a daunting total of 189.

Unfortunately, for South Africa, their win against England was not enough as they crashed out of the World Cup on net run rate, despite winning four games out of five. In the rankings for bowlers, the Australian duo of Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood climbed the charts. Both bowlers have been in great form of late and were instrumental in Australia qualifying for the semi-finals of the World Cup.

Zampa's five-for against Bangladesh propelled him to the No. 5 spot, while Hazlewood went up 11 places to No. 8, thanks to his four-wicket haul against the West Indies.

The other major movement in the top 10 saw Tim Southee, who has picked up five wickets since the last update, move three places up to No. 9 in the bowling rankings.

The Australian domination in the latest update continued with Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh moving up in the all-rounders' rankings. Maxwell went up three places to become the new No.4 ranked all-rounder while Marsh ascended five spots to No.9.

Sri Lankan sensation Wanindu Hasaranga achieved a career-high rating (173) for all-rounders, thus going up one spot to No. 3.

Also Read : This could be 'underdogs' Australia's year, says Lee on prospect of maiden T20 WC title

News Source : PTI

Sharjah, Nov 7 (Cricket news) The loss against South Africa keeps England "grounded" as it shows that the team still has plenty to work on, according to pacer Mark Wood, who expects his team to bounce back in the semi-finals of the ongoing T20 World Cup.

England were on a four-match winning streak at the tournament before South Africa handed them a 10-run defeat in the final group game here on Saturday.

"It's a shame we've lost the game, that brings us down to earth with a bit of a bump. It keeps us grounded and we know we've got some stuff to work on," Wood told 'Sky Sports'.

"You never want to lose. We're not used to losing and usually when we do we bounce back well. I think it's just a lesson that we've got plenty to work on," he added.

Asked to bat, South Africa scored 181 for 2 on the back of some sensational hitting by Rassie van der Dussen (94 not out) and Aiden Markram (52 not out) before restricting England to 179 for 8 in 20 overs.

"South Africa played really well - they only lost two wickets and we're not used to that - we're used to getting wickets in the powerplay and controlling the game from there." "We were maybe off the pace, so we've got to work on things in training and be better next game. It's nice to be back, but it's better when you win." It was Wood's first match since he had picked an ankle injury in the warm-up game against New Zealand and the seamer was disappointed with his comeback performance.

"I had the ankle injected but it took longer than I thought. I hoped it might be just one or two games, but the lads were playing really well so there was no need to rush," he said.

"The pain's still there at times, but I felt I could still do my job - unfortunately it didn't go as well as I'd want today. When you make yourself available to play you've got to deliver.

Wood's four overs yielded 47 runs with South African batters hitting two fours and three sixes of his bowling.

"The thing that disappointed me was I didn't get too many dot balls. I went for four and six off the first and last balls of the over, which is disappointing.

"I hadn't played in a while but that's not an excuse. I'll be working on things in training."

Also Read : It's a bitter pill to swallow: Boucher on South Africa's T20 exit

News Source : PTI

Sharjah, Nov 6 (Cricket news) England suffered their first defeat in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup but still qualified for the semifinals on the basis of a better net run rate, knocking out victors South Africa from the tournament here on Saturday.

South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada (3/48) produced a sensational final over to become the first from his country to bag a hat-trick in T20Is and help his side register a 10-run win, denying England an all-win record in the showpiece though it came too late in the day.

The Proteas, who had scored 189 for 2 after being sent in to bat, needed to restrict England to 131 to overtake Australia in net run rate and qualify for the semifinals but it was not to be their day.

England, Australia and South Africa ended on eight points each but the top two teams made it to the semifinals as they had better net run rate than South Africa (NRR +0.739) who were knocked out. England (NRR +2.464) topped Group 1 while Australia (NRR +1.216), who beat West Indies earlier in the day, finished second.

England crossed the 131-run mark in the 16th over which sent South Africa out of the tournament but they needed 14 runs runs from the final over, which they could not achieve.

Rabada dismissed Chris Woakes (7), Eoin Morgan (17) and Chris Jordan (0) in successive balls in the final over for the third hat-trick of the tournament.

It was a bad start for the Protea bowlers as they conceded 10 runs each in the second and third overs.

Rabada was treated with disdain by England openers Jason Roy and Jos Buttler as they took 15 runs off him with the help of three boundaries.

But Roy was taken off the field, retired hurt on 20, as he suffered an apparent leg injury. He could barely complete a single off the first ball of the fifth over and later limped out of the ground. Moeen Ali came in his place.

In-form Jos Buttler was out in the next over of the bowling of Anrich Nortje as he tried to drove to mid-off but mistimed his shot for Temba Bavuma for a low catch.

England were still cruising at 59 for 1 at the end of powerplay but they lost momentum a bit with Jonny Bairstow (1) getting out in the third ball he faced, LBW to Tabraiz Shamsi in the seventh over.

Ali and Dawid Malan got the odd boundaries to take England to 81 for 2 at the halfway mark. The South African bowlers tried hard but found it hard to get wickets or tie down the England batters for long.

Ali hit a huge six off Shamsi in the 13th over but the bowler had the last laugh as the batter went for one big shot too many and was caught by David Miller at long-on.

England went past the 131-run mark to send South Africa out of the T20 World Cup with Liam Livingstone hitting three sixes in a row, the unfortunate bowler being Rabada.

For South Africa, Tabraiz Shamsi took two wickets while Anrich Nortje and Dwaine Pretorius got one each.

Earlier, Rassie van der Dussen smashed an unbeaten 94 and Aiden Markram made 52 not out in a brilliant display of power hitting as they steered South Africa to 189 for 2.

Van der Dussen's 60-ball unbeaten knock had five fours and six sixes while Markram struck two boundaries and four maximums off 25 deliveries during his unconquered innings as the duo shared 103 runs for the unbroken third wicket.

The Proteas added 116 runs from the back-10, thanks to fireworks from van der Dussen and Markram.

South Africa made a slow start and on top of that, they lost their opener Reeza Hendricks (2), cleaned up by Moeen Ali in the third over.

The Proteas did not go hammer and tongs in the powerplay, by the end of which they were just 40 for 1. One-down van der Dussen was intent on taking the England bowlers and he was able to hit Chris Woakes for a six and a four in the sixth over.

Quinton de Kock (34) and van der Dussen were able to get the odd boundaries and South Africa reached to 73 for 1 at the halfway mark.

But just as the duo was looking ominous, England broke the partnership of 71 runs for the second wicket with Jason Roy taking an excellent diving catch of de Kock near the boundary of the bowling of Adil Rashid in the 12th over.

Van der Dussen was going great guns and he reached his 50 off 37 balls in the 13th over. He hit Woakes for two consecutive sixes and Markram got another maximum from the bowler as South Africa took 21 runs from the 16th over.

Also Read : Vintage Warner seals eight-wicket thrashing of Windies

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) South Africa will face England in ICC T20 World Cup for a place in the semifinals. The Group 1 matches will conclude today as there are two matches to go, South Africa is currently on a three match winning streak while England are unbeaten in the Super 12. South Africa are currently placed third in the group as they must win in order to have a chance at qualifying and will hope Australia fall in the final hurdle against West Indies.

South Africa has the top bowling attack with pacers Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and second ranked ICC T20 spinner Tabraiz Shamsi. The trio has picked up 15 wickets in four matches. Speedster Anrich Nortje has been the leading wicket taker with 8 victims in 4 matches. Nortje has been picking up wickets in every match with his ruthless pace which can go upto 156 km/hour. Dwaine Pretorius has also been a consistent performer this year and has struck at regular intervals while being economical.

The batters have underperformed in the 4 matches so far as Aiden Markram is leading the run charts with 110 runs. Quinton de Kock has scored 35 runs in three matches as the opener has not been able to give the team a flying start, David Miller was the matchwinner as his death over heroics gave the proteas two valuable points.

England has been the top side of the tournament alongside Pakistan as both are yet to lose a match in the tournament. Adil Rashid and Tymal Mills are the leading wicket takers for the team with seven wickets each as Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan have picked up 6. Chris Woakes has been striking in every match and will look to do the same against South Africa. Their bowling line up will certainly give a heads up to the proteas and is the main reason the team has been winning. 

The batters need to perform well as the matches will get more heated up soon. Jos Buttler has been the flag bearer this time with 214 runs in 4 matches and scored a century in the last match. He will be eager to take on the pace attack as well as the spinners from South Africa. Jason Roy played an attacking innings against Bangladesh in a low scoring contest but hasn’t come back in form since then. Jonny Bairstow has scored 33 runs in 4 matches and Dawid Malan has scored 42 in 3 matches as the middle order has not spent much time in the crease. Eoin Morgan had to come to bat only twice in 4 matches and it will be a contest to watch between the stable England batters versus the attacking bowling combination of South Africa. England is the favourite to win but the tables can turn in no time when it comes to T20s.

Also read: T20 World Cup: New Zealand on the brink of semi-finals after 52 run win over Namibia

Sharjah, Nov 5 (Cricket news) A semifinal spot virtually assured, in-form England would look to dent South Africa's hopes of reaching the last-four stage when the two teams meet each other in a high-voltage Group 1 Super 12 match of the ICC T20 World Cup here on Saturday.

With a net run rate of +3.183, England are more or less through to the semifinals with four wins from as many games, while South Africa are lying in the third spot with six points from four matches.

Both South Africa and Australia are in close race for the second semifinal spot from Group 1 but the Australians are above the Proteas on the basis of a better net run rate, though they have six points each.

It will all boil down to Saturday's game and South Africa will know what exactly they need to do before facing England as Australia play West Indies in the first match of the day.

The Proteas can't afford to slip even a bit and need a resounding win to keep their hopes alive.

But with form on their side, an ominous-looking England will definitely start as firm favourites against the Proteas.

After three consecutive wins over Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies, South Africa suffered their first defeat against Australia in their last match, putting questions on their campaign.

England would look to capitalise on it and finish off their group campaign with a perfect record. They have more or less ticked all boxes in their campaign so far.

England looked one of the best teams in the tournament other than Pakistan.

While it hasn't been a cakewalk in all the four matches, the Englishmen were clinical in their approach and somebody or the other stepped out to bail the team out whenever in trouble.

England's batting revolves around Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow and skipper Eoin Morgan.

In fact, Buttler achieved two personal milestones in the last match -- scored his maiden T20 century (101 not out of 67 balls) and also became the only English cricketer to hit centuries in all formats of the game.

And come Saturday, the opener would be high on confidence to do an encore.

Another good news for England is that skipper Morgan struck form in the last match, scoring 40 off 36 balls and shared 112 runs with Buttler.

On the bowling front, the spin duo of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid have been excellent so far, while Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan and Liam Livingstone have responded well to the team's call in the pace department.

However, England will miss the services of left-arm pacer Tymal Mills as he has been ruled out of the tournament due to a right thigh strain suffered in their last match.

Even though they managed to win three matches on the trot, South Africa's campaign have been far from impressive.

They wilted under pressure against a quality side like Australia and Temba Bavuma's team ill-affords to repeat the mistake against England.

South Africa's fate entirely doesn't lie in their own hands. The Proteas need to win by a big margin against England to go over Australia on NRR or hope West Indies beat Australia by a margin that reduces Australia's NRR.

South Africa will depend on Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma and David Miller to deliver the goods in the batting department, while the bowling unit will be led by top-ranked T20 bowler Tabraiz Shamsi with the likes of Anrich Nortje and Dwaine Pretorious in support.

The Teams (from): South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, W Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.

England: Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Match starts at 7:30pm IST.

Also Read : T20 World Cup preview: New Zealand take on Namibia in match no 24

News Source : PTI

Abu Dhabi, Nov 2 (Cricket news) Pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje ran through the Bangladesh batting-line up to fashion South Africa's comfortable six-wicket win, which took the Proteas closer to the T20 World Cup semifinals, here on Tuesday.

South Africa skittled out a struggling Bangladesh for 84 in 18.2 overs and then knocked off their target in 13.3 overs to consolidate their second position in Group 1.

With three wins from four matches, South Africa now have a match left against in-form table toppers and unbeaten England on November 6.

Already down and out, Bangladeshi batters were at sea against a disciplined South African attack, which was not only consistent with its teasing line and length but also got the ball to jump off good length.

Rabada's (3/20) first spell in which he scalped three batters, including two in two balls, was instrumental in the slide of Bangladesh, who were playing without star-all rounder Shakib Al Hasan.

Nortje (3/8) also got rid of three batters while Shamsi Tabraiz (2/21) dismissed two.

Had it not been for Mahedi Hasan's 27-run cameo, Bangladesh would not have even crossed the 80-run mark.

Chasing a small total, South Africa lost openers Quinton de Kock (16) and Reeza Hendricks (4) cheaply and Aiden Markram also exited without scoring, as the Bangladeshis bowled with lot of firepower and purpose.

However, skipper Temba Bavuma (31 not out) and Rassie van der Dussen (22) steadied the innings, having taken some time to get the measure of the pitch which was assisting the fast bowlers. Eventually Bavuma got the job done in the company of David Miller (5 not out), who finished the match in style, with a four off Mahedi Hasan. Earlier, spinner Keshav Maharaj and Rabada were terrific with their line and length when they opened the attack. They did not let either Liton Das (24) or Mohammad Naim free their arms.

When Naim (9) tried to break the shackles, the left-hander ended up giving a simple catch to Reeza Hendricks at mid-wicket, off Rabada.

The young pacer trapped Soumya Sarkar (0) in the next ball which brought Mushfiqur Rahim to the crease.

Rahim survived the hat-trick ball but went back without scoring after facing three balls, when he could not handle the bounce that Rabada got off the surface, and edged one to Hendricks at gully.

Nortje also kept the Bangladesh batters on a tight leash, which meant that the South Africans completely dominated the power play overs, conceding only two boundaries in 28 runs.

Nortje, too, got the ball to jump off the track and skipper Mahmudullah (3), who could not handle the bounce, edged it straight to Aiden Markram at point.

Dwaine Pretorious joined the party when he castled Afif Hossain (0) to leave Bangladesh tottering at 34 for five. From there the slide just continued for Bangladesh.

Also Read : India lacked role clarity and team construction, feels Jayawardene

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) South Africa need to win against Bangladesh to keep their semifinals hope alive, Bangladesh on the other hand are out of the tournament and are looking to play for pride. Both the teams have had their fair share of problems, South Africa emerged unscathed after the whole De Kock incident but for Bangladesh things are not looking great as their talisman Shakib Al Hasan is out of the tournament with a hamstring injury.

For South Africa, they are trying to build a can-do culture in the team that involves several players pulling their weight, rather than depending on one or two more superstars. South African batting has revolved around the power hitters as captain Temba Bavuma is among the slowest scorers in the tournament which seems to be having a negative factor on the team. He needs to up his strike rate and lead from the front if South Africa are to make into the top 4. The strength in this South African lineup lies in the bowling, Anrich Nortje’s bristling pace, Shamsi’s rasping spin and Dwaine Pretorius’ coolness under pressure have allowed the opposition guessing and in turn restricted them to a low score.

Bangladesh will be without Shakib Al Hasan which is going to be a major blow for them, having not won a single match in the Super 12’s, Bangladesh need to find a quick fix. Bangladesh need to improve their fielding, in these six games they have dropped nine catches and small moments like these have cost them dearly. Bangladesh batters need to be aware of keeping wickets in hand in the powerplay so that the experienced middle order batsman can end with a flourish. The Bangladeshi spinners have to play a crucial role if they are to contain De Kock, Aiden Markram and David Miller as they will get a lot of assistance from the Abu Dhabi pitch.

Head to head: South Africa 6 - 0 Bangladesh, (1-0 in T20 World Cups)

Pitch and weather report: Abu Dhabi has been a batting friendly pitch as the big boundaries tend to help the batsman convert ones into twos. In this venue two sides have won batting first and two while fielding, spinners again will play an important role in the game. The temperature is going to hover around 35 degrees as there is no chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

• Dwaine Pretorius has taken 10 wickets at an average of 8.2 and a strike rate of 6.4 in the 10.4 overs he has bowled at the death 
• David Miller struck five consecutive sixes off Mohammad Saifuddin in a 31-run match in 2017   .  
• Mushfiqur Rahim needs 36 runs to become the fourth Bangladesh player to complete 1500 runs in T20I cricket.
• South Africa have won 13 T20Is this year, most by any team
• Mustafizur Rahman has taken 57 wickets in T20 matches in 2021, second-most for any bowler. Only Rashid Khan (64) is above him on this list

Also read: T20 World Cup: England on the verge of semi-finals as Jos Buttler scores first T20I international century

Probable XI for South Africa:

1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Temba Bavuma (capt), 5 Aiden Markram, 6 David Miller, 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Probable XI for Bangladesh:

1 Mohammad Naim, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Liton Das (wk), 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Shamim Hossain, 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Shoriful Islam, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman
 

Abu Dhabi, Nov 1 (Cricket news) High on confidence after two consecutive victories, a rejuvenated South Africa will now look to strengthen their semi-final hopes when they meet a struggling Bangladesh in a Group 1 Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup here on Tuesday.

South Africa have emerged as strong contenders to qualify for the semifinals after the wins over West Indies and Sri Lanka. They sit second in the group, ahead of Australia on net run rate (both teams have 4 points). Bangladesh, on the other hand, have failed to win a single Super 12 game in their three outings so far. Their hopes of advancing to the semi-finals are all but over after the narrow 3-run loss to West Indies last week.

Going ahead they will be battling it out for a consolation win and upsetting the equations for other sides.

South Africa ticked most of their boxes in the four-wicket victory against Sri Lanka. The potent bowling unit, that covers all bases including good spin options and world class pacers, executed their plans well, putting pressure on the opposition.

The top-ranked T20I bowler Tabraiz Shamsi showed why he is so highly rated, while the likes of Anrich Nortje and Dwaine Pretorius have also delivered.

The Proteas were then able to stitch a solid partnership between skipper Temba Bavuma and the in-form Aiden Markram.

And finally, the big-hitting David Miller found his mojo back at the right time as he smashed a 13-ball 23 runs, including two massive sixes in the last over to steer his side to victory.

However, South Africa have lot of openers stacked on top (Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen and Reeza Hendricks) with a light middle order which is still a huge concern.

With the controversy surrounding wicketkeeper batter Quinton de Kock refusing to take the knee in support of the Black Lives Movement tucked firmly behind them, the Proteas will be eager to take on the struggling Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the down and out Bangla Tigers will not only have to regroup soon but will also have to play the remainder of the tournament without their star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury.

The manner of the loss to West Indies will hurt the Mahmudullah-led side. Inconsistencies continue to mar their tournament. Their batters have failed to fire in unison, their bowlers have also lacked discipline and the fielding had been sloppy.

They will have to improve on all three fronts to have a shot at winning.

Teams (From) South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, W Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.

Bangladesh: Mahmudullah (capt), Liton Das, Mohammed Naim, Mahedi Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nurul Hasan, Afif Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Shamim Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammed Saifuddin and Shoriful Islam.

Match starts at 3.30 PM.

Also Read : T20 World Cup preview: England take on Sri Lanka in match no 17

News Source : PTI

Sharjah, Oct 30 (Cricket news) David Miller's two last-over sixes powered South Africa to a four-wicket victory over Sri Lanka despite a hat-trick by Wanindu Hasaranga in a thrilling Super 12 match of the ICC T20 World Cup here on Saturday.

Miller's 23-run unbeaten cameo off just 13 balls ensured South Africa knock off the required 25 runs in the last two overs, including 15 in the final six deliveries. The Proteas did so with a ball to spare.

In a match where the pendulum swung till the very end, Kasigo Rabada (13 not out off 7 balls) took a single in the first ball of the last over. Then Miller smashed two back-to back sixes off pacer Lahiri Kumura to seal the game in his team's favour.

Rabada completed the chase by hitting the winning runs -- a boundary to the third man fence -- as the Proteas continued their fine run to stay afloat in the tournament.

First left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (3/17) ran through the Sri Lankan batters as South Africa bundled them out for 142 despite opener Pathum Nissanka's whirlwind 72 and then chased the tricky target.

Thus, the efforts of young leg-spinner Hasaranga (3/20), who scalped two wickets in the 18th over, went in vain.

Skipper Temba Bavuma (46) played his part to perfection as he took the game deep and then Miller justified his finisher's tag.

Chasing 143, South African lost Reeza Hendricks (11), Quinton de Kock (12) and Rassie van der Dussen (16) cheaply.

Bavuma and Aiden Markram (19) took the game deep with their crucial 47-run stand, which played a role in the side's win.

Earlier, left-arm wrist spinner Shamsi spun his web around the Sri Lankan batters as South Africa bowled their opponents out.

On a track that aided spinners, Shamsi rattled the Sri Lankan middle-order to return with fine figures of 3/17 and his scalps included Bhanuka Rajapaksa (0), Avishka Fernando (3) and Hasaranga (4).

The 23-year-old Nissanka was the lone Sri Lankan to shine with the bat, hitting 72 off just 58 balls, with six fours and three sixes.

Put into bat, Kusal Perera (7) and Nissanka, who hit his second T20 fifty, started cautiously. Pacer Kagiso Rabada conceded two boundaries in the second over as the Islanders amassed nine runs.

Pacer Anrich Nortje cleaned up Perera as Sri Lanka lost their first wicket with 20 on the board.

Then in-form Charith Asalanka (21) joined Nissanka and the duo tried to rally the innings with a 41-run stand.

Asalanka struck two successive fours in the sixth over off Nortje, including a straight drive, as Sri Lanka fetched 13 runs from it and cantered to 39/1 after power-play.

After a couple of slow overs, both Asalanka and Nissanka freed their arms, hammering a six each in the 9th over bowled by Keshav Maharaj (0/24).

But South African pegged back the host by scalping four quick wickets. First, Rabada's brilliance in the field meant that Asalanka was run out and, in the next over, Shamsi lobbed a return catch off his own bowling to dismiss Rajapaksa and leave the opposition tottering at 62/3.

Shamsi, in a similar fashion, removed Fernando as they further slipped to 77/4. Shamsi got his third when he dismissed Hasaranga. Skipper Dasun Shanaka's (11) horrid form also continued in the game.

Nissanka, who hit his second T20 half century, continued playing his shots and took on the SA attack with gusto, but South African speedster Dwaine Pretorius (3/17) rattled the lower order.

Also Read : I see Afghanistan having a great chance of beating any team in this competition: Naveen

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) South Africa didn’t get off to a perfect start but bounced back magnificently against West Indies, for Sri Lanka they had a brilliant start but were brought back to reality when they lost to Australia. Both the sides will be looking for their second victory and consolidate their position in the group.

The pre match headlines for South Africa have been dominated by Quinton De Kock, his refusal to take the knee and not play for South Africa against West Indies has been heavily scrutinized by the cricketing committee. It is most likely that De Kock won’t play as South Africa will continue with Reeza Hendricks at the top of order, he scored 39 off 30 against West Indies especially when he had no clue he was playing. A lot of onus will be on Rababa and Nortje to take wickets up front and then let the spinners do the job in the middle overs, Rabada’s success against Kusal Perera is not that great as he has faced 17 balls and smacked him for 29 runs in T20s. 

Sri Lanka will be disappointed after a below average performance against Australia, but they need to up their game to keep their hopes of qualifying for the semifinals. Sri Lanka got white washed 3-0 in September when South Africa toured Sri Lanka but The Lions since then have improved a lot as a cricketing side. Sri Lanka is likely going to use Maheesh Theekshana, the unconventional spinner who made the South African sweat will again be the key for the Lankans. The Sri Lanka management mostly will get an extra spinner in the form of Akila Dananjaya as the Sharjah pitch in these past matches have given a lot of assistance to the slower bowlers especially.

Head to head: South Africa 11 - 5 Sri Lanka, (2-1 in World T20 competitions) 

Pitch and weather report: Sharjah has been one of the most difficult venues to bat and that trend will most likely continue, winning the toss won’t be a factor going into the match as dew will not be a factor in an afternoon match.The temperature is going to hover around 35 to 33 degrees as there is no chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

• After 50 T20I innings, Shanaka's overall strike rate is 106.26. He has hit only two fifties
• Shamsi, the top-ranked T20I bowler in the world, has taken 29 wickets and maintained an economy rate of 5.81 this year. 
• Wanindu Hasaranga, the world No. 2, has arguably been better however, taking one fewer wicket in two fewer outings, with an economy of 5.52.
• South Africa have a better win ratio in T20Is against Sri Lanka than they do against any other opponents except New Zealand. They have beaten the Lankans and the Kiwis 11 times each.

Also read: T20 World Cup: England and Australia lock horns to stay undefeated table toppers

Probable XI for South Africa:

1 Temba Bavuma (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk) 3 Reeza Hendricks, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Rassie van der Dussen, 6 David Miller, 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Probable XI for Sri Lanka:

1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera (wk), 3 Charith Asalanka, 4 Avishka Fernando, 5 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt.), 7 Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Maheesh Theekshana/Akila Dananjaya, 11 Lahiru Kumara

Sharjah, Oct 29 (Cricket news) Quinton de Kock, who had pulled out of the last game after refusing to take the knee, is likely to return when South Africa take on an inconsistent Sri Lanka in a Super 12 game of the T20 World Cup here on Saturday.

De Kock on Thursday made himself available for his team's remaining matches of the T20 World Cup, saying he is fine taking a knee if it "educates others" and that he was deeply hurt at being called a racist for not making the gesture against West Indies. His team had won that game by eight wickets.

The return of de Kock will also bolster the South African top-order and stylish southpaw himself would like to make a statement by scoring big.

Skipper Temba Bavuma has scores of 12 and 2 in World Cup so far and he would be more than keen to find form.

South Africa boast of aggressive batters in Reeza Hendricks, Rassle van der Dussen, Aiden Markram and the ever-reliable David Miller, who can take any opposition attack apart on their day and Sri Lanka’s would be no exception.

But all the South African batters would need to be wary of the wily Sri Lankan spin duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, who have bamboozled the opposition batters.

The South African bowling clicked in their game against West Indies with right-arm medium pacer Dwaine Pretorius claiming three wickets. They also have two of the best death bowlers in Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, whose role would be crucial on Saturday afternoon.

An important role would be played for the Proteas by their spinners – Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi-, who would look to run through the talented but inconsistent Sri Lankan batting order.

South Africa are unlikely to tinker with their winning combination.

Sri Lanka will have to quickly put the seven-wicket hammering by Australia behind them and need to start afresh.

For the Islanders, Charith Asalanka’s form has been a positive. Wicket-keeper Kusal Perera, who got a start against Australia, would need to make it big against South Africa.

However, the constant failure of opener Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando, would be a cause of concern for the team management. The role of Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who showed glimpses of his talent against Australia and flamboyant Wanindu Hasaranga, will also be crucial if Sri Lanka have to post or chase a big total.

The Sri Lankan pace trio of Chamika Karunaratne, Dushyant Chameera and Lahiru Kumara looked off-coloured against Australia and they will have to bowl in the right areas to contain the South African batting.

While dew wouldn’t have any impact on the game, the outcome would be crucial for both the outfits as they aim to qualify for the semi-finals.

Teams (From): Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Janith Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya De Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, W Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.

Match starts at 3.30 PM IST. 

Also Read : Warner does a Ronaldo, jokingly removes coca cola bottles during press conference

News Source : PTI

Dubai, Oct 27 (Cricket news) India captain Virat Kohli dropped one place to fifth despite his half century against Pakistan for a lost cause in the ongoing T20 World Cup while team-mate KL Rahul slipped two slots to eighth in the ICC men’s T20I Player Rankings issued on Wednesday.

Kohli (725 rating points) had hit 57 off 49 balls, while Rahul (684) scored 3 runs in India's total of 151 for 7 which Pakistan chased down with 13 balls to spare for a 10-wicket win in the blockbuster Super 12 match here on Sunday.

Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan is three places up to fourth -- his career best ranking -- following his match-winning 79 not out against India and 33 in their second win against New Zealand on Tuesday.

South Africa batter Aiden Markram, who struck 40 and 51 not out against Australia and the West Indies respectively, also attained his career-best ranking. He gained eight slots to reach third position, only behind Dawid Malan (831) of England and Paksitan captain Babar Azam (820).

Markram's previous best was ninth place last month and he now averages nearly 40 with a strike rate of 147.29 in his career.

Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz rose nine places to a career-best 12th position after notching up 46 against Scotland, while Bangladesh opener Mohammad Naim has moved up 11 places to a career-best 13th position after his 52-ball 62 against Sri Lanka.

Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus is up to joint-37th position after helping his side into the Super 12s.

The top nine names in the bowlers’ list are all slow bowlers with Bangladesh spinner Mahedi Hasan’s consistent economical bowling lifting him nine places to a career-best 12th position.

Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, who starred in their memorable 10-wicket win over India with a haul of three for 31, is up 11 places to 12th position, just two off his career best ranking.

Harris Rauf, whose four for 22 against New Zealand helped them register a second consecutive win, has gained 34 slots to reach a career-best 17th position.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh star Shakib Al Hasan has regained the top spot among all-rounders after a fine start to the T20 World Cup.

Also Read : Gavaskar lauds Kohli for his 'terrific innings' against Pakistan

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) West Indies' worst nightmare has indeed come true. The Windies have now lost both their opening matches of the T20 World Cup. South Africa bounced back well after their loss against Australia despite Quinton de Kock making himself unavailable for the match.

West Indies were put into bat first after losing the toss and had a decent start. Ewin Lewis scored 35 ball 56, hitting 3 fours and 6 sixes in his innings. Lendl Simmons on the other hand was very cautious. Lewis was dismissed in the 11th over by Keshav Maharaj which derailed the West Indies innings. Nicholas Pooran was promoted to no. 3 but could only manage 12 runs before Maharaj dismissed him. Kagiso Rabada finally ended Simmons' struggle in the 14th over. The Windies opener had occupied the crease for 13 overs and scored just 16 runs off 35 balls. Kieron Pollard and Chris Gayle did get a small partnership going but Dwaine Pretorius got rid of Gayle who only made a run a ball 12. Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer and Dwayne Bravo couldn't do much damage as the West Indies innings came to an end at 143/8.

Also read: West Indies wanting a strong fightback at the ICC T20 World Cup

Skipler Temba Bavuma walked into bat with new opening partner Reeza Hendricks. Bavuma was dismissed in the very first over after Andre Russell ran him out. Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen steadied the ship by putting together 57 runs. Akeal Hosein provided a much needed breakthrough as he got Hendricks on 39. Aiden Markram smashed a 26 ball 51, hitting 2 boundaries and 4 maximums to get the Proteas over the line. Anchoring the run chase, van der Dussen stayed not out on 43. The Windies bowling was nowhere near up to the standards which made it very easy for the South Africans.

Every match after this is a virtual do or die for West Indies starting with Bangladesh on Friday. South Africa's next game is against Sri Lanka on Saturday. 

Dubai, Oct 26 (Cricket news) South African captain Temba Bavuma on Tuesday revealed that Quinton de Kock's withdrawal over Cricket South Africa's directive to take the knee "did kind of take us back as a team" before their T20 World Cup match against West Indies here.

The Proteas though still won the match, and that too, by a handsome margin of eight wickets.

Following CSA's directive to its players to take the knee in support of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement, de Kock withdrew from the Super 12 game, laying bare the growing internal tension on the matter.

Asked if de Kock's absence inspired the team or got in the way, Bavuma said, "I guess a bit of both." "To be honest, when the news hit us it did kind of take us back as a team. A guy like Quinnie, he obviously plays an integral role within the team, not just with the bat but as a senior player," Bavuma added at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Aiden Markram struck a whirlwind unbeaten fifty as South Africa produced an all-round effort to bounce back strongly from their opening defeat and beat West Indies to secure their first win in the Super 12 stage.

"With (Henrich) Kalssen coming in it was an opportunity for him and at the end of the day it was another day of cricket for us to play for our country and we had to make sure we live up to that," Bavuma said.

The knowledge that the pace duo of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada, who featured in the recently-concluded IPL, are passing on to their teammates has played a huge role in South Africa's excellent bowling in both matches, according to Bavuma.

"I think the conversations we have on the field are a lot shorter, a lot clearer on what to do, and they (Rabada and Nortje) pass on information to other bowlers as well. Their knowledge has been a positive one for us." West Indies struggled against England spinners in their first game and South Africa took cue from that, handing the ball to Markram, who bowled well and also hit an unbeaten half-century.

"We were all watching that game, but weren't sure how the wicket was going to react, so we thought Aiden could have a go and he did well.

"Those are the types of performance we are looking forward to from our batters, Aiden is hitting the ball really well at the moment," Bavuma said.

West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard was once again left disappointed by the team's batting display.

"We haven't scored enough runs. Batters haven't come to the party, again disappointing today.

"It was a total disappointing batting effort. I thought the bowlers did well to bring it down to 18 odd overs. Batting has disappointed us, which is why we lost today." Asked about Lendl Simmons' innings (16 off 35 balls), Pollard backed the struggling opener.

"Yes he (Simmons) got stuck, these things happen. After six overs he was there and we wanted to bat a couple of more overs without losing wickets but you are not going to get me pinpoint and you are not going to get me throwing my players under the bus.

"At the end of the day he was out there trying for us. Yes he may not have got it done, but when you look at it... Rassie (van der Dussen) played for them, the only difference is he came out not out but his strike rate was low as well." Having lost two matches by a considerable margin, West Indies not only have to win their next three matches but also have to improve their net run rate.

"We need to win first before thinking of net run rate." Player of the Match Nortje (1/14) said playing in the IPL has helped him get familiar with the conditions.

"100 percent, it's helped me quite a lot. It's helped us as well being able to give some information to the team on conditions, that's probably the situation for all the players in all the teams.

"Just having the confidence of knowing the conditions and understanding what to do, when to do it definitely has helped me coming here."

Also Read : NZ pacer Lockie Ferguson out of T20 WC due to 'grade two' calf tear

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) With both sides losing their first match, both South Africa and West Indies will be desperate to get some points on the table. Both the sides will be hoping to produce a good batting performance after their horror show in their first matches. So the two line-ups will hope to sing a redemption song when they clash in Dubai today.

For West Indies the major inquest needs to be done on their batting as in the previous match both the England spinners enjoyed a field day against the West Indies batters. In the last match, Moeen Ali and Rashid finished with 6/19 in a combined 6.2 overs, the same can be expected with South Africa as they too have two quality spinners in the form of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, the batters need to improve and tackle the threat of spin and help post a decent total at least. The West Indies mantra has always been ‘go big or go home’ but something drastic needs to change as this aggressive style is clearly not working for them, the batters need to give them some time and assess the situation before going big. The management need to think about bringing in Roston Chase as an extra spin option as we saw in the last match how much help Akeal Hosein got off the pitch picking up three wickets.

South Africa will be hoping that they have a better batting display as they will hope to take some positives out of the Australia game as the bowling and fielding effort of the team was top notch. In the batting department, Quinton de Kock needs to get back to form as he has failed to reach 30 in his last 6 T20 innings, but his batting average is 14.25 against Dwayne Bravo and 28.20 against Andre Russell in this format which could give him the added confidence boost that he needs. In the last match, Anrich Nortje continued his good form as he caused a lot of problems to the Australian batsmen and will again be the key if they are to restrict the West Indies big hitter, a slight concern for the management can be that West Indies have a lot of left handers in their team as both the South African spinners are left handed which could be an advantage for them. The spinners need to be perfect with their line and length because if these West Indies batters get going then there is no stopping them.

Head to head: South Africa 9 - 6 West Indies (2-1 in T20 world cup games)

Pitch and weather report: The Dubai venue has been very unpredictable in the last two matches but the trend of winning the toss and bowling first will continue as the temperatures will increase as the day progresses which make it difficult for the bowlers to grip the ball with all that sweat and humidity. A target of 150 would seem to be the par score in this tournament. The temperature will hover around at 34 degrees, with no chances of rain.

Interesting facts:

• Roston Chase has had a superb CPL with a batting strike rate of 144.3 and a bowling economy rate of 6.92 in this year's CPL. 
• Reeza Hendricks needs seven runs to complete 1000 runs in T20 and will only become the seventh South African to do so
• Chris Gayle has a strike rate of 177.94 in T20s against South Africa
• South Africa and West Indies have faced each other three times at T20 World Cups, in 2007, 2009 and 2016 and West Indies have only won the last of those.

Also read: Afghanistan defeat Scotland by 130 runs at the T20 World Cup

Probable XI for West Indies;

1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Shimron Hetmyer/Roston Chase, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Kieron Pollard (capt), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Dwayne Bravo 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Obed McCoy, Ravi Rampaul

Probable XI for South Africa:

1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 David Miller, 6 Heinrich Klaasen/Reeza Hendricks, 7 Kagiso Rabada, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Lungi Ngidi, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Dubai, Oct 25 (Cricket news) Smarting from opening game losses, a good batting display will be high on the agenda for South Africa and defending champions West Indies when the two teams lock horns in a Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup here on Tuesday.

While South Africa were handed a five-wicket defeat by Australia, West Indies sank to six-wicket loss against England on Saturday.

It will be imperative that both sides improve upon their batting as they seek to register their first points in the group.

Put in to bat, both sides struggled to put runs on the board. West Indies were skittled for just 55 runs while the Proteas were a touch better, managing 118 in 20 overs thanks to Aiden Makram’s 36-ball 40.

South Africa’s problem in recent games was one again on display in their opening clash. Playing with a top-heavy side, they were unable to overcome the loss of early wickets. While Markram held on to his wicket at the other end, the Proteas twice lost wickets in clusters of three. David Miller’s woeful form and the inexperienced middle order didn’t help their case either.

However, armed with world class bowlers, South Africa got most things right with the ball, making the run-chase tight. Pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje bowled fiery opening spells before the spin duo World No.1 bowler Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj restricted runs in the middle over.

In the game against England, the spinners were the undoing of West Indies and the Proteas will count on Shamsi and and Maharaj to do the trick for them.

South Africa will head into the clash with the psychology advantage, having inflicted a series defeat on the West Indies at home earlier this year.

West Indies, on the other hand, will have to regroup fast after their disastrous campaign opener. The two-time champions will have to rethink their batting approach against South Africa. Besides veteran Chris Gayle, none of the players managed to reach double digit scores.

West Indies were guilty of losing nine of their 10 wickets while trying to hit a four or a six. None of the players attempted to rebuild the innings after early strikes. They seemed to have forgotten that rotating the strike was important when boundaries were difficult to come by.

However, their batting line-up is studded with proven match-winners who can take away the game at any given point.

Their bowling department did well to make the run chase as difficult as possible while the fielding was also top-notch. If West Indies had a better total, they’d have been in the game.

Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein (2/24) made a good impression with his quick balls and excellent fielding.

Kieron Pollard and Co. will also have one eye on the their net run-rate which sits at -3.970, which could come into play towards the end of the group stage.

The Teams (From): West Indies: Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran, Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Roston Chase, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, W Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.

Match starts at 3:30pm IST.

Also Read : T20 World Cup preview: Afghanistan take on Scotland in match no 5

News Source : PTI

Abu Dhabi, Oct 23 (Cricket news) Australian captain Aaron Finch said his team "needed a bit of luck" to get the better of South Africa in their ICC T20 World Cup opener here on Saturday.

Australia's batters did just enough to eke out a five-wicket win in the last over after their bowlers set it up with a fine display, restricting the opposition to 118 for nine on a pitch where playing strokes was not the easiest of jobs.

At one point, Australia were reeling at 81 for five in the 16th over, leaving the game evenly poised before Marcus Stoinis (24 not out) sealed it in his team's favour with two fours in the final over.

"The dugout was probably a bit more relaxed than I was. Anytime it comes down to the wire but Stoinis and (Matthew) Wade kept their cool there. It's what experience can do," Finch said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

The skipper also praised all-rounder Glenn Maxwell who chipped in with the ball before getting out for 18 with the bat.

"We felt there were good match-ups for him in the powerplay, and then (David) Miller came in and they couldn't go hard, they were in a bit of a holding pattern (so it worked out)." Regarding Man of the Match Josh Hazlewood, who returned excellent figures of 2/19 in four overs, Finch said, "Ideally I would have been able to push him for a third in the powerplay, he's a world class bowler in any form of the game.

"People say that's easy in this format but when you get it right on a pitch with variation, it can get tough." Finch also said that periodic breaks from the game would be great for the players in his team.

"There's never been any issue for us - we know people need to rest and I think for the longevity of Australian cricket it's a great thing.

"It's nice to get the experienced guys back because it counts in a World Cup." South Africa fielded superbly and the highlight was the sensational diving catch by Aiden Markram, making the task difficult for Australia.

"South Africa is as good a fielding team as you get, in a big ground you think you can exploit (but they gave nothing away). In the end we needed a bit of luck to go our way and we got it," Finch said.

South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma looked at the positives from the game as his team fought till the end and gave Australia a run for their money despite defending a low total.

"We want to talk about us being resilient. Big effort from the guys to get us to the last over. We just didn't get enough with the bat and it was always going to be tough for the bowlers, and it was a good effort from them to get it to this stage," Bavuma said.

South Africa were in with a chance after they picked up Australia's fifth wicket in the form of the dangerous Maxwell, but Stoinis had other ideas.

Bavuma said the Australians adapted to the conditions better.

"I think Australia bowled well, probably barring the fast bowler. They adjusted to conditions, hitting that back of the length. Their spinners too, they didn't give us anything.

"Credit to Aiden (Markram, who top-scored with 40 for SA), but as a batting team, definitely not to plan. As much as it isn't a day that didn't go to plan, there are positives to take from it. We spoke about it at half time that we weren't going to leave anything out there." Hazlewood, who bowled beautifully alongside Adam Zampa (2/21) and Maxwell (1/24), said hitting the right length was the key.

"I think length was the key, hitting the right length, just on top of the stumps. Anything slightly short or fuller seemed easy, so length was key. The wicket seamed reasonably good, but it was a little bit stoppy, a little bit slow," Hazlewood said.

"It plays that way during the day and gets easier at night. We've got a number of all-rounder there and Maxi was the man today to bowl the four. It sort of got close in the end but we've got finishers and we were confident in them."

Also Read : All-round Australia edge out SA by 5 wickets

News Source : PTI

Abu Dhabi, Oct 23 (Cricket news) Australia endured some anxious moments before edging out South Africa by five wickets after their bowlers set it up with a clinical display in an ICC T20 World Cup match here on Saturday.

Needing eight runs in the final over, Marcus Stoinis (24 not out) hit Dwaine Pretorius for two vital fours and completed the job with two balls to spare. This was after Australia were reeling at 81 for five in the 16th over.

Defending a modest target of 119, South Africa got the start they were looking for when Anrich Nortje (2/21) dismissed opposition skipper Aaron Finch for a duck in the innings' second over.

Finch went for a drive but he could not middle it as the ball took a top edge and flew towards the third man region.

Dropped from his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderebad in the second leg of the league recently, David Warner (14) seemed to have found his form with three boundaries but Kagiso Rabada cut short his promising start when the batter sliced one in the air for Heinrich Klaasen to complete a catch at backward point.

Mitchell Marsh fell for 11 as South Africa left Australia struggling at 38 for three in the eighth over.

A partnership ensued between Steve Smith (35) and Glenn Maxwell (18) but their 42-run association for the fourth wicket ended when the former was sensationally caught in the deep by a sprinting Aiden Markram.

Smith pulled a short of a length delivery but Markram ran a long way before diving full stretch to his right to stun everyone.

Left-arm chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi then castled Maxwell to put Australia under the pump on a pitch not really conducive for playing expansive strokes.

Matthew Wade (15 not out) released the pressure with two fours off Rabada, bringing the equation down to 25 from 18 balls.

Earlier, Australia's bowlers scythed through South Africa's top and middle-order batting lineup to restrict them to 118 for nine.

On a pitch where the ball came on to the bat late, Josh Hazlewood 2/19), Adam Zampa (2/21) and Michell Starc (2/33) did most of the damage, even as Aiden Markram battled his way to a 36-ball 40.

Had it not been for Kagiso Rabada's 19, which included a one-handed six off Starc in the final over, South Africa would have got less.

South Africa started well after skipper Temba Bavuma oversaw a productive first over with two lovely boundaries through the off-side.

However, Glenn Maxwell had other ideas as the star all-rounder offset Mitchell Starc's expensive opening over with the dismissal of the in-form Bavuma (12), who was bowled by a delivery that turned very little after the batter had refused to play on the front foot, something that could have saved him.

Pacer Josh Hazlewood left Rassie van der Dussen (2) stunned first up with a peach of a delivery that landed in the channel just outside off before taking an edge for wicketkeeper Matthew Wade to complete a simple catch.

One of South Africa's seasoned stars, opener Quinton de Kock pulled Maxwell over mid-on for a boundary but in the first ball of the next over, the wicketkeeper-batter played a Hazlewood delivery on to his stumps after looking to play a paddle scoop. The dismissal looked quirky as de Kock saw the ball lob on to hit the stumps.

His tails up after two early wickets, Hazlewood did not concede a single run in the next five balls, leaving South Africa in a spot of bother at 23 for three.

Thanks to an exquisite boundary through mid-off by Aiden Markram, the Proteas added seven runs in the sixth over to finish the power play at 29 for three.

Australia couldn't have asked for more and after Heinrich Klaasen got himself two boundaries on either side of the wicket, they tasted one more success when Pat Cummins had the batter caught at backward point after a leading edge.

Meanwhile, Maxwell came back to complete his quota of four overs, giving just 24 runs for the big wicket of Bavuma.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa struck twice in the 14th over, including taking the wicket of David Miller, to leave the South Africans tottering at 82 for six, which became worse after Keshav Maharaj was run out following a horrible mix-up.

Also Read : T20 World Cup preview: West Indies take on England in match no 2

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The first match of the super 12s is going to be a humdinger of a battle between the Aussies and the Proteas as it will surely produce another instant classic over the years. Although these two teams have dominated world cricket for quite some time, surprisingly have never won the T20 World Cup for their nation. Australia have been the team that many have unfairly written off while South Africa have been the team who not many have written about.

For Australia, the subcontinent hasn’t been kind to them as they have lost five consecutive series before arriving to UAE for the T20 World Cup. Australia have found a little uprise in form in the warm matches as they won a close encounter against New Zealand but lost heavily to India in the second one, although a lot of positives were taken from these warm up matches as Glenn Maxwell continued from where he left off in the IPL. The major area of concern for the Aussies is the form of their opening batsmans Aaron Finch and David Warner as they need to give them a good start in the powerplay so that players like Stoinis and Maxwell can finish off the innings later. One thing going in favour of Warner is that he loves playing against South Africa in T20s as he has averaged 35.15 runs at a strike rate 148.86.

The match-up that could eventually decide the game though will come in the middle-overs when Steve Smith goes up against Tabraiz Shamsi. The only real injury concern coming into this World Cup was the bowling fitness of Marcus Stoinis as Australia can play an extra all rounder in Mitchell Marsh to provide the extra fast bowling option.

South Africa are coming off an impressive victory over Pakistan in the warm up matches as the Proteas batting looked quite settled and strong. Rassie Van der Dussen looked in immaculate form as he scored 101* off 50 balls but the positive for South African fans would be the return to form for the captain Temba Bavuma as he too scored 77 runs at a strike rate of 95.06, this gives an indication that the team management are looking for him to play the role of an anchor. If South Africa are to have a good tournament then the likes of Quinton De Kock, Rababa and Nortje need to up their game to stand a chance of qualification. Another trump card that South Africa hold with them is Tabraiz Shamsi who is key to an attack that finally found his mojo back in Sri Lanka in September.

Head to head: Australia 13 - 8 South Africa, (1-0 in T20 World Cups)

Pitch and weather report: The Abu Dhabi pitches have been assured that they will be completely different than what we saw in the IPL. The common feature on this venue is to win the toss and chase as the dew factors come into play when the day progresses. The temperature is going to hover around 30/33 degrees, with no chance of rain as of now.

Interesting facts:

• David Warner has scored 457 runs against SA at a strike rate 148.86
• Tabraiz Shamsi has picked up 28 wickets in 17 T20s this year
• Kagiso Rabada has dismissed Glenn Maxwell three times in 27 balls in all T20s   
• Australia and South Africa have an identical win-loss record in T20 World Cups. Australia have won 16 and lost 13 out of 29 games; South Africa have won 18 and lost 12 out of 30 games

Also read: Australia vs South Africa set to kick off the T-20 World Cup Super 12 in Abu Dhabi

Probable XI for Australia:

1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 David Warner, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Glenn Maxwell 5 Steven Smith 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Matthew Wade, 8 Ashton Agar, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Probable XI for South Africa:

1 Quinton de Kock, 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 David Miller, 6 Heinrich Klaasen, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Abu Dhabi, Oct 22 (Cricket news) Australia will hope their lacklustre top order can fire from the word go when they open their T20 World Cup campaign against an under-the-radar South African side, playing without the usual burden of pressure, in a Super 12 Group 1 match here on Saturday.

Australia, who are searching for their maiden T20 title, enter the tournament on the back of a horrific run, losing bilateral series to Bangladesh, West Indies, New Zealand, India and England.

Many first-choice team members skipped the recent white-ball tours, during which Australia managed just five wins and lost 13 matches. Hence most of their players have had scant preparation.

David Warner's form is a huge concern but the team is adamant the opener will turn things around. His IPL form was woeful, he was dropped from the team for the second time this year after scores of 0 and 2 last month. His troubled run continued in the two warm-up games where he scored 0 and 1.

Skipper Aaron Finch, who is coming off a knee surgery, is also short of match practice as is vice-captain Pat Cummins who hasn't played any cricket since the IPL's first leg in April. He even arrived to the UAE later than the others.

The other area of concern is the team's general struggles against spin bowling.

They have a solid middle order comprising the likes of Steve Smith, and all-rounders Marcus Stoinis, the in-form Glenn Maxwell, and Mitchell Marsh, who can up the ante at any given point and are proven match-winners.

Australia have great bowling depth which leads to a selection conundrum. Spinners Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa are likely to play a key role in the spin-friendly UAE tracks leaving limited spots for the array of pacers including the likes of Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, and Josh Hazlewood.

South Africa, on the other hand, will enter the clash high on spirits and in-form, having emerged victorious in three consecutive series against defending champions West Indies, Ireland and Sri Lanka and both the practice games.

Having gone through a revival, the squad doesn't boast of superstars like the previous Proteas sides and hence expectations to win the tournament are low, removing the massive burden of pressure that usually casts a shadow on the team in every ICC tournament.

South Africa have lot of openers stacked on top (Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram and Reeza Hendricks) and when they don't perform the going gets tough for them. The shallow middle order and lack of solid finishers don't really help the case. Power-hitter David Miller's form is a big concern.

The Proteas, however, have a potent bowling attack, with Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje taking care of the pace front, while Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj spearhead the spin department. Dwaine Pretorius and Wiaan Mulder are their seam-bowling all-rounders.

World No.1 Shamsi, South Africa's star performer, has the ability to control the game. He has been perfecting his variations and is the leading T20I wicket-taker this year. He will be key for the Proteas.

The Teams (From): Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, W Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.

Match starts at 3:30pm IST.

Also Read : Struggling WI face tough battle against England in their T20 WC opener

News Source : PTI

Abu Dhabi, Oct 12 (Cricket news) South African batter Aiden Markram feels exposing himself to the high standard of cricket that the IPL offers will help him deal better with pressure situations in the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Markram batted in six innings for Punjab Kings in this year's IPL with a best score of 42. One of his innings stretched into the 17th over and two into the 16th in the IPL, something he might experience in the T20 showpiece even though he bats at the top of the order.

"... It was a great experience. It was nice to be exposed to that at a high standard of cricket, and to learn on the job," Markram said during a virtual press conference.

"To mingle with some seriously good players who do the IPL circuit post-game, chatting to guys who have done well, legends of T20 cricket, was good. It was nice to get some information from them and also to work things out for yourself in the middle of a game." Blessed with a textbook technique, he has opened the innings for South Africa and also batted at number three and four. For Punjab Kings, though, he also came in at number five.

"In T20 cricket, at a World Cup or domestic or international series, results come down to the last three overs if not the last ball," Markram said.

"It was good to be exposed to that, because I'm sure games are going to go to the wire at the World Cup. It's about dealing with that pressure in the moment when two to three balls could change the whole outcome of the game."

Also Read : Ravindra Jadeja and Faf du Plessis set to cross milestones in final match of IPL

News Sources : PTI

(Cricket news) Having lost two matches in a row Stephen Fleming would want his side to win and consolidate their position in the top two. On the other hand Punjab need to win big to even have the slightest chance of qualifying for the playoffs. For Punjab to even stand a chance of qualification, they need to overcome CSK by more than 70 runs and hope KKR and MI both lose.

CSK suffered a major blow as Sam Curran was not only ruled out of the IPL but also the World T20, CSK have signed West Indian all rounder Dominc Drakes as his replacement, Suresh Raina might again be rested for this match as he is having niggling back problems. Faf du Plessis has mostly played second fiddle to Ruturaj Gaikwad in the second leg of the IPL but he loves playing against PBKS as he enjoys a good record against Shami who has bowled at 38 balls conceding 69 times and only dismissing him once in IPL. Stephen Fleming might just take the gamble of promoting MS Dhoni up the order as this season he has struggled to score runs as he has scored 84 runs at a strike rate of 98.

PBKS again will be dependent on their openers as they have constituted around 49% of their runs this season. The middle order this season has been the reason for their downfall as players like Deepak Hooda and Nicholas Pooran have shown no consistency in their performance. The only bright spot this season can be the emergence of youngsters in their campaign as the likes of Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh and Shah Rukh Khan have all impressed and will hope to continue their rich vein of form against CSK. KL Rahul will again look to capitalize on the powerplay as he got a wonderful record against Deepak Chahar, having scored 86 off 63 deliveries without getting dismissed.

Head to head: CSK 15 - 9 PBKS, the last time they met CSK won by 6 wickets as Deepak Chahar picked up 4/13 in a match winning spell.

Pitch and weather report: Batting continues to be a struggle in the Dubai International Stadium as 150 becomes a challenging score on these wickets but being the first afternoon match being played on this venue for the first things might change. The temperature is going to hover around 37-39degrees with no chance of rain.

Interesting facts:

• KL Rahul is 28 runs away from becoming PBKS highest run getter in IPL
• PBKS will become the first side not to qualify for the playoffs in seven successive seasons
• Dwayne Bravo has 23 wickets in 18 matches against PBKS
• Shardul Thakur has an economy rate of 5.53 in the middle overs this IPL
• Shah Rukh Khan is the only PBKS middle order batsman to have a strike rate 130

Also read: Harshal Patel crosses Jasprit Bumrah’s record in match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL

Probable XI of Chennai Super Kings:
1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Robin Uthappa/Suresh Raina, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Probable XI of Punjab Kings:
1 KL Rahul (capt & wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Sarfaraz Khan/Deepak Hooda, 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Moises Henriques, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Arshdeep Singh

Dubai, Oct 6 (Cricket news) Eyeing a top-two finish, Chennai Super Kings will be the firm favourites when they lock horns with Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League here on Thursday.

The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led team, despite two straight defeats prior to the final round-robin match, will have its nose ahead against an inconsistent Punjab outfit that is all but out of the play-offs race.

The three-time champions, who have roared back from a forgettable IPL-2020 and became the first team to secure a spot in the play-offs this season, have been in good form in the second phase and is among the sides to beat.

The Super Kings batsmen are in superb nick, especially the stylish Ruturaj Gaikwad, and they will be eager to continue the good work. Gaikwad and veteran South African Faf du Plessis have been good at the top while Ambati Rayudu has shown in the middle-order.

Moeen Ali has done what has been asked of him but the struggles of Suresh Raina (who missed the Delhi Capitals game) and skipper Dhoni are worrying signs for CSK heading into the next stage.

Ravindra Jadeja has time and again underscored his value as an all-rounder, making crucial contributions and will be key if the Super Kings have to go all the way.

The bowlers, though, did not have a happy outing against Rajasthan as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube went on an all-out attack. They will be eager to make amends.

Deepak Chahar, with 12 wickets so far, has been more than a handful for opposition batsmen upfront but he tends to go off the boil when pressed into the attack in the later stages.

Shardul Thakur has been superb with 15 scalps, the best for a CSK bowler in IPL-2021 and he will look to carry on the good work in the business end.

The duo of Josh Hazelwood and Dwayne Bravo have put their skills to good use as have Jadeja and Ali. All-rounder Sam Curran has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament owing to injury but CSK won't be worried too much as they have Bravo, who has is having a good run.

Inconsistency has been the bane of the K L Rahul-led Punjab team that lies sixth in the table with 10 points.

The skipper leads the season's charts with 528 runs while his Karnataka state-mate Mayank Agarwal has 429, but the others haven't contributed much which is one of the reasons for Punjab Kings' woes.

On the bowling front, Mohammed Shami (18 wickets from 13 matches) and Arshdeep Singh (16 wickets) have been the stars while Ravi Bishnoi, who had been surprisingly benched on occasions, had had his moments.

Rahul & Co may find the going tough against CSK and a win may keep them in contention for a top-four spot, albeit only mathematically.

The Super Kings, on the other hand, will be eager to wrap up the league phase with a win and head into the play-offs with confidence.

A loss could potentially jeopardise CSK's chances of finishing in the top two and Dhoni is aware of that.

Teams (From): Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, R Sai Kishore, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, Harishankar Reddy, Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth.

Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Shahrukh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Nathan Ellis, Adil Rashid, Murugan Ashwin, Harpreet Brar, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan, Aiden Markram, Mandeep Singh, Darsan Nalkande, Prabhsimran Singh, Ravi BIshnoi, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar, Jalaj Saxena.

Match starts at 3.30PM IST.

Also Read : Mumbai Indians stare at possible exit with two matches remaining in IPL

News Source : PTI

Sharjah, Oct 2 (Cricket news) Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to inch closer to securing a playoff berth when they clash with Punjab Kings in their Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.

Eyeing their first IPL title triumph, RCB are currently placed third in the pecking order with seven wins and four defeats for a total of 14 points.

Another two points from a win will almost assure them of a place in the place-offs but for that, RCB will need to put it across Punjab Kings who are coming off a morale-boosting win against Kolkata Knight Riders.

With their five-wicket victory over KKR, Punjab Kings too kept alive their prospects of making the playoffs, even though they are down at fifth position with 12 points after five wins and seven reverses.

Up against an ambitious RCB outfit, Punjab Kings will have their task cut out at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Even though he didn't go on to make a big score, Virat Kohli looked good during his stay in the middle in his team's victory over Rajasthan Royals, as did the skipper's young opening partner Devdutt Padikkal.

Both of them played some cracking shots before the in-form star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell completed the job with his second straight half-century.

If the situation demands, like in their last outing, Maxwell can again afford to look at Srikar Bharat to build a solid partnership in the middle overs.

Batting down the order this season, AB de Villiers provides RCB the kind of cushion the other teams lack, and Punjab Kings are well aware of this fact.

The bowling will be manned by the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Shahbaz Ahmed and Yuzvendra Chahal, who has overcome his past struggles with some very impressive spells this season, adding to RCB's strengths.

Punjab Kings, on the other hand, will again rely on their trusted opening duo of skipper KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal to provide them a flying start.

They were among the runs against KKR, and will look to do an encore against RCB.

The biggest plus for Punjab Kings heading into the RCB game is their death bowling that paved the way for their win in the last match.

Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh's two incisive overs at the death went a long way in setting up Punjab's victory against KKR, and the team would hope for a similar outing from the two against RCB.

Teams (from): Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (captain), Navdeep Saini, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian, Rajat Patidar, Dushmantha Chameera, Pavan Deshpande, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Sachin Baby, Wanindu Hasaranga, George Garton, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shahbaz Ahmed, Devdutt Padikkal, Kyle Jamieson, Suyash Prabhudessai, KS Bharat, Tim David, Akash Deep, AB de Villiers.

Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Shahrukh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Nathan Ellis, Adil Rashid, Murugan Ashwin, Harpreet Brar, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan, Aiden Markram, Mandeep Singh, Darsan Nalkande, Prabhsimran Singh, Ravi BIshnoi, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar, Jalaj Saxena.

Match Starts: 3:30 pm IST. 

Also Read : Punjab Kings deserved to win because they seized key moments: McCullum

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) Knight Riders came into the UAE leg knowing that they had to win 6 out of 7 matches but now they have a realistic chance of making the playoffs. With Mumbai tied on points with them, they can’t breathe easy as they need to win their remaining matches as well. On the other hand even if Punjab even win their remaining matches, chances of qualification look grim as they need to depend upon certain results going their way.

KKR will most likely be without Andre Russell as he might be nursing a hamstring injury, the KKR management will stick to the same line up mostly. KKR will be hoping that the two openers give them a good start as Shubman Gill averages more than 72 runs against PBKS. This season Rahul Tripathi has been a revelation for KKR, scoring 315 runs at an average of 35 runs and same can be said for Nitish Rana he too has scored 280 runs this season. Sunil Narine loves playing against Punjab, he's picked up 30 wickets against them and also has his best IPL figures against them also. On the contrary Rahul has the edge over Narine so it will be an interesting matchup to see. One area of concern for KKR going ahead in the tournament might be the form of Eoin Morgan.

PBKS will be without Chris Gayle as he has left the bio bubble due to fatigue and won't be available for the remaining matches. The common theme with Punjab this season has been their over reliance on the openers as the middle order batsmen have let the team down. The PBKS management need to find a quick solution to the problem as last match Aiden Markram showed some stability in the middle overs. Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh will be assigned with the task of breaking the Gill - Iyer partnership as they need to put pressure on KKR’s somewhat fragile middle order batsmen. One of the key match ups could be Shami vs Tripathi. Shami has the edge over him as he has dismissed him 2 times in 18 balls conceding only 15 runs in the process

Head to head: KKR 19 - 9 PBKS, the last time they met KKR won comfortably by 5 wickets as they were able to break their four match losing streak.

Pitch and weather report: Dubai international Stadium has been a better batting venue compared to others as we can expect some runs to be scored, with the evenings being cooler captains will most likely want to chase on this surface. The temperature might be fluctuating between 28-30 degrees as dew factor may come into play. There is no chance of rain as of now. 

Interesting facts:

• Lockie Ferguson has surprisingly delivered two fastest deliveries in IPL 2021 at 152.75 and 152.74 kph
• This could be Nicolas Pooran’s 200th T20 game
• Dinesh Karthik is just 16 runs away from 4000 runs in IPL and will become the 11th batsmen to do so
• KKR love facing PBKS as they have won 19 times which is most against any other franchise

Also read: Playoffs means opportunity to manage workloads, but won't be too experimental: Fleming

Probable XI for KKR:

1 Shubman Gill, 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Sunil Narine, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Ben Cutting/Lockie Ferguson, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Varun Chakravarthy

Probable XI for PBKS:

1 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal/Mandeep Singh, 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Deepak Hooda/Shahrukh Khan, 6 Fabian Allen, 7 Harpreet Brar, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Mohammed Shami
 

(Cricket news) Mumbai before the UAE leg looked in pole position to clinch a playoff spot but now look like in a precarious dilemma as they too need to win their remaining matches to qualify for the playoffs. The same applies to KL Rahul’s Punjab Kings who should have had two victories in the second leg but are in the same boat as RR, MI and KKR for the final playoff position.

Mumbai Indians will be hoping that with the welcome return of Hardik Pandya, their middle order gets some stability especially while chasing. The key to MI success would be to get the openers out quickly as Rohit Sharma would want the New Zealand duo of Trent Boult and Adam Milne to pick up some early wickets. Generally Jasprit Bumrah has bowled one over in the power plays; a trend going into the match can change as Bumrah has dismissed Mayank Agarwal 3 times in 14 balls, and conceded only 6 runs. The MI management might also look to play Dhawal Kulkarni in the side considering his record against Gayle and KL Rahul, he has dismissed Rahul four times and Gayle thrice.

Punjab Kings need to improve their middle order batting if they are to mount a serious challenge. This season, none of their foregin players have contributed significantly and cracked under pressure like we saw against RR. Big performances are required from the trio of Gayle, Pooran and Markram if they want to win against MI. Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh have been in red hot form as Shami has dismissed both the Pandya brothers thrice in 15 and 13 balls respectively, a match up that needs to be kept an eye on.

Head to head: MI 14 - 13 PBKS, the last time they met PBKS won comfortably by 9 wickets as KL Rahul scored 60*

Pitch and weather report: The pitch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium has been a 150-160 wicket as spinners as well as pace up front is proven to be effective, the trend so far has been win the toss and bowl, a practice which is likely to continue. The temperature is going to hover around 36 degrees and is expected to reduce as the game progresses. There is no chance of rain as of now.

Interesting facts:

• MI are on a 3 match losing streak their longest since 2015 where they lost four in a row but eventually went on to win the title
• PBKS has lost 6 out of the 8 matches in which KL Rahul has scored below 25
• Rohit Sharma has scored 163 runs against spin which is the third highest in the tournament
• MI are scoring rate of less than seven an over in the middle overs this season  

Also read: Mumbai Indians yet to find a win in second phase of the Indian Premier League

Probable XI for MI:

1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Ishan Kishan, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Adam Milne/Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Trent Boult

Probable XI for PBKS:

1 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Harpreet Brar, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Nathan Ellis/Chris Jordan, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Mohammed Shami

Sharjah, Sep 26 (Cricket news) Beleaguered Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Trevor Bayliss feels his entire batting line-up has failed to deliver in what is turning out to be a horror run for the team in the ongoing IPL season.

Not surprisingly, the southerners are struggling at the bottom of the eight-team standings with only one win and eight defeats, the latest being a five-run loss to Punjab Kings on Saturday night.

Bayliss has no qualms in admitting that his team did not play "good enough" cricket.

"We got behind the run-rate early, lost some early wickets which is obviously never good, chasing a small target on a wicket like that.

"We would like to get off to a nice, crisp start, good start with the new ball, but unfortunately, it went the other way.

"I thought we did reasonably well to stay in and give ourselves a chance but, in the end, to be honest, we didn't play any good enough cricket," the head coach summed up.

Asked whether the lack of runs from Indian batsmen was worrisome, Bayliss said, "Look, to be honest, I would put all the batsmen in that category.

"When we have played well in the past, we have got off to a good start at the top of the innings, with the overseas players that we have got." He lamented that the experienced batters made mistakes and hoped for a quick turnaround, even though SRH are out of playoffs reckoning.

"The young guys in the middle-order, some of the young guys who have been exposed to a certain degree, but tonight, I think we had lot of experienced guys in the middle, that made mistakes tonight.

"We just got to be better than that and we have got to turn around quick," he said, adding that Jason Holder, who took the team close to a win, played "fairly straight" and "showed the boys how it should be done by playing straight".

"Our batters are not playing with confidence obviously. We have lost five games by under 10 runs and most of those batting second, chasing. Tonight especially, we made a lot of mistakes with the bat." Punjab Kings batsman Aiden Markram praised his team's bowlers, particularly young Ravi Bishnoi, saying that the leg-spinner would go from "strength to strength".

"Incredible. It is amazing how he (Bishnoi) (is) still so young and his skill-set is just at another level and I really think he is going to go from strength to strength," Markram said at the post-match press conference.

Young leg-spinner Bishnoi snared three wickets as Punjab Kings dished out a clinical bowling display to beat their struggling opponents in a low-scoring but entertaining match.

"I think if you look at the bowling unit as a whole, they were brilliant tonight. I think (Mohammed) Shami start us off, with wickets in the power play, which is always crucial while defending a low score.

"Then for the two spinner (Harpreet) Brar and (Ravi) Bish (Bishnoi), the way they bowled (was) amazing.

"The win was important for us going forward and we can take a lot of confidence too as a team," noted the South African, who has played 15 T20s. The 26-year-old Centurion-born right-handed batsman also said that it was pleasing that the players stuck to the plans.

"I was quite far from the chat but it looked like that the guys thought (that) everything (was) under control. There was a clear plan out there on that wicket and till the very last ball, we stuck to that plan, which is something very good to see.

"Pressure can make you sort of change plans, and in hindsight, at the end of the game, you always think back, it should have changed.

"It is good to see that tonight the guys stuck to their guns, executed how they needed to and it was a very good feeling (to get) over the line," he said.

Also Read : Our bowlers can get opposition out if we get decent score: KL Rahul

News Source : PTI

Sharjah, Sep 24 (Cricket News) Almost out of reckoning for a play-off berth, bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to play party-poopers when they take on an equally struggling Punjab Kings in the IPL's battle of laggards here on Saturday.

Sunrisers suffered their seventh defeat on Wednesday after being blown away by Delhi Capitals and their play-off chances look less than dim as they have managed just two points after eight games.

Punjab, on the other hand, quite inexplicably found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against Rajasthan Royals and will be desperate to find an answer to their problems after being placed seventh with six points from nine matches.

The Kings were well-placed to win their first IPL game of the UAE leg before committing harakari in the last over bowled by Kartik Tyagi. They lost two wickets and scored just one run while needing four to win against Rajasthan.

Despite being packed with excellent Indian and foreign talent, Punjab Kings have regularly messed up games and skipper KL Rahul will have to address their inconsistency.

Punjab Kings have also lacked any kind of stability over the last 14 seasons with captains and coaches being changed frequently.

Their playing XI too has gone through many changes, something which has drawn sharp criticism from former team mentor Virender Sehwag.

In batting, Rahul and Mayank Agarwal have been one of the most dominant opening duo of the IPL.

In the last game too, they put on 120 runs in 11.5 overs but none of them could stay back to finish the job.

While Chris Gayle can destroy any attack even at the age of 41, he was kept out in the last game.

In the middle-order, Nicholas Pooran, who had a horrendous outing in the first phase, looked good in the last game before he lost his bearings in the final over even as Aiden Markram was left stranded on the other side.

In bowling department, Mohammed Shami has been their prime bowler and he did well to pull things back against RR.

Young Arshdeep Singh also returned with five wickets as he and Shami bowled out RR to 185 in the last game.

However, Punjab's spinners, especially England's Adil Rashid, have disappointed and they will need to step up their game in the next few weeks.

For Sunrisers, it is all about enjoying the remaining few games and ending on a high.

With Johnny Bairstow, their season's leading run-getter, pulling out and Australian opener David Warner in poor form, SRH have found the going tough against Delhi.

The likes of Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Wriddhiman Saha, Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad also failed to capitalise on their starts as SRH could manage just 134 in their last game.

Their bowling has been too dependent on spin sensation Rashid Khan and it will be important for the likes of Khaleel Ahmed, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jason Holder to put up a strong show to give some respectability to the team's campaign.

Squads: Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Shahrukh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Nathan Ellis, Adil Rashid, Murugan Ashwin, Harpreet Brar, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan, Aiden Markram, Mandeep Singh, Darsan Nalkande, Prabhsimran Singh, Ravi BIshnoi, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar, Jalaj Saxena.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (Captain), David Warner, Manish Pandey, Sherfane Rutherford, Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Rashid Khan, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Abhishek Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Basil Thampi, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Abdul Samad, J Suchith, Jason Holder, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Jason Roy.

March Starts: 7:30 pm.

Also Read : In the last two games, superstars have been our bowlers: Morgan

News Source : PTI