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Ravi Bishnoi Reigns as Top Bowler!

Bishnoi has picked up a total of 34 wickets from 21 T20I matches at an average of 17.38, with a strike rate of 14.5 and an economy rate of 7.14. …reports Asian Lite news

India’s leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has become the new number one bowler in the latest update to the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings on Wednesday. Bishnoi only made his international debut against West Indies in February 2022.

But some consistent performances have seen the 23-year-old rise four spots to be on top of the men’s T20I bowler rankings. Bishnoi was recently named Player of the Series during India’s successful 4-1 T20I series triumph over Australia on home soil, taking nine wickets at an average of 18.22.

Overall, Bishnoi has picked up a total of 34 wickets from 21 T20I matches at an average of 17.38, with a strike rate of 14.5 and an economy rate of 7.14. Bishnoi first caught the eye of the world at the ICC Men’s Under 19 Cricket World Cup in South Africa in 2020.

In that tournament, the Jodhpur-raised leg-spinner took the most wickets (17) of all players as India finished as runners up behind champions Bangladesh. With Bishnoi’s jump to the top, it means Rashid Khan (second), Adil Rashid (equal third), Wanindu Hasaranga (equal third) and Maheesh Theekshana (fifth) all drop one spot inside the top 10, while India left-arm spin all-rounder Axar Patel rises 16 places to 11th in bowlers’ rankings.

The biggest movers on the latest T20I rankings for batters sees India’s left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal soar up 16 places to 19th behind top-ranked teammate Suryakumar Yadav. Australia’s left-handed Travis Head improves 16 places to 29th after the pair performed admirably during the recently-concluded series.

India opener Shubman Gill (batting) and South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj (bowling) remain in the top position of the ODI rankings, although there were a few changes following the opening game of the series between the West Indies and England in the Caribbean.

West Indies skipper Shai Hope improves four places to 11th on the list for ODI batters after he scored his 16th ODI century in Antigua, while teammate Brandon King jumps six spots to 78th position.

The top 10 Test bowlers remains unchanged behind first-placed veteran India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson re-enters the Test bowlers rankings at No.13 following his return to red-ball cricket.

On the other hand, Bangladesh spinner Taijul Islam jumps four places to a career-best 14th after his 10-wicket haul and Player of the Match heroics against the Kiwis in the first Test. Taijul’s total of 708 rating points is the highest-ever by a Bangladesh bowler, surpassing Shakib Al Hasan’s 705 achieved in August 2017.

Kane Williamson remains the top-ranked Test batter, while Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto jumps 13 places to 42nd after his superb century in the second innings against New Zealand. New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell rises one place to seventh position inside the top on the list for batters after scores of 41 and 58 in Sylhet.

ALSO READ: ‘Protect 50-over cricket at all costs’

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‘Protect 50-over cricket at all costs’

Tammy Beaumont shines as England thrash New Zealand by 46 runs.

Tammy isn’t a member of the England T20I team, having played the format internationally two years ago and is stuck at 99 caps….reports Asian Lite News

Amidst the proliferation of franchise T20 leagues in the world, England opener Tammy Beaumont has called for protecting the 50-over format of the game, especially from a women’s cricket perspective. The future of 50-over format has been a subject of huge debate, despite the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup happening successfully in India.

“We see the men’s game talking about 50-over cricket: ‘is it even worth doing?’ Well, if only four nations are playing Test cricket in women’s cricket, then we have to protect 50-over cricket at all costs. “I think everyone would love to have loads of Test-playing nations and play big Test series but, at the moment, that’s not a reality.”

“At the same time, if you’re just a Test match player and you play two Tests a year, you’re not playing much cricket. Hopefully we can keep and protect all formats of cricket and not just jump on the wave of T20 and leave everything else behind,” said Tammy on ESPNCricinfo’s Ladies Who Switch podcast.

Tammy is currently in Mumbai as a member of England’s squad for the four-day Test against India happening from December 14-17 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, with the country set to host a women’s Test after nine years. Tammy, who has scored 3650 runs in 109 ODIs, further believes it is crucial for women’s cricket to take care of all three versions of the international game.

“The more the game goes on, I think the more it’ll diversify and there’s more talent in every country, so now you can almost field very different teams depending on the format. I just hope that other formats outside of T20 aren’t left behind because that’s a real issue that has happened in the men’s game.”

“One of the few good things about the women’s game, being quite a long way behind the men’s game still, is that we can learn from the mistakes of the men’s game. The WPL and all the franchise leagues, and the investment, and the amount of money that has come into the women’s game are absolutely amazing and some might say overdue, but also I think we need to protect where the game’s come from.”

Tammy isn’t a member of the England T20I team, having played the format internationally two years ago and is stuck at 99 caps. The right-handed batter signed off by saying she will continue to put in consistent performances, while leaving the selection question to the people in power.

“That’s up to the selectors. They’ve got a good idea of what their World Cup team might look like and you’ve just got to keep putting your hand up and churn out runs and put in match-winning performances.”

“At the same time, you can’t control everything. There’s so many good T20 players in England now, particularly opening the batting. Everyone’s putting their hand up to try and have a go in the powerplay. If I got an opportunity it would be amazing but at the same time, just keep going.”

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Maxi Eyes Test Return

While Maxwell knows he is better suited to the limited-overs format of the game, the 35-year-old still feels he can make an impact at Test level…reports Asian Lite News

Limited-overs specialist Glenn Maxwell has not given up hope of making a return to Test cricket and is eyeing off an away series on the sub-continent at the end of the current ICC World Test Championship cycle as his best opportunity to do so.

Maxwell has played just seven Tests for his country, with every one of those red-ball contests coming outside Australia and his most recent appearance more than six years ago, reports ICC.

In that time Maxwell played a major role in helping Australia claim their inaugural ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title in Dubai in 2021 and then starred once again during the Aussies’ recent successful ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign in India.

While Maxwell knows he is better suited to the limited-overs format of the game, the 35-year-old still feels he can make an impact at Test level and wants to continue to put his name forward for selection ahead of Australia’s final series of the current World Test Championship cycle.

Australia are scheduled to travel to Sri Lanka at the start of 2025 to battle it out for the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy in what looms as a crucial series in the run into the World Test Championship final later that year and Maxwell harbours aspirations to be involved.

“I’m quite understanding the circumstances of the current side. They’re playing some really good cricket, they’re World Test champions,” Maxwell said on Australian radio station SEN on Tuesday.

“There’s not a lot of spots up for grabs as far as Tests at home, but I know that when it does come to a sub-continent tour I can be a real viable option to hopefully fill a role in that side.

“I don’t think there’s another sub-continent tour until early 2025. So, I’ll keep trying to plug away and hopefully get an opportunity at that stage.”

Maxwell is currently back home in Australia preparing himself for another domestic Big Bash League campaign, while many of his World Cup-winning teammates are gearing up for the start of a hectic Test summer that includes a three-match series against World Test Championship pacesetters Pakistan and two contests against the West Indies.

Much of the discussion heading into the summer has been surrounding whether experienced opener David Warner will retire from Test cricket after the home Test against Pakistan in Sydney as he suggested prior to Australia’s successful World Test Championship final campaign earlier this year.

Former teammate Mitchell Johnson recently aired some grievances surrounding Warner by indicating the veteran opener should not be able to select his own retirement date.

But Maxwell refused to get drawn into this discussion and instead opted to provide a glowing endorsement for his fellow World Cup winner.

“I’m not going to throw my name into some headlines about this,” Maxwell said.

“But Davey’s been an absolute champion of Australian cricket for a long period of time and the selectors were pretty clear on what they thought of it (selecting him).

“I’m looking forward to seeing Davey in that first Test and him making a lot of runs this summer.”

ALSO READ: Arshdeep Overcomes Doubts, Secures Victory for India

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India News Sport Sports

Arshdeep Overcomes Doubts, Secures Victory for India

Arshdeep also pointed out that despite the win, the Indian fast-bowling unit wasn’t at their best and will try to put up a better show in the coming games…reports Asian Lite News

After India won the fifth T20I over Australia by six runs, left-arm fast-bowler Arshdeep Singh said he was thinking that too many runs were conceded by him and admitted to thoughts of being the culprit of the game came in his mind, before conceding only three runs in the final over of the game.

At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday night, the pitch wasn’t easy for stroke-play as India made 160/8. In reply, Australia began strongly, before being reduced to 144/7 in 18 overs.

Needing 17 runs from 12 balls, Mukesh Kumar gave away only nine runs in the 19th over, before Arshdeep, who had given away 37 runs in his first three overs, found his accuracy and rhythm to take out Matthew Wade and seal the game in India’s favour.

“I guess for the big part of the game, for almost the first 19 overs, I was thinking that I gave away too many runs and would be the culprit of the game. But god gave me another chance and I believed in myself. Thanks to god that I defended it and thanks to the staff as well who believed in me,” said Arshdeep to broadcasters after the match ended.

He also acknowledged the extra runs cushion given by the batters in the first innings. “To be honest, nothing was going through my mind. Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) bhai told me that whatever happens, happens. The credit goes to our batsmen as well. They gave us a really good total here on a tricky wicket and we had a cushion of an extra 15 to 20 runs.”

Arshdeep also pointed out that despite the win, the Indian fast-bowling unit wasn’t at their best and will try to put up a better show in the coming games. “According to the standards we have set as a bowling unit in the Indian team, it was not even near par. But a lot of lessons learnt and, in the future, I will make sure to rectify those mistakes and come back stronger.”

Right-handed batter Shreyas Iyer, whose 37-ball 53 took India to a winning total, was also in praise of Arshdeep’s final over and believed the pitch was a challenging one to bat on. “I’m elated to be honest to see everyone chipping in and contributing for the team. The shots, innovation has been on point and I could see Arshdeep’s calmness when he was bowling the last over.”

“To be honest, my mindset was to go boom-boom from ball one. But when I saw three wickets falling down, my mind started calculating what would be the best total on this wicket. Then I had a few batsmen contributing as well. It wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on, but if you have a total in mind, you try to play accordingly and today was the right example of how we did it as a team.”

“I feel 160 was the right total, which we got eventually. After losing consecutive wickets in the powerplay to get to 160, it was a commendable effort, and to defend it at the same time, brilliant performance by the team.”

ALSO READ: Cricket Rivalry Renews in USA

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Cricket Rivalry Renews in USA

The rivalry match between Premium Indians and Premium Paks will be named as ‘Super Match’…reports Asian Lite News

The 2nd edition of the American Premier League is all set to recreate the India-Pakistan rivalry at Moosa Cricket Stadium in Houston, Texas on December 24, hoping to catch eyeballs all around the world.

The rivalry match between Premium Indians and Premium Paks will be named as ‘Super Match’.

The Premium Indians team will be represented by fast bowler S. Sreesanth and all-rounder Stuart Binny while Sohail Tanvir, Usman Qadir and Fawad Alam will play for Premium Paks.

The ‘Super Match’ between Premium Indians and Premium Paks will be a delight for the fans’ not just in the USA but across the world as S. Sreesanth will look to relive the memory of the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup final in South Africa when he took Sohail Tanvir’s wicket in the 17th over.

“It still feels like yesterday when I was running into bowl against Pakistan in Jo’burg and took the winning catch. Playing against Pakistan and winning has been a real high for me. I am really looking forward to playing the ‘Super Match’ against Premium Paks and hopefully, I will help Premium Indians come on top this time as well,” Sreesanth was quoted as saying in a release on Saturday.

Tanvir, the left-hander from Pakistan who was the top-wicket taker in the first edition of the Indian Premier League, said, “Playing against India is always special for me as I made my T20 as well as Test debut against them in 2007. You are overwhelmed with emotions and nervousness while playing against them and I am really excited that I’ve got another opportunity to represent Pakistan in a rivalry match.”

A total of seven teams — Premium Afghans, Premium Americans, Premium Aussies, Premium Canadians, Premium Indians, Premium Paks and Premium Windies — will be participating in the 13-day tournament that runs from December 19 to 31.

Each team will have a minimum of one and maximum of two national players to represent their country while every 15-member team squad will have 9 local (American) players mandatory as per the ICC guidelines. A maximum of six international players will be allowed in the playing XI.

Jay Mir, Founder and CEO of APL said, “The idea is to give fans a unique experience every time they tune into the APL and having a match between Premium Indians and Premium Paks is one of them. Having the stalwarts from both the countries will surely see a high-intensity cricketing action.”

The inaugural season of American Premier League (APL), a Twenty20 cricket league based in the United States, took place during the spring of 2021 in New Jersey with seven teams Americans, Indians, Paks, Windees, Bengalees, Aussies and English taking part. Before the announcement of the 2nd edition, the league was sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC), in May this year and the USA Cricket board.

ALSO READ: Young Indian Boxers Shine in IBA Junior World Championships

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Young Indian Boxers Shine in IBA Junior World Championships

Megha (80kg) on the other hand showed a similar display of strength and power to clinch a referee stopping the contest win in round three against Tseng An Chi of Chinese Taipei…reports Asian Lite News

India’s junior boxers continued their fine form at the IBA Junior World Boxing Championships as 12 of them entered the finals after a stunning show in Yerevan, Armenia. Amisha (54kg) and Payal (48kg) started the day on a winning note for team India against Trigos Bucur Rocio of Romania and Bibolsynkyzy Sila of Kazakhstan, both winning the bout by a unanimous 5-0 win.

Prachi Tokas (80+kg) put up a dominant show over Osipova Mariia of Russia, forcing the referee to stop the contest in the first round itself to grab the win.

Megha (80kg) on the other hand showed a similar display of strength and power to clinch a referee stopping the contest win in round three against Tseng An Chi of Chinese Taipei.

Vini (57kg) Akansha (70kg) and Shrushti (63kg) outperformed their opponents to grab an identical 5-0 unanimous decision win to enter the finals. Vini was up against Kantzari Ouriana of Greece while Akansha and Shrushti faced Mcdonagh Mary of Ireland and K Alina of Kazakhstan respectively.

Nisha (52kg) struggled after the initial dominance in round one but soon fought back to grab an impressive 4-1 win over Russia’s Sikstus Diana.

The boys put on a solid outing as four out of five boxers in action got the win. The two heavyweights Hardik Panwar (80kg) and Hemant Sangwan (80+kg) entered the finals with a comfortable 5-0 unanimous decision win against R Andrei of Belarus and K Tigran of Armenia.

Jatin (54kg) took on K. Pavel of Russia who for a moment looked like a more dominant boxer but Jatin soon took control of the game and got a 4-1 win in his favour.

Sahil faced a tough challenge against D. Vladimir of Russia as both the boxers were quick in predicting each other’s moves and counterattacks. The bout looked like it could go anywhere but ultimately Sahil got the win with a 3-2 split decision verdict.

Neha (46kg), Nidhi (66kg), Pari (50kg), Kritika (75kg) and Sikandar (48kg) ended their campaign with bronze medals.

The finals will be played on Sunday and Monday.

ALSO READ: Test, ODI, T20: Who Leads India?

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India News Sport Sports

Test, ODI, T20: Who Leads India?

Interestingly, Shami has not been picked in the ODI squad, despite being the top wicket-taker in the recently concluded World Cup…reports Asian Lite News

India will have three different captains for three separate squads on their upcoming all-format tour of South Africa with Rohit Sharma leading in Tests, K.L. Rahul in One-Day Internationals and Suryakumar Yadav captaining the squad in the T20Is.

With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli requesting the Board for a break from the white-ball leg of the tour to be held in December-January and will get into action in the two Tests to be held on December 26-30 at Centurian and the second Test from January 3-7, 2024 at Cape Town.

Suryakumar Yadav will lead the T20I squad which will take on South Africa in three matches from December 10 to 14.

“The Men’s Selection Committee met in New Delhi on Thursday to pick Team India’s squad for the upcoming all-format tour of South Africa. The Indian team will participate in three T20Is, three ODIs and two Test matches,” BCCI Honorary Secretary Jay Shah informed in a release on Thursday.

While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been selected only for the five-day matches, pacer Mohammed Shami, who is currently undergoing medical treatment, has been selected subject to recuperating and getting fit in time.

Interestingly, Shami has not been picked in the ODI squad, despite being the top wicket-taker in the recently concluded World Cup.

The Test squad includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be the openers along with regular openers Rohit Sharma and Shubham Gill. Pacers Mukesh Kumar and Prasidh Krishna have been included in the bowling unit while including Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja as the two spinners.

Among the surprise inclusions in the white-ball squads, Sanju Samson has been included in the squad for the three ODI matches. Yuzvendra Chahal, who was ignored for the World Cup, is back in the 50-over while Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh have been picked in both the ODI and T20I squads.

During the tour, India A will also play two four-day matches against South Africa A and one inter-squad three-day match.

K.S Bharat will lead the India A team in the 1st four-day match and will include Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has been picked subject to fitness.

The tour will start with the T20Is on December 10 (Durban), Dec 12 (Gqeberha) and Dec 14 at Johannesburg. The ODIs will be played on December 17 (Johannesburg), Dec 19 (Gqeberha) and December 21 at Paarl.

Seniors’ squads:

Squad for Tests: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Mohd. Shami*, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna.

Squad for 3 T20Is: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Deepak Chahar.

Squad for 3 ODIs: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (C)(wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar.

India A squad:

Squad for 1st four-day match: Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran*, Devdutt Padikkal, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Sarfaraz Khan, KS Bharat (C)(wk), Dhruv Jurel, Shardul Thakur, Pulkit Narang, Sourabh Kumar, Manav Suthar, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Tushar Deshpande.

India Inter-squad three-day match: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Abhimanyu Easwaran*, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Pulkit Narang, Harshit Rana, Shardul Thakur, Sourabh Kumar, Manav Suthar, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini.

Squad for 3rd four-day match: Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran*, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, KS Bharat (C)(wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Akash Deep, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Navdeep Saini.

Fixtures:

Dec 11-14: 1st four-day match

Dec 20-22: 2nd three-dau match

Dec 26-29: 3rd four-day match.

ALSO READ: Head Coach Dravid’s Contract Gets Extra Innings

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India News Sport Sports

Head Coach Dravid’s Contract Gets Extra Innings

Post India’s loss to Australia in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup final, Dravid and the support staff’s contracts ended. BCCI now opts for coaching continuity for the senior men’s team….reports Asian Lite News

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that it had extended the contracts of head coach Rahul Dravid and the support staff of senior India men’s team.

In its statement, the BCCI said it engaged in productive discussions with Rahul Dravid after the term of his contract ended following the recently concluded 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup and unanimously agreed to further the tenure, though it didn’t mention the duration of extension

Dravid had replaced Ravi Shastri as the India senior men’s head coach after the T20 World Cup in 2021 for a two-year term, along with support staff comprising Vikram Rathour (batting coach after 2019 ODI World Cup), Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach), and T Dilip (fielding coach).

“The last two years with Team India have been thoroughly memorable. Together, we have witnessed the highs and lows, and throughout this journey, the support and camaraderie within the group have been phenomenal. I am genuinely proud of the culture we have set in the dressing room.”

“It’s a culture that stands resilient, whether in moments of triumph or adversity. The skills and talent that our team possesses are phenomenal, and what we’ve stressed is following the right process and sticking to our preparations, which has had a direct impact on the overall result.”

“I thank the BCCI and the Office Bearers for placing their trust in me, endorsing my vision, and providing support during this period. The demands of this role necessitate considerable time away from home, and I deeply appreciate my family’s sacrifices and support. Their instrumental role behind the scenes has been invaluable. As we embrace new challenges post the World Cup, we remain committed to the pursuit of excellence,” said Dravid in the statement.

The contract of Dravid and the support staff had come to an end following India’s defeat to Australia in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad, with speculations over their future with the team now coming to an end as the BCCI opts for continuity in coaching of senior men’s team.

“Mr Rahul Dravid’s vision, professionalism, and unyielding efforts have been important pillars in Team India’s success. As Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team, you are always under immense scrutiny and I extend appreciation to him not only for embracing the challenges but for thriving in them.”

“The performances of the Indian Team are a testament to his strategic guidance. I am delighted that he accepted the offer to remain the Head Coach, and it speaks of the mutual respect and shared vision between him and the BCCI. I have no doubt that under him, the team will continue its march to the pinnacle of success and set new benchmarks along the way,” said BCCI President Roger Binny.

With the contracts extended, the first assignment of Dravid and support staff in their second stint will be the all-format tour of South Africa, comprising three T20Is and ODIs each, along with two Tests from December 10 to January 7.

The team will be back in India to play three T20Is against Afghanistan in January, followed by five Tests against England till March, before regrouping for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA.

“I had mentioned that there is no better person than Rahul Dravid to take over the role of Head Coach at the time of his appointment, and Mr. Dravid has proven himself again with his unparalleled commitment to excellence. Team India is now a formidable unit across formats, and our top ranking in all three formats directly reflects his vision, guidance, and the roadmap he charted for the team.”

“Having won 10 consecutive games before the final, our World Cup campaign was nothing short of extraordinary, and the Head Coach deserves appreciation for setting up the right platform for the team to flourish. The Head Coach has our full backing, and we will provide him with all the support needed for sustained success at the international level,” concluded BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

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Australia’s Cummins Backs Squad Changes

The T20I series began just 4 days after the World Cup final in Ahmedabad. It was understandable that Australia rested most of their World Cup stars for the series opener in Visakhapatnam….reports Asian Lite News

Australia skipper Pat Cummins has welcomed Cricket Australia’s decision to pull back World Cup-winning players ahead of the third T20I against India saying, ‘players needed some time off the game’.

Seven members of the World Cup-winning team stayed back in India for a five-match T20I series against Indian side, led by Suryakumar Yadav. Surprisingly India fielded only 3 players from their World Cup squad. Suryakumar is leading the side in the T20I series while Ishan Kishan and Prasidh Krishna are the other two players.

The T20I series began just 4 days after the World Cup final in Ahmedabad. It was understandable that Australia rested most of their World Cup stars for the series opener in Visakhapatnam.

However, Australia on Tuesday confirmed changes to the T20 squad ahead of the third T20I match against India as Steve Smith, Adam Zampa, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Josh Inglis, and Marcus Stonis set to head home.

“I don’t (begrudge them). It’s been a pretty busy few months. These are still games for Australia and it’s great that these tours do provide opportunities for some of the younger guys or guys who might not be in the first XI. I think these are important tours and you can get a lot out of them,” said Cummins as quoted by Fox Cricket.

“But they’re humans. They’re not robots. Putting everything into a World Cup and then playing a few days later,” he added.

Wicket-keeper batter Josh Phillippe and Ben McDermott have already joined the squad and are available for the third T20. Ben Dwarshuis and spinner Chris Green will join the squad in Raipur ahead of the fourth match.

Australia are scheduled to play 10 T20 internationals (plus any warm-up matches yet to be confirmed) before next year’s T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean.

Australia face a must-win game against India on Tuesday to remain in the series as after slipping to defeat in the opening two matches.

ALSO READ: Hardik Back Home

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Abu Dhabi T10: New Leaders, Fresh Aspirations

The seventh edition of Abu Dhabi T10 will take place between November 28 – December 9….reports Asian Lite News

Abu Dhabi T10 announced the captains for the seventh season in a press conference held in Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, here on Monday.

The seventh edition of Abu Dhabi T10 will take place between November 28 – December 9.

West Indies heavy hitter Nicholas Pooran, who led Deccan Gladiators to a title win in the previous edition has been retained as a captain by the defending champions. Meanwhile, the runners-up of last season New York Strikers and Morrisville Samp Army will also continue with veteran allrounders Kieron Pollard and Moeen Ali as Captains, respectively.

The remaining teams made a change in leadership as Sikandar Raza handed over the reins for the Chennai Braves to Charith Asalanka, whilst Northern Warriors named Angelo Mathews as captain, and Delhi Bulls named Rovman Powell as skipper for the season. Team Abu Dhabi picked Dwaine Pretorius to lead the side whilst Bangla Tigers made a surprise pick in Benny Howell as captain.

All the Captains, in attendance at the Press Conference made their intentions clear for the season. Pooran, who was also the highest run-scorer of the last season with 345 runs in 10 matches at an average of 49.29 and a strike rate of 234.69, said that he wishes to win the record third title for Gladiators this season.

“It was a good season for me the last time around, and I was happy to contribute to the team’s success, not only as Captain but also as a batsman. Our target this year is to retain the trophy and we will continue to play the kind of cricket we like to play. It would be an honour for me to lead Gladiators to a record third title this time around. I am ready to take up any role the team wants me to,” Pooran said.

Presently, Gladiators and Northern Warriors are the only two teams to have won two titles. The Warriors have made a strong choice in Mathews as skipper, who has been one of the most successful Captains for Sri Lanka in international cricket.

“I am grateful to be considered to lead Northern Warriors, a franchise that has already achieved massive success in this league. Warriors have already won two trophies and I would love to bring the trophy back to the team so that we all can script history together. This is an exciting format, and the fans can expect big things from our side in the 7th season,” Mathews said.

Meanwhile, Strikers and Morrisville will look to use Pollard and Moeen’s familiarity with the format once again to boost their chances of getting their hands on the trophy. Pollard said he wants to finish the job this season.

ALSO READ: Hardik Back Home