A player can’t be one dimensional: Venkatesh Iyer hopes to deliver with both bat & ball in India outing

All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer played a crucial role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ turnaround during the second leg of the Indian Premier League and he has now received the call for the T20I series against New Zealand at home scheduled to begin on November 17.

Talking about his game, Iyer insisted that being an all-rounder he maintains focus on both bowling and batting.

“My workload management has been good so far. I am an all-rounder, so I have to be equally focussed on both aspects of the game. That's what I have been doing right from my age-group state level days. It's so far not been a very big issue," Iyer told PTI in an interview.

He further added that he has worked pretty hard on red-ball cricket and admitted that to play for India, a player can’t just be one dimensional.

"I have always worked hard on my red ball game and it has been my conscious effort not be one dimensional.”

"If you have to play for India, you have to be consistent across formats and that's why I have put in a lot of work in both departments of the game. As much as I have worked on my batting, I have also worked on my bowling," said Iyer.

The Indian team is slated to play a three-match T20I series against New Zealand and the side will now be led by Rohit Sharma who has been handed over the T20I captaincy after Virat Kohli had decided to step down from the position with the conclusion of the T20 World Cup.

Apart from Iyer, Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel have also been rewarded for their brilliant show in the recent past.

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England to compensate for postponed tour, Men’s team to play extra T20Is during Pakistan vist in 2022

In an effort to win back the support of the Pakistan Cricket Board, the England and Wales Cricket Board CEO Tom Harrison has confirmed an extended tour to Pakistan in the months of November-December in 2022. On his two-day visit to Pakistan, Harrison confirmed that not only will England fulfil its commitment to touring Pakistan for a full-fledged series, but it will also play two extra T20Is as a show of goodwill to Pakistan Cricket Board. The extra matches would be played as a gesture to thank Pakistan for their support shown to English cricket when they toured the English nation during a raging pandemic in 2020. "Myself and ECB's Senior Director Martin Darlow visited Lahore to talk face-to-face with the PCB around some of the things that have happened over the past few weeks, leading to the cancellation of our tour in October," Harrison said in a statement to the media. "We’re happy to announce that we’ll play two extra white-ball T20Is on our men’s tour of Pakistan in September/October 2022. We will then return after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia to complete the Test match element of that tour. This is just to reaffirm our commitment to Pakistan cricket to getting England teams, men's and women's teams, eventually playing in Pakistan at home. I don't think there's a cricketer in England who doesn't want to test their abilities against the huge talent this country has and in the conditions they know best,” he added that his side will now be playing seven T20Is along with the three Tests as part of the World Test Championship. On his part, Ramiz Raja, the PCB chief thanked Harrison and ECB for showing their large-heartedness and making a trip to Pakistan and discussing issues at length.

My dream of playing for the country has fulfilled: Avesh Khan

Fast bowler Avesh Khan was rewarded for his exceptional performance in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League after being called up for the T20I series against New Zealand. Avesh who had picked 24 wickets for Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2021 expressed his joy and said that his dream has been fulfilled. “Every cricketer has a dream that he plays for his country and he works hard to turn this dream into a reality. My dream has been fulfilled now,” Avesh, told PTI Bhasha. The Indian team will be led by Rohit Sharma who has taken over the T20I captaincy baton from Virat Kohli as the latter had decided to step down from the post after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup. Kohli has been rested for this series. Apart from this, Ruturaj Gaikwad who has shown some terrific form with the bat in the IPL, as well as in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, has also been included in the side. Venkatesh Iyer has also found a place for himself in the squad after a tremendous debut in the Indian Premier League as well as his exploits in the ongoing SMAT. Iyer played some important knocks for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021 season. The Men in Blue will play three T20Is against the Blackcaps with the first encounter taking place in Jaipur on November 17 while the second and third clash slated to be held in Ranchi and Kolkata on November 19 and 21 respectively. The three-match T20I series will be followed by a two Test series as well. India’s T20I squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohd. Siraj

T20 World Cup | PAK vs AUS: Negotiating Shaheen Afridi in powerplay will be crucial, says Aaron Finch

Pakistan bowler Shaheen Afridi has been in some good form and has picked up wickets consistently at a decent economy rate as well for the side. The only unbeaten side in the tournament, Pakistan will now lock horns with Australia in the semi-final in Dubai on Thursday, 10 November. Acknowledging Shaheen’s ability to bowl in the power play overs, Australia skipper Aaron Finch said that it would be vital to negotiate him well in the first six overs. “I think what we have seen through the course of the tournament is how important the powerplay is both batting and bowling. I think the stats around the middle and death overs are pretty similar throughout. The powerplay definitely holds the key, Shaheen Shah Afridi has been in good form for Pakistan, that will be a crucial battle in the game," Finch said during the virtual pre-match press conference on Wednesday. Toss has played an important role in this edition of the T20 World Cup but Finch has a bit of a different opinion about the same. The right-hander has suggested that putting up runs on the board is crucial during the knockout stages. “I think when it comes to the finals, it does not make a huge difference. I believe getting runs on the board especially in knockouts can be really beneficial. We have talked about it, we are confident that we can win if we happen to bat first," the Australia captain said. Pakistan lifted the T20 World Cup once back in 2009 while the Aussies are still searching for their winning triumph in the shorter format. The Babar Azam-led side has been in good touch and has won all of their matches comprehensively to get into the semi-finals stages.

Watch: James Pattinson dangerously hurls ball at Daniel Hughes in follow-through, gets suspended

Former Australia Test bowler James Pattinson, who is playing for Victoria in the ongoing Sheffield-Shield threw a very dangerous ball that hit New South Wales batter, Daniel Hughes. Pattinson picked up the ball on follow-through and hurled it straight back at Hughes after a frustrating phase of play. The red cherry went on to hit the batter on his feet and left him limping on one foot. Though Pattinson immediately apologised by raising his hands, it was termed dangerous by the match referee and therefore the bowler has been suspended for one match. Hughes, who was the only NSW batter standing in between Victoria and a win on the final day of the four-day game with his solid 89, had frustrated the Victorian attack with his staunch resistance. However, NSW lost the match by a huge margin of 174 runs. In a statement released on Wednesday morning, Cricket Australia said, "Pattinson was charged and found guilty under Article 2.7 of the Code for throwing a ball at or near a player in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during a match.” "Pattinson was fined 100 per cent of his match fee for the Marsh Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and NSW held on November 5-8, 2021,” it added. Along with the match fee penalty, the 31-year-old who recently retired from international cricket was also suspended for the day-night Marsh One-Day Cup match against NSW at the MCG on Friday.