A small tip from Zaheer Khan made a massive difference in my consistency: Harshal Patel

Tim Paine is shattered with what's happened: Justin Langer

Australia wicket-keeper batsman Tim Paine had first stepped down from the captaincy and then took an indefinite break from the game. The decision from the right-handed batsman came after it was revealed that he was being investigated in a ‘sexting scandal’. Australia head coach Justin Langer has said that Paine is “shattered” and sad about the incident. “He's one of the best people I have met in cricket, so it was nice to go down and see him. He's obviously shattered with what's happened. Because he's been such an exemplary figure in Australian cricket for the last four years," said Langer according to Cricbuzz. "I heard about it, I think I was getting on a bus on the way to England about an incident. Because Painey told me about it. That was nearly four years ago. And literally the first I heard about it after that was the day or two days before he resigned. So, I had no idea about an investigation,” he added. Australia appointed Pat Cummins as the new Test skipper in place of Paine and the pacer’s first assignment after taking up the position will be the upcoming Ashes series scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

IND vs NZ | 2nd Test, Day 3: Ajaz Patel achieves best bowling figure by overseas bowler in India

After picking up a historic 10-wicket haul in the first innings, Ajaz Patel continued his dominance with the ball and went on to pick up four more wickets to achieve the best bowling figure by a visiting bowler against India. He reached the milestone by dismissing Jayant Yadav caught and bowled. He bagged 14 wickets in the match giving away 225 runs and moved past legendary English all-rounder Ian Botham to become the bowler with most wickets in a Test match in India. Botham held the record for 41 years since claiming figures of 13/106 in the 1980 Mumbai Test which England went on to win as well. in the very same game he had struck a century as well. As for other spinners in India, Patel with figures of 14/225 also went past the Australian spinning duo of Steve O’Keefe and Jason Krejza, who had taken 12 wickets each against India in the year 2017 and 2008 respectively. India lost only 17 wickets in the game as they declared their second innings at 276/7 after and setting a target of 540 runs for New Zealand to chase in more than two days of play remaining in the game. Mayank Agarwal followed his big century in the first innings with another splendid fifty and remained India’s highest run-scorer in both innings. India scored 325 runs in the first innings when all their batsmen succumbed to Ajaz Patel’s left-arm spin. In response, they skittled the Blackcaps for a mere 62 runs and took a massive lead of 263 runs. The first Test of the series ended in a draw leaving the second and final game as a series decide for both sides.

The Ashes | Joe Root sets sight on India's example to up the ante at Gabba

India’s winning triumph in Tour DownUnder has certainly become an inspiration for the England team that will take on Australia in the Ashes series slated to begin on December 8, 2021 in Brisbane. England captain Joe Root credited India for playing exceptional cricket in Australia and setting an example. “Credit to India, they played exceptionally well throughout that whole series. And, in many ways, set a good example for any touring team to come here and play,” Root said as the Ashes series was launched at a ceremony at the Gabba in Brisbane on Sunday. Root had earlier talked about getting big scores to stay in front and further added that the Australian pitches might assist the batters too. "We can't hide away from the fact we need big scores," he says. "That's not putting pressure on our batters. We should relish that challenge,” he had said. "Australia can be a wonderful place to bat. It can get flat. You have to manage the bounce well and come through the odd barrage of short-pitched bowling, being wary of different kinds of dismissal,” he added. The English team last won an Ashes series back in 2011, the side which had the present fast bowling duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

The Ashes | Australia prepare blueprint to ease Pat Cummins' workload as pace bowling captain

Australia chose to appoint Pat Cummins as their Test captain and added on the mental pressure to the player, who is already burdened body with the physical workload. Cummins himself expressed expectations that Australia will rotate their pacers in the upcoming Ashes series at home and hence his elevation as the Test skipper was some sort of watershed moment for pace bowlers across the world of cricket. However, the team management has a blueprint ready to relieve some of the pressure both off his body and brain by “strategically” using other bowling sources and collective leadership of players who have been at the highest level for a long time. The head coach Justin Langer said that the team will take care of all commitments of the side and ensure that Cummins doesn’t have to deal with a lot of undue challenges. He said that Cameron Green and Marnus Labuschagne will roll their arm over to give him options and breathing space in bowling while senior players such as Steve Smith, David Warner and his bowling mates such as Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will give him collective cricketing ideas. "He (Cummins) will be fine strategically," Langer said. "It will just be maintaining the balance of everything else that goes with his bowling load and then captaining and all the other commitments. So we'll keep an eye on that. "Cam Green is going to be important there with his extra bowling that he can give. Marnus bowling some as well. So we'll try and manage him as best we can. The role of Steve Smith will become very important on the field"This day and age, there's so much data, you're so well prepared ... Pat will get all the gold nuggets. He's got lots of support around him. Steve Smith is the formal vice-captain. David Warner has got as good of a cricket brain in the game.” "Alex Carey's been a captain before, now he's behind the stumps. He's got his three best mates there in the bowlers (Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon). He's got massive upside Pat Cummins, as a leader and a captain of Australian cricket. He's an outstanding person, he's an elite player". Cummins was the only bowler who played all the Tests of the last Ashes series in 2019 in England while other pacers were rotated with the help of Peter Siddle and James Pattinson as options. The upcoming Ashes will answer a lot of questions about Cummins’s leadership and in general about the viability of a pace bowler as captain of the side, and whatever good or bad will be the outcome for them, will set a standard and example for the rest of the world.