Afghanistan will soon have its very own international cricket stadium

Shahid Afridi, Chris Gayle among other T20 stars confirm presence in Abu Dhabi T10

The heavyweights of T20 cricket such as Chris Gayle, Shahid Afridi, and Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell have confirmed their participation in the upcoming edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 League scheduled to take off from January 28. The upcoming edition will be a fourth of the tournament and it will be played in the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Chris Gayle announced his arrival in his typical way and said that the ten over game will be more exciting as shorter games lead to more entertainment. "The shorter the format, the more exciting the game becomes. I can't wait to play at the Zayed Cricket Stadium again, watch out Abu Dhabi - a Gayle storm is coming," Gayle said in a statement. Another star player in the shorter formats of the game, Shahid Aridi, too, made his availability clear for the tournament. He will play for Qalandars and expressed his excitement about the prospect of the 10 over games in Abu Dhabi. "I look forward to coming back to the Abu Dhabi T10 and playing in one of the most stunning stadiums in the world" Afridi said. Former captain of West Indies and an all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo, who is widely sought in T20 leagues across the world, will be an icon player for the Delhi Bulls side. His last appearance in the league was in the last season when he had led the Maratha Arabians to victory. This year, the Arabians have decided to go in with Shoaib Mallik and have named Pakistan's star player as the leader of the team to define the title. Another prominent name in T20 cricket, Sunil Narine has been named the captain of Deccan Gladiators while his Windies teammate Andre Russell has been picked as an icon player by the Northern Warriors side.

England appoint Jacques Kallis as batting consultant for Sri Lanka Test series

Former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has been roped in as a batting consultant for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka that will begin on January 14, 2021. Kallis will join a seven-member coaching group to tour the island nation for a two-match test series for the first time in any role for the English side. “Seven coaches will join the squad for the two-Test tour, with the tour party departing on 2 January. Former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis joins the England setup for the first time as batting coaching consultant,” the ECB said in its statement. Both test matches between the sides will be played behind closed doors at the Galle international cricket stadium. England Test Squad for Sri Lanka tour: Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Joe Burns reveals how one shot turned his form around against India

Sunil Gavaskar always advocates rules in favour of batsmen and in his defence he always argues that it takes just one delivery, good or bad for a bowler to undo all the hard work put in by batsmen. A batsman can be dismissed by some of the worst balls, while some of their best shots can be caught in unbelievable fashion to send them back to the pavilion. The reverse can also be true. A batsman can also get back in his best rhythm in a span of one ball or one shot where he gets the feel-good factor about finding the middle of the bat. Although Mr. Gavaskar has not said this yet, for the Australian opener Joe Burns, the reverse was true and he was happy at the receiving end of it in the first test against Adelaide. Burns has not a great time in the middle with bat and his place in the playing XI was up for debate before both David Warner and Will Pucovski were ruled out of the first test His start with the bat in the Adelaide test was not any good either as after battling the initial spells of Jaspirt Bumrah and Umesh Yadav, he was caught in front of the stumps, only just by a Bumrah’s yorker and the trouble was deepening for Burns. In the second innings as well, he was greeted with short balls by a deflated Indian bowling attack and one hit his arm near the elbow region. His life at the crease was getting worse as he was made to bat almost with only one arm, but the breakthrough moment arrived for the beleaguered opener until that point when one of the short delivery off Umesh Yadav could not rise much and he found the middle of the bat to despatch it to the boundary. Burns saw both the comical and philosophical side of the game when he felt like coming back into a rhythm once again, which he felt was just one shot away. "It's funny how in this game it's often one shot that can give you everything you've been searching for. Probably the first pull shot I hit off Umesh Yadav, think I was on 4 and it came out of the middle and felt amazing. I think all summer I've been confident, I've been batting well, just without rhythm. To find some rhythm in the middle, often it can be one shot away. I just kept working hard, been in this situation many times before, you know how quickly it can turn," Burns said. Burns has had a horror run of form leading up to the first test with an aggregate of 62 runs from nine innings for Queensland and Australia A. He said that although he would have loved the prospect of facing the Indian team and the bowling attack on the back of the good form, he is experienced enough to decipher that past performance only plays a little role in shaping one’s technique and class which are permanent and players don’t lose those values overnight. "And to take on a fantastic opposition in such a big series, it's easy to get yourself locked in before that first ball. I'd love to be coming off four-five first-class hundreds but at the end of the day it doesn't matter what's happened before, your skills stay the same and your job stays the same and your ambitions stay the same. You just have to do it. Fortunately for me I've got 10 years of experience to draw on if the preceding five or six weeks weren't great,” Burns added. Burns has been cleared to play in the Boxing Day test after the scans have ruled out any serious injury due to the blow he took and it would be a deja vu moment for him. He had made his debut in Test cricket at the same ground and against the same opposition--India in 2014 and like his debut Test match, coming in with a lot to prove about his quality as a batsman. For Burns, the return to test cricket felt almost like a test debut only after a prolonged period of lockdown and quarantine and he would be hoping to make amends with the bat in the next test and dismiss all the talks around his place in the starting Xi. "You reflect on the year that's been, the big lay-off from playing with the pandemic going on, then we were playing Shield games at some club grounds so it was nice to get out in a Test match at a Test venue, more than anything to get back around this group. I said to one of the boys on the first day coming in, it certainly felt like being home again, so much confidence in this team and it flows through to all the players,” Burns reflected on the year that was tough for the world as well as for sportspersons. Burns’ place in the playing Xi for the Adelaide test was confirmed only after the injury to Will Pucoski as both Warner and Pucovski were injured. But, the coach Justin Langer always backed Joe Burns to come good and he had put all his weight behind Burns’ who was clearly short of runs as well as confidence. "I've been privately and publicly backing Joe the whole time, he's a very good player, you don't lose your talent overnight. He also understands though runs are the greatest currency of value to any player. We'll make our decision on who's going to open in the next day or so," Langer had said of Joe Burns. Now, as Burns has shown signs of coming back into good form after hitting a half-century in the second innings of the Adelaide test, he is all praise for his coach for backing him to the hilt when all were seeking his exclusion. He emphasized that Langer had only advised him to be mentally focussed and backed him to play his shots in perfect batting rhythm while in training. “Obviously JL has been right in my corner over the last few weeks. The message from him was just about finding rhythm, more than anything in the preparation he really wanted me to play my shots in training and be strong-minded. I guess that shone through in that innings and by the end it felt amazing. Always a special feeling when you aren't making runs and you have someone in your corner. The challenges of international cricket keep coming and for the rest of the series it will be very tough, my job and my goal is to get big matchwinning hundreds in those games. "There's always noise in this game, it's why you love playing for Australia. Think JL said there's always theatre around the team. Those conversations I had with Justin were fantastic. He has been through it all before, he knows what it's like to open the batting for his country. It's very relatable. The message was, you miss out in a few games, it doesn't change your ability, confidence, mindset, preparation,” Burns said. After his debut six years back, Joe Burns has had a discontinuous international career through the various streak of poor form and other batsmen coming through ranks. There is no dearth of opening batsmen in Australia with the likes of Will Pucovski and Marcus Harris already knocking the selection door down. It won’t be long before Burns will be asked to make way for others, like in the past, if he does not make full use of the backings he has got from the leadership group of the Australian team including captain Tim Paine, and coach Justin Langer.

Match Preview: Scorchers look to open account against charged-up Thunder

Perth Scorchers are yet to register a win in the Big Bash League's (BBL) ongoing 10th season. After losing their first match, they had to endure a no-result in their second game. They will now face an invigorated Sydney Thunder side who surged to a scintillating win in their previous match. The shadow of COVID would be looming large in this contest also. Restrictions have been placed on the entry of spectators based upon their travel history. However, the two teams, secure in their bubble, are likely to remain focussed on their performances. Scorchers Need a Win Not much has been achieved by the Perth team so far in this season. To be fair, they haven't had much of an opportunity. With only one-and-a-half matches so far, there isn't a decent sample to judge their performance. They have one of the best fast bowling attacks in the league, at least on paper. Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, and Jhye Richardson have experience of bowling at the international level and even have modest success to their name. Richardson had decent figures in the first game but didn't receive any support from his two comrades. But one bad game won't worry the team too much. What the Scorchers would like is their ace spinner Fawad Ahmed to fire. The next match won't be easy for him as Canberra, the venue, has a small ground. If he errs even slightly, there would be a heavy price to pay. On the batting front, there are some very good signs that very visible in the unifinished last game. Colin Munro played a smashing knock, though he fell short of a half-century. However, the Kiwi batsman has got into his stride and that sets him up nicely for the rest of the season. The kind of batsman he is, Munro would either plunder the bowling attack or get out. He doesn't waste time. The captain Ashton Turner also had a good hit-out in this match. Batting in the middle order, his good form is crucial for the team to have momentum through their innings. Thunder Seek to Strike Again It took a blazing innings from lower order batsman Daniel Sams to take Sydney Thunder to their first win of the season. This would boost their morale but it shouldn't hide the need for more runs from the top order. Usman Khawaja needs to get some runs at the top of the order. His partner Alex Hales has scored a fifty and a first-ball duck in the two matches so far. But he would be a big threat for the opposition. The small ground in Canberra should favour Hales strokeplay. Apart from Hales, only Callum Ferguson, the captain, has good form among the recognised batsmen. This is a worry for the team. In the bowling department, Tanveer Sangha has emerged as the most exciting spin-bowling prospect in the league. Interestingly, he has creditaed his good performances to advice from one of his opponents in the Scorchers - Fawad Ahmed. But it's not just Sangha that Thunder are excited about. Because, Kiwi speedster Adam Milne is ready to play and team's coach Shane Bond has said that his side are ready to 'unleash' him against Scorchers. This is a very exciting prospect. Thunder vs Scorchers: Match Details Venue: Manuka Oval, Canberra Date and Time: December 22, 1:45 PM IST, 7:15 PM Local, 8:15 AM GMT Broacasters: Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV Pitch Report Action is returning to Manuka Oval after a gap of more than a week. In the previous matches of the season, the pitch has looked good for batting. Interestingly, both spinners and pacers have got some help, which suggests a good cricket wicket. So, a good contest between bat and ball is expected. Weather and Toss The weather on Tuesday evening is expected to be absolutely perfect with no clouds or rain expected. This means the toss wouldn't play a big part. The decision of the captain winning it would be more influenced by the team's strategy than conditions. Probable XIs Scorchers: Josh Inglis (Wk), Colin Munro, Joe Clarke, Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Turner (C), Cameron Bancroft, Aaron Hardie, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Fawad Ahmed Thunder: Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, Callum Ferguson (C), Alex Ross, Baxter Holt (Wk), Ben Cutting, Daniel Sams, Chris Green, Adam Milne, Jonathan Cook, Tanveer Sangha