AUS vs IND: Tim Paine will play the main sledger, reckons Mohammad Kaif

BBL10 | MLR vs PRS: Usual Marsh stuff takes Renegades past Scorchers in Hobart

It was usual Shaun Marsh at the display as the ever consistent renegade took his team home in its opening encounter against his former team, the Perth Scorchers. Although Marsh got out just when two more runs were required and weren’t able to carry his bat, the damage had already been done, as Renegades chased down the 130 set up by the Scorchers, with 21 balls remaining and seven wickets in hand. Interestingly Renegades played the match with six debutants. Marsh-Finch ring the warning bell The 130 runs put up by Scorchers was in no way a daunting total to chase, yet instead of getting complacent, the experienced pair of skipper Aaron Finch and run machine Marsh got on to it with an attacking mindset, reaching 70 runs in just eight overs. The partnership was full of dashing shots and yet smooth as a banana with no hiccups until Finch was caught by Marsh off Jhye Richardson. But with this partnership, the old foxes rang a warning bell to other teams that they are going to be a tough nut to crack for the opposition and probably the most prized scalps in the entire Renegades’ batting line up. While Finch scored 35, Marsh went on to register his 48th t20 fifty. Scorchers scorched The three quicks in Jason Behrendorff, Andrew Tye, and Jhye Richardson were playing together for the first time in 670 days and although the Scorchers were defending a small total, it was expected that these three would at least get into the groove and pose some threat with the new ball. However, they were taken for the cleaners by the Renegades openers as Behrendorff leaked 34 in his four while Tye gave away 37 and the two stalwarts returned without a wicket. Jhye, though, was quite exceptional with the ball, as if starting the season from where he left it the last time, picking two wickets in 3.3 overs and giving away just 20 runs. Roy-Livingstone badly missed Earlier, electing to bat after winning the toss, the Scorchers started their innings on a disastrous note as they lost three wickets for just 19 runs in three overs as both their openers along with the destructive Colin Munro were back in the hut. Ashton Turner and skipper Mitchell Marsh tried to build the partnership but it was broken by a brilliant throw from wicketkeeper Sam Harper as he removed the risk-taker Turner. The team very evidently missed the services of their foreign recruits in the Englishmen Liam Livingstone and Jason Roy, both of whom are known for taking the attack back to the opposition. In their absence, no other Scorcher could take the lead, although all-rounder Aaron Hardie tried hard. Richardson-Lalor strike in tandem The Melbourne team had built pressure right from the start of the game as Kane Richardson and Josh Lalor taking wickets of openers Josh Inglis and Munro. From there onwards, the two didn't stop and kept taking wickets at regular intervals. They were ably supported by the leggie Peter Hatzoglou, who on his debut took two important wickets of opposition captain Marsh and experienced Bancroft. The two pacers however took three wickets each and the 33-year-old Lalor was also adjudged Man of the Match for his performance. What's Next? After two games, that were not very eventful and rather one-sided(at least the second one), the weekend would be cashed in by the BBL authority as two more matches would be hosted on Sunday. In the first game, the Hobart Hurricanes, who would be high on confidence having won the opening encounter against the last year champs Sydney Sixer, would play the Adelaide Strikers tomorrow morning. While in the evening game, it would be a Sixers vs Renegades competition, where the Sixers would like to get back to winning ways, but Finch led Renegades would try to continue the momentum.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman recovers from COVID-19, joins Brisbane Heat squad in Canberra

The Brisbane Heat will be relieved to welcome back Mujeeb Ur Rahman after the spinner was discharged from a Gold Coast hospital having recovered from the novel coronavirus infection. Mujeeb has joined the Heat squad in Canberra and is likely to be available for the next fixture against the Sydney Thunder scheduled to take place on Monday, December 14. Mujeeb had tested positive for COvid-19 while in quarantine after arriving in Queensland and the Afghan spinner has no or little preparation of competitive cricket before he came to Australia after a poor outing in the IPL where he played only two matches for the Kings XI Punjab franchise and conceded more than 10 runs per over. However, Heat skipper Chriss Lynn has expressed optimism that Mujeeb will be ready to take on the Thunder in the team’s next match after they suffered a convincing defeat at the hands of Melbourne Stars in their first game. "He's really upbeat. He can't wait to play. He has been part of our Heat family for a number of years now. He's a world-class player and can be a game-changer," Lynn had said on Mujeeb after the last game. Mujeeb has an outstanding record in his short BBL career where he has played only 18 matches and taken 15 wickets at an astounding economy rate of 6.09 runs per over. He has an outstanding strike rate and average combination of 28.1 and 28.5 respectively.

BBL 10 | Sixers vs Renegades: Match Preview, Predicted XI, Pitch and Weather Report

After losing their first game of the season, Sydney Sixers would look to get their Big Bash League (BBL) campaign back on track when they take on Melbourne Renegades at Hobart on Sunday. For Renegades also, it would be their second match of the season, the first being the contest against Perth Scorchers on Saturday. This match would be the fourth of the season on this ground and second of the day. Whether this affects the pitch or not remains to be seen. The first match on this ground, the opening contest of the series turned out to be a modestly high-scoring affair while the second was low-scoring. But if the pitch becomes worn out, spinners may come into play. Sixers' Hopes The bowling from Sixers in the opening game was disappointing. None of the bowlers were able to achieve an economy rate of less than 8/over except Ben Manenti. Even Steve O'Keefe proved to be very expensive. Ben Dwarshuis did pick up three wickets but conceded too many runs in return. If the pitch starts to show signs of wear and tear, then the spinners, Manenti and O'Keefe could become more useful. Also, it would be an opportunity for players such as Gurinder Sandhu, Carlos Brathwaite, and Daniel Christian to use some cutters for greater impact. On the batting front, Sixers would be hoping for another good showing by James Vince. A failed player at the Test and ODI level, Vince seems to be in his elements in such competitions. His fluent strokeplay and exquisite timing makes him well-suited to the challenges of T20 cricket. Jack Edwards also had a good showing in the match against Hurricanes. His good innings was a big positive for a team that does not have that many stars in the line-up presently. Batsmen like opener Josh Philippe, captain Daniel Hughes, and Jordan Silk will also have to fire. And then, of course, is Brathwaite. This tournament is another opportunity for him to show that he isn't a once-in-a-blue mood performer. So far, he hasn't done that. Renegades' Plan Renegades' batting looks strong. Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh will be the leaders of this line-up and would have gained good support from Marcus Harris, but for his inclusion in Australia A and, subsenquently, Australian Test team. Rilee Rossouw would be expected to live-up to the expectations also, being the South African import. In absence of players like Finch and March, his role becomes all the more crucial. Not only does he need to score runs himself but also provide some leadersiip with his insights. The bowling attack though, packs a punch. Kane Richardson and Josh Lalor are likely to be in the playing XI. But many of the prominent bowlers would be unavailable for selection. James Pattinson is with the Australian team while Imran Tahir will also join the team later. But others such as P Hatzoglou, Mitchell Perry, Benny Howell, and Beau Webster will be in contention for selection. The bowling department would look much stronger when everyone becomes available but, as of now, they still have enough talent to get through. Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Renegades: Match Details Venue: Bellerive Oval, Hobart Date and Time: December 13, 1:45 PM IST, 7:15 PM Local, 8:15 AM GMT Broadcaster: Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV Pitch Report After the first match which saw both teams score around 170, the second match saw bowlers making a mark. So, it is hard to predict what kind of pitch will be there for this game. But it certainly won't be a greentop. Also, with this being the fourth match on this ground in three days, wear and tear would also be a possibility. Weather and Toss Weather will remain calm and comfortable in the evening. So, it won't have much effect on the game. The pitch will be the key in determining what the captain does after winning the toss. Probable XIs Sydney Sixers: Josh Philippe (Wk), Jack Edwards, James Vince, Daniel Hughes (C), Jordan Silk, Daniel Christian, Carlos Brathwaite, Ben Dwarshuis, Steve O'Keefe, Benjamin Manenti, Gurinder Sandhu Melbourne Renegades: Shaun Marsh, Aaron Finch (C), Sam Harper (Wk), Rilee Rossouw, Beau Webster, Jack Fraser-McGurk, Benny Howell, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Josh Lalor, P Hatzoglou

BBL 10 | Stoinis, Zampa help Melbourne Stars in overpowering Sydney Thunder

The Melbourne Stars have comprehensively defeated the Sydney Thunder in their second game and have started the 10th edition of the Big Bash League on a dominating note. The Thunder needed 26 runs off the last over which the Stars’ skipper trusted Adam Zampa to bowl on the basis of his form in the last three overs of the game leading up to the last over of the game, and the leg spinner made showed that it was too many to get for Thunder and for him to conceded against lower-order batsmen. Chasing a steep target of 170 runs on a Manuka Oval pitch that had something to offer for both the pacemen and spinners, the Thunder were caught napping with the bat as the Stars bowling line up kept choking the flow of their runs and thwarted any chance of them running away with the game. But, Thunders were off to a decent start till the third over as the opening pair of Alex Hales and Usman Khwaja were looking in great touch. Stars’ captain Maxwell introduced himself to start the proceedings for the team and the move backfired on him as Hales took the best advantage of the field restrictions and plummeted the off-spinner for 11 runs to set up the chase. But, a highly-rated overseas import of Stars from Pakistan- Dilbar Hussain broke through to send Khwaja back to the pavilion albeit the replays showed the left-hander had missed the ball. Thunder’s skipper Callum Ferguson was the next man in to join Hales in the pursuit of a run chase that was still not out of their grasp and he started with a thumping pull shot against Hussain’s delivery that set up for him to dispatch to the boundary. However, the duo got caught up with tight bowling for the Stars’ bowlers as they kept on faltering their attempts to clear boundaries. Alex Hales could get few going but even his attempts to go big for a sustained period of time was checked by bowlers. At the 10th over of the mark, the Thunder could reach only 68/1, which was significantly lower than the score of 92/1 put by the Stars batting first. Letting the required run rate jump over 10 runs per over from the starting requirement of 8.5 was a mistake the pair of Ferguson and Hales had committed and they tried to defy the Stars any benefit of it with Hales attempting and pulling off a desperate six over the long-off boundary on the very first ball of the 11th over and the Thunder could extract 12 runs off that over from Hilton Cartwright. Fergusson too was not far behind as Billy Stanlake was put to the sword in the next over and the skipper took 10 runs off him to ward off some of the pressure they had put on themselves. However, Hales’ period of joy was short and the left-arm wrist spinner Clint Hinchliffe got him short at the mid-wicket boundary when the Englishman tried to continue with the momentum of the last two overs. Hales’ wicket broke the back of Thunder’s innings as he was the set batsman among him and Ferguson and was also successful to get the big sixes up until that moment. It was all Ferguson’s responsibility to see the team through after Hales’ wicket and he looked set to do that by hitting a couple of fours and a six in no time and notched up his half-century. But as was the case with Hales, he too fell exactly after getting into a good rhythm of ball-striking. All the pressure on Ferguson and Hales were imposed due to the impressively economical spell of bowling from Stars’ wrist spinners, especially Adam Zampa who is showing signs of maturity with everything on the field. He was brought into the attack in the sixth over and by the completion of the 10th over, he had yielded only five runs from his first two overs. Maxwell, the captain, was proactive and called him for his second spell right after the fall of Ferguson and he made sure to squeeze out any chances of Thunder’s onslaught giving just two runs in the 16th over of the innings when the team required 54 of the last 30 balls. Right-arm pacer Liam Hatcher made sure to reap the rewards of some outstanding bowling from the other hand as he got Ferguson caught at the cover boundary and followed it up with twin strikes in his next over to serve massive dent to Thunder’s chasing effort. He took the key wicket of Ben Cutting in the 17th over who otherwise could have proved to be detrimental for the Stars with his power-hitting abilities. Thunder needed 36 from the last two overs and Hilton Cartwright and Adam Zampa made light of the Stars’ work taking two wickets each in their last over to set the game in Stars’ favour. Earlier, Melbourne Stars’ captain Glenn Maxwell won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch that was already used in one game and showed signs of slowing up in the second innings. Stars have stacked up all their power in batting at the top of the order and all their might was put on display at the start of the match when Marcus Stoinis and an overseas import Andre Fletcher started with a bang. Stoinis started in his usual 'stand and deliver' fashion and was not worried one bit about the failure he had in the last game against Brisbane Heat with that approach as he kept on getting outside the line of stumps and hit spinners over the top for fun. Ferguson had asked leg spinner, Jonathan Cook, to bowl the first over in hope of an early breakthrough, but Stoinis was in no mood to provide Thunder with any upper hand and he smashed Cook over his head for a big six to make his intentions clear. Daniel Sams, who is now richer in terms of experience after playing for Australia in the T20 series against Australia but he was guilty of bowling mixed lengths to Andre Fletcher who wasted no time in serving him a lesson and stamped his authority of being an international player as well. A fuller ball was driven to the extra cover boundary while a short ball outside off stump was slapped for a six over point region. Stoinis’ assault grew bigger in the next over as the off-spinner Chris Green who could not get a game in the IPL 202 was treated with disdain and was hit for a four and six over his head. Stoinis was in no mood to relent and let the off-spinner go and cut the last ball for four toward the point boundary to make the statement about the kind of cricket the Stars want to play by placing all their batting might at the top. Under pressure, Ferguson called on Australian U-19 leg spinner Tanvir Sangha and he showed his worth and gave much-needed relief to Ferguson with the wicket of Fletcher in his very first over of the Big Bash career. Stoinis was relentless though and as Maxwell joined him in the middle, fresh from swashbuckling innings form the last match, the duo started to pile on the misery for Thunder’s bowling attack. Jonathan Cook returned with his third over after the completion of the 10th over and took away Marcus Stoinis but not before the all-rounder had torn apart the bowling attack with a 37-ball-61 The next man in Hilton Cartwright took time to settle but both he and Maxwell were caught batting a bit slowly in the middle over as the Thunder’s bowlers started effectively using cutters and slower balls. When Maxwell departed in the 15th over, just the next over after Cartwright’s dismissal who got out looking for runs after calling on the power surge in the 13th over, Stars were reliant on Ben Dunk and Nick Larkin to power them to an above-par score but both failed to do so. The Stars are off to a rollicking start to the season with all eight points into their pockets while the Thunder will look back at the middle phase of their chase among the other issues to resolve as the tournament progresses.