AUSW vs INDW: Rain spoils party; first T20I gets called off

The first T20I of the three-match series between India women’s team and Australia women’s side was called off after rain played spoilsport in Queensland on Thursday. 

India were cruising towards a big total while batting first before the showers interrupted the game. The visitors started off in a decent manner after openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma put 31 runs on the board for the first wicket before Mandhana departed in the fourth over for a 10-ball 17. 

Verma followed her soon and was undone for 18 off 14 by Gardner. The Indian team had two new batters in Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur at the crease. While Jemimah took on the Australian bowling attack, Kaur was trapped in front of the stumps by Sophie Molineux for 12 runs off 5 deliveries. 

Rodrigues was then joined by Yastika Bhatia and the two batters put on a partnership of 51 runs for the fourth wicket. Bhatia was eventually sent back to the hut for a run-a-ball 15. 

Later, Richa Ghosh came out to bat and she along with Jemimah put 25 runs for the fifth wicket before the play was put to halt to eventually get abandoned. Rodrigues top-scored with 49* off 36. 

Garnder scalped two wickets while Molineux and Georgia Wareham picked up a wicket apiece. 

The hosts clinched the three-match ODI series 2-1 while the one-off day-night Test ended in a draw. The two sides will now play the second T20I on Saturday at the same venue.  

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IPL 2021 | Jason Holder showers praise on 'hard to get hold of' Umran Malik

Sunrisers Hyderabad experienced all-rounder Jason Holder has showered praise on pace sensation Umran Malik, who has burst onto the big stage with his express pace. Holder said that Umran has not been erratic like young pacers are tend to be and giving the Sunrisers batsmen hard time while facing in the nets. He said that Umran’s extra pace has boosted the overall performance and dimension of the Sunrisers bowling attack. He also rated his consistency very highly and said that the Jammu and Kashmir pacer has been a tough bowler to get hold of. "The first thing to mention is his pace, that is his biggest asset. He has been consistent in training and he has been giving us a hard time in training. He is very hard to get hold of, he has been deceiving the batters through his pace and that extra pace adds a boost to any bowling attack. It is good to see his control as well, a lot of guys who have bowled quick over the years, generally they can be erratic but he has been pretty consistent," Holder said in a virtual post-match press conference. Holder was a major force of a Sunrisers win over the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last game as he scored vital runs at a brisk pace in a low score game and then came back equally well with the ball to give just five runs in the penultimate over and denying the pair of Shahbaz Ahmed and Ab de Villiers chances of winning the game. He scored a 13-ball 16 before picking up a wicket and giving just 27 runs from his quota of four overs. He outlined the role situation plays in charting out batting tactics while in the bowling department, he has been relying on watching old footage to understand different patterns of field placements. "Well, I just try to prepare well. Funny enough I did not practice on Tuesday, I tend to watch the footage and see patterns on where I can set the field when I bowl. I think batting is just about the situation, the partnership I formed, in the end, was crucial," he added. The Sunrisers have had a torrid run of form in the ongoing edition of the tournament but the performance of players such as Jason Holder and the emergence of players such as Umran Malik and Abdul Samad will give them some sense of hope in the near future.

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India's Head Strength and Conditioning coach Nick Webb to step down after T20 World Cup

India’s support staff is all set to be pressed a hard reset as in addition to the trio of the head coach, bowling and fielding coach, the trainer Nick Webb has also decided to not renew his contract with the Indian team after the conclusion of the upcoming T20 World Cup. Webb took over the role from Shankar Basu after the 2019 ODI World Cup and has decided to move on due to Covid-19 restrictions in place in his home country New Zealand that has kept him away from the family for a majority of the last year. Announcing his decision on his LinkedIn profile, Nick said that staying so many days away from family would become “unsustainable” post the World T20 and hence he decided to move on. He looked back at his tenure with the Indian team and said that the men in blue created history while adapting to the face of many challenges in the last two years. He hoped for the Indian team to have a “big dance” after winning the T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman. “For the past 2 + years I have had the privilege and honour of representing India, the BCCI and Team India. We have achieved and grown a lot as a team during this time. As a team we created history, we won matches and we lost matches. But how we continually responded and adapted in the face of many challenges along with everyone’s willingness to compete every single day are things that make this team special,” Nick wrote in his LinkedIn post. “This has not been an easy decision but ultimately I must put my family first. The current COVID restrictions for New Zealand citizens wanting to enter NZ is the primary reason. While these restrictions may ease in the future, the uncertainty of this happening moving forward along with potential 5-8 month stints at a time away from my family has made it unsustainable for me past the T20 World Cup.” Already the head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar have decided not to renew their association with the Indian side after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup and Nick’s departure will set the stage for fresh faces in almost all positions of Indian support staff.