BAN vs NZ | 1st T20I: We bowled in right areas, says Shakib Al Hasan

CPL 2021 | Sherfane Rutherford, Fabian Allen combine to give Patriots fourth consecutive victory

Sherfane Rutheford doesn’t seem like stopping any soon as the left-hander looks in form of his life. He hit yet another fifty, third in four matches and once again remained unbeaten to guide his team to its fourth consecutive win in four matches of the Caribbean Premier League 2021. Along with Rutherford, Fabian Allen’s unbeaten 30 off just 12 balls was also instrumental in St Kitts and Nevis’ six-wicket win with 14 balls remaining. Chasing a target of 167, The openers gave yet another ideal start to the Patriots as they crossed the team crossed the 40 run mark in only four overs. However, two wickets fell in quick succession to worry the Patriots just a bit. But, Ravi Bopara, playing his first game of the season struck a 25 run stand with Evin Lewis, before the former was removed by Rovman Powell. Bopara though continued his ‘nudge and run’ tactics at one end as Rutherford teed off right from the start at the other. The duo went on to add 42 for the fourth wicket as Patriots inched closer to the win. Allen, who came after Bopara’s fall to Fidel Edwards was in all sorts of a hurry to finish the game as he struck two fours and three sixes and raced away to 30 off just 12 balls. Prior to this Allen show, Rutherford had already wrecked to his fifty after hammering Migael Pretorious for two sixes of the last two balls of the 17th over. Earlier in the evening, courtesy skipper Dwayne Bravo’s 3-25 and two wickets each by Paul van Meekeren and Dominic Drakes, Patriots were able to restrict Tallawahs for 166 in their 20 overs. None of the Jamaica batters were able to convert their starts. With this win, the Patriots remain at the top of the CPL points table with four wins from four matches. They next play Barbados Royals who are looking to find form. On the other hand, Tallawahs would lock hands with Trinbago Knight Riders on September 06.

CPL 2021 | Romario Shepherd wins super over thriller for Guyana against arch-rivals Trinbago

Picking three wickets including that of Keiron Pollard while bowling in the first innings, then scoring a belligerent 9 balls 18 runs to keep his team in the game and then defending six runs off the Super Over. These were the things achieved by just one person, Romario Shepherd of the Guyana Amazon Warriors who literally won the match between arch-rivals Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders at Basseterre, St Kitts. When the match was tied after 40 overs, Amazon Warriors who chased in the full match, batted first in the super over and could only make six runs off five balls, losing two wickets to Sunil Narine, unable to utilise the full six deliveries. It looked like the game was done and suited, but for a certain Romario who made it a point that the two points were going to go the Warriors way no matter what. Kieron Pollard and Colin Munro came in to bat and get the six runs as quickly as possible to wrap up another win for the Trinbago Knight Riders. However, Shepherd had other plans as a full-length delivery drilled down the ground by Pollard was caught at long-off by Shoaib Malik and on the very first ball, the Knight Riders had lost their trump card. Still, only seven runs from five balls looked way too easy to be not achieved by the likes of Munro and Tim Seifert, who had come in after Pollard’s dismissal. Shepherd gave only one run in the next two balls to make it 6 off three balls. On the fourth ball, once again fuller length outside off, Shimron Hetmyer committed a fumble at extra cover to give away a double and make the equation four from two balls. The fifth ball was once again a wide yorker, a little bit too wide, but the umpire chose to call it a legal delivery as Seifert had shuffled too much to the off. With a four required to win the game, another wide yorker from Shepherd meant that Seifert could only get it to wide long-off and with only a single taken, Guyana won yet another super over against Trinbago and the Knight Riders registered their third super over loss in the CPL history. The match needn’t have gone the super over in the first place itself as either of the two sides at various stages in the game looked like winning it hands down. Having gotten Knight Riders restricted to only 138 in the 20 overs, the Warriors fancied themselves to clear the lines and get back on to the winnings ways. However, at 7-2 in the second over, indications were clear that the chase wasn’t going to be easy. Ravi Rampaul was getting the ball to do a lot of things and having picked up two wickets already, he was raring to cause more damage. However, that threat was averted for the time being as Mohammad Hafeez and Hetmyer tried steadying the ship. But that partnership didn’t last long and Hafeez was dismissed with the team score reaching only 40. Soon Hetmyer and Malik were out as well and it looked a long road for the Warriors to travel with skipper Nicholas Pooran and Brandon King at the crease. However, the due added quick 37 off 21 balls and just as it looked like going Warriors’ way once again, the wily old fox Rampaul struck twice in two balls to bring the game in Trinbago’s favour once again. With seven down and 33 runs needed yet for a victory with two tailenders at the crease, the Warriors were looking down the drain under Shepherd and Naveen-ul-Haq smashed Rampaul and Udana all over the park to bring the equation down to eight runs from six balls. But once again the match turned as Akeal Hosein bowled out shepherd, giving way just a single off the first three deliveries. Just as it seemed the game was over for the Warriors, Naveen reverse swept Hosein for four over the third man and with two singles of the next two balls, the game was tied. Earlier in the day, courtesy of Hafezz’s 3-18 and Shepherd’s 3-24, Warriors were able to blunt the Knight Riders batting attack as they stopped them at 138 only.

SL vs SA | 1st ODI | Preview: With CWC Super League on their mind, two teams at the bottom of the table collide

Sri Lanka is going through a pandemic, but even amidst that, South Africa has committed itself to the limited-overs tour of the country which begins with the all-important three-match Cricket World Cup Super League ODI series. The series holds a special value for both the countries which are lying in the bottom half of the 13 team table. What's at stake? While South Africa has managed to win two of their six games and still have time to recuperate, it is Sri Lanka with only two wins out of its 12 games that are reeling behind and might see itself out of the race of the top seven teams which will qualify directly with hosts India for the ICC 2023 ODI World Cup. For the Lankan Lions to make a case for themselves before the November 2022 deadline, they would have to put in their best efforts starting this series itself. What can be expected of Sri Lanka? To do that, they have selected veteran Dinesh Chadnimal in the batting lineup while the bowling has been strengthened by the availability of fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep. With Kusal Perera back, skipper Dasun Shanaka in good touch as seen during the SLC T20 League and Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera feeling confident having bagged IPL contracts, the islanders would be feeling confident going into this series. How are South Africa shaping up? On the other hand, South Africa who tested great success in Ireland and West Indies in recent times under new skipper Temba Bavuma would be looking to convert that confidence into results here in Sri Lanka too. Quinton de Kock, the most dynamic batter for the Proteas would not be available for the series, but that does not make the team one-bit second rate as it has got all the ingredients of a team as deadly as the vipers in South African jungles. Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Wiaan Mulder are as dangerous as fire with the new ball while Tabraiz Shamsi is the world number one T20I spinner and Keshav Maharaj needs no introduction either. In the batting lineup too, the Proteas boast of youngsters Janneman Malan and Rassie van der Dussen while the experience of Aden Markram and Bavuma is as valuable as ever. Sri Lanka vs South Africa: Details Match Number- 01 Date and Time: September 02, 2021, 02:30 pm IST and Local, 09:00 am GMT Venue: R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo Broadcast and Livestream: Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV Pitch Report Of the 124 ODIs played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, the teams batting first might have won 70 matches, but in the last three games against India, the teams chasing were able to win all three games. Also, the pitch has relatively improved over the years and with dew coming in later on, it would be wise to bat second. Weather Forecast The match might be under the threat of a washout as heavy showers with thunderstorms are predicted from 03 pm throughout the evening. Probable XI Sri Lanka Kusal Perera (wk), Avishka Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Kamindu Mendis, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama, Nuwan Pradeep South Africa Temba Bavuma (c), Janneman Malan, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Dwaine Pretorius, George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi Dream XI Team Wicketkeepers Kusal Perera, Dinesh Chandimal Batters Dasun Shanaka, Janneman Malan, Rassie van der Dussen All-rounders Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva Bowlers Dushmantha Chameera, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi Vice-Captain Rassie van der Dussen Captain Wanindu Hasaranga

'Absolutely fit' Jadeja keeps selection debate on but India take inspiration from recent comebacks

India were routed in the first innings of the last Test at Headingley as batsmen did not show enough discipline and lost composure in the face of immensely accurate bowling by the hosts. They made a comeback of sorts in the second innings but as the skipper, Virat Kohli said after the game, they were always playing a catch-up game and were dismantled once again in the second innings to lose the game by an innings margin. From a relatively stronger position irrespective of the deficit in the second innings, Kohli’s men lost the last eight wickets for a mere 63 runs and surrendered once again on the fourth morning. Kohli tried to downplay those collapses by calling them “aberration” for an impressive batting order but the theme has now become more prevalent in the recent past. They were also bundled out for 36 and a very low score on a flat surface in Chennai and hence the collapses at Headingley should ring some alarm bells in the dressing room. However, the team management has reiterated the stance of choosing to see what came after those harrowing performances. India bowling coach Bharat Arun, who attended the pre-match press conference exulted confidence in the team and issued a kind of “been there done that” message from the Indian camp ahead of the all-important fourth Test. "We have done it in the past, we were bowled out for 36 and bounced back. Also against England at home, we came back after a big defeat (in Chennai). We can take confidence from what we have done in past. You will see a lot more spirited performance,” Arun said in the press conference. Batting alone was not India’s failure in the Headingley Test as their bowlers failed to extract any sort of assistance from the pitch, let alone the prodigious seam movement and bounce England pacers generated. They were lacklustre in their approach and lacked intensity as well as discipline to build pressure on England top-order batsmen who were under quite a bit of pressure. They were allowed to get away with loose and wide balls they could leave easily or hit for four at the start of the innings and as soon as the new opening pair of Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns took the hosts past the 100-run mark without loss of a wicket, the writing was on the wall for the tourists. Arun was asked what went wrong for the Indian bowlers and how were they outbowled by their English counterparts. Arun refused to rate the bowling performance as bad and referred to the triumphant Lord’s Test saying that just a game before they had outbowled their counterparts and this sort of underperformance is not a concern. He did underline a concern though and it was the form of Ishant Sharma, who was guilty of bowling very wide from the batsmen and wasting the new ball. He has been India’s trump card bowler in the last few years and hence his form and fitness came as a “concern” for Arun. India on September 1 added Prasidh Krishna into the main squad and it fulled speculation that the tall bowler from Karnataka is being seen as a like for like replacement for Ishant. He is also known for his swing and the extra pacer he generates due to his height, but Arun categorically denied that he has been added to replace Ishant from the side that played at Headingley. He re-emphasized the workload management of bowlers—a point also highlighted by Kohli in the post-match press conference after the defeat in Leeds behind the move to include Prasidh in the main squad. “He has been included in the side considering all the workload management issues. There is nothing more to it than that,” Arun said. Apart from the composition of the pace department that may be constrained due to the heavy load on the trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj, the Indian team management will also have to keep on pondering over the issue of spinners in the side. So far, Ravindra Jadeja has been preferred over Ravichandran Ashwin but there is no doubt in the fact that the former has been picked more for his batting prowess and also because Kohli believed the composition of four pacers would more or less do the job clinically. However, the clamour of Ashwin’s absence is growing louder and louder and he could have come in the place of Jadeja, who was under injury clouds. Arun though quelled those speculations and ruled Jadeja “absolutely fit” which does not absolve the team management from the responsibility of picking one spinner among those two or both in case the pitch appears to be helping spinners. India have also been found out with Rishabh Pant batting at the number six position and a dip in form of the middle order. Expert and former players have been demanding an extra batsman to aid out of form batsmen and the team management might take the Ashwin route to bolster the batting and shorten the tail. Arun said that The Oval has the reputation of aiding spinners in the past but at the same time shared scepticism over England opting to play on a surface that assists turn considering their “one of the best bowlers” in Ashwin. He said that the last call on the composition of the bowling attack, especially the spinners will be taken on the eve of the game after having an assessment based on the final look of the surface. "Ashwin, no doubt, is one of the best bowlers we have and it's unfortunate that he has not played so far but if there is an opportunity and if we feel that he is going to fit into the scheme of things, they will definitely both be bowling in tandem. History at the Oval says that it aids spin but you also know how the Englishmen are wary of Ashwin's abilities of what he could do if there is any assistance from the track” the bowling coach added. "The best thing would be to decide after looking at the track tomorrow morning as anything could happen between now and tomorrow. So we will look at it tomorrow morning and decide." Arun presented a confident face of the Indian camp as has been the case for the Virat Kohli-led team management over the years. They have had in this situation before when the world had written them off and they came roaring back in the contest right after being pushed against the wall. Arun would hope that the bowlers, who came short in Leeds would put their hands up while the batsmen would learn from their mistakes and replicate their methods from the first and second Test.