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Ban Vs Wi Pollard Holder Among 10 Prominent Players To Opt Out Of Bangladesh Tour

BAN vs WI: Pollard, Holder among 10 prominent players to opt out of Bangladesh tour

Both Test captain Jason Holder and ODI skipper Kieron Pollard, along with eight other prominent players, have opted out of the upcoming tour of Bangladesh due to concerns over COVID-19 and personal issues. Shimron Hetmyer, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, and Shai Hope are other players to have opted out of the tour citing COVID-19 as the reason while Fabian Allen and Shane Dowrich have made themselves unavailable over personal concerns.

These moves by players will be a setback for both Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) who were involved in serious rounds of discussions to make the series happen in Bangladesh.

In the absence of Holder, Kraigg Brathwaite has been awarded the captaincy of the Test team while Jason Mohammed will lead the ODI side.

Cricket West Indies has issued a statement in a press release that players who have opted out of the tour due to concerns of their health and safety are entitled to withdraw their names and that their decisions will not impact their contention for future tours.

"The CWI COVID-19 policy allows any player to opt-out of selection for an overseas tour, only when based on the player's own safety fears or concerns. Such decisions will not impact their consideration for future selection," CWI's release stated.

The West Indian touring party are scheduled to play three ODIs on January 20, 22, and 25 after reaching on January 10. The ODI series will be followed by a two-match Test series with matches at Chattogram and Dhaka, from February 3 and February 11, respectively.

West Indies Test Squad

Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, John Campbell, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Kavem Hodge, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Shayne Moseley, Veerasammy Permaul, Kemar Roach, Raymon Reifer, Jomel Warrican

West Indies ODI Squad

Jason Mohammed (captain), Sunil Ambris (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua Da Silva, Jahmar Hamilton, Chemar Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Andre McCarthy, Kjorn Ottley, Rovman Powell, Raymon Reifer, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh jr

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Struggling Scorchers take on high-flying Strikers in rematch

Two days ago, Adelaide Strikers emerged victorious over Perth Scorchers at the home ground of the former. The two sides will renew their rivalry tomorrow at the same ground. This is a must-win game for the Perth side as their season so far has been miserable. Three losses and one no-result in four games mean they are still winless. Adelaide, on the other hand, are improving with every game. Their captain Peter Siddle is leading from the front with good performances while their talisman Rashid Khan has once again established his supremacy in this format. Strikers are the favourites, but this is cricket, T20 at that, so anything can happen. Scorchers Looking Clueless Nothing has gone right for the Scorchers so far in this season. Their batsmen haven't got going while the bowlers, despite enough potential, haven't been able to create enough troubles for the opposition batsmen. Mitchell Marsh and Ashton Turner have shown glimpses of their big-hitting prowess. But that has to come after a strong base has been created by the top order. This is where the Perth-based side has been lagging behind. Colin Munro is a great striker of the cricket ball. However, he is known more for playing cameos than big innings. But even a cameo of 30 or 40 can set the Scorchers on their way to a big score. That strong punch has been missing. The team would have big hopes from Jason Roy. He has joined the team recently and his batting at the top could be the difference maker for the beleagured side. The bowling unit looks strong on paper but the key component in it - leg spinner Fawad Ahmed - hasn't been getting enough wickets. In this season of Big Bash League, leggies have been making a big mark. If Fawad doesn't lead the way, Perth would have a handicap. Rest of the bowlers, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, and Jhye Richardson are capable. If they have a good total to defend, they can be very effective. Strikers Find Their Stride Adelaide have found a great leader in Peter Siddle. A veteran with many years of experience, he has another string to his bow season by, seemingly, mastering the yorker. This skill seems to have brushed off on Wes Agar as well. But their trump card is Rashid Khan, and he is in full form. He won the Man of the Match award in the last game, against the same opposition he will be facing tomorrow. But in a bonus for the team, he is not the only spinner in the team making an impact. Danny Briggs has come up with great performances also. While Rashid has a bagful of tricks to fox the batsman with, Briggs relies on a tight line and lack of spin to get wickets. With these two taking wickets, Strikers are in a good space. Regarding their batting, there is great scope for improvement. Opener Phil Salt has been looking good but the middle order needs to contribute more. The likes of Matt Renshwaw, Jonathan Wells, and Matthew Short have been disappointing. That's a weak spot in Strikers's armour. Scorchers vs Strikers: Match Details Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Date and Time: December 31, 1:45 PM IST, 7:15 PM Local, 8:15 AM GMT Broadcaster: Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV Pitch Report Adelaide usually has a flat pitch which helps spinners. This seems to be the case this time as well since spinners did get help in the first match of this season played at the Adelaide Oval. More of such conditions can be expected for the upcoming game. Weather and Toss Weather on new year's eve will be perfect. No rain is expected and temperatures in the evening will hover around 20 degrees. Weather will not be a factor in the toss-winning captain's decision. Probable XIs Scorchers: Josh Inglis (Wk), Jason Roy, Colin Munro, Liam Livingstone, Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Turner (C), Aaron Hardie, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Fawad Ahmed Strikers: Phil Salt, Jake Weatherald, Alex Carey (C, Wk), Matt Renshaw, Jonathan Wells, Matthew Short, Rashid Khan, Daniel Worrall, Danny Briggs, Wes Agar, Peter Siddle

Rohit Sharma joins Indian team in Australia; likely to play SCG Test

Indian team welcomes the return of Rohit Sharma after the opener completed his period in isolation after arriving in Australia. Rohit did not travel with the squad from the UAE after the IPL, and later was ruled out of the white-ball leg of the series and the first two Tests. In a video posted by the BCCI on its Twitter timeline, Rohit was seen getting warm welcomes from all his teammates and support staff. Vikram Rathour was one of the prominent faces in the support staff to welcome Rohit back to the squad in a biosecure bubble. Head coach Ravi Shastri appeared pulling his legs while asking how his time in the quarantine went, while he also acknowledged Rohit’s outlook after a period of injury and isolation, and said the right hander was looking a lot younger. India will take on Australia in the third Test at the SCG from January 07 and with the return of Rohit Sharma, the team management will have to take a tough decision if they want to include Rohit in the playing XI.

S Sreesanth set to return after 7-year ban in Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy

Former Indiana Pacer Shantakumeran Sreesanth is likely to return to competitive cricket after the Kerala Cricket Association has included him in the team for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy scheduled to be played early next year. A 15-player squad has been announced which will be captained by Sanju Samson, while Sachin Bay will be vice-captain of the Kerala team in the domestic T20 tournament. Sreesanth completed serving a seven-year ban imposed by the BCCI in 2013 after his alleged involvement in a match-fixing scandal in the Indian Premier League. The period of ban ended in September earlier this year, but pandemic delayed his return to the field for Kerala in competitive cricket. Kerala squad Sanju Samson (C), Sachin Baby (VC), Jalaj Saxena, Robin Uthappa, Vishnu Vinod, Salman Nizar, Basil Thampi, S Sreesanth, Nidheesh MD, Asif KM, Akshay Chandran, Midhun PK, Abhishek Mohan SL, Vinoop S Manoharan, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Rohan S Kunnummal, Midhun S, Vathsal Govind Sharma, Rojith KG, Sreeroop MP.

Ajinkya Rahane's name goes up on the MCG Honours Board for second time

There were more achievements for India’s stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane other than huge rounds of praise from fans and cricket pundits for batting brilliantly and leading India’s recovery in the series. Rahane’s name has been engraved on the Honours Board of the MCG for his 112 runs in the first innings, that kept Australian bowlers at bay andin the end, India went on to win the match by 8 wickets. The names of players who score centuries at the ground or take a fife wicket haul with the ball, get reckoning in the form of a place on the board. This was the second entry for Rahane on that Honours Board as the right-hander had also scored a century at the MCG on the tour of Australia in 2014. In that series, both he and Virat Kohli were involved in a big partnership to tear apart the Australian bowling tactics. Rahane has been a very successful batsman overseas, and he also has his name on the very famous Honours Board at the Lord’s, a dream that eluded even the likes of Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar. Only Rahul Dravid, and Ajit Agarkar have been the batsmen of the modern era of Indian cricket who have their names on the Lord's Honours Board.