BBL 2020-21: Botha comes out of retirement for Hobart; Tom Curran pulls out

Australia vs India | 3rd T20I: Match Preview, Predicted XI & Dream11 Fantasy Picks

It’s all but over in the limited-overs tour of the Indian team down under and it goes without saying, that it has been a tour full of bittersweet memories. This would be the last time when the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, and most importantly T. Natarajan and Hardik Pandya, two of India’s finds (in Hardik’s case, finding him as a pure batsman) of the tour, are seen in the national colours before a long break. However, the last game, dead rubber by all means, still holds a lot for both teams. A test before the 'Tests' The Test series begins on 17th December in Adelaide and it would be a day/ night affair. The likes of Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, KL Rahul, and Matthew Wade, it presents itself as an opportunity to test themselves and find the right fit with the form before the big game. Practice games, after all, won’t give the feel of playing in a full house SCG. Team India might want to give the likes of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, some must required practice before the Test series. On the Other hand, Australia would like to go big and get that solitary win to get the momentum into the Pink Ball Test. Will the Hardik Pandya story continue! Pandy, 27, seems to be in the best touch batting wise and he is encashing it by winning critical games for the team. He too believes that he is batting the best. "I felt that throughout the IPL I was batting well. It's just that when I feel it is my time to do it and the team wins, that's the happiest [feeling]," he said in the post-match presentation. With the range of shots that he has and the way he has been middling the ball, Team India would want him to go full blast in the final and so would the audiences and fans who would fill the SCG to enjoy the game. Aus vs Ind: Match Details Match No. - 3rd T20I Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Broadcast: SonyLIV, Sony Ten Network, DD Sports Date and Timing: 2nd December, 01:40 pm IST, 08:10 GMT Pitch Report The pitches at SCG, both in the ODIs and in teh last T20I have been pure belters with almost no help for the bowlers (apart from the odd slower one gripping the surface). Added to that is the shortness in the size of the ground in one direction. It has made the wicket a flat deck with only runs to be got from. In such a situation, expecting anything less than 180 from teh team batting first would be a criminal offense Weather and Toss The weather in Sydney will remain pleasant for playing cricket and hence teams would be looking to chase once again. The only advantaging of chasing on the ground is that team has a set target and can decide how to go about it,. Otherwise, there is no due and the pitch also remains the same throughout. Team News Australia The Australian team is without its original captain Aaron Finch, who wasn’t available due to a hip injury. Whether he has recovered fully or not is still to be confirmed. In case he hasn’t then the same team is likely to play. If Finch comes in, he would most likely replace the opener D’Arcy Short as Matthew Wade has proved that he is good at the opening spot, while Short hasn’t really got going. Strongest XI D Arcy Short/ Aaron Finch(c), Matthew Wade (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Moises Henriques, Daniel Sams, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Swepson, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye India The Indian team has done really well in teh last game and since most of these players won’t be getting a game soon, the probability of the team remaining unchanged is very high, until and unless Virat wants to test the pairing of Bumrah and Shami. In batting, no change seems like the order of teh day. Strongest XI KL Rahul (wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan, Yuzvendra Chahal Australia vs India: Dream11 and fantasy team suggestions KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Steven Smith(vc), Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya(c), Marcus Stoinis, Moises Henriques, Shardul Thakur, Adam Zampa, T Natarajan Captain: Hardik Pandya Vice Captain: Steve Smith

Coach Misbah-ul-Haq points adverse impact as Pakistan clear final COVID-19 test

The members of the Pakistan squad on the tour of New Zealand have returned negative results for their fifth and final round of COVID-19 testing conducted on the 12 th day of arrival. No fresh positive cases in the last round will come as a relief to the team management reeling under pressure from 10 members have tested positive for the highly-contagious virus. As per the advisory of the New Zealand Cricket, the tourists will travel to Queenstown in order to prepare for the T20 and Test series provided they get an approval from the Health Ministry while the other members who have been found Covid-19 positive will remain under strictly managed isolation. The Pakistan squad has been under the observation of the local health officials after they were found breaching the coronavirus containment protocols while sharing food and mingling with each other without a mask. As many as 10 members of the squad have tested positive out of which two have been deemed ‘historic’ by the health officials while the other eight were active cases. The health officials had issued a final warning to the squad against flouting the norms again and were informed that they will be sent back home without any cricket on the tour. However, their conduct improved after being served the notice and the health officials recognised the improved compliance of the tourists. Squad members reporting positive for Covid-19 hampered the preparation of the Pakistan team as they were barred to get out of the stricter isolation for outdoor training. Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has said that the extended period in isolation has affected both the physical and mental aspects of his players and that the preparation for the series have also affected severely. “While we completely respect and understand the New Zealand government laws … there is no denying the fact that the implementation of certain regulations has affected our athletes, both mentally and physically. when we will leave the isolation facility in the next day or two, we will try to put all this behind us and focus on the challenge of facing New Zealand in both the formats,” Misbah said in a statement. Pakistan will take on New Zealand in a three-match T20 series starting December 18 followed by a two-match Test series starting December 26.

SA vs ENG: 2nd ODI postponed as CSA, ECB await status on 'unconfirmed' COVID-19 cases

The second One Day International between South Africa and England has been postponed as both the cricket boards, Cricket South Africa and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are seeking the details of the independent ratification of the two unconfirmed COVID-19 positive cases in the tourists camp. However, the second ODI has not been abandoned yet by CSA as they are still considering the option of hosting the remaining two matches on December 8 and 9 with the England side scheduled to leave the country on December 10. The latest postponement marks the third delay in four days as the boards grapple with the crisis of novel coronavirus in what was believed to be a biosecure bubble. Earlier, a report of one of the squad member of the South African squad testing positive for the novel coronavirus infection emerge that led to the postponement of the first ODI which was ultimately abandoned as the hotel staff where the teams were under bubble tested positive followed by the development of coronavirus cases in the England camp. The crisis comes at a worse time for CSA which was already struggling with the administrative chaos before the English side had arrived due to tussle with the South African federal government. Many former England players have weighed in on the outlook of the series that has been marred by crisis one after another. Former England captains Micahel Vaughan and Sir Alastair Cook have given up on the hopes of the resumption of the ODI series. Michael Vaughan has said that in his views England touring party will not be feeling safe and comfortable about the facilities being provided in South Africa.

Justin Langer compares Hardik Pandya's batting to MS Dhoni's finishing abilities

Australian coach Justin Langer heaped praise on Hardik Pandya who finished the second T20 of the series between India and Australia and led the visitors’ pursuit of 192 runs to win the series. Langer called Pandya’s innings a great spectacle and compared his finishing skills to former Indian captain MS Dhoni. "It was an incredible spectacle of a game. We know how dangerous he is. In the past, we had MS Dhoni and the way he played today. He has played really well all summer so obviously it was a great innings in the end there," Langer said at the virtual post-match press conference. Langer also admitted that the Indian side was richer in the experience of T20 cricket than his side and in the end, it made the difference in the match that produced an electric atmosphere at the Sydney Cricket Ground. "I thought the whole game was a very close one. Our fielding was absolutely incredible, it was electric to watch, but India with their experienced T20 players were too good for us today," Langer added. Australia lost the T20 and with that, the three-match series 2-0 with a match remaining, but Langer was not lost on the multiple positives in the performances the side has been putting through on the field since the limited-overs tour to England earlier this year. "Didn't quite get us there, but we certainly had our chances to win the game like most of the games we have played ... since the England (tour)," Langer added. Langer also spoke highly of the leg spinner Mitchell Swepson who finished with two wickets in the second T20 and fitted so well in the setup of two wrist spinners. He also took a couple of catches and langer said that the spinner had put in a really big performance in the series against India. After Aaron Finch was ruled out of the game due to hip injury, Matthew Wade had to step in to lead the hosts and the coach Langer said that the left hander had a really great game in all departments. He stated the innings with a bang and posted a fifty while shuffled bowlers around according to the need of situations while his performance behind the stumps was also excellent as he took a tough, diving catch to send Virat Kohli back to the pavilion at a crucial juncture of the game "He did a really good job, mixed the bowling around well, that catch to get Virat out was an excellent catch. He had a good game," Langer said on Wade. The third and final T20 of the series will be played at the SCG on December 08 and the hosts will be looking forward to winning at least one T20 to salvage the pride while the visitors will be going for an all-out attack for a clean sweep.