BBL 2021-22: Sydney Sixers rope in Shadab Khan

Watch | Tim David makes deliberate attempt of short-run, umpires reprimand Hobart Hurricanes

Batsman Tim David was caught in the middle of a controversy after attempting a short-run in a Big Bash League game on Friday, 2 December. Playing a home game in Hobart David's deliberate attempt at a short run attracted five penalty runs for his side Hobart Hurricanes and were added to the opponent Melbourne Stars’ tally. David played a yorker to long-on on the fifth ball of the 20th over bowled by Brody Couch and ran a double when the replay clearly highlighted his short-run attempt. David finished with a 12-ball 22 including one big six and four and provided a flourishing finish to the Hurricanes to a big total of 180 runs after a berserk start from Ben McDermott, Matthew Wade and D'Arcy Short. Both the Melbourne Stars and the Hobart Hurricanes are placed at the bottom of the points table.

SA vs IND | 'Grown-up' Duaane Olivier cherishing return, but aware of 'mixed feelings' among Proteas

It was not a smooth way back for Duanne Oliver after Brexit ended his Kolpak career prematurely and abruptly as the South Africa head coach Mark Boucher asked him to do the hard yards in their “system” instead of welcoming him on the basis of his overseas record and international past. The right-armer did exactly what he was urged to do and picked up a bagful of wickets in South Africa’s first-class competition to stake claim a place in the 20-man squad for the series against India that the Proteas are looking forward to as a start of a new era. Oliver’s return could have been delayed if not for an injury to Anrich Nortje, and also a return after leaving the “system” two years back could well be expected to be a bit complex affair for both the Proteas side and himself. The good thing is that the pacer is not expecting a grand and smooth entry either and he is aware of the “mixed feelings” his teammates would have about his move to leave South Africa in the past. "I know people will have mixed feelings about it, but at the end of the day, it's okay. You handle that and you deal with those pressures or the criticism that comes with that,” Oliver said about his return to the Proteas Test side. Oliver burst onto the scene for South Africa for his ability to extract bounce from short of good length area and he started off his international career on a promising note with 48 wickets from 10 Tests at staggeirng set of numbers such as an average of 19.25 and strike rate of 30 balls per wicket. But, the 29-year old believes that stint in the English County Championship for Yorkshire has helped him become “more mature and grown-up”. In terms of bowling, he said that bowling in the UK has helped him add a few more weapons in his armoury as he has become more equipped in bowling the “fuller length” which holds keys to success in the longest format on pitches where there are a lot of assistance for pace bowlers. "Firstly, I am more mature and a bit more grown up. And from a cricketing point of view, I do genuinely believe I am different. The UK helped me a lot in perfecting that fuller length that every bowler wants to bowl. For me, it was quite difficult because it can come across floaty and I wasn't that consistent. I am still working on it and I am not going to get it right every single time but the three years I spend in the UK helped me immensely, just the way I approach my game. I can still go short if I want to, but at the end of the day, the games dictates that. People thought I only bowl short and fair enough, I did that but now I feel like I have a different element to my game,” he added. Oliver is likely to form the trio of pacers for South Africa including Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi in the three-match series against India and he would want only the ball to talk for him after a lot of hype and build-up related to his return to the international stage.

Ben Stokes happy that things got a little heated in the England camp after Adelaide thrashing

England all rounder Ben Stokes is happy that things got a little heated up in the England camp after the Adelaide defeat against Australia in the second Test match of the series. In his column at the Daily Mirror, Stokes wrote that he does not want to be a part of a culture where individuals sweep things under the carpet and move on. Stokes’ comments came in the backdrop of Root calling out the bowlers for bowling shorter lengths than required. Replying back to Root’s assessment of the Test match, James Anderson hit back at the English captain and put the blame on the English batter for not putting up enough runs on board on a flat batting pitch. “I want to be part of a dressing room where we can have these chats when necessary and tell each other exactly what we think and where we think we can improve,” Stokes wrote for the Daily Mirror. “It is not a blame game. It is done for the right reasons, to try and help the team get better and start winning.” Stokes further stated that things get quite difficult in the longest format when things do not work out for the team, but he urged his team to put the best foot forward in the do-or-die Test match at the MCG.

Super Smash 2021-22: Auckland clinch victory against Wellington to get off the mark

Auckland rode on a good show from the bowlers to etch a 13-run win against Wellington during the Super Smash fixture in Wellington on Friday. Chasing a target of 135 runs in 20 overs, Wellington were restricted to 121/8 in the innings. The Wellington side had a struggling start as they lost early wickets and were reduced to 10/3 within the first three overs. They continued to lose wickets and eventually suffered a defeat. Captain Michael Bracewell was the lone warrior as he notched up a fifty and remained unbeaten at 58 off 46. Adithya Ashok was the pick of the bowlers after he returned with figures of 3/8 in 4 overs while Ben Lister also scalped three wickets for 27 runs in 4 overs. Apart from these two, Louis Delport also impressed as he bagged a couple of wickets for just 20 runs in his allotted 4 overs. Earlier, Auckland batters, barring Chapman, struggled against the opposition. They lost an early wicket and were 4/1 when Worker and Chapman joined hands for a partnership of 57 runs for the second wicket. But Worker’s departure for 23 off 25 broke the shackles and Auckland began to lose wickets at regular intervals and ended the innings at 134/9 in 20 overs. Chapman top-scored for them with a 48-ball 55. Ben Sears picked up three wickets for 22 runs in 4 overs. Auckland will now face Central Districts on Monday in Palmerston North while Wellington will be up against Otago in Queensland on Tuesday.