BBL11 to begin on December 5; Sydney Sixers play Melbourne Stars in opener

ENG vs PAK | 3rd ODI: Incompetent Pakistan get whitewashed by England's makeshift squad

England completed a clean sweep win against Pakistan in the three-match ODI series at Edgbaston on Tuesday after beating the visitors by 3 wickets. Chasing a stiff target of 332, the home side went over the line in 48 overs to hand Pakistan side and their fans another disappointment. The Ben Stokes-led side didn’t have a great start to the chase and lost Dawid Malan early in the innings for a duck. But Philip Salt who took on the Pakistan bowling attack and Zak Crawley who came into bat at number three resisted well and scored 34 runs for the second wicket before Salt departed for 22-ball 37. Crawley was then joined by James Vince who certainly changed the course of the game. The two batsmen stitched a stand of 51 runs for the third wicket. Crawley was eventually cleaned up by Haris Rauf for 39 off 34 but Vince showed his class and continued his form. Captain Stokes joined him in the middle at number five and put up a partnership of 47 runs before departing for a 28-ball 32 after Mohammad Rizwan held on to a brilliant catch behind the stumps off Shadab Khan. Stokes played some aggressive strokes and was also dropped twice, first at deep fine leg and then at long on but was finally sent packing, courtesy some brilliant glove work from Rizwan. The skipper’s scalp was followed by John Simpson’s dismissal in quick succession leaving England in a spot of bother at 165/5. With half of the team back in the hut, Vince and Lewis Gregory took on the onus on themselves and steadied the ship for the team. The two batsmen put 129 runs for the sixth wicket as Vince went on to score his maiden ODI hundred while Gregory struck 77 off 69 that included three maximums. Vince eventually departed for 102 and Gregory followed him soon. The team’s scorecard read 303/7 when Craig Overton was joined by Brydon Carse and the two made sure that there were no further fall of wickets. England eventually went over the line with two overs to spare. For Pakistan, it was Haris Rauf who was the pick of the bowlers after he returned with figures of 4/65 in 9 overs. Earlier, Pakistan rode on Babar Azam’s emphatic ton to post 331/9 in the allotted 50 overs. The visitors lost Fakhar Zaman early in the innings but Babar’s partnerships with Imam-ul-Haq and Rizwan helped them put up a huge total on the board. While Babar went on to hit his career best score (158) in ODIs, both Imam and Rizwan notched up individual half-centuries. For England, Carse bagged a five-wicket haul while Saqib Mahmood who has been in some form in the series with the ball scalped three wickets during the course. Pakistan captain Babar Azam put the onus of the defeat on the bowling and fielding efforts and lauded Vince for his efforts. “We couldn't bowl in the channels consistently at the start and the sloppy fielding didn't help either. England were really good and special credit to James Vince. In international cricket the margins are very small and these kinds of errors cost us the game,” he said. England skipper Ben Stokes credited Morgan, Silverwood and Trevor Bayliss for creating a “culture” that allows the players to play fearless cricket. “ll the efforts from all the guys who turned up last week, I just want to say a massive thanks to the players, support staff and everyone who made this possible. The normal personnel, a huge amount of credit must go to Morgs, Silverwood and Trevor Bayliss to allow the new guys to play the way they play and be really happy. This is a culture that we try to create, allow the guys to go out there and play fearless cricket,” he said. The two teams will now face each other in the three-match T20I series scheduled to begin on Friday (July 16, 2021).

With a chance to draw level in long format series, Harmanpreet’s brigade prepares for one last fight

The Indian women’s team have performed well in chunks on their England tour so far. But whenever all three departments clicked together, it has resulted in a victory, be it the last ODI or the second T20I. With the last game of the tour remaining, the brigade led by Harmanpreet Kaur need to pull up their socks and get ready for one last battle and try their best to win, not just the T20I leg of the long format series, but also draw level on the points table with the hosts, who as of now have eight points, while the Indian side has six. Sneh Rana must be utilised properly Apart from the amazing team effort, another common factor that has been key in all of India’s best performances is Sneh Rana. The all-rounder, having saved the Test with her unbeaten 80 in the second innings in Bristol, came back to partner with skipper Mithali Raj and hit quick runs to see India through in the last ODI. In the second T20I also, it was her cool and calm last over that got India Women the much-needed victory. But in matches, where she wasn’t used properly, it resulted in a thrashing for the Indian team. For instance, in the first T20I, even after bowling just two overs and going for only 14 runs in them, the Railways player was not allowed to bowl her full quota. In that very game, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav, Deepti Sharma and Arundhati Reddy were all taken for plenty and had higher economy rates than the 27-year-old off-break bowler. Thus, taking a cue from it, neither only should Rana be allowed to bowl her full quota, but should also be promoted to bat up the order, especially in death overs because of her hitting abilities. England would look to avoid silly mistakes The second T20I was England Women’s to lose with just 43 required from 38 balls and eight wickets in hand. But the way they panicked at the end to lose by a big margin of eight runs was not what Heather Knight and her team are known for. They lost six wickets in just 37 runs and their lower batters in Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone and even Sophia Dunkjley on that day wasn’t able to resurrect the innings. Taking a lesson from that defeat, the English team would look to identify a batter who could play till the end as an anchor and other players would contribute with quickfire runs around her. England Women vs India Women: Match Details Match Number- 3rd T20I Date and Time: July 14, 2021, 11:00 pm IST, 06:00 pm GMT, 07:00 pm Local Venue: County Ground, Chelmsford Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV Pitch Report In the Women T20Is played at the County Ground in Chelmsford, five have resulted in a win for the chasing team while four times the team batting first have managed to defend the total. As far as recent T20s go, which are being played as part of the T20 Blast competition, teams chasing have won three out of the last four completed games. The matches haven’t been high scoring this season with the average score hanging at about 140. This gives a clear picture of what to expect in terms of assistance to the bowlers. The pitch offers a low scoring thriller and could hence help India Women in a way that they like to defend or chase low totals. Weather Forecast and Toss The weather at Chelmsford promises to be ideal for a cricket game with temperatures ranging between 21-19 degrees Celsius from 1900 hrs to 2300 hrs, the entire duration of the game. The skies would be clear and humidity wouldn’t be that high either. With the current records in mind, the team winning the toss would go for a field first approach. Team News England Women The England team is highly unlikely to change given that they played the best possible xi on that day. However, if the team would like to go for a change then they can play Anya Shrubsole in place of Freya Davies and since they already have two frontline spinners, Sarah Glenn who didn’t have a good outing with the ball could make way for Tash Ferrant. Probable XI Tammy Beaumont, Danielle Wyatt, Natalie Sciver, Heather Knight(c), Amy Ellen Jones(w), Sophia Dunkley, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Mady Villiers, Anya Shrubsole, Natasha Farrant India Women Having won the previous game with the same team, India Women wouldn’t look fiddle with the winning combination, hence the same team is expected to start. Probable XI Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Richa Ghosh(w), Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav, Arundhati Reddy Dream XI team suggestion Tammy Beaumont, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Natalie Sciver, Amy Ellen Jones(w), Sophia Dunkley, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sophie Ecclestone, Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav

The Hundred | Team Preview - Not favourites, but Manchester Originals capable of springing surprise

It’s an altogether new format of cricket that the England and Wales Cricket Board aim to garner success with. The inaugural season of The Hundred would kick off from July 21 with the first match taking place between the women’s sides of Manchester Originals and Oval Invincibles at the Kia Oval in London. While the competition in itself is so raw and people are grabbing every chance possible to be able to read and know about the rules of the game, that the buzz seemed to be have been created around the 100 balls, 10 balls from one end competition. There are many other rule changes and all of which you can find here. The main focus of this piece is to get you one on one with the Manchester Originals squad and why they pose a serious threat to the title, even after not being the top contenders to win it. Manchester Originals Men's squad England centrally-contracted Test players: Jos Buttler Overseas players: Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand), Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Colin Munro (New Zealand) Rest of squad: Joe Clarke, Phil Salt, Matt Parkinson, Jamie Overton, Tom Lammonby, Steven Finn, Colin Ackermann, Richard Gleeson, Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, Sam Hain, Fred Klaassen Coach: Simon Katich Ferguson, Brathwaite and Robinson hold key to Originals' success The first name on the squad list is England Vice-Captain in Limited Overs’ Jos Buttler and yet New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson, West Indies’ Carlos Brathwaite and England’s newest sensation, Ollier Robinson are being termed as the core of the team. It is mainly because Buttler’s availability full time is at risk due to his international engagements for the India Test series. With the Covid-19 once spreading its wings once again, Buttler and other England probable 15s wouldn’t be allowed to be a part of the Hundred. The players would be forced to leave the tournament around July 31, to switch to the Eng vs Ind bio-bubble, hence missing out on the major chunk of the 100-ball tournament. Coming back to the trio, on their day, they can blank any team and we have already seen that with Brathwaite’s ‘Remember the Name’ heroics in the T20 World Cup 2016 Final, Ferguson’s 2019 World Cup outing and Robinson’s approach in the debut Test series against New Zealand this summer. To back up their abilities, they have the numbers behind their back as well. With 1800 runs and 192 wickets in 204 T20 games, Brathwaite is nearing a rare double of 2000 runs and 200 wickets in T20 and would join his Caribbean teammates Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo among a few others. Ferguson on the other hand also has impressive figures for a 71-match career. Not only can he bowl with great speed, but is also economical considering his economy rate of 7.52 for the 77 wickets that he has taken. And if hattrick in the Roses game in the Blast is anything to go by, the Kiwi could be a real asset for Originals and a great threat to the opposition. As far as Robinson is concerned, he has had a very young career for a 20 over format with only 47 games to his credit and only 44 wickets in them while he hasn’t really been able to get much of a chance with the bat. But now, he has something to prove, and show to the world that he is more than just some miscreants tweets. The stage is set for him to go and express himself. Bowling depth is an advantage The Originals have a great bowling depth with the likes of Steven Finn, Richard Gleeson, Fred Klaassen, Jamie Overton, Matt Parkinson and Tom Hartley supporting the original trio discussed above. While Parkinson has been in a terrific form and got the richly deserved national call up, Hartley is a young apprentice at work, learning the tricks of the trades with his slow left-arm orthodox. It however doesn’t end here as the team has batting all-rounders in the form of Colin Ackerman and young Tom Lammonby. The depth is just not in terms of numbers but the guys like Finn, Gleeson and Klaasen have got a significant amount of experience playing the game. The spinners might be young but are equally effective if not more in a 100 ball game set up where batsmen would look to get after them. Batting: The loose end in Originals' string The lack of a centrally contracted English player in the squad is one thing, the other major roadblock is the lack of attacking finishers. While Phil Slat and Colin Munro could provide a rapid-fire start, but in the case they don’t score big, the likes of Ackerman, Lammonby and Sam Hain, along with Joe Clarke and Overton come under the pump against quality international stature bowling attack. Though Clarke and Hain have a lot of T20 experience, how well they could utilise it is to be seen and judged. Chances of a shot at the title The first season winners are always remembered, be it Rajasthan Royals in IPL, India at T20 World Cup and West Indies in the 50 over World Cup. And who wouldn’t want to win the inaugural season? The team from Old Trafford would be banking on its players to deliver, but on paper, against other sides with established faces in their account, a championship win would be a surprise, a delightful one at that too, much like that of the Rajasthan Royals, India and West Indies in their inaugural championships, when no one backed them to win, but they did it nevertheless. Probable Playing XI Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Colin Munro (New Zealand), Phil Salt, Sam Hain, Tom Lammonby, Colin Ackermann, Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Jamie Overton, Ollie Robinson, Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand), Matt Parkinson Manchester Originals Women Squad Kate Cross (captain), Harmanpreet Kaur (India), Mignon du Preez (South Africa), Lizelle Lee (South Africa), Danielle Collins, Alice Dyson, Cordelia Griffith, Hannah Jones, Georgie Boyce, Natalie Brown, Ellie Threlkeld, Alex Hartley, Emma Lamb, Sophie Ecclestone, Laura Jackson Coach: Paul Shaw Overseas stars matter a lot The Originals’ women squad has some of the best-known stars in the limited-overs department. It includes the likes of India Women skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, former South Africa Women skipper in Lizelle Lee and a power-hitting batter and former captain, also from South Africa in Mignon du Preez. All these women have got huge numbers behind them. While Lee has played 78 WT20Is, Harmanpreet has an experience of 116 T20Is, and du Preez a 108 to her kitty. With such a huge amount of experience by their side and runs in their bag, the trio, if fit and in form could be the lone deciding factor for the Original’s claim at the inaugural title. The English stars in the side In the ongoing series against India Women, Sophie Ecclestone and Kate Cross have been two of the outstanding performers and both these ladies form the part of the Orioginals’ bowling squad. They would be joined by another England international in Alex Hartley. The three of them among them have 232 international wickets for England Women and an experience of 17 years of international cricket. Thus combined with the overseas professionals’ batting and English internationals’ bowling, the team sets up a very formidable unit. Decent domestic talent Eleanor Threlkeld, the wicket-keeper batter has had the biggest hype among domestic stars getting into The Hundred. She has had a good season with the Thunder scoring a decent amount of runs and being electric behind the wicket. Another Thunder player that has had an impressive domestic season in Rachael Hay-Hoe Flint and Charlotte Edwards Trophy is Natalie Brown. The all-rounder has hit a fifty and a few thirties along with taking a wicket or two in every game that she has played. Along with these stars, there are little less known, but experienced campaigners Cordellia Griffith, Emma Lamb, Laura Jackson and Hannah Jones, all of whom have been in great touch in the recent past and would make it to the XI and try and pull it home in the inaugural season for Manchester Originals. Chances of winning the title If asked, who among the two Manchester sides have the better chances of winning the title, undoubtedly it would be the Women’s side with such a balanced and experienced unit. Probable Playing XI Lizelle Lee (South Africa), Emma Lamb, Harmanpreet Kaur (India), Mignon du Preez (South Africa), Ellie Threlkeld, Cordelia Griffith, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross (captain), Laura Jackson, Alex Hartley, Hannah Jones

IRE vs RSA: Skipper Andrew Balbirnie, bowlers help Ireland record historic maiden win over South Africa

The date of July 13, might be considered unlucky by many but would be recorded in the Irish cricket history in golden letters as this marks their first-ever win over South Africa, one of the powerhouses in world cricket. The Irish team led by skipper Andrew Balbirnie defeated the Proteas by 43 runs to take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series, the first game of which was washed out by rain. Chasing 291 to win, South Africa initially fancied itself to get there with ease when opener Janneman Malan and experienced and in form batter Rassie van der Dussen were batting at the crease. After initial dismissals of Aiden Markram and skipper Temba Bavuma, the duo had added 108 runs for the third wicket before the run rate pressure got to Malan and he hit one straight to Mark Adair stationed at long-on off the bowling off George Dockrell. Soon after, van der Dussen was given leg before wicket and he got slightly unlucky as the ball was just touching the stumps and he was found on the other side of the umpire’s call. That was the last hurdle it seems for the Irish unit as the Menin Green then launched a prolific plan and kept on mounting the run rate pressure, operating with Joshua Little at one end the spinner at the other. The wickets of Kyle Verreynne, David Miller and Andile Phehlukwayo all fell in tandem as Keshav Maharaj and Rabada hit a few lusty blows but to no avail, eventually getting bowled out for 247. For Ireland, Andy McBrine, Little and Adair took two wickets each while, Simi Singh, Craig Young and George Dockrell picked a wicket each. Earlier in the day, after being sent to bat first by South Africa, Ireland got a bit lucky as the Protea fielders drop one catch too many which is very unlikely of them. Making great use of that, 30-year-old Balbirnie struck partnerships with all batters including his opening partner Paul Stirling, McBrine and Harry Tector. The biggest of them came with Dockrell as the two added 70 off 73 balls and took Ireland 194 in the 42nd over. However, it was the hitting post the Balbirnie wicket that got Ireland to a comfortable target of 290. Tector and Dockrell added 90 off just 46 balls before falling in the last over. For the Proteas, Phehlukwayo was the most successful bowler with two dismissals in his 10 over spell, where he gave away 73 runs. Balbirnie was rightfully adjudged Man of the Match for his brilliant hundred (102 off 117 balls). With pressure to save the series on the Bavuma side and a golden opportunity for Balbirnie’ men to register a historic series win, the first one for them against South Africa and in the ICC CWC Super League, the two sides will meet each other at the same venue on Friday, July 16th.