BREAKING | Sri Lanka vs India set to be rescheduled after COVID scare in host camp

Lanka Premier League 2021 postponed till November to accommodate international stars

The second edition of the Lanka Premier League has been postponed for November this year, Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement. The tournament was scheduled to kick off on July 29 but now has been rescheduled to commence on November 29. Sri Lanka Cricket said that the Governing Council of the Lanka Premier League postponed the event keeping in mind that ‘at least one similar premier league and several international tours will be played among the cricketing nations during August 2021, during the period, which the LPL 2nd edition was expected to be played.’ Hence, postponing the event would allow more and more overseas participants to take part in the competition in November. “The Governing Council of the Lanka Premier League is of the view that rescheduling the tournament will enable more players from leading cricket-playing nations to take part in the league.,” SLC said in its statement. The scheduling and availability of overseas stars are not the only concerns for the SLC and the LPL Governing Council as they have to find a resolution for the three of the five franchises that took part in the last edition including the last time champions Jaffna Stallions.

Australia to experiment with Mitchell Marsh at number 3

Aussie head coach Justin Langer said that as a part of the experiment they will try out new combinations ahead of the T20 World Cup slated to be played in UAE later this year and said that as per their plans Mitchell Marsh will bat at No 3. Marsh who can hit the long ball has been mostly given finishing roles in the Australian line-up and has hardly batted at the top order. However, with several first-choice players opting out of the series, the experience of Mitchell Marsh at the top of the order could come in handy. He can also played the role of the 6th or the 7th bowler with his effective medium pacers having the knack of breaking partnerships. “We see him as a bit of an enforcer up there, he faces fast bowling as well as anyone around the place. He hits the ball with brutal power and we’re looking forward to giving him a chance at the top of the order," Langer was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. The former opening batsman hinted at the prospect of playing Moises Henriques and Ben McDermott for the major part of the series. He mentioned that Josh Philippe will be slotted at the middle order with Matthew Wade opening the batting with skipper Aaron Finch. Langer doesn’t want to remain rigid in his previous model. He felt that the 6-5 batsmen bowler combination has worked very well but he is ready to change it going forward keeping the T20 World Cup in mind. “The six batsmen and five specialist bowlers — it’s certainly a model I’ve gone with throughout my whole head coaching career, there’s no surprise to anyone with that. And it’s been a very successful model. But if you look ahead … We might look at this 7-4 model, where you have a couple of all-rounders. Different teams do it differently around the world," said Langer.

Sri Lanka to sack Kusal Perera, Dasun Shanaka to be new captain: Report

Sri Lanka ODI skipper Kusal Perera is set to be sacked by the Sri Lanka Cricket as a result of a payment dispute between itself and the players, as per an ESPNcricinfo report. Perera, who was appointed as the leader of the side only two months back, is likely to replaced by Dasun Shanaka, the report added. The report claimed that Perera was the lynchpin of the players’ protest against the new payment structure that the SLC claimed would have benefited the more players at large while Shanaka was the first one to sign the agreement leading to the end of the dispute. Some of the Sri Lanka players including Shanaka signed the contract after SLC threatened to field a lower-string side in the upcoming series against India if they won’t close the loggerheads. Shanaka has had a brie experience of leading the national side in the T20 series against Pakistan where the island nation emerged victories 0-3. Shanaka will be the sixth Sri Lankan captain in the last four years after Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera. The ODI series between India and Sri Lanka is scheduled to start off on July 13 in Colombo and a major shakeup such as this will weaken an already struggling Sri Lankan side.

Michael Neser's contract with Glamorgan extended by two years

Glamorgan has renewed the contract of Michael Nesser for two more years until 2023. The Australian fast bowler who has had a brilliant start to his county season has been rewarded for his recent heroics. He has bagged 19 wickets in just 4 matches at an exceptional average of 14.89. The speedster will now join his countryman Marnus Labuschage who has already struck a deal to play for them until next year. Meanwhile, Nesser who has been part of the county earlier said it is a delight to play in Wales and he didn’t have a second thought in his mind to commit to Glamorgan. "I've absolutely loved playing in Wales this season and it was a no brainer to commit my future to the club," Neser said. "When I was first approached by Glamorgan, Marnus said what a fantastic place this was and how welcoming the people were and that's exactly how I've found it. Cardiff is a beautiful city, and I couldn't think of anywhere better to play over the next two years. Neser hopes to add variety and experience to the squad and help out the young blood to ensure that they stand a chance of winning the championship. Glamorgan are currently 4th in Group 3 with only two wins under their belt in 9 matches while losing 2 and drawing 5. "As a team, we've played some really good cricket this season and there's plenty of young talent which bodes well for the future. Hopefully, I can bring my experience to the table to help them out and continue to contribute to more wins so we can push for silverware,” Neser said. Meanwhile Director of Glamorgan cricket, Mark Wallace was excited with the extension of Neser and is hoping that he along with Marnus Labuschagne, he can take Glamorgan to new heights. "He is a world-class cricketer and a real role model to our younger players who will only get better with him around the dressing room," Wallace said. "Through him and Marnus re-signing over the last year, it shows that we are not only a very welcoming club but also a very ambitious one who can attract top players,” he said.