BREAKING | T Natarajan tests positive for Covid-19; SRH vs DC clash to go ahead as scheduled

T Natarajan 'not disappointed' after being omitted from T20 World Cup squad

India left-arm pacer T.Natarajan wasn’t picked for the upcoming World T20 scheduled to take place in October-November in UAE and Oman. The fast bowler has now said that he isn’t disappointed after getting omitted from the squad as he hasn’t played much cricket in the recent past. He had undergone a surgery for a knee injury in April. "I didn't have any disappointments [at not being selected for the T20 World Cup]," Natarajan said while talking ESPNCricinfo. "I knew it was hard to reach there in a short period of time. A lot of people have told me that I would make the squad, but I didn't expect to be picked in the 15-man squad. I knew I was coming back from injury; I hadn't played competitive cricket for five or five-and-a-half months,” he added. Natarajan further added that a player can’t be selected without having any match practice but insisted if the selection would have been after the IPL had concluded, he might have had made a place for himself in the side. "If maybe the [World Cup] selection was after the IPL, I would have had a chance to make the squad. You can't expect to be picked in the squad without match practice,” Natarajan said. The Indian team that will be led by Virat Kohli in the competition will begin the campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24, 2021 in Dubai.

Marsh Cup: Twin centuries from Philippe & Marsh hand Western Australia thumping win in season opener

Western Australia registered a comprehensive win over South Australia in a rain-curtailed match. Riding on an emphatic and record-shattering partnership between Philippe and captain Mitchell Marsh, WA posted 352/6 in 50 overs during the the One-Day Cup. Philippe and Mitchell stitched a stand of 231 runs for the second wicket and both the batters notched up individual tons during the course. Opener Philippe top-scored with 137 while Marsh struck 111 before getting back into the hut. The South Australia bowlers were then taken on by Ashton Turner who chipped in with a 28-ball 46 while the D Arcy Short, Ashton Agar and Cameron Green also made valuable contributions. The target for South Australia was eventually reduced to 316 runs in 43 overs. While opener and wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey was among the runs as he was the third batsman to score a century in the match, the other batsmen never really got into the groove and the side kept losing wickets at regular intervals and was reduced to 150/7 at one stage only to get bundled out for 237 in the 39th over. Carey carried the bat as remained not out for 128. For Western Australia, Jason Behrendorff was the pick of the bowlers after he returned with a four-wicket haul at the cost of 39 runs in 7.3 overs.

'I planned it': Andre Russell on his perfect yorker to AB de Villiers

There were some unusual scenes during the clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday in Abu Dhabi when Andre Russell cleaned up AB de Villiers on a golden duck with a perfect yorker. In a video released by KKR on their social media handle, Russell has revealed how he planned the delivery and executed it pretty well. "That yorker, I planned it. Because you know, I was bowling hard lengths before into the wicket. AB came out to bat, I know he is a clever player. He was definitely looking for a hard-length ball. You know, I just trusted myself to get the yorker in and it worked. So, I'm happy." "I went to AB after the match and give him a hug,” he further added. RCB didn’t really have a great start to the second of the IPL after they were first bundled out for 92 against KKR and the Knight Riders then chased down the target by 9 wickets in 10 overs. Batting first, the Bangalore side had a steady start to the proceedings despite losing captain Virat Kohli early. Opener Devdutt Padikkal and Srikar Bharat stitched a stand of 31 runs for the second wicket before Padikkal was undone for 22 off 20 after getting caught behind off Ferguson on the last delivery of the Powerplay overs. But the left-hander’s departure saw a flurry of wickets as RCB were left tottering at 66/7 and were eventually bowled out. Varun Chakravarthy and Andre Russell were the pick of the bowlers after both the players scalped a three-for apiece. Later, Shubman Gill and debutant Venkatesh Iyer dominated the RCB bowling thoroughly and anchored the side to an easy win. Gill was out for 48 off 34 after getting caught by Siraj off Chahal while Iyer remained unbeaten at a 27-ball 41.

Losing close matches has become a pattern for us: PBKS coach Anil Kumble

Punjab Kings head coach Anil Kumble has expressed disappointment at the defeat against Rajasthan Royals and admitted that losing close games has become a “pattern” for the side. “It’s sort of become a bit of a pattern for us, especially as soon as we get to Dubai, it seems. There was a clear message saying we need to finish this game in 19 overs, and that was the approach,” Kumble said at the post-match press conference. Punjab needed four runs in the last over when RR pacer Kaetik Tyagi unveiled his talent and defended the score to anchor his side to a 2-run win in Dubai. The former India player lavished praise on Tyagi and lauded the right-arm bowler for the way he bowled the final over. “But credit to how Tyagi bowled the last over, it was pretty obvious that he’s going to bowl wide outside the off stump, but somehow our batters didn’t take the right options,” Kumble said. Batting first, RR were cruising to a big total at one stage but some fine bowling from Arshdeep and Mohammed Shami in the death overs pulled things back for Punjab and the Royals were bundled out for 185 in 20 overs. Arshdeep bagged a five-wicket haul while Shami scalped three wickets during the course. Later, Punjab began the proceedings in steady manner after captain KL Rahul and opener Mayank Agarwal put 120 runs on the board for the first wicket. While Rahul missed out on a fifty by just one run, Mayank went on to notch up 67 off 43 deliveries. Later, Nicholas Pooran and debutant Aiden Markram held the fort but lost way in the last over as Punjab were restricted to 183/4 in 20 overs. The Royals now have four wins and as many defeats in the eight matches that they have played while Punjab Kings have lost their sixth game in nine matches.