Dale Steyn decides not to play for RCB in IPL 2021

NZ vs Pak: Babar Azam ruled out of second Test

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand slated to take place in Christchurch on Sunday, 3rd January 2021. Azam, who had sustained the injury after fracturing his right thumb during the practice session in Queenstown, hasn’t recovered sufficiently to be declared fit for the upcoming Test. “We have seen improvement in Babar Azam’s injury but he is yet to fully recover. He is our captain and the most important batsman in the lineup, so we do not want to take any risk,” said Dr Sohail Saleem, the appointed doctor for the Pakistan cricket team. Mohammad Rizwan will continue to lead the side in Azam’s absence. Pakistan lost the first Test by 101 runs after failing to chase down a target of 373 runs at Bay Oval. Fawad Alam scored a ton while stand-in captain Rizwan notched up 60 during the course but failed to go over the line. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson scored a hundred in the same match that fetched him the first spot in ICC Test rankings. Earlier, the hosts suffered a blow after Neil Wagner was ruled out of the second Test. Wagner had injured his toe during the first clash. “Neil hasn’t travelled with us. The injections he was getting were wearing off and we can’t let him go through that again,” coach Garry Stead said to reporters. Matt Henry is likely to replace Wagner in the playing XI.

BBL10: All-round performance from Hobart Hurricanes hand them comfortable win

Hobart Hurricanes produced a thoroughly perfect win by 21 runs against Melbourne Stars in the ongoing season of the KFC Big Bash League, courtesy a fine all-round performance from the side. Hobart handed Stars a target of 165 in 20 overs and restricted them to 143/9. Scott Boland and Nathan Ellis were the pick of the bowlers for Hobart. Boland returned with figures of 3/22 in 4 overs while Ellis picked up a couple of wickets at the cost of just 11 runs in 4 overs. Boland was later adjudged Man of the Match for his performance. Stars had a disappointing start to the chase as they lost Marcus Stoinis and Andre Fletcher early in the innings. The Melbourne side then had a couple of steady stands after Glenn Maxwell first put up a 23-run stand with Hilton Cartwright and then 72 runs with Nicholas Pooran for the fourth wicket respectively. But Maxwell’s departure at a team score of 112 saw a flurry of wickets they were soon reduced to 138/9 at the end of the 18th over. They lost a total of 6 wickets in a span of 26 runs in 27 balls. Earlier, England and Hobart batsman Dawid Malan continued his form as he struck 75 off 56 that had three sixes and seven boundaries during the course. Apart from Malan, McDermott scored 31 off 35 before getting cleaned up by Billy Stanlake while Colin Ingram put 26 in 12 deliveries on the board. Ingram smacked three sixes during his brisk knock. For Stars, Stanlake was the pick of the bowlers as he returned with figures of 3/25 in 4 overs while Maxwell picked up a wicket at the cost of 13 runs in 2 overs. This is the fifth win for Hobart and they are placed at the second spot in the points table. They now have 5 wins and 18 points from 7 matches. Melbourne Stars are at the fifth position with 10 points to their name in 6 matches. The Stars have disappointed their fans after losing three games on the trot despite being in front. The two teams will now face each other on Monday in Brisbane.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly hospitalised with heart issue at Woodlands

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly has been hospitalized in the Woodlands hospital with a heart issue as confirmed by sports journalist Boria Majumdar. The journalist tweeted this saying that Ganguly is stable and would be out of the hospital in a few hours. It is for the first time that the former India captain has been hospitalized with a heart ailment. Recently he was present at the inauguration of the Arun Jaitley’s statue outside the Arun Jaitley stadium, the event which was graced by the Home Minister of India Amit Shah. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah was also present at the occasion in Delhi. The 48-year-old has off late also been centre of teh conflict of interest issue in BCCI.

BCCI rubbishes biosecurity bubble protocol breach

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has rubbished of the claims of biosecurity bubble breach by the Indian players in Australia. "No, there has been no breach in bio-security protocols. Everyone associated with the Indian team is well aware of the protocols," the official said on conditions of anonymity. Earlier, the Indian cricket board was investigating a possible breach of a biosecurity bubble after few of the players from the Test side were filmed having food in a Melbourne restaurant. The visuals show Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Navdeep Saini and Prithvi Shaw dining out Chadstone Shopping Centre. The staff at the restaurant confirmed that the members of the team had dined out at the place, according to a report in The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age . The controversy got the limelight after an Indian fan Navaldeep Singh had posted a footage on social media claiming that he had paid the bill of $118.69 for the players. He further went on to say that he even hugged Pant. But the fan later made the clarification that the social distancing was maintained. The BCCI is investigating the matter. The spokesperson of the board has resisted from making any further comments.