Dean Jones’s Pakistan legacy will last for generations to come: Matthew Hayden

T20 World Cup | Mohammad Rizwan, Malik declared fit for Semi-Final clash against Australia

Pakistan team can now heave a sigh of relief as its core members Mohammad Rizwan and Shoaib Malik have been declared fit by Pakistan's medical team for the all-important semi-final clash against Australia in the T20 World Cup. Both the players had been diagnosed with mild flu just the night before the big match and seemed doubtful to make it to the match as was reported across media channels on Wednesday, November 10. The Pakistan team which has been unbeaten till now in its World Cup campaign, face Australia in the semi-final on November 11 in Dubai. Both the players were advised by the medical team on Wednesday to remain inside the hotel and not accompany the rest of the team members to their pre-match practice at Duba Cricket Stadium. The team was also tested for the dreaded Covid-19, but all players tested negative for it. While Malik was the hero for the team in the last game against Scotland, Rizwan has been a pillar of strength with skipper Babar Azam at the top of the order and is one of the biggest reasons for Pakistan’s unbeaten run in this tournament. The winner of this game will face New Zealand in the final on November 14.

T20 World Cup | Jimmy Neesham explains lack of emotions after leading New Zealand's win over England

There are different shades of Jimmy Neesham and he shows all of that on different occasions and at different platforms. He has been one of the wittiest cricketers going around on social media while he has been a muted player on the field. With the bat, he has been known for hitting colossal sixes and a lot of that was evident on the night of the semi-final between New Zealand and England. He bats in the lower-middle order and doesn’t feature in the first-choice bowling attack as well and hence doesn’t quite attract a lot of limelight. However, he changed the course of the game against England by smashing England bowlers to all parts of the ground on his way to an 11-ball 27 that snatched the victory from the jaws of defeat. But, as soon as he was dismissed in the 18th over of the game off Adil Rashid, the game appeared to shift back to equilibrium before Daryl Mitchell woke up from a sluggish innings and plundered Chris Woakes to win the game for the Blackcaps. When Mitchell hit the final four of the game to seal the victory, the whole of the New Zealand dugout was up on its feet in celebration of an unprecedented achievement of reaching the T20 World Cup final, there were two faces who were muted and unmoved at their respective seats. While there should be no prize for guessing that the skipper Kane Williamson would be one of them, there can be a serious element of surprise in finding Neesham being the second person showing no emotion and sitting still on his seat. Social media users were quick to point out that and all of them had to offer a lot of words on that move by Neesham.

South Africa elevate Keshav Maharaj as captain, rest big players from Netherlands ODI series

After a grueling season where the players travelled across the world to play and prepare for the T20 World Cup, South Africa have rested their major players such as the skipper Temba Bavuma, senior batsmen such as Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen along with the pacer duo of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada for the upcoming home series against Netherlands. Keshav Maharaj has been elevated as the captain of the Proteas side in absence of Bavuma. The likes of Janneman Malan, David Miller along with Daryn Dupavillon, Reeza Hendricks, Sisanda Magala form the batting core of the Proteas. There could be opportunities for Zubayr Hamza and Ryan Rickelton in the absence of senior players in the side. The Proteas have also reintroduced Wayne Parnell, who left the country to play county cricket as part of Kolpak deal in 2017. Now, as the United Kingdom has left the European Union and subsequently the Kolpak deals are not available for them anymore, players are returning to play cricket in South Africa. The responsibility of pace department will hinge on the shoulders of Lungi Ngidi, whose career has hit a sort of roadblock after the emergence of Nortje and his able partnership with Rabada. The skipper Maharaj will form the spin bowling partnership with Tabraiz Shamsi. Netherlands are set to play three ODIs in South Africa and all these games will be played at the Super Sport Park in Centurion. South Africa squad Keshav Maharaj (C), Daryn Dupavillon, Zubayr Hamza, Reeza Hendricks, Sisanda Magala, Andile Phehlukwayo, Wayne Parnell, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams, Khaya Zondo, Janneman Malan, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Dwaine Pretorius.

T20 World Cup | Dary Mitchell heaps praise on Neesham, says semi-final was never out of grasp

When Sam Billings caught Glenn Phillips off the bowling of Liam Livingstone leaving the Blackcaps needing as many as 60 runs from the last 29 balls, the things seemed precarious and the match could have gone away from them in matter of few balls. However, for the opener Daryl Mitchell, it never went out of New Zealand’s grasp and according to him the smaller sized boundaries on one side of the ground meant that there were favorable match ups on offer for them. By the end of Livingstone’s over, the Kiwis needed 57 runs from 24 balls and it was now or never moment for the Kane Williamson-led side and right on cue, entered James Neesham to put England under pressure with herculean effort with the bat. He plundered Chris Jordan, who was coming into the contest as one of the death bowlers in the tournament, for 24 runs and the Blackcaps could smell something special on offer. They were helped immensely by the presence of Mitchell, who had spent time in the middle and found his top gear and timing just at the right time. After that big over, both he and Neesham and went after the leg spinner Adil Rashid with brute power and secured 14 runs off it to make it look easy for the Blackcaps. Mitchell was the Man of the Match and in a most fitting way finished the game in the penultimate over by smashing Chris Woakes for two sixes and one boundary while needing 20 runs off the last 12 balls. "No, it probably sounds weird, but it never felt like it was out of our grasp. I think especially with that smaller side boundary on one side, we knew that there were going to be match-ups there that might suit us towards the end, and look, we were obviously very lucky at times; a couple sailed over the ropes that could have been a metre shorter and we're all out,” Mitchell said in the post-match press conference. "But at the same time, we always knew that as long as we kept just within the certain numbers that we felt comfortable with that we were always a chance. I thought the way that Neesh (Neesham) came out and really dominated that one over really set the momentum heading into those last few, so yeah, take my cap off to him. He played a hell of a knock." Before coming to his best with the best in the latter half of the innings, Mitchell was going through a tough time against the new ball bowling of Chris Woakes. The pitch was sticky and odd balls were moving in the air in the first innings as well. Woakes had already taken two big wickets of Martin Guptill and skipper Kane Williamson and Mitchell opted to see him through while he was bowling with his favorite choice of weapon—the new ball. "Yeah, I think the new ball is very challenging on that surface," Mitchell said. "It was pretty two-paced to start off with, and as you could probably see, it was tough to get going at times. "I thought the way that all the batters that came in sort of hung in there and helped build a platform to try and allow us to launch at the end, and we were very lucky that a few just snuck over the rope and got us going... it's a bit of a blur, but I can imagine it was a hell of a game to watch, and I think the way England played was very special as well. It's obviously pretty cool to get the job done, but I know it's a game of inches, that's for sure." New Zealand roared past England by five wickets with six balls to spare and will wait for the result of the second semi-final between Australia and Pakistan to see who they will face off against in the big final.