ENG vs IND | 3rd Test, Day 2: Joe Root hits third century of series to punish Virat Kohli's side

CPL 2021 | BAR vs SKN Preview: Barbados seek royal start against St Kitts' big guns

Barbados Royals and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots will be up against each other in the second encounter of the Caribbean Premier League. Both the teams have some aggressive hitters of the ball in their line up and a high-voltage drama can be expected. Earlier, the franchise was renamed from Barbados Tridents to Barbados Royals after the owners of the IPL side Rajasthan Royals purchased the majority of the stakes. “The idea of creating a global network behind the Royals brand is something that we are keen to do for many years. It was an opportunity too good to miss” owner of EM Sporting Holdings Ltd, Manoj Badale asserted as reported by ESPNcricinfo earlier. The Royals would be looking to kickstart the tournament on a positive note especially after the way they fared in the last edition. They were placed at fifth spot after the conclusion of the league stage. Barbados have some prominent names such as Jason Holder, Mohammad Amir and Thisara Perera in the squad who bring a lot to table when it comes to providing stability. On the other hand, St Kitts have some ruthless batsmen in the line up. A side is always riding high on confidence when it has the services of Chris Gayle on offer. The left-hander has notched up huge runs in T20 cricket and can be brutal against any bowling attack on his day. To add to the strength, they now have Dwayne Bravo in the squad as well whose slower deliveries in the death overs trouble the batsmen thoroughly. While Bravo is someone who can put a halt on the scoring rate of the opposition, he can himself chip in with some runs at a brisk pace at any given stage. The match will feature some huge names in the business who have played all around the globe. Match Details: Match: BR vs SNP, 2nd Match, Caribbean Premier League 2021 Date: Friday, August 27, 2021 Time: 4:30 AM (Aug 27) Venue: Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts Telecast: Star Sports Network, Hotstar, Fancode App Pitch Report The track at St Kitts would have something on offer for the batsmen. The bowlers will find it difficult to stop the run flow especially in the later stages of the game as the dew can also play some role. Overall, a high-scoring match can be expected especially with the kind of batting the two sides comprise of. Probable XI Barbados Royals: Jason Holder (C), Shai Hope, Johnson Charles, Kyle Myers, Glenn Philips, Thisara Perera, Raymon Reifer, Hayden Walsh Jr, Ashley Nurse, Mohammad Amir, Oshane Thomas St Kitts And Nevis Patriots: Rayad Emrit (C), Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Sherfane Rutherford, Devon Thomas, Joshua Da Silva, Asif Ali, Dwayne Bravo, Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Fawad Ahmed Fantasy XI Shai Hope, Chris Gayle (VC), Johnson Charles, Evin Lewis, Glenn Philips, Dwayne Bravo (C), Ashley Nurse, Jason Holder, Fawad Ahmed, Sheldon Cottrell, Hayden Walsh Jr.

ENG vs IND | 3rd Test, Day 2: Dawid Malan celebrates return to Test cricket with classy fifty

Dawid Malan celebrated his return to the England Test team with a classy fifty on the second day of the third Test against India in Leeds. He was trusted to bat at an all-important number three position and did not disappoint the team management with crisp strokes all around the wicket. The Leeds Test is his first Test since the first Test of the series against India in 2018. The return to the side and form in the longest format augurs well for the hosts who were looking quite shaky at the top of the order. He was added to the England squad after the failure of Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley in the first two Tests and the hosts will be delighted for him coming good with the bat. He came out to bat after a 100-run partnership between the openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed and brought another three-figure partnership with skipper Joe Root put India way behind the game. At the other end, Joe Root carried on his merry way and brought yet another fifty of the series. Earlier, India hit rock bottom on the first day after getting bowled out for a mere 78 and not being able to take even a single wicket on the first day. James Anderson, Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson ripped the heart out of their batting lineup.

Punjab Kings rope in Adil Rashid for remaining fixtures of IPL 2021

Punjab Kings have roped in England spinner Adil Rashid for the remainder of the IPL 2021. Rashid is replacing Australian fast bowler Jhye Richardson who had earlier withdrawn his name from the fixtures. The franchise confirmed the news in a social media post. "The one who will surely brighten up your feed - Adil Rashid We know we have chosen the right one to bowl the wrong ones,” the tweet said. The leg-spinner who is yet to play a match in the IPL was in some good form in The Hundred tournament. The right-arm bowler was in fact the joint highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Rashid now has a good amount of experience and has played more than 200 T20s picking up 232 wickets during the course at an economy of 7.43. Earlier, the Punjab-based franchise had also signed Nathan Ellis. The remaining matches of the IPL 2021 will be played in the UAE with the tournament resuming on September 19. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings will take on each other in the first match of second leg. The competition was put halted after there was an outbreak Covid-19 within the franchises. The Kings are placed at number six spot in the points table and will start their campaign in the second phase against Rajasthan on September 21 in Dubai.

CPL 2021 | Team Preview: Jamaica Tallawahs overreliant on domestic stalwarts to win third title

If not winning a lot of games even with superstar performers were not agonising enough, the Jamaica Tallawahs are set to embark on another journey without those performers. They were enriched with a performing international trio of Glenn Phillips, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Sandeep Lamichhane but could manage to win just three out of 10 games last season. However, they managed to escape through to the final rounds and were knocked out only at the hands of the Trinbago Knight Riders, who went all the way to win the tournament. This time, none of them will be around and the Tallawahs will fall back on the already struggling shoulders of Andre Russell, and Carlos Brathwaite, who is getting back the lost reputation in the shortest format. They were the first champions of the competition in 2013 and then replicated their success again in the 2015 edition. However, apart from those two triumphant events, the Tallawahs have not had a dream run of form in the competition of late. Strength The Tallawahs have a good mixture of players who are champions in the 20-over format along with promising players on the block. They have the services of Andre Russell and Brathwaite, who have a fair bit of idea on how to get the big things done in tournaments such as the CPL along with Pakistan batsman Haider Ali, who has been tipped as one of the big things with the bat in this format. In the bowling department, Qais Ahmad will represent the enterprising young talent in the Tallawahs camp while the veteran Fidel Edwards is bowling at express pace and with immaculate control. The Tallawahs will bank on the trio of Russell, Brathwaite and Edwards to make up for the lack of international stars and if they get their game right in this edition, the Tallawahs can go far beyond what their critics are rating them this time. Weakness Interestingly, the strengths of the Tallawahs are also their weaknesses as Russell’s fitness has been questionable in the recent past. Lat time around as well, they were overreliance on Russell and were perished for it. They also need to find a replacement for an economic and wicket-taking partnership of Lamichanne and Mujeeb who were accurate and threatening at the same time. They picked up 28 wickets at an economy rate of less than six runs per over and the Tallawahs have their task cut out to find another potent bowling pair for the middle phase of the game. They will demand more runs from their opener Chadwick Walton, who had a horrible season last year and his failure at the top will put more and more pressure on Russell. Opportunities All the games of CPL will be played at the same venue—Warner Stadium in St. Kitts and it’s inevitable that the surfaces will get slower and slower with each passing game. There will be massive opportunities for off-spinner Chris Green and leg spinner Qais Ahmad to leave their mark on the competition. Pakistan batsman Haider Ali also has a massive opportunity to bring his best game with the bat in the competition and provide a rollicking start to the Tallawahs. Strongest XI Chadwick Walton, Haider Ali, Andre Russell, Shamarh Brooks, Jason Mohammed, Rovman Powell, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Green, Qais Ahmad, Fidel Edwards, Veerasammy Permaul