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Misbah-ul-Haq upbeat of Pakistan's chances in the series decider against the Proteas

Former Pakistan batsman and currently the head coach of Pakistan Misbah-ul-Haq sounded confident ahead of the ODI series decider against South Africa which is slated to be played at the Supersport Park in Centurion on Wednesday (7th April). The three-match rubber is currently squared at 1-1 after South Africa survived a scare in the second encounter and managed to win by 17 runs. In a video posted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on their Twitter handle, Misbah sounds very confident that the young bunch of cricketers believe in their abilities and a series victory will be a great achievement for this young side. “Obviously the team is confident, the team environment and the belief among the players are right up there. They have the right frame of mind and the belief that they can win from anywhere. We saw last day that they fought till the end and the belief that they can win from any situation puts them in good stead. The team is very young, hence every win is very important for the team and it will be a huge achievement for us if we manage to beat the Proteas in their own backyard,” Misbah said. Pakistan huffed and puffed to victory in the opening ODI riding on a brilliant century from captain Babar Azam. Despite the victory, there were certain areas where they needed to improve on as the home team almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. The second ODI was more of a Fakhar Zaman vs South Africa show. Chasing a mammoth 342 to win, Pakistan were staring down the barrel at one stage but it was opener Fakhar Zaman who kept the hopes alive with some astonishing power hitting. He smashed his way to an incredible knock of 193 only to be run out during the closing stages of the match. Given how the series has panned out till now, one could expect a humdinger even in the series decider.

IPL 2021: MI cancel training; players, support staff undergo tests after More returns positive

After Kiran More’s positive result, the Mumbai Indians players and all the support staffs can breathe a sigh of relief after their COVID-19 test results have come negative despite MI scout and wicket-keeping consultant Kiran More testing positive not long ago. The five-time IPL champions have set up their base in Chennai and will play the IPL opener against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on 9th April. As per reports in the ANI, it is learnt that the training session of the defending champions was cancelled and all the players and support staffs underwent the COVID test as they were staying in the same hotel with More. However, there is nothing to worry about as all the results have come out negative. As per the health guidelines, More has been isolated from the group. "Mumbai Indians and Kiran More have followed all the BCCI health guidelines. The MI medical team will continue to monitor More's health and abide by the BCCI protocols," MI tweeted. As per the guidelines of the BCCI, a player or support staff who tests positive for COVID-19 have to isolate themselves outside the bio-secure bubble for atleast 10 days from the first day of the symptoms or the date of collection of the sample. This has been testing times for IPL and especially in Mumbai. Quite a few ground staff has tested positive for the deadly virus which was confirmed by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Tuesday. "Two more ground staff members and one plumber returned with positive Covid-19 results on Monday. Earlier, 10 ground staff members had tested positive for Covid at the Wankhede," an MCA source was quoted as saying by the ANI. "There is a clubhouse inside the Wankhede Stadium, all the groundstaff will stay there till the Mumbai leg is over in order to conduct the IPL smoothly," the source added.

Indians bit more tolerant: Ganguly veils attack at English-Aussie players

The President of the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) Sourav Ganguly feels that Indian players are mentally more strong and have more capacity to observe the situation than the foreign players, say of England Australia or West Indies. Veiling an attack on those players, the former India captain tried to suggest that there is not much threat to the IPL as is being perceived. "I feel we Indians are a bit more tolerant than overseas (cricketers). I have played with a lot of Englishmen, Australians, and the West Indians, they just give up on mental health," Ganguly told reporters in Chennai ahead of the first IPL game of the season. Mumbai Indians will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 9. Projecting the Indian players as people who took the bubble scenario in an exemplary manner, the 48-year-old said, "In the last six-seven months, with so much cricket being going on in the bio-bubble, it's so tough. Just going from the hotel room to the ground, handle the pressure and come back to the room and then get back to the ground again, it's an absolutely different life." The Bengal Tiger then went on to compare the Indian team with respect to the English and Australian sides, one of which cancelled its South Africa tour due to rising Covid-19 cases, while the other had to cancel it mid-way. "Look at the Australian team, they were supposed to go to South Africa for a Test series after India played there. They refused to go there...," said Ganguly. Saying that mental training of expecting the worst-case scenario and living with it is the only way forward as far as fighting with Covid-19 mentally is concerned. "There's this scare of Covid. 'Hope it's not me the next time’. You have to stay positive, you have to train yourself mentally. All of us have to train ourselves mentally so that goodwill happen. It boils down to training,” Ganguly added.

IPL 2021: Rishabh Pant hoping to use the learnings from MS Dhoni in a bid to outstage him

Newly-appointed Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant cannot wait for his captaincy stint to start especially due to the fact that his first match as a captain will be against his childhood idol Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings play their first match on 10th April at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Pant who was elevated as the DC skipper is hoping to use “learnings” from Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a bid to upstage him in their opening match of the competition. “My first match as captain will be against Mahi (MS Dhoni) bhai. It will be a good experience for me as I have learned a lot from him. I have my own experience as a player as well. I’ll apply my own experience and the learnings from MS Dhoni, and try to do something different against CSK,” Pant was quoted as saying in a press release by the Delhi Capitals. Pant had a forgettable time with the bat during the previous edition of the Indian Premier League. With the lockdown and players not able to practice much, Pant gained a lot of weight which affected his batting quite a lot. He was nowhere close to the same Rishabh Pant which we had seen in the previous seasons. However, he made a commendable comeback in the tour to Australia where he played a couple of series changing knocks. He played a sensational knock in the fourth and the final Test in Gabba which resulted in a historic series win for India Down-Under. He went from strength to strength and was at his stupendous best during the Test series against England. He smashed his first Test century at home and some of his shots oozed class and confidence. The southpaw had a great time with the bat in the limited-overs series as well and he will surely look to take the confidence to the IPL and hope to lead DC to their first IPL title. “I am looking forward to making most of this opportunity. We haven’t won a title yet and I will try my level best to get a title this year. We’ve been playing nicely as a team for last two-three years and our preparations are going on well. Everyone looks in a great frame of mind. Everyone is giving their 100 per cent and is happy in the team environment, and that’s what you want as a Captain,” Pant said. Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting is the current head coach of the Delhi Capitals. Speaking on his influence in the team, Pant said that his presence always boosts the team to go and perform. He hopes to win the title with the help of Ponting and the whole team. “He (Ricky) has been so amazing for us in the last two-three years. He brings energy to the team and as a player when you see your coach and you’re thinking this is the man from whom you can learn a lot, then nothing is better than that. Hopefully, we will cross the line this year, with the help of Ricky and the whole team.”