Having Quinton de Kock back in the side will be good, he will have a point to prove: Temba Bavuma

SL vs ZIM | 2nd ODI: Captain Ervine misses out on century, but guides Chevrons past 300

The Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine eld from the front as the batting unit of the African side once again proved it’s worth taking the team total past 300 after a brilliant 91 from the captain and a great half-century from Sikandar Raza. This score has come on the back of 296 that Zimbabwe scored against the same opposition in the first ODI played at the same venue- Pallekele International Stadium on Sunday, January 16, 2022. Once again deciding to bat first after winning the toss, the Chevrons got off to a decent start as the opening pair of Regis Chakabva and youngster Takudzwanashe Kaitano added 59 for the first wicket before Kaitano was removed by Jeffrey Vandersay once again. Then walked in Ervine, who was lucky enough to survive a dismissal thanks to DRS. After being adjudged Leg Before Wicket off the bowling of Maheesh Theekshana, Ervine opted for DRS which clearly showed that the ball would have missed the stumps. Pouncing on to that chance, the 36-year-old played a brilliant knock. He first had a 31 run stand with Chakabva, which was broken as the latter was stumped off Vandersay for 47, narrowly missing out on a fifty. Ervine created yet another partnership as he got going with his old pal Sean Williams, adding 106 for the third wicket. Those runs came in just 104 balls, maintaining the scoring rate of the team. While Williams could not add another fifty to his tally, getting stumped off Vandersay on 48, Ervine got to his 18th fifty during that partnership. Wesley Madhevere, who joined Ervine after the fall of Williams didn’t stay long either and Zimbabwe were reduced to 205-4. Sikandar Raza walked in and then added 51 runs with Ervine before the captain was removed by Theekshana unfortunately for 91 off 98 balls. Raza wasn’t much troubled by that as he added 40 for the sixth wicket with Ryan Burl and also reached his 19th ODI fifty before being dismissed as the last Zimbabwean wicket to fall with the score at 302. Before him, Burl and Wellington Masakadza had been dismissed as well. Apart from Vadersay, who picked up three wickets, Nuwan Pradeep added two to his tally in the last over as well while Theekshana and Chamika Karunaratne got one each.

BBL 2021-22: Close win over Renegades take Hurricanes to Playoffs, Stars knocked out

In a massive turn around during the clash between Melbourne Renegades and Hobart Hurricanes in Melbourne, the Hurricanes stole away a win from the jaws of defeat. The Renegades were chasing a big target of 183 runs in 20 overs and had a decent start to the proceedings as openers Names Seymour and Aaron Finch put up 37 on the board before Seymour departed for 24 off 13. Finch was then joined by Shaun Marsh and the two batters steadied the ship and stitched another brilliant stand of 101 runs for the second wicket. Marsh was eventually sent back in the hut for a 38-ball 51 while Finch went on to score 75 off 52. But Marsh’s dismissal was followed by a flurry of wickets as the middle-order failed to make any significant contributions. Debutant Unmukt Chand also failed to impress as he was undone for 6 off 8. The Renegades were eventually restricted to 176/6 in 20 overs as they suffered a defeat by 6 runs. Sandeep Lamichhane returned with figures of 2/27 in 4 overs. Earlier, in the day, Hobart Hurricanes rode on some brilliant batting from the unit to post 182/5 in 20 overs on the board. The Hurricanes lost an early wicket but Caleb Jewell and Matthew Wade stitched a solid stand of 67 runs for the second wicket. While Jewell scored 35 off 28, Wade notched up 48 off 39. Later, D Arcy Short and Tim David’s late surge helped Hurricanes to put up 182/5 in 20 overs. While David remained unbeaten at 46 off 20, Short chipped in with a 22-ball 37.

Pakistan’s Hasnain to undergo action testing after being reported for chucking in BBL

It has come as a shocker for both Mohammad Hasnain and the Pakistan cricket team as the bowler, who was signed for his first stint with the Big Bash League has now returned with a rather sore experience. The player has been reported for chucking, a term used to define more bending of the arm and or elbow than allowed in the guidelines of cricket. It was during the Sydney derby clash between Hasnanin’s side Sydney Thunder and the opposition team Sydney Sixer that Moises Henriques, skipper of the Sixers was heard saying “Nice throw” referring to the chucking by Hasnain during a heated exchange between the two players. It is now believed that the umpires from that game have reported his action and the 21-year-old would now have to undergo testing to prove that his action is legitimate. The testing would take place at the ICC-accredited biomechanics laboratory in Lahore. Hasnain who joined the BBL as a replacement for Englishman Saqib Mahmood with the Thunder played five games and picked up seven wickets in them, including a Player of the Match 3-22 in his debut match against the Brisbane Heat. However, he remained economical in all games, including the one in which he was reported for chucking. In fact, in a video posted by cricket.com.au, Henriques is clearly seen saying, "Nice Throw" to Hasnain. You can watch the video here. In that game, too, Hasnain gave away only 22 runs when all the other bowlers were being bashed by the Sixers batters. Hasnain has so far played 8 ODIs and 18 T20Is for Pakistan, picking up a total of 29 wickets in them.

Legends Cricket League | When and where to watch Virender Sehwag taking on Shoaib Akhtar

The Legends Cricket League 2022 is scheduled to begin on 20 January with former cricketing greats taking on each other. The likes of Virender Sehwag, Shoaib Akhtar and Yuvraj Singh have signed up for the tournament amongst other global stars. The nine-day long tournament will have seven matches with three rest days on between. There will be three teams, two from Asia and one combining the countries outside of the continent. The teams are called Indian Maharajas, Asia Lions and World Giants. All games start at 8 PM IST and will be played in Oman. The final is scheduled to be held on 29 February. Schedule January 20 - Indian Maharajas vs Asia Lions January 21 - World Giants vs Asia Lions January 22 - World Giants vs Indian Maharajas January 23 - Rest January 24 - Asia Lions vs Indian Maharajas January 25 - Rest January 26 - Indian Maharajas vs World Giants January 27 - Asia Lions vs World Giants January 28 - Rest January 29 - Final Where to watch? All matches will be broadcasted over the Sony Sports Network Full Squads India Maharajas Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Badrinath, RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Naman Ojha, Manpreet Gony, Hemang Badani, Venugopal Rao, Munaf Patel, Sanjay Bangar, Nayan Mongia, and Amit Bhandari Asia Lions Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kamran Akmal, Chaminda Vaas, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Azhar Mahmood, Upul Tharanga, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammed Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammed Yousuf, and Umar Gul, Asghar Afghan World Giants Daren Sammy, Daniel Vettori, Brett Lee, Jonty Rhodes, Kevin Pietersen, Imran Tahir, Owais Shah, Herschelle Gibbs, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Corey Anderson, Monty Panesar, Brad Haddin, Kevin O’Brien, and Brendan Taylor.