Henry Nicholls stars for New Zealand on Day 1 of Second Test against West Indies

Green doubtful for first Test after being concussed through a Bumrah drive

Australian all-rounder Cameroon Green, hoping for a Test debut in the first Test between Australia and India has been concussed and replaced from the Warm-Up game against India at Sydney Cricket Ground. He was hit on the side of his head by a Jasprit Bumrah straight drive. Green was straightaway taken off the field and has now been concussion subbed by Patrick Rowe. Bowling his seventh over of the day, As soon as Bumrah hit the ball, Green was struck on the side of the head as the ball burst through his hands and on to the temple. Just as the ball hit, the Non-striker Mohd. Siraj ran to him and checked if he was okay. Although he got up quite alright, according to the protocol, was taken off the ground and substituted by Rowe. Pip Inge, Cricket Australia team doctor said that his situation is being monitored. "Cameron sustained a mild concussion while bowling for Australia A. This is Cameron's first concussion. He has returned to the team hotel and will not play the remaining two days of the tour match,” she said. "We will continue to monitor him and provide an update on his condition in due course," the doctor added. As for the Warm-Up match, India were all out for 194, and it could have been way less than that if it weren’t for the Jasprit Bumrah fifty and a 71 run stand between him and Mohammad Siraj. For Australia A, the pick of the bowlers were Sean Abbot and Jack Wildermuth who both took three wickets. Green took the wicket of Shubman Gill. In reply, at the time of writing this news, Australia A were 97/8 with Mohammed Shami picking up three wickets and Bumrah and Saini sharing two a piece.

BBL 10 | Stars vs Thunder: Match Preview, Predicted XI, and more

Melbourne Stars would take the field again on Saturday in the ongoing 10th season of the Big Bash League (BBL) after their match against Brisbane Heat on Friday. The second match for the Stars in as many days will be against Sydney Thunder and would have an early start, giving the Glenn Maxwell-led side even less of a time to recover. The match against Thunder should be an exciting contest. Riding high after a comfortable victory in their opening game, Stars would be upbeat. But Thunder also have a talented squad. For the Melbourne-based team, Nathan Coulter-Nile has already hit his stride by getting four wickets against Brisbane Heat. His contest against the likes of Usman Khawaja, Alex Hales, and Callum Ferguson would be worth watching. On the other hand, Thunder also have a decent bowling attack with Adam Milne providing the pace, Daniel Sams the death-overs bowling skill, and others in supporting role. Against such an attack, the big hitting prowess of Glenn Maxwell and co. would be fully tested. Thunder in Canberra The signing of New Zealand speedster Milne is a good one but whether it works or not depends on how much control the fast bowler has on his line and length. Since the Manuka Oval in Canberra is a small ground, any error by the Kiwi bowler would give the batsmen an opportunity to utilise the pace and clear the boundary. The man most likely to do so is the captain of the opposition, Maxwell. He has regained his form and was hitting the ball beautifully in the recent series against India. A contest between him and Milne will be worth watching. All eyes would also be focussed on Sams. After a very impressive season last year, he fumbled badly when given an opportunity to shine at the international level. In the recently-concluded T20I series against India, he went for quite a few runs and failed to defend 14 runs needed by India in the final over of one of the matches. Whether that was a case of slipping on the big stage or a deeper problem would be found out this season. It would be very exciting if Thunder pick 18-year old Tanveer Sangha, the leg-spinner who impressed earlier this year in the Under-19 World Cup. Throwing such a young and inexperienced player in the deep end is a risky proposition. But it could also give an insight into his character. Overall, Thunder look good going into their first game. They haven't been much affected by the withdrawal of foreign and even Australian players. While Alex Hales is back in the team, so is Usman Khawaja. Can Stars Recover in Time T20 cricket isn't as demanding as the longer formats, still one wonders whether the Melbourne-team can get themselves geared up again less than 24 hours after finishing another match. Whatever be the case, it would be Maxwell again around whom Stars' batting would revolve. The good innings played by Hilton Cartwright shows that the middle order has another capable players. Both these batsmen should get some support from the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Ben Dunk, despite these two failing in the first match of the season. Another player to watch out for would be Andre Fletcher. The West Indian has been chosen to open the innings. A failure in the first match is a bad start, but not the end of the world. It's the bowling where Stars' seem to be well endowed. With Coulter-Nile getting four wickets in the opening match, the team would feel a boost. Adam Zampa has been in great form this season. He would be a big asset for his team and a strike bowler at that. Billy Stanlake can be quite handy on his day. Overall, the bowling seems to be the stronger suit for Stars. Their batting is yet to fully hit its stride. Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder: Match Details Venue: Manuka Oval, Canberra Broadcasters: Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV Time and Date: December 12, 10:35 AM IST, 4:05 PM Local, 5:05 AM GMT Pitch Report The pitch at Canberra has been flat and batsman-friendly this season. However, in the Stars and Brisbane Heat match, bowlers played a key role. This suggests that some assistance for the bowlers has been added to the wicket. Perhaps, the ball may swing a little. This could again help Coulter-Nile. Weather and Toss While there isn't much chance of rain in Canberra, clouds are expected to be in the sky, interspersed with sunny spells. So, there isn't much chance of weather playing a big part in the game. Once again, what the captains do on winning the toss depends on whether the team wants to defend or chase. Stars may prefer the latter option after their success in the first match. Probable XIs Melbourned Stars: Marcus Stoinis, Andre Fletcher, Hilton Cartwright, Ben Dunk (Wk), Glenn Maxwell (C), Nick Larkin, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Clint Hinchliffe, Adam Zampa, Billy Stanlake, Dilbar Hussain Sydney Thunder: Alex Hales, Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson (C), Alex Ross, Matthew Gilkes, Arjun Nair (Wk), Ben Cutting, Daniel Sams, Jonathan Cook, Adam Milne, Chris Tremain

Rohit Sharma passes fitness test, will travel to Australia for Test series

The Indian middle opener Rohit Sharma has been cleared by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for all fitness issues and is ready to travel to Australia to be part of the last two Tests of the four-match series which is beginning on 17th December. It is learned that the 33-year-old Khel Ratna winner will be flown to Dubai first in a chartered flight and from there he will take another flight to Sydney on December 13. Upon reaching there, he would undergo a strict 14-day quarantine away from the Indian Bio-Bubble and then through some protocol will be allowed to be integrated into the team. The inclusion of Sharma comes in as good news for Team India considering the fact that Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper will not be available post the first game in Adelaide as he has sought paternity leave for his and his wife Anushka's baby birth due in January. Thus the requirement for a senior player at the top of the batting order and also into the team was felt. It is being assumed that it is encouraged by a long seven-day gap between the second and third match, that the Indian administration thought of flying in Sharma, who has scored 2141 runs in 32 Tests at an average of more than 46.

BBL 10 | Renegades vs Scorchers: Match Preview, Predicted XI & Dream11 Fantasy Picks

After an exciting opening to the season in Hobart, the action will shift once again to Manuka Oval in Canberra when two heavyweights, Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers, will face each other in the fourth game of the Big Bash League (BBL). It will also be a double-header day as, in an earlier game, the city neighbors of the Renegades, Melbourne Stars would take on Sydney Sixers. In total, the two teams have met 12 times in nine seasons with the Scorchers winning on 10 of those occasions. It would thus be interesting to see how it pans out in the 13th meeting, the number Australian's consider unlucky. Renegades bank on experience The Melbourne Renegades team have with them one of the most experienced squads who have performed across leagues, all around the world, and can be trusted to deliver for this franchise as well. The likes of Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh in batting along with the fresh addition of Rilee Rossouw adds power to the batting lineup. Along with the batting, the bowling too is filled with T20 specialists in James Pattinson, Kane Richardson, Imran Tahir, and Will Sutherland. With all this experience of playing in pressure situations, the Renegades will back themselves to go bonkers in the first game itself. The Afghan imports of Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad will get late for the first game and hence the team will miss them, at least Nabi for sure. Scorchers to turn up the heat with pace trio Mitchell Marsh, the Australian all-rounder who got injured during the IPL, is back and most probably will play as a batsman and captain of the team. However, the real threat for Renegades will be the pace trio of Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, and Andrew Tye. All three of them would be playing together after some 670 days and Tye believes that it is a reason that other teams should fear them. But along with the trio, Fawad Ahmed, the leg-spinner is handy as well, having picked up 15 wickets last season. Then there is the deadly pairing of Colin Munro and Jason Roy with the bat, although Roy might not be available for the first game. Thus with all the firepower, it is surely going to be an interesting game. Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers: Match Details Match Number- 04 Date & Time- Dec 12, 2020, 1:45 PM IST, 7:15 PM Local, 8:15 AM GMT Venue- Bellerive Oval Hobart Broadcast: Sony Ten Network and Sony LIV Pitch Report If the first game is anything to go by, then the pitch remained true throughout the game and got better as the game progressed. However it wasn’t a flat deck and there was something for the bowler if they hit the right lengths, offering swing initially too. Of the 40 domestic games played so far, teams batting first have won 21 times while those batting second have managed to win 19 times, leaving nothing conclusive as to what the team winning the toss would do. The average score at the ground in a T20 game has been 168. Weather and Toss The weather is going to be fantastic for a cricket game as there is no chance of rain although the temperatures would be low giving chilly air for the swing on offer, especially with the breeze coming in from the sea Team News Melbourne Renegades The Renegades would be happy that skipper Aaron Finch is available for the first game and thus the team will be built around that. Nabi and Noor Ahmad would not be available for the first two games and neither would Imad Wasim. So that leaves only two foreign options of playing with Tahir and Rossouw. Predicted XI Aaron Finch(c), Sam Harper (wk), Shaun Marsh, Rilee Rossouw (OS), Beau Webster, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Jack Prestwidge, Josh Lalor, Cameron Boyce, Kane Richardson, Jon Holland Perth Scorchers The scorchers wouldn’t have the luxury to play Jason Roy either in the first game and neither would Ashton Agar be available. The probability of Mitchell Marsh playing as a batsman is high and hence it would be a great boost having him in the middle. Predicted XI Joe Clarke, Josh Inglis (wk), Colin Munro, Mitch Marsh (c), Ashton Turner, Cameron Bancroft, Aaron Hardie, Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Andrew Tye, Fawad Ahmed Renegades vs Scorchers: Dream11 and fantasy team suggestions Josh Inglis(wk), Aaron Finch (C), Shaun Marsh (vc), Colin Munro, Rilee Rossouw, Cameron Bancroft, Beau Webster, James Pattinson, Kane Richardson, Andrew Tye, Imran Tahir Captain: Aaron Finch Vice Captain: Shaun Marsh