IND vs ENG: ICC announces all Indian umpires to officiate in first two Tests

BBL10 Eliminator: Labuschagne strong Heat hold the edge against Strikers at Gabba

After 56 matches and 48 days, the Big Bash League 2020-21 got it’s five best teams who qualified for the Finals and now is the time for the first stage of that Finals. Brisbane Heat would face nemesis Adelaide Strikers in the all-important Eliminator clash at thor home ground of Gabba on Friday, 29th January. The heat has an edge over the strikers in a way that they are coming on the back of a great win over a strong Perth Scorchers side while the Strikers gt through to the Finals, merely on the basis of their net run rate, which was better than the Hurricanes. The Travis Head side was even drubbed by nine wickets by the Sydney Thunder in their last league encounter. Labuschagne the key for Heat Ever since he has joined the Heat unit post the Australia- India Test series, the 26-year-old Queenslander has been a livewire in the field and either with the bat or surprisingly with the ball, has been able to change the course of the game and give some momentum to the Heat. In this all-important affair, the Brisbane side would be hoping for a great showing from Labuschagne’s side. In the three BBL 2020-21 games that he has played, the STS (Stranger than Smudge) as the Aussie players like to call him, Labuschagne has scored 123 runs at an amazing average of 41 and has also picked up six crucial wickets with his ‘not so part-time’ leg-spin. Can Carey carry Strikers over the line! Although the Strikers have lost their last game, came through on net run rate got the biggest drubbing by their entire season at the hands of the Thunder, but one thing that doesn’t change even after all this is the fact that they beat the Heat by 82 runs in their last meeting. Adelaide’s vice-captain Alex Carey was the hero of the game, having hit a brilliant century in a must-win the encounter. The onus in this game would again be on Carey to take the lead and take his side through to the Knockout. But after that 101 knock against the Heat, he has remained silent in the next two games, much like Wes Agar, the sturdy fast bowler, who has been another hero of the Strikers’ BBL10 campaign so far. Agar, 23, has 21 wickets in this year‘s league so far but hasn’t been able to pick even a single wicket in his last two games and like Carey, would be itching to prove his worth in the biggest game of his career so far. Heat vs Strikers: Match Details Match- Eliminator Date and Time: 29th January, 01:45 pm IST, 06:15 pm Local, 08:15 am GMT Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony SIX and Sony LIV Pitch Report The Gabba in this entire tournament has been used five times so far and all the five games have seen moderate scores only, indicating that the wicket has something for the bowlers if they hit the right lengths. The Heat has won three out of those five games and the two that they lost were very close affairs as they lost by two and one runs against Strikers and Hurricanes respectively. Weather and Bat Flip Brisbane is going to remain throughout the game with a chance of rain after 10 pm, the match might be finished by then. However, passing showers might also be expected in between 6 pm to 10 pm and hence any team winning the toss would choose to field first, keeping the Duckworth- Lewis system in mind. Luckily, Heat skipper Chris Lynn has got a chance to field first at the Gabba even when he lost the Bat Flip on two occasions, while on the three that he won, he anyways chose to field. There is no reason to believe why wouldn’t he chose to field first again if he wins the flip. Heat Strongest XI Chris Lynn (c), Max Bryant, Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Denly, Joe Burns, Lewis Gregory, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Jack Wildermuth, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Ben Laughlin Strikers Strongest XI Alex Carey (wk), Jake Weatherald, Philip Salt, Travis Head (c), Jonathan Wells, Ryan Gibson, Michael Neser, Danny Briggs, Wes Agar, Liam O Connor, Peter Siddle

New Big Bash rules are here to stay say the organisers

The authorities supervising the Big Bash League, have on the basis of the reviews received so far said that the new Big Bash Rules are here to stay. The rules have received mix response but most of it has been positive only. Cricket Australia’s Head of the Big Bash Alistair Dobson and league consultant Trent Woodhill are happy with the reviews. "We couldn't be happier with how they've played out," Dobson was quoted as saying to SEN this week. Dobson further impressed upon the point that the rules will remain in the league but did not rule out the possibility of a change in them. "We'll do a thorough review at the end of the season and if those rules need to be tweaked further or further innovation is required. They've been a good addition to the competition, whether they stay in the same form, I'm not sure,” he said. Woodhill, who was one of the prominent faces behind bringing the new rules was delighted with the response that the league has received after the changes. "What I've been pleasantly surprised about is how it's been different for every team," Woodhill told cricket.com.au Saying that uncertainty and excitement was the main purpose behind setting up these rules, Woodhill believes that most of the target has been achieved. "It couldn't have gone any better. I think it's been unbelievably good with the way it's created a talking point and uncertainty with teams using it at different times,” he added. The new rules have indeed been a great addition in the league as power surges and bash boost have increased the competition especially in a tournament that was fought so closely, where two teams were the difference between the third-placed and the sixth-placed team was just three points and three teams finished with an equal number of wins and losses.

Ganguly’s surgery successful, two more stents implanted

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief Sourav Ganguly has undergone another angioplasty and two more stents have been implanted in his artery successfully. PTI on the account of the Hospital sources said that he is doing fine after the successful surgery. Earlier today the senior doctors at the hospital said that various tests were needed to confirm whether another angioplasty was needed or not. On Wednesday the former India captain was rushed to the hospital after complaints of dizziness and mild chest pain, while he was at home in his Behala residence. A green corridor was created by the Kolkata Police to make sure that Ganguly reached the hospital quickly. Earlier this month, the 48-year-old had been diagnosed with three blocked coronary arteries and had a stent implanted in his right coronary artery. After the surgery, Ganguly spent five days at the hospital before being discharged on January 7.

Daily Round up | Jan 28: England contingent in India tests negative for COVID-19

All members of the England cricket team who have arrived in India for a four-match Test series starting February 05 have tested negative for the Covid-19 tests while Pakistan and South Africa fought well in Karachi to keep the first Test of the series in balance. Here are the important news from the cricketing world that deserves your attention England squad members test Covid-19 negative All members of the English touring contingent have returned negative for the Covid-19 testing upon their arrival in Chennai, IANs reported. The tourists will play two Tests at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, followed by the final two of the series scheduled to take place at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad. Read the full story here Tom Banton pondering opting out of IPL 2021 English explosive batsman Tom Banton is pondering opting out of the Indian Premier League this year as he is going for more and more game time on the field while the four overseas players rule has affected his chances in making the fist playing XI of the sides. In the last season of IPL, Banton represented the Kolkata Knight Riders, but could feature in only two games, and scored 18 runs. “Growing up as a kid the IPL was a tournament that I absolutely loved watching. But I feel like I'm at a stage now where I need to be playing cricket instead of sitting on the bench," Tom Banton told Sky sports. Read the full story here Rishabh Pant searching new house in Delhi-NCR Rishabh Pant is searching for a new house for himself as the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman announced on his Twitter timeline that his family members are urging him to buy a new house for the family. He suggested ‘Gurgaon’ as one of the locations in his mind, and asked his followers to suggest more options to him. Read the full story here Sourav Ganguly’s health update The health conditions of the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly is stable and the doctors attending him have said that the decision on stent insertion will be taken only after conducting several rounds of tests to assess various health parameters. “Mr Ganguly slept well all night. He had a light breakfast this morning. A series of tests will be conducted on him today to decide on the next course of treatment,” the senior doctor, part of the panel attending to Ganguly said. Read the full story here Markram, van der Dussen lead Proteas’ fightback in Karachi Test The top-order batsmen of South Africa have brought the team back in the opening Test of the series at the National Stadium in Karachi. Trailing by 158 runs, Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram provided a decent start before Rassie van der Dussen joined hands with Markram to lead Proteas fightback on the third day. As the end of the play neared, the spinning pair of Nauman Ali and Yasir Shah, stuck big wickets of Markram, Faf du Plessis and van der Dussen to keep the game in the balance. At the end of the third day’s play, South Africa were 187/4 and secured a lead of 29 runs going into the day four of the Test. Earlier, a flourish from the lower order batsmen carried Pakistan to a big lead of 158 runs while Kagiso Rabada reached the milestone of 200 Test wickets in his 44th Test. Check full scorecard