India tour of South Africa likely to be postponed, BCCI to ask CSA to cut short Test series: Report

T10 League 2021-22: Wanindu Hasaranga rattles Bangla Tigers with a fifer

Deccan Gladiators rode on some exceptional and brutal display of batting from Kohler-Cadmore and then some fine bowling from Wanindu Hasaranga to thump Bangla Tigers by 62 runs on Wednesday in the Abu Dhabi T10 League 2021. Batting first, the Gladiators posted 140/1 in 10 overs as Kohler-Cadmore struck a 39-ball 96, a knock which included five maximums and 12 fours during the course. Apart from him, Russell chipped in with an unbeaten 26 off 18 while Odean Smith scored 12 off 3. In reply, the Bangla Tigers never really got into the groove and lost wickets at regular intervals to get reduced to 65/5 and eventually get bundled out for 78 in the 9th over. The Bangla Tigers suffered a defeat by 62 runs. Hasaranga was the pick of the bowlers for the Gladiators after he bagged a fifer to return with figures of 5/8 in 2 overs. The Chennai Braves vs Delhi Bulls The second encounter of the day was between The Chennai Braves and Delhi Bulls. The Delhi side’s bowling unit was successful in restricting the opposition for a less total as the Chennai team could only manage to put 80/4 on the board and that too, courtesy a late surge from Angelo Perera who scored 40 off 24. But the runs were never really enough as Delhi Bulls went over the line by 10 wickets in just over 4 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 57* off 16 while Chandrapaul Hemraj was unbeaten at a 9-ball 24. The Bangla Tigers will play Northern Warriors while Delhi Bulls will lock horns with Team Abu Dhabi.

Concerned Virat Kohli expects BCCI to soon make things clear on South Africa tour

The doubts over India’s tour of South Africa have already begun to mount after the detection of a new Covid-19 variant. India Test and ODI skipper Virat Kohli has said that the team’s prime focus is on the game but admitted that the players need clarity. "It's pretty natural (to be concerned), we're not playing in normal times anyway. So there's a lot of planning involved. There's a lot of preparation involved in terms of understanding exactly what's going to go on,” Kohli said in the press conference on the eve of India's second Test against New Zealand. “Obviously Rahul bhai has initiated a conversation within the group, which is very important to know. At the end of the day we understand - our focus from the Test match will not shift regardless - but you want to have clarity and want to be in a situation where you know exactly what's going on,” he added. As of now, India have to travel to South Africa for three Tests, three ODIs and four T20Is. Talking about the Test series against New Zealand, the first match in Kanpur ended in a draw. Kohli was rested from this match and will now return for the second and final clash scheduled to begin on Friday in Mumbai.

The Hundred | Pay cut withdrawn, players set for a hefty pay raise from next edition

Leading players of the short forms of the game from England and across the world are in for a hefty increase in salary from The Hundred as there has been a significant increase in the purse of franchises by as much as 20 per cent from the next edition. The sides taking part in the first edition of the tournament scheduled to start in the year 2020 were supposed to have an overall purse of one million pounds but as it was delayed to start this year, they suffered a massive cut in their spending capacity and could be given mandates to spend only 800,000 pounds. However, as per an ESPNcricinfo report, that massive cut has been withdrawn and as a result, men players, who were set to earn in the range of 80,000 pounds to 1,25,000 pounds with captains of sides being eligible for a bonus of 10,000 pounds, will get their payment as it was stated before the launch of the event. Some notable players who are set to earn as much as 1,35,000 pounds are England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali and the organisers of the tournament such as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) would hope that increase purse for sides and subsequent hike in payment of players would find the tournament financially lucrative for international stars as well.

The Ashes | Chris Woakes leaning on 'good' Australian bounce with Kookaburra ball to succeed

England’s Chris Woakes has said that the Kookaburra is pretty different from the Dukes ball that is used in England. The Kookaburra balls provide less swing in comparison to the Dukes. "The Kookaburra is very different to the Dukes and what we're used to back home," Woakes said on Thursday in Brisbane. But the right-hander also admitted that the unit comprises experienced customers who have played on the Australian soil before. "We have a good amount of experience from guys who have been here before. We touch base with those guys to see what's worked in the past." Woakes further talked about the challenges that the England bowlers might encounter while using the Kookaburra. “It's about trying to experiment. Getting the ball to move sideways is probably the biggest challenge," Woakes said. "Trying to work different things, like how we hold it. Trying to get the ball to move off the straight is quite important." While the right-handed cricketer revealed the issues, he also admitted that the extra bounce that the Australian pitches have on offer, the bowlers can extract that. "You do get good bounce here. Trying to extract that as much as possible. Naturally you bowl a little shorter here but you don't want to be drawn into bowling too short. [It's about] trying to utilise that bounce." The Ashes series is slated to begin on December 8 in Brisbane.