India Women announce squads for Australia tour; Gayakwad returns, Veda Krishnamurthy misses out

CPL 2021 | Team Preview: Desperate for first title, Guyana Amazon Warriors put their money on youth

What should one call a team that have been able to reach the finals of a six-team tournament on five out of the eight seasons and could not go on to become the champions even for once? Should they be called ‘chokers’ as the fans of the game attribute to teams that wither away in high-stakes games or rather they should be called a top side that have an amazing consistency for as inconsistent a format as T20 cricket at franchise level? In an ideal world, the answer should be in the middle of both questions and there should lie the legacy of the side that have been known as the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League. The Warriors have made it into the finals of the league in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019 but a CPL title remains elusive for the side. Of all the heartbreaks they have faced in the big games of those five editions, the last one against the St. Lucia Zoulks would have been haunting them, and they will be desperate to set up an undisputed legacy by stamping their name as champions of the competition this time. They are set to open their campaign in the very first game of the season against the Trinbago Tridents, who were the only side that got better of them on the points table last year. Here, we are deciphering the strengths and weaknesses of the Guyana Amazon Warriors Strengths Flamboyance of Pooran, Hetmyer The duo of Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran are the two of the greatest young and dynamic players going around the world and especially the franchise T20 cricket. Both are known for taking the game by the scruff of their neck and also, neither of them have shown any signs of real weakness against specific types of bowling and on certain types of pitches. The Warriors will be putting all their money on the duo to deliver belligerent performances they have been promising for a long time now. Pooran has also been appointed as the skipper of the Warriors and it shows the complete trust he enjoys from the franchise and the team will be hoping for a fearless brand of cricket come the next edition of the competition from August 26. Experience of Hafeez, Malik and Tahir If there will be any trio of late boomers in the history of the game, the decorated trio of the Warriors such as Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, and Imran Tahir will find a special mention on the list. Hafeez has come back to the Warriors set up after an impressive run for form with the Lahore Qalandars and Pakistan national side in the recent past. He has gone one notch higher in his swashbuckling batting by adding the reliability and consistency factor to become one of the ‘beats’ going around. Shoaib Malik had moved on from the side last year but has come back to bolster the Warriors’ batting lineup. CPLs have been the most successful stage for Malik, both the batsman and the bowler. Malik has scored runs and taken wickets at staggering averages of 43.60 and 15.66 respectively and the Warriors will be banking on him to turn up once more and see them all the way through to the championship. Imran Tahir is fresh off a remarkable hat-trick in the inaugural edition of The Hundred and the trademark sprint he embarked on afterwards established nothing but that he is still enjoying the short form of the game. Tahir will find enough assistance from the pitches at the Warner Park in St. Kitts and the side will be hoping for his best this season. If the duo of Hetmyer and Pooran will be the heart and soul, the trio of Tahir, Malik and Hafeez will form the engine room for of the Warriors, and a lot of their fortunes will hinge on these five shoulders if they have to dare to go all the way in their sixth attempt. Weakness While the batting is more or less settled and fluid with a mixture of experienced pros and young and dashing batsmen, the bowling appears to be thin on paper. The trio of Chris Green, Keemo Paul and, who have steered the Warriors for a long time decided to part ways with the franchise. The bowling department does not lack in talent or value with the influx of Afghan Naveen-ul-Haq, who can be seen as a like for like replacement of Kemo Paul. The inclusion of rookie Ashmead Nedd will strengthen the spin bowling department along with Tahir, Kevin Sinclair, and Chanderpaul Hemraj. All in all, the fortunes of the Warriors will be dependent on this spin quarter and the nature of pitches at Warner Park. All the CPL matches this year will be played in St. Kitts and it is plausible that pitches will start getting slower and lower where spinners and pacers with control over lack of pace can come in handy. Best playing XI Brandon King, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shoaib Malik, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Mohammad Hafeez, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Ashmead Nedd, Imran Tahir, Naveen-ul-Haq

Roy Kaia suspended from bowling

Zimbabwe's Roy Kaia was suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after his action was found to be illegal, confirmed the ICC. The right-arm bowler was reported during the Test match against Bangladesh at home. An expert panel gave a verdict that Kaia’s bowling action exceeded the permissible 15 degrees after reviewing. He can though apply for reassessment after making a tweak in his action. "In accordance with Article 11.1 of the ICC Regulations For The Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspect Illegal Bowling Actions, Kaia's international suspension will also be recognised and enforced by all National Cricket Federations for domestic cricket events played in their own jurisdiction," the ICC said. “However, according to Article 11.5 of the Regulations and with the consent of Zimbabwe Cricket, Kaia may be able to bowl in domestic cricket events played under their auspices." He bowled a total of 23 overs during the one-off Test against Bangladesh but failed to pick any wickets during the course. Bangladesh eventually won this match by a huge margin of 220 runs. The right-hander has featured in three Tests and one ODI for Zimbabwe and has scored 59 runs in the longer format.

Finn Allen tests positive for Covid-19

New Zealand batsman Finn Allen has tested positive for Covid-19 on his arrival in Bangladesh. “It’s really unfortunate for Finn,” said New Zealand manager Mike Sandle. “He’s comfortable at the moment and hopefully he’ll recover quickly; test negative and be cleared and approved for discharge as soon as possible.”

ENG vs IND | 3rd Test: Think India will go with three pacers & two spinners, says Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has put his weight behind India spinner R Ashwin and has backed the off-spinner to play the third Test between the two sides beginning on Wednesday (August 25, 2021) in Leeds. Vaughan believes that the weather at the venue will be nice and sunny which might force India to play with three pacers and two spinners. "It looks like it's a very good week, it's going to be very dry, nice and sunny so I'd be amazed if Ashwin doesn't play this week. I think they will go with three pacers and two spinners, and I think that will be the right call at Headingley, it also packs the batting,” Vaughan said on Cricbuzz. The Virat Kohli-led India team is leading the five-match series 1-0 after they clinched a comprehensive 151-run win in the second Test at Lord’s. Ashwin missed out on playing this game as well and the right-arm bowler had then revealed in his YouTube show, ‘Kutti Story’ that he wasn’t a part of the final XI because of the occurrence of showers at the last hour before the game. “The funny thing was, before the match, they were like, ‘There’s a heatwave. You please be ready mate. You might play.’ Upon coming to breakfast in the morning, rains started lashing out. I asked, ‘Won’t you tell about heatwave after it came? Why gave me hope only for it to end in disappointment!’,” Ashwin said while interacting with R.Sridhar on the show. The overcast conditions made India play four quick bowlers in that game. The five-match series between India and England is a part of the second cycle of the World Test Championship.