IPL 2022 | Lucknow franchise ropes in Andy Flower as head coach

Former Zimbabwe cricketer Andy Flower is set to be the head coach of the Lucknow IPL franchise. Flower had resigned from his post of assistant coach of the Punjab Kings franchise. 

Flower expressed delight at being associated with the franchise and said that he was excited about beginning the new journey. 

"I am incredibly excited to be joining the new Lucknow franchise and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Since my very first tour to India in 1993, I have always loved touring, playing and coaching in India," said Flower in a statement.

"I will relish the challenge to build something meaningful and successful with the Lucknow franchise, I am looking forward to meeting the management and staff when I visit Uttar Pradesh in the new year,” he added. 

Sanjiv Goenka said that Flower has left an indelible mark in the history of cricket both as a player and a coach. “As a player and a coach, Andy has left an indelible mark in the history of cricket. We respect his professionalism and hope he will work with our vision and add value to our team."

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BBL 11 | Sixers in trouble as Curran, Manenti ruled out; O’Keefe sidelined with injury

The Sydney Sixers have lost three of its key team members in the ongoing Big Bash League 2021-22. While the two pacers in Tom Curran and Ben Manenti have been ruled out for the entire season with deep injuries, experienced spinner Steve O'Keefe has also been sidelined for at least a week with a calf strain. Curran, who complained of a back spasm in the Sixers’ last game against Melbourne Stars at the MCG is found to have a troublesome hotspot in the back has forced the fast bowler to leave the tournament and return to the United Kingdom for rehabilitation. The 24-year-old right-arm off-break bowler Manenti suffered a neck stress fracture and has been ruled out due to it. With Manenti out and O'Keefe on a short term break, the Sixers are left with only Llyod Pope as their pure spin-bowling option going forward. Even after all these injury concerns, the pink team’s skipper Moises Henriques is not at all worried as he believes that his team always comes prepared with 18 guys who can be match ready. Hence even if three guys have suffered injuries, the all-rounder believes that rather than being a setback, it can be an opportunity for the remaining guys to step up. "We pride ourselves on being a club and a team that embraces challenges but to lose players of the calibre of Tom and Ben, and to have SOK on the sidelines, would be a challenge for any team and those guys aren't simply replaced," the captain said. "On and off the field, all three of those guys play a massive role for us and their presence around the team and skills on the field will be missed by everybody in the group. But for us, we always look to have 18-match ready players in our squad and we see it as an opportunity for others within our group. We saw Ben Dwarshuis return from injury this week, Jackson Bird isn't too far away and Sean Abbott is back after the birth of his daughter, so there is no need to panic," he added. Sixers are currently sitting at the top of the table with 11 points in their kitty having registered three wins out of four games that they have played so far.

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The Ashes | Day-Night Test, Day 2: Steve Smith misses ton, but puts hosts ahead on captaincy return

Steve Smith celebrated his return to the leadership of the Australian side with a resilient 93 in the Day-Night Ashes Test against England in Adelaide. He batted with absolute control and authority over England bowling attack until his dismissal when a delivery from James Anderon kept low and found him in front of the stumps. He looked set and determined for a century in the Ashes series after missing out on a big score in the first Test at the Gabba. He did not have to do a repair job as the partnership between Marnus Labuschagne and David Warner had laid a perfect foundation for him and the middle order to flourish, but he never gave any chance to England bowling attack. He stitched valuable partnerships of 65, 50 and 91 with Labuschagne, Travis Head and Alex Carey respectively to ensure Australia didn’t lose their way after a solid start at the top. Carey scored his maiden half-century in the longest format to lead hosts’ counter-attack from the other end while Smith was wearing the England pace attack down by each passing over. He was handed over the vice-captaincy alongside Pat Cummins in a contentious decision by the selectors and got the opportunity to lead the side very quickly as Cummins suffered a covid scare in Adelaide. His efforts ensured Australia reached closer to the 400-run mark at the Tea interval on the second day of the Day-Night Test and England will be under pressure to bat under lights in the final session.