Marnus Labuschagne becomes numero uno batter in ICC Test Rankings

LPL 2021 | Qualifier 2: Fernando dismantles Dambulla Giants, takes Jaffna Kings to final

After a hiccup in the first qualifier against Galle Gladiators, the Jaffna Kings who had been in some good form in the ongoing Lankan Premier League 2021, were back on track with a win against Dambulla Giants in the second qualifier and registered a place in the final of the tournament. Batting first, the Kings rode on an exceptional first-wicket stand of 122 runs between Avishka Fernando and Rahmanullah Gurbaz to lay a foundation for a big total. Gurbaz eventually departed for 70 off 40 but Fernando went on to notch up a ton before he was out on 100 off 64 deliveries. It was a phenomenal knock that included four maximums and 10 fours. The Jaffna Kings posted 210/4 in 20 overs. Later, Giants’ batting order failed to put up a fight and barring Chamika Karunaratne, no other batter really got into the groove, failing to make a significant contribution. Karunaratne was the lone warrior after he remained unbeaten on a 47-ball 75. Jayden Seales and Maheesh Theekshana didn’t really let the Dambulla batters take an upper hand. While Seales returned with figures of 3/24 in 4 overs, Theekshana had a couple to his name for 23 runs in 4 overs. Thisara Perera expressed delight at the win and lauded the batters for their efforts. “I am really happy today with the way our batters batted. There was pressure after losing the first playoff. As a unit, everything was done really well. The final is just another match. My boys did a really good job today and hope they can do well in the finals,” he said after the match. Jaffna Kings will now lock horns with Galle Gladiators in the final on Thursday (December 23, 2021) in Hambantota.

Watch: US captain Monank Patel upbeat about historic series against Ireland

The United States will be hosting its first bilateral series against a Test-playing nation when it takes on Ireland in the first T20I on December 22 at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill. It is not the first time that a team from the United States is taking in a Test-playing nation as the USA played against Australia and New Zealand in the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy. However, the excitement level of its newly appointed skipper Monank Patel is very high for the upcoming series. Speaking to BBC, Patel said, “It’s definitely the biggest home series we have ever had. It’s a great opportunity for us to play against a Test nation. It’s actually a huge moment for us considering that the series is going to be broadcast all around the world.” With the biggest series taking place at home, it also opens up opportunities for a deeper look into US’ domestic cricketing structure. Speaking on that Patel, who has so far played 39 List A matches, 19 of which are ODIs, said that things are changing for the better at home. “We just had our national championship held back in November, so the domestic structure is getting better here. Now a lot of young players have a chance and stage to showcase their talents,” said the 28-year-old India born.

USA vs Ireland | 1st T20I | Match Preview, Predictions, Fantasy XI

Ireland's tour to the USA, consisting of two T20Is and three ODIs will mark a historic event in cricketing history. The 1st T20I between the two nations will see the USA hosting an international cricket match for the first time. Even before the action has begun, both sides have experienced disappointment. As a string of Covid-19 positive cases emerged within both the camps, there is now a need for a change in strategy. The results came out positive during the pre-series testing, meaning the players would go through a ten-day isolation period. Aiming to bolster their cricketing structure, the USA has made moves in the right direction in the recent past. Firstly, introducing a T20 league of their own - Major League Cricket, USA has offered opportunities to those who had the potential but did not enjoy much success, playing in their homeland. Now, they will be up against a Test-playing nation, which will further strengthen their chances of climbing up the ladder in international cricket. On the other hand, Ireland led by Andrew Balbirnie is not going through a good phase. Failing to make it to the Super 12 in T20 World Cup 2021, they will be itching to step back on the field. However, their confidence would be dented due to the recent situation of Covid-19 cases within the camp. Few of their players, mainly Harry Tector, Gareth Delany, Barry McCarthy and George Dockrell were tested positive. Josh Little, who was playing in the Lanka Premier League, has been recalled to join the squad. Match Details - USA vs Ireland, 1st T20I Date: 23rd December, 2021 Time: 12:30 AM IST Venue: Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, Florida Live Streaming: FanCode app and website Pitch Report Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground will host a T20I after nearly two years. In a total of nine T20Is played at the venue, teams batting 1st have won on seven occasions. This shows us about the sluggishness of the pitch as the match progresses. Average score while batting 1st is 161. Squads USA Monank Patel (c/wk), Marty Kain, Ali Khan, Ritwik Behera, Yasir Mohammed, Ali Sheikh, Ryan Scott, Xavier Marshall, Saurabh Netravalkar, Nisarg Patel, Gajanand Singh, Jessy Singh, Steven Taylor, Vatsal Vaghela, Sushant Modani. Ireland Andrew Balbirnie (c), Paul Stirling, Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Shane Getkate, Josh Little, William McClintock, Neil Rock (wk), Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Ben White, Craig Young. Probable Playing XIs Ireland Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Shane Getkate, Lorcan Tucker, Curtis Campher, Simi Singh, Neil Rock (wk), Mark Adair, Craig Young, Ben White, Josh Little USA Steven Taylor, Monank Patel (c/wk), Gajanand Singh, Marty Kain, Ritwik Behera, Ryan Scott, Nisarg Patel, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Sushant Modani, Jessy Singh CE Fantasy XI Paul Stirling, Curtis Campher, Ritwik Behera, Monank Patel, Simi Singh, Mark Adair, Ryan Scott, Ali Khan, Craig Young, Josh Little, Nisarg Patel

Vijay Hazare Trophy | Silambarasan, Jagadeesan carry TN to semis; Prashant Chopra pushes HP past UP

Raghupathy Silambarasan and Narayan Jagadeesan played an impressive part in Tamil Nadu’s trouncing of arch-rivals Karanatak in the quarterfinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22. This is now the second time in the same year that Karnataka have been defeated in a knockout of a tournament at the hands of Tamil Nadu. Prior to this meeting, Shahrukh Khan’s brilliant last ball six help the Southernmost state of India beat its coffee hub in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22 Final held at Delhi. In this game too, Shahrukh did play a major role, but roles more poignant than him came in the bags of fast bowler Ragupathy Silambarasan, who is playing his first List A seasons and experienced batter Jagadeesan. Silambarasan was the main reason behind Karantak timidly surrendering in their chase as they were bowled out for 203 in only 39 overs. The 29-year-old Silambarasan took four wickets as none of the Karnataka batters was able to get past even the fifty run mark. Along with him, Washington Sundar also picked three wickets. Earlier in the day, after losing the toss and being asked to bat first at the KL Saini Stadium in Jaipur, the Tamil Nadu team was boosted by a brilliant century from Jagadeesan. He made several partnerships along with Dinesh Karthik, R Sai Kishore and Baba Indrajith. However, the run rate was relatively slow until Shahrukh arrived at the crease. It was courtesy of a flamboyant knock from the destructive hitter Shahrukh that Tamil Nadu managed to score 64 runs in the last four overs. He remained unbeaten at 79 off just 39 balls. Himachal into semis for the first time since 2015-16 It was also a historic day for Himachal Pradesh as it marched to only its second semi-final in the history of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Rishi Dhawan led team defeated last season’s finalists Uttar Pradesh by five wickets at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur in another quarterfinal. Batting first, Uttar Pradesh could only manage to get to 206 in their 50 overs as they were too late to recover from early blows where they had t struggle badly at 39-4. The heroes from the quarterfinals, Rinku Singh and Akshdeep Nath were once again together, but miracles don’t happen daily and as a result, Akshdeep wasn’t able to convert his start. At 103-5, UP were staring down the barrel before Bhuvaneshwar Kumar partnered Rinku for a 75 run partnership. But just as he started to free himself, even Rinku was nabbed by Pankaj Jaswal and thus UP could reach only 207. Bhuvi made 46 off 52 balls before getting out on the last ball of the innings. Himachal started cautiously and riding on brilliant 99 from Prashant Chopra, chased down the total in the 46th over itself. It was however unfortunate that Chopra couldn't get a century for the effort he put in. There are two more quarterfinals remaining which would be played on December 22 at the two venues in Jaipur between Services and Kerala and Saurashtra and Vidarbha respectively.