NZ vs WI: BJ Watling fit for 2nd Test, set for comeback into team

Ben Stokes' father, Ged, passes away at 65

Father of Ben Stokes, Ged Stokes has died after a long battle with brain cancer, aged 65. Ged was an international player for the New Zealand rugby league and the news of his death was made public by Stokes' former rugby league club, Workington Town, for whom he played one season in 1982-83. Later on, Ged returned to coach in 2003 when the family along with a 12-year-old Ben Stokes emigrated from New Zealand. "It is with great sadness that we learn our former player and coach Ged Stokes has passed away. Ged is written into the rich fabric of Town history and will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with Deb, Ben and James. Ged still has many, many friends here in West Cumbria and we send our thoughts to them too," the Workington Town club wrote on Twitter. It was his father's illness only that forced Ben Stokes to be absent from the early part of the Indian Premier League held earlier this year. He arrived very late in the tournament for the Rajasthan Royals. He had come to the UAE straight from New Zealand and had also posted a picture of him with his ad before leaving for the IPL. Ged’s cancer was reported almost 12 months back when Ben Stokes was with England’s squad on the tour of South Africa last year and the ECB had granted him indefinite leave to spend time with family in August this year and the all-rounder went to New Zealand.

India in Australia: Natarajan the highlight as India trounce familiar foes

India might not have attained what all they strived to achieve from the three T20I rubbers but Thangarasu Natarajan's guile would do nicely for now.

David Warner ruled out of first Test against India with groin injury

In a big blow to the Australian team, their opening batsman David Warner has been ruled out of the first Test against India in the upcoming four-match series due to injury. The opening game of the series would be a day-night affair and would begin on December 17 at the Adelaide Oval. Warner had suffered a groin strain while fielding in the second ODI against India, played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, more than a week ago. This injury ruled the left-handed batsman out of the final ODI of that three-match series as well as forced him to sit out of the T20I series against the same team that concluded on Tuesday. While Australian camp was hopeful of Warner's recovery, their coach Justin Langer had already stated that he was mentally prepared for the ace batsman's absence in the first Test. The absence of Warner, along with Steve Smith, was seen as the biggest reason for Australia's first-ever home series loss against India in the 2018-19 season. With both these batsmen back in their squad, the Aussies were hoping to get some revenge for that loss. But now, with Warner out again, it could be a case of deja vu for the home side. Warner's absence has left the Australian team in a bit of a crisis regarding their opening combination. There are two other openers in the squad. One of them, young Will Pucovski suffered a heavy blow to the head while batting against India during a practice match on Tuesday. He had to leave the field due to concusssion and has been declared unavailable for the next practice match. His availability for the first Test is also under severe doubt. That leaves only Joe Burns available for the first Test, from among the three openers. But Burns, who has had previous stints in the Test team has been struggling badly in first-class cricket this season. Cricket Australia are bound to name a replacement for Warner and, if Pucovski doesn't recovery, maybe one for him also. The man likely to get named is Marcus Harris. He played in the 2018-19 series against India but lost his place thereafter due to lack of runs. Commenting on his injury, Warner said, "I feel I have made great progress in a short amount of time and it's best for me to stay here in Sydney to continue working on getting back to full fitness. The injury feels a lot better, but I need to be able to satisfy in my own mind and to my team-mates that it is 100 per cent ready for Test match conditions. "That includes running between the wickets and being agile in the field. Right now, I feel I am short of being able to play at peak fitness and another 10 days will make a difference." Coach Langer hopes that the man who scored a ton of runs in Australia's last home season, including a triple hundred, would be back for the second Test - the Boxing Day game in Melbourne. "If there is one guy you know will go well above and beyond that's Dave. He has done an incredible job to get to where he is today and we hope to have a fully fit David Warner at his absolute best in Melbourne."

BBL 2020 Team Preview: Perth wants bumper harvest after two scorched seasons

The most successfulf team in the history of Big Bash League (BBL) is all set to make a dash for the title in the upcoming season. Perth Scorchers have taken the BBL trophy home three times and have finished runners-up twice. What is even more impressive is the fact that their success has come largely on the back of home-grown talent. However, the last two seasons have seen a decline in the team's performance. The Scorchers earned the wooden spoon in the 2018-19 season, followed by a sixth-place finish in the last edition. Much of the same squad from the 2019-20 season will again be representing them this time also. Hopefully, from the Scorchers' fans' point of view, they will be more efficient. What does work in favour of the Western Australia-based side is the unique nature of the pitch at their home stadium. Known worldwide as home of the fastest track in the world, Perth presents a distinct challenge than any other venue in Australia, perhaps the world. Even though cricket matches are not taking place at the fabled WACA stadium, the pitch at the new Optus arena has also shown the same characteristics as the one at the former venue. Mitchell Marsh would be leading the team this year as well. Marsh is an uderrated player in limited overs cricket. He has proven to be a very useful bowler with the white ball, able to get some swing at his medium pace, and also is a solid batsman. Being a Western Australia player, his familiarity with the conditions is a big plus. Bowling Attack The bowling attack, especially the pace department, is extremely crucial. Due to the ongoing international season, there aren't any big stars among the seamers. Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, and Andrew Tye are the three most prominent pacers. All three have played for Australia in limited-overs cricket but remain on the fringes of the team. None of these pacers have extreme pace like Mitchell Starc. But aided with the extra bounce in home conditions, they can be a handful on their day. It was The back up seamers are relatively unknown. Last year, it was Richardson who usually bore the weight of being his team's leading bowler. Behrendorff and Tye may give him some help this time. Among the other seamers in the squad, one important name is Matthew Kelly. He often opened the bowling last season for this team. That experience may push him ahead on the pecking list. For a change of angle, left-armer Joel Paris may be the man to go to. The Scorchers have two very capable spinners. Fawad Ahmed arrived in Australia as a refugee from religious persecution and was hailed as a great prospect. Despite making his debut in international cricket in 2013, he has failed to live up to the expectation. But he has the skills to succeed. As a leg-spinner, he will benefit from extra bounce of Perth pitches. Same can be said about Ashton Agar. He is now an experienced left-arm spinner who is more in the orthodox mould of left-arm spinners. But having played for Scorchers and experienced T20 cricket, he now knows the tricks of the trade in this format also. But Agar is likely to miss out on the early part of the season due to an injury he sustained in the ODI series between Australia and India. Not only is he a very useful bowler, his handy batting adds to his value as a team member. As of now, the left-arm spinner is aiming to return by the end of the month. To cover his absence, the Scorchers have taken on board an exciting young talent from Western Australia. Corey Rocchiccioli couldn't take part in the Sheffield Shield matches earlier in the season due to an injury of his own. But his talent led to him being included in the travelling party of the Australian team this year. Lastly, the Perth team have chosen Liam Guthrie as a cover for Cameron Green. Guthrie has played 10 Sheffield Shield matches with very modest return. He would be an x-factor in the line-up. Batting Talent Scorchers have two overseas openers in their squad. Both are known for explosive batting. However, Jason Roy of England has shown the ability to bat for long periods as well. Colin Munro, on the other hand, will go hammer and tongs right from the begining. Not only is the Kiwi batter ranked fifth in T20I rankings for batsmen, he also enjoyed great success in the Caribbean Premier League earlier this year. These two are capable of providing a blistering start to the innings. But if this is the opening pair, the one that opened the innings in the last season, Liam Livingstone and Josh Inglis, and did so with modest success, would have to be adjusted elsewhere. However, Roy and Livingstone, being English players, would not be available for the early part of the season. To cover for Roy, another Englishman, Joe Clarke has been picked up by the team. Clarke benefitted from a successful time in the English counterpart to BBL - the T20 Blast - where he was the fifth-highest run-getter. On the other hand, Inglis is a key player whose place in the team is certain. Last year, in an otherwise disappointing season for his team, he racked up 405 runs. It is possible that he would retain his place at the top of the order. So, when Livingstone and Roy join the squad, there will be four potential openers in the squad. Which one of them remains in the team will depend on the first three matches where Inglis and Munro are certain to open. "Colin’s naturally aggressive instinct with the bat and ability to take the game away from the opposition quickly will make him an extremely important impact player for us this summer. We look forward to welcoming Colin to the Scorchers," coach Voges said when the news of the New Zealander's joining the team came out. Voges also expressed confidence that the absence of the two English batsmen won't cause too much damage. "It’s unfortunate we won’t have our English players Liam and Jason for the early part of the campaign, but we have been planning around that since the tour was earmarked and are very excited to welcome Joe to the side," he stated. Cameron Bancroft has been a Test opener and is best known for his role in the sandpaper gate saga. But he has decent numbers in T20s as well. Last season, he occupied the pivotal no. 3 position with some success. But if Livingstone and Inglis are removed from the opening spot, then Bancroft may have to shift downwards in the order. Skipper Mitchell Marsh is not just a big lad but also has runs at the Test level in the past. This means he has technique to go along with power. Ashton Turner showed his big hitting ability last year when he played a blinder to win a match for Australia against India. Marsh and Turner would provide the strength to the middle order. Cameron Green would be a valuable member of the team in the lower order but he would miss the initial matches of the season. A hundred that he scored against the Indian team in a practice match recently showed his batting abilities. Finishing Touches Last year's BBL saw Scorchers going in with a similar squad to the one this year. However, a great start to the season ended up being overshadowed by a poor finish which led to the team missing the play-offs. This time, having experienced the mistakes of last season, one expects the Perth-based team to be better off. Since they don't have any superstars of T20 cricket like Rashid Khan or Chris Gayle in their ranks, they would have to hope that home-grown players come good. This may or may not work in their favour. The first match of the season for Scorchers would take place on December 12 against Melbourne Renegades.