PAK vs AUS | Haris Rauf tests positive for Covid-19, Naseem Shah included in squad

IND-W vs WI-W | Warm-up: India etch comfortable win against West Indies

India women’s team comfortably defeated West Indies women’s team in the warm-up fixture of the Women’s World Cup in Rangiora. Chasing 259, the West Indies side was restricted to 177/9 in 50 overs. The Caribbean team lost early wickets and were reduced to 53/4 when Hayley Matthews and Shemaine Campbelle tried to steady the ship for the side. The two batters put up a partnership of 69 runs for the fifth wicket before Matthews departed for 44 off 61. The West Indies team then lost a few more wickets in quick succession and were pushed on the back foot to eventually suffer a defeat. Campbelle scored 63 off 81. Pooja Vastrakar picked up three wickets for India while Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma had a couple of scalps each. Earlier, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti showed some good form with the bat as they put up a stand of 117 runs for the second wicket. Both the batters notched up individual fifties during the course. But Deepti’s departure at a team score of 142 was followed by a fall of wickets at regular intervals as India were eventually bowled out for 258. Yastika Bhatia scored a 53-ball 42. Hayley Matthews, Fraser and Ramharack had two wickets each.

Lower-order partnerships helped South Africa to stay in front: Tom Latham

New Zealand stand-in skipper Tom Latham expressed his disappointment after failing to clinch a victory in the two-match Test series against South Africa at home despite taking a 1-0 lead earlier. The Blackcaps suffered a hammering 198-run defeat against the Proteas in the second encounter in Christchurch as the series ended 1-1. "From 1-0 to here is quite disappointing on our front," the New Zealand skipper said. "We knew coming in that we had to front up again and we knew South Africa were going to bring their best. Unfortunately, we weren't able to stick with them for long enough [on day four] and get those breakthroughs.” Latham admitted that the momentum kept shifting during the course of the match but the lower-order partnerships played a vital role in the visitors’ win. "I think there were times throughout the Test match where momentum shifted from team to team. We were able to stay with South Africa for long periods but they managed to get their heads in front yesterday with lower-order partnerships,” he added. Chasing 426 in the second innings, New Zealand were bundled out for 227. Devon Conway top-scored for the New Zealand side with 92 while Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj scalped three wickets each for South Africa.

BAN vs AFG | Tamim Iqbal furious over dropping ICC Super League points

Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal conveyed his disappointment after missing out on 10 ICC Super League points against Afghanistan on Sunday, 28 February. Despite winning the ODI series 2-1, the Bangladesh captain has made his feelings clear, stating that he is very disappointed with the performance as they could not repeat their performance from the second match. "Very disappointed. Before the game, I had said that this match was probably very important. We won the series but the scenario is not such that it won't be a problem if you lose a game. Every game has value. I am disappointed as we couldn't play the way we did in the second match," Tamim said in the post match press conference. Bangladesh were thoroughly defeated in the third and final ODI game after they got skittled out for 192 runs and then were outdone by a Rahmanullah Gurbaz century. For Tamim, the game had more to do with the bigger context of the 2023 World Cup than just a bilateral series. "There are two things here. If you win one or two more, you are probably qualifying for the World Cup. That's not my target as my target is to finish in the top-four. If you want to claim that you have come here to win the World Cup in 2023, if you qualify as the seventh or eighth team, it doesn't make sense.” Bangladesh now would move on to the T20I series against the same opposition in hopes to prepare well for the World Cup this year in Australia.

Important to have a plan when ball is consistently spinning: Marnus Labuschagne

The historical bilateral tie between Pakistan and Australia is scheduled to begin on March 4, 2022 with the first Test of the three-match series taking place in Rawalpindi. For any side touring the Asian continent, negotiating spin bowling is considered to be a task. In an interaction with Cricbuzz, Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne talked about his preparations, adapting to the conditions and a Pakistan great whom he has been following lately. “Mohammad Yousuf is a beautiful batter. Jeez I hadn't watched him for a while. I had watched him but not heaps. He's one guy that I've seen a lot of now. Younis Khan is one that changed his technique a lot when he played in different conditions. He gets quite low and is willing to look ugly to just be effective,” he said. The Australian batter also shared his thoughts on negating the spin and the chat he had with Joe Root after the Ashes series. “The big hurdles to come across is when that ball is new and it's spinning big, and also sliding on. You need to have really good plans for that type of bowling. Also having a plan for when the ball is consistently spinning, and every ball is spinning big. I picked up a few small things here and there. I spoke to Joe after the Ashes and asked him a few things about playing in those conditions,” Labuschagne said. “The way Joe plays spin is very close to the set of skills that I have. Being able to work the ball around, being able to sweep, being able to tuck the ball off my legs. And I think that's why I always like watching what he's doing quite closely,” he added. Talking about the sweep shot, the Australian batter insisted that he is a believer that it is primarily a premeditated stroke. “I'm a firm believer that the sweep shot is primarily a premeditated shot. So, you just need to find a way with which you can play any version of the sweep shot-in front or to square if it's wider, or if it's straighter, behind square. Making sure, you do whatever you can so that the ball can't get under the bat,” he said.