Power-packed New Zealand trounce England at home, win first Test series since 1999

New Zealand made a light work of the only remaining wicket of England and the chase early on the fourth day to clinch the second Test and with that their first series win in the country after 1986.

In the most fitting manner, New Zealand stand-in captain Tom Latham nudged a delivery from Stuart Broad to the off side and got deep into the silent euphoria of a big series win.

The win must have been special for the Blackcaps as they have found it extremely tough to defeat England in their own backyard but the tide seems to be turning in the recent years as they have won the last two series between the side.

The win would have been special for Latham as well, who was asked to lead a New Zealand side that made six changes from the last game including the prominent names in Kane Williamson, BJ Watling, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson missing out.

Only a magical performance from either Olly Stone or James Anderson could have provided England with some sort of a fighting chance but Trent Boult was in no mood to let the hosts go off the hook. Stone could not drag his bat away from an outgoing delivery and Tom Blundell did the rest.

From the England side, Rory Burns was the lone bright spot and was rightly adjudged Man of the Series by the New Zealand coach Gary Stead while from New Zealand, Devon Conway won the Man of the Series award on the basis of the sheer weight of runs and the impact it had on the outcome of the series.

England have been left with too many questions to answer after their first series loss at home since 2014 and Joe Root would be feeling serious pressure after a repetitive episode of batting failures. He conceded the Blackcaps outplayed his side throughout the second Test of the series.

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India's men of steel Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane bracing for World Test Championship final

India’s mainstays in Test cricket—Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, who have played a pivotal role in their journey over the last several years have already made their ‘special’ feeling about the World Test Championship. Now, as they are preparing for one final contest to conquer the final frontier of New Zealand in the final, both opened up on the context of the Test Championship in terms of their career and the role it had played on the overall state of the game. Pujara said that the WTC final would mean ‘a lot’ to him as he has not been part of any other Indian team and that it is the only opportunity for him to taste success in a global tournament. “Personally, it means a lot to me because I am playing this one format and it is the most challenging format in cricket. So yeah, it means a lot and we have worked really hard as a team for over a period of time to reach here. So, I am sure all the guys are looking forward to his final and winning this final will mean a lot for us,” Pujara said in a video tweeted out by the host broadcaster of the WTC final, Star Sports. On the other hand, India’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, who led the side to a heroic series win in Australia in face of severe adversity, said the Test Championship has reignited the meaning of bilateral series across the world. He said that the men in blue have been at their ‘best’ over the last couple of years to reach this far in the competition. “It was not easy as in Test cricket you need to be at your best every day but we have played consistently well for over two years and the result is that we have reached the final of the World Test Championship. The Championship has made the game competitive as before it one could have come back in the series after sling the first game but the point system makes every innings and games important,” Rahane said in the video. The World Test Championship final will commence on June 18 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton and the onus of giving India a perfect platform and a strong finish will once again be on the shoulders of Pujara and Rahane.

Have got my chances in the past & will still get them: Jaydev Unadkat

Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat has said that he doesn’t “repent on” the snub from Team India. Unadkat was picked up in the side that will play three ODIs and as many T20Is in Sri Lanka. “This game has given me so much, and not for one moment, am I gonna repent on why not me, or when will my time come and what I have done wrong. I have got my chances in the past & I will still get them. It will be when it will be!,” Unadkat said. Unadkat who is a part of the RR in IPL has played one Test, seven ODIs and 10 T20s for India and represented the national side back in 2018. The side that would be led by Shikhar Dhawan will also have some new faces. Knight Riders batsman Nitish Rana, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Devdutt Padikkal, Rajasthan Royals' Chetan Sakariya, Chennai Super Kings’ Ruturaj Gaikwad and K Gowtham have received the call-up. As per a PTI report, the squad will quarantine in Mumbai before flying to Sri Lanka in chartered flight or business class in commercial airways. The report further added that the players will be under isolation for seven days before they could meet in the team. The ODI series will begin on July 13 while the T20I series will commence on July 21. India’s squad: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya Net Bowlers: Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh

Kraigg Brathwaite hails Jayden Seales’ performance

West Indies suffered a thumping defeat by an innings and 63 runs against South Africa at St Lucia but skipper Kraigg Brathwaite had some positives to take away from this game. Brathwaite hailed teenage fast bowler Jayden Seales’ bowling abilities. “Not all bowlers have that natural length and he obviously swings the ball. So I was not surprised by his performance in this game,” the captain said. Brathwaite further went on to reveal that Seales tries different things during the practice sessions. “Even at practice, there are different little things that he does with the ball. He’s one for the future, big time. Obviously he’s young, but he was strong, his pace was up throughout and I really think he’s something special.” The hosts were bundled out for 97 in the first innings after Lungi Ngidi and Nortje scalped nine wickets. The captain admitted that the side needs to bat better and the first innings performance was disappointing. “We’ve got to bat better. (Roston) Chase showed fight (making 62 in the second innings), but that first innings hampered us a lot,” Brathwaite said. South in reply rode on Quinton de Kock’s unbeaten 141 and posted 322. The visitors’ bowling attack later rattled the West Indies batting unit to bowl them out for 162 in the second innings to win the match eventually.

Hasan Ali to miss remainder of PSL 2021 due to personal reasons

Islamabad United bowler Hasan Ali will be missing the remainder of the PSL 2021 due to personal reasons. "I want to say to all Islamabad United fans, unfortunately due to personal reasons I have to pull out of the remaining PSL matches," Hasan said. "Some things are more important than cricket and nothing is more important than family. I am thankful to Islamabad United for their support and understanding. This team truly is a family that stands with you through thick and thin. I wish the team very best of luck for the remaining PSL matches,” he added. The United skipper Shadab Khan has admitted that it is a “huge loss” to the team. "We understand Hassan's situation right now, family always comes first. We wish Hassan the very best of luck. He will obviously be a huge loss to our team and the tournament, but some things are more important than cricket. At Islamabad United we have always looked after each other like a family and we will continue to do so," Shadab said. Islamabad are presently sitting at second position with 8 points and four wins in six matches in the points table. The United will lock horns with Lahore Qalandars on Sunday (June 13, 2021) in their next fixture.