PSL | Unhappy with franchise’ treatment, Babar Azam might leave Karachi Kings

Anderson backs 'superhuman' Root to go past Alastair Cook as England's highest run getter

England’s bowling spearhead James Anderson has tipped his skipper Joe Root to surpass the batting record of his former skipper Sir Alastair Cook in Tests. Joe Root had walked out to bat on the second afternoon of the second Test at Lord’s when Mohammed Siraj had inflicted back-to-back blows to England batting order. Root defended the hat trick ball from Siraj with immense sense of calm and Anderson credited him for bringing “calming effect” on the rest of the batting lineup. Root has been the lone-man warrior for England with the bat in the ongoing year with five centuries. He has been phenomenal so far in the series against India with two centuries and one fifty from three innings and is yet to fail in the three innings that have gone by. Crediting him for carrying the weight of England batting order, Anderson said that what Root has achieved in the last 12 months have been “nothing short of superhuman”. “Every time he goes out there he is just class, and today he looked class from ball one. When you see your captain go out and play like that on a hat-trick ball, it does seem to have a really calming effect on the dressing room. so I’m sure there’s much more to come from him,” Anderson said. “Joe’s been amazing through his career and this last 12 months in particular. With everything that we’ve been through with the pandemic and the pressures on this team, to be able to captain the side and perform the way he has been is nothing short of superhuman.” Anderson himself has been rated with similar adjectives to what he has lavished Root with and been the go-to man for England with the ball. He has been to England for so many years with the ball what Root has been for them with the ball. He took his 31st five-wicket haul in Tests in the first innings and stopped India from running away with the game. It was the seventh time he got his name imprinted on the Lord’s Honours Board and while his future is being widely discussed, he has expressed hope of returning to the Home of Cricket with one more go. “Certainly the last few times I’ve come here you think: ‘Will this be my last time playing here? So hopefully it’s not my last time here, and hopefully it’s not my last time on the honours board,” Anderson concluded. Anderson’s presence in the side is huge for England’s fortunes in the series as they are already without Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes. However, he is unlikely to play all the five matches against India.

WI vs PAK | Jayden Seales reprimanded for using foul language against Hasan Ali

The International Cricket Council on the advice of Match Referee Richie Richardson, reprimanded West Indian pacer, Jayden Seales, for using foul language during the first of the two Tests against Pakistan. Seales was charged with breaching Level 1 ICC Code of Conduct which includes the breach of Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. The article states that ‘using language, actions or gestures which disparage, or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match.’ The incident occurred in the 70th over of Pakistan's first innings, when the 19-year-old, after dismissing Hasan Ali, went too far in his celebration which the on-field umpires Gregory Brathwaite, Joel Wilson didn’t fit appropriate and ticked it as inappropriate language towards the batsman. Courtesy of Seales pleading guilty to the offence and accepting the proposed sanction, one demerit point was awarded to him along with an official warning. Four demerit points in 24 month period resulting in a player missing a Test match or two limited-overs games, whichever falls earlier. "One demerit point has been added to the disciplinary record of Seales, for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period," ICC said in a statement. Seales, playing only his third Test, took three wickets in the first innings of the match and has so far taken two in the second innings, where Pakistan are leading by 124 runs with five wickets remaining.

IPL allows franchises to replace players from India leg, door open for Iyer, Natarajan's return

The Indian Premier League’s Governing Council has allowed the franchise to swap players which they picked as replacements for the ones who were initially signed but got injured or pulled out ahead of or in between the league’s India leg in April and May 2021. IPL's chief operating officer Hemang Amin in a statement said, “If in case any player who was injured or unavailable during the India leg of IPL 2021 and is now fit or available then the franchise which had taken a replacement player [due to] such previous unavailability, will need to elect [either] one of them." This decision has paved way for certain players which include the likes of Shreyas Iyer, T Natarajan and Liam Livingstone. While Iyer got injured ahead of the IPL during an ODI series against England in March 2021, Natarajan was injured during the IPL and had to undergo an operation on his knee. Rajasthan Royals’ Livingstone left the tournament in between to spend time with his family. The second half of the IPL - of 31 matches - will be played in the UAE between September 19 and October 15. List of replacements during the India leg of the 2021 IPL Kolkata Knight Riders: Gurkeerat Singh replaced Rinku Singh Chennai Super Kings: Jason Behrendorff replaced Josh Hazlewood Sunrisers Hyderabad: Jason Roy replaced Mitchell Marsh Rajasthan Royals: Gerald Coetzee replaced Liam Livingstone Royal Challengers Bangalore: Scott Kuggeleijn replaced Kane Richardson, Finn Allen replaced Josh Phillipe Delhi Capitals: Anirudh Joshi replaced Shreyas Iyer

SLC appreciates Rahul Dravid for continuing tour despite Covid-19 outbreak in Indian team

The Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) has praised Rahul Dravid for continuing India’s tour despite Covid-19 outbreak within the team. "If he wanted, he could have easily taken the team back to India," Mohan de Silva, the secretary of SLC, told Cricbuzz. "The most encouraging aspect of the whole Pandya episode was the role of the support staff of the Indian team, led by Rahul. If he wanted, he could have easily taken the team back to India,” he added. All-rounder Krunal Pandya had tested positive for Covid-19 and was isolated along with his close contacts immediately in Sri Lanka. The players subsequently had to miss the final two T20Is that the visitors eventually lost. "We have 11 players available and we will play them. There is nothing to feel sorry about,” Dravid had said before the start of the 2nd T20I. The former India captain had travelled with the Indian team as the head coach Ravi Shastri was in the UK with the Virat Kohli-led side. The team that toured Sri Lanka was led by Shikhar Dhawan clinched the ODI series but suffered a defeat in the T20Is. After Krunal, K Gowtham and Yuzvendra Chahal had also tested positive for the virus but the three players have now returned home after recovery.