Ravindra Jadeja's selection backfired: Sanjay Manjrekar on India's WTC loss

Ishant Sharma gets multiple stitches on bowling arm; expected to recover before Eng series

India Test mainstay Ishant Sharma had sustained an injury on his bowling hand during the WTC final against New Zealand in Southampton. The injury required multiple stitches but the pacer is expected to be fit for the upcoming England series. “Ishant has had multiple stitches on his middle and fourth finger in his right hand. However, it is not very serious," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity. “The stitches will be off in around 10 days and with six weeks left for the first Test against England, he is expected to recover in time." The Indian team is in the UK where they played the WTC final against the Blackcaps and are now slated to play a five-match Test series against England. The team members are on a break for sometime after they travelled from Southampton to London. “The squad travelled together to London. From here they can all leave for their respective destinations within UK for a 20 day break," the official revealed. “Some of them are tennis fans and if Wimbledon allows spectators, you might see them going for some of the show court matches. A few might be checking out if tickets for the Euro games at Wembley are available," PTI quoted the source said. India and England will lock horns in the Test series in August.

India likely to play two warm-up matches ahead of England series

The Indian team is likely to play two warm-up matches ahead of their five-match Test series against England. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC) secretary Jay Shah would be talking to the England and Wales Cricket Board about the same. “Jay (Shah) will be speaking to ECB and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tom Harrison to make an arrangement for two warm-up games before the five Test match series,” BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal told The Indian Express. “The secretary felt that the BCCI should request the ECB to give at least two warm-up games so that players can get in some good match practice before the series starts.” Skipper Virat Kohli had also emphasises on having at least one first-class match before going into the series. "We obviously wanted first-class games, which I believe have not been given to us. I don't know what the reasons for that are. But yeah, other than that I think our preparation time will be ample for us to be ready for the first Test,” Kohli had said. The Indian team didn’t really get any match practice before the final of the inaugural World Test Championship against New Zealand. India suffered a defeat after New Zealand chased down a target of 139 runs by 8 wickets on the reserve day of the match in Southampton. The Blackcaps captain Kane Williamson struck a vital half-century to see his side home. The Kiwis had played a two-match Test series against England and won it by 1-0 before the WTC final.

3rd T20I Preview: England to experiment with combination, SL forced to make alterations

England have been in some top form in the on-going T20I series against Sri Lanka at home. The hosts have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after winning by 5 wickets in a rain-curtailed encounter in Cardiff. Unlike the first match, the home side had a nervy start to the chase in the second after suffering blows during the chase but a steady stand between Sam Billings and Liam Livingstone and a late surge from Sam Curran took England home while chasing 103 in 18 overs (DLS method). The Sri Lankan bowlers gave a good fight despite the batting unit’s failure to put up a good total. The Kusal Perera-led side hasn’t been in form especially with the bat in this series. In the first game too, they were restricted to 129/7 in 20 overs before Jason Roy and Jos Buttler took on the Lankan bowling attack. While the 2-0 lead has provided England with the chances of making few changes and experimenting with the combinations, Sri Lanka on the other hand would be looking to win this last T20I to gain some confidence and might be forced to make alterations in the final XI. Match Details Match: ENG vs SL, 3rd T20I, Sri Lanka tour of England, 2021 Date: Saturday, June 26, 2021 Time: 7:00 PM Venue: The Rose Bowl, Southampton Pitch Report The conditions and the track in Southampton had something on offer to the fast bowlers during the WTC final. Well, something similar could be expected as England take on Sri Lanka at The Rose Bowl. The fast bowlers from both the ends are in some good form and can have a slight edge. So, if you win the toss, bowl first. Team News England: England at present look pretty steady with their combinations. The batsmen have been among some runs and the bowlers have been in top form thoroughly in the series. Openers Jason Roy and Jos Buttler showed some class with the bat in the first match while the middle-order chipped in with some valuable contributions when there were early hiccups. The presence of someone like Sam Curran in the lower middle-order adds to the advantage. The youngster has been a brilliant customer with the ball for England so far and can also fetch quick runs at any given stage of the game. Nevertheless, with World T20 in mind later this year, the hosts are likely to make some changes in the final XI and experiment with the combinations. Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka are struggling with their batting. The batsmen have been unable to put up a fighting total which has eventually ended them up on being on the losing side. But there have been certain positives for the visitors as well in the series. The bowlers did show some mettle in the second match and didn’t let the match slip away easily. Now with nothing to lose, the Lankan lions would also be looking to make the alterations in the playing XI. Probable XI England: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera (c & wk), Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep Fantasy XI Jos Buttler (c), Kusal Perera, Jason Roy (VC), Kusal Mendis, Liam Livingstone, David Willey, Dasun Shanaka, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Isuru Udana, Chris Woakes

Sri Lanka's batting woes continue as England take unassailable 2-0 lead in the series

England sealed the three-match series against Sri Lanka in Cardiff on Thursday after winning the second encounter by 5 wickets in a rain-curtailed match. The home side were initially handed a task to chase down 112 in 20 overs but the match was later reduced to 18 overs per side with the revised total being 103 runs after the rain at the end of England’s 12th over. The Sri Lankan bowlers gave the home side some hard times after they got some early breakthroughs in the innings. Binura Fernando first removed Jonny Bairstow for a duck while Dawid Malan was trapped in front of the stumps by Dushmantha Chameera for 4 soon after. The hosts then lost a couple of more wickets in quick succession and were left struggling at 36/4 before Sam Billings and Liam Livingstone stitched a stand of 54 runs for the fifth wicket. While Billings was eventually undone for 24 by Wanindu Hasaranga, Livingstone remained unbeaten at 29 off 26. Sam Curran who came in at number seven also remained not out for 16 as the two batsmen took the side home and gave the team an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. Hasaranga scalped a couple of wickets for the visitors while Chameera, Fernando and Isuru Udana bagged one wicket each. Earlier, Sri Lanka’s batting woes continued after they were restricted to 111/7 in the allotted 20 overs. The Kusal Perera-led side had a disappointing start to the proceedings after openers Gunathilaka and Avishka Fernando were sent back in the hut early. Sri Lanka were 18/2 when captain Perera and Kusal Mendis provided the visitors with some resistance as the two batsmen put up a partnership of 50 runs for the third wicket. The skipper eventually departed for 21 off 25 while Mendis was next to follow for 39 off 39. Mendis’ dismissal saw a flurry of wickets for the Sri Lankan batting line up and they were left tottering at 90/7 before Udana chipped in with an unbeaten 14-ball 19. For England, it was Mark Wood and Adil Rashid who returned with two wickets each while Curran and Chris Jordan had one scalp to their name apiece. Sri Lankan captain Kusal Perera hailed the side’s bowling efforts but admitted that the batting was a bit of a concern. “Not ideal to be on the losing side, but our bowling was good. The concern is the batting. The conditions are not an excuse, and we need 140-150 to give our bowlers a chance. Our intent is positive cricket, but we haven't executed too well. We need to get back up soon,” he said after the match. England captain Eoin Morgan expressed delight and said that the wicket was good to bat on but the early hiccups had them on the backfoot. “With the WC in mind, this is a good challenge. It's normally a good wicket to bat on, but with the hiccup we had early, we tried to force the equation with the bat, but Sam and Liam showed the depth we had,” Morgan said. The two teams will now meet in the third and final encounter in Southampton.