Shadab Khan ruled out for six weeks, will miss home series against Proteas

Shikhar Dhawan to lead Delhi in Mushtaq Ali Trophy; Ishant also in the squad

Ace Indian speedster Ishant Sharma is all set to make a comeback to competitive cricket after being picked into the 42 members strong Delhi Team’s squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament. The announcement was made by the newly appointed selection committee for the senior team of the Delhi and District Cricket Association. The selectors made experienced opener Shikhar Dhawan the captain of the team. Senior players like Pradeep Sangwan, Nitish Rana, and Unmukt Chand have also been named in the squad alongside young guns like Manjot Kalra and Lalit Yadav. The Delhi team has been drafted into Group E of the Mushtaq Ali trophy along with the likes of Mumbai, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, and Kerala and begin its campaign against arch-rivals Mumbai on 11th January. All the games of Group E will be played in Mumbai. First, of this season’s domestic tournaments, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy begins on 10th December with the first round of games of Group A taking place in Bengaluru. The Indian domestic season has been marred by the covid-19 and thus a delayed domestic season might not see Ranji Trophy this year, also no confirmation in this regard has yet been intimated by the BCCI.

Hyderabad proud of Mohammed Siraj’s brilliant India debut

The 26-year-old from Tolichowki, Hyderabad gave all the reasons for all Hyderabadis to feel proud as their own boy picked two crucial wickets on debut for Team India against the mighty Aussies. Mohammed Siraj’s first outing at Melbourne Cricket Ground was hailed by one and all. Although still in mourning due to his father Mohammaed Ghouse’s death, the family of the Indian quick did not celebrate the moment but was happy with the achievement of their son. “The family is still in mourning and hence the mood is a bit mellowed. But all of us got up in the morning and watched the match,” Mohd Sameer, maternal brother of Siraj as well as a professional cricketer was quoted as saying to Times of India. “It is a dream come true not only for Siraj but for all of us here. We are happy that Siraj made his Test debut. His father always wanted to see him play a Test match, it would have been really wonderful, if he were still alive,” he added. It’s not just the family, the entire city is jubilant and full of stories of Siraj and how and where he played cricket. “Siraj was a brought young boy without any bad habits or vices. He was all about cricket, even though it got him into real trouble at home. But he never gave up on the game. All his friends are still from the Eid Gaah ground,” said one Shaik Abbas, who used to be Siraj’s neighbor when he lived in a rented house before debuting for Hyderabad. Along with the common people, even the seniors of Siraj are happy for what he has achieved. “I always feel Siraj is a better red bowler than the white ball. He always hits the right lengths and forces batsmen to commit mistakes. His lengths might be bad in white-ball cricket, but for red ball, it’s just perfect,” Pragyan Ojha, former India, and Hyderabad spin bowler said. “I am happy for him as a fellow Hyderabad cricketer, now it’s up to him to stay fit and longer his career,” Ojha added. Siraj finished his first innings of the first Test with figures of 2-40 in 15 overs.

Chandimal, de Silva put Lanka in top position against lacklustre Proteas

Senior Pro Dinesh Chandimal took upon the resp[onsibility to build the innings as Sri Lanka managed to finish strongly on the first day of the First Test at the Supersport Park, Centurion against the hosts South Africa. The Lankan Tigers courtesy fifties from 31-year-old Chandimal and 29-year-old Dhananjaya de Silva reached 340-6 at the Stumps with all-rounder Dasun Shanka on 25 not out, supported ably by paceman Kasun Rajitha who was not out on 7, having faced 27 balls and the partnership between the two a total of 20 runs. The early breakthroughs Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and decided to bat first on a lively Centurion first day track. The Islanders tried countering the pace of Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje through aggressive shots, but one shot too many led to the fall of the top three wickets in the form of Karunaratne, Kusla Parerea, and Kusal Medis on the score of 54 in only 11 overs. While Nortje got the better of Mendis, Karunaratne chopped on a rising Ngidi delivery. Wiaan Mulder who made a comeback into the South African side for the first time after playing his first test against Sri Lanka in 2019, took out Parera for 16. Chandimal-de Silva counterattack After the early breakthroughs, the pair of Chandimal and de Silva took it upon themselves to pull the team out of the miserable situation. The pair played some exquisite drives and while de Silva went on the aggressive, Chandimal mixed caution with delightful strokeplay to reach his 19th Test fifty. The Colombo born de Silva was fluently moving towards what would have been his seventh Test hundred before an untoward injury forced him to retire hurt on 79. Chandimal then put on a 99 run stand with wicket-keeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella before getting an unplayable delivery from Mulder which rose up from the good length to take the fine edge of his gloves and right into the hands of Faf du Plessis at first slip. He made 85. The tail wags in style If the Proteas would have thought that the fall of Chandimal’s wicket would open the floodgates and tail would be crumbled upon, they were in for a surprise as after Chandimal’s dismissal at the score of 284, the Lankan tail has wagged and quite nicely at that, having added 55 runs so far with four wickets remaining. Mulder remained the bright light for de Kock’s team. He picked up there out of the total six wickets to fall on the day. Along with him, Nortje too has been impressive while Lutho Simapla really needs to put in the hard yards tomorrow morning to add to the lone wicket he has had so far in the game.

Sixers vs Stars: Captain Daniel Hughes shines as Sixers win last ball thriller

Daniel Hughes probably played the innings of his lifetime, ably supported by luck as Sydney Sixers beat the arch-rivals Melbourne Stars in what was a repeat of last year’s big bash league finals. Hughes, coming in at number four played the captain’s knock as he scored 96 off 51 balls with the help of seven sixes and six boundaries. He nearly took the team, which was chasing a total of 194 and required 20 from the last over, on a somewhat two-paced track, home, before getting out with four runs still required with two balls remaining. Maxwell then darted in a yorker to number 10 Steve O’Keefe, which hit him on the legs and deflected past the wicketkeeper Ben Dunk for a four to the third man boundary. Liam Hatcher and the brilliant 19th over The match was well and truly in the grasp of Melbourne by the end of the 16th over when the Sixers required 52 runs off the last four and a new man in Carlos Brathwaite was in with Hughes having lost the early shine and wasn’t able to connect the shots too well. However, a nine over off Zahir Khan, followed by a 20 run over off Zampa meant that Sixers were within touching distance of getting to the win, with a well and truly set Brathwaittte sizing up an inexperienced Hatcher in the nineteenth over with 23 required from two. However, it was Hatcher who was on top of the game as he pulled out a rabbit from the hat to bowl one of the best 19th overs in the BBL so far under pressure, giving away just three runs and picking two crucial wickets of Brathwaite and Ben Dwarshus. However, that could not be of any good as Nathan Coulter Nile’s injury meant that Maxwell, the skipper took it upon himself to defend 20 off teh last over. Critics will point out that he could have gone for the all-rounder Hilton Cartwright or the more established bowler Zahir Khan who had one over left, but in the end, a decision was made and was backed by Maxwell, although it didn’t go in his favour. Misfields proved too costly for the Stars The stars were not at their usual best as their ground fielding was probably the worst today, missing four boundaries, which could have been easily curtailed to single or a double. Initially, it was Nicholas Pooran, Nick Larkin as a substitute with the mistakes, in the finals, over going for a catch, hatcher conceded a costly boundary as well. In hindsight, it proved a lot problematic for the visitors. The Big Show of Pooran and Maxwell Earlier in the day, Stars had started their innings on a really slow note, losing opener Andre Fletcher in the first over itself. The innings was slow that even after the end of teh 8th over, the Maxwell led side were at 49-4. But it was only after this that the team’s fortunes took a 360-degree turn with the skipper and Pooran combining to give the spectators a splendid sight to witness with the ball flying all across the Carrara Oval in Brisbane. Their 125 run stand in just 58 balls meant that Stars got to a total of 193-5, which never looked possible. Pooran got out at the end of the 18th over having scored 65 off 26 balls with the help of two fours and eight sixes at a strike rate of 250. Maxwell, on the other hand, remained not out on 71 of 47 balls, but could only score 10 in the last over, a bit of disappointment after the fireworks ahead of it.