SL vs WI | 2nd Test | Day-2: Men in maroon on top courtesy great effort from spinners and openers

Jos Buttler ready to experience the highs & lows of Ashes

Jos Buttler is roaring ahead of his first Ashes stint in Australia. Speaking ahead of the first Test match scheduled to be held at The ‘fortress’ Gabba, Buttler stated that he is excited to experience the good and the bad that comes with such a high intensity series. While the preparations have been marred owing to the torrential rainfall, Buttler, who has not played a single red ball match in Australia, isn’t too concerned. "I feel like I have nothing to lose, to be honest," said Buttler. "It's the first time I'm experiencing an Ashes series [in Australia] so I'm fully determined to enjoy all the challenges that throws up. I'm excited to experience it, the good the bad, and I'm sure the highs and lows along the way.” He spoke about the value of being fearless in one’s approach and stated that trusting in his method brings him success. "As a player at the minute I'm trying to bring a fearless approach and to truly try and embrace the opportunity. I know when I get to somewhere near my best that's going to be pretty good." Buttler has been in tremendous form in white ball cricket ahead of the series, but his red ball credentials are still doubted owing to inconsistent performances. He was one of the prime factors behind the uncertainty around the current tour after stating that players could have reservations travelling in the holiday season if their families would not be allowed under strict quarantine regulations. Buttler and co. will be heading into the Ashes next week under tremendous uncertainty around the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus. The fresh cases have further delayed the reopening of Australia and it could be very possible that things might get complicated during the series owing to border regulations.

Ashes 2021-22 | Out of quarantine, first thing Justin Langer does is meet former captain Tim Paine

To put in perspective how strong the bond was between Tim Paine, the former Australia captain who resigned just recently and Australian coach Justin Langer, the first thing that the latter did after getting out from quarantine was to make a trip to Hobart to visit Paine and comfort him in his times of trouble after. According to Fox Cricket, Langer, who was in quarantine in Queensland after returning from the World cup campaigning, made a trip to Hobart just after his release. “We can reveal Langer decided to fly from Queensland to Tasmania on compassionate grounds the day he was released from hotel quarantine. Langer made the decision in recent days to go and see Paine face-to-face and to offer his support to the 36-year-old,” Fox Cricket quoted sources as saying. Langer and Paine go way back to early 2018 when the Tasmanian was asked to take upon the leadership of the Australian Test team which was trying to overcome the Sandpapager Gate fiasco which had banned Steve Smith and David Warner, captain and vice-captain of the side for one year. Langer has so far not spoken publicly on the ouster of Paine from the Australian set-up. Apart from the coach Josh Inglis, Ashton Agar and Mitch Marsh also flew out of the quarantine centre on Tuesday. While Agr and Marsh were not in the Test squad, Inglis flying back home confirms that Carey is going to make his Test debut as the wicket-keeper batter in the first Ashes Test starting on December 08.

IPL 2022 Retentions: Where and when to watch Live, what to expect

All the eyes would be set on the TV screen at 09:30 pm Indian Standard Time as that is exactly when the list of the retained players is going to be announced by the eight existing franchises of the Indian Premier League. The retention will be broadcast live on the official broadcaster of the IPL, Star Sports Network and can be live-streamed on Hotstar in India. All eight teams can retain a maximum of four players and a minimum of no player. Out of the four players, only two can be foreigners and a maximum of three could be Indians. After the retention is announced, the remaining players who have not been retained by their team can then be picked up by the two new teams. The two new teams can pre-sign (sign player before the auction) a maximum of three players each out of which only two could be Indians and not more than one foreigner is to be signed by the side. The two new teams, whose names have yet not been announced were bought by RPS Group and CVC Capital to represent the cities of Lucknow and Ahmedabad respectively. The new teams would get a window of 25 days, which would start from November 30 and go on till December 24 to sign their three players and the announcement for the same would be made on December 25 most probably. We at OneCricket and Cricketexchange have already predicted the probable retentions you can check them out here.

Alex Carey on course for Test debut in the Ashes

Mainstay in the Australian ODI team as their first choice keeper, Alex Carey is set to make his Test debut against England in the Ashes. The 30-year-old left-hander, who has been earmarked as the successor for the gloves for a while, will finally be getting to wear the Baggy Green, close to four years after his white-ball debut. Carey will have taken over Tim Paine who resigned from his role after a sexting controversy and went on an indefinite break. Carey has been a well-regarded commodity in world cricket, known for his versatility in the middle order. He has the ability to play both as an aggressor or as an accumulator depending upon the conditions of the game. Coming into the Test squad, Carey will have competition from his younger compatriot, Jos Inglis, who has been in tremendous form in the franchise leagues. However, considering Inglis’ age (26) the selection panel might have swayed towards a more proven performer in Carey. The first Ashes Test begins on 8 December at The Gabba.