The Ashes | 3rd Test: Scott Boland set to make Test debut for Australia

New vice-captain Rahul hints of five-bowlers tactic, discusses 'difficult decision' over Rahane

India’s new vice-captain KL Rahul has given a strong hint on what would the playing XI for the first Test of the series against South Africa look like as he has backed their long-standing commitment to the idea of playing five bowlers. He spoke highly of the five-bowler tactics and counted the successes they have had in the past few years. He also rated the tactic highly for the cushion of workload management it provides to the side and did all but confirm about playing an extra seamer in the Tests against the Proteas. "Every team wants to pick up 20 wickets to win Test match. We have used that tactic and it has helped us in every Test match that we have played away," Rahul said. "Workload also becomes slightly easier to manage with five bowlers and when you have that kind of quality (in Indian ranks), I think, we might as well use it.” Rahul was promoted to vice-captaincy for the tour replacing Ajinkya Rahane, who has gone out of favour due to a prolonged slump with the bat. His position in the squad was threatened after the heroic arrival of Shreyas Iyer and the perpetual presence of Hanuma Vihari. If the men in blue will stick to the five-bowlers combination as Rahul has suggested, the team management will have to make tough choices in terms of team selection and pick one among Iyer, who grabbed the opportunities against New Zealand with both hands and Vihari, who has been an undisclosed overseas specialist. India have never won a Test series in South Africa and the Virat Kohli-led side have achieved many unprecedented triumphs in the longest format in the last few years and the upcoming series will be yet another opportunity for the number one ranked side in the format.

Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22 | Semi-final: Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh set to lock horns in final

Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh will lock horns in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021. While Tamil Nadu defeated Saurashtra in the semi-final, Himachal Pradesh thumped Services to march ahead. Tamil Nadu vs Saurashtra In a high-scoring clash in Jaipur, Tamil Nadu chased down a target of 311 runs in the final over by 2 wickets on Friday. The Vijay Shankar-led side lost a couple of early wickets but Baba Aparajith and Baba Inderjith first came in for the rescue and stitched a stand of 97 runs for the third wicket. Indrajith was eventually dismissed for 50 off 58. Aparajith who eventually went on to notch up 122 in 124 deliveries, was then joined by Dinesh Karthik in the middle. Karthik too chipped in with a brisk 26-ball 31 but it was Washington Sundar and Aparajith’s fifth wicket partnership of 76 runs that got the side back on track before Aparajith was sent back by Chudasama. But Sundar continued with his form and scored a fifty but was dismissed in the penultimate over for 70. Tamil Nadu lost another wicket at the end of the 49th over bringing the equation down to 7 needed off the final over with two wickets in hand. Sai Kishore kept his cool in the final over and he along with Silambarasan guided the team over the line by 2 wickets. Sakariya returned with a fifer for his side. Earlier, in the day, Saurashtra rode on Sheldon Jackson’s ton and half-centuries from Vishvaraj Jadeja and Arpit Vasavada to put 310/8 in 50 overs on the board. Silambarasan picked up three wickets for 54 runs in 10 overs while Vijay Shankar had four scalps to his name but at the cost of 72 runs in 10 overs. Himachal Pradesh vs Services Himachal Pradesh dominated the Services’ batting unit thoroughly and didn’t let them take an upper hand during the course of the innings. The Services side lost wickets at regular intervals to get reduced to 174/6 before getting bundled out for 204 while chasing 282. Captain Rajat Paliwal scored a fifty for his side. Himachal Pradesh skipper Rishi Dhawan had a brilliant day at the office as he picked up four wickets for 27 runs in 8.1 overs. Earlier, Himachal Pradesh’s batsmen and especially Chopra, Dhakan and Vashisht struck valuable runs to help the side put 281/6 in 50 overs. Dhawan led from the front and scored 84 off 77 while Chopra notched up 78 off 109. Vashisht too made a valuable contribution with an unbeaten 29-ball 45. Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh will play the title clash in Jaipur on Sunday.

BBL 2021-22: Hobart Hurricanes complete comprehensive win against Melbourne Stars

Hobart Hurricanes sealed a comprehensive win against Melbourne Stars after beating them by 24 runs in Hobart on Friday. Defending a target of 181 runs, the Hurricanes restricted Melbourne Stars for 156/9 in 20 overs. The Melbourne side had a decent start to the chase but Joe Clarke’s dismissal at 52 off 40 turned the things in Hobart’s favour. The Melbourne Stars lost wickets at regular intervals and eventually suffered a defeat. Hilton Cartwright chipped in with some runs but he was dismissed for an 18-ball 26. Riley Meredith and Thomas Rogers scalped three wickets each for their side while Nathan Ellis picked up a couple of wickets during the course. Earlier, the Stars began the proceedings in a perfect manner after Ben McDermott and Matthew Wade stitched a stand of 93 runs for the first wicket before Wade departed for 39 off 27. McDermott followed Wade soon and was sent back in the hut for 67 off 43 during the course. The Stars lost their way a bit but Tim David got them back on track with a brisk 22* off 12 deliveries to help the side put 180/6 in 20 overs. Coulter-Nile was the pick of the bowlers for his team after he returned with figures of 2/22 in 4 overs. Hobart now have two wins and 10 points from 5 matches while Stars have two wins and 7 points from five games that they have played.

Harbhajan Singh announces retirement from competitive cricket

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has announced retirement from all forms of cricket. He took to his Twitter timeline and announced his move to end the 23-year-long career where he emerged as a veteran of more than 100 games and 400 wickets in the longest format. There have been media reports in the last few months suggesting that he was to call time on his career and take up the mentoring role for a side in the Indian Premier League. Harbhajan, who was fondly called “Bhajji” and “Turbanator” by his teammate was an instrumental factor in the rise of India in all forms of the game. He had made his Test debut in 1998 against Australia and burst onto the scene with his off-spin and the ability to extract bounce against the Steve Waugh-led Australian side. He made his ODI debut in the same year and went on to play 236 games in Indian colours and took 269 wickets. He made his debut in the shortest version of the game in the year 2006 and played a crucial part in India’s dream run and championship in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007. He was also a huge player in the Indian Premier League and played a massive role in the unprecedented rise of the Mumbai Indians. He last played for India in the year 2016.