The Ashes | David Warner to undergo fitness test before day-night Test in Adelaide

'This is a pleasant surprise' - Priyank Panchal on his maiden call-up to India's Test squad

The Ashes | Ben Stokes allays injury concerns, reassures fitness level before Adelaide Test

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has come forward to ally apprehensions about his fitness leading up to the second Ashes Test starting December 16 in Adelaide. He was seen hobbling after running hard and diving to stop a shot of David Warner’s bat to go beyond the boundary line on the second day of the first Ashes Test played at the Gabba. Stokes said that the injury that appeared to trouble him in the Gabba Test was just a reflection of a stiff body due to prolonged absence from the game. He said that the injury is an old one and he has learnt to manage it by himself. "Having a long break is going to show itself I guess, but there are no excuses from me. People will have seen me rubbing my knee from time to time when I was in the field, but rest assured I'm fine,” Stokes wrote in his column for The Mirror. "It is an old injury that flares up every now and again, but I know how to manage it. It just gets a little bit uncomfortable every now and again in and around my cartilage, but it just looks worse than it is by the way I try and get off it as soon as I can." Stokes’ had an action-packed return to the action as he almost dismissed David Warner halfway through his powerful innings of 94 but only to be left frustrated by a no-ball call. The injury concerns surrounding Stokes would be the last thing England would be hoping to address before they take on the hosts in the Pink Ball Test in Adelaide.

Delaying launch of India's split captaincy, Virat Kohli likely to miss ODI leg of South Africa tour

Virat Kohli, who was demoted from the captain of the ODI side with a mere sentence in a press release announcing the Test squad for the tour of South Africa, has sought a break during the ODI leg of the tour, TOI reported. However, the same report also suggested that the former skipper had informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his decision to take rest during the ODI series against South Africa. Notably, the press release that broke the news of Kohli’s demotion from captaincy was for the announcement of the Test squad and the selection of the ODI squad was delayed citing the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. If Kohli pulls out of the ODI series and with Rohit already ruled out of the Test series due to hamstring injury, the inevitability of them playing under each other will get delayed further. Kohli will lead the Test side without Rohit while the new skipper is likely to return for the ODI leg of the tour but will lead the side without Kohli, their best performer with the bat in the 50 over- format. It’s more than likely that these are just a series of coincidences but it could well fuel the fire of speculations about the personal relationship between the two players and Kohli’s reactions to the BCCI’s handling of his captaincy and public statements by president Sourav Ganguly.

PAK vs WI | 2nd T20I: Flattened Windies need spirited performance to disrupt hosts' dream run

The international cricket returned with a bang in Pakistan and much to the delight of the fans at the National Stadium in Karachi and others watching from across the world, it produced a mammoth victory for the hosts. Pakistan played like a side who went to the top four of the T20 World Cup and hammered West Indies who were without significant experience and charisma in their lineup. They were challenged when batting as the surface gripped for the Windies spinner but the men in green had too much batting depth and the Windies could not match their level for the entirety of the long game. The trio of Mohammed Rizwan, Haider Ali and Mohammad Nawaz pulverised their bowling attack to all parts of the ground. With the bowl in their hand, Pakistan were merely challenged and once again there was on display the gulf between the quality of their bowling and Windies batting. There was odd fluency from the likes of the new skipper Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell but they could take the men in maroon only as far as 137 runs and Pakistan celebrated their return to home soil with a stupendous victory. The action comes thick and fast nowadays with the shortest format of the game a series being scheduled at the same venue and hence Windies will have just one-night sleep to pick themselves up from a dispiriting defeat and take on the hosts once again in the do or die clash to save the series. Match Details Pakistan vs West Indies Match number: 2nd T20I Venue: National Stadium, Karachi Date and Time: December 14, 06:30 PM IST, 01:00 PM GMT Pitch and weather The surface used for the first game helped spinners form the word go and the left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein turned the ball from a straighter line and with the new ball. This will be the second game in as many days at the venue and it’s likely to be a used surface for this game and it will be slower and lower which would make life a bit difficult for the batsmen. However, the onset of dew due to cold weather conditions can come as a boost for the batsmen and spinners can find it tough to grip the ball. Team News Pakistan There is no injury scare in the hosts’ camp and hence Babar Azam is all set to field an unchanged playing XI from the last game. The skipper himself has not been in great form with the bat in this format after a successful T20 World Cup campaign and he will be desperate to come back to his fluent best. His opening partner Mohammad Rizwan once again laid the platform for their tremendous finish with the bat in the last few overs by the blitzkrieg of Haiden Ali and Mohammad Nawaz and there will be no dearth of expectations from the trio in the second game of the series as well. Probable XI Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi West Indies Pacer Odean Smith was taken to the cleaners by the Pakistan lower order batsmen and he ended up giving 56 runs in his four overs and Windies would mull replacing him with another spinner considering the conditions in Karachi. If they end up deciding to bolster their bowling attack, Hayden Walsh Jr. would be at the forefront to come in as a leg spinner. Windies would also hope the experienced duo of Shai Hope and Pooran to score heavily and play the role Rizwan played for Pakistan in the first game that could open the door for other batsmen to play cameos and take the side to a position of strength. Probable XI Shamarh Brooks, Brandon King, Shai Hope (WK), Devon Thomas, Nicholas Pooran (C), Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Dominic Drakes, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr. CE Fantasy XI Nicholas Pooran, Babar Azam, Brandon King, Rovman Powell, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Dominic Drakes, Akeal Hosein, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf Captain: Mohammad Rizwan Vice-captain: Shadab Khan