The Hundred: Smriti Mandhana withdraws from last two fixtures to spend time with family

ENG vs IND | 2nd Test: Rain plays spoilsport at Lord's as well

India and England are all set to take on each other in the second Test of the five-match series at Lord’s. The first encounter between the two sides ended in a draw after rain played spoilsport during the game in Nottingham. But the weather conditions in London will allow the first day’s play to go ahead as scheduled as there is no prediction of rain. Both India and England suffered some blows ahead of the second Test. Shardul Thakur will miss the second Test due to hamstring injury while Stuart Broad has been ruled out of the series after pulling up with a calf problem. "England seamer Stuart Broad has tweaked his right calf in today's warm-up at Lord's. He was unable to train this afternoon with the rest of the England squad. Broad will have a scan tomorrow to determine the extent of his injury," the ECB said. Moreover, fast bowler James Anderson is also doubtful for the second Test as he is struggling with a thigh problem. Lancashire paceman Saqib Mahmood was earlier called-up as cover for Broad. The visitors were handed a target of 209 runs in the second innings of the first Test and the Virat Kohli-led side needed 157 to win on the last day. But the fifth day was washed away due to rain, ending the match in a draw.

Langer, team manager Gavin Dovey argue with staff members over 'inappropriate' Bangladesh video

Australia head coach Justin Langer and team manager Gavin Dovey were reportedly involved in a heated argument with one of the staff members of the team after a video was posted on Cricket Australia's website - cricket.com.au, according to ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’ report. The video that was posted had the Bangladesh players celebrating the T20I series win against the Aussie side at home. “Dovey had argued that it was inappropriate for the Bangladesh team song to be posted on a CA-operated website,” the report said. “…the incidents were witnessed by at least a dozen people and left some players taken aback and with a sense of unease about what had transpired,” it added. While Langer didn’t comment upon the incident, Dovey admitted that the discussion should have taken place in private. “There was a difference of opinion, and we agreed to disagree on a particular matter. In hindsight, it was one of those instances which should have taken place in private. I take full ownership of that,” he said. Australia suffered a thumping 4-1 defeat against Bangladesh in the five-match T20I series. They were bundled out for their lowest T20I total in the final encounter. Chasing a small target of 123, the Australian team was bowled out for 62 and lost the match by 60 runs. Australia have been through a rough patch in the T20Is as they also suffered a defeat in the series against the West Indies.

Jadeja credits Kohli's enthusiasm for raising fitness, fielding standards of Indian team

India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has credited captain Virat Kohli for improving the fitness standards in the team. "Virat definitely has been very enthusiastic, proactive, and fit. He believes a lot in fitness as well, so everyone has to raise their fielding standards,” he said while talking to TimesofIndia.com. Jadeja is one of the finest fielders in the world currently and the left-hander also talked about his own regimes and how he maintains his fitness. “I do a lot of shoulder exercises and running for that, for instance. That’s how I maintain my fitness, which helps me on the field," he said. Jadeja had a decent run in the first Test against England in Nottingham where he struck an important half-century in the first innings and helped India take the lead. The visitors scored 278 in reply to England’s 183 in the first innings. The hosts then rode on a brilliant century from skipper Joe Root to put 303 on the board before getting bundled out and handing India a target of 209 runs. The Virat Kohli-side needed 157 runs to win the match on the last day but rain played spoilsport and the clash ended in a draw eventually. The two teams will now lock horns with each other in the second Test at Lord’s slated to commence on Thursday (August 12, 2021).

Jamaican pitches provide a good challenge to batsmen: Babar Azam

Pakistan will be up against the West Indies in a two-match Test series beginning on Thursday (August 12, 2021) in Jamaica. The visitors had included experienced spinner Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah in the squad while Agha Salman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz and Tabish Khan had missed the bus for the Test fixtures. Captain Babar Azam has revealed that Nawaz and Rauf were released from the squad so that they can spend some time with their families before rejoining the team for the Afghanistan series. "Looking at the likely team composition for the two Tests and giving preference to the well-being of the players, it has been agreed to release Haris Rauf and Mohammad Nawaz so that they can return to Pakistan and spend quality time with their families,” Babar said. “This will also give them a few extra days to relax, regroup and recharge for the commitments ahead, which commence with the series against Afghanistan,” he added. Talking about the track in Jamaica, the right-handed batsman said that the pitches at the venue are challenging for the batting units. “Jamaican pitches provide a good challenge to the batters hence our batters need to come to the party and display their true potential and calibre in the two Tests,” he said. The visiting team had earlier won the four-match T20I series 1-0 after three matches were washed away due to rain. Pakistan had last visited the West Indies for a Test series back in 2017 and etched a 2-1 win. Pakistan Test squad: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (vc/wk), Abdullah Shafique, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Hasan Ali, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Yasir Shah, Zahid Mahmood