Trent Boult returns for second Test vs Eng, Williamson's injury being monitored: Stead

Ollie Robinson apologised in front of the group, he has team's support: Anderson

England fast bowler James Anderson has said that the team has unanimously accepted Ollie Robinson’s apology. Robinson who made his Test debut for England at Lord’s against New Zealand in the first match was suspended from all forms of cricket by the board after his racist and sexist tweets had resurfaced that he had posted a few years back. “He stood up in front of the group and apologised and you could see how sincere he was and upset he was, and I think as a group we appreciate that he is a different person now. He’s done a lot of maturing and growing since then, and he’s got the full support of the team,” Anderson said during an interaction with the British media. Robinson had an impressive debut after he picked up seven wickets in two innings against New Zealand in the match that ended in a draw. Devon Conway who was capped for the first time in Tests for New Zealand struck a fine double-ton while fast bowler Tim Southee bagged a six-for in the first innings to have his name on the honours Board for the second time. The two teams will now play each other in the second Test scheduled to begin on June 10 at Edgbaston. The two-match Test series will be followed by the WTC final where the Blackcaps will lock horns with India in Southampton. The title clash will commence on June 18. England, on the other hand, will play a five-match Test series against India in August.

Notts Outlaws suffer blow as skipper Dan Christian pulls out on eve of Vitality T20 Blast

Nottinghamshire Outlaws have suffered a major blow to their Vitality T20 Blast campaign as their skipper Daniel Christian has pulled out of the group stage of the tournament after getting selected in the Australia T20 squad for the tour of West Indies. Christian has been the pillar of Notts’s success over the last many years. He began his journey for them in the 2014 edition before taking over the captaincy in the 2016 edition. Since then, he has led the Notts to four out of five finals and championship on two occasions in 2017 and 2020. In his absence, Steven Mullaney will lead the Notts in the T20 Blas scheduled to start tomorrow in Manchester. Nottinghamshire coach Peter Moores conceded Christian’s departure has changed the dynamics of the team ‘late in the day’ but at the same time, he expressed the proud feeling for helping him get back into an ‘as strong a team’ as Australia at the age of 38. "It changes things for us late in the day ahead of the tournament, but first and foremost you can only be really pleased for Dan. To be called up again by a nation as strong as Australia, and for that to come on the back of playing some of the best cricket of his career and at the age of 38, it's a great achievement for him. We're proud, as a club, of the role we have played in that,” Moores said. He commended Christian’s longevity and said that life without him with the Notts will be ‘strange’ after led the side to brilliant performances in the past. However, he put the onus on ‘other players’ to fill in the void created by the all-rounder. "It's going to be strange not having Dan around. He's been here for every Blast campaign since 2015 and he's led the side brilliantly as well, but what it will do is create opportunities for other players to step up." The development has come in the backdrop of Australia selecting backups for the players selected in the original squad for the tour keeping in mind imminent pull out of players due to ‘bubble fatigue.’

Star-studded Lahore Qalandars take on in-form Islamabad United to kick off revamped PSL 2021

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is all set to resume in Abu Dhabi from June 9 when Lahore Qalandars take on Islamabad United. The Pakistan Cricket Board has been finally able to restart the tournament after facing a number of issues during the course. The board had earlier decided to hold the remainder of the PSL in Karachi from June 1 with all the matches taking place at one single venue including the final. The title clash was slated to take place on June 20. But the franchises teams requested the PCB to move the PSL out of Pakistan citing the Covid-19 condition in the country. The PCB then faced some problems with the logistics throughout the later half of May and then in the first couple of days in June before the schedule was finally made. There were visa-related issues that came up where the players travelling from Pakistan to Abu Dhabi. The lack of clearances saw the support staff not being able to take the flight to the UAE. But all said and done, the Pakistan board is all set to kick start the PSL again. Islamabad are presently sitting at number three positions with six points and three wins from four matches. Lahore are following them at number four with six points and three wins from the four games that they have played. Both Qalandars and United are coming into this game with a win in their last respective encounters. While Lahore comprehensively defeated Karachi Kings by 6 wickets, Islamabad United thumped Quetta Gladiators by the same margin. Fast bowler Shaheen Afridi and opening batsman Fakhar Zaman played a crucial role in Lahore’s win. Shaheen returned with figures of 3/27 while Zaman struck a 54-ball 83. For Islamabad, it was Paul Stirling’s 56 off 33 and Faheem Ashraf’s 3/11 that handed them easy against Gladiators. Match Details Date: June 9, 2021 (Wednesday) Time: 8:00 PM Local/ 9:30 PM IST Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Weather Report The temperature in the initial part of the game would be around 33 degrees Celsius but it would gradually cool down as the match progressed at night. But there is no chance of rain. Pitch Report The pitch seems to have something for the batsmen. The match can be a high-scoring one but if you win the toss, elect to field first as the track can give a fair bit of advantage to the team batting second. Team News A number overseas players will be missing from the second leg of the PSL due to Covid-19 restrictions and some international fixtures clashing with the tournament. Lahore Qalandars Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan who was picked up by the Lahore franchise will not feature in the PSL as he has opted to be a part of the Dhaka Premier League which began on May 31, 2021. "We have submitted a letter signed by Shakib to CCDM that says he is keen to take part in the competition for us," Tarikul Islam Tito, a top official of MSC told Cricbuzz. "He will not play in the PSL and instead opted to be part of our team in DPL,” he added. Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan had earlier put his County stint on hold to be a part of the remainder of the PSL. Islamabad United South Africa’s Janneman Malan will not play the PSL in Abu Dhabi as the Proteas will be taking on the West Indies during that time. Probable XIs Islamabad United: Colin Munro, Rohail Nazir, Usman Khawaja, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan (captain), Faheem Ashraf, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Muhammad Musa, Ali Khan Lahore Qalandars: Fakhar Zaman, Zeeshan Ashraf, Sohail Akhtar, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Dunk, Muhammad Zaid Alam, James Faulkner, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Dilbar Hussain Fantasy XI Fakhar Zaman, Asif Ali, Sohail Akhtar, Ben Dunk, Rohail Nazir, Colin Munro, Mohammad Hafeez (C), Shadab Khan (VC), Faheem Ashraf, Hussain Talat, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Ali Khan, Rashid Khan

Former New Zealand skipper Glenn Turner gives Virat Kohli, India no chance in WTC final

Cricket experts and former players of the world are divided on who among New Zealand and India are favourites to lift the first edition of the World Test Championship trophy. For some, the depth in the Virat Kohli-led team is too much to not overcome the challenge from Kane Williamson-led New Zealand, while for some the English conditions dominate the narrative and they are predicting Indian batsmen will struggle against the Blackcaps bowling line up. Former New Zealand captain Glenn Turner has said that whole of the Indian batting line up including the skipper Kohli will struggle if the conditions at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton will favour swing and seam bowling. He said that the English conditions that resemble the conditions New Zealanders have accustomed to playing at home will be ‘pivotal’ in deciding whether India or New Zealand will have an upper hand. However, he referred to India’s tour of New Zealand last year to affirm his point that Indian batting will come up short against Blackcaps bowling. "I don't wish to speculate on whether Kohli's reflexes have deteriorated. But if the pitch and overall conditions favour seam and swing, he is also likely to struggle along with others as was demonstrated in New Zealand,"Turner was quoted as saying by The Telegraph newspaper. "Once again, conditions are going to be pivotal. I think it is true to say that the home conditions, where batsmen are brought up, play a significant part in the technique and skills of a player… English conditions are generally closer to those in New Zealand. "Although it seems that in more recent times, pitches in India can assist seam bowling, they still can't be compared to conditions in New Zealand. This was exposed when India last toured New Zealand." India had lost the two-match Test series on the tour of New Zealand early last year. None of the Indian batsmen could manage to score a Test hundred on pitches that supported seam bowling.