WI W vs PAK W | 2nd T20I: Chinelle Henry, Chedean Nation taken to hospital after collapsing

ENG W vs IND W: With Mithali fit to go, Shikha Pandey backs fearless India to produce positive results

The Indian Women team would not be deprived of their skipper Mithali Raj in their attempt of attaining a consolation win in an already lost ODI series when they take the field in New Road Worcester. BCCI confirmed in a tweet that, Mithali, who did not take the field after injuring her shoulder while batting, is for the 3rd ODI which would also be her last game on the tour as the dynamic batter is not part of the T20I set-up. "Captain @M_Raj03 has recovered and is training with the girls as we prepare for the 3rd WODI tomorrow here at New Road, Worcester," the BCCI tweeted. The 38-year-old would also have another shot at becoming the highest run-scorer in international cricket by overtaking former England skipper Charlotte Edwards. Mithali, with 10,262 runs in all three formats combined is just 12 runs away from overtaking Edwards’ 10,273. The Indian team would be looking to go all out in the last game with nothing to lose scenario and fast bowler Shikha Pandey underscored the same point while speaking in the pre-match press conference. “We want to be going ahead and play a fearless brand of cricket, and we're working towards it. This is kind of a build-up to the World Cup next year, and in the games ahead we will have a positive attitude and we will look to score runs for the team to win,” said Pandey, who wicked two wickets in the second ODI and was one of the reasons as to why India fought deep in that game. People were expecting newcomer wicket-keeper Indrani Roy to get a game in the third ODI based on her batting abilities. But it seems that the team would prefer Taniya Bhatia’s wicket-keeping skills more. “Taniya standing up to the stumps made a huge difference. Taniya is doing a great job, and it is about responding to the situation on the field,” Shikha said about the Chandigarh born.

Australian Women’s coach Matthew Mott reckons series against Indian Women would be challenging

Matthew Mott, who signed a two-year extension of his contract as Australia Women’s head coach believes that the Indian Women, currently playing in England are now the merging supergiants of the Women’s game. And thus the women in blue would be challenging for an Australian team that hasn’t had much of a game time. "[India] are an emerging supergiant in the game, they have a lot of great players and they will be tough opposition," Mott was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. "They are playing over in England at the moment and, if anything, we'll be a bit vulnerable because we won't have had a lot of cricket. So that's at the forefront of our minds,” he added. Australia Women last played an international game in April this year on their tour to New Zealand. Many of them were supposed to play in The Hundred Women, but due to increased cases of Covid-19 in Australia, they were forced to withdraw. The Indian Women ion the other hand have drawn a Test series but are trailing 0-2 in the ODI series and would play the T20I series as well before the Indian Women players get ready to be a part of The Hundred. Thus Mott is trying to get the Australian Women together for a camp before the all-important series begins. "It would be great to get everyone back together face to face, have a really strong camp in Brisbane at the NCC [National Cricket Centre] with fantastic new facilities out there. And just for some of the southern states to train outside in good weather. So fingers crossed the borders open up and we're free of Covid as much as we can be and we navigate around,” he said.

Yusuf Pathan among other big players to register for 2nd edition of Lanka Premier League

Former India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan who retired from all forms of cricket earlier this year has registered for the second edition of the Lanka Premier League. A brute of a hitter of the cricket ball, Yusuf Pathan played for the India Legends in the Road Safety World series earlier this year after announcing his retirement. The older of the Pathan brothers, Yusuf will look to find a spot in the competition. His younger brother Irfan Pathan was part of the inaugural edition as he plied his trade for the Kandy Tuskers. Apart from Yusuf Pathan, star Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has also registered for the upcoming edition of the LPL. Several other big names have also registered for the tournament. South African white-ball skipper Temba Bavuma along with two of the South African leading spinners Keshav Maharaja and Tabraiz Shamsi has also registered their names for the competition. Former South African speedster and currently an Australian citizen Morne Morkel has also made himself available for the tournament and will look to find a spot in any of the teams. Among the Australian players, James Faulkner will be one of the most sought after players especially after his brilliance in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL). His Australian mates Ben Dunk, Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson have also registered their names for the event. Like most other T20 leagues across the world, the West Indies players will be a star attraction of the torment with several of them registering their names. "Last year's success has certainly made a difference with more players from many cricket playing countries looking forward to play in the LPL, which is a very good sign for the League and Sri Lanka cricket." SLC Vice President Mr Ravin Wickremaratne was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo. Here are some of the big names from different countries who have registered for this tournament West Indies- Dwayne Smith, Sheldon Cottrell, Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Rampaul, Sherfane Rutherford, Rayad Emrit, Denesh Ramdin, Rovman Powell Bangladesh- Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed, Liton Das, Mahmudullah India- Yusuf Pathan Australia- James Faulkner, Callum Ferguson, Ben Dunk, Usman Khawaja, Ben Cutting South Africa: JJ Smuts, David Wiese, Morne Morke, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Samsi, Hardus Viljoen, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Keshav Maharaj Pakistan- Harris Sohail, Mohammad Irfan, Sohain Maqsood, Shan Massod, Anwar Ali, Ammad Butt Afghanistan- Naveen Ul Haq, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Shehzad, Hazratullah Zazai, Qais Ahmad, Usman Shinwari, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran.

Playing in IPL will be invaluable before the T20 World Cup for Sam Curran says Graham Thorpe

Former England batsman Graham Thorpe hailed all-rounder Sam Curran and stated that his ability to thrive under pressure situations has made him a vital cog in England’s white-ball plans. The left-arm pacer has also shown his batting skills in the limited opportunities he has had for the English ODI team. Curran bagged his maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs during his magnificent spell of fast bowling during the 2nd ODI against England to ensure an unassailable 2-0 lead for the home team in the 3 match series. Curran is already an established IPL cricketer plying his trade for the three-time champions Chennai Super Kings. He starred with the ball and bat during the 14th edition of the tournament which had to be suspended midway owing to COVID-19. He is expected to return to UAE for the 2nd leg for the tournament and Graham Thorpe feels that the exposure of playing high class T20 cricket ahead of the T20 World Cup slated to be played in the same country will definitely help him immensely. "I think it's helped him enormously," Thorpe said of the IPL. "Every environment Sam has gone into, he's shown that ability to compete and an ability to find a way of putting performances in. From that perspective, playing in the IPL has put him in high-pressured situations and pushed him. "His hitting ability with the bat was always there. I think that's progressed to a really good level. He's bowling at important times in the IPL, so he's put under pressure and challenged. At 23, he's getting some really good experiences,” he further added. Curran hasn’t played much cricket for England in the 2020 summer being a part of the XI on only three occasions which included a Test each against West Indies and Pakistan and one ODI against Australia. However, his all-round showing in the truncated 14th edition of the IPL again brought him to the reckoning and he is currently the first-choice pick in England’s white-ball set-up. "When he comes back and plays with England, he's having to challenge for a place so he's being put under pressure there too," Thorpe said. "That's not a bad thing. One of his great personality traits is that he's a real competitor. We have seen that ever since he was a young lad, and his skill level is going up. For a 23-year-old it's a good place to be. We want him to keep getting better and better,” the former batsman concluded.