With long term prospects in mind, BCB hands Rangana Herath, Ashwell Prince short term coaching stints

The phone keeps buzzing: Neil Wagner ultimate career win in WTC win is yet to sink in

Neil Wagner and BJ Watling were the two players for whom appearing in World Cup or ICC event was a dream that would have remained unfulfilled if not for the World Test Championship. And Wagner in particular hasn’t let that winning feeling sunk in just as yet. For him, winning the Championship was the ultimate achievement in his career. "I can't speak for everyone, this is the ultimate for me to win a Test Championship Final though it's the first one and probably hard to compare with others, it's definitely the pinnacle of the game for me,” he was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. "The support back home and support that was around there - the text messages keep flowing in, the phone keeps buzzing and to see what it has meant for Kiwi supporters and family and friends, means a lot to us too. So, it's definitely right up there,” he added. The 35-year-old said that he never dreamt of playing an ICC Final, especially as he was not a part of New Zealand’s limited-overs scheme of things. "[I had] never [dreamt of it]. That was sort of a dream and a ship that had sailed to be fair - thinking about the white-ball World Cup in some sort of a way,’ he said. But the announcement of WTC in 2019 got the 54 Test veteran excited as he saw a slight window of opportunity of playing in a World event finally. “I thought it was quite special and I thought it was something that's going to make Test cricket the way it is right now and make it quite exciting and add a bit more perspective to it,” said the holder of 229 Test wickets. The Northern districts player is not anywhere near to quitting as he wants to keep on playing with the amount of energy he has left in the tank even at this age. "Age is just a number for me personally. It's not always going to have the glory numbers or the wickets or whatever it is, but I've got a role I can fulfil for the team and as long as I'm needed or called upon, or I guess asked to do a job, 100% I'll be there to contribute,” he said. "If anything this [WTC title] has just urged me on to work harder,” he added.

ENG W vs IND W | 1st ODI: After Test success, India Women begin preparatory journey to World Cup 2022

The Indian Women’s team comeback draw in one-off Tests at Bristol last week was dreamy and unbelievable in a way that it pumped the entire unit. The fact that heroes of that comeback were previously unheard of made it even more surreal. Sneh Rana and Taniya Bhatia shone in the one-off Tests to frustrate the English side. The two teams would meet in Bristol once again but with a change in the format of the game. With the first of the three ODIs being played on Sunday, June 27. Both the teams, Finalists from the last ODI World Cup in 2017, would look to strengthen their teams by testing all sorts of combinations in the penultimate year for the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand. This test of the bench strength and finding of the right combinations forms the basis of the series as two equally poised opponents take on each other. The head to head record of the teams are even as well with English Women winning 37 and India Women 30 out of the 67 completed games while two games ended in no results. As far as recent results are concerned, India lead 4-2 in the last six completed ODI games. But those games were played in India, the Indian team whoever would be looking to avenge their narrow 9 runs ODI World Cup Final loss in Lord’s in 2017 when the two teams last met in an ODI in England. England Women vs India Women: Match Details Date and Time: June 27, 2021, 03:00 pm IST, 09: am GMT, 10:30 am Local Venue: County Ground, Bristol Live Stream and Broadcast: SONY LIV and Sony Sports Network Pitch Report As was evident in the Tets match, the Bristol ground does offer some swing early on and if pitched in the right areas and given a lot of revolutions, the bowl would turn as well, later on in the day. Run scoring is not a problem on the ground if time is spent in the middle as was shown by the batters of both sides. Weather and Toss Light rain showers and moderate breeze have been forecasted for Sunday in Bristol with the percentage of rainfall increasing as the day progresses. In such conditions, any team winning the toss would look to bowl first for two obvious reasons. Firstly to utilise the swing on offer and secondly to keep the Duckworth Lewis and Stern system in their favour. Team News England Women The England Women squad remained almost the same as the one that played the One-off Test with the inclusion of Sarah Glenn and Freya Davies. Most hopefully, Glenn alongside Sophia Dunkley would make it in the XI. For Dunkley, if she plays, it would be her maiden ODI outing. Probable XI Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Heather Knight (c), Nat Sciver (vice-captain), Sophia Dunkley, Amy Jones (wk), Sarah Glenn, Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole, Freya Davies, Sophie Ecclestone India Women The Indian side’s problem of the opening stand has now been solved with Shafali Verma showcasing her potential in the one-off Test. With the number three, four and five spots retained the experienced trio of Punam Raut, Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur, it would be impossible for Jemimah Rodriguez and Priya Punia to find a place in the side. To keep Sneh would be impossible after her heroics and hence only one among Punam Yadav and Ekta Bisht would be able to make it to the squad as a proper spinner if India would go with three spinner and two pacers squad. But in case it decides to continue the three pacers attack, then the same team that played in the Test might be seen playing here. With chances of rain and the weather being breezy, it is more likely that India would prefer a three pacers attack and the team that played in the Test would play in the ODI too. Probable XI Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Punam Raut, Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Shikha Pandey, Jhulan Goswami Dream XI / Fantasy XI Team Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Heather Knight, Mithali Raj, Sophia Dunkley, Deepti Sharma, Amy Jones (wk), Sneh Rana, Anya Shrubsole, Jhulan Goswami, Sophie Ecclestone

WI W vs PAK W: West Indies Women squad for T20I and ODI series announced

The West Indies Women would be appearing in an international tournament for the first time since September 2020 when they toured England. Stafanie Taylor led side will face Pakistan Women in two series of three T20Is and five ODIs lasting over 19 days in total. The squad for the same was announced on June 25. The tour of Pakistan Women would also involve ‘A’ series of three T20I s and three ODIs as well. The West Indies have named a 28 Women squad which comprises 13 women named in the national team squad and 15 named in A squad. The great thing about the squads is any person in any squad can be picked in any team ahead of the game. "As we prepare for the upcoming five CG Insurance ODI match series, these three T20Is will enable the senior team to ease themselves back into the international arena. The 'A' team matches are an excellent chance for some of the younger players who have not been able to find a place in the senior team to show their skills," Lead Selector for women's cricket, Ann Browne-John said. The first T20I would be played on June 30 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. West Indies senior squad: Stafanie Taylor (c), Anisa Mohammed, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Brtiney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Chinelle Henry, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman

WI vs SA | T20Is: Andre Russel fit to go after PSL injury, named in West Indies 13 man squad

West Indies announced a 13 man squad on June 25 for the five-match T20I series against South Africa starting June 26 in Grenada. Andre Russell, who suffered a concussion injury in the very first match that he played in the Abu Dhabi leg of the Pakistan Super League, has been named in the squad, indicating that he has fully recovered from that blow. "Andre Russell will add that 'X' factor to the team. He is an impact player with both bat and ball and lends greater depth in both departments," Roger Harper, the chief selector of West Indies said on the occasion of squad announcement. The squad is almost the same as the one that played against Sri Lanka in March this year. The four players in contention for two places in the XI could be Lendl Simmons and Andre Fletcher for the number three spot and Fidel Edwards and Obed McCoy for the extra feast bowler squad. “The aim is to build on the performance against Sri Lanka earlier this year, to build confidence while determining our best squad and team as we run into the ICC T20 World Cup,” Harper said. South Africa whitewashed West Indies 2-0 in the Test series. However, this format is different and favours the hosts. The first match of the series begins at National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada on June 26 at 11: 30 pm IST. Squad: Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran (vc), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Kevin Sinclair