Would be very frustrating to not be able to participate in The Hundred: Ben Stokes

Indian squad members undergo Covid-19 testing in England: Report

As per the report, members of the India touring party will not have to live in a biosecure bubble in Durham albeit the Covid-19 has caused a lot of trouble in England cricket in recent days.

Yashpal Sharma passes away of heart attack

Former India cricketer Yashpal Sharma passed away on Tuesday (July 13, 2021) of a cardiac arrest. Sharma who was a part of the Indian team that lifted the World Cup in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev was 66 and is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son. "Yes, Yashpal is no more with us. We just received the information from his family," a former India teammate of Yashpal confirmed to PTI. He made his Test debut for India in 1979 against England at Lord’s while last featured in the longer format of the game in 1983 against West Indies in Delhi. Sharma played his first ODI for Indian the team against Pakistan in 1978 in Sialkot while his last appearance in an ODI came against England in Chandigarh in 1985. The right-handed batsman played 37 Tests for India scoring 1605 runs at an average of 33.45 and was capped 42 times in ODIs where he notched up 883 runs at an average of 28.48. One of his notable innings came during the semi-final of the 1983 World Cup against England where he scored a half-century. He was a national selector from 2003 to 2006 and then returned to the selection committee in 2008 and served as a match referee for a short period of time.

WI vs Aus | 3rd T20I: Universe Boss roars back to form as hosts annihilate Australia to win series

The day belonged to Universe Boss Chris Gayle and West Indies as they annihilated Australia by 6 wickets in the 3rd T20I to take an unassailable 3-0 lead n the 5 match series. With his backs to the wall, Gayle responded in a fashion which only Chris Gayle can. He clobbered the Australian bowlers all around St. Lucia during his blazing knock of 67 of 37 deliveries. Gayle turned back the clock and smashed his first fifty in T20I’s after the 2016 World Cup. Chasing a modest target of 142, West Indies received an early jolt in the form of Andre Fletcher’s wicket. However, Lendl Simmons and Chris Gayle ensured that it was just a mere hiccup as they blazed away in their respective knocks. Gayle who generally tends to take few deliveries before letting loose expressed himself right from the outset and made the difference. He reserved some special treatment for Josh Hazlewood in the 2nd over smashing his for 18 runs in four deliveries to set the tone for the run-chase. With the required rate down under control, Gayle started working around for singles and doubles while Simmons struck some fine shots. His dismissal didn’t make any difference as Nicholas Pooran along with the Universe Boss make light work of the target as Windies sailed past the victory target. Gayle tore into Zampa in the 11th over depositing him for three consecutive sixes and a four making the run-chase a mere formality. There was no respite for Riley Meredith in his second spell either as he was nailed for two massive sixes by Chris Gayle in the 12th over. During the innings, Gayle became the first player in the history of the game to reach 14,000 T20 runs. He was eventually dismissed by Meredith in that same over but by then the damage was done. Dwayne Bravo was again sent up the order at No 5 and he justice to the trust shown by the team management in the new role. He stayed there till the end as Nicholas Pooran smashed a couple of boundaries of Meredith in the 15th over to seal the deal for the home team. Earlier in the day, Aaron Finch went with the method which had worked for West Indies in the previous two matches and opted to put runs on the board. The Aussies were off to a steady start scoring 41 runs in the first 5 overs. Wade looked in good touch and struck 4 fours during his brisk knock of 23 but it was Obed McCoy, the newbie of the Windies team who made an impact yet again bagging his prized wicket. Mitchell Marsh departed for a low score as he was struck plumb in front of a straighter one from Fabian Allen. Run scoring became difficult in the middle overs as the Windies bowlers tightened the screws around the Aussie middle order and didn’t allow them to let loose. Moises Henriques and Ashton Turner scored some runs but it came at a relatively low strike rate which never really allowed Australia to get over the 150 mark. Once again, Hayden Walsh Jr was held back by Nicholas Pooran and the leggie didn’t disappoint. He bagged two crucial wickets and continued his dream run in the series so far. He bowled slow and was never afraid to toss the ball up. The wickets of Alex Carey and Aaron Finch derailed Australia in the middle overs as they could only muster 141 in their allotted 20 overs. In the end, the score proved nowhere close to being enough.

ZIM vs BAN | Donald Tiripano rues missed opportunities, shows willingness to bat higher up the order

Zimbabwe all-rounder Donald Tiripano has said that Zimbabwe failed to get Bangladesh ‘by the throat’ and let them off the hook on the first day of the only Test between sides concluded yesterday in Harare. He said that the new ball bowlers put a lot of pressure on the Bangladesh top and upper-middle order before the lower order resurrected the tourists. Notably, Bangladesh were once languishing at 132/6 when the skipper Mominul Haque walked back to the pavilion. However, after that, Zimbabwe had to wait for a period of 42 overs and a 138 run partnership between Liton Das and Mahmudullah for the next wicket as the game drifted away from their grapes. "We started well in the first morning. The wicket was doing a bit. After taking six wickets, we let them off. Mahmudullah and Liton Das put together a partnership. I think we have to make sure that when we get into such positions, we have to get them by the throat and we have to finish them off,” Tiripano said. Tiripano also rued missed opportunities with the bat in the first innings as Zimbabwe floundered their great start with a collapse in the middle order. They were strolling at 225/2 before the collapse started and they were bundled out for a mere 276 runs in reply to Bangladesh’ mammoth 468 runs in the first innings. However, he did not downplay the number of positives that came Zimbabwe’s way in the Test match and said that the side will work hard to avoid playing catch up cricket in Test cricket. "It is unfortunate that we couldn't get a good total in the first innings. There are a lot of positives that came out from this game. Guys tried to score some runs and build partnerships by putting their head down. But we should work hard on our batting and make sure that we don't play catch up cricket in a Test match,” he added. It was a strange sort of game personally for Tiripano, who failed with the bat in the first innings but the team management showed faith in him by promoting him to the number five position in the second innings. Zimbabweans had their backs pushed against the wall on the final day but Tiripano held the fort from the other end and delayed the inevitability of Zimbabwe’s loss with a gutsy 52 off 144 balls. He repaid the faith shown in him by the team management and has shown willingness to ‘embrace’ a new role where he concedes he will be challenged and put under pressure. "It is a challenge that I am willing to take. I am happy to embrace it if given the chance to bat up the order. I like being challenged. I enjoy pressure," he said. Donald Tiripano had a mixed result in the Test both with the bat and ball but his willingness to take more responsibility for himself and promising sign in the second innnigs will give the team management a lot of hope in the near future.