WTC final | Day 1: Rain washes away first day's play

In a huge disappointment to the fans who were waiting for the action to begin in the World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand, the rain has played a spoilsport and the first day has been washed out completely. 

To compensate for the loss of play on the first day, the play will begin at the scheduled time at 3 pm IST (10:30 am local). Since the WTC final also has a reserve day marked to cover loss of play such as these, the match would not be started half an hour early, a practice is more popular in Test matches.

Rain was always expected to hamper the big clash between the top two sides as the weather prediction was suggesting thunderstorm across all days of the Test match but the abandonment of the very first day without a ball being bowled left all disappointed.

India have already announced their playing XI for the clash and have included both the spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin along with the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami.

On the other hand, New Zealand have picked Ajaz Patel over Mitchell Santner in the 15-man squad along with Kane Williamson, BJ Watling, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, who were rested or missed the second Test of the series against England.

Discover more
Top Stories
news

PSL 2021 Preview: With backs to the wall, Quetta play for pride while Karachi look to seal playoffs

Karachi Kings have somehow kept themselves alive in this PSL 2021 after they managed to win the game against Lahore Qalandars on Thursday. Babar Azam was back in some form while Martin Guptill too chipped in with some crucial runs as Karachi put up a decent total of 176/5 in 20 overs. Later, it was the Kings bowling line up that defended the total for the side. But standing at the winning podium hasn’t really done much for the Imad Wasim-led side as they are still placed at the second last spot in the points table with 8 points from nine matches and having not so impressive net run-rate. The Karachi Kings have some work to do when they meet Quetta in their last league game on Saturday. The Karachi team needs to win this match with some good margin and hope that Lahore Qalandars suffer a defeat at the hands of Multan Sultans. Well, Karachi probably have the weakest opponent in front of them as they eye a berth in the play-offs. Quetta have struggled with form throughout the competition winning just two of their nine matches and are placed at the bottom of the table. In fact, the side would be under tremendous pressure after the way it fared in their last encounter against Multan Sultans. Chasing 184, the Gladiators were bundled out for 73 and suffered a 110-run defeat eventually. Multan’s Imran Tahir rattled the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side with his spin. Karachi would also have a psychological advantage in this match as they emerged victorious last time the two sides met. The Kings’ bowlers first bowled out Gladiators for 121 and then chased down the target by 7 wickets in less than 14 overs. With no chance of making a qualification for the play-offs, Gladiators should come out and just enjoy this game and then get on to some restructuring of the plans. Match Details Date – Saturday, June 19, 2021 Time – 6:30 PM IST Venue – Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Pitch Report The tracks in Abu Dhabi have offered a lot of assistance to the spinners. The slow nature of the pitch has helped the spinners create problems for the batsmen. But as the match progresses in the evening, the strip might have something on offer for the batsmen too. So, if you win the toss, elect to bowl. Team news Quetta Gladiators: Quetta Gladiators will be without the services of their key players, Andre Russell and fas du Plessis. The West Indies all-rounder has left the PSL as he is a part of the squad for the T20Is against South Africa. Faf du Plessis was ruled out of the tournament after he suffered a concussion during his side Quetta Gladiators’ match against the Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday. “Thank you everyone for all the messages of support. I’m back at the hotel recovering. Have concussion with some memory loss but I will be fine. Hopefully I will be back on the field soon. Much love,” du Plessis had tweeted. Karachi Kings: There was some good news for Karachi Kings as Babar Azam was back in form during the match against Qalandars while their overseas recruit Guptill was also among some runs. Karachi for now looks to be a balanced side with a stable batting order and a formidable bowling attack. All the players just need to concentrate on this one game without focusing on the results and what would happen if they lose. Probable XI Quetta Gladiators Jake Weatherald, Usman Khan, Cameron Delport, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Azam Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hassan Khan, Zahir Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Khurram Shahzad, Usman Shinwari Karachi Kings Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Martin Guptill, Chadwick Walton (wk), Najibullah Zadran, Imad Wasim (c), Danish Aziz, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Ilyas, Abbas Afridi, Noor Ahmad Fantasy XI Azam Khan, Chadwick Walton, Cameron Delport, Usman Khan, Najibullah Zadran, Sharjeel Khan (VC), Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Khan-Shinwari, Khurram Shehzad, Noor Ahmad

news

WI vs SA | 2nd Test Preview: Windies chase redemption in face of fiery Proteas in series-decider

South Africa completely outplayed West Indies in the first Test in the two-match series by an innings and 63 runs at St Lucia. The South African pacers took brilliant advantage of the conditions and rattled the West Indies batting line up to bundle them out for 97 and 162 in the first and second innings respectively to clinch a thumping victory. The Proteas wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock was back in some good touch after he scored a brilliant ton while opener Aiden Markram was also among some runs during the course. The two sides will now meet at the same venue but with different aspirations. While the visitors would be looking to wrap up a clean sweep win, the home side needs to win this second encounter to save the series. But this is not the only issue that West Indies team management needs to tackle. The hosts’ batting unit hasn’t really shown any zeal and application against the mighty fast bowlers from the African nation. This was clearly visible in the first encounter. On the contrary, the quick bowlers did put in some effort during the course of the first match. It was certainly De Kock and Markram’s valuable contribution that took the game away from them. Well, South Africa just needs to stick to the basics while West Indies have a lot of work to do. Match Details: West Indies vs South Africa, 2nd Test Venue: Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia Date & Time: June 18th – June 22th 7:30 PM IST and 10:00 AM Local Time Live Streaming: Fancode Pitch Report The track at St Lucia seems to have some bounce and carry. The batsmen might face some problems against the fast bowlers especially if there is a cloud cover. So, if you win the toss, bowl first and try to get the opposition packing quickly. Team News West Indies: Shannon Gabriel who had missed the first Test due to a hamstring injury has been recalled while Alzarri Joseph has been left out. Apart from this, the hosts have a new addition to the squad in the form of Darren Bravo who last featured for the side in the longer format back in December 2020 against New Zealand. Nkrumah Bonner is out of the series with concussion. He was replaced by Kieron Powell. The batting line up might have failed to produce a good performance in the previous game but it seems to be balanced now. The application from the batsmen is the key. They just need to get their eyes in before playing the strokes. South Africa: The visitors had a good run in the first match and Dean Elgar won’t be thinking of making any changes to the winning combination. The only concern for the South African team is their opening. The failure of Elgar is something that the team management needs to be worried about. Other than this, the bowling unit is pretty sorted and the fast bowlers have done their job in an impressive manner so far. Probable XI West Indies: Kraigg Braithwaite (capt), Kieran Powell, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Kyle Mayers, Jermaine Blackwood, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales South Africa: Dean Elgar (capt),Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Keegan Peterson, Kyle Verreynne, Quinton de Kock (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi Fantasy XI Quinton de Kock (c), Dean Elgar, Kraigg Brathwaite (vc), Jermaine Blackwood, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Jason Holder, Roston Chase, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Jayden Seales

news

IPL over Australia? Skipper Aaron Finch drops subtle hints against IPL-bound star players

Australian white-ball skipper Aaron Finch has said that the players who have withdrawn their names from international tournaments while representing the national side, would find it difficult to justify their choice in case they decide to feature in the second half of the Indian Premier League scheduled later this year. He was left a little bit ‘surprised’ when he got to know about players asking to put themselves out of consideration for the tour of West Indies, but conceded ‘understandable’ reasons they had before them in terms of immense workload in the year ahead. “The other guys I was a little bit surprised. I’ve chatted to them all, a little bit surprised but it’s also understandable but I wish that they were there. I think they would find it hard to justify going back and playing that second half of the IPL. Just purely based on the workload coming up with a T20 World Cup and a huge home summer,” Finch was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. “It’s really tough. It’s a tough situation that everyone has been put in, but personally I would find it hard to do that knowing how difficult it is and how challenging it is mentally, and on your family as well. That’s what I would think.” Earlier this month, Finch had said that Cricket Australia would decide the presence of Australian superstars in the IPL 2021 scheduled to be September on a ‘case-by-case’ basis. But, chairman of selectors, Trevor Hohns had made it clear afterwards that players will have to give up their prospects of taking part in the revamped version of the IPL. Notably, the star quartet of Steve Smith, David Warner, Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell have opted out of the upcoming white-ball tours of West Indies and Bangladesh.