BCCI confirms delayed start of India's tour of South Africa, postponement of T20I series

IND vs NZ | 2nd Test: Siraj rejoices 'dream delivery for any fast bowler' to dismiss Ross Taylor

Mohammed Siraj was at the top of his game with the new ball on the second day of the second Test as he wiped out the New Zealand top order in a sensation spell of seam bowling. There was help for him from the surface and he bowled in the perfect channel to dismiss Tom Latham, Will Young and Ross Taylor in his first spell. While the dismissal of Young and Latham was due to planning and set up, the dismissal of Taylor, who was bowled neck and crop by an away going delivery from the line of the off-stump was an idea of his own. He said that batsmen were expecting him to bowl inswingers on the basis of field setting and hence he tried to vary his plan of attack and produced a delivery that he rated “dream delivery for any fast bowler”. He bowled his heart out and troubled New Zealand batters both with pace and line of attack. He said that the intensity was always high as he was aware that his opportunity with the ball will be limited considering it was a spin-friendly pitch in Mumbai. "The plan was that we had set the field for an inswing delivery and to hit the pads, but the way I was building my rhythm, I thought why not bowl an outswing. It was a dream delivery for any fast bowler." "I wanted to pitch it on stumps and hit one area consistently as it creates a problem for batters. The batters start leaving deliveries if you start bowling outside the off-stump," he said. "I knew I would get 3-4 overs of spell and wanted to bowl with full intensity.” Mohammed Siraj has added another dimension to an already strong Indian pace attack and his prowess and intensity to bowl good deliveries to some of the best batsmen in the world would serve India well in the years to come.

T10 League Final: Deccan Gladiators crowned champions, courtesy Andre Russell's carnage

Deccan Gladiators captain Wahab Riaz gave a hug to Andre Russell in delight at the end of the final Abu Dhabi T10 League and why not. After all, it was Russell’s ruthless display of batting that had anchored the team to the title win. Deccan defeated Delhi Bulls by 56 runs to be crowned as champions. Riding on Russell and Cadmore’s unbeaten stand of 159 runs for the first wicket, the Gladiators got themselves in front right from the beginning. While the two batters chipped in with individual fifties, the bowlers did their job pretty well too and restricted Delhi Bulls to 103/7 in 10 overs. Dre Russ derails Delhi Bulls’ bowling Carnage. The word that probably depicts Andre Russell’s knock against Delhi Bulls perfectly. Russell, who hadn’t really been running barring a couple of games in the competition, chose the perfect occasion to get some in his kitty. Coming out to bat with Kohler-Cadmore, the two batters didn’t really waste much time and began the onslaught soon. Both the batsmen and especially Russell were in such great touch with the bat that nothing really worked against them. The Yorkers were converted into full tosses while the shorter ones were pulled away to get dispatched for maximums. The right-hander remained unbeaten at 90 off 32 deliveries, a knock that included seven maximums and nine fours during the course. While Russell scored the majority of runs, Kohler-Cadmore also looked in a brilliant knick. He chipped in with a 28-ball 59*, courtesy five sixes and three fours. Wahab Riaz’s captaincy The Gladiators’ skipper Wahab Riaz showed his experience not with the ball but with his captaincy. The left-handed bowler unleashed some good work with the way he used the services of his bowlers. The Delhi Bulls lost their first wicket in the second over itself after Odean Smith removed Gurbaz for 14 and then followed it with the dismissal of Rutherford on the very next delivery. Wahab then got in Wanindu Hasaranga in the middle overs to negotiate the likes of Eoin Morgan and the spinner responded in the perfect manner of what the doctor ordered. Hasaranga first scalped the wicket of Morgan (13 off 8) after he played one in the air to give a catch to Wiese and then got rid off Hemraj who was looking dangerous at one end. Hemraj was dismissed for a well-compiled 42 off 20. To add to this, Riaz saved Tymal Mills’ overs for the end and only brought him in the attack in the seventh over. The left-arm pacer was on song as he just gave 4 runs in two overs and picked up a couple of wickets. ‘The no-strategy’ from Bulls’ batting line up The way Russell and Cadmore batted, the Gladiators had already stamped their authority but there were some lapses from Delhi Bulls’ batting unit as well. Barring Hemraj, none of the batsmen tried to stay at the crease. Ofcourse, the ever mounting asking rate also put them under pressure but the early loss of wickets had pushed them on the back foot. Captain Wahab Riaz lavished praise on Andre Russell for the kind of innings that he played after the match. “The big man, Dre Russ stood up in the final. The way the team responded was very good,” he said.

Kids' cricket match forcefully abandoned by vaccine mandate protesters

The Covid-19 vaccination mandate protesters in New Zealand forced young cricketers to cancel their match at Auckland’s Domain. The protesters who were from Brian Tamaki-led Freedom and Rights Coalition were spotted walking across the pitches on Saturday. “It’s certainly not cricket,” said Cornwall Cricket Club coach Peter Burton. The parents had tried to stop the protesters by lining up the pitch boundaries but couldn’t really stop the match from getting abandoned. “It’s their first game of hardball cricket and we’ve got all this carry-on going on, and the boys are just trying to get on with their game.” One of the parents, Karen James whose son was a part of the game said that it wasn’t fair that the fixture was called-off. Auckland Cricket’s community cricket general manager Dean Bartlett though has offered to hold the matches at different venues if the teams didn’t feel safe.

Oldest-ever Test cricketer Eileen Ash passes away at the age of 110

The oldest-ever Test cricketer Eileen Ash passed away at the age of 110. She made her Test debut for England against Australia in 1937 and had featured in seven games for the nation. In domestic cricket, she represented Civil Service Women, Middlesex Women and South Women. The ECB's managing director of women's cricket and the MCC's president, Clare Connor said, “Our sport owes so much to its pioneers and Eileen was one of them. I am deeply sad to be saying goodbye to her today.” "Heather [Knight, England captain] and I went to visit Eileen about six months before the 2017 ICC Women's World Cup - she was 105 at the time - and it was one of the most remarkable experiences,” she added. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Eileen's family as they come to terms with losing such a wonderful woman and the end of an astonishing life,” she further said. Apart from playing cricket, Ash, during the Second World War was seconded to MI6 - the UK's secret intelligence service.