BCCI Secretary Jay Shah bullish on hosting ICC World T20 next year

Michael Vaughan gives Virat Kohli-less India no chance against Australia

Indian Skipper Virat Kohli will return home after the first Test match between Australia and India starting December 17 in Adelaide and the jury is out on the Indian team if they can step up their game in absence of their captain and the best batsman in the lineup. Although Indian team has a promising batting lineup that comprises batsmen like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, former England Captain Michael Vaughan has predicted an easy win for the Aussies in the upcoming Test series. However, Vaughan has supported Kohli on his decision to be with family when his wife will be expecting the birth of their first child. India had won the last Test series played between the sides in 2018-19 which is named after the legends of the game-- Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. Cheteshwar Pujara had batted supremely through the series and ended the series scoring three centuries in a four-match Test series. Indian bowlers too, were on the money and they had outbolwed their Australian counterparts that consisted of an experienced trio of Josh Hazlewoodm, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc and perpetually proving Nathan Lyon.

IPL 2020 registers 28% jump in viewership compared to last edition

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League which finished on November 10 witnessed a surge in viewership by 28 per cent as compared to the number of viewers the league had in the previous edition, a per a PTI report. The world was eagerly waiting for the IPL to take place this year after the event was postponed indefinitely by the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI)due to ragin coronavirus pandemic in the country at that time. The chairman of the IPL Governing Council has also commended the efforts of Dream11 which chipped in with the sponsorship of the league after the board and the earlier sponsor VIVO got into a spat following increased anti-china sentiment in the country. "With Dream11 coming on board as the title sponsor for IPL 2020, we are happy to see a digital sports brand like Dream11 increasing fan engagement through fantasy sport.It's equally heartening to see how Dream11 has integrated its users in all Dream11 IPL match activations. The match countdown, Dream11 Champion Fans wall and the virtual guest box have all been brought about to bring the fans to the forefront," PTI quoted Brijesh Patel as saying. The Mumbai Indians were the most dominant side in the IPL 2020 and fittingly, they lifted the widely-celebrated trophy on November 10 by defeating the Delhi capitals. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said that the tournament will be moved back to India next year and will be played in the usual time period of April-May.

NZ vs PAK: Misbah-ul-Haq gives reason for exclusion of Shafiq, Malik and Amir

Days in the international career of former Pakistan captain Shoaib Mallik and Mohammad Amir are numbered while the ousted Asad Shafiq will have to prove their worth to make a comeback into the Pakistan international team, head coach and soon-to-go chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has suggested. Misbah said that Asad Shafiq has been dropped due to lack of runs in the last few years while the duo of Amir and Malik have been axed with the purpose of investing in younger talents who can serve for Pakistan cricket in the long term. “There are three major omissions from the side that toured England. Asad Shafiq has been left out due to lack of form after he managed 510 runs in his last 15 innings, including a total of 67 runs in England,” Misbah said in a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Misbah expressed faith in Shafiq and said that the experienced batsman will invest time on his batting and regain his place in the Pakistan Test team for the series following the upcoming tour of New Zealand on the back of strong performances in domestic cricket. “Asad is an experienced batsman and I am sure he will utilise this time to work harder on his game in the domestic first-class matches so that he, like Sarfaraz Ahmed, can reclaim his form and be back in contention for the upcoming Tests against South Africa and Zimbabwe,” Misbah added. Detailing the overlooking of Amir and Malik, Misbah said that the upcoming series in New Zealand is invaluable for the Pakistan team as they are preparing hard to rise in the T20I rankings along with earning some points in the ICC World Test Championship. He said that Pakistan cricket has decided to focus on players who can feature in all formats and investing on them to shape the future of Pakistan cricket in a better direction. “The matches in New Zealand are critical for us as we aim to improve our T20I rankings and also gain valuable points in the ICC World Test Championship. In this background and taking into consideration recent player performances, we have selected the best available players,” Misbah deciphered the tough calls made for the tour of New Zealand. Misbah has already resigned from the post of chief of selection committee but he has set a theme for the development of Pakistan cricket team going ahead. Azhar Ali has been stripped off from his position of Test captain while Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been elevated to the captain and vice-captain of the side. Pakistan will start the tour of New Zealand next month with a T20 series that will be followed by two-match Test series.

Aus vs Ind: Australia picks Will Pucovski, Cameron Green, Sean Abbott in Test squad

Australian selectors have put their faith on young players who have proved their worth in the first round of the Sheffield Shield by awarding maiden call ups to as much as five players such as Cameron Green, Will Pucovski, Mitchell Swepson, Sean Abbott, Michael Neser. Will Pucovski pushed through the selection door by smashing a truck load of runs in the ongoing round of the Sheffield Shield 2020-21. He has plummeted 495 runs at an astounding average of 247.50 in his two matches as an opener and got the attention from Australian selectors. His unbelievable achievement of consecutive double centuries that also included his career best inning of 255 not out while also debuting as an opener in first-class cricket was well recognised by the national selectors and now the 22-year-old Pucovski will compete with Joe Burns in the Australia A team for an opener’s slot to partner with David Warner. "Will's record-breaking start to the summer has been exceptional. His ability to show such patience is something which stands him in good stead for Test cricket and he is in rare company with two double centuries to start the summer. We very much look forward to Will developing further on the international stage," national selector Trevor Hohns said on Pucovski’s selection into the Australian Test team for the series against India. All-rounder Cameron Green has made a name for himself and has already earned a place in the Australian limited overs side. His all -round ability has been rated highly by selectors and they believe that Green has in him to become a formidable all rounder for Aussies in coming years. Green has resumed bowling in the past two weeks before hitting a 197 that earned him reckoning and selector Hohns has said that Green’s batting alone suffice to make him a contender for place in the squad to face India. "Cameron has already won selection in the white-ball squad and continues that in joining the Test squad. He is a wonderful young talent who has great potential to become an allrounder of substance over time. His batting alone has demanded his place in the squad," Selector Hohns said on Greens’ merit for selection into the Australian Test team. On the other hand, the pacer duo of Michael Neser and Sean Abot have been drafted into the squad to give a cushioning to an all impressive pace trio of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins. Both of them have had a good Sheffield Shield 2020-21 with the bat and that will offer Time Paine a luxury of an extended batting order. Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson has been picked for an impressive summer so far for Queensland and selector Hohns has said that his inclusion will beef up the spinning stocks of the Australian Test team. Swepson’s place in playing XI looks remotely possible only when the team management will decide on going in with two spinners with Natahan Lyon being the leader of the Australian spin department. Australia Test squad Tim Paine (Captain and wicketkeeper), Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Sean Abbott, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, , James Pattinson, Will Pucovski