Derbyshire's county fixture against Essex called off after player tests positive

India focus on big shots to get into 'groove' for Sri Lanka series

The Indian team were seen coming in the ‘groove’ in lead up to the ODI series against Sri Lanka that was scheduled to begin on July 13. However, they now have got more time in their hands to prepare as the series has been postponed to July 18. In the video shared by the BCCI on its Twitter timeline, batsmen can be seen perfecting their big shots in the nets. From skipper Shikhar Dhawan and Prithivi Shaw, who is most likely to be his partner to the middle order batsmen in Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya and Sanju Samson, all have been shown practising hitting long shots in the nets. Among bowlers, vice-captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar were seen honing their ability to swing the ball and finetuning the length of the attack. At the same time, spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, and Rahul Chahar bowled to skipper Dhawan in search of finding their perfect flight ahead of the ODI series. After practising their individual skillsets, players were also seen busy warming their hands by participating in fielding drills where they caught high balls. The ODI series will commence on July 18 and the remaining two ODIs will be played on July 20 and 23 while the T20 series will start on July 25 and conclude on July 29.

Peter Handscomb tests positive for Covid-19

Australia batsman Peter Handscomb has tested positive for Covid-19. Handscomb who is leading Middlesex this County season was forced into isolation after testing positive and missed the match against Leicestershire in England. “Irishman Tim Murtagh stepped up to fill in for Handscomb as skipper as Middlesex ended day one of the clash with Leicestershire at 3-280,” A report in ‘The West Australian’ said. The right-handed batsman didn’t really have a great run in the County Championship so far and only managed to score one half-century in seven matches that he has played. Handscomb last played a Test for Australia back in January 2019 while last donned an Australia jersey in July 2019. He has been capped 16 times in Tests for Australia and has scored 934 runs at an average of over 38 during the course while has played 22 ODIs for the national side, scoring 632 runs at an average of 33.26. Batting first against Leicestershire, Middlesex rode on Sam Robson’s unbeaten ton to put 280/3 on the board on Day 1 of the game before the stumps were called. Middlesex who are a part of Group 2 in the County Championship are presently placed at the bottom of the points table with 63 points and one win to their name. They have suffered defeats in 7 matches out of the nine that they have played.

WI vs AUS | 3rd T20I Preview: T20 'specialist' West Indies eye series win

West Indies bowlers have been in some brilliant touch in the on-going five-match T20I series against Australia after they unleashed a couple of riveting performances to hand the side a 2-0 lead at St Lucia. The hosts scalped six wickets in a span of 29 runs in the second match to bundle out the Aussie side for 140 in reply to West Indies’ 196/4. But this wasn’t the first instance that the home side unveiled something similar in the first encounter when they stole away a win from the jaws of defeat, courtesy some fine work from the bowlers. The visitors were chasing 146 in 20 overs and were 108/5 when the Caribbean bowling unit pushed them on the backfoot and picked up the last five wickets in a span of just 10 runs to bowl them out for 127. While the West Indies bowling setup is in some incredible form, their middle order showed some skills with the willow in the last outing. Shimron Hetmyer notched up a half-century while Andre Russell’s unbeaten 8-ball 24 that included a couple of sixes and as many boundaries to take on the Australian bowling and help his side post a big total of the board. Australia, on the other side, are facing some issues with their line up. The bowlers were able to restrict the opposition for a smaller total in the first class but that changed in the second match, courtesy Hetmyer and Russell’s onslaught and a responsible knock from the experienced Dwayne Bravo. But the batting is much more a bigger concern for the team management at the moment. With the key players not in the side, the visiting team has been facing issues with the batting unit, especially the middle-order. Barring Mitchell Marsh, none of the batsmen have looked in the groove and with the series at stake now, the Australian think tank needs to fix the problems. Match Details West Indies vs Australia, 3rd T20I Venue: Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia Date & Time: July 13th, at 5:00 AM IST and July 12th, at 7:30 PM Local Time Live Streaming: Fancode Pitch Report The track at St Lucia seems to be a favourable one for the side that bats first. The ball comes easily on to the bat in the initial stage of the game while the pitch gets slower a bit as the game progresses. The instance of this was visible in the first two matches after West Indies defended the target successfully in both the encounters. So, if you win the toss, bat first and post a big total on the board. Team News West Indies: The home side is in some lethal form especially the way the bowlers have fared so far in the series. West Indies don’t really need to make many changes in the line up. They didn’t really score many runs in the first match but turned the tables for themselves in the second with the bat. The presence of Hetmyer, Russell and Bravo in the ranks is a boon to the side. Overall, the Calypso team is in good form and is pretty steady at the moment and should stick to the basics and what they have been doing so far. Australia: Australia are in all sorts of trouble at the moment. From leaking runs to batting failures to dropping catches, you name the issue and the Aaron Finch-led side is struggling with it. The batsmen need to get back in form, especially the middle and lower middle order as their failure has been one of the major reasons for Australia’s unsuccessful run so far in the series. Apart from this, Finch’s form with the bat is also concerning and the skipper needs to end his run drought and should lead from the front. The bowlers have failed to restrict the opposition from scoring runs while they haven’t got any good help from the fielders either. The team management has a lot of work to do before the players take the field in the next match. Probable Playing XIs West Indies Andre Fletcher, Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh, Sheldon Cottrell, Obed McCoy Australia Matthew Wade, Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Josh Philippe, Moises Henriques, Alex Carey, Daniel Christian, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood Fantasy XI Matthew Wade, Moises Henriques, Lendl Simmons, Aaron Finch, Shimron Hetmyer, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Marsh (c), Andre Russell (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Obed McCoy, Hayden Walsh

ENGW vs INDW | 2nd T20I: India level series after a dramatic finish

India women’s team levelled the T20I series against England after winning the second match by 8 runs in Hove. Chasing 149 in 20 overs, the home side was restricted to 140/8. England had a disappointing start to the chase after losing Danielle Wyatt and Natalie Sciver early in the chase after the hosts were reduced to 31/2 before opener Tammy Beaumont and captain Heather Knight stitched a stand of 75 runs for the third wicket to steady the ship for the team. But Beaumont’s departure for 59 off 50 broke the shackles and the Indian team made a strong comeback. England lost wickets at regular intervals, courtesy some brilliant bowling and impressive fielding efforts and were left tottering at 137/8 to eventually suffer a defeat. In the eight wickets that went down for England, four came in the form of runout. Poonam Yadav and Deepti Sharma were the pick of the bowlers for India. While Yadav returned with figures of 2/17 in 4 overs, Sharma picked up one wicket at the cost of 18 runs in four overs. Earlier, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma gave India a solid start after the two put 70 runs on the board for the first wicket before Mandhana departed for 20 off 16. Verma who was looking in some good touch fell short of a fifty and was dismissed just a couple of runs after Mandhana’s wicket. Later, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma stitched a partnership of 40 runs for the third wicket. Kaur notched up a 25-ball 31 while Sharma remained unbeaten at 24 off 27 as India managed to score 148/4 in 20 overs. Harmanpreet Kaur hailed the team’s effort. “I think it was a great effort from the whole team. They were on the toes and I am very happy. We got a very good start. Two three overs, we didn't get many. Then I had to go as we thought we needed 150 at least to win. I would give credit to our bowlers. Was very important on these wickets as the ball was coming nicely on to the bat. Credit to the fielders as well for doing well. We always want to win wherever we go,” she said. England captain Knight lauded the efforts from the bowling unit while admitting that her dismissal did change the game. “I think we were very good for large proportions of the game, the way we pulled it back after that start was outstanding. Really proud of the bowlers. I couldn't get back in and it's just one of those things and it wasn't deliberate by Deepti. It was given out and that changed the game. We were in a great position and asked the batting group to be ruthless, we got to be better in the next game,” Knight said. The two teams will now play each other in the decider in Chelmsford on Wednesday.