Jofra Archer undergoes second elbow surgery, ruled out until next summer

Marnus Labuschagne becomes numero uno batter in ICC Test Rankings

Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne has attained the top spot in the ICC Test Rankings for batters and has 912 rating points to his name. England batsman Joe Root is now slipped to number two while Steve Smith and Kane Williamson occupy the number three and four spots respectively. Labuschagne has been in great touch in the ongoing Ashes 2021-22 against England and has already scored a hundred and a couple of fifties in his four innings so far. In 20 Tests that the batter has played, he has notched up over 2100 runs at an average of 62.14 and has 6 centuries and 12 fifties to his credit. “Ranked fourth before the series, Labuschagne rose two spots to No.2 after scoring 74 in Australia's win in the Brisbane Test,” the ICC said. India Test skipper Virat Kohli is now placed at the seventh position in the rankings. There wasn’t really much of a change in the Test rankings for bowlers as Pat Cummins is still leading the pack followed by India's Ravichandran Ashwin at the second spot. New Zealand’s Tim Southee moved to fourth position while Josh Hazlewood has dropped to fifth after missing the second Ashes Test. Australia’s Mitchell Starc entered the top 10 of the bowlers' list and is now at number nine with 768 points. “Mitchell Starc broke into the top 10 for Test bowlers after returning figures of 6/80 in the second Test, which included a four-for in the first innings that helped reduce England to 236. He moves up to the 9th spot,” the ICC added.

LPL 2021 | Qualifier 2: Fernando dismantles Dambulla Giants, takes Jaffna Kings to final

After a hiccup in the first qualifier against Galle Gladiators, the Jaffna Kings who had been in some good form in the ongoing Lankan Premier League 2021, were back on track with a win against Dambulla Giants in the second qualifier and registered a place in the final of the tournament. Batting first, the Kings rode on an exceptional first-wicket stand of 122 runs between Avishka Fernando and Rahmanullah Gurbaz to lay a foundation for a big total. Gurbaz eventually departed for 70 off 40 but Fernando went on to notch up a ton before he was out on 100 off 64 deliveries. It was a phenomenal knock that included four maximums and 10 fours. The Jaffna Kings posted 210/4 in 20 overs. Later, Giants’ batting order failed to put up a fight and barring Chamika Karunaratne, no other batter really got into the groove, failing to make a significant contribution. Karunaratne was the lone warrior after he remained unbeaten on a 47-ball 75. Jayden Seales and Maheesh Theekshana didn’t really let the Dambulla batters take an upper hand. While Seales returned with figures of 3/24 in 4 overs, Theekshana had a couple to his name for 23 runs in 4 overs. Thisara Perera expressed delight at the win and lauded the batters for their efforts. “I am really happy today with the way our batters batted. There was pressure after losing the first playoff. As a unit, everything was done really well. The final is just another match. My boys did a really good job today and hope they can do well in the finals,” he said after the match. Jaffna Kings will now lock horns with Galle Gladiators in the final on Thursday (December 23, 2021) in Hambantota.

Watch: US captain Monank Patel upbeat about historic series against Ireland

The United States will be hosting its first bilateral series against a Test-playing nation when it takes on Ireland in the first T20I on December 22 at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill. It is not the first time that a team from the United States is taking in a Test-playing nation as the USA played against Australia and New Zealand in the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy. However, the excitement level of its newly appointed skipper Monank Patel is very high for the upcoming series. Speaking to BBC, Patel said, “It’s definitely the biggest home series we have ever had. It’s a great opportunity for us to play against a Test nation. It’s actually a huge moment for us considering that the series is going to be broadcast all around the world.” With the biggest series taking place at home, it also opens up opportunities for a deeper look into US’ domestic cricketing structure. Speaking on that Patel, who has so far played 39 List A matches, 19 of which are ODIs, said that things are changing for the better at home. “We just had our national championship held back in November, so the domestic structure is getting better here. Now a lot of young players have a chance and stage to showcase their talents,” said the 28-year-old India born.

USA vs Ireland | 1st T20I | Match Preview, Predictions, Fantasy XI

Ireland's tour to the USA, consisting of two T20Is and three ODIs will mark a historic event in cricketing history. The 1st T20I between the two nations will see the USA hosting an international cricket match for the first time. Even before the action has begun, both sides have experienced disappointment. As a string of Covid-19 positive cases emerged within both the camps, there is now a need for a change in strategy. The results came out positive during the pre-series testing, meaning the players would go through a ten-day isolation period. Aiming to bolster their cricketing structure, the USA has made moves in the right direction in the recent past. Firstly, introducing a T20 league of their own - Major League Cricket, USA has offered opportunities to those who had the potential but did not enjoy much success, playing in their homeland. Now, they will be up against a Test-playing nation, which will further strengthen their chances of climbing up the ladder in international cricket. On the other hand, Ireland led by Andrew Balbirnie is not going through a good phase. Failing to make it to the Super 12 in T20 World Cup 2021, they will be itching to step back on the field. However, their confidence would be dented due to the recent situation of Covid-19 cases within the camp. Few of their players, mainly Harry Tector, Gareth Delany, Barry McCarthy and George Dockrell were tested positive. Josh Little, who was playing in the Lanka Premier League, has been recalled to join the squad. Match Details - USA vs Ireland, 1st T20I Date: 23rd December, 2021 Time: 12:30 AM IST Venue: Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, Florida Live Streaming: FanCode app and website Pitch Report Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground will host a T20I after nearly two years. In a total of nine T20Is played at the venue, teams batting 1st have won on seven occasions. This shows us about the sluggishness of the pitch as the match progresses. Average score while batting 1st is 161. Squads USA Monank Patel (c/wk), Marty Kain, Ali Khan, Ritwik Behera, Yasir Mohammed, Ali Sheikh, Ryan Scott, Xavier Marshall, Saurabh Netravalkar, Nisarg Patel, Gajanand Singh, Jessy Singh, Steven Taylor, Vatsal Vaghela, Sushant Modani. Ireland Andrew Balbirnie (c), Paul Stirling, Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Shane Getkate, Josh Little, William McClintock, Neil Rock (wk), Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Ben White, Craig Young. Probable Playing XIs Ireland Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Shane Getkate, Lorcan Tucker, Curtis Campher, Simi Singh, Neil Rock (wk), Mark Adair, Craig Young, Ben White, Josh Little USA Steven Taylor, Monank Patel (c/wk), Gajanand Singh, Marty Kain, Ritwik Behera, Ryan Scott, Nisarg Patel, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Sushant Modani, Jessy Singh CE Fantasy XI Paul Stirling, Curtis Campher, Ritwik Behera, Monank Patel, Simi Singh, Mark Adair, Ryan Scott, Ali Khan, Craig Young, Josh Little, Nisarg Patel