Nathan Lyon picks his first wicket in 326 days; breaks 400-wicket barrier

Ashes | Hobart beats MCG & SCG in the race to host final Test match

Cricket Australia have confirmed that the fifth and final Test match of the Ashes will be hosted by Hobart’s Blundstone Arena between 14-18 January. The much-anticipated decision comes after the board was forced to shift the final match out of Perth due to strict Covid protocols. This will be the first time that the state of Tasmania will host a men’s Ashes game. It will be a day-night, pink ball Test match to keep in sync with the original timings at Perth. “There were a range of considerations, including commercial, logistical and operational factors and on the balance of these, the CA board agreed on Blundstone Arena being the most appropriate venue to host the fifth Vodafone Men’s Ashes Test. Further, CA have also stated that Hobart had the edge in the race against Melbourne and Sydney because of the postponed game between Australia and Afghanistan. “We also acknowledge the postponement of the Australia and Afghanistan Test due to take place in Hobart earlier in the year played a part in the decision.” CA had deferred the Afghanistan tour after the Taliban taking over the administrative reigns of the country.

LPL 2021-22 | Dambulla Giants vs Galle Gladiators: Rain plays spoilsport as match gets called-off

Rain played spoilsport during the Lanka Premier League match between Dambulla Giants and Galle Gladiators in Colombo as the clash was called-off. Batting first, Dambulla had a decent start to the proceedings as Dickwella and Munaweera who had walked in at number three put up a 40-run stand for the second wicket. But Munaweera’s dismissal saw a few wickets falling in quick succession leaving the Giants struggling at 79/5. Shanaka and Mendis then came in for the rescue as the two batters stitched a partnership of 45 runs for the sixth wicket. While Shanaka scored a 32-ball 37, Menids remained unbeaten at 33 off 23 during the course. Noor Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers after he returned with figures of 2/24 in 4 overs while Samit Patel produced an economical spell as he picked up one wicket at the cost of 19 runs in 4 overs. Later, the Gladiators had scored 18 runs in 1.2 overs when the rain put a halt on the play and the match was eventually abandoned. Kusal Mendis was unbeaten at 15 off 5 while Danushka Gunathilaka was at 3 off 3 when the game was stopped. Gladiators will now Kandy Warriors while Dambulla Giants will lock horns with Colombo Stars on Saturday in Colombo.

BBL 2021: Adam Zampa anchors Melbourne Stars to thrilling win against Sydney Thunder

Melbourne Stars stole away a win in a nail-biter against Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League clash in Melbourne, courtesy some brilliant bowling from Adam Zampa in the final over. Needing 11 in the last over of the innings, while chasing 166, the Thunder side could only manage to get six runs. The equation was down to 5 needed off the last ball with Cutting on strike. Zampa bowled a flat leg break and Cutting didn’t connect the square cut as the Stars took away the win. Earlier, the Thunder side had lost a couple of early wickets during the chase but an 89-run stand for the third wicket between Matthew Gikes and Sam Billings brought them back in the hunt. But Billings eventually departed for 43 off 31 and his dismissal certainly broke the shackles as Sydney lost a couple of more wickets in a quick succession reducing them to 135/5 in the 18th over. Later, Ross and Cutting made sure that there weren’t any further fall of wickets but couldn’t manage to take the team over the line. Melbourne Stars on the other side, rode on some good batting from Nick Larkin, Cartwright and Andre Russell to put 165/4 in 20 overs. While Larkin struck an unbeaten fifty, Cartwright scored 42, Russell chipped in with a 9-ball 17* during the course. Larkin lavished praise on Adam Zampa to win the match for the side in the end. “Wrecked. It was probably their game for most of the chase but our bowlers held their nerve. He (Zampa) wanted the ball and took it out of Maxi's hands. I struggled for the first 20-odd balls and then the Power Surge helped,” he said after the match. The two teams will now face each other in Sydney on Sunday.

The Ashes: Test cricket is a grind, it’s meant to be hard, says Labuschagne

England batsmen Joe Root and Dawid Malan scripted a brilliant fightback in the second innings of the first Test against Australia in Brisbane. The two batsmen stitched an unbeaten stand of 159 runs for the third wicket on Day 3 to get the side back on track after conceding a heavy lead in the first innings. Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne has said that the new ball keeps a lot of importance. “The new ball is crucial. There can be long partnerships and then all of a sudden you can lose bang-bang-bang quick wickets,” Labuschagne said. “If we can put that new ball in the right areas and get a couple of wickets with that new ball, it can really turn quickly.” Talking about the fightback from Root and Malan, Labuschagne admitted that this is the way Test cricket is and added that the bowlers would need to work hard to scalp the remaining eight wickets. “It’s test cricket, you never expect any test nation, especially when you’re playing England in the Ashes, to come in and roll over and you’re going to knock them over,” Labuschagne said. “Test cricket is a grind, it’s meant to be hard, otherwise it wouldn’t mean so much to both countries,” he added. The visitors still trail by 58 runs with 8 wickets in hands.