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Pcb Likely To Announce Another T20 World Cup 2021 Squad Claims Shahid Afridi

PCB likely to announce another T20 World Cup 2021 squad, claims Shahid Afridi

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has claimed that the Pakistan Cricket Board is going to make certain changes in its T20 World Cup squad soon. The all-rounder, who is currently playing the Everest Premier League in Nepal for the Kathmandu Kings XI, also said that he was surprised by a few of the selections.

“I have received some information and PCB is very likely to announce another squad for the upcoming World Cup with some changes,” Cricket Pakistan quoted Afridi as saying.

“I am definitely surprised by the selection. I don’t understand the selection of two to three players in the squad. I also don’t understand how we could have left a couple of names out of the squad either,” added the 41-year-old.

PCB Chief Selector Mohammad Wasim had also indicated that some changes might be made in the squad by saying that all cricketing boards are allowed to make changes to their initial squad till October 10.

“Under special circumstances and in exceptional cases, we can make the necessary changes if required,” said Wasim.

Afridi, who represented Pakistan in record 524 international matches were also disappointed by former coaches Misbah-Ul-Haq and Waqar Younis’ resignation in the build-up to the World Cup.

“If they [Misbahul Haq and Waqar Younis] resigned on their own then they have seriously hurt the Pakistan cricket team and should definitely have waited till the World Cup was over,” said the leg spinner.

“I don’t think Matthew Hayden and Vernon Philander are going to make much of an impact due to shortage of time,” Afridi further added about the newly appointed Pakistan head coach and bowling coach.

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Watch: Stella Campbell sheds tears of joy on receiving her Australia Women’s debut cap

It is not always that you get debut for your national team and have your captain read the message from your parents while presenting that most wanted national cap for you. But Australia Women’s pacer Stella Campbell got all that which is considered desirable for anyone’s debut. Presenting the cap to Campbell, Aussie Women skipper Meg Lanning tried to lighten the mood for an emotional 19-year-old saying, “I know your folks are not here, and there are just a few of us in the circle who know James, your dad. James is a bit of a penchant for dressing up in Stella’s playing kit because they are roughly the same size.” “I know they are (Stella’s parents) on FaceTime now,” Lanning said adding that she was going to read a message from her to Stella. “Every girl who plays cricket dreams of playing for Australia one day and you have worked incredibly hard to make your dream come true. We wish we could be there with you today, but we know you’ll rip in and try your best as usual,” Lanning read Campbell’s parents’ message. And just as she read, a lump seemed to be forming in the tall teenager’s throat. Lanning further said that she and the entire team expects Stella to do so as her parents wished for her in her first game and completed the ceremony with, “That smile is infectious mate and you are going to do great things.” After the emotional ceremony, Campbell did quite well in her first game and picked up the crucial wicket of Yastika Bhatia to keep Aussies in the game which India eventually won by two wickets to end the ODI series at 1-2.

Aiden Markram pleasantly surprised by Ravi Bishnoi's skill set at such young age

South Africa young star batsman Aiden Markram, who has made his IPL debut in the ongoing edition for the Punjab Kings has showered praise on the leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi for possessing too much of a skill set for a young bowler. He made the remarks after Kings’w vital win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad where Bishnoi was at the top of his game and picked up three wickets of Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Abdul Samad. The Kings batting including Markram himself struggled to get the ball off the square on a slow and sticky pitch at the Sharjah and could manage only 125 runs on the board. Those runs were not beyond the Sunriser’s reach and hence Markram said that the start by bowlers lead by Mohammed Shami set the tone for the defence. “Incredible. It is amazing how he (Bishnoi) is still so young and yet his skill set is just on another level. I really think he is just going to go from strength to strength. If you look at the bowling unit as a whole, they were brilliant. Shami started off with wickets in the powerplay, which is always crucial in defending a low score. And then for the two spinners - Brar and Bish (Ravi Bishnoi) - to bowl the way they did was amazing," “It is not always easy going to a surface where, to an extent, you are expected to do well as spinner or need to do well for your team to win. But for them to deliver the goods, under pressure like it was tonight, in a must-win game, was important for us going forward. We can take a lot of confidence too as a team,” Markram asserted. The Kings kept their campaign alive by earning an avital two points albeit after failing to put up a big score on the board. Markram said that the win over the Sunrisers will lift their confidence and they will take a lot of heart from this game going forward in the tournament.

Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma join Sydney Thunder for WBBL 2021

India Women opener Smriti Mandhana and all-rounder Deepti Sharma have joined Sydney Thunder for the Women’s Big Bash League 2021 which starts on October 14. The two Indians are currently in Australia itself, playing for the national team in a three-match each ODI and T20I series and a lone pink-ball Test. Sydney Thunder coach, Trevor Griffin described the signing of Mandhana as a great deal. Griffin has worked with Smriti and Deepti in England with the Western Storm. “She’s world-class. Smriti is an opening batter who has the tremendous ability to take everything in her stride. I’m delighted to have her on board, and I have no doubt that she’ll prove to be a great addition to Thunder,” Griffin was quoted as saying in a press release by the club. Smriti on the other hand said, “Playing in overseas leagues gives you a lot of experience, especially in the T20 format. Then, of course, you exchange so much experience with each other... with all the players from over the world... so you get to learn a lot.” Along with the 25-year-old Smriti, her compatriot Deepti has also been signed. Talking about the 24-year-old, the Thunder coach said, “She offers a lot with the bat – Deepti is a match-winner – and she also has the talent to bowl in the powerplay, during the middle of a match, or at the death.” “Deepti is a great addition to the Thunder, and I have no doubt she’ll go a long way to helping us in this year’s competition,” he added. For Deepti, who played in the Hundred Women recently, playing for the first time in WBBL is another great opportunity. “This is my first time [in the WBBL], so I’m excited. I’ve had offers before, but I couldn’t play at the time because at the time we had [an international] series. It’s a big thing for Indian women’s cricket that we have the opportunity to play in the WBBL. We have to express ourselves in the competition,” said Deepti. Sydney Thunder WBBL Squad Rachael Haynes (C), Samantha Bates, Hannah Darlington, Corinne Hall, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Smriti Mandhana (IND), Kate Peterson, Olivia Porter, Deepti Sharma (IND), Lauren Smith, Tahlia Wilson

Decision to abandon Pakistan tour was out of our hands: New Zealand coach Gary Stead

New Zealand coach Gary Stead has opened up about the team’s pulling out of the limited-overs tour of Pakistan at the last moment and has stated that it was out of their hands. "That decision was out of our hands," Stead was quoted as saying by stuff.co.nz. "I think they're okay. It was obviously unsettling and disappointing what happened in Pakistan and we certainly feel for the Pakistan cricket fraternity and fans," Stead added. New Zealand had abandoned the tour a few minutes before the start of the first ODI against Pakistan citing security concerns. Later, England who were earlier slated to travel to Pakistan in October also cancelled their trip and the two sides subsequently faced a lot of backlash from former Pakistan cricketers and fans. Talking about the World T20 fixture against Pakistan in Sharjah on October 26, Stead said that the side will take the clash as any other match. "Certainly, being that it's Pakistan, people will hype that up, but for us, it's no different to any other match we play against them," Stead said. While the Blackcaps will be commencing their campaign against Pakistan, they will play India in the next match on October 31 in Dubai. The Kiwis will then face the two qualifiers on November 3 and 5 in Dubai and Sharjah respectively. The Kane Williamson-led side will end the league stage against Afghanistan on November 7 in Abu Dhabi.