Puducherry rope in Shaun Tait as bowling coach

3rd T20I Preview: Bangladesh eye another series win, NZ in pursuit of resurgence

New Zealand certainly got something to cheer about when they finally got some runs under their belt on this tour of Bangladesh in the second T20I in Dhaka. Though, this wasn’t really enough to help them equalise the five-match bilateral tie. The visitors missed out on what could have been a satisfactory win by just 4 runs in this second clash. Batting first, Bangladesh were off to a steady start after the openers Naim and Liton Das who had failed in the first game got back among runs and stitched a stand of 59 runs for the first wicket. The New Zealand bowlers though got themselves back into the hunt and picked up some wickets at regular intervals to reduce the side to 109/5. But Mahmudullah and Nurul Hasan made sure that the hosts reached a defendable total. Bangladesh eventually managed to put 141/6 in the allotted 20 overs. On some other day and on a different track, this target would have been an easy task but not on this pitch and especially the way the Kiwis had fared with the bat in the last clash. In fact, they didn’t really have a great start to the proceedings in the second match as well after once again spinners did the trick for them and scalped some early wickets during the course. While Latham held the fort from one end, he didn’t really find much support from the other and the Blackcaps lost the second match of the series on the trot. But the visitors did have some positives to take away from their last outing and that was not surrendering on a strip that didn’t really have anything on offer for the batting unit. Match Details Match: BAN vs NZ, 3rd T20I, New Zealand tour of Bangladesh, 2021 Date: Sunday, September 05, 2021 Time: 3:30 PM Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka Telecast: FanCode App Pitch Report The pitch in Dhaka is expected to have something on offer for the bowlers, especially spinners. This was evident in the first game while the spinners did dominate in the second as well. So, if you win the toss, elect to bat. Team News Bangladesh: The Bangladesh openers who failed to leave a mark in the first match gave a solid start to the team in the second. The spinners have been in good form for the hosts while Mustafizur Rahman went for some runs in the second match but is still an integral part of this setup. The left-arm bowler’s ability to bowl slow, back of the hand deliveries have become a highlight in the recent past and he has been getting wickets as well. New Zealand: Finn Allen and Matt Henry will be available for selection in this match. Henry had come into the side as Allen’s replacement initially. Allen had tested positive for Covid-19 upon his arrival in Dhaka earlier which subsequently forced the management to call Henry. But the right-handed batsman later returned two negative tests. The visitors are likely to tweak the final XI for this game. Probable XI Bangladesh: Mohammad Naim, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah (capt), Nurul Hasan (wk), Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra, Finn Allen, Tom Latham (capt & wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Cole McConchie, Doug Bracewell, Ajaz Patel, Hamish Bennett, Matt Henry Fantasy XI Nurul-Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tom Latham, Liton Das, Will Young, Mahedi Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan (C), Rachin Ravindra (VC), Cole McConchi, Mustafizur Rahman, Ajaz Patel

4th Test, Day 3 Highlights: India ahead but England not out of it yet

Leading India’s reply to the big lead of 99 runs, India were off to a brilliant start as the openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul stitched yet another 50-run partnership early on the third day of the Test. England started the day with James Anderson and Chris Woakes in tandem and the openers were watchful in the first few overs of the day. The duo has halved the deficit under 50 runs and India would be hoping that the duo will continue batting with discipline and periodic brilliant shots.

Delhi Capitals assistant coach Ratra seeks fresh start in second part of IPL 2021

Delhi Capitals were in some good form during the first half of the IPL 2021 before the tournament was suspended after there was a Covid-19 outburst within the franchises. DC assistant coach Ajay Ratra has now said that the side will need to start afresh after the break. "It's a different season altogether, generally it happens in full flow, and we had good momentum in the first half. Now that it's happening after a break, so we will have to start afresh, and that's why our franchise has organized this camp a little early," Ratra said in a Delhi Capitals release. Talking about the break and how much impact it would have, Ratra suggested that breaks do matter and make a difference but also added that a number of DC recruits are featuring in international fixtures which can help them to stay in the groove. "Even in Test cricket, sometimes it becomes difficult to find the rhythm after lunch breaks. So, breaks do make a difference,” he said. "However, as I said before, we still have time, and most of our core players are playing international cricket, so they might be already in a good rhythm,” Ratra added. The Delhi-based franchise were the table-toppers before the tournament was halted and would now resume the tournament against Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22 in Dubai as the remaining half of the cash-rich league will be held in the UAE.

CPL 2021 Preview | GAW vs BR: Under pressure Guyana, depleted Barbados seek turnaround

Guyana Amazon Warriors will take on Barbados Royals in St Kitts on Sunday. Both the sides have suffered defeats in their last respective encounters and would be looking to get back on track. Royals though have had a pretty tough time in this competition so far after they lost four out of the five matches. Guyana on the other side, have won a couple of matches and suffered defeats in three out of the five games in which the side featured. The Royals would be under some pressure after the Patriots snatched a win from the jaws of defeat against them in a last-ball thriller. Chasing 163 in 20 overs, the Patriots were reduced to 98/6 but a late surge from Dominic Brakes and Sheldon Cottrell took the game away. Needing four off the last ball, Cottrell hammered one out of the park to etch a win while Barbados’ tough run in the tournament continued. While the batsmen put some runs on the board, the Barbados bowling attack failed to capitalise on the start they got and lost another encounter. Guyana were thumped by Saint Lucia Kings after they witnessed a huge batting failure to get bundled out for 98 while chasing a total of 150. The Kings managed to put a fighting total on the board, courtesy a 50-ball 85 from Roston Chase but what unleashed next was simply brilliant. The Saint Lucia bowlers thoroughly dominated the Guyana batting unit and never let the match get out of their control to eventually bowl them out. Match Details Match: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Barbados Royals, CPL 2021 Date: September 5, 2021 (Sunday) Time: 12:00 AM (IST) TV: Star Sports Network Live Streaming: Fancode Pitch Report The track to be a balanced one. The batsmen would need to spend some time at the crease, get their eyes in and can then accelerate. Spinners can play a key role in the middle overs to keep the scoring rate down. If the captain who wins the toss can opt to bat first. Probable XI Guyana Amazon Warriors: Chandrapaul Hemraj, Mohammad Hafeez, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), Brandon King, Shoaib Malik, Odean Smith, Romario Shepherd, Naveen-ul-Haq, Imran Tahir, Gudakesh Motie Barbados Royals: Johnson Charles, Shai Hope (wk), Glenn Phillips, Jason Holder (c), Azam Khan, Smit Patel, Ashley Nurse, Raymon Reifer, Jake Lintott, Nyeem Young, Oshane Thomas Fantasy XI S. Patel, C. Hemraj, G. Phillips, J. Charles, J. Holder, M. Hafeez (C), R. Reifer, I. Tahir (VC), J. Lintott, N. Ul-Haq, R. Shepherd