Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun, R Sridhar test Covid-19 positive, to not take part in remainder of series

4th Test | Final Day Live Updates: India blow England away to take 2-1 lead at the Oval

After four eventful days of cricket between the two sides, India and England are in for another close contest on the final day of the fourth Test to take a 2-21 lead in what has been a keenly contested series. None of the sides is out of the contention to travel to Manchester with a 2-1 lead and that augurs the best outlook for the Virat Kohli and Joe Root-led sides. India are in desperate need of all 10 England wickets while the hosts need 291 runs on the final day to take a comprehensive lead. They were set an almost improbable target of 368 runs by India but the unbeatne partnership between Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns has given them a big hope on the final day. India will hope Ravindra Jadeja will get enough purchase from the rough patches developing outside the off stump of the left-hander batsmen while the pace quartet of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur will create enough opportunities to get through the England abetting lien up.

Right after World Cup squad announcement, Misbah and Waqar resign from Pakistan's coaching positions

Just hours after the Pakistan T20 World Cup Squad was announced, the team’s Head coach Misbah-Ul-Haq and Bowling coach Waqar Younis resigned from their posts citing an inability to continue at the post after two years of service. Both Misbah and Waqar were appointed in September 2019 and still had a year each left in their contracts. To cover for those positions, Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq as coaches for the interim measures. The final team management for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will be appointed in due course. Announcing his resignation, Misbah said that the quarantine in Jamaica post the West Indies series provided him with an opportunity to reflect on the past 24 months as well as the schedule for international cricket ahead and that made him take the ultimate decision. He also acknowledged that the timing of his decision might not be right or ideal. “I would have had to continue to spend considerable time away from my family and that too in a bio-secure environment, I have decided to step down from the role. I understand that the timing may not be ideal but I don’t think I am in the right frame of mind for the upcoming challenges and it makes sense for someone fresh to step in and take the side forward,” Misbah was quoted as saying in the PCB press release. Waqar on his part said that there was no choice of him staying in the management after the head coach stepped down as they had signed up for the role together and worked together. “After Misbah shared with me his decision and future plans, it was a straightforward one for me to resign as we had walked into the roles together, had worked collectively as a pair and now also step down together,” said the former fast bowler for Pakistan. PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said that he was informed about the decision by the different coaches and he respects their decision as well. Further, he informed that both Razzaq and Mushtaq have been successful as coaches at the domestic level and hence they have been tasked with the responsibility. “Both Saqlain and Razzaq are ready to step up and are very much looking forward to making important contributions in their coaching roles against New Zealand,” he said. Earlier in the morning of Monday, September 06, Pakistan announced the squad for the T20I World Cup and ignored the seniors like Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz and Sarfaraz Ahmed.

SL vs SA | 3rd ODI Preview: With 10 Super League points & series on line, Sri Lanka need to pull up socks

The two teams in contention for the series as well as the crucial 10 points have already shown in the two matches what they are capable of on their day. But more than the day, it is the consistency of doing well enough even when it’s not your day that is going to matter in the last and final ODI of the three-match series. With the series tied at 1-1 each and the last match, marred by rain costing Sri Lanka the opportunity to cash in on a Proteas squad that was without its regular skipper Temba Bavuma, it’s now imperative that the Lankan Lions pull up their socks and go for the kill. The Lankan team badly need the 10 Super League points having already conceded three penalty points due to overrate violations and thereby struggling with only 32 points from 14 games. Along with Avishka Fernando getting back his form, what Sri Lanka needs is a change in the playing XI as few players haven’t really been able to fire. Both Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Perera need to find their way back in the side. On the other hand, the South African team hasn’t really got much pressure to perform as they have a lot of matches in their hand as far as the Super League is concerned. However, winning is something that no team wants to be devoid of, hence with less pressure on them, the team might as well be able to win the series especially with the kind of form their openers are in. Sri Lanka vs South Africa: Details Match Number- 03 Date and Time: September 07, 2021, 02:30 pm IST and Local, 09:00 am GMT Venue: R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo Broadcast and Livestream: Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV Pitch Report In the last two ODIs, it has shown that the pitch has got better for the team batting second even though the skippers are hell-bent on batting first after winning the toss. The kind of purchase expected for spinners hasn’t been seen so far. It would be interesting to see what happens in the last ODI. Weather Forecast Like the previous two ODIs, this game would also be under the threat of rain. Ther are predictions of light to heavy rainfall with thunderstorms for Tuesday, September 07 in Colombo. Probable XI Sri Lanka Kusal Perera (wk), Avishka Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Kamindu Mendis, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama South Africa Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Wiaan Mulder, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj (c), George Linde, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi Dream XI Team Wicketkeepers Heinrich Klaasen Batters Janneman Malan, Rassie van der Dussen, Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka All-rounders Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva Bowlers Chamika Karunaratne, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi Vice-Captain Janneman Malan Captain Charith Asalanka

Players were a bit distracted after Ravi Shastri tested positive for Covid-19: Vikram Rathour

India batting coach Vikram Rathour has revealed that the players were distracted after head coach Ravi Shastri tested positive for COVID-19. The medical team of the BCCI had isolated Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar, and physiotherapist Nitin Patel as a precautionary measure. "Of course, we are missing them massively. Ravi Bhai (Ravi Shastri), B Arun, and R Shridar, have been an extremely important part of this setup and they have done extremely well (in) the last five-six years and played a major role in the team doing well, “ Rathour said after the end of day's play. "But this is what it is. That's the fact that they are not here. So, it was in the morning, I think, a bit of a distraction, we had a word, we spoke, (and) decided that we need to focus on what is in hand, which is cricket," said Rathour. India handed England a target of 368 runs in the second inning of the fourth Test at Kennington Oval after opener Rohit Sharma scored his first overseas Test century while Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur chipped in with individual fifties. England on the other side, began the proceedings well during the chase and were 77/0, needing 291 runs with Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns unbeaten at the crease at the end of the penultimate day.