Shafali Verma regains top spot in T20I rankings

WI vs SL | 1st Test Day 2: Rakheem Cornwall overpowers Lakmal's fifer to put Windies at top

A dominating lower order partnership between Rakheem Cornwall and wicket-keeper batsman Joshua Da Silva put West Indies in an advantageous position on the second day of the first Test being played at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. By the end of the second day’s play, Windies have secured a vital lead of 99 runs with two wickets including the danger man Rakheem Cornwall still in their hands. Da Silva was dismissed off a short ball of Chameera but not before the duo added 90 important runs when the situation seemed that the hosts will squander ll the advantage by bowling Sri Lanka for a middling score. Cornwall struck two sixes and 9 fours in his unbeaten 60 runs from 79 balls and his counter attack literally took the heart out of the Sri Lanka bowling attack. He was severe against both spinners and pacers and used all the power he had in his wrists to put Windies on the driving seat in the game. Starting the second day after knocking the tourists out for a less than 200 score, Windies batsmen had to bat well to put the team in a driving position. The start was horrible though as the new skipper Kraig Brathwaite was cooler in his batting style than it was visible in his career before, and there was an unusual waft outside off as well. He gifted his wicket away fairly early in the day to Suranga Lakmal. The middle-order pair of Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers were rewarded with slots at the number three and four positions for their excellent performances in Bangladesh. Bonner was lacing in discipline though and presented the Sri Lankan bowlers with an early opportunity with poor shots outside the off stump. At the other end, Campbell was highly watchful and batting with surety around off stump. He looked set with his eyes on a big prize and eager to not throw his wickets away for which he has always taken flakes from critics. Bonner settled down after early hiccups to take the full toll of scoring opportunities presented by Chameera. However, his fluency at the crease did not last long and the greed to take on a back fo alength delivery from Lasith Embuldeniya saw him plumb in front while attempting to pull. After Bonner’s fall, the hero of the triumph in Bangladesh—Kayle Mayers came to the crease and he started his innings where he left off in the subcontinent. He was dismissive against spinners hit them down the ground while attempts to bounce him out by Chameera was smashed over square leg boundary. The partnership between him and Campbell could not last long enough for West Indies to have total control of the proceedings and Chameera got the better of the opener to keep the game in the balance. Another quick wicket of Jermaine Blackwood pegged Windies back and Sri Lanka were sniffing a big chance to get the hosts bundled out before they could take the lead. Mayers carried on his merry way and took Vishwa Fernando for a couple of boundaries to keep the scoreboard going for the hosts while Jason Holder found it tough to get going. But, for Windies’ plight, Lakmal retired to account for Mayers to send Windies on the brink of a collapse that would have ruined their chances of getting an upper hand. Lamkmal bowled scattered spells throughout the day as Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne kept on searching for breakthroughs while defending a very middling score. The pacer did not disappoint him one bit and found another good delivery to send Holder back to the pavilion. He did not miss the chance to bag another fifer and with the wicket of Akzarri Joseph, reached the milestone in his 21st over of the first innings. With 171/7, Windies were ahead of Sri Lanka’s first innings total, but not by much that would have put real pressure on the tourists. Lanka smelled a sniff and attacked the pair of Da Silva and Cornwall with pace and spin. However, for Windies, Cornwall emerged as the new hero with the bat and put every bowler to the sword and by the end of the day’s play Windies were ahead by a significant margin in the first innings of the first Test.

NZ vs BAN: Kiwis announce 13 man T20I squad, Ferguson, Milne return as Young and Allen get maiden call-ups

Tim Southee will lead the New Zealand T20I squad against Bangladesh in the absence of regular skipper Kane Williamson, who along with other Indian Premier League (IPL) bound players have been rested for the three-match series. Along with Williamson, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Jimmy Neesham and Tim Seifert will not be part of this series as they might be leaving for IPL soon. It is therefore they have been given some time to spend with their family before they get into the bio-bubble. The few exceptions for IPL player getting in the squad are of young opening batsman Finn Allen, Adam Milne and Lockie Ferguson. Allen has been signed as a replacement for Joshua Phillippe. Alongside Allen, middle-order batsman Will Young have received their maiden call up for the Blackcaps. Allen was part of the T20I series against Australia too, but only as a stand-by to Martin Guptill and didn’t make it to the main squad. Speaking on the selection of Super Smash star Allen, selector Gavin Larsen said, "It's especially an exciting time for Finn, who will be getting his first taste of the BlackCaps environment. His Super Smash campaign with the Firebirds was nothing short of outstanding and we believe he has the skills to succeed at the next level." Two quicks in Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne would also be making their comeback in the New Zealand squad after a long time. While Milne would be getting into a blackcaps side for the first time since 2018, Ferguson is back after four months, having gotten injured last December in the first T20I against West Indies. New Zealand T20I Squad: Tim Southee (c), Finn Allen, Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wk), Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Will Young.

Prasidh Krishna, Krunal Pandya make ODI debuts for India

Among the three new entrants in the Indian side for the ODI series against England, Prasidh Krishna, the lanky fast bowler from Karanataka and Baroda skipper Krunal Pandya will make their ODI debuts today. Speaking at the Toss, India skipper Virat Kohli confirmed that the two will be making their debuts when he narrated the entire squad saying, “KL will bat at 5 and keep. The top four are Rohit, Shikhar, myself and Shreyas. Hardik bats at 6, Krunal at 7. Shardul 8, Bhuvi at 9, Prasidh and Kuldeep complete the squad.” Prasidh, 25, has first made a huge impression with his sheer pace in the 2019 IPL. But it is the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy that made his case stronger for the debut. The bursting seamer took 14 wickets in seven games and was a crucial part of Karnataka's journey to the semifinals where they were defeated by eventual winners Mumbai. Krunal on the other hand has been in great shape as well. The left-handed all-rounder took five wickets and scored two centuries and a half-century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in just five games. Krunal has so far played 18 T20Is for India scoring 121 runs and picking 14 wickets in them. It is the first game of the three-match ODI series being played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Gahunje, Pune.

Eoin Morgan looks at 50 over cricket as building block to consecutive T20 World Cups

England cricket captain Eoin Morgan has said that the team is looking at the upcoming three-match ODI series and any further 50 over engagement as a pathway to test their strengths and team combinations for the consecutive T20 World Cups in two years. Talking to the media on the eve of the first ODI between India and England, Morgan said, "We see the 50-over format between the two T20 World Cups as a building block for our squad.” He further made it clear that while doing so, there would be no compromise with the performances of the payers. “We feel we have an extremely strong squad outside of our final eleven regardless of format, so it will present opportunities for guys like that," added the 34-year-old. The English team also plans to test their bench strength, trying to envisage where their plans with the 2023 World Cup is going, considering that it is just three years away. “In conditions that are a little bit alien to us, like in India, it's nice to get out of your comfort zone and learn more about your team and your players, to make mistakes and learn from them,” said Morgan who has so far played 241 ODI games for the Poms. Ireland born also stressed the fact that anybody, especially players, who could not get a place in the full-strength team, have got opportunity to prove their worth just ahead of the all-important T20 World Cup in India. "Given a World Cup is around the corner, playing any cricket is a huge opportunity for guys who have been here on the fringes and not made the selection so far. When you score runs or take wickets away from home there is always a huge incentive to try and push your case forward," he said. India would engage with England in the three-match ODI series at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Ground in Pune with the first match beginning on March 23.