SL vs IND | 2nd T20: Gaikwad, Padikkal, Nitish Rana, Chetan Sakariya make T20I debut

SL vs IND | India add 5 players to main squad, T20 series to go ahead as rescheduled: Report

The postponed second T20I of the series between India and Sri Lanka is all set to go ahead as per rescheduled plan as the BCCI has added five backup players such as Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh into the main squad, Cricbuzz reported. The addition comes in the backdrop of continued suspense on the availability of eight players who have been deemed “closed contacts” of Kruanl Pandya, who tested positive for Covid-19. There were widespread doubts on the viability of the series altogether as India were falling behind in fielding a strong playing XI for the remaining two T20Is. However, Hemant Buch, who is there in Sri Lanka as a member of the TV crew covering the series tweeted earlier today that the second T20 was on. The ongoing tour of Sri Lanka has been grappled with the Covid-19 crisis before its beginning. India had to wait for a period of five days after there were cases in the hosts camp and now the series faced an existential challenge with cases in the Indian camp as well. There will be no change in the date of the conclusion of the series if the second T20 of the series will go ahead as planned.

Tim Paine prepares for life after international career, takes up coaching role

In a move that can provide a glimpse of his future post-retirement from international cricket, Australia Test captain Tim Paine has taken up the responsibility of overseeing the development of budding Australian players by signing up to the coaching panel of Cricket Australia XI. The Cricket Australia XI squad was announced last week and it is full of prospective Australia Under 19 players who will be vying for spots in the squad for the World Cup scheduled to take place in January 2022. The three one-day games against NT outfit will be played next month in Darwin. Notably, Tim Paine has already earned the credentials of a level-three coach and hence, the move does not seem out of order. Cricket Australia's National Talent and Pathways Manager, Graham Manou, too believes that Paine is keen to help Australia in “talent identification” and talent management”. He called the upcoming stint in Darwin a prospectively positive development as he will get time to see through the development and processes involved in the management of players at the junior level. "We know he's got a keen interest in talent identification and talent management. He's obviously thinking about his future beyond playing days, and it's nice that we've got the opportunity to be able to support him in that. He's undertaken his level-three, or high-performance coach accreditation so he's starting that process,”," Manou told cricket.com.au. “It gives him a chance to see what's happening and learn a little bit from some of the other coaches who will be involved in Darwin. And it also means he can continue to impart some of those behaviours and values the Australian team are wanting, from not only their current players but future players as well.” Tim Paine has a lot of time in his hands with Australia scheduled to play not a single Test in the year before November when Afghanistan will visit down under for their first Test against them. The solitary Test will be followed by an all-important Ashes series which could well be Paine’s swansong moment at the international stage.

Mitchell Starc is the best white-ball bowler in the world: Justin Langer

Australia coach Justin Langer has lavished praise on Mitchell Starc and said that the left-arm pacer is the best limited-overs bowler in the world. “I think Mitchell Starc is the best white ball bowler in the world,” Langer said ahead of Australia's flight to Bangladesh. Langer further added that Starc is a brilliant bowler at the death and his partnership with Josh Hazlewood is “plus” for the team. “He bowls up front, swings the ball. He is the best bowler at the death in the world. He is great to have in our team. The combination with him and Josh Hazlewood is a real plus for us,” Langer said. The left-arm bowler had a good run during the three-match ODI series against West Indies away from where he scalped a total of 11 wickets including a fifer in the first match. Australia suffered a 1-4 defeat in the five-match T20I series but made a fine return in the ODIs to clinch the series. Talking about the team’s performance in the limited-overs fixtures against the Caribbean side, Langer expressed disappointment on losing the T20Is. “I knew the T20s were going to be tough, particularly against the West Indies who are as good anyone in the world in T20 cricket,” Langer said. “It was disappointing to lose that series but a lot came out of it for us in our build-up to the World Cup,” he added. Australia will now lock horns with Bangladesh in a five-match T20I series scheduled to begin on August 3, 2021.

Final between India & New Zealand becomes most watched across all WTC series

The final of the inaugural World Test Championship between India and New Zealand that took place last month in Southampton has become the most watched across all series that had featured in the WTC cycle. It had a global audience of 177 million, the ICC said on Wednesday while the live viewership had touched 130.6 million across 89 territories. ICC Chief Commercial Officer Anurag Dahiya said that the viewership data has presented a really heartening picture. “The viewership data for broadcast and digital coverage of the ICC World Test Championship Final presents a really heartening picture, showing strong consumption across territories and languages as well as formats,” he said. “The ICC always strives to give the best possible viewership experience and will continue to invest in resources that enhance the viewing pleasure and engagement of our fans,” he was quoted as saying in an ICC release. The digital platforms of the ICC witnessed total views of over 500 million across all video content watched during the match. The Kane Williamson-led New Zealand side eventually lifted the trophy after beating India by 8 wickets in the final. Chasing 139, the Blackcaps rode on some fine batting from Williamson and Ross Taylor to go over the line on the reserve day of the match. Williamson notched up a half-century while Taylor scored an unbeaten 47 during the course. The second cycle of the WTC is slated to begin with the five-match Test series between India and England. The first match of the series commences on August 4 in Nottingham.