WI vs SA | 2nd Test, Day 3: South Africa in command despite a batting collapse

WTC final | Day 3: Kyle Jamieson, openers wear down India as bowlers fail to replicate Kiwis' template

A magnificent half-century from Devon Conway after a five-wicket haul on the back of superb seam and swing bowling by Kyle Jamieson put New Zealand on top at the end of the third day’s play in the World Test Championship final against India. However, Conway’s wicket, on a swinging leg stump half volley off Ishant Sharma, would have provided India with some sort of relief after the Blackcaps were on a roll to take the game completely away from India. Indian pace attack lacked a bowler who could genuinely swing the ball and an improved overhead condition also did not help them as much as it did the New Zealand pace attack on the previous day and in the morning session of the third day. Ishant Sharma found the most amount of swing in the air but Mohammed Shami was the best bowler on display from the Indian side. He was too unlucky to not have at least one wicket in his column after beating and finding outside edges of both Tom Latham and Devon Conway’s bat. In absence of swing in the air, Shami used all his hustles with the pace and seam movement to trouble both Blackcaps opener but they found a way to give their side a much-needed boost at the top of the order. Virat Kohli switched to Ravichandran Ashwin after seeing pacers not extracting any wicket and his move paid dividend albeit not immediately. Ashwin of now is a wily bowler even in overseas conditions and he lured Latham into driving at one that was not there at a suitable length and Kohli’s jubilation after taking the catch was more of a vindication than a celebration of a New Zealand’s wicket. India missed bowlers such as Tim Southee and Trent Boult, who could pitch the ball up and extract some swing in the air and New Zealand batsmen used all their experience of playing in similar conditions back home by playing the ball very late to combat all the seam movements they got. Earlier, India suffered a massive batting collapse in the morning session courtesy of outstanding seam and swing bowling by Jamieson, who opened his account on the third day with the big wicket of Virat Kohli. The Indian skipper was relying on Jamieson’s height to take the ball above the stumps and was leaving deliveries on the length which prompted the bowler to adjust his length to a bit fuller. Jamieson also seamed one back and found Kohli in front of the crease to give India a massive jolt straightaway. Rishabh Pant, who walked out to the crease with a great sense of expectations and hype paid the price of being himself and backing his flamboyance rather than discipline to get through the tough phase. Pant’s departure put all the onus of taking India to a safe position on Ajinkya Rahane’s shoulders, who was looking very settled at the crease till Kane Williamson brought on Neil Wagner and asked him questions against short-pitched bowling. After pulling the left-armer unconvincingly once, Williamson positioned fielders to set a trap and Rahane obliged in the manner that left both his fans and commentators in dismay. Jamieson’s control over line and length and India’s mixture of loose shots and lapse in concentrations brought New Zealand back in the game in the first session and the opening pair of Conway and Latham, along with skipper Williamson only strengthened the position by the end of the day’s play.

BCCI AGM | Rs 10 crore help for athletes to prepare for Tokyo Olympics, discusses domestic players' payments

The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) has taken some key decisions pertaining to other sports and domestic cricket in the country in its eighth 8th Apex Council Meeting (Emergent Meeting) held on June 20. The biggest decision taken was the financial assistance to Tokyo Olympics-bound players in order to help them prepare for the marquee event. The BCCI Apex Council has pledged a monetary ‘gesture’ of Rs 10 crore to players on the ‘request’ of the Indian Olympic Association and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. “The BCCI has decided to support Indian athletes in every form and manner it can. In that spirit, based on the request received from the IOA/MYAS, the Apex Council of BCCI has decided to extend support to the Indian Olympic Association and has pledged a monetary gesture of Rs. 10 crores,” BCCI said in a statement. Another major decision was taken by the BCCI Apex Council in the matter of payments to domestic cricketers for the last two seasons which have been marred by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Apex Council has asked the office bearers of the board to form a committee to formulate a ‘compensatory mechanism’ for the players as soon as possible. “The Apex Council has decided to form a committee to look into the issue of compensation for Indian domestic cricketers for domestic season 2020 and 2021. The Apex Council has mandated the Office Bearers of BCCI to form the committee and find a suitable compensatory mechanism for domestic cricketers, at the earliest possible,” BCCI added.

PSL 2021, Eliminator 1 Preview: Old rivals Peshawar, Karachi clash in pursuit of survival

Owing to a decent performance in the do or die match against Quetta Gladiators, Karachi Kings eventually made a place for themselves in the playoffs and will now play Peshawar Zalmi in the eliminator 1. Karachi’s qualification meant that Lahore Qalandars were eliminated from the tournament. Well, all said and done, the Imad Qasim-led side will now be locking horns with the Zalmi team who have some world class players in the ranks. From captain Wahab Riaz to experienced all-rounder Shoaib Malik, Peshawar have a good and strong line up. While a few players had to leave the PSL mid-way for national duties, Zalmi found a new aggressive batsman in Zazai who is equipped enough to take on the bowling attack at a brisk pace. In fact, it was Zazai’s onslaught that handed Zalmi an easy win over Karachi earlier in the league stage. Karachi on the other side have Babar Azam who has been in terrific form in this competition and fast bowler Mohammad Amir who is certainly an exceptional talent. Apart from these two, opener Sharjeel Khan has the ability to go after the bowlers at any given stage. The only issue that Karachi has faced is Babar Azam’s scoring rate especially while chasing. The team management definitely needs to fix this up in this all important match. The sides have faced each other twice in this competition and have a win apiece to their name. Interestingly, both the teams won while chasing the target and by 6 wickets. The winner of this match will play the loser of the Qualifier in the Eliminator 2 while the team that suffers defeat in Eliminator 1 bows out. Match Details Match: PSZ vs KRK, Eliminator 1, Pakistan Super League 2021 Date: Monday, June 21, 2021 Time: 11:30 PM Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Pitch Report The tracks in Abu Dhabi have been pretty slow and have had something on offer to the spinners. But the scheduled timing of the match might be taken into consideration as there can be dew factor which can help the batsmen. So, if you win the toss bowl first. Team News Peshawar Zalmi: Three players, David Miller, Fabian Allen and Fidel Edwards had departed for national duties as South Africa and West Indies are slated to lock horns in a T20I series. But players like Zazai, Kamran Akmal, Malik, and skipper Wahab Riaz can play an important role in getting some fruitful results. Karachi Kings: Karachi Kings have a formidable batting line up and some good bowlers to give them stability in the big match. The only issue that needs to be tweaked is Babar Azam’s scoring rate when the side is chasing a target. He needs to accelerate after getting his eye in. Though, his form isn’t really a cause of concern as he has been among the runs in this competition. Probable XI Peshawar Zalmi: Hazratullah Zazai, Kamran Akmal (wk), Imam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Abrar Ahmed, Wahab Riaz (c), Umaid Asif, Waqar Salamkheil, Sameen Gul Karachi Kings: Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Martin Guptill, Najibullah Zadran, Chadwick Walton (wk), Imad Wasim (c), Noor Ahmad, Danish Aziz, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Ilyas, Arshad Iqbal Fantasy XI Kamran Akmal, Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam (C), Shoaib Malik, Sherfane Rutherford, Imad Wasim (VC), Rovman Powell, Umaid Asif, Arshad-Iqbal, Mohammad Ilyas, Wahab Riaz

PSL 2021, Qualifier Preview: Balanced Multan, presiding Islamabad contest for finale spot

After some hard-fought battles during the course, the Pakistan Super League finally has four teams that will battle it out in the playoffs. Table toppers Islamabad United and Multan Sultans will be up against each other in the qualifier on Monday in Abu Dhabi. The winner of this match will register a place in the final of the tournament while the team that suffers a defeat will have another chance to move forward. The losing side will have to play the eliminator 2 either against Peshawar Zalmi or Karachi Kings on Tuesday. Islamabad have been pretty dominant in this PSL 2021 after winning 8 of their 10 matches in the league. Moreover, the United side has the upper hand against Sultans after they emerged victorious in both the clashes in this edition. Interestingly, the wins have come for Islamabad while chasing while the bowlers have thoroughly dominated the Multan batting line up as well. Islamabad have experienced players like Shadab Khan, Colin Munro and Hasan Ali in the ranks. While captain Shadab can be a dangerous player on his day, Munro has shown his skills in this tournament and there have been instances where he has played a massive role to steady the ship for the side. On the other side, Multan Sultans captain Mohammad Rizwan has been in some brilliant form while the likes of Masood, Rossouw and Charles make them a dangerous batting line up. While they have strength in their bowling, Multan have some lethal bowlers in Muzarabani and Dhani. Dhani’s express pace and short deliveries that hurries on to the batsmen create a lot of problems for his opponents. Match Details Match: ISU vs MS, Qualifier, Pakistan Super League 2021 Date: Monday, June 21, 2021 Time: 6:30 PM Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Pitch Report The pitches in this tournament in Abu Dhabi have been pretty helpful in the middle overs especially during the evening games. The slowish nature of the track has helped the spinners pick up wickets in the middle overs but as the day progresses, the strip has something on offer for the batsmen too. So, if you win the toss, bowl first. Team News Islamabad United: Islamabad United would be banking upon their batsmen especially the top-order to go all guns blazing. Colin Munro is in some form while Usman Khawaj showed his class after notching up a ton against Peshawar Zalmi. Apart from them, Islamabad have Asif Ali, Brandon King and Shadab Khan in the squad who can be as lethal on their day. Overall, Islamabad are a batting heavy side with some good bowling line up in the unit. Multan Sultans: Multan Sultans are probably one of the most balanced sides in the competition. They have batting order that comprises someone like Mohammad Rizwan, Masood, Charles and Rossouw while have a bowling attack which has Dhani, Imran Tahir and Muzarabani. Dhani has been consistent in this competition for Multan and would be a key player for the team when it takes the guard on Monday. Experienced Imran Tahir rattled Quetta Gladiators with his spin and the lad from South Africa can be someone to watch out for. Probable XI Multan Sultans - Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Sohaib Maqsood, Johnson Charles, Rilee Rossouw, Hammad Azam, Sohail Tanvir, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Umar, Imran Tahir, Shahnawaz Dhani Islamabad United - Usman Khawaja, Colin Munro, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Shadab Khan (c), Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Ali Khan, Hasan Ali Fantasy XI Mohammad Rizwan (C), Colin Munro, Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Sohaib Maqsood, Hammad Azam, Iftikhar-Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shahnawaz Dhani (VC), Imran Tahir