The Swedish Cricket Federation (SCF) has announced that Jonty Rhodes will be moving to Sweden to take charge of country’s national team. “Swedish Cricket Federation to invest in junior cricket, high performance & growth through the appointment of South African cricket great, Jonty Rhodes as head coach,” SCF said in a statement.
The 51-year-old who is currently in Dubai for the 13th edition of IPL as the fielding coach of Kings XI Punjab is excited for the new challenges that this role would demand. “I am really excited to relocate to Sweden with my family and work together with the Swedish Cricket community. This opportunity has come at a perfect time and I am grateful to be able to invest my energies in a completely new environment. I can’t wait to get started,” said Rhodes according to PTI report.
Jonty Rhodes confirmed as Sweden coach
Taking into consideration, the growing popularity of cricket in the country, SCF has taken this decision. The federation claims that there has been a 300 percent increase in participation over the past two years and associating with Rhodes will only help the national team to achieve their goals.
“Our growth goals and focus areas are primarily aimed at youth cricket and development towards high-performance cricket. Jonty will play a pivotal role in lifting our players as well as assisting in securing a quality coaching framework for the future sustainability of the game. I am delighted to have him as part of our small and ambitious team,” said Benn Harradine, SCF Sports Director.
Previously, he was the fielding coach for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, however, this would be the first time that he would be leading the team from grass root level managing almost every aspect of the game.
Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.
The Western Australia (WA) state government has shown disagreement towards Indian players entering the country via Perth for a series of Test matches, ODIs and more in Adelaide and Brisbane. According to the reports, Adelaide Oval are all set to host back-to-back India-Australia Tests over the holiday period, should Melbourne not be able to host the Boxing Day Test.
“We didn’t think it was acceptable to have the team return from a high-risk overseas location and then take part in normal training activities outside of quarantine, before flying out to another state to play games. There were just too many risks in the model put forward by Cricket Australia. We need to remain vigilant and do the right thing by all Western Australians and not take unnecessary chances”, said Mark McGowan, the Premier of the WA state government.
CA and WACA had initially decided that the Indian players would enter from Perth and observe a few days of quarantine, where net sessions and training would take place. This leaves the whole scheduled Test between Australia and Afghanistan in Perth out of place. The WA government and Premier Mark McGowan are of the opinion that a strict hotel quarantine for any international visitor is a must, forcing the governing bodies to look towards Brisbane and Adelaide for the start of India’s tour; a tour which might begin with limited overs matches and then moving on to four-match India-Australia Test series.
“We acknowledge the WA government has a firm position on quarantine and border arrangements, the Australian men’s team will not be quarantining in Perth upon their return from the UK”, a CA spokesperson reported.
It’s been assumed that Virat Kohli’s team will start off with white ball matches with three ODIs and three T20Is then giving way to the Afghanistan Test match followed by India’s Test series starting in mid-December in Adelaide.
CA, who released a tentative Test schedule a few months back, is expected to announce a revised Test series schedule this week, pending government approvals.
Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.
Dawid Malan’s brilliant run in T20 internationals have propelled him to the top spot in the ICC T20I rankings for batsmen. The 33-year-old has replaced Babar Azam at the top of the standings. Malan is rated at 877 points, eight more than the Pakistani batsman. The southpaw has managed to attain the first place due to his fantastic performances in England’s recently concluded T20I series against Australia, where he notched up 129 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 138.70.
Malan has played merely 16 T20Is in his brief career so far but has already made a significant mark in the shortest format of the game. In the first T20I against Australia, he had set the tone for the contest by playing a sublime knock of 66 runs in 43 deliveries that included five boundaries and three sixes. He coupled that with another impressive inning of 42 runs at a scoring rate of 131.25 and aided Eoin Morgan’s side to conveniently chase the target in second match.
The Roehampton-born batsman has scored 682 runs in 16 T20Is so far, which includes a century along with seven half-centuries. He bags runs at an average of 48.71 and his overall strike rate stands at 146.67. These are remarkable statistics, though, it remains to be seen if Malan manages to sustain such performances in the long run too. Regardless of that, he looks set to become an integral part of England’s playing XI for the two World T20s in the next couple of years.
The duo of Dawid Malan and Babar Azam are far ahead in terms of ratings in the T20I batsmen rankings. Aaron Finch and KL Rahul follow them in the standings, whereas the others like Colin Munro, Glenn Maxwell etc. have a lot of catching up to do. Despite his stellar outings in T20 cricket, Malan has played only a solitary ODI so far. He is not named in the squad for the upcoming three-match series against the Aussies. However, a call-up in the 50-over format squad is not far away for England’s latest star in white-ball cricket.
Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.
Deepak Chahar has beaten Covid-19 and will return back to the Chennai Super Kings squad on Wednesday. Post recovery, CSK’s Twitter page posted a picture of the young seamer as he looked healthy and was all smiles for the cameras. Last month after the team landed in UAE, Super Kings has cases in clusters leading to delay in the IPL schedule. Around 13 members from the squad had tested positive and were asked to stay in quarantine.
According to IPL protocols, the members were in a two-week recovery followed by two tests. After getting two negatives, Chahar was brought back to the nets. CEO Kasi Viswanathan said, “Except for the Indian batsman, who is in quarantine, all others have come out. The Indian fast bowler has tested negative twice and is back,” Kasi Viswanathan, the Super Kings’ CEO told ESPNcricinfo.
As for the Indian uncapped player, Viswanathan said that this individual was still under quarantine but was “fine with no symptoms”.
The league started with quite a few roadblocks as two of their star players Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh decided to quite the season for personal reasons. Reportedly, Raina left the training due to his family emergency back in India, while other reports suggest that he couldn’t survive the bio-secure bubble that the players are subjected to be in all through the tournament. On the other hand, Singh never joined the squad in UAE.
Dear Friends I will not be playing IPL this year due to personal reasons.These are difficult times and I would expect some privacy as I spend time with my family. @ChennaiIPL CSK management has been extremely supportive and I wish them a great IPL Stay safe and Jai Hind
Harbhajan Singh informed us he won’t be available due to personal reasons. Team Chennai Super Kings is supportive of his decision and stands by him and his family during these testing times.
He tweeted saying, “Dear Friends I will not be playing IPL this year due to personal reasons. These are difficult times and I would expect some privacy as I spend time with my family. CSK management has been extremely supportive and I wish them a great IPL. Stay safe and Jai Hind”.
Anil Kumble: The number of Indian coaches in the IPL is not a true reflection of coaching resources
Indian Premier League 2020 is finally about to begin on September 19, where Mumbai Indians will face Chennai Super Kings. As the teams are maintaining all the security checks and staying in a bio-secure bubble even during the practice sessions, the 13th season is expected to be safe and sound.
During a practice session interaction, Anil Kumble, who heads Kings XI Punjab said that the number of Indian coaches in IPL doesn’t reflect the true resource of talent.
Kumble, being the only Indian head coach in the IPL, took this stand as most of the franchises are guided by International coaches. “I would like to see more Indian coaches in the IPL. It is not a true reflection of Indian resources. I would want to see many Indians being part of the IPL as head coaches”, said the Indian legend.
“It is a bit of an irony – one Indian as head coach. I think at some point in time there will be a lot more Indian coaches,” Kumble was quoted as saying by PTI.
The bio-secure bubble has forced players to follow restricted movement but the upside of this is that the cricketers are getting to know the support staff well, stated Kumble. There is also some uncertainty regarding Chris Gayle’s potential role in the starting XI this year. Arguably, the quartet of Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, Sheldon Cottrell, and Mujeeb ur-Rahman would ideally take on the field. However, Gayle’s sheer impact and influence in the league over the years are undeniable and hence it will be difficult to bench him if the situation comes to that.
Hence, Kumble took a cautious approach whilst responding to a query concerning this issue. “Chris has a major role even as a player and even otherwise. His leadership, his experience, the youngsters look up to him. It is not just Chris the batsman we are looking at but Chris in a leadership role in terms of his contribution to developing young players. I want him to be active on the mentorship role”, he said.
Kings XI Punjab’s first match in IPL 2020 will be against Delhi Capitals on September 20.
Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.
CPL 2020 Final: TKR vs SLZ Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | TKR vs SLZ Dream11 Prediction Today | Trinbago Knight Riders vs St. Lucia Zouks Key Players | Tarouba Pitch Report
Either one of two things will happen. Trinbago Knight Riders, who have won the CPL three times previously, can further enhance their status as the Caribbean Premier League’s premier team. Or, St. Lucia Zouks, who have historically struggled in the competition, have the chance to finally win a title on the back of new and improved management in CPL 2020.
But, it is certainly easier said than done against TKR. The Kieron Pollard-led side have not missed a beat in this tournament, outclassing each and every opponent enroute to 11 straight wins. The Semi Final – a test of the nerve in a knockout game after 10 wins – was easy going, brushing aside Jamaica with ease. So, can the well-rounded Knight Riders put on one more great show when it matters most, or will they suffer the same fate as Guyana Amazon Warriors 12 months ago?
Speaking of Guyana, the Zouks completely embarrassed the Warriors on Wednesday. Outsiders heading into their Semi Final, the Zouks blew the Warriors away for just 55, going on to achieve the fastest win ever in men’s T20 franchise history in terms of balls remaining (93). TKR will certainly be a tougher test, but one can be sure that the Daren Sammy-led side will give it their absolute all as they look to add their name in CPL royalty.
Khary Pierre, who took 2/29 vs Jamaica in the Semi Final, was man of the match in the 2018 Final (3/27).
Pierre and Akeal Hossain (3/14) ripped Jamaica apart on Wednesday. They will be key against the Zouks batting.
Out of nowhere, Lendl Simmons is second-highest run-scorer in CPL 2020 (272, avg. 30). He has scored 219 runs in his past five knocks at an average of 53.75.
Scott Kuggeleijn is the equal top wicket-taker in CPL 2020 (16). The Kiwi pacer has been a key part of the Zouks campaign.
As have Mohammad Nabi and Roston Chase. They have taken 20 wickets between them in CPL 2020, as well as 357 runs.
Can Darren Bravo continue his strong form? He has a great record vs Zouks: 265 runs, avg. 88.33, with his latest knock against the Zouks being a solid 50 five days ago.
Kieron Pollard was man of the match when TKR met SLZ five days ago. He scored 42 (21) and took 3/35.
Mark Deyal is coming off a man of the match performance in the Semi Final (2/2 and 19 off 10 balls).
Can Zahir Khan influence this game? The left-arm wristspinner has taken eight wickets in his last five games.
Kesrick Williams wasn’t even required to bowl against Guyana. However, he could be key in this game, as he possesses wicket-taking ability (13 wickets in CPL 2020).
CPL 2020 Final: TKR vs SLZ Preview Dream11 – Can Nabi lead an upset?
Stats and Facts
Head-to-head: Matches 16, TKR 12, SLZ 2, NR 2.
TKR scored 175/5 vs SLZ five days ago. They won by 23 runs.
Andre Fletcher has the most runs in TKR-SLZ matches (370).
Dwayne Bravo has the most wickets in TKR-SLZ matches (21).
Trinbago have never lost a CPL Final (three attempts).
Possible Playing 11
TKR smashed Jamaica in the Semi Final, with Tion Webster in the runs at three. It remains to be seen if Colin Munro plays with a slight fracture in his finger.
St. Lucia could also look to stick with the same team that destroyed Guyana. Rakheem Cornwall, who strikes at 150.60 vs TKR, has the potential to play a blinder.
St. Lucia Zouks: 1. Rahkeem Cornwall, 2. Mark Deyal, 3. Andre Fletcher (wk), 4. Roston Chase, 5. Mohammad Nabi, 6. Najibullah Zadran, 7. Javelle Glenn, 8. Daren Sammy (c), 9. Scott Kuggeleijn, 10. Kesrick Williams, 11. Zahir Khan
Tarouba Pitch and Weather Report
Spin to win. It has been the case all tournament, and will remain the case for the Final. The weather has been largely kind to us in CPL 2020, and fans will hope for a full game with some showers forecast.
Dream11 Prediction
CPL 2020 Final: TKR vs SLZ Dream11 Prediction
Option 2:
CPL 2020 Final: TKR vs SLZ Dream11 Prediction
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Match Prediction
St. Lucia Zouks will give it their all. The big question is whether they can place pressure on TKR and get them worried in a huge game. TKR, however, start favourites, and look good for a win given that they are well covered in all departments.
Kris is also a commentator for Flashscore Cricket. You can follow their live ball-by-ball commentary for all international cricket and the IPL. Check them out on Facebook and Twitter
In a year like 2020, where the normal order of things has been turned upside down, let’s take a look at times when a Test match has been turned upside down by a batsman claiming crucial wickets when bowling, often to the comedic appreciation of their teammates.
Batting their way to a draw after having already lost the first Test, India looked safe with three wickets in hand but were rattled at the eleventh hour by the offspin of Michael Clarke. This Test match is now remembered for far more bitter reasons, but Clarke was the one who delivered Australia a last-gasp win. Clarke had enjoyed success with the ball in the past against the Indians and did the damage at the SCG with only two overs remaining on the final day. He had Harbhajan caught brilliantly at slip by Mike Hussey and then removed RP Singh LBW first ball. It took him only three more balls to get rid of a young Ishant Sharma, who also fell at slip to the safe hands of Hussey, with India’s poor old captain, Anil Kumble, stranded at the non-striker’s end on 45 after a two-hour vigil at the crease.
Responding to Australia’s mammoth first innings of 519/8 dec, Pakistan seemed determined to dig in at the crease and were going along nicely at 213/4. Opener Simon Katich’s part-time leg spinners made an absolute mess of things though, as the visitors collapsed to 8/227. Katich claimed the wickets of centurion Salman Butt, and then teased out Sarfaraz Ahmed and a young Mohammad Aamir, who were powerless to resist a slog. The Pakistanis eventually fell to a huge 231-run loss and an eventual 3-0 series reverse.
Marcus North: 6/55 vs Pakistan, Lords, 2010
5 Times a Batsman Turned a Test Match with his Bowling: Marcus North was a handy bowler
Who has the best figures for an Australian spinner at Lords? Shane Warne? Clarrie Grimmet? Surprisingly, the answer is Marcus North! Pakistan had fallen for only 148 in their first innings but looked well set at 2/186 in their second dig. Then North struck, removing Salman Butt for 92 before going on to claim the prized wickets of Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi among a six-wicket bag that helped to bundle the Pakistanis out for 289. It was an effort that was enough to deliver the Aussies a huge 150-run win.
Mike Hussey: 1/0 and 1/2 vs Sri Lanka, Pallekele, 2011
This series was an absolute stunner for the West Australian veteran as he reeled off scores of 95 and 15 in the first Test, 142 in Australia’s sole innings in the second Test, and 118 and 93 in the final Test!
More importantly though (and much to the amusement of his fellow Aussies), he also claimed remarkable figures of 1/0 and 1/2 in the second Test. Sri Lanka were mired in huge strife at 128/5, but they were approaching the safety of tea with Kumar Sangakkara at the crease on 48. With Hussey brought on just before the break, Sangakkara nudged a gentle full toss straight into the hands of Phil Hughes at cover. If that wasn’t enough, Man of the Series Hussey also dismissed opener Tharanga Paranavitana on 55 in the second innings.
As he so often is, Kraigg Brathwaite proved to be the backbone of the West Indies first innings with a solid 47 out of a meagre total of just 163. Sri Lanka may well have thought they were in the box seat, but Brathwaite proved to be a thorn in their side again, this time with the ball. The tough opener claimed 6/29 including the wickets of Angelo Mathews, Kusal Perera, Milinda Siriwardana and Dilruwan Perera. His devastating and unexpected spell ensured the hosts fell for just 206, and it was only an inspired spell of 4/56 from Rangana Herath that sealed a come-from-behind win for Sri Lanka.
Written by Kristopher Hinz
Kris is also a commentator for Flashscore Cricket. You can follow their live ball-by-ball commentary for all international cricket and the IPL. Check them out on Facebook and Twitter
Moeen Ali became the first British-Asian to lead the England national team as he captained the Three Lions in the final T20I of their three-match series against Australia. Eoin Morgan had dislocated his finger whilst fielding in the second encounter of the contest a few days ago. The World Cup-winning skipper underwent a CT scan but opted out of last night’s game probably as a precautionary measure.
Thus, Ali attained this unique feat as even regular vice-captain Jos Buttler had left the team’s bio-secure bubble in order to be with his family for personal reasons a couple of days ago. However, things didn’t go in the 33-year-old’s favor right from the commencement as he lost the toss and the Aussies elected to field first in the dead rubber. Jonny Bairstow played a steady knock of 55 runs but it seemed that the Englishmen could never gather a positive momentum throughout their innings.
Ali came out to bat with 9.3 overs spare but could only notch 23 runs in 23 deliveries before succumbing to Mitchell Starc’s delivery in the 17th over. Joe Denly managed to provide a late onslaught that took the total to 145 but the underwhelming performances of Tom Banton and Sam Billings spoiled the day for England.
The chase wasn’t particularly convenient for Aaron Finch’s men either, as Adil Rashid and Tom Curran delivered laudable spells to take the game to the very last over. However, Mitchell Marsh’s thorough composure coupled by a useful effort by Ashton Agar late into the innings ensured that Australia achieved their first and solitary victory in this T20I series.
The two sides will be engaging in a three-match ODI contest a few days from now. After that, several individuals from both the squads will fly down to Dubai to participate in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. Moeen Ali will have an instrumental role to play for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru too.
After finishing at the second spot in the league stages of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Guyana Amazon Warriors couldn’t make their way to the Final, as they were subjected to a crushing defeat in the second Semi Final by St. Lucia Zouks. The Warriors were bowled out for an embarrassing 55 runs in under 14 overs, making it the second-lowest total in the CPL history. St. Lucia Zouks defeated them in 4.3 overs making it the most dominant chase in franchise T20 cricket.
Rahkeem Cornwall and Mark Deyal took St Lucia Zouks to their first-ever CPL finale, as the Zouks were in total control right from the start. In the 27 balls that they faced, the duo notched five fours and four sixes, reaching the Warriors’ total of 55 with incredible ease.
The victors are going to face Trinbago Knight Riders in the Final, who are unbeaten this season. While TKR is owned by Kolkata Knight Riders owners Shah Rukh Khan and his consortium, Zouks is owned by KingsXI Punjab team owners Mohit Burman and company and both the IPL owners are ready to see their teams take on each other in the CPL finale.
Though its a good start for Zouks, Guyana’s disappointing performance led to quite a stir on social media. Here are some of the reactions given out by fans on Twitter.
Three things sure in life… Death, Taxes and Guyana Amazon Warriors not winning @CPL
Any truth to the rumour that the Guyana Amazon Warriors have filed suit asking for a recount of their runs? Or are people being wicked…? https://t.co/v1lZoQOjLu
Guyana been winning all games recently by bowling first and bowling other team out for sub 100 and chasing it easy, back to batting first and this is what they produce fml
With this embarrassing defeat, Guyana will now go another season without winning a CPL Title. Many believed that this could be their time, after four straight wins leading into the Semi Finals. However, such an abject performance requires some soul searching, and it will be interesting to see how they come back from this.
Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.
After suffering a severe hamstring injury, Ellyse Perry is looking forward to some action in Australia’s opening T20I against New Zealand later this month. The right-arm fast bowler and batswoman was taking required treatment amid the Covid-19-infused lockdown in Melbourne for the past five weeks and this puts a lot of questions on how she will be able to cope with the challenges that intense fielding would require in International cricket.
Due to the rise in Covid-19 cases in Melbourne and Victoria, the city is under stage four lockdown until mid-September. Perry is currently going through two weeks of quarantine in Brisbane ahead of the series. “My preference is to play as an allrounder, that’s who I am and it has always been my role. I don’t want to upset the dynamics of the group if I can help it because it gives us different options when I’m playing as an allrounder, but that’s a call we’ll make in the next couple of weeks”, she said as per the reports of ESPNCricinfo.
The player who has been out of the scene since the T20 World Cup wants to be at the top of her game when she returns. “If I’m playing I want to be fully fit and able to play in the way I always play. It’s probably more about managing the frequency of matches I play, the schedule because of considerations around Covid is quite condensed so it might not be possible or sensible to play all those games but hopefully, I can play some of them”, she said.
The Australian cricket management has launched it’s new female participation strategy on Tuesday, considering their T20 World Cup. Though there are concerns that the Covid-19 outbreak might impact the growth of women’s cricket, Perry has high hopes on the New Zealand tour and WBBL.
“While it’s been a really tricky time for every sports organization I don’t think that’s meant we’ve taken a back seat in any sense, in fact, some of the work CA and Australian Cricketers’ Association have done around female involvement and development shows it’s very much a priority”, Ellyse Perry added.
