Steve Smith Age, Biography, career, stats, networth, Ranking & News

Australia Squad, Schedule, Date, Time, And Venue For T20 World Cup 2021

Published on September 18, 2021September 18, 2021

Australia will be led by Aaron Finch in the T20I World Cup 2021 event. Australia is placed in group A of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 which many experts refer to as ‘Group Of Death’. Notably, Group A is a comparatively stronger group as it consists of teams like West Indies, England, Australia, and South Africa and all the teams have full potential to dominate the league. Especially teams like England and West Indies will be a major threat for everyone.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the fixtures for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 which will be played between October 17 and November 14. At first, it was scheduled to commence in India. However, due to the Covid-19 scare in the country, it was shifted to UAE and OMAN. Meanwhile, Team Australia which is going through a rough patch will be the team to watch out for in the upcoming marquee event.

Australia Has Lost All Of Its Last 5 T20Is Series

Team Australia is going through a very bad phase lately, as they have been consistently underperforming and have received massive criticism from fans and experts. Notably, Australia has lost the last 5 T20I series they have played against New Zealand, India, England, West Indies, and Bangladesh.

Australia will be commencing its journey in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 with a clash against South Africa. With the return of big names like David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, and Pat Cummins the Aaron Finch-led side will be looking forward to gaining back the momentum. Notably, team Australia has never won a T20 World Cup and they will have an eye on lifting their first-ever T20 World Cup championship.

Australia’s Squad For ICC T20 World Cup 2021

Among the 15-member squad, the most surprising name is Josh Inglis. Uncapped to this stage at the international level, Josh Inglis is a wicketkeeper-batter adept at playing both as an opener and in the middle order.

Aaron Finch (C), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (VC), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

Travelling reserves: Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams

Australia has named a star-studded squad for their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 campaign, with captain Aaron Finch and Steve Smith among a host of big names returning to action.

Aaron Finch (knee) and Steve Smith (elbow) have been backed to return from injury for the tournament, with David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins and Kane Richardson also set to be back in action after sitting out the team’s tours of the Caribbean and Bangladesh in July-August.

Australia’s Complete Schedule For ICC T20 World Cup 2021

October 23, 2021: vs South Africa, Abu Dhabi (03:30 PM IST)

October 28, 2021: vs Qualifier (A1), Dubai (7:30 PM IST)

October 30, 2021: vs England, Dubai (7:30 PM IST)

November 4, 2021: vs Qualifier (B2), Dubai (03:30 PM IST)

November 6: vs West Indies, Abu Dhabi (03:30 PM IST)

Virat Kohli in action during the third day of the WTC final against New Zealand. (File)

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Virat Kohli: 10 Famous Sledges From Current Indian Skipper

Published on September 18, 2021

Virat Kohli is unarguably one of the greatest players of this generation having scored a lot of runs and leading India from the front. One wouldn’t find too many players as popular as him. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that he is a brand himself.

His stature has resulted in him grabbing the headlines, no matter what. Thus, this has prompted everyone to keep observing him. The media and cameras always have a close look at each and every move that he makes on the field. His fierce spirit just adds fuel to the fire. As Virat Kohli has had a huge history of getting involved in sledges intentionally or unintentionally, he has been a part of several arguments on the field.

Virat Kohli, Image Source : AP IMAGE — Virat Kohli, Image Source: AP IMAGE

Virat Kohli: 10 Famous Sledges From Current Indian Skipper

10) Virat Kohli and James Anderson in 2021

Tempers flared between the duo on the fourth day of the second Test between India and England at Lord’s. During India’s second innings, India’s superstar skipper and England’s superstar pacer had a verbal spat at the non-striker’s end. The two had a go at each other thrice in quick succession.

Everything started a day earlier as on Day 3 when pacer Jasprit Bumrah welcomed the English pacer with several fiery bouncers. James Anderson seemingly didn’t like it and In reply, Virat Kohli had a go at James Anderson the next day by telling him that this wasn’t his backyard.

In the second Test match, England speedster James Anderson had to face a 10-ball over from Jasprit Bumrah. The Indian pacer struck with a barrage of bouncers to James Anderson in search of his first wicket of the match. He survived the spell of Jasprit Bumrah but eventually lost his wicket to Mohammed Shami.

The first Test of the five-match Test series between India and England was drawn, and then India won the second Test. After which England won the third Test and then Team India won the fourth Test to take a 2-1 lead before the final Test got called-off due to Covid-19 scare.

9) Virat Kohli and Tabraiz Shamsi in 2018

The year 2018 belonged to the Indian skipper. While he was scoring runs for fun back then, he also sledged Tabraiz Shamsi. It was the Proteas spinner who first had a go at Virat Kohli while he was batting. The Indian captain wasn’t the one to hold back and thus, gave Tabraiz Shamsi a taste of his own medicine when Tabraiz Shamsi came to bat. He kept asking him if he had his chest pad on.

The Proteas bowler barely lasted a ball as he got out while attempting a big shot off Kuldeep Yadav. India went on to win this series 5-1 and Virat Kohli went on to win the player of the series award. The batting maestro scored three centuries in this ODI series as well.

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammates Virat Kohli and Tabraiz Shamsi had a go at each other during India’s 73-run win over South Africa. Tabraiz Shamsi was seen sledging the Indian skipper during the latter’s 36-run innings in the 5th ODI at St. George’s Park.

8) Virat Kohli and Steve Smith in 2014

Steve Smith and Virat Kohli are unarguably the biggest names of cricket currently. Seldom would one find a rivalry as iconic as the duo. However, this incident took place before the two of them became absolute legends of the game.

This happened during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014/2015 where Steve Smith was smashing Indian bowlers to all corners of the park. When Rohit Sharma was bowling to the Aussie superstar, the ball hit his pads and he appealed only to get absolutely no response from the umpire. Despite that, Rohit Sharma continued to appeal to which Steve Smith got frustrated. This frustrated Virat Kohli who went to the Aussie and started to argue with him.

The RCB captain even went on to tell Steve Smith to “Stay in his limits” which the Aussie batsman seemingly ignored. David Warner then tried to curb the situation and pacified the two, this was the beginning of a new era between two of the greatest players of the 2010s as their rivalry managed to get the best out of them.

In the match, the Indian captain along with his teammates’ pacer Ishant Sharma and batsman Shikhar Dhawan, was involved in a heated exchange with David Warner and Steve Smith. Officiating umpire Ian Gould recently compared the final three days of that Test to a ‘war’ as things spiralled out of control due to the cricketers’ constant chirping on the field.

7) Virat Kohli and Mitchell Johnson in 2014

This incident occurred in the same series where Steve Smith and Virat Kohli had an argument. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014/2015 was famous for the number of ugly incidents it had. The “Fire meets fire” phrase would perfectly describe this situation. India’s No. 4 batsman in Tests arrived on the crease after the dismissal of Cheteshwar Pujara and was welcomed by the Australian pace attack with a lot of short balls. Suddenly, an instance on the field happened that attracted a big controversy.

The Indian skipper played the ball towards Mitchell Johnson, who soon picked the ball and attempted a non-existent run-out. However, the ball directly hit Virat Kohli, who looked in pain. Both of them suddenly got riled up after this and a few words were exchanged between the two. India’s tour of Australia in 2014 saw Virat Kohli’s rise to the top.

The right-handed batsman just didn’t smash Australian bowlers, but also took over as full-time Test captain by the end of the series. Leading the team for the first time in Test cricket – MS Dhoni missed the opening Test due to an injury – Virat Kohli started the tour with twin centuries in Adelaide. The vice-captain had a tough outing in Brisbane but bounced back with a gutsy 169 in Melbourne.

6) Virat Kohli and Tim Paine in 2018

On Day-3 of that game, Tim Paine was on the strike when the Indian skipper said, “If he messes it up, it’s 2-0 in the series.”

This didn’t sit well with the Aussie skipper as he came out all guns blazing the next day in order to give it back to Virat Kohli. Things got ugly on the field and a lot of inappropriate words were exchanged between the two skippers.

At one point, the on-field umpire Chris Gaffaney had to come in between the two players in order to separate them. Moreover, he reminded both the players that they are the skipper of their respective sides. Virat Kohli then gave Tim Paine a long send-off after the Aussie wicketkeeper was dismissed. Tim Paine then ended up sledging again in the 4th innings as Australia went on to win the match by 146 runs.

On day four of the second Test at Perth, Virat Kohli and his Australian counterpart Tim Paine were involved in a verbal spat. This happened after Virat Kohli had celebrated a couple of Australian wickets a bit more animatedly than usual. That was time Tim Paine thought he had enough.

5) Virat Kohli and Kesrick Williams in 2019

Kesrick Williams and virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter)

After Kesrick Williams dismissed Virat Kohli in a T20I match in 2017, he did his trademark notebook celebration. Virat Kohli did the same in 2019 after hitting Kesrick Williams in the first T20I. He had hit the Windies pacer for three sixes and a four. The Indian captain later clarified that he meant no disrespect.

“Williams had given me the notebook when he dismissed me in Jamaica, so I remembered it from there. We gave each other a high-five later. Play hard but respect the opponent,” Kohli said after the match. One can watch this moment over and over again!

Virat Kohli took apart Kesrick Williams during a T20 series in India in 2019, even mimicking the bowler’s celebration from India’s 2017 tour of the Caribbean. The two first came face—to—face in 2017 when Kesrick Williams used his signature ‘notebook celebration’ after dismissing Virat Kohli during a contest in Jamaica.

Fast—forward two years and Virat Kohli took apart Kesrick Williams during the T20 series in India in 2019. He smashed an unbeaten 94 off 50 deliveries in Hyderabad and during his innings, also mimicked Kesrick Williams’ celebration.

4) Virat Kohli and Ollie Robinson in 2021

Ollie Robinson PA Images via Getty Images — Ollie Robinson- PA Images via Getty Images

This is the most recent amongst all the incidents featuring Virat Kohli sledging the opponents. However, unlike the previous one, this was an absolutely “No Nonsense” scenario as the Indian captain seemed pretty furious while sledging Ollie Robinson.

The fifth and final day at Lord’s was an absolute cracker of a contest, to say the least. After England had a batting collapse, they needed to save the Test match with three wickets in hand. Ollie Robinson was the batsman and Virat Kohli had a go at him. Virat Kohli’s voice got recorded on the stumps mics and a Twitter user shared the video.

Indicating to Ollie Robinson, Virat Kohli said, “Pujj (Pujara), How boring was your innings? Maybe, that’s how you survive in a test match.” Calling Robinson “big mouth,” the Indian skipper said, “Come on, Gonna bring your sheets today?”

At that point of the match, India needed 3 wickets to bring the game home. Referring to Cheteshwar Pujara’s 206-ball 45-run knock, Virat Kohli passed a nasty comment to sledge Ollie Robinson during the fourth innings of the game. Cheteshwar Pujara’s 100-run stand with vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane in the second innings played a vital part in India’s win.

3) Virat Kohli and Rubel Hossain in 2011

Virat Kohli was just a talented star and not an all-time great back in 2011. However, even back then, he never held himself back and always spoke his mind out on the field. This aforementioned incident occurred in the opening match of the World Cup (WC) in 2011, which was later won by India ending a 28-year-old hiatus.

Virat Kohli and Bangladesh pacer Rubel Hossain were rivals since their U-19 days and continued it in the 20211 World Cup. They had a heated moment during the 2011 WC. Virat Kohli was seen abusing the Bangladesh seamer after defending a ball off him. The then youngster abused him and asked him to get back to his bowling.

The Bangladeshi pacer, later on, went to reveal that Virat Kohli used to sledge a lot, even during his U-19 days. Both of them played together in the 2008 U-19 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur in which Virat Kohli led India to victory and thus, began his legacy. Virat Kohli made 282 runs in 9 matches in the 2011 World Cup. He hit an unbeaten 100 in that game against Bangladesh.

2) Virat Kohli and Brad Haddin in 2014

As mentioned earlier, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014/15 had a lot of sledging. However, this incident involving Virat Kohli and Brad Haddin tops all of them.

The engaging verbal dual between the two occurred during the fifth and final day of the third cricket Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground. While the Indian batsman was batting, he survived a run-out chance. After the incident, Brad Haddin started saying “It’s all about you. It’s all about you” while clapping his hands in Virat Kohli’s direction.

Virat Kohli appeared to gesture in the direction of the umpires, apparently in protest of the Australians’ needling which was audible on Channel Nine’s stump microphone. Virat Kohli then continued it when the Aussie wicketkeeper walked out to bat with the game in the balance. As Brad Haddin asked for and marked centre, a chirpy Virat Kohli shadowed the batsman in a fashion more commonly associated with AFL taggers. A total of four misconduct fines were dished out in the opening two Tests.

1) Virat Kohli and James Faulkner in 2016

Australia's James Faulkner (Eranga Jayawardena/AP) — Australia’s James Faulkner (Eranga Jayawardena/AP)

Arguably one of the most famous incidents of all time, Virat Kohli and James Faulkner indulged inoffensive banter on the field. The Indian captain is someone who would always give it back to the opposition no matter what. Thus, he replied to the Aussie all-rounder in his own style. In the ODI series between Australia and India in the third ODI, James Faulkner tried to sledge Virat Kohli when he was batting.

“You tried to smash me there, but you failed.” is what he said.

India’s number 3 in ODIs then gave it back to him when he was in the non-striker’s end.

“I’ve smashed you enough in my life. Don’t waste your time, go bowl.” is what Kohli replied to Jimmy Faulkner. The Aussie then replied to him by saying something in the lines of “Yeah b***h we’ll see who’s wasting time after the match”.

This video of Virat Kohli and James Faulkner sledging each other went viral as well. The 5-ODI series between Australia and India has not witnessed any ugly incidents on the field barring Virat Kohli and James Faulkner exchanging few words during the 3rd and 4th matches in Melbourne and Canberra respectively.

Coming to the third ODI, Virat Kohli was at his usual best and slammed a memorable 117 (117 balls) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, MCG after Australia opted to bowl first. For the unversed, Virat Kohli slammed another ton in the fourth and penultimate ODI of the 2016 five-match series Down Under. However, India lost both the encounters before winning the fifth and final match to lose the series 4-1.

Sourav Ganguly reveals T20 world Cup trophy | Image Credit: Twitter

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ICC T20I World Cup 2021: 4 Teams Which Won’t Be Able To Qualify For The Semi-Final

Published on September 17, 2021

ICC T20I World Cup 2021 is just a month away from taking place after a gap of five years and the excitement for the tournament in UAE is at its’ peak already. The previous edition took place in 2016 when West Indies emerged as the champions and this will be a 12 team affair this time around for the group stages.

The top eight teams from the T20 international rankings qualified automatically for the league stages of the T20 Worldcup while the remaining four teams will have to make it through the ICC T20I World Cup 2021 qualifiers. Surprisingly, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh haven’t been able to make it to the league stages and are placed in the qualifiers. Here are 4 teams that won’t be able to qualify for the semi-finals of ICC T20I World Cup 2021.

Representational image of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup trophy | AFP / Jewel Samad — Representational image of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup trophy | AFP / Jewel Samad

ICC T20I World Cup 2021: 4 Teams Which Probably Won’t Be Able To Qualify For The Semi-Final

Australia:

Australia is one of the powerhouses in world cricket at present for a long time now and they still continue to dominate best teams but haven’t been doing it on a consistent basis. But recent losses to West Indies and Bangladesh with a depleted squad saw their reputation diminish.

When it comes to T20 cricket, Australia hasn’t always been the team to watch out for as they do have a lot of stars in their lineup but despite that, they have lacked the T20 flavour. 2010 was the only year they reached the finals of the ICC T20I World Cup and they lost to England.

Australia’s recent form in T20I hasn’t been impressive either as they lost the T20I series in West Indies 4-1 and lost a bilateral series for the first time against Bangladesh which wasn’t the ideal preparation they needed. Australia has been placed in a strong group comprising of England, West Indies, and South Africa and their chances of making it to the semifinals look bleak at the moment.

Australia has lost the last 5 T20I series they have played against New Zealand, India, England, West Indies, and Bangladesh. With the return of big names like David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, and Pat Cummins the Aaron Finch-led side will be looking forward to gaining back the momentum.

South Africa:

South Africa has lacked the edge needed in the knockouts to progress to the finals of the tournament and it has been evident through their results so far in ICC events. They haven’t made it to a final in ICC T20 World Cup yet and have been succumbing down when it comes to pressure games for which they are labelled chokers.

The Proteas are a different looking side now without AB De Villiers and Faf du Plessis, and their new skipper Temba Bavuma will have a huge responsibility under his belt for the T20I World Cup. Their bowling attack does look good but they are expected to struggle with their inexperienced batting lineup and are unlikely to progress to the semi-finals after being placed in a tough group.

They are currently placed on the 5th spot in ICC T20 Internationals rankings. Also in the last 5 T20 international series, they have lost 3 series. They have some exceptionally talented players like Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassi Van Der Dussen, and David Miller on the team but have left out experienced Chris Morris, Faf du Plessis, and Imran Tahir.

Afghanistan :

Afghanistan has been one of the teams that have come from far behind in terms of development and the results are there to see as well. They have produced a lot of young match winners already and the best example is Rashid Khan who has been the best spinner in the world in the last two years globally.

Afghanistan has picked up a good squad for the ICC T20I World Cup 2021 but they have a lot of issues going on with the Taliban government and it will certainly take a toll on their performance. They have gone in for experience in the fast bowling department and Rashid Khan has stepped out as the captain of the side as well for the ICC T20I World Cup 2021. With India and New Zealand in the group, Afghanistan might not be able to progress to the semi-finals.

Currently, Afghanistan is placed on the 7th spot in the ICC T20 international rankings. Once the team enters the tournament all eyes will be on big names like Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi. ACB named Rashid Khan as their captain for the T20 world cup 2021. Rashid Khan soon came up with a tweet stating that he will be leaving the captaincy. Post that, ACB announced that Mohammad Nabi will be the captain of the team.

Pakistan:

Pakistan is looking like a better group in the last few international series and with the change in the coaching staff and the Director, a lot could change for the Pakistan side ahead of the ICC T20I World Cup 2021.

However, their recent performances haven’t been up to the mark especially in England and they still have holes to fill inside the group. Lead by captain Babar Azam, Pakistan will kickstart their ICC T20I World Cup 2021 campaign against arch-rivals India in Dubai on 24 October.

They will then face New Zealand in Sharjah on 26 October before returning to Dubai to take on Afghanistan. Their last two matches in the Super 12 stages will see them face runners-up of Group A and table-toppers of Group B from Round 1 in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah respectively.

Their middle order needed some solid experience and they have gone in for youngsters who had failed earlier. Their fast bowling and spin department don’t look bad either but they still do not like getting past New Zealand and India who have strong depth in their squads for the ICC T20I World Cup 2021.

Pakistan chose youth over experience for the backup wicketkeeper spot with the inclusion of Azam Khan over Sarfaraz Ahmed. Azam Khan has featured in only three T20Is in his career and has aggregated only six runs in two innings but his exploits in domestic T20 competitions has helped him seal a berth in the ICC T20I World Cup 2021 squad.

Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah were among the surprise inclusions in the squad for the ICC T20I World Cup 2021 World Cup, having last played a T20I for Pakistan earlier this year against Zimbabwe and South Africa respectively.

They did not find a place in the squad for the tours of England and the West Indies. The experienced campaigners Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz, and Sarfaraz Ahmed surprisingly didn’t find a place in ICC T20I World Cup 2021 squad.

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Joe Root And Eimear Richardson Voted Winners Of ICC Player Of August Month

Published on September 13, 2021

Joe Root, England skipper and Ireland star Eimear Richardson have been voted winners of the ICC Player of the Month for August. Joe Root saw off competition from Jasprit Bumrah, the India pacer, and Pakistan speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi to win the award following a stellar August for the England captain.

Joe Root scored 507 runs in three Tests against India in August. He scored three important centuries, including an unbeaten 180* at Lord’s, and the form propelled him to the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Test Rankings for batters. The five-match series ended abruptly when the final Test had to be cancelled because of a Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp.

Joe Root Was Impressive With The Bat Leading England From The Front: JP Duminy

Joe Root had scored more runs (507) in the first three Tests than England’s next three highest run-scorers combined and had also been their highest individual scorer in each of their five innings. He scored three centuries, 109 in Trent Bridge, an unbeaten 180 in Lord’s, and 121 at his home ground in Headingley, which resulted in an England win.

“With the expectation and responsibility on his shoulders as the captain, I was really impressed with how he led from the front with the bat, and become the number one ranked Test batter in the world,” said former South Africa all-rounder JP Duminy, one of the panellists in the ICC Voting Academy.

On the back of his stunning display in August, Joe Root climbed to the top of ICC Men’s Test Rankings for batters on September 1. Placed fifth in the rankings before the start of the series, the England skipper had leapfrogged Virat Kohli, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson to the No.1 spot.

Eimear Richardson Of Ireland Put In A Fine All-Round Display In Women’s T20 WC Europe Qualifier

In the women’s award, Eimear Richardson saw off tough competition from teammate Gaby Lewis and Thailand’s Nattaya Boochatham. Eimear Richardson put in a fine all-round display in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier last month, which led her to be named the Player of the Tournament.

She took seven wickets at an economy rate of 4.19 in the tournament, including important spells of 2/6 in the opener against Germany and 2/24 against group-toppers Scotland. She also returned 2/0 and 1/22 against France and Netherlands respectively, as Ireland came second in their group.

Her contributions went beyond the ball. She scored a crucial 49-ball 53 in their final match against the Netherlands and totalled 76 runs in the tournament – a return that put her in the top five of the run charts.

“It was very exciting to be nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for August and to now be voted as the winner is just so amazing and humbling,” Richardson said.

“It was great to contribute to overall team performances at the European Qualifiers and hopefully we have done enough to make the next stage and compete on a global level again.”

Joe Root, Elmear Richardson, ICC Player Of The Month August 2021

Her performances were lauded by Pommie Mbangwa of the ICC Voting Academy.

“What an amazing and important contribution in a tournament that is important to all the teams, “he said.

“What any team wants is for players to stand up at critical times and Eimear’s contributions with bat and ball have come at the right time, been consistent and particularly significant.”

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and West Indies women’s team captain Stafanie Taylor were the winners of the ICC Player of the Month in July.

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Justin Langer Confident Of Becoming A Better Coach After Emergency Meeting Between CA And Players

Published on August 30, 2021

Justin Langer, Australia head coach reflected on the meeting with the national team’s top players and Cricket Australia bosses. Justin Langer has been under scrutiny after Australia’s dismal T20 tour of Bangladesh as reports of a rift with the players emerged.

It triggered an emergency meeting among Justin Langer, Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings, CEO Nick Hockley, Test skipper Tim Paine, white-ball captain Aaron Finch, and vice-captain Pat Cummins. They gathered to discuss the issues impeding the team’s progress and the board gave Justin Langer a vote of confidence.

Justin Langer. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

Justin Langer Confident That He Will Become A Better Coach After The Results Of The Meeting

Speaking to the West Australian newspaper, Justin Langer revealed they discussed everything openly in the meeting. The former Test opener thinks he would emerge as a better coach as a result of this meeting.

“We all got a lot off our chests. I think we are all in a better place now. The situation at the moment is very tough, but I am confident that I will become a better coach from it.”

Justin Langer’s role has been under the microscope in the wake of heavy T20 series defeats against West Indies and Bangladesh and amid media reports that some players had become disaffected by his intense coaching style.

Australia sent second-string white-ball sides to the Caribbean and Bangladesh after a slew of senior players(David Warner, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, and Daniel Sams) opted out of the tours while injured Steve Smith wasn’t considered for the elbow injury that flared up during the IPL.

Justin Langer: Criticism Will Stop When The Winning Results Come

Justin Langer understands that criticism will stop when the results will come. The 50-year old reminded everyone of Australia’s Ashes retention in England and the side’s number one ranking in the T20 format as his achievements. He hopes to return those to winning ways to silence the critics.

“When you win, everyone is happy and gets on with things but when you are losing, that is when the finger-pointing starts, and people look for excuses. We have had a rough trot in recent times but we retained the Ashes only a little while ago and were ranked No.1 in Test and T20 cricket not that long ago. Get back to winning and you won’t hear about anything else.”

Australia was thrashed 4-1 by the West Indies and 4-1 in Bangladesh, their first-ever series loss to the South Asians, raising alarm bells ahead of the T20 World Cup in October-November. Cricket Australia announced their World T20 squad a few weeks ago that saw all their first-choice players return to the fold. The players will likely depart for the UAE in early October. A few of them will leave earlier to participate in the IPL.

Australia recently announced their 15-man squad for the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup which is scheduled to be held in the UAE. The uncapped player, Josh Inglis, received his maiden call-up. Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, and Pat Cummins made a return to the side after having opted out of the away tours of Bangladesh and West Indies.

Steve Smith has recovered from his elbow injury and will also join the squad. Regular skipper Aaron Finch will lead the side which also includes three travel reserves – Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, and Daniel Sams.

Australia Squad For T20I World Cup

Aaron Finch (C), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (VC), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserves: Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams

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Aakash Chopra Isn’t Sure About Australia’s Prospects At T20I World Cup 2021

Published on August 21, 2021August 21, 2021

Aakash Chopra believes Australia is unlikely to have a great run at the upcoming T20 World Cup. Australia is clubbed with England, West Indies, South Africa, and two qualifying teams in Group A of the T20 World Cup. They recently announced their squad for the mega event, which will be played in the UAE and Oman.

The players who were given an opportunity in the recently concluded Bangladesh series couldn’t make the most of it and failed to make it to the side. This includes Moises Henriques, Alex Carey, Josh Philippe, and Ashton Turner. Also missing will be bowlers Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, and Jason Behrendorff.

Aakash Chopra Said That On Paper Australia Looks A Fantastic Team But He Isn’t Very Excited About Their Prospects

Speaking about their squad in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was circumspect about their chances at the global event.

“On paper, this looks a fantastic team. But their story is that all five fingers come together but do not become a fist. While this looks like a very good team on paper, I am not very very excited about their prospects,” said Aakash Chopra.

The former Indian batsman added that the Australians being in the tougher group is a blow to their chances.

“Firstly the pool they are in, I feel they are going to get slightly stuck. That’s the pool of death, ours is not.”

England and West Indies are certainly the favourites to make it through to the semi-finals from Group A. However, the Aaron Finch-led side has the potential to spring a surprise or two and make it through to the knockout stages.

Aakash Chopra: Australia Is Slightly Short In The Spin Department

Aakash Chopra believes the Aussies might be found slightly wanting in the spin-bowling department while acknowledging that Australia has an excellent seam-bowling attack in Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Kane Richardson. But spinners Mitchell Swepson, Adam Zampa, and Ashton Agar aren’t that experienced.

“The bowling is looking extremely good but they are slightly short in the spin department. And also remember that the World Cup is going to happen after the IPL,” said Aakash Chopra.

The reputed commentator added that the Australian batsmen might also have difficulties playing against the spinners on the UAE tracks that are likely to turn.

“When those things remain in the mind, Australia becomes a decent team, not a great team because the spin reserves – Swepson, Zampa, Agar – not the greatest, let’s admit that. There could be some problems while playing against spin in the batting department as well,” said Aakash Chopra.

Australia has come up short in their two recent T20I series against West Indies and Bangladesh without their regular players. They lost both the series by a 4-1 margin, with their batting shortcomings, in particular, coming to the fore.

Steve Smith returned from an elbow injury. while regular captain Aaron Finch was also named in the squad while recovering from recent knee surgery. The Australians have endured a lean time of late in T20 cricket, having lost each of their past five series.

Australia named a strong 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup, recalling pacer Pat Cummins and leading batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner for the global tournament in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Uncapped West Australian Josh Inglis has been included as a backup wicketkeeper to Matthew Wade.

Australia squad

Aaron Finch (C), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (VC), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

All-rounders Dan Christian and Daniel Sams, and fast bowler Nathan Ellis have been named as travelling reserves.

Cricket/News

Cricket Australia To Issue No Objection Certificates For White-Ball Specialists To Play IPL 2021 In UAE

Published on August 15, 2021

Cricket Australia has cleared the way for the nation’s top white-ball players to return to the Indian Premier League 2021’s 2nd leg to be held in the UAE in September and October. It will be the second season on the trot in which Cricket Australia’s players have missed the opening rounds of Australia’s domestic competitions to participate in the lucrative domestic T20 tournament.

Cricket Australia will issue No Objection Certificates for leading players to return to the IPL when it resumes next month while a planned T20 tri-series with Afghanistan and West Indies may be repurposed as World Cup warm-ups.

Cricket Australia To Issue No Objection Certificates For White Ball Specialists To Return To Play In The IPL 2021

IPL 2021 was halted midway in May after a catastrophic outbreak of COVID-19 in India and bio bubble breaches resulting in players reporting positive. About 40 Cricket Australia’s players, coaches, broadcasters, and support staff had to spend time in the Maldives while international borders were shut, before eventually returning via a charter flight provided by the BCCI.

The IPL 2021 has since been rescheduled to complete the remaining 36 games in 27 days between September 19 and October 15 in the UAE, finishing just two days before the T20 World Cup begins, which has also been relocated to the region from India for Covid-19.

Australia’s men’s domestic summer will begin with a Marsh One-Day Cup game on September 11, meaning any players heading to the IPL and subsequent T20 World Cup will not feature at home before the Test summer begins against Afghanistan from November 27.

Cricket Australia’s clearance came after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed the postponement of a three-match ODI series between the two nations originally planned to be held in India in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup. A mooted T20 tri-series also involving the West Indies was due to form an important part of the World Cup preparations for all three squads, and Afghanistan authorities are continuing efforts to secure a venue to host it.

With the initial group stages of the T20 World Cup expected to be played primarily in Oman, the UAE venues could be free to host the matches between the end of the IPL and the start of the World Cup’s Super 12 stage, expected to begin on October 23.

Eight Players Who Played IPL 2021 Initial Stage Made Themselves Unavailable For West Indies And Bangladesh Tour Where Australia Suffered Heavy Defeats

Eight players who participated in the initial stage of this year’s IPL made themselves unavailable for Cricket Australia’s recent tour of the West Indies and Bangladesh, where the T20 side slumped to 4-1 defeats against both nations. Seven of those players – David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, and Daniel Sams – are now expected to return to the IPL 2021.

KKR pacer Pat Cummins has said he will miss the IPL reboot due to the impending birth of his first child but has committed to Australia’s T20 World Cup tilt. Josh Hazlewood, Riley Meredith, Dan Christian, Moises Henriques, Mitch Marsh, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye, and Josh Philippe are the players that hold IPL deals that were part of the squad that toured the Caribbean and Bangladesh.

Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, and Josh Philippe had opted out of the first stage of the IPL tournament midway that was held in India but is eligible to return to the rescheduled closing stages, although it has not yet been confirmed if they will.

“If in case any player who was injured or unavailable during the India leg of IPL 2021 and is now fit or available then the franchise which had taken a replacement player … will need to elect (either) one of them,” IPL chief operating officer Hemang Amin told ESPN.

Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn and Ben Cutting – none of whom are in Cricket Australia’s plans or hold state contracts – are the other Aussies with IPL deals. Australia legend Ricky Ponting, who is also head coach of the Delhi Capitals IPL side, said the tournament was ideal preparation for the T20 World Cup.

“No doubt it’s their best preparation to be in those exact conditions, playing in probably the strongest domestic T20 tournament in the world,” Ponting said on SEN radio in conversation with Australia Test captain Tim Paine, who also endorsed the players going to the IPL.

“All the best players in the world will be there … and I’m not just saying it because I want some of the Australian players there at the Delhi Capitals. I’m not sure if they’ll be any restrictions on the bowlers going there, there may well be, but certainly the guys like Smith, Davey, Maxi, Stoinis who have been out of cricket for three or fourth months they need to get back into the groove.”

The T20 World Cup will begin with the qualifier rounds that will feature Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman, and Papua New Guinea. Australia has been drawn in Group 1 of the Super 12 stage with England, South Africa, and the West Indies, plus two teams from the qualifier round. India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and two qualifiers will be in the other Super 12 group.

Cricket/News

Cricket Australia And England And Wales Cricket Board Confirm Players Availability For 2nd Leg Of IPL 2021 In UAE

Published on August 15, 2021August 15, 2021

Cricket Australia (CA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have officially confirmed the availability of their players for the second half of IPL 2021. Both boards informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday that they have no objection to sending their players to the opulent competition.

Now, it’s up to the individual players whether to take part or not. This won’t be much of an issue either. Australian players like Glenn Maxwell and David Warner opted out of international tours to be available for IPL 2021 while the ECB shifted its international tour of Bangladesh to make space for the tournament.

Cricket Australia And England And Wales Cricket Board Officially Confirmed Availability Of Cricketers For IPL 2021 2nd Leg At UAE

Kasi Viswanathan, the CEO of Chennai Super Kings, confirmed receiving communication from the BCCI to Cricbuzz. Cricket Australia issued no-objection certificates to Australian players, allowing them to participate in the Indian Premier League when the tournament resumes in the UAE from September 19.

He said: “We have got a call from the IPL office and have been informed that the boards have no objection to their players’ participation. It is now up to the players. Our Australian and English players (Jason Behrendorff, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali) are available.”

MS Dhoni-led CSK reached Dubai for IPL 2021 on Friday, becoming the second team after defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) to do so.

Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians ©BCCI/IPL

Although not many official hurdles remain now for the players’ participation in IPL 2021, there’s still some internal debate going on in the public, especially about the workload issues ahead of the T20 World Cup. Arch-rivals CSK and MI will kick off the tournament on September 19, which will go on till October 15.

England’s three-ODI and three-T20I tour of Bangladesh, scheduled for September and October, has been moved to March 2023. It opens up the opportunity for England’s limited-overs cricketers like Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, and Sam Curran to play the Indian Premier League.

Cricket Australia has issued No Objection Certificates for the players to return to the IPL next month, while a planned T20 tri-series with Afghanistan and West Indies may be re-purposed as (T20) World Cup warm-ups.

Ricky Ponting: IPL 2021 Undoubtedly Best Preparation For The T20I World Cup

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, head coach of Delhi Capitals, however, dismissed these concerns on Friday, saying IPL 2021 would be the “best preparation” for the players.

“Those guys that haven’t played for three or four months now, they need to get back into the groove of playing high-quality cricket against the best players in the world. No doubt it’s their best preparation (for the T20 World Cup) to be in those exact conditions, playing in probably the strongest domestic T20 tournament in the world.

“All the best players in the world will be there … and I’m not just saying it because I want some of the Australian players there at the Delhi Capitals,” Ponting was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting (Photo | IPL Twitter)

Elsewhere, David Warner of Australia has confirmed availability for Sunrisers Hyderabad which also has the services of Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow (both England). Australians Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis have already informed their franchise Delhi Capitals that they would be showing up for the tournament. There are 14 English and 20 Australians in different franchises for IPL 2021.

Cricket Australia (CA) on Sunday cleared the way for its players to take part in the remainder of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) in the UAE in September and October. Cricket Australia’s clearance came after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced the postponement of a three-match ODI series between the two nations that was originally planned to be held in India ahead of the T20 World Cup

Cricket/News

Ricky Ponting Questions Depth Around Australia Cricket After 1-4 Series Loss To West Indies And Bangladesh

Published on August 14, 2021

Ricky Ponting has questioned the depth in Australian cricket after the poor T20 results on the recent tours of West Indies and Bangladesh but believes the team can still pose a challenge for the forthcoming 2021 T20I World Cup if their strongest side is available.

Australia ended the twin tours with a 2-8 scoreline losing both the series by a margin of 1-4 across the two T20 contests which was capped off by being skittled for 62, which was their lowest T20 total, in the final match in Dhaka.

Ricky Ponting: Depth Around Australia Cricket Is Not Where It Needs To Be

While Ricky Ponting acknowledged the conditions were challenging in Bangladesh, he was concerned that performances got worse as the matches went on. Only Mitchell Marsh emerged with an enhanced reputation with the bat although the bowling attack largely performed creditably.

“The lack of knowhow and skill in those conditions brought us undone again,” Ricky Ponting told Tim Paine on the Test captain’s SEN radio show.

“It’s been the achilles heel for Australian cricket for as long as I can remember – more so in Test cricket, but we’ve always found a way to be very competitive in Sri Lanka and India in white-ball cricket. Just goes to show the depth around Australia cricket is not where it needs to be so there’s some work to do there.”

“The T20 World Cup is not far away so hopefully we get all the boys fit and healthy because I still think with everyone fit and healthy in the UAE that the Australian team can push really hard to win the title. Let’s keep our fingers crossed we can put our strongest XI on the field.”

Mitchell Marsh cut loose in the Powerplay © Getty Images

Captain Aaron Finch was ruled out of the Bangladesh series with a knee injury which meant Australia was missing up to eight players who could be considered among first picks including David Warner, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, and Marcus Stoinis from the batting order.

“There were a lot of names not there…but it almost seemed they got worse during that series,” Ricky Ponting said. “There’s no doubt those conditions were really difficult, but that’s the worry for me.

“They’ve been there long enough and done some training on wickets you’d have thought were quite similar to what they played on yet the further the series went, whether a lack of confidence or skill or game awareness, I’m sure they would have been shattered.”

Australian allrounder Mitchell Marsh played three ODIs and five T20Is against West Indies last month. In the T20Is, Mitchell Marsh scored 219 runs with a strike rate of 152.08 and took eight wickets with an economy rate of 6.76, making him the lead run-scorer and wicket-taker for Australia in the series. He was the leading run-scorer against Bangladesh too scoring 156 runs in 5 T20I games averaging 31.2.

Ricky Ponting Waiting For Confirmation On Whether Injured Steve Smith Is Available In The IPL 2021 And T20I World Cup

Ricky Ponting, the head coach of Delhi Capitals, said he was still waiting for confirmation on whether he would have experienced batsman Steve Smith, who is recovering from an elbow injury, and Marcus Stoinis available but sees it as their best opportunity to be tuned up for the World Cup.

“There’s no doubt it’s their best preparation, in those exact conditions playing probably the strongest domestic T20 tournament in the world,” he said. “I’m not saying it just because I want some of the Australian players there with Delhi, but it sounds like our domestic season will be pushed back so they’ll be no domestic cricket here before the T20 World Cup, so preparation wise it’s spot on.”

Steve Smith Image Source : TWITTER/DELHICAPITALS — Steve Smith Image Source: TWITTER/DELHICAPITALS.

“Not sure if they’ll be any restrictions on the bowlers going there, there may well be, but certainly the guys like Smith, Davey, Maxi, Stoinis who have been out of cricket for three or fourth months they need to get back into the groove.”

The country’s seven top cricketers including the likes of David Warner, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, and Daniel Sams have pulled out from the upcoming West Indies series and Bangladesh series.

Star batsman Steve Smith was also not included in the squad as he is yet to fully recover from an elbow injury that flared up during the IPL. It now seems likely that a number of the Australia players will prepare for the World Cup by returning to the IPL for its resumption next month although Pat Cummins is not expected to be available due to the birth of his first child.

Australia limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch (File photo| PTI)

Cricket/News

Aaron Finch Aims To Be Fit For The 2021 T20I World Cup After Successful Knee Surgery

Published on August 13, 2021

Aaron Finch, Australia’s limited-overs captain has undergone knee surgery with the recovery expected to take eight to 10 weeks as he aims to be fit for the T20 World Cup.

Aaron Finch missed the recent Bangladesh tour having suffered cartilage damage ahead of the series in West Indies. He managed to play the five T20Is in the Caribbean but aggravated the injury in the final game.

Australia's Aaron Finch ©Reuters — Australia’s Aaron Finch ©Reuters

Aaron Finch Missed Bangladesh Tour Where Australia Was Beaten 4-1 And Was Bowled Out For Their Lowest T20I Total Of 62

Having completed his mandatory two-week quarantine upon returning to Melbourne, Aaron Finch had the operation on Thursday with a Cricket Australia statement saying it was successful.

“His recovery is expected to take 8-10 weeks meaning he should be available for the opening games of the World Cup in mid-October,” the statement added.

The longer end of that timescale will push things tight for Aaron Finch with Australia’s involvement in the tournament due to begin in the final week of October. It is expected that tentative plans for warm-up matches against Afghanistan and West Indies will be cancelled due to logistical challenges with some players returning from the IPL which will be also be staged in the UAE ahead of the World Cup.

Bangladesh won the first T20I match by 23 runs, recording their first-ever win in the format against Australia in five attempts. Bangladesh then won the second T20I by five wickets, and the third T20I by ten runs.

Therefore, Bangladesh won the series with two matches to spare and recorded their first-ever series win in any format against Australia. Australia won the fourth T20I by three wickets, to avoid a whitewash. However, they lost the final match by 60 runs, with Bangladesh winning the series 4–1.

The likes of Nasum Ahmed (8 wickets), Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, and Shakib Al Hasan (7 wickets each) were successful with the ball for Bangladesh.

Aaron Finch Was One Of The 8 Players Australia Missed In Bangladesh

Aaron Finch was one of eight potential first-choice players Australia was missing in Bangladesh where they were beaten 4-1 (the same margin they suffered in West Indies) including being bowled out for their lowest T20I total of 62 in the last match. If fit, Aaron Finch will be expected to open alongside David Warner at the World Cup.

The country’s seven top cricketers including the likes of David Warner, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, and Daniel Sams have pulled out from the upcoming West Indies and Bangladesh series. Star batsman Steve Smith was also not included in the squad as he is yet to fully recover from an elbow injury that flared up during the IPL.

In Aaron Finch’s absence, Matthew Wade captained the side in Bangladesh where, like many of the batters, he had a lean time. Pat Cummins, the official Australia vice-captain, will be part of the World Cup squad. Australia has lost their last five T20I series, against England, India, New Zealand, West Indies, and Bangladesh, having previously climbed to No. 1 in the rankings.

Their planning has been disrupted by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on player availability but the results have also raised questions about the depth available especially in batting. Australia has never won the T20 World Cup with their best performance being a runners-up finish in 2010 when they lost the final against England in Barbados.

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