Indian former cricketer Virender Sehwag reveals the reason why he picked T Natarajan for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in IPL 2017. During the IPL 2017 auction, T Natarajan was picked by KXIP for a whopping 3 Crores though he had not even played domestic cricket then.
Sehwag Reveals the reason for picking T Natarajan in IPL 2017 auction
While everyone questions Sehwag regarding his selection for KXIP in IPL 2017 auction. Sehwag replies that he had been convinced by seeing videos of Natarajan from the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) of how useful he could be.
Natarajan
“I was very happy because when I had picked Natarajan in the IPL for the Kings XI Punjab, everyone was asking questions that this player has come who has not even played domestic cricket and came after playing just the TNPL league, so how he was picked at such a huge price,”
Sehwag, who was KXIP mentor at the time, responded to a fan query after the 3rd ODI on a post-match show on Sony Sports Network.
“I saw his videos and then decided that we will surely take him at the auction because we did not have a death bowler. Unfortunately that year, he had an injury to the elbow or the knee because of which he could not play too many matches. But we won only the matches that he played in and lost all the other matches,” Sehwag added.
Natarajan Maiden wicket
T Natarajan made his international ODI debut on December 2 2020 against Australia in the 3rd ODI match. Natarajan bagged his maiden ODI wicket in the first match itself.
Natarajan maiden wicket
Sehwag said he was excited to see Natarajan playing for India but would have thought he would have got a breakthrough in the T20 format first.
“So I was very excited to see that he was getting an opportunity although I was thinking that he would be given a chance in the T20Is but it was a surprise for me that he was played in the ODIs.”
India picked a consolation 13-run win in the 3rd ODI against Australia to end the series 2-1 in the hosts’ favour. The two teams will play a three-match T20I series starting from Friday.
Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell defends his signature ‘switch-hit’ which was criticised by Ian Chappell. Ian expressed his reservation about the shot and called it ‘unfair’ while speaking to Wide World of Sports.
Maxwell who always struggles to make consistent performance makes a massive comeback in the ODI series against India.
Maxwell replies Ian Chappell in style
Glenn Maxwell defended his signature shot and said that the shot is very much within the rules of the game.
“It is within the laws of the game. Batting has evolved in such a way, that it has got better and better over the years, which is why we see these massive scores are getting chased down and the scores are going up,” Maxwell said when asked about Chappell’s comments after the ODI series which Australia won 2-1.
Ian Chappell
Maxwell perfectly executed the ‘switch-hit’ shot during the series against India. The Aussie urged the bowlers to come up with a plan to combat it. “And I suppose it is up-to-the bowlers to try and combat that,” he said.
“I suppose the skills of bowlers have been tested every day with bowlers having to come up with different change-ups, different ways to stop batters.”
Former Aussie spinner Shane Warne supported Chappell’s thought about the switch hit, saying it gives the batsmen an ‘unfair advantage’.
Maxwell
But the all-rounder responded by saying: “We see guys come up with knuckle-balls and wide yorker fields and different tactics. And the tactics of ODI cricket have definitely evolved, so I just see it (switch hit) as a different part of the evolution of the game.”
However, Maxwell too played an important role in winning the ODI series against India. In 3 match ODI series Australia won the first two ODI with a massive difference and bags the ODI trophy.
After the ODI series, India and Australia lock their horns to play the 3 T20I and 4 Test matches series. Rohit Sharma has confirmed to make his comeback in the Test series against Australia. While Indian skipper Virat Kohli is expected to leave Australia after the 1 st Test match to attend their first childbirth.
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir praises Virat Kohli after reaching the feat of 12000 ODI runs.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar by becoming the quickest batsman to score 12,000 One Day International (ODI) runs. Virat Kohli achieved this feat in the 3rd ODI match against Australia.
Gambhir Praises Kohli for reaching 12000 ODI runs
Cricketer turned politician Gautam Gambhir appreciates Virat Kohli for his record of surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s feat of scoring 12000 ODI runs.
Virat Kohli – Fastest player to reach 22000 international run
“You can take anything, you can actually do whatever you want, but the best feeling in the world is when you score that last run and come back to your hotel room and you’re so satisfied that you’ve done something for your country, what you were meant to do,” Gambhir said on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.
“So probably, all those combinations have made him what he is, and hats off to him, he’s scored more than 20,000 runs, centuries all that,” Gambhir added.
Virat Kohli’s comeback in 3rd ODI vs Australia
Continuing his sublime run for Team India against the mighty Aussies in the recently concluded limited-overs series, skipper Kohli scored a gritty half-century to help India post a challenging total in the third ODI on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli
“You can take anything, you can actually do whatever you want, but the best feeling in the world is when you score that last run and come back to your hotel room and you’re so satisfied that you’ve done something for your country, what you were meant to do,” Gambhir said on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.
“So probably, all those combinations have made him what he is, and hats off to him, he’s scored more than 20,000 runs, centuries all that,” Gambhir added.
Continuing his sublime run for Team India against the mighty Aussies in the recently concluded limited-overs series, skipper Kohli scored a gritty half-century to help India post a challenging total in the third ODI on Wednesday.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and BCCI Secretary Jai Shah arrive at the BCCI headquarters for a meeting with IPL franchise owners in Mumbai
The addition of two new teams to the IPL is amongst the long agenda mentioned in the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) 89th Annual General Meeting (AGM). The meeting has scheduled to takes place on December 24, for which a notice has been issued.
BCCI plans to include 2 New IPL Teams
Representatives of the state cricket associations will have to approve the addition of the two teams for inclusion in the IPL.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah has sent the notice to all the affiliated state bodies about the AGM, and has said that the venue of the meeting would be shared in “due course”.
There are 23 points on the agenda, including the election of the vice-president, a post that has been laying vacant after Mahim Verma, who had been elected unopposed to the position at the October 23 general body meeting last year, resigned this year.
Another important agenda item to be discussed is the “BCCI’s stand on the inclusion of cricket” in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The 23 points listed on the BCCI AGM agenda are
A. Confirmation of the minutes of the 88th Annual General Meeting of BCCI held on December 1, 2019, at BCCI Headquarters, Cricket Centre, Mumbai.
B. Election of the Vice-President.
C. Election of 2 (two) representatives of the General Body in the Governing Council of the IPL.
D. Induction/appointment of the following members of the Governing Council:
(a) 2 (two) representatives of the General Body; and
(b) 1 (one) representative of the Indian Cricketer’s Association;
E. Adoption of the report of the secretary for the year 2019-20 under review.
F. Adoption of the treasurer’s report and the audited accounts for the year FY 2018-19.
G. Adoption of the Annual Budget for the year FY 2020-21.
H. Appointment of the Auditor or Auditors for the year 2019-20 and 2020-21 and fix their remuneration.
I. Appointment of the Ombudsman and Ethics Officer.
J. Appointment of the Cricket Committees and Standing Committees as mentioned in Rules 26 and 25 respectively.
K. Appointment of the Umpires Committee as mentioned in Rule 27.
L. Consideration of:
(a) The Report and recommendations of the Apex Council, the CEO and the Committees and to propose policy directions to the Apex Council;
(b) The Report and recommendations of the Governing Council and to propose policy directions to the Governing Council;
(c) The Reports of the Ombudsman and Ethics Officer and any recommendations made therein;
M. Consideration of any motion, notice whereof is given by a Full Member to the Secretary, 21 (twenty-one) days before the meeting.
N. To appoint the BCCI’s Representative or Representatives on the International Cricket Council and/or any similar organisation.
O. Approval on the inclusion of 2 (two) new teams to the Indian Premier League.
P. Discussion of BCCI’s stand on the inclusion of cricket in Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.
Q. To update on ICC matters.
R. To update on National Cricket Academy matters.
S. To update on ICC T20 World Cup 2021 scheduled to be held in India.
T. To update on India’s Future Tour Programs.
U. Ratification of rules framed by the Apex Council, in terms of Rule 15 of BCCI’s Rules and Regulations.
V. Consideration of any business, which the President may consider necessary to be included in the agenda.
W. Transaction of any other business of an informal character as may be permitted by the Chairperson.
Ravindra Jadeja points that he followed former Indian skipper MS Dhoni‘s guidance in the last ODI match against Australia. In the 3rd and last ODI match against Australia Jadeja and Hardik Pandya made a crucial partnership which hiked the team score to 302 runs.
India at the stage 152 runs lost their top 5 wickets where Jaddu and Hardik partnered and dragged team’s score to 302 runs. With a massive 150 runs partnership India placed descent target for the Australia.
Jadeja followed Dhoni’s Path in ODI vs Australia
During the post match show Jadeja points out that MS Dhoni’s guidance made him to play well. Jadeja had an experience of playing under Dhoni in both IPL and International team.
Dhoni Jadeja
“Mahi bhai has played so much cricket for India and Chennai (CSK). He always had a set pattern. He would go in and look to build a partnership with the batsman. He always used to get himself set and look to play the big shots. He has played in such situations so many times,” Jadeja said in an interaction with Sony Sports Network after the match.
“By looking at him and given the fact that I have batted with him so many times, he always used to tell me that if we can take it till the last then we can score a lot of runs in the final four-five overs,” Jadeja added.
“It was the same situation and that is what he tried to do today. Hardik and I were discussing that we can take a chance in the last few overs. The boundary was smaller on one side so that was the plan.”
Their 150-run unbeaten partnership is the highest ever partnership for the sixth wicket or lower in ODIs in Australia. It is also the highest ever 6th wicket partnership in India-Australia ODIs.
Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi has left the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2020 on Wednesday(02/12/2020) owing to personal reasons. Shahid Afridi leads Galle Gladiators in the inaugural LPL season.
Afridi was named the captain of Galle Gladiators after Sri Lanka pacer Lasith Malinga and Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed made themselves unavailable due to lack of preparation and national commitments respectively.
Shahid Afridi Left LPL 2020
Afridi, who was leading the Galle Gladiators, boarded the flight back to Pakistan after releasing an official statement on Twitter.
“Unfortunately I have a personal emergency to attend to back home. I will return to join back my team at LPL immediately after the situation is handled. All the best,” Shahid Afridi tweeted.
Unfortunately I have a personal emergency to attend to back home. I will return to join back my team at LPL immediately after the situation is handled. All the best.
In the absence of Afridi, vice-captain Bhanuka Rajapaksa could lead the Gladiators in the first few matches.
Reason Why Shahid Afridi left LPL 2020
Later the official LPL Twitter handle released that Afridi left as his beloved daughter has admitted to hospital. LPL Twitter handle released a picture of the father and daughter along with the prayer message.
Do you know the reason for @SAfridiOfficial ‘s return to the country?
He assured that he will be back to his team once the matter is solved. Gladiators are placed at the last spot in the points table with 3 losses in 3 games.
If Afridi returns to play the tournament may only have to will have to undergo and short quarantine period and Covid-19 Tests and not take the mandatory 3-day quarantine. Afridi had contracted the virus earlier this year and tests on arrival to Sri Lanka showed he had antibodies for the contagious virus.
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar praised Hardik Pandya after his 92 off 76 balls played a key role in India winning the 3rd ODI against Australia.
India struggled to get back to their form in the Australia tour. India lost the 3 match ODI series to the host in 2-1 format. After losing the first two ODI matches India seeks a victory to avoid the whitewash loss.
After winning the toss India elected to bat first where skipper Virat Kohli scored 63 runs as the highest run in the top order. Jadeja and Hardik Pandya join hands and literally dragged India to score 302 runs.
Sanjay Manjrekar Praises Hardik Pandya
Where Hardik Pandya with his outstanding performance scored 92 runs from 76 deliveries and stands undefeated. Pandya receives praises from various cricketers after his back to back impressive performance with the bat in the Australia series.
Hardik Pandya 🔥 Brilliant Knock Under Pressure, From 150/5 to 302/5.
“I was skeptical when they picked him on IPL performance. I thought he was a good T20 batsman but 50 over is a slightly different game. Can Hardik Pandya be a pure 50 overs batsman? He proved to all of us that he can,” Manjrekar said on Sony Six after India’s win in the 3rd ODI.
“He had that score in the first match but we have seen him get runs and not be consistent enough but we have seen in this game again today. So yes, India have found a pure No. 6. Who knows he might start going up the order?”
Manjrekar further added that the knock wasn’t necessarily a T20 style one as Pandya had to consolidate early on in his knock due to the fact that India had lost a few wickets early.
“It wasn’t a T20 innings, India lost early wickets and he got 30 from his first 30 balls. He has got the range and not too many bowlers can keep him quiet. That’s really impressive. He has convinced me as I was skeptical about him as a No. 6 pure batsmen. I think India have found one.
“Whether he bowls or not, India have now found a very capable batsman who can be used as an option in No. 5 or No. 6.”
After setting a descent target Australia get to chase the target where the India’s debut bowler T Natarajan makes a lightning delivery to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne for 7 runs. With the wicket, T Natarajan opens his account in the international ODI wicket section. India wins the last match of the ODI series by beating Australia by 13 runs.
T Natarajan (Thangarasu Natarajan) widely known as a yorker specialist made his International ODI debut in December 2, 2020. Natarajan (A) Nattu travels from almost being a coolie in Chinnappampatti to a million dollar baby in the IPL, T Natarajan’s journey as a cricketer is worth the read.
He first came into some limelight when he represented the team of BSNL in Tamil Nadu Cricket Association’s fourth division league. Natarajan then played 1st division cricket for Vijay Cricket Club for almost a year. Later, he moved to Jolly Rovers, a popular club that has fielded big names like Ravichandran Ashwin and Murali Vijay.
T Natarajan Details
FULL NAME
Thangarasu Natarajan
BIRTHDAY & PLACE
May 27, 1991. Chinnappampatti, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India
AGE
29 years
NATIONAL SIDE
India
BATTING STYLE
Left Handed
BOWLING
Left-arm medium-fast
BATTING RANK
Test – NA, ODI – NA, World Cup – NA, T20I – NA, IPL – NA, CL – NA
BOWLING RANK
Test – NA, ODI – NA, World Cup – NA, T20I – NA, IPL – NA, CL – NA
TEAMS PLAYED
Tamil Nadu, Dindigul Dragons, Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lyca Kovai Kings, India
MAN OF THE MATCH
Test – NA, ODI – NA, World Cup – NA, T20I – NA, IPL – NA, CL – NA,
Natarajan’s father worked as a porter at a railway station, his mother runs a road-side snack stall.
As the eldest of five siblings, including three sisters, Natarajan was always worried about taking care of his family. But his cricketing skill has been a savior for the Natarajan family.
T Natarajan’s Mentor
Natarajan’s early promise was spotted by A Jayaprakash, a division cricketer from Natarajan’s village. Jayaprakash urged him to work harder and excel at the game. Jayaprakash was convinced about the young boy’s abilities and potential to make it big.
He left no stone unturned to motivate and support Natarajan. Inspired by his fellow villager’s encouraging words, the young lad moved to Chennai and joined a cricket club in the city.
It was evident when Natarajan invited his friends to watch an IPL 2017 match in Bengaluru and then introduced them to Punjab skipper Glenn Maxwell, senior cricketers David Miller, Darren Sammy, Axar Patel, and assistant coach R Sridhar.
Career
T Natarajan made his first-class debut for Tamil Nadu in the 2014–15 Ranji Trophy on 5 January 2015.
He made his Twenty20 debut for Tamil Nadu in the 2016–17 Inter-State Twenty-20 Tournament on 29 January 2017.
T Natarajan made his List A debut for Tamil Nadu in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy on 20 September 2018.
In February 2017, he was bought by the Kings XI Punjab team for the 2017 Indian Premier League for ₹3 crores (US$420,000).
Nattu was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2018 IPL auction.
In December 2020, he made his international ODI debut and T20I debut in Australia tour under Virat Kohli‘s captaincy.
On January 15, 2021, T Natarajan makes his International Test debut against Australia and becomes the first Indian cricketer to make his all 3 debuts on the same tour.
T Natarajan Career Stats
Test Debut
Australia vs India at The Gabba, Brisbane, January 15, 2021
Last Test
NA
ODI Debut
Australia v India at Manuka Oval, Canberra, December 2, 2020
Last ODI
NA
T20 Debut
Australia v India at Manuka Oval, Canberra, December 4, 2020
Last T20
NA
IPL
Portrayed as India’s Mustafizur Rahman, KXIP picked him up 3 crores for IPL 2017 after his sterling performances in the domestic season and in the first season of TNPL as well.
T Natarajan made his IPL debut on Kings XI Punjab vs Rising Pune Supergiants, on 08-04-2017 at Holkar Cricket Stadium. He played in 6 games in his debut IPL season and picked up 2 wickets. That was anti-climactic but was a good learning curve for someone so raw.
Natarajan missed the 2017-18 season of Ranji season owing to an elbow injury but was still picked up during the 2018 IPL auctions by SRH for 40 lakhs. However, he was benched for the entire season with plenty of experienced campaigners competing for the role.
In IPL 2020 T Natarajan played 16 matches and bagged 16 wickets at an economy of 8.02. In IPL 2020 Nattu was widely spoked for his yorkers particularly in death overs.
T Natarajan IPL
ODI
After being consistent in IPL 2020 T Natarajan has dragged into the Indian squad for the Australia tour in December 2020. Natarajan was named as one of four additional bowlers to travel with the India cricket team for their tour to Australia.
Ahead of the first One Day International (ODI) match, he was added to India’s squad as a cover for Navdeep Saini, who suffered from a back spasm. Finally, the much-awaited moment for Natarajan happens as he made his ODI debut for India against Australia on 2 December 2020.
T Natarajan opened his account in the International wicket section by dismissing Marnus Labuschagne in the first ODI he played.
Natarajan maiden wicket
T20I
Prior to making his ODI debut, Natarajan travels as an additional bowler for team India. Nattu then added to India’s Twenty20 International (T20I) squad, replacing Varun Chakravarthy who was ruled out due to an injury.
T Natarajan made his T20I debut against Australia on December 4, 2020. As of the ODI Nattu made his maiden international T20I wicket in the debut match. T Natarajan dismissed Glenn Maxwell to register his maiden T20I wicket.
Test
In the Australia tour of India in December 2020 T Natarajan remains as the net bowler after his T20I and ODI debut in the same tour. After Indan star bowlers faces back-to-back injuries team India dragged T Natarajan into the playing XI for the last test vs Australia on 15th January 2021.
With his Test debut on 15th January 2021 T Natarajan becomes the first Indian to make an international debut in all 3 formats on the same tour.
Thangarasu Natarajan becomes the first Indian player to make his International debut across all three formats during the same tour 👏#AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/CKltP2uT5w
Speaking after South Africa failed to win a match in a home T20 series for the first time in the format’s history, Mark Boucher acknowledged that England are in a different class when compared with other teams.
Mark Boucher praises England
South African cricket coach Mark Boucher praises England after their T20 series loss.
“England are step ahead of, not only us, but quite a few different teams in world cricket,” Boucher said, after the team’s defeat in the third T20 at Newlands. “We’ve got a way to go. If you look at this England team, when they got together probably in around 2017, they were also asking a lot of questions of themselves trying to find a balance that was going to suit their style of play.
South Africa vs England
These guys have won a World Cup and are oozing with confidence. Their players are a lot more developed than what our players are. Our job is to get our guys in our team feeling what these guys are.”
Changes in South Africa’s playing XI
Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo have both been unavailable for selection for this series which forced South Africa to field XIs made up of specialists. They opted for a six batsmen-five bowler split, which meant they had no alternative but for each bowler to deliver a full quota of four overs.
In the first match, they tried to use Heinrich Klaasen for an over of part-time spin, which backfired, while in the second, Lungi Ngidi was costly and in the third, Lutho Sipamla and Tabraiz Shamsi leaked runs, but South Africa had no-one else to attempt to apply the brakes.
South Africa cricketers
Boucher on England’s batting line
While Boucher was mostly satisfied with the team’s batting efforts, he lamented the lack of a left-hander, with David Miller also unavailable for this series.
“Maybe (we could also have had) a left-hander in the middle-order, especially to a legspinner like Adil Rashid who turns the ball in to the left-hander. It showed in the England batting line-up how valuable that can be,” he said.
Despite the forced absence of some first-choice players, Boucher insists South Africa are beyond the trial phase of their T20 World Cup preparation and want to fine-tune rather than figure out their overall squad.
Jason Roy
“We haven’t been experimenting. We’ve been using the resources that we’ve had,” he said. “We’ve had a couple of unfortunate circumstances that caused us to play combinations that we knew were not correct but we had to do it. We want to get into a situation where we are solid on a T20 squad.”
He also defended the team’s demonstration of their new aggressive, but smart, style of play, which has yet to be fully explained.
England’s smart move – Boucher Appreciate
It seems to suggest a more proactive approach to shorter formats than is usual for South Africa, who tend to err on the side of caution. Boucher said he felt the team showed signs of clever thinking, even though it didn’t always work in their favour.
“I do think they were smart. We were thrown a couple of curveballs,” he said. “A smart decision would be to play six bowlers but the balance of the side wouldn’t have worked out.
England
On the field, I like the core group of guys to make decisions, and they made those decisions. We continuously talk about smart decisions. And what we felt we did right and what we felt we could do better. We want to keep growing.
“In the first two games, we were smart, we just didn’t play the big moments that well. If you look at the games, it came down to one or two overs that cost us. That’s just big moments that we didn’t play as well as England did and hence the results.
The first two games were a lot tighter than people may think. This game not so much. I thought we had enough runs. We just didn’t execute with the ball and England are a powerhouse side and they are going to punish you.”
South Africa expects a Better ODI season
Balking at the big moments has often been a criticism levelled against South Africa. But that’s not something they can dwell on right now.
Rather than a close scrutiny of what they didn’t do in this series, Boucher hopes his squad can apply a wide lens to this series and see it in the context of their rebuilding process and the summer ahead, as they look to close the gap between themselves and teams like England.
“Days like today are tough because we haven’t won,” he said. “We will try and encourage the guys that they need to trust the bigger picture. There are a couple of hard lessons being learnt at the moment but we are not going to quit. We are here for the long haul.”
Rabada injured with a right abductor strain and expected to return to the Test series against Sri Lanka. England were scheduled to play 3 T20 matches and as many ODI matches against South Africa.
KG played the first two T20Is of the ongoing three-match series against the visitors. But did not feature in the series finale. Which was a dead rubber as England clinched an unbeatable 3-0 victory.
Rabada – England tour of South Africa
England and South Africa will lock their horns to play the 3 match ODI series from December 4.
Possible return of Rabada
KG is expected to take about three weeks to recover. Rabada has therefore been released from the squad and bio-secure environment that is in place for the England tour, according to Cricket South Africa.
SA wants the pacer to take time away from the game and recover in time for the 2-match Test series against Sri Lanka at home. The Test series will be held from December 26 to January 7.
After a whitewash T20I lose South Africa is in need to rebuild their team from scratch. In order to make a profitable win in the upcoming ODI series against the England. Though South Africa plans to make a change in their ODI team, Proteas need to build a strong T20 crew for the upcoming ICC T20WC.
Kagiso Rabada was the Purple Cap winner at Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 as she shone at the death for Delhi Capitals, who made it to their maiden final. Rabada played 17 matches and picked up 30 wickets to finish on top of the bowling charts in the UAE.
Naveen ul Haq Gets in heated altercation with Shahid Afridi
The inaugural edition of the LPL faces the first heated argument between Tuskers pacer Naveen-ul-Haq and Gladiators duo Mohammad Amir and Shahid Afridi. The incident grabbed the spotlight and gets viral in a moment.
Naveen Gets in a heated altercation with Shahid Afridi
Cricketers from various regions of the globe have assembled in Sri Lanka for the Lanka Premier League. During a match between Kandy Tuskers and Galle Gladiators in the LPL T20 league on Monday, former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi came to blows with Afghanistan’s youngster Naveen-ul-Haq over the latter’s alleged abuse of Mohammad Amir.
In the 18th over of the game, Naveen was smashed for a boundary by Amir on the fourth delivery of the over before the pacer bounced back and delivered a dot on the 5th ball. The Afghan pacer seemed to have crossed his line a bit and abused Amir after the penultimate delivery of the over.
The incident saw Amir and Naveen having a fiery exchange but that wasn’t the end of it. The 20th over of the match produced similar scenes and this time it was Gladiators skipper Afridi deciding to speak to Naveen.
Afridi seemed to be greeting everyone with a smile after the match was over. But when he came across Naveen, the veteran custodian of the game had a grim look on his face. It was then that the veteran all-rounder reportedly told the Afghan rookie: “Son I was scoring 100s in international cricket before you were born”.
The Lanka Premier League has produced great cricketing action so far. In the match between the Tuskers and Gladiators, Danushka Gunathilaka’s 82 off 53 took Gladiators to a total of 197 runs while batting first. The Tuskers fell quite short in the chase, scoring only 171 in 20 overs.
As David Warner ruled out of limited over series against India, Australia seeks the best replacement opener for him in 3rd ODI.
Warner ruled out of ODI & T20 series against India
Owing to a groin injury during the second ODI match against India Warner has ruled out of the last ODI and upcoming T20 series against India.
David Warner plays a crucial role in the first two ODI matches where Australia beat India by 66 and 51 runs respectively. The aggressive opener scored 69 runs in the first ODI and 83 runs in the second ODI and laid a strong opening partnership.
Though many come up with individual suggestions, Aussies skipper himself points three players who have the eligibility to replace warner in the opening slot.
Aaron Finch
“We have not picked a team yet, but we have got a few options. Whether we go Wadey in the side or Marnus comes up and opens the batting, Alex Carey has done a lot of it in the past,” Cricket.com.au quoted Finch as saying.
“But the middle-order has been functioning really well over the last little while. That is the beauty of being two-nil up in the series, you can look to experiment if you want to do that or you can look to play the safe option,” he added.
But Finch conceded that Australia will be a lot weaker without Warner in the playing XI while terming him one of the better players in gentlemen’s game.
“He is an all-time great in one-day and T20 cricket, I do not think there are many better players to have played the game,” said Finch.
“So any team he is not a part of is going to be slightly weaker but we have got guys that can step and really contribute heavily in that role,” he added.
