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Three days after winning the ICC Men's T20I Player of the Decade award, Afghanistan star spinner Rashid Khan expressed gratitude and promised his fans "some more good performances" in the future.

On Wednesday, the Board sent an exhaustive 30-page long list of Covid protocol, including the Standard Operating Procedures (TOI has a copy) to all the teams for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, which will kick off the severely curtailed 2020-21 domestic season from January 10.

Canterbury fast bowler Matt Henry was called up to the New Zealand squad for the second Test against Pakistan, starting on Sunday at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, to replace the injured Neil Wagner, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Friday.

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) celebrated the historic achievement of star spinner Rashid Khan who was named the ICC Men's T20I Player of the Decade and featured in the T20I Team of the decade as well.

Australia's batsmen must balance aggression with discipline to combat India in the third Test in Sydney after being pinned down by their bowlers in the first two matches, number three Marnus Labuschagne said.

Since 2018-19, when Virat Kohli’s boys won the series 2-1, there has been a remarkable decrease in Aussie run-rates. In 11 innings (8 in 2018-19 and 3 on the current tour), the Australians have touched a run-rate of 3.0 only once, in the first innings of Perth where they won the Test.

​The 31-year-old’s woeful form is definitely a worry for the hosts ahead of the third Test in Sydney starting from January 7. While some have questioned Smith’s technique against the Indian bowlers, former Australian skipper Kim Hughes offered a different point of view.

The middle-order batsman said the Aussies have been stifled by a leg-side trap set by India. In both the Tests so far in Adelaide and Melbourne, India have crowded the leg side with fielders and the fast bowlers have predominantly bowled straight at the stumps when the ball gets old.

Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq is not disappointed with the performance of his team on the ongoing tour of New Zealand, saying his players competed with a fatigued body and mind.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday unveiled nominations for the PCB Awards 2020, the results of which will be announced on their digital platforms on Friday.

Jasprit Bumrah, who will now be the only pace bowler remaining from the India squad of 2018-19 that won the Test series in Australia, will have his hands full going into the last two Tests of the series being the senior-most bowler despite having played just 16 Tests so far.

India's victory in the Boxing Day Test against Australia drew worldwide praise. It was particularly impressive because the win was registered after the team was shot out for their lowest Test innings total of all time in the previous match in Adelaide, losing the series opener inside three days.

Three days after bagging the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Decade award, Australia batsman Steve Smith on Thursday said he is humbled to get the honour and thanked all the supporters for showing faith in him. He further said he is excited to see what the next decade has in store for him.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes while thanking the International Cricket Council (ICC) for inducting him in the ODI and Test Team of the Decade pointed how the Test team cap was 'Baggy and Green'.

Will Pucovski's history of bouncing back strongly from concussion-induced breaks gives Australia assistant coach Andrew McDonald confidence that the young opener will not have trouble in scoring runs if drafted into playing XI.

After displacing Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to reach the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson on Thursday said he was just trying to do the best for his side which reflected in the rankings. Willamson did briefly occupy the top spot towards the end of 2015, but either Smith or Kohli have been number one since. This year too, Smith was at the top for 313 days and Kohli for 51, before Williamson surged ahead.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been sued by former umpires John Holder and Ismail Dawood for alleged racial discrimination during their time in the board's employment, a report said.

Rohit Sharma, who had missed the limited-overs series as well as the first two Tests against Australia due to a hamstring injury that he sustained during the IPL, was seen taking catching practice in the photographs.

India captain Virat Kohli held on to his second position while stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane broke into the top 10 after gaining five places in the latest ICC men's Test batting ranking released on Thursday.

The Indian team management is likely to prefer Shardul Thakur over left-arm pace sensation Thangarasu Natarajan in the third Test against Australia in place of injured Umesh Yadav.

Kane Williamson leaped from third to first after his player-of-the-match effort leading the Black Caps to a 101-run victory over Pakistan this week, scoring 129 in the first innings and a rapid 21 in the second when New Zealand were building a lead before declaring.

New Zealand pace bowler Neil Wagner battled through the pain of two broken toes in the first Test against Pakistan but coach Gary Stead said he would miss the second match at Hagley Oval in Christchurch starting on Sunday.

David Warner may play the third Test against India even if he is short of full fitness as Australia look to the veteran opener to strengthen the top order, assistant coach Andrew McDonald said on Thursday.

The Indian women's team's wait to resume international cricket since the coronavirus-induced break continued with its scheduled tour of Australia getting postponed to next season, Cricket Australia said on Thursday.

Former Indian batsman VVS Laxman heaped praise on the Indian cricket team for their eight-wicket victory against Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

India's Ravindra Jadeja is for now in the same bracket as England's Ben Stokes as an all-rounder, says former India wicket-keeper batsman Deep Dasgupta. Jadeja played an integral role in India's win against Australia in the second Test, returning with figures of 1/15 and 2/28 and scoring 57 in India's first innings.

Being dropped from two Tests in South Africa in 2018 despite being the designated vice-captain was probably the lowest point in Ajinkya Rahane's career. It was a turbulent time for Rahane. His spot in the Test XI seemed to be in jeopardy and his future in limited-overs cricket too didn't look promising.

Former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist is confident that David Warner will compete in the Sydney Test but is not sure if Will Pucovski would make his debut in the third match against India, starting January 7.

A spot in the World Test Championship final is like that "carrot in mind" which keeps pushing teams to give their best, said New Zealand captain Kane Williamson after his side beat Pakistan in the first Test, here on Wednesday.

South Africa will go into the second Test against Sri Lanka with the same top six batsmen but coach Mark Boucher acknowledges the return of fit-again fast bowler Kagiso Rabada is no certainty.

India kept themselves in contention of competing in the final of the ICC World Test Championship next year after winning the Melbourne Test that helped them retain their second spot in the updated points table, released on Wednesday.

Playing alongside top international players in the Indian Premier League has developed a fearlessness in opener Shubman Gill and quick Mohammed Siraj, said India coach Ravi Shastri after the duo excelled in the second Test against Australia.

Interestingly, Ajinkya Rahane, as Test captain, has a 100% win record. He has captained three Tests so far and won all three. The first was vs Australia in 2017 in Dharamsala, when India won by 8 wickets and then vs Afghanistan in Bengaluru in 2018. India won that match by an innings and 262 runs.

Opening batsmen David Warner and Will Pucovski have been included in Australia's 18-man squad for the third Test against India in Sydney but Joe Burns has been dropped after twin failures in Melbourne.

The challenges in a post COVID-19 world were new and unusual but unlike other Indian sports, cricket could partially redeem itself, thanks to the deep pockets of the BCCI and an intent to ensure that the "show must go on" with a glitzy Indian Premier League in an alien land.

Cricket Australia interim Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley on Wednesday confirmed that Team India and Australia will not travel to Sydney on New Year's eve and will stay in Melbourne for a couple of days.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) said Test captain Jason Holder and limited-overs skipper Kieron Pollard are among 10 players who have chosen not to travel to Bangladesh for their upcoming tour due to concerns about the novel coronavirus.

New Zealand's bowlers produced a late final session surge to guide their side to a tense 101-run victory over Pakistan in the first Test in Mount Maunganui on Wednesday and kept alive their hopes of reaching next year's World Test Championship final.

Australian authorities are asking fans at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) not to cheer too loudly during the third Test against India next week as the city grapples with an outbreak of Covid-19. The New South Wales (NSW) government restricted movement and tightened curbs on gatherings in Sydney on Wednesday, as the state recorded 18 new cases.

Winning an away Test match in SENA (SA, Eng, NZ and Aus) countries is no more a rarity in Indian cricket. But India doing it at the MCG without batting first is indeed rare.

The five-bowler strategy worked out perfectly for India in Melbourne but the Ajinkya Rahane-led side has some tough calls to make in the batting department, especially the opening slot, ahead of the third Test against Australia in Sydney with Rohit Sharma available for selection.

India's win in Melbourne on Tuesday is one of their best when it comes to fighting against adversities.

In 2011-12 Down Under, Ashwin managed just 9 wickets in three Tests at an average of 62.77 (SR 112). Then during the 2014-15 tour, Ashwin scalped 12 wickets in three Tests @ 48.66 (SR 85.8). On both tours, his wickets mostly came when Australia had already put a massive total on the board and went for the slog, or against tailenders.

TOI has learnt from reliable sources in the BCCI that the 29-year-old Natarajan, who took two for 70 on his ODI debut and then scalped six wickets in the three-match T20 International series at an economy rate of 6.91, is set to replace fast bowler Umesh Yadav.

Australia head to the third Test against India desperately searching for answers to their batting woes and with fingers crossed that sidelined opener David Warner will be ready to slot back into the side in Sydney.

Both Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have demonstrated they are shrewd leaders. It is not for nothing India won the 2018-19 Test series in Australia under Kohli's leadership. But their approach towards captaincy, on-field decision making and demeanour is totally different.

While the team management can pat themselves on the back, they must also prepare for a potentially tricky selection call involving a big name, ahead of the third Test on January 7. India's regular Test opener Rohit Sharma has completed his quarantine and will be joining the team on Wednesday.

Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins said he had "every confidence" Australia's top batsmen would return to form following an underwhelming first two Tests against India.

Ajinkya Rahane's India showed both 'intent' and 'attitude' in abundance. Over four days, the tourists advertised a full-course meal of grit, skill and discipline. The discipline, in particular, enabled even rookie bowlers to suffocate their rivals for long periods by stringing together an endless garland of dots.