England captain Eoin Morgan has issued a big statement ahead of their T20 World Cup campaign that starts against West Indies in Dubai on October 23. Morgan said he would drop himself if he felt his team has a better chance of winning the multi-team tournament without him.

Morgan’s statement has come following his lean patch with the willow throughout 2021. In the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL), the left-handed batter could score only 133 runs in 17 matches at a dreadful average of 11 and a strike rate of 95.68. Moreover, Morgan’s highest score in T20 international for England this year is just 28.

“It’s always something I’ve said – it’s always an option,” said Morgan when asked if he would leave himself out as quoted by Cricbuzz.

“I’m not going to stand in the way of a team winning the World Cup. I’ve been short of runs, but my captaincy has been pretty good as it goes. I’ve always managed to compartmentalise both and treat them as two different challenges. Not being a bowler and being a bit older, and not contributing as much in the field, I’ve loved the role of captain. You get two bites at the cherry impacting the game,” he added.

Morgan also mentioned that he has experienced some rough patches previously but has always managed to come back in the form. The Dublin-born pointed out the nature of T20 cricket, and his batting position in the team always requires him to go big from the word go, and he will continue doing that unless the team want him to change.

“As regards my batting, I wouldn’t be standing here if I hadn’t come out of every bad run of form that I’d ever had. The nature of T20 cricket and where I bat means I always have to take quite high-risk options, and I’ve come to terms with that. It’s just something you deal with, it’s the nature of the job, so I’m going to continue taking those risks if the team dictates they need them; if they don’t, I won’t,” Morgan added further.

On the opening day of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, Scotland produced one of the biggest upsets, toppling Bangladesh by six runs in a thrilling encounter at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 1), Oman.

After being put in to bat first, the Scots were 53/6 at one point, but an all-round show from Chris Greaves and a combined bowling performance guided them to victory.

Greaves, playing just his second T20I, smashed 28-ball 46 and took his side to a respectable total of 140/9.

In reply, Bangladesh were stopped at 134 for seven in their allotted quota of 20 overs.

The Mahmudullah-led side could score just 25 runs in the powerplay, losing Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das for five each. Mushfiqur Rahman struck back-to-back sixes over leg-side off Michael Leask in the ninth over to build momentum in the chase.

Soon, Greaves struck with his first ball of the over, Shakib Al Hasan was caught in the deep for 20, and his side eventually secured victory by six runs.

This was Scotland’s second win at the World Cup stage in 22 games; however, their second in two matches after beating Hong Kong in their final fixture at the 2016 T20 World Cup.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

Bangladesh came into the World Cup having won a T20 series vs Australia,NZ & Zimbabwe. Credit to Scotland for playing superbly & more importantly being so good in the field.

— zainab abbas (@ZAbbasOfficial) October 17, 2021

Scotland have got this World Cup to a lightening start. To beat a bigger team is a big deal, to do so after being 53 for 6 at the halfway mark is sensational #BANvSCO

— Sambit Bal (@sambitbal) October 17, 2021

Yeeeeeessss!!! Watta fabulous night for @CricketScotland #magical #Omanacademyoval @T20WorldCup Congrats to Kyle Coetzer & lads

— Danny Morrison (@SteelyDan66) October 17, 2021

Day 1… upset alert!! #T20WorldCup #BANvSCO

— Chetan Narula (@chetannarula) October 17, 2021

Scotland beat Bangladesh! Not an upset. In-form side beats a side looking for conditions in their favour to win.

To come from being 53/6 to post that score and then bowl that well. Well played Scotland. Chris Greaves was the hero of the day for them.

— Nikhil (@CricCrazyNIKS) October 17, 2021

What a remarkable performance by Scotland!! Bangladeshi batters lost the game in the early overs. Scotland now have a 100% win record against Bangladesh in T20Is. #T20WorldCup

— Saif Hasnat (@saifhasnat) October 17, 2021

That is some win for @CricketScotland . From 53 for 6. They’ve been a very competitive team for a few years now.

— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) October 17, 2021

Even better for Scotland than them beating Bangladesh is winning while far from their best. To win from 53-6 against world no 6 team is a special effort

— Tim Wigmore (@timwig) October 17, 2021

Well played, Scotland #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/eh7YJpS2Rl

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 17, 2021

What a night for you, @CricketScotland. The bowling and catching in the last few overs was top class. To come.back from where you were is so creditable. Look forward to watching more of you.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 17, 2021

Dashami for @BCBtigers this will hurt.

— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) October 17, 2021

Scotland Ne #Bangladesh Ki Lanka Lagadi. First Ulat Fer of #ICCT20WorldCup2021. #Scotland defeated Bangladesh by 6 runs. #BANvSCO

— KRK (@kamaalrkhan) October 17, 2021

That is a seriously impressive effort with the ball by Scotland. Bangladesh were strangled from the first over and despite that last over hitting, never really looked like getting the runs. Brilliant win for the Scots #T20WorldCup

— Rob Johnston (@RobJ_Cricket) October 17, 2021

Day one and already a giant killing. Scotland pull off a sensational win over Bangladesh – with South Africa-born and raised Chris Greaves playing a starring role.

— Derek Alberts (@derekalberts1) October 17, 2021

#Scotland too good for Bangladesh tonight as they win by 6 runs.

This is not an unlikely defeat for #Bangladesh since they practised on dreadful pitches back at home. But, all is not over for them yet.#T20WorldCup

— Israr Ahmed Hashmi (@IamIsrarHashmi) October 17, 2021

On Friday, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won their fourth title, defeating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 27 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

It was a special moment for the Super Kings as they made a comeback in the fourteenth season of the cash-rich league after failing to qualify for the playoffs in the previous edition. Like every CSK player, it was a cherishing moment for star all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as he set a new world record to bag his 16th T20 title.

Not only this, but Bravo also went past his good friend and West Indies teammate Kieron Pollard as both cricketers were tied on 15 titles each before the second leg of IPL 2021 began in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

After the match, Bravo took a sly dig at Pollard and reminded the Windies skipper that he has some catching up to do. It all happened after commentator Simon Doull asked Bravo, “DJ, have you text Kieron yet”?

To this, Bravo answered and said: “Well, the first thing I’m going to do when I turn on my phone – let Kieron Pollard know this is the 16th. He has some catching up to do.”

Most T20 titles:

• 16 – Dwayne Bravo
• 15 – Kieron Pollard
• 12 – Shoaib Malik
• 10 – Rohit Sharma
• 9 – Lasith Malinga

Speaking about the turnaround of CSK, Bravo credited the success to the team management. The West Indies star heaped praises on Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad for a consistent run in the fourteenth season.

“Belief in the squad from management, owners. After last season was really disappointed. Owed it to the franchise, the fans to come up with a better performance. Don’t get nervous (coming into a final). Have had a good performance in different phases of the tournament. Faf and Ruturaj stand out for us. To have these two guys scoring over 500 runs together. Experience beats youth any day,” added Bravo.

Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell has suggested areas of improvement for the current Indian Test team while admitting that the Virat Kohli-led side is a very good all-round outfit that has proved its potential in recent times.

Chappell reckoned that in order to remain at the top, Team India needs to find the right balance, especially the middle-order. He even suggested three players that can take vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane’s place at number 5 in the Test batting line-up.

Notably, Rahane has struggled to score runs since his match-winning century in Melbourne against Australia last year. The experienced lad has been far inconsistent and has only scored 372 runs in 11 Tests at a dreadful average of 19.57 this year.

Chappell suggested the names of wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, all-rounder pair of Ravindra Jadeja, and Hardik Pandya to form a strong middle-order. He also picked Ravichandran Ashwin to balance the side perfectly.

“A middle-order that reads Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Pandya and Ashwin should provide the runs expected of that section. With three fast bowlers to follow, the batting is then supported by a versatile attack. That’s the advantage of having a strong, well-balanced attack – you don’t need huge scores to chase victory,” wrote Chappell in his column for ESPNcricinfo.

The 77-year-old believed the advantage of having such middle-order is that it’s interchangeable according to match situations. Chappell felt that the trio of Pant, Jadeja, and Pandya can all bat at number five and can also come down the order as per the circumstances of a given match.

“The other good point about that middle order is that it’s interchangeable. Skill-wise, Pant is the best batter of that lot. He’s capable of restraint when the situation demands, so he could easily handle No. 5, especially when India bat first. However, if he’s had a long stint in the field, he could slide down the order to allow Jadeja to come in at five. Pandya also has the potential to handle No. 5, and given encouragement, he could fulfil the role,” added the former Aussie skipper.

The South Australian also admitted the downside of Rahane’s absence as India would lose a player with tactical inputs. But Chappell said that it could be compensated by making Rohit Sharma as vice-captain.

“The only downside would be the loss of Ajinkya Rahane’s tactical input and his slip fielding to the spinners. Nevertheless, Rohit Sharma is now an acclaimed captain, and he’s capable of handling the vice-captaincy role,” Chappell added further.

Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin made a comeback to India’s white-ball outfit after four years as he was included in the 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday (September 08).

With Ravindra Jadeja being there as a sure-shot selection, Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel were also picked in the squad apart from Ashwin for the global showpiece event.

The 34-year-old last played limited-overs cricket for India in 2017 before being sidelined. However, he kept the momentum going by constantly proving his mettle in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket.

Speaking about the squad selection, former India cricketer and currently the chief selector Chetan Sharma revealed the real reason that led to Ashwin’s inclusion in the outfit. Sharma termed Ashwin as an ‘asset’, stating that his performance in the cash-rich league attracted his selection in the final squad.

The 55-year-old reckoned the wickets are going to be slow in the Gulf Nation, and with IPL’s second-half scheduled to be played there, Ashwin becomes a key player for India. Injury to Washington Sundar also went in Ashwin’s favour, as explained by Sharma.

“Ravichandran Ashwin is an asset has been playing in the IPL regularly. He has performed well there. The wickets are likely to be low and slow as the IPL’s latter half will be played in the UAE, and that will help the spinners,” said Sharma in a virtual presser.

“When you go into the World Cup, you need an off-spinner. Spinners will get assistance, so having an off-spinner holds the key. Washington Sundar is injured. He has performed well in the IPL, so that is why he has found a place for himself in the squad,” he added.

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain has revealed the real reason that led to all the mess ahead of the now-cancelled fifth and final Test between India and England. Hussain believed that a relaxed bubble given to players has resulted in Indian staff members getting positive for novel coronavirus.

Notably, few media reports claimed that India coaches and players had attended a book launch at a London hotel outside their bubble two days before the fourth Test held at the Kennington Oval. Team India had to play the Oval Test without their Head Coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar and physiotherapist Nitin Patel as they were put in isolation.

Then ahead of the fifth Test, which was scheduled to begin on Friday at Old Trafford in Manchester, assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar also tested positive, which eventually led to the cancellation of the Manchester Test.

“They (India) have enjoyed a more relaxed bubble here in the UK, and ultimately that is how Covid has got into the camp — but it is too easy for us to preach to the India team to play the game on the back of a round of negative PCR tests and double vaccinations,” wrote Hussain in his column for Daily Mail.

Hussain mentioned that he didn’t want to blame the Indian cricketers for not playing the fifth Test as life inside the bio-bubble is very tough. The former international reckoned the Indian players became restless after their physio and his assistant tested positive because physios are close to every player.

“I don’t blame the players (for not playing the fifth Test) because I experienced similar environments last summer. If someone had asked me to do a few extra days last September, I would have shown resistance, and I was just doing a few weeks here and there.”

“Yes, these players are handsomely paid, but that does not make the hotel isolation any easier. And so, when India’s physio and his assistant tested positive, India got fidgety. Physios are the closest of close contacts, and by the end of a major series, it is not just the fast bowlers being treated regularly,” Hussain added further.

In the most recent turn of events, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named their 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, set to take place in Oman and the UAE.

While there were some surprising inclusions in the squad, a few big names failed to make a cut in the final 15. The exclusion of India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is, Yuzvendra Chahal, from the T20 WC squad surprised many.

“Yuzi Chahal has been India’s best T20 spinner for the last few years. And he’s the second best T20 spinner in the world after Rashid Khan. India picks 5 spinners and he isn’t one of them. Let that sink in. #IndianCricketTeam,” tweeted cricketer-turned-analyst Aakash Chopra.

Yuzi Chahal has been India’s best T20
spinner for the last few years. And he’s the second best T20 spinner in the world after Rashid Khan. India picks 5 spinners and he isn’t one of them. Let that sink in. #IndianCricketTeam

— Wear a Mask. Get Vaccinated, India (@cricketaakash) September 8, 2021

Meanwhile, in his first virtual press meet on Wednesday night, India chief selector Chetan Sharma revealed why wrist-spinner Chahal wasn’t picked, and young Rahul Chahar was preferred over him.

“We had a discussion over Yuzvendera Chahal and the selectors thought was we need a bowler, who can bowl fast, and as we have recently seen Rahul Chahar bowling, the speed that he bowls with, the selectors thought that we need such a player, who can on those wickets, can hold and more speed, and so, there was a lot of discussion about Chahal, but we zeroed on Rahul Chahar,” he said.

Talking about Varun Chakravarthy’s inclusion into the final 15, Sharma said: “Varun has bowled really well at an economy rate of five in Sri Lanka. He is a mystery spinner and people find it difficult to read him. I would say he is the surprise package. This was the main reason to pick Varun as he is a mystery bowler.”

The Pakistan team will take on New Zealand in a series of three ODIs and five T20Is, with the first match scheduled on September 17, and the final one on October 3.

All other Pakistan squad members have tested negative and, as such, the national side will hold a training session as scheduled on Friday at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is intending to exploit the Hindi speaking regions through the Indian Premier League (IPL) expansion from the 2022 season. According to Cricbuzz, the apex Indian board is aiming to correct the pan-India balance of the cash-rich league.

In order to keep the zonal imbalance on the right track, the BCCI has shortlisted six cities that will host two new franchises. These cities are Guwahati, Ranchi, Cuttack (from the East region), Ahmedabad (from the West), Lucknow (from the Central Zone) and Dharamsala (from North).

Although the date for the auction has not been finalised yet, but the process is expected to take place soon. A base price of Rs 2000 crore has been fixed for the new teams.

As per the data available to the BCCI, the consumption of sports in the Hindi-speaking regions is the largest among all regions. This can be understood with the fact that as much as 65 per cent of viewership of the four billion minutes of the IPL coverage of Star Sports in 2020 came from the Hindi region. The evidence of such was on display recently when Sony Ten 3 – the Hindi language channel of Sony Pictures Network – emerged as the No 1 sports channel in the country.

For the ongoing England-India series, 50.7 per cent of the viewership is for the Hindi sports channel (Sony Ten 3) as compared to 10.6 per cent for Sony Six (English) and 0.4 for Sony Ten 4 (Tamil and Telugu).

Further, the BCCI has not featured any Southern city simply because there are already three teams – Chennai Super Kings, Royals Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad – represents the south region.

Currently, there are two franchises from the north zone, i.e. Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings and one each from east and west – Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, respectively. Whereas the season one winner Rajasthan Royals, comes under Central Zone.