Sunil Gavaskar’s Blunt Verdict On Virat Kohli’s Altercation With Sam Konstas
A physical altercation between India’s Virat Kohli and Australia’s teenager Sam Konstas turned out to be the most discussed topic on Day 1 of the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The brief showdown took place after the 10th over of the Australian innings on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test when the players were crossing over. Kohli and Konstas bumped shoulders while moving across the pitch in the face-off that was initiated by the travelling star. Former India batter Sunil Gavaskar has criticised Kohli for his act. “Really, this can be avoidable. I mean, it’s like you are walking in a busy pedestrian street, and you see somebody coming at you, you just sway away,” said Gavaskar on Star Sports. “There’s nothing; it doesn’t make you smaller if you move away. That’s the thing. And you don’t want to see these things on the field. Definitely not,” he added.
Pacers prosper in 13-wicket day in Centurion
After struggling with the bat, Pakistan struck back with the ball running through South Africa’s top order in Centurion. At stumps, the Proteas were 129 runs away from the Pakistan total with seven wickets in hand. In all 293 runs were scored, even as 13 wickets fell on the day. A win in this Test will ensure South Africa’s participation in the WTC final. They are currently atop the WTC Standings. Both sides went in with pace-heavy lineups, with South Africa going in with Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Dane Paterson, and debutant Corbin Bosch. On the other hand, Pakistan had Naseem Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Khurram Shahzad, and Aamer Jamal.
Adelaide Strikers v Hobart Hurricanes Big Bash Tips: Get long of Short at 5/2
Strikers have lost two from three, on the wrong end of contrasting brilliance from Heat’s Nathan McSweeney and Thunder’s Daniel Sams. They’re just not quick enough with the bat at the moment and there’s not much to like about Ollie Pope in the middle-order. They need a fast start from Matt Short. Probable Strikers XI: M Short, D Short, Lynn, Pope, Ross, Overton, Bazley, Scott, Thornton, Boyce, L Pope. Hurricanes stunned Perth in their second game after a stinker against Renegades. Mitch Owen’s 101 off 64 balls was the inspiration. Matthew Wade is out of the squad with a calf injury. Possible HH XI: Owen, Jewell, Hope, McDermott, Chaudhary, David, Jordan, Ellis, Meretdith, Stanlake, Waqar.
Kohli sanctioned for Konstas incident on Boxing Day
Virat Kohli has been fined 20 percent of his match fee and awarded one demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct. The incident occurred at the end of the 10th over on the first day of the Melbourne Test when Kohli bumped the Australia debutant’s shoulder, which led to a heated exchange between the two players. The other Australian opener Usman Khawaja was seen trying to mediate between the two players. Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct relates to: “inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator during an International Match.”
Fearless Konstas reveals plans that helped him quell India’s quicks
Teenage debutant Sam Konstas has admitted he played with no fear when taking apart India’s potent pace attack in a superb display of attacking batting on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.Konstas overcame a nervy start against Jasprit Bumrah and Co to score an impressive half-century on debut on the biggest day of Australia’s cricket calendar on Thursday that helped put his side in a strong position at 311/6 at stumps in the crucial fourth ICC World Test Championship contest.
The bullfight in Centurion’s corral
For a while on Thursday the Centurion Test was the opening exchange of a bullfight, when unsullied capes are flourished within snagging distance but unfailingly over hooking horns and no blood is spilt. From the first ball of the match – which Shan Masood misread and squirted to short leg via his thigh pad – to the 78th – an inswinger that he edged onto his pad – the hot, heavy Highveld air was charged with impending events, real and imagined. Both of those deliveries were bowled by a human hand grenade with its pin pulled called Kagiso Rabada, who looked like he might take a wicket by doing nothing more than walk back to his mark. Instead, he took none. Rabada has made a habit this home summer of bowling like a champion for little or no reward. He has beaten both the bat and the batters almost at will disconcertingly frequently, but the wickets haven’t come.
Paterson, Bosch and Markram put South Africa ahead
Through Dane Paterson’s five-fer, Corbin Bosch’s four-wicket haul on debut and Aiden Markram’s gutsy 47*, South Africa ended Day 1 of the first Test against Pakistan in a better position compared to the visitors. They finished at 82 for 3 at Stumps, trailing Pakistan’s 211 by 129 runs. Despite Kagiso Rabada being the best bowler in terms of line and length for the hosts, he remained wicketless after testing the batters on both sides of the willow. The hosts quickly managed to pick up the last wicket of Khurram Shahzad three balls into the final session bringing a strange Pakistan innings to an end who were aggressive despite losing regular clumps of wickets. Markram then got South Africa’s innings underway with an elegant straight drive to the boundary but Shahzad accounted for his partner Tony de Zorzi as he rattled the stumps.
If someone is lacking the hunger, I must help them develop that – Salahuddin
Unlike in the past, Bangladesh’s senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin is not the centre of action leading up to the Bangladesh Premier League, the country’s lone franchise-based T20 tournament, scheduled from December 30. He is the most successful coach of the competition as he guided his team to the final on five occasions while winning the championship four times. Salahuddin, barred from working in BPL as he is involved with the Bangladesh team, entered the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium quietly and left without any noise after spending time with some cricketers outside the BCB Academy premises. “I am not missing BPL,” Salahuddin told Cricbuzz on Thursday. “Whatever I do, I try to be happy with it and in life, I don’t regret that much. I want to see a good BPL where our boys perform well because that is important for me as well as for the team because if the standard of BPL is good it will benefit us. But I am not missing that too much and not for a second did I feel that way (BPL team have started their training),” he said.
Williams praises Curran’s ‘intent’ after Zimbabwe’s solid batting effort
Zimbabwe had as many as three debutants in the Boxing Day Test against Afghanistan in Bulawayo. One of them, opening batter Ben Curran, went on to score 68 on day one, while the other two debutants were pace bowlers Trevor Gwandu and Newman Nyamhuri. Curran reached his half-century off just 54 balls, and hit 11 boundaries during his stay of 74 deliveries. After the day’s play, Sean Williams, who ended unbeaten on 145, felt Curran’s approach helped set the tone for Zimbabwe, who ended up scoring 363 at 4.27 runs an over. “I think it’s huge. That intent and those partnerships going forward, it’s amazing,” Williams said. “The intent one batsman shows, allows the other batsman to score. It’s like, he ends up benefiting from your intent. And that’s what we want in the team.”
Hobson, bowlers scorch Heat to first loss despite Johnson four-for
Nick Hobson again proved a thorn in Brisbane Heat’s attack before Perth Scorchers produced an outstanding effort in the field to claim a pivotal 33-run victory at Optus Stadium. In front of 41,921 fans, Scorchers struggled after being sent in to bat on a fast and bouncy surface before Hobson smashed an unbeaten 47 off 16 balls to lift them to 165 for 6. They carried over the momentum in the field and their disciplined bowling performance was highlighted by rapid bowling from speedster Lance Morris. Heat were never in the hunt after early wickets and were bowled out in the final over.Scorchers ran out easy winners to convincingly halt a two-match losing streak, while defending champions Heat suffered their first defeat of the season.
