Shastri, three other support staff in self-isolation
Ravi Shastri put himself in self-isolation after returning positive for the lateral blood flow test for Covid-19. The test was conducted after Day 3 of the ongoing Test match, at The Oval.
Along with Shastri, Bharat Arun, R. Sridhar and Nitin Patel have also been isolated from the rest of the squads as precautionary measures. They will have to return two negative RT-PCR tests before joining the contingent again.
Luckily, the players tested negative in the RT-PCR test, conducted twice in a span of 12 hours.
England need 291, India need 10 wickets
Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed added an unbroken 77 by stumps on Day 4 of the fourth Test match, at The Oval. They need another 291 to win the game. Both looked solid and made full use of comparatively easy batting conditions. Hameed is on 43, while Burns has played over 100 balls for his 31.
Earlier, Chris Woakes struck twice in his first over of the day, trapping Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane leg-before. Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur added a crucial 100-run partnership for the seventh wicket.
Shardul hardly broke into a stride and made 60 in 72 balls, while Pant fell to Moeen Ali on 50. Umesh Yadav (25) and Jasprit Bumrah (24) added vital runs.
New Zealand keep the series alive with 52-run victory
Ajaz Patel and Cole McConchie shared seven wickets to guide New Zealand to a 52-run win over Bangladesh in the third T20I. Bangladesh were restricted to 76 while chasing a target of 129.
The opening stand between Mohammad Naim and Liton Das yielded 23, the highest in the innings. Das’s dismissal opened the floodgates as Patel struck twice in the next over. Patel finished with impressive figures of 4-0-16-4.
Earlier, Henry Nicholls (36) and Tom Blundell (30) added 66 runs for the sixth wicket after they lost five of their batters for 62. Finn Allen made 15 off 10 in the opening game.
Afghanistan to host Australia and West Indies: Report
As per a report in ESPNCricinfo, Afghanistan may host Australia and West Indies next month for a T20I Tri-Series. The series will happen in Qatar or the UAE, just before the ICC T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan will play their first ever Test match against Australia in November, as confirmed by the board. Hobart is likely to host the Test.
‘Our team will be travelling abroad to play the tri-series hopefully, and that we could accommodate two important nations Australia and the West Indies,’ said Shinwari.