ICC to reintroduce neutral umpires soon, says ICC chairman Greg Barclay: Greg Barclay, International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman, has recently pointed at the callback of the neutral umpires for the test series held across the globe. The cricket governing body was forced to allow home umpires to officiate in Test matches due to restrictions posed by the dreaded COVID pandemic since 2020.



However, the ICC chairman shied away from making a concrete statement regarding the reintroduction of the neutral umpires, nor did he wishes to provide any date due to operational issues.



"I think in the COVID days, the home umpires got some exposure to stand for Test umpiring. It split things a bit wider. If you look at the stats, you can see that there was a pretty much thereabout the teams' performances than what we had the neutral umpires," Barclay said.



Barclay confirmed that the issue was discussed in the board meeting held recently and the neutral umpires will soon begin officiating.



"We are now the other side of the COVID and we are reintroducing the neutral umpiring arrangements which was decided in the board meeting we had a couple of weeks ago. We will see neutral umpires back up and running again. I can't give you the date due to operational issues but soon."



ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/ipl-2022-playoffs-gt-vs-rr-match-prediction-who-will-win-todays-ipl-match-between-gujarat-and-rajasthan/">IPL 2022 Playoffs: GT vs RR Match Prediction ? Who will win today?s IPL match between Gujarat and Rajasthan?</a>



Several questions have been raised by cricketers due to blunders done by the home umpires in officiating a test match. To reduce the number of wrong decisions, the ICC, earlier, decided to temporarily increase the number of DRS in test cricket to three, so that each team gets a fair chance to challenge the umpire?s decision.



With neutral umpires set to take the baton once again, the DRS is expected to be reduced to two.&nbsp;



The ICC is optimistic that with stadiums buzzing with the cheer of the crowd, they will soon be able to reinstate the neutral umpires to officiate in the test match to create transparency in deciding the result of the match.



ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/ipl-2023-top-5-players-chennai-super-kings-can-release-in-ipl-2023/">IPL 2023: Top 5 Players Chennai Super Kings Can Release in IPL 2023.&nbsp;</a>

ICC to reintroduce neutral umpires soon, says ICC chairman Greg Barclay

icc-to-reintroduce-neutral-umpires-soon-says-icc-chairman-greg-barclay

England vs Pakistan | First Test | Day 2: At the end of the second day of the match, Pakistan made comeback in the game. If the first day was entirely for the British, then the second day was totally in Pakistan's favor. Pakistan's bowling, which was heavily stomped on the first day of the Test match, bowled England out in the first session of the second day.



?On the second day of their match in Rawalpindi, Pakistan's openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique summoned their energy and shinnied towards England's mammoth first-innings total. In the ongoing Test, Imam and Shafique put up a strong opening stand for Pakistan, and concluded Day 2 at 181/0 and still 476 runs behind England.



DON'T MISS: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/ipl-2023-impact-player-update-bcci-introduce-a-new-concept-of-impact-player-in-ipl-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IPL 2023 ?Impact Player? Update: BCCI introduce a new concept of Impact Player in IPL 2023</a>



<h2>England Vs Pakistan: 1st Test | Day 2 | Review</h2>



Resuming action on 506-4, England batted with a no-holds-barred approach and went on to score their greatest total ever against Pakistan. On his path to an 18-ball 41, captain Ben Stokes casually stepped out to hit the second ball of the day over bowler Naseem Shah's head for a six. Stokes looked to continue where he left off the previous day, but Naseem Shah dismissed him in the first ball of the second day.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="http://www.icccricketschedule.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/ENG-ING-1024x657.jpg" alt="England vs Pakistan test " class="wp-image-98345" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Will Jack played a lively cameo on debut (ESPNcricinfo)</figcaption></figure>



On Thursday, the 23-year-old Harry Brook, who smacked six fours in a Saud Shakeel's over, personified England's incredibly exciting style of cricket by extracting 27 runs from a Zahid Mahmood over. Leg spinner Zahid got 4 wickets while conceding 235 runs, the most of any test debutant. As Brook's 153 off 116 balls, which included five sixes and 19 fours, was eventually ended by Naseem, England added 151 runs to their overnight total before being all out.



READ:<a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/ipl-2023-991-players-registered-check-out-the-list-of-players-with-their-set-base-prices/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> </a><a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/ipl-2023-991-players-registered-check-out-the-list-of-players-with-their-set-base-prices/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IPL 2023: 991 players registered! Check out the List of Players with their set Base Prices</a>



<h3>England Vs Pakistan: 1st Test | Day 2 | Scorecard</h3>



<h5>England Batting:</h5>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>BATTING</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>R</td><td>B</td><td>4s</td><td>6s</td><td>SR</td></tr><tr><td>Zak Crawley&nbsp;</td><td>b Haris Rauf</td><td>122</td><td>111</td><td>21</td><td>0</td><td>109.90</td></tr><tr><td>Ben Duckett&nbsp;</td><td>lbw b Zahid Mahmood</td><td>107</td><td>110</td><td>15</td><td>0</td><td>97.27</td></tr><tr><td>Ollie Pope ?</td><td>lbw b Mohammad Ali</td><td>108</td><td>104</td><td>14</td><td>0</td><td>103.84</td></tr><tr><td>Joe Root&nbsp;</td><td>lbw b Zahid Mahmood</td><td>23</td><td>31</td><td>3</td><td>0</td><td>74.19</td></tr><tr><td>Harry Brook&nbsp;</td><td>c Saud Shakeel b Naseem Shah</td><td>153</td><td>116</td><td>19</td><td>5</td><td>131.89</td></tr><tr><td>Ben Stokes (c)</td><td>b Naseem Shah</td><td>41</td><td>18</td><td>6</td><td>2</td><td>227.77</td></tr><tr><td>Liam Livingstone&nbsp;</td><td>c Saud Shakeel b Naseem Shah</td><td>9</td><td>10</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>90.00</td></tr><tr><td>Will Jacks&nbsp;</td><td>c Naseem Shah b Mohammad Ali</td><td>30</td><td>29</td><td>4</td><td>0</td><td>103.44</td></tr><tr><td>Ollie Robinson&nbsp;</td><td>lbw b Zahid Mahmood</td><td>37</td><td>51</td><td>3</td><td>1</td><td>72.54</td></tr><tr><td>Jack Leach&nbsp;</td><td>not out</td><td>6</td><td>18</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>33.33</td></tr><tr><td>James Anderson&nbsp;</td><td>c Imam-ul-Haq b Zahid Mahmood</td><td>6</td><td>10</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>60.00</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>BOWLING</td><td>O</td><td>M</td><td>R</td><td>W</td><td>ECON</td></tr><tr><td>Naseem Shah</td><td>24</td><td>0</td><td>140</td><td>3</td><td>5.83</td></tr><tr><td>Mohammad Ali</td><td>24</td><td>1</td><td>124</td><td>2</td><td>5.16</td></tr><tr><td>Haris Rauf</td><td>13</td><td>1</td><td>78</td><td>1</td><td>6.00</td></tr><tr><td>Zahid Mahmood</td><td>33</td><td>1</td><td>235</td><td>4</td><td>7.12</td></tr><tr><td>Agha Salman</td><td>5</td><td>0</td><td>38</td><td>0</td><td>7.60</td></tr><tr><td>Saud Shakeel</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>30</td><td>0</td><td>15.00</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



Imam and Abdullah made sure Pakistan remain in the game despite their unwillingness to match the jaw-dropping strike rate (6.5 in more than 100 overs), which was achieved by their English counterparts.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="http://www.icccricketschedule.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/350107-1-1.jpg" alt="England vs Pakistan test " class="wp-image-98346" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Imam-ul-Haq picture perfect defense (ESPNcricinfo)</figcaption></figure>



As Ben Stokes set attacking fields, England's slow bowling delivered 21 continuous overs. However, <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/abdullah-shafique-922941" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Abdullah Shafique</a> and Imam-ul-Haq continued to rotate strikes and boundaries at odds. Shafique hit his eighth four of the innings off Jacks to bring up his fifty, and Imam quickly followed suit by pushing a Root delivery toward cover for a single.?Pakistan ended Day 2 with 181 for 0 (Imam-ul-Haq 90*, Shafique 89*).



Visit?<a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ICC CRICKET SCHEDULE</a>?for more cricketing updates.

England Vs Pakistan: 1st Test | Day 2 | Review, Scorecard

england-vs-pakistan-1st-test-day-2-review-scorecard

With a resounding win in the first match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Team India is leading the series 1-0. In the first match, the Indian team defeated Australia by an inning and 132 runs. In this match, Ravindra Jadeja, returning to the team after injury, took a total of 7 wickets in both innings and scored 70 runs with the bat. The captain of the Indian team, Rohit Sharma, scored a brilliant century; apart from this, Axar Patel played a brilliant inning of 84 runs. 



After winning the Nagpur Test, Team India is leading 1-0 in the total 4-match Test series. The Australian team did not do much in the Nagpur Test, but during the Nagpur Test, their young spinner Todd Murphy made a brilliant debut in international cricket by taking 7 wickets. 



<h2>IND vs AUS 1st Test Match Details</h2>



<ul>
<li>Tour: Australia tour of India 2023</li>



<li>Match Details: India vs Australia 2nd Test</li>



<li>Day/Date: Friday/17th February 2023</li>



<li>Time: 09:30 AM LOCAL</li>



<li>Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi</li>
</ul>



<h2>IND vs AUS 2nd Test, Pitch Report</h2>



The Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi will host the second game of the Test series between Australia and India. Here, the team winning the toss and choosing to bat first has won 13 games, while the side choosing to bowl first has won six games. The fourth inning of batting will be challenging because the pitch can eventually work in the bowlers' favor. The average score in the first inning is 342 runs, while the average score in the fourth inning is 165 runs.



<h2>IND vs AUS Head-to-Head</h2>



<ul>
<li>Total Match - 103</li>



<li>India Won - 31</li>



<li>Australia Won - 43</li>



<li>Draw - 28</li>



<li>Tied - 01</li>
</ul>



<h2>IND vs AUS 2nd Test Playing XI</h2>



India?s Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Sreekar Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akshar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj



Australia?s Playing XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc



<h2>India vs Australia Dream11 Prediction, Fantasy Cricket Tips</h2>



<ul>
<li>Wicketkeeper - Alex Carey</li>



<li>Batsmen - Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Marnus Labuschagne, Suryakumar Yadav</li>



<li>Allrounders - Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akshar Patel</li>



<li>Bowlers- Mohammed Shami, Pat Cummins, Todd Murphy</li>
</ul>



<h2>IND vs AUS 2nd Test: Where to Watch</h2>



<ul>
<li>Television - Star Sports Network</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>OTT - Hotstar</li>
</ul>



Don't Miss:<a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/ind-vs-aus-what-to-expect-from-pitches-of-remaining-3-india-vs-australia-test-matches/"> What to expect from pitches of remaining 3 India vs Australia test matches?</a>

IND vs AUS 2nd Test Playing XI: India vs Australia Dream11 Prediction, Head to Head, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Pitch Report, Where to Watch

ind-vs-aus-2nd-test-playing-xi-india-vs-australia-dream11-prediction-head-to-head-fantasy-cricket-tips-pitch-report-where-to-watch

<a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/?s=England" rel="nofollow">England Cricket Team </a>Schedule 2024, Upcoming T20Is, ODIs and Test Matches | England Cricket Team Match Schedule, Fixtures:?The England Cricket Team has played poor cricket in the past few months, especially in T20I and ODI cricket. Recently, England lost a five-match T20I test series against West Indies by 2-3 as they failed to perform, especially with the ball. As of now, the England Cricket Team is playing a five-match test series against India.



Both the teams have played good cricket so far in this five-match test series but they need to play better cricket to defeat the Indian Team in this series. Skipper<a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/?s=+Ben+Stokes" rel="nofollow"> Ben Stokes</a> has performed well for his Team but other English batters need to play good cricket to win the crucial matches and get ahead in the series.



However, This five-match test series is very important for both the team for the ICC World Test Championship 2023-2025 as the series-winning team will move to the top few positions. After the test series, the England Cricket Team will be playing a four-match T20I series against Pakistan.



The T20I series against <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/?s=Pakistan" rel="nofollow">Pakistan </a>will be very crucial for England as the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 will start on June 01, 2024, in the USA and West Indies. Pakistan and England have quality players in their team and it will be a good opportunity for both the teams to test their bench strength ahead of a crucial tournament.



However, After the <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/category/t20/t20-world-cup/icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2024/" rel="nofollow">T20 World Cup 2024</a> England Cricket Team will be focusing on Test cricket to get a better position in the ICC WTC 2023-25 cycle. They will be playing a three-match test series against West Indies in July and then, England will play a three-match test series against Pakistan in October, which is yet to be officially confirmed by the England Cricket Board (ECB).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">England Cricket Team Schedule 2024:</h2>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">England vs India:</h4>



<ul>
<li>Tests: January - February 2024 (Away) - 5 matches</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">England vs Pakistan:</h2>



<ul>
<li>T20Is: May 2024 (Home) - 4 matches</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024:</h2>



<ul>
<li>June 2024</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">England vs West Indies:</h2>



<ul>
<li>Tests: July 2024 (Home) - 3 matches</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">England vs Sri Lanka:</h2>



<ul>
<li>T20Is: August - September 2024 (Home) - 3 matches</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">England vs Australia:</h2>



<ul>
<li>ODIs: September 2024 (Home) - 5 matches</li>



<li>T20Is: September 2024 (Home) - 3 matches</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">England vs Pakistan:</h2>



<ul>
<li>Tests: October 2024 (Away) - 3 matches</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">England vs West Indies:</h2>



<ul>
<li>ODIs: November 2024 (Away) - 3 matches</li>



<li>T20Is: November 2024 (Away) - 3 matches</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">England vs New Zealand:</h2>



<ul>
<li>Tests: December 2024 (Away) - 3 matches</li>
</ul>



Read This:<a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/ilt20-2024-mi-emirates-won-their-maiden-title-after-defeating-dubai-capitals-in-the-finals/" rel="nofollow"> ILT20 2024: MI Emirates Won Their Maiden Title After Defeating Dubai Capitals in the Finals</a>



For More, Check The Official Site: <a href="https://www.ecb.co.uk/">ECB</a>

England Cricket Team Schedule 2024, Upcoming T20Is, ODIs and Test Matches | England Cricket Team Match Schedule, Fixtures

england-cricket-team-schedule-2024-upcoming-t20is-odis-and-test-matches-england-cricket-team-match-schedule-fixtures

IND vs ENG: After the T20 series concluded, as Mohammed Shami returned to the shortest format for India after a huge span of absence from the format, the World Cup 2023 hero is back playing a crucial hand in the ODI series against England, which will begin on the 6th of February. 
 
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Shami">Mohammed Shami </a>has had a decent T20 return with 3 wickets across 2 games played and is considered one of the greatest ODI bowlers for India of all time. Especially in the absence of legendary pacer Bumrah, Shami is the most experienced pacer to lead the Indian pace attack. 
 
Ever since the 2023 Cricket World Cup, Shami will play his first one-day international match, supposedly at the Vidarbha Stadium tomorrow. Ahead of the vital clash, Mohammed Shami will enter the field with 195 wickets to his name in the longest limited-overs format. 
 
<h2 dir="ltr">A Glimpse into Mohammed Shami’s Career </h2>
<img class="img-additional" src="https://admin.icccricketschedule.com/uploads/images/202501/image_430x256_679066d186630.jpg" alt="" width="799" height="497">
A peek into Mohammed Shami's stunning career despite injuries (Image Credit: X)
Shami, the Indian fast bowler, began his journey from the T20 Trophy starring for Bengal back in 2010, where he had one of the best debuts ever. Shami played for several franchises in the IPL the Delhi Daredevils, Punjab Kings, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolkata_Knight_Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</a>, and Gujarat Titans, where he picked 127 career wickets in the franchise-level cricket tournament. 
 
Shami has played over three World Cups for India ever since his debut in 2013, as he has been India’s highest wicket-taker in the history of the CWC, playing over three editions in 2015, 2019 and 2023. With 450+ career wickets in the Men in Blue’s jersey, Shami, despite participation in several WTC and CWC games, could never be seen on the podium, though he won several individual records, the last being named the Player of the Tournament in the 2023 World Cup. 
 
<h2 dir="ltr">List of Bowlers fastest to reach 200 ODI wickets</h2>
 
Shami, who has appeared in 101 games and is only 5-wickets away from the remarkable 200 wicket mark, is like Australian modern-day legendary fast bowler <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_Starc">Mitchell Starc</a>, who also has 200+ wickets and reached the milestone in just 102 matches and the 101 bowling innings. 
 
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan) – 104
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Trent Boult (New Zealand) – 107
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Brett Lee (Australia) – 112
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Allan Donald (South Africa) – 117
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Waqar Younis (Pakistan) – 118
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Shane Warne (Australia) – 125
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Makhaya Ntini (South Africa) – 126
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) – 127
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Mitchell Johnson (Australia) – 129
</li>
</ul>
Other bowlers included the above-written, who also achieved the amazing 200 wickets in least time, with Shami threatening the top spot of Mitchell Starc since he will play his 102nd match in the ODI format and will also play his 101 innings in the white-ball match, as he is just 5-wickets away from being named the greatest ever in the game. 
 
<h2 dir="ltr">Fastest to 200 ODI wickets for India</h2>
<img class="img-additional" src="https://admin.icccricketschedule.com/uploads/images/202502/image_430x256_67a2c0b463d76.jpg" alt="" width="791" height="492">
Shami to surpass Agarkar for fastest 200 ODI Wickets for India (Image Credit: X)
The current Indian selection committee head,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajit_Agarkar"> Ajit Agarkar</a>, picked the fastest 200 wickets for India as the veteran pacer achieved the feat in just 133 games and ended his career with 288 wickets in the format. 
 
So far, only 7 Indian bowlers have crossed the 200-wicket mark; Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath have picked over 300+ ODI wickets, while Zaheer Khan, Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Kapil Dev, and Ravindra Jadeja have also picked over 200 wickets for the Men in Blue. 
 
<h3>Most Wickets for India in ODIs:</h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Anil Kumble – 334
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Javagal Srinath – 315
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Ajit Agarkar – 288
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Zaheer Khan – 269
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Harbhajan Singh – 265
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Kapil Dev – 253
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Harbhajan Singh – 220
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Venkatesh Prasad – 196
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Zaheer Khan – 195
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Irfan Pathan – 173
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Kuldeep Yadav – 172
</li>
</ul>

ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/abhishek-sharma-turns-heads-with-iconic-milestone-surpasses-the-likes-of-his-mentor-yuvraj-singh-and-chris-gayle-to-be-the-second-cricketer-to-reach-this-feat-in-t20-internationals/">Abhishek Sharma's unique milestone in the Final T20 against England</a>

IND vs ENG: Indian veteran pacer Mohammed Shami nearing big record in ODIs ahead of the First ODI vs England

Mohammed Shami returns to the ODI format and will be eyeing a world record on his return in the first ODI against England.

IND vs ENG: Indian veteran pacer Mohammed Shami eyeing a World record in the 1st ODI against England

ind-vs-eng-indian-veteran-pacer-mohammed-shami-eyeing-a-world-record-in-the-1st-odi-against-england

In what promises to be an exciting and thrilling contest, Steve Smith-led Australia and Dhananjaya de Silva's Sri Lanka are set to lock horns versus each other in the second and the last match of the two-match Test-Series at the Galle International Stadium of Galle from the 6th of February onwards (Wednesday). 
In the opening encounter of the series, the Mighty Aussies secured a comfortable victory by an inning and 242 runs and this win helped them to take an unassailable lead of 1-0 in the two-match series. In such a situation, the Dhananjaya de Silva-led Sri Lanka would be looking to make a strong comeback by rectifying their mistakes in the second match. 
Ahead of this exciting contest, some thrilling player battles will be seen taking place between the star players of both teams which can go on to affect the outcome of the match. We will be taking a look at those player battles in this article
While the Kangaroos have already taken the lead in the series, the home side will have the chance to make a strong comeback by taking advantage of the home conditions on offer. It will be interesting to see which team finishes out on top in these player battles and which team succumbs to the pressure. 
<h2>Dinesh Chandimal versus Matthew Kuhnemann</h2>
Australia's left-arm orthodox spinner Matthew Kuhnemann failed to create an impact with the ball in the first ball, ending the match with 0 scalps to his name but he can trouble Sri Lankan batters on the spinning track of Galle. 
This will be especially very challenging for experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal. He is a good player of spin, has a good record against them and also he knows the conditions of Galle quite well but the variations of Kuhnemann can trouble him in the second Test-Match.
<h2>Prabhat Jayasuriya versus Usman Khawaja</h2>
Australia's experienced opening batter Usman Khawaja is in great form with the bat and he also possesses' an excellent batting record on Subcontinental surfaces. While the Australian team management would be happy to see him performing, they might be a little worried in the 2nd match as experienced left-arm spinner Prabhat Jayasuriya can trouble him a lot. 
The 33-year-old has excellent variations up his sleeve and has knack of performing brilliantly in spin-friendly conditions and home conditions. He also got the better of the Southpaw in the opening encounter, dismissing him when he was batting on the score of 232 runs and Jayasuriya would be looking to get the better of Khawaja again in the final match of the series. 
<h2>Other notable player battles</h2>
Apart from the two above-mentioned player battles, the battle between elite Aussie off-spinner Nathan Lyon and promising Sri Lankan batter Kamindu Mendis will also be worth watching out for. 
Angelo Mathews will have to rely on his batting technique to tackle the speed and swing of Mitchell Starc and at the same time, Asitha Fernando has the ability to trouble the Australian duo of Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne with his pace and bounce.
Do Read: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/shock-to-team-india-before-champions-trophy-jasprit-bumrah-ruled-out-of-entire-england-odi-series/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shock to Team India before Champions Trophy, Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of entire England ODI Series</a>

Mitchell Starc had Kamindu Mendis strangled down leg side, Sri Lanka vs Australia, 1st Test, Galle, 3rd day, January 31, 2025 | Image: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Australia led by Steve Smith secured an easy victory in the opening match of the series by a margin of an innings and 242 runs and took an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series. In such a situation, the Sri Lankan team would like to make a strong comeback in the series by correcting its mistakes in the second match. In this match, some interesting player battles will be witnessed between the star players of both teams, which can surely affect the outcome of the match

Sri Lanka and Australia are set to lock horns versus each other in the 2nd and final Test match of the two match series and while the Kangaroos have already secured an unassailable 1-0 lead, the home side would not like to lower their morale as they would want to execute a perfect comeback in the series. Some exciting player battles are also going to take place and we will be taking a look at them

Sri Lanka vs Australia 2nd Test: 3 Player Battles to Watch Out

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A very shocking and a bad news has come out for Team India and it's fans. Jasprit Bumrah, the star pace bowler of the team, has been ruled out of the entire One-Day International series versus England and his participation in the 2025 Champions Trophy is also hanging on a thread. 
According to a news report of India Today, Bumrah will certainly miss all the three matches versus England, starting from the 6th of February. Let us tell you that the 31-year-old was picked in the squad for the third &amp; the final ODI of the series. 
It was difficult for the 31-year-old to take part in the first two One-Day International matches versus the Three Lions due to an injury he picked up in the final Test-Match of the BGT series, but it was believed that he would be fit for the final ODI. However, the latest update which has come out just now is quite shocking. It has become almost certain that the 31-year-old will not be seen playing in the three ODI's versys England. 
<h2>It's looking difficult for Bumrah to play in the Champions Trophy as well</h2>
It's now looking very difficult for Bumrah to participate in the forthcoming edition of the Champions Trophy. A report came out about the pacer on Monday that the 31-year-old has visited the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore and his fitness test will be conducted there. He will continue to remain under the supervision of the NCA Medical Team for now. 
TOI had stated in one of their news reports that the Mumbai Indians pacer will be under the observation of the NCA medical experts for a duration of 2-3 days. Once a complete assessment is conducted, only then the final report will be sent to the Ajit Agarkar-led Selection Committee.
<h2>Team India have just a single week available to make a call</h2>
The Indian team management now just has a single week left to decide whether or not to retain the place of Bumrah in the squad for the Champions Trophy. According to the rules of the ICC, all the participating teams have time till the 12th of February to make any last minute changes in their squad. In such a situation, the Men in Blue have just a week left to take a final call on Bumrah.
Do Read: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/varun-chakravarthy-added-to-india-squad-for-odis-against-england-/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Varun Chakravarthy added to India squad for ODIs against England</a>

Jasprit Bumrah is battling injury issues ahead of Champions Trophy 2025 | Image: Getty Images

Star Pacer Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss the entire England ODI Series and his participation chances  in  Champions Trophy 2025 are also looking very bleak

Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the entire England ODI Series and this news is not good for Team India! His chances of taking part in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 are also looking very low

Shock to Team India before Champions Trophy, Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of entire England ODI Series

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India Cricket Team skipper Rohit Sharma is all set to achieve a massive feat in ODI cricket. The opening batter is just 134 away in 19 innings from becoming the second-fastest batter to complete 11,000 runs in the history of 50-over cricket. 
Rohit Sharma currently has 10866 runs in the 257 innings in ODIs. If he achieves the feat in the next 19 innings, he will be joining Virat Kohli, who is the fastest to 11000 runs in ODIs. The batter achieved the feat in just 222 innings. He is also the fastest to 10000 runs. 
Currently, Sachin Tendulkar is the second fastest to 11000 runs in ODIs as he achieved the feat in 276 runs. With India having ODI season now, it is expected that Rohit Sharma will become the second fastest batter to score 11000 runs in the 50-over format. 
Rohit Sharma will have a great opportunity to achieve the feat in the upcoming ODI series against England. India will be locking horns with the Jos Buttler-led side in the three-match series, which will begin on Thursday (6th February) in Nagpur. 
<h2>Rohit Sharma will be captaining the India team in the ODI series against England</h2>
Rohit Sharma will be captaining the India team in the ODI series against England, and three games will be extremely important for him in the context of how things have turned against him. The batter has faced a lot of criticism for his poor outings of late as a batter as well as a skipper.
The series will be a great opportunity for him to make a comeback and silence all his critics in style. He has been a giant in the ODI format and with the way he has performed in the 50-over format, it won't be a surprise if he ends up scoring runs in the IND vs ENG ODI series. 
Rohit Sharma also has been named as the captain of India for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. With the kind of criticism that he has faced in the last few months, it will be a great opportunity for him to make a strong comeback and give a reply to criticism by winning the tournament for the team.
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Also Read: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/ind-vs-eng-virat-kohli-on-the-verge-of-becoming-the-fastest-cricketer-to-/">IND vs ENG: Virat Kohli on the verge of becoming the fastest cricketer to...</a>
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India Cricket Team skipper Rohit Sharma is all set to achieve a massive feat in ODI cricket.

Rohit Sharma will be captaining the India team in the ODI series against England, and three games will be extremely important for him

Rohit Sharma on the cusp of becoming ODI great, needs 134 runs too this massive feat

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Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian Cricket Team performed in an exceptional manner in the home five match T20 International series versus England and secured a convincing 4-1 series victory. Opening batter Abhishek Sharma and leg spinner Varun Chakaravarthy ended the series as the heroes, turning out to be the best performers but star wicketkeeper batsman Sanju Samson didn't have a good series and a big weakness of hit got exposed. 
The bowlers of England recognized this mistake of the 30-year-old on time and they took full advantage of it in the entire series. This weakness of Sanju Samson is the short pitched deliveries. Let us tell you that the wicketkeeper batter opened the inning for Team India in the entire five-match T20 International series versus England. 
<img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GiyZ5uraEAAQNra?format=jpg&name=large" alt="Image" width="301" height="376" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
In all of the five games, the Rajasthan Royals skipper got dismissed off the short pitched deliveries and the England pace bowlers took full advantage of this weakness. They bowled a total of 29 bouncers and Samson got dismissed on five occasions in the whole series. Versus these 29 bouncers, the 30-year-old managed to score just 35 runs at a poor average of seven. 
<h2>Sanju Samson versus the Short Balls in the England T20I series</h2>
Innings - 5
Balls played - 29 
Runs scored - 35
Number of times dismissed - 5
Average - 7
Strike Rate - 120.68
<h2>Sanju scored just 51 runs in five innings</h2>
Sanju Samson's overall performance in the recently concluded five-match T20 International series was very poor. In all five games, he managed to score just 51 runs and his best score was 26 runs. His average was also very poor standing at 10.20. The 30-year-old played a total of 43 balls in the entire series, of which 29 were short pitched balls. 
From the above stats, it can be understood that the English fast bowlers had prepared in a perfect manner versus the wicketkeeper batter. He managed to slam just three maximums and five fours at a strike rate of 118.60 and these stats just show how dominant England's pace bowling unit was versus Samson. 
Currently, the 30-year-old is out with an index finger fracture and he is expected to return directly in the IPL. Sanju will have to find a way to overcome his short ball weakness quickly otherwise the Indian Team management might just run out of patience with him.
Do Read: <a href="https://www.icccricketschedule.com/champions-trophy-2025-tickets-for-india-pakistan-match-sold-off-within-an-hour-more-than-1-5-lakh-fans-were-waiting-to-buy-the-tickets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Champions Trophy 2025: Tickets for India-Pakistan match sold off within an hour, more than 1.5 lakh fans were waiting to buy the tickets</a>

Sanju Samson of India had a torrid time with the bat in the T20I series versus England | Image: Disney + Hotstar and Getty Images

A big weakness of Sanju Samson was exposed in the Five-match T20 International series versus England and the English fast bowlers took full advantage of that weakness in the entirety of the series.

Sanju Samson's weakness against the short ball was exposed in the England T20I series and the England bowlers ruthlessly took full advantage of it as they used the bouncers to perfection and got rid of the 30-year-old on five occasions in the entire series