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The India tour of South Africa has been a balanced affair as both teams won a game each in the three-match T20I series while they are on a 1-1 level in the three-match ODI series with the final match set to take place on Thursday. Apart from that, New Zealand have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh while the Indian women's team will square off against Australia women's for their one-off Test match.
Here in this article, we’ll look at all the big news that took place on Wednesday, December 20, but before that, let's check the matches scheduled for the day.
Today’s match preview:
South Africa vs India: 3rd ODI
The third and final ODI match between South Africa and India will take place at Boland Park in Paarl on Thursday at 01:45 p.m. IST. Both teams are on level with one victory each and will look to clinch the series by winning the final match of the three-match ODI series. After the ODI series, South Africa and India will face each other in a two-match Test series.
Also read: Ottniel Baartman and Andile Phehlukwayo to miss final ODI against India
Australia Women vs India Women: One-Off Test
Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women's team are scheduled to host Alyssa Healy's Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai for their only Test match on Thursday. The visitors won the toss and opted to bat first. While the Indian team won their previous one-off Test against England by a huge margin of 347 runs last week, the Australian team last played a Test match against England in June this year.
BBL 2023-24: Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat
The top-placed, Brisbane Heat are scheduled to square off against the Melbourne Renegades in Match 10 of the Big Bash League 2023-24 on Thursday. The match is scheduled to take place at the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne at 01:45 p.m. IST. While the Heat are first in the points table with two wins and one match with no result, the Renegades are reeling at the fifth place, losing one and another ended with no result.
West Indies vs England: 5th T20I
With the series on the line, Rovman Powell's West Indies will host Jos Buttler-led England at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad on Friday at 01:30 a.m. IST. Both teams have won two matches each with the final match remaining in the five-match T20I series.
Major cricket events that happened on December 20
BBL 2023-24: Zak Crawley, and Aaron Hardie help Perth Scorchers beat Hobart Hurricanes by 9 wickets
With a 157-run stand between Zak Crawley (65*) and Aaron Hardie (85*) on Wednesday, the two-time defending champions Perth Scorchers dominated the Hobart Hurricanes by nine wickets with 23 balls remaining. The Hurricanes opted to bat first after winning the toss and Chris Jordan (59-off-20) helped his side register a decent total of 172 runs as Jason Beheredorff picked up four wickets. However, the target seemed to be too low for the Scorchers, who finished the game in 16.1 overs.
Despite Soumya Sarkar's 169 runs, New Zealand beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets
After winning the first ODI against Bangladesh, hosts New Zealand delivered a clinical performance in the second ODI and defeated the victors by seven wickets with 22 balls remaining. Bangladesh opener Soumya Sarkar played a spectacular inning of 169 runs to help his side place 291 runs on the board. However, a dominant start by the New Zealand top-order helped the hosts win the game comfortably and clinched the series 2-0 with one game remaining.
Also read: Soumya Sarkar breaks Sachin Tendulkar’s 14-year-old record with a knock of 169 runs
Phil Salt calls IPL snub “confusing” after two back-to-back centuries for England
England's opening batter Phil Salt became the first English player to score two centuries in men’s T20Is. The 27-year-old, who is currently playing the five-match T20I series in the Caribbean against West Indies, helped his side to level the series, scoring a century off 57 deliveries. However, he went unsold at the IPL 2024 auction, which was held on Tuesday, December 19 in Dubai. Speaking after the IPL 2024 auction, Salt called his omission “confusing”.
Day after IPL snub, ICC announces Adil Rashid as No. 1 T20I bowler
England spinner Adil Rashid has moved up two slots to grab the number one position in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings after consistent performances in the five-match series against the West Indies. Rashid grabbed five wickets in the three matches played over the past week to move to the top of the bowlers’ list for the first time in his career, overtaking other leg-spinners Rashid Khan of Afghanistan and Ravi Bishnoi of India.
Why did Babar Azam leave captaincy? Zaka Ashraf’s leaked audio reveals secret
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has once again come under scrutiny after a leaked audio of PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf went viral. The audio comes after Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy post Pakistan’s dismal outing in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India in October-November. In the 2-minute, 15-second-long video, Zaka Ashraf revealed the reason behind Babar Azam’s removal from captaincy.
Mohammed Shami among 26 athletes to win Arjuna Award 2023
The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports announced the National Sports Awards 2023 as the badminton duo of Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty and Rankireddy Satwik Sai Raj won the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awards while the Indian star pacer. On the other hand, Mohammed Shami and 25 other sports persons bagged the Arjuna Award.
