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The Men in Blue are grinding hard ahead of the second Test, set to be played from 3rd to 7th January at the Newlands in Cape Town. Ahead of the final Test, the Indian camp confirmed that Shardul is doing good after being hit on the shoulder in the net session a day prior. On the other hand, Pakistan are mulling to field some changes in their playing XI for the final Test, which will be played from January 3rd at the Sydney Cricket Ground after going down 0-2 in the three-match Test series.
Here in this article, we’ll look at all the big news that took place on Sunday, December 31, but before that, let's check the matches scheduled for the day.
Today’s match preview:
BBL 2023-24: Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder
The Nathan Ellis-led Hobart Hurricanes are scheduled to face Chris Green's Sydney Thunder in the 21st match of the BBL 2023-24. The match between the Hurricanes and the Thunder will take place at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Monday at 10:30 a.m. IST. While the Thunder have won just one of their five games to manage the sixth spot in the standings, the Hurricanes have also managed one win and are reeling at the bottom of the points table.
BBL 2023-24: Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers
The Colin Munro-led Brisbane Heat are scheduled to face Moises Henriques' Sydney Thunder Sydney Sixers in the 22nd match of the BBL 2023-24. The match between the Heat and the Sixers will take place at the iconic Gabba in Brisbane on Monday at 1:45 p.m. IST. While the Heat sit comfortably at the top of the points table having won four of their five matches, the Sixers are third with three wins, one loss and one match ending in a no result.
Major cricket events that happened on December 31
BBL 2023-24: Melbourne Stars jump to fourth place after win over Adelaide Strikers
Beau Webster and Marcus Stoinis' unbeaten knock of 66 and 55 respectively, helped the side chase the 206-run target with ease in match 20th of the Big Bash League 2023-24. After inviting the Strikers to bat first, the Matthew Short-led side posted 205 in their 20 overs with a half century from the skipper and an unbeaten 83 from Chris Lynn. However, Stars continued their winning run in the tournament, registering 7-wicket win to go up to the fourth place in the standings.
Suresh Raina likely to be mentor of Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2024
Suresh Raina is set to join Lucknow Super Giants as a mentor for IPL 2024. LSG had another solid 2023 as the second-year franchise finished fourth. Since the end of the season, LSG has undergone multiple changes in its coaching staff. Mentor Gautam Gambhir left the franchise to join Kolkata Knight Riders, now as a replacement Raina is slated to join the Lucknow-based franchise.
Mullanpur Stadium likely to be home ground of Punjab Kings in IPL
The newly built Mullanpur Stadium from the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) is likely to be the home ground of Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024. The PCA Secretary Dilsher Khanna spoke to a news agency, stating that the Punjab Kings officials have visited the Mullanpur Stadium, and it is all but certain that the IPL 2024 matches happen here.
David Warner gets ready for Tests farewell as AUS name same squad
Australia have named an unchanged 13-member squad for the third and final Test of the series against Pakistan, which will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). This Test match will also be the last in the career of David Warner, who will bow out in front of his family and friends at his home ground in Sydney.
Pakistan likely to field Saim Ayub in third Test against Australia
Ahead of the final Test, the Men in Green are speaking of including 21-year-old uncapped opener Saim Ayub. He is likely to replace Imam-ul-Haq, who has been batting slow and has come under the scanners of the team management. Speaking of Ayub, the young southpaw has played eight T20Is this year and is regarded as a specialist in this format with 14 First-Class games.
Cricket Australia announce Test XI of the year 2023
Cricket Australia recently announced their combination of eleven players who performed exceptionally in red-ball cricket throughout 2023. Pat Cummins, who led Australia to World Test Championship earlier in June, has been named as the captain of the XI. Irish stumper-batter Lorcan Tucker has been nominated for donning the wicketkeeping gloves for his outstanding showing in 2023. Only two Indians find a place in the XI, namely all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Gary Wilson to coach Pretoria Capitals in SA20 2024
Ireland Men’s High Performance Coach Gary Wilson is heading to South Africa next week to join the Pretoria Capitals’ coaching staff as a Consultant Coach ahead of the starts of the SA20 – the franchise cricket tournament starts 10 January 2024.
