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The Men in Blue are hosting the Afghanistan side for a three-match T20I series. Notably, this is the first time that the two cricketing nations are playing a bilateral T20I series, with India currently 1-0 after winning the first game in Mohali by a margin of six wickets. While the fans saw return of Rohit Sharma after the 2022 T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli is yet to feature after he missed the opening game due to "personal reasons". Apart from it, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will now lock horns in a three-match T20I series after the hosts clinched the ODI series 2-0. Moreover, New Zealand are hosting Pakistan for a five-match T20I series.
Here in this article, we’ll look at all the big news that took place on Friday, January 12, but before that, let's check the matches scheduled for the day.
Also WATCH: Bhuvneshwar Kumar destroys Bengal with five-wicket haul in Ranji Trophy 2024
Today’s match preview:
SA20 2024: Joburg Super Kings vs MI Cape Town
Faf du Plessis-led Joburg Super Kings will take on Kieron Pollard's MI Cape Town in the fourth match of the SA20 2024. The match is scheduled to take place at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg at 5:00 p.m. IST. While the first match for the Super Kings got abandoned due to persistent rain, MI Cape Town lost their opening match against Durban Super Giants.
SA20 2024: Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Duban Super Giants
Aiden Markram-led Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Keshav Maharaj's Durban Super Giants are scheduled to feature in the fifth match of the SA20 2024. The match is set to take place at the St George's Park in Gqeberha at 9:00 p.m. IST. While the Sunrisers saw their match get abandon due to rain, Durban Super Giants registered a convincing 11 runs win via DLS method in their tournament opener.
BBL 2023-24: Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat
The 35th match of the BBL 2023-24 is scheduled to take place between top of the table placed Brisbane Heat and the Perth Scorchers at the Perth Stadium on Saturday, January 13 at 10:45 a.m. IST. While the Colin Munro-led side were the first to seal the playoffs berth as they are yet to lose a game in the tournament, the Aaron Hardie-led Scorchers are third in the BBL 2023-24 standings with five wins from eight games.
BBL 2023-24: Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars
The 36th match of the BBL 2023-24 is scheduled to take place between the two Melbourne sides at the Docklands Stadium at 2:00 p.m. IST. While the Glenn Maxwell-led Melbourne Stars are still in contention to seal the playoffs berth, placed fifth in the BBL 2023-24 standings having won four games so far, the Renegades have officially been eliminated from the playoffs race and are placed eighth with just a solitary win.
Also WATCH : Rahmanullah Gurbaz pranks sleeping Rinku Singh during flight to Indore ahead of 2nd T20I
Major cricket events that happened on January 12
New Zealand got 1-0 up in the five-match T20I series with 46 runs win over PAK in 1st T20I
The Men in Green began their tour of New Zealand with a loss in the first T20I. On a batting wicket, the Shaheen Shah Afridi-led side invited the hosts to bat first after winning the toss. The Kiwis put up 226 runs on the board, courtesy half-centuries from skipper Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell. However, Shaheen starred with the ball, scalping three wickets, Babar Azam was the sole batter to reach the 57-run mark with the visitors eventually getting out at the score of 180 in 18 overs.
Sydney Sixers seal playoffs berth with 19 runs win over Thunder
Moises Henriques-led Sydney Sixers beat Chris Green's Sydney Thunder in the 34th match of the BBL 2023-24 on Friday by 19 runs to come out on top for the fifth consecutive time in the Sydney derby. However, after inviting the Sixers to bat first, Green's Thunder restricted them to 151/7 in 20 overs. But the Thunder could not replicate the bowling efforts as they failed to chase the total and got bundled out for 132 runs in 19.5 overs.
WATCH: Ishan Kishan posts training video amidst Team India non-selection drama
SA20 2024: Andile Phehlukwayo's all-round effort help Paarl Royals begin their campaign with a win
Andile Phehlukwayo's 14-ball unbeaten cameo of 28 and later a 2-29 with the ball helped Paarl Royals defend 160 against Pretoria Capitals to kickstart their 2024 SA20 campaign with a win. Putting in to bat first, the Royals posted 160/7 in the 20 overs, courtesy David Miller's quickfire 41. Despite a chasable score, the Capitals failed to reach the mark, failing short by 27 runs.
BCCI announces India's squad for first two Tests against England
The Men's Selection Committee announced India's squad for the first two Tests against England. India are set to play a 5-match Test series, the first of which will be held in Hyderabad from January 25, 2024. Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been dropped while Dhruv Jurel received a maiden national team call-up.
WPL 2024 matches to be played in Bengaluru, Delhi: Reports
The matches for the second season of the Women’s Premier League will reportedly be played in Bengaluru and Delhi. Reports by Dainik Jagran state that BCCI has tentatively finalised a window between February 22 and March 17 for the tournament. The second season of the tournament will comprise 22 matches and the first half will be played in Bengaluru and the other half in Delhi.
Dean Elgar signs for Essex after retiring from international cricket
The South African cricketer Dean Elgar has signed a three-year contract with Essex County Cricket Club to be one of their overseas players starting in the summer of 2024. The 36-year-old, who had a Test career spanning for the better part of 12 years, retired from international cricket at the start of 2024 in front of his home fans.
PCB announces Pakistan Super League 2024 schedule
Pakistan Cricket Board has announced the schedule for the ninth season of the Pakistan Super League with the 2024 edition kicking off in Lahore on February 17, 2024. Defending champions Lahore Qalandars will lock horns against Islamabad United at the Gaddafi Stadium in the season's opening encounter. This PSL will be played across Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi with the final schedule on March 18.
Ayushmann Khurrana to play Sourav Ganguly in his biopic: Reports
Indian actor Ayushmann Khurrana is set to play Indian cricketing great Sourav Ganguly in his biopic as per recent reports. The film is set to be under the Luv Films banner with producers Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg and will be directed by Bollywood veteran Vikramaditya Motwane. The development was reported by Peeping Moon, who claimed that the film will be officially announced soon.
WATCH: David Warner makes Hollywood style entry at SCG ahead of BBL match
Australian cricketer David Warner made a Hollywood style entry at the Sydney Cricket Ground ahead of Sydney Thunder’s clash in the BBL. The opening batter arrived in a helicopter straight from his brother’s wedding in the Hunter Valley. On January 12, Sydney Thunder locked horns with Moises Henriques’ Sydney Sixers. Before the onset of the game, Warner landed on the outfields before the gates opened to the public.
I wanted to implement what I have learnt from MS Dhoni: Shivam Dube
Shivam Dube credited Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni for his game improvement. Dube played a brilliant knock in the series opener against Afghanistan and said that Dhoni inspired him to become a good finisher. Dube told JioCinema, "I was keeping myself ready to not miss an opportunity. When I came to bat, I wanted to finish the match. I learned it from Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni)."
South Africa sack U19 captain David Teeger for pro-Israel comments
Cricket South Africa removed David Teeger as the captain of their U-19 squad a week before the World Cup. The cricketing board cited Teeger’s pro-Israel comments as the reason behind taking the bold step of removing the teenager. The 2024 U19 World Cup will be hosted by South Africa and the tournament will begin on January 19.
