Picture Credit: X

Picture Credit: X

While the Men in Blue dominated Afghanistan by recording a series whitewash in the three-match T20I series, the Men in Green are looking for a consolation win despite losing the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. The Tim Southee-led side will take on Pakistan in the fourth T20I at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Friday, 19th January in the fourth T20I of the series. Apart from this, Australia registered a dominating 10-wicket win over West Indies in the first Test of the two-match series and will next take on the Windies at the Gabba in a week's time. 

Here in this article, we’ll look at all the big news that took place on Thursday, January 18, but before that, let's check the matches scheduled for the day.

Today’s match preview:

BBL 2023-24: Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers

With the playoffs kickstarting from January 19, in the Qualifier of the BBL 2023-24, the Brisbane Heat will take on the Sydney Sixers at the Carrara Oval in Queensland on Friday, January 19 at 2:10 p.m. IST. While the winner here will seal a berth in the final of the 2023-24 edition, the loser will get another chance to redeem themselves as they will take the winner of Perth Scorchers vs Adelaide Strikers in the Challengers later. 

SA20 2024: MI Cape Town vs Paarl Royals

Kieron Pollard-led MI Cape Town are scheduled to face David Miller's Paarl Royals at the Newlands in Cape Town on Friday, 19th January at 9:00 p.m. IST. While the Paarl Royals are yet to lose a game after winning all three matches, the Cape Town have lost two matches and have registered a solitary win in the ongoing season so far. 

New Zealand vs Pakistan 4th T20I

After winning the three T20Is on the trot and clinching the series, the Kiwis will host the Shaheen Shah Afridi-led Pakistan in the fourth T20I at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Friday, 19th January at 11:40 a.m. IST. However, the New Zealand have clinched the series, the Men in Green will to register a consolation win today.

Major cricket events that happened on January 18

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SA20 2024: Will Jacks sets up Capitals' first win with a blistering 101

Pretoria Capitals moved to the fifth place, displacing Faf du Plessis' Joburg Super Kings after their 17-run win over the Durban Super Giants on Thursday at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. While the Capitals lost all the momentum at the back end with the bat but responded brilliantly with the ball. They removed the Super Giants' top 4 inside 12 overs and never allowed the run-rate to slip away, eventually giving them their first loss of the season.

Bharat Arun and Jonty Rhodes join SLC as coaching staff members

Former India fast bowling coach Bharat Arun and former South Africa cricketer Jonty Rhodes became new coaching staff members in the Sri Lankan coaching staff. The Sri Lankan coaching staff also appointed former Sri Lankan physiotherapist Alex Kountouri. The board's decision to hire new members came after their recent meeting of the Executive Committee of SLC on January 16, 2024.

Naveen-ul-Haq to play in SA20 after ACB relaxes sanctions

The Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has arrived in South Africa to participate in the ongoing SA20 season for Durban Super Giants after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) relaxed sanctions against him and his two teammates. Notably, the ACB had denied the No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to three players to participate in franchise leagues last month following a contractual dispute.

ICC unveils New York stadium for T20 World Cup 2024 matches

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has unveiled the stadium in New York which is set to host T20 World Cup 2024 matches in June. The construction of the first-of-its-kind Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York is currently underway, and it is expected to be completed in just three months.

BCCI announces RFP for WPL 2024 opening ceremony

The BCCI invites bids from reputed entities to acquire the rights and obligations to stage the Opening Ceremony for the Women’s Premier League for Season 2024.  The detailed terms and conditions governing the tender process including eligibility requirements, process for submissions of bids, rights and obligations, etc. are contained in the ‘Request for Proposal’ (“RFP”) which will be made available on receipt of payment of a non-refundable fee of INR 1,00,000 (Indian Rupees One Lakh Only) plus any applicable Goods and Services Tax. The procedure to procure the RFP documents is enlisted in Annexure A to this notice. The RFP will be available for purchase till January 29, 2024.

Suryakumar Yadav undergoes sports hernia surgery in Munich

Suryakumar Yadav has undergone sports hernia surgery, which worsened with time. An expert in Munich operated on Yadav on Wednesday as the Mumbai Indians batter had a similar operation that KL Rahul underwent in 2022. As per Cricbuzz, BCCI expects Suryakumar Yadav to be back by the IPL 2024 season and believes that he will be fully fit for the T20 World Cup.

Sara Tendulkar gets emotional as Sachin Tendulkar makes cricket return

Sachin Tendulkar made his return to the cricket ground for a One World One Family charity match on January 18, Thursday, which sent his fans into a frenzy. Tendulkar's daughter Sara got emotional on her father's return to the field after so long. Sara took to Instagram and posted videos and photos from the match and captioned one of the videos, ‘Nostalgia’.

WATCH: Virat Kohli grooves to ‘Moye Moye’ as India get better of Afghanistan in 3rd T20I

Virat Kohli was seen in a jovial mood as joined the famous ongoing social media trend ‘Moye Moye’. India hosted Afghanistan in the final clash of the T20I series at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The 20-over action got stretched to two Super Overs, where India defeated their Afghan counterparts by 10 runs. During the match, the DJ brought an unexpected turn putting Kohli’s fun side on display. 

Also WATCH: Virat Kohli wins India’s “Best Fielder” award for Afghanistan T20Is

Suresh Raina reacts to Rohit Sharma’s post after third T20I vs AFG

Former India batter Suresh Raina praised skipper Rohit Sharma and hailed him as the ‘GOAT’. Raina reacted to Sharma’s post after the third T20I clash against Afghanistan. After the match, Sharma took to Instagram and posted a few pictures. Sharma captioned the post, “Loved it.” Former India cricketer Suresh Raina replied to the post and hailed Sharma as the ‘Goat’. Raina commented, “Goat for a reason well done skipper.”

Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn and Andrew Puttick resign after demotion to NCA in Lahore

Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn and Andrew Puttick, who were assigned duties at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore after a change in their portfolios in November 2023, have resigned from their respective positions.  In April 2023, Arthur was appointed Director of the Pakistan men’s cricket team while Bradburn was announced head coach of the Pakistan national men’s side earlier last year. Former South Africa cricketer Puttick was Pakistan’s batting coach since April 2023. Notably, a ll three individuals informed the Pakistan Cricket Board of their decision to leave their respective jobs by the end of January 2024.