Picture Credit: X

Picture Credit: X

The Ben Stokes-led England team landed in Hyderabad on Sunday, 21st ahead of the first Test, which is set to commence from January 25th. However, ahead of the series start the Three Lions were handed a massive blow as Harry Brook pulled out of the Test series due to personal reason and Surrey's Dan Lawrence being named his replacement. Moreover, the Shaheen Shah Afridi-led Men in Green registered a consolation win in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand to finish the series 4-1 in favour of the hosts. 

Here in this article, we’ll look at all the big news that took place on Sunday, January 21, but before that, let's check the matches scheduled for the day.

Today’s match preview:

BBL 2023-24: Brisbane Heat vs Adelaide Strikers

With one finals berth still up for grabs, Colin Munro's Brisbane Heat will take on the Matthew Short-led Adelaide Striker in the Challenger at the Carrara Oval in Queensland on Monday, January 22 at 2:10 p.m. IST. While the Heat lost to Sydney Sixers in the Qualifier giving them another lifeline to reach the final; the Strikers knocked out Perth Scorchers to eye a place in the final of the 2023-24 BBL.

SA20 2024: Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Pretoria Capitals

Aiden Markram-led Sunrisers Eastern Cape are scheduled to face Wayne Parnell's Pretoria Capitals at the St George's Park in Gqeberha. The match will be played on Monday at 9:00 p.m. IST. Speaking of the standings, while the Eastern Cape are third in the point table with two wins from four games, the Pretoria Capitals are reeling at the bottom of the table with a solitary win and three losses from four games. 

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Major cricket events that happened on January 21

Paarl Royals register biggest win in SA20 history; beat MI Cape Town by 59 runs

Paarl Royals registered their biggest win in SA20 history. Jos Butler and Jason Roy's opening partnership proved to be the main difference between these two teams as they gave 116 runs opening stand on the tricky pitch. Roy scored 68 and Butler 54. When they came to field, Fortuin rattle the top order and after that MI Cape Town never looked stable after that. He took 3 wickets, Ngidi, McCoy and Shamsi shared two each.

Iftikhar, Nawaz help escape series whitewash for Pakistan

Pakistan's spinners, Mohammad Nawaz (2-18) and Iftikhar Ahmed (3-24) combined to give their side a winning end to a tough tour Down Under and avert a series whitewash in Christchurch. After the visitors were kept down to 134 in the fifth and final T20I, the spinners sucked the life out of the hosts' chase and bowled them out of 92 - the Black Caps' second-lowest total in a home T20I.

Also Read: Virat Kohli is the best batter of this era: Shoaib Akhtar

England team arrives in Hyderabad ahead of Test series against India

The England men's team led by all-rounder Ben Stokes has arrived in India for the five-match Test series starting on January 25. The Three Lions were spotted exiting the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, the venue of the first Test, on January 21. The English team gears up for red-ball cricket after a thrilling Ashes which ended as a 2-2 draw in June-July 2023.

We have ‘Viratball’ to counter ‘Bazball’: Sunil Gavaskar

Speaking of the five-match Test series between India and England, former Indian cricketer and legend Sunil Gavaskar dropped a bombshell, stating “we have Viratball to counter Bazball”. “The way he’s been batting, his movement looks good. With the form that he’s in, we have Viratball to counter Bazball,” said legend Sunil Gavaskar while speaking on Star Sports ahead of first Test.

Harry Brook to miss Test series against India due to personal reasons

Harry Brook has pulled out of England's Test squad to tour India citing personal reasons. The development was confirmed by the ECB in a release which didn't announce a replacement for Brook. England is set to arrive in Hyderabad on Sunday, ahead of the start of the first Test on January 25. The statement also shared that the Brook family has requested privacy from the media for their decision.

Harbhajan Singh baffled at Yuzvendra Chahal’s absence from T20Is

The former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh was puzzled about how Yuzvendra Chahal has been ignored from the Indian T20I squad during an interview on the sidelines of ILT20 in Dubai. When asked about his top three spin bowling picks for India at the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, the 43-year-old was happy to name Yuzvendra Chahal ahead of everyone else.

Dan Lawerence to replace Harry Brook for England's tour to India

Surrey batter Dan Lawerence will replace middle-order batter Harry Brook for England's tour to India. The 24-year-old pulled out of the series citing personal reasons. Lawrence was a backup with the Test squad last summer and recently arrived in the UAE for the ILT20 after playing in the Big Bash League but will travel to India in the coming days.

Mohammad Amir takes indirect dig at Mohammad Rizwan

The former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Amir took an indirect dig at Mohammad Rizwan after the wicket-keeper batter remarked that breaking his opening partnership with Babar Azam in T20Is has hurt the national team. The 31-year-old wasn’t impressed with Mohammad Rizwan while stating that he had his fun for four years, and now the youngsters should be persisted with.

BCCI awards to be held in Hyderabad ahead of first Test vs ENG

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to host its Annual Awards in Hyderabad. The award ceremony will mark its return after four years hiatus, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. According to SportsTiger sources, the awards will be held in Hyderabad ahead of the first Test between India and England.

The Hundred 2024: New regulations announced for upcoming season

The Hundred has announced the change of rules and regulations regarding the salaries of women's players and player retention. An additional £100k has been allocated to each team to increase salaries in The Hundred Women's. In the Men's edition, teams will be permitted to retain one player as their nominated Central Contract player with the number of England's Centrally Contracted players increasing.

Shakib Al Hasan to miss remainder of Dhaka leg of BPL 2024: Reports

The Rangpur Riders have been handed a blow soon after their first match. Bangladesh skipper and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who is plying his trade for the Riders will miss the remainder of first leg due to eye issue. “He is leaving for Sylhet today and we are expecting him to be available during the Sylhet phase if he recovers from his eye problem,” Riders’ CEO Ishtiaque Sadeque said.

Cheteshwar Pujara scores 20,000-runs in First Class career; becomes fourth India to breach this mark

Cheteshwar Pujara showcased his batting prowess, notching up an impressive half-century to reach the milestone of 20,000 first-class runs during the Ranji Trophy third-round clash between Saurashtra and Vidarbha. Pujara has become the only fourth batsman to complete 20,000 runs in FC cricket among Indian batters after Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Most first-class runs by Indian batters - Read Here.