Cricket

VVS Laxman to Coach India for South Africa T20I TourFormer Indian cricketer VVS Laxman has been appointed as the head coach for the Indian team during their upcoming four-match Twenty20 International (T20I) tour of South Africa in November. Laxman will take over from Gautam Gambhir, who will be accompanying the Test squad to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.The South Africa tour was not initially part of India's schedule but was recently arranged following discussions between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket South Africa (CSA). The T20I series will be played across four venues: Durban, Gqeberha, Centurion, and Johannesburg, with matches scheduled for November 8, 10, 13, and 15.Laxman, who has previously coached India during other short white-ball series, will be supported by staff from the National Cricket Academy (NCA), including Sairaj Bahutule, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and Subhadeep Ghosh. These coaches have recently worked with the India Emerging team at the Asia Emerging Cup in Oman.On October 25, the BCCI announced the 15-member squad for the T20I series, which will be led by Suryakumar Yadav. The series comes just ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, providing a valuable opportunity for players to showcase their talent and potentially boost their demand among IPL franchises.

South Africa's Duminy Makes Surprise Return to Field as Substitute in ODI Against IrelandIn a remarkable turn of events, former South African batsman JP Duminy made an unexpected return to the field during the third and final ODI against Ireland in Abu Dhabi on Monday. Duminy, who retired from all formats of cricket in July 2019, was called upon to fill in as a substitute fielder due to fatigue and heat exhaustion affecting some of South Africa's players.The intense desert heat left several of the team's regular fielders struggling, prompting the team to look for immediate reinforcements. While it's unusual for a coach to step onto the field in an active game, Duminy's experience and fitness made him an ideal candidate to temporarily fill the gap.Duminy's presence on the field added an interesting piece to the game, showing his willingness to step up for his team even in a non-playing capacity. Despite Ireland's strong fight in their final ODI of the series, with Paul Stirling leading the charge with 88 runs, South Africa's bowlers, especially Lizaad Williams, made crucial breakthroughs.Williams was the pick of the bowlers, taking four wickets for 56 runs in his 10 overs. Ottneil Baartman and Andile Phehlukwayo supported well, with two wickets each, ensuring South Africa remained competitive in the match.Duminy's impromptu stint as a fielder, however, was the highlight as his enduring connection with the game and the lengths to which the team was willing to go to adapt to challenging conditions were on full display.

South Africa's Heinrich Klaasen has expressed mixed feelings about the low-scoring matches at the ICC T20 World Cup in New York. While acknowledging that the format may not be appealing to casual fans, he believes it enhances the competitiveness and entertainment value for cricket enthusiasts."For cricket lovers, it's still good cricket," Klaasen said. "But if you have to showcase it to the world and sell it, I don't think it's a great selling product."Klaasen's comments come after South Africa's thrilling four-run victory over Bangladesh in a match that went down to the final ball. The low-scoring affair highlighted the challenges of batting on the slow and bouncy pitches in New York.Despite the difficulties, Klaasen believes the format levels the playing field and makes every game a potential upset. "It brings the other teams and the higher teams very close to each other," he said. "So, the game is open to any team that does the basics of cricket very well."Klaasen also acknowledged the pressure that comes with playing in such tight matches. "For us, it's very nerve-wracking, because every game becomes a really big game," he said. "There are no easy games for us, especially in our group."Looking ahead to the Super 8 stage in the Caribbean, Klaasen believes that scores around 160-170 will be competitive on the more batting-friendly wickets there. He also expressed openness to expanding cricket to other countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, and Russia."I think there are a lot of places where cricket can go," Klaasen said. "We are open as cricketers anywhere as long as it's good conditions and we can play good cricket."