Cricket news round-up – 31 March 2019: Maxwell can be like Kohli, says Langer

Justin Langer, the Australia coach, has compared his all-rounder Glenn Maxwell to India captain Virat Kohli, saying Maxwell can well reach the standards set by Kohli. Elsewhere, Australia’s bowlers released a joint statement rubbishing a report that suggested they threatened boycott if David Warner went unpunished during the ball-tampering scandal last year.

Elsewhere, Chennai Super Kings called up Scott Kuggelejin, a Rs 12 lakh fine for Rohit Sharma, and heroics by Kagiso Rabada.

Maxwell lauded by Langer

Glenn Maxwell’s stock has risen substantially in the Australian ranks following good recent performances. Justin Langer, the Australia coach, said if the all-rounder can utilise his talent, he can be as good as Virat Kohli.

The comments come after Maxwell’s 98 helped Australia secure a nervy six-run win against Pakistan in the fourth ODI, and the form of the player bodes well for the men from Down Under ahead of the World Cup 2019.

“The challenge for him is, and I’ve said this to him, we’ve just seen Virat Kohli, who is an extraordinarily talented player – he averages 60 in ODI cricket. He is a great player,” Langer said. “At the moment, in 99 games, Maxi averages 32 or 33. He can be Virat Kohli. He has got the talent to do that.”

Rabada rescues Delhi in Super Over

After a see-saw match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals went to the Super Over, the South African pace ace, Kagiso Rabada, came to the fore, defending 10 to clinch the match for Delhi.

Prithvi Shaw’s 99 had helped Delhi match Kolkata’s 185/8 – thanks to Andre Russell’s 62 – but after Prasidh Krishna kept things tight against Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Shaw, Delhi had only 10 runs to defend, with daunting figure of Andre Russell fronting up for the opposition.

However, with a series of excellent yorkers, Rabada had Russell’s stumps clattered before negating the space for Dinesh Karthik and Robin Uthappa to find the fence.

The win took Delhi to No.2 in the table.

Australia bowlers rubbish boycott claims

Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon have released a joint-statement rubbishing reports in the media that suggested they would have boycott the Johannesburg Test last year if David Warner went unpunished in the ball-tampering scandal.

“We are extremely disappointed in an article which was first published across Fairfax platforms on March 29, 2019,” they said. “The article claims we intended to withdraw from the fourth Test during last year’s tour of South Africa had David Warner been free to play.

“This claim is disappointing on a number of fronts but most importantly because it is false. False claims circulated in the media, such as these, which question our relationship with David are inflammatory and misleading. As a team we are all focused on moving forward together and helping the Australian Men’s team prepare for the World Cup and the Ashes.”

Chennai Super Kings rope in Scott Kuggeleijn

After losing Lungi Ngidi to injury and David Willey to a family emergency, Chennai Super Kings have called up New Zealand paceman Scott Kuggelejin as replacement.

The New Zealander can also bat a bit, and Stephen Fleming, the Chennai coach, admitted that was a factor in the selection.

“For Lungi, we’ve been a little bit more selective. It’s obviously a different level of replacement player (required for him) based on price,” said Fleming. “We’ve gone with Scott Kuggeleijn, who’s a New Zealand international, who bowls quick and bats well. We’ve gone for an all-rounder who has good pace and good variations. He’ll be joining us next week.”

Fleming also confirmed Willey can’t be replaced, since his unavailability wasn’t due to injury.

Rohit Sharma fined for Mumbai’s slow over-rate

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has been fined Rs 12 lakh for Mumbai’s slow over-rate during their clash against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali.

Mumbai lost the match – their second of the tournament – but the game, which started at 4pm local time, stretched well beyond the 7.30pm limit.

“As it was his team’s first offence of the season, under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Mr. Sharma was fined Rs 12 lakh,” said an IPL statement.